Guy Wimberly, Class of 2011

GUY WIMBERLY
One of the founding fathers of the Sun Country PGA Section, Guy Wimberly, 72, is aptly nicknamed “Mr. New Mexico Golf” for having grown the game selflessly for more than four decades in the state. In 1969, joined by PGA Professional Bob Meiering, took over Arroyo del Oso Golf Course in Albuquerque and elevated it into a popular municipal golf destination, earning recognition from Golf Digest as one of the “Top 50 Municipal Facilities to Play. He went on to serve from 2006 to 2008 as PGA director of golf at Sierra del Rio Golf Club in Elephant Butte, N.M.

Wimberly was co-founder of New Mexico Golf Ltd., in 1974, a multi-million dollar entity that expanded from one to four public facilities employing more than 100, including a dozen PGA Professionals and assistant professionals. Under his direction, Arroyo del Oso’s 27-hole facility serviced more than 140,000 annual rounds.

Among the leaders in advancing golf tourism in New Mexico, Wimberly also guided the formation of the Sun Country Amateur Golf Association and the Junior PGA Tour within the state’s borders. Wimberly was co-recipient with Bob Meiering of the 1979 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities; and in 1988 earned the Horton Smith Award for contributions to PGA education.

A PGA Life member who celebrates 40 years as a PGA Professional on March 31, Wimberly served from 1982-85 as District 12 director on the PGA Board of Directors; and from 1980-82 as president of the Sun Country PGA Section. Wimberly majored in journalism and speech at the University of New Mexico where he captured a Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title and was an All-America selection.

He has been a frequent contributor to regional golf periodicals and the Albuquerque Journal. He was the 2001 Sun Country PGA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, the 1988 Section Golf Professional of the Year and Horton Smith Award winner and the 1989, 2005 Section Bill Strausbaugh Award recipient. Wimberly and his wife, Alice, live in Elephant Butte, N.M.