HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 81
(By Delegates W. Clark, Lucas, McCormick, and Moore)
[March 7, 2025; Referred to the committee on Government Organizationthen Rules ]
Requesting the Department of Tourism to consult and coordinate with the West Virginia Golf Association in order to create a feasible plan for a tourism promoting state public golfing trail with at least one public course in each of the state’s nine tourism districts, utilizing each of the public golf courses in the State Park system, and designating such golf trail as West Virginia’s Almost Heaven Golf Trail.
Whereas, The Department of Tourism’s tremendous success in the marketing of various state tourism based trails such as the Almost Heaven Swings Trail, the Hatfield-McCoy Trail, the Mountaineer Trail Network, and the Upper Ohio Valley Trail Network in West Virginia is in the public interest and promotes economic growth, development and tourism for the people of this state and is in the best interest of the growing economy in West Virginia; and
Whereas, The West Virginia Golf Association has since 1913 promoted the great sport of golf in West Virginia, a sport with lifelong, intergenerational physical and emotional health benefits and which studies have shown may contribute to golfers living longer all of which is in the public interest and the best interest of the citizens of West Virginia; and
Whereas, The State of West Virginia’s State Park system contains five beautiful public golf courses located at Stonewall Resort State Park, Cacapon Resort State Park, Pipestem Resort State Park, Twin Falls Resort State Park, and Canaan Valley Resort State Park; and
Whereas, The Department of Tourism is well suited to promote an environment in the state which is conducive to encouraging golf based tourism in West Virginia which will further promote economic growth, development and prosperity for the people of this state; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Department of Tourism shall, consult and coordinate with the West Virginia Golf Association, and submit a report, on or before December 1, 2025, to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance detailing a feasible plan for creating a state public golfing trail with at least one public course in each of the state’s nine tourism districts; incorporating the State Park courses at Stonewall Resort State Park, Cacapon Resort State Park, Pipestem Resort State Park, Twin Falls Resort State Park and Canaan Valley Resort State Park; and incorporating such other public course in the state’s nine tourism districts determined to be most conducive to promoting golf centered tourism; and to be designated West Virginia’s Almost Heaven Golf Trail.