Maryland Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2026: Jack Vardaman

Jack Vardaman was born in Anniston, Alabama, in 1940 and became one of the most accomplished junior golfers in the state. Vardaman went on to attend Washington & Lee University, where he was a standout golfer and was later inducted into the Washington & Lee Athletic Hall of Fame. He went on to Harvard Law School and clerked for Justice Hugo Black at the U.S. Supreme Court before joining the firm of Williams & Connolly, where he practiced for over forty years.

As a thriving attorney, husband, and father of four, Vardaman stepped back from competitive golf for a decade before re-emerging as one of the most accomplished mid-amateur and senior amateur players in the DMV region. A longtime member of Congressional Country Club, he captured three Club Championships there and the TPC Avenel Club Championship in 1987. His senior career brought even greater success, including Mid-Atlantic Senior Amateur titles in 1996, 1997, and 2001, Washington Metropolitan Senior Championships in 1997 and 2010, and prestigious invitational victories at Pine Valley Golf Club and Seminole Golf Club. He qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur, U.S. Senior Amateur, and U.S. Senior Open on multiple occasions and finished fourth at the British Senior Amateur in 2001, the same year Golf Digest named him one of the Ten Best Senior Amateurs in the country.

Off the course, Vardaman's contributions to the game were equally significant. He served on the USGA Executive Committee from 1999 to 2004 and as USGA General Counsel from 1999 to 2003. He was a dedicated champion of youth golf, serving as Board Chairman of the First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C. from 2012 to 2018 and as Chairman Emeritus until his passing in 2020. In 2017, he was honored with the MAPGA David Wortman Citizen of the Year Award. Jack Vardaman passed away on September 23, 2020, leaving behind a legacy defined by excellence, integrity, and a deep love for the game.