When Beth Underhill started playing golf as a kid, it probably felt like a great way to have bonding time with her dad. Little did she know she was starting on a path to become a Hall of Famer.

The Warren County native was recently inducted to the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame, earning the distinction Nov. 3 for her outstanding career as a Golden Eagle for 2002-06. Underhill was able to receive the honor surrounded by family members, including her dad who got her playing at a young age.

“I started playing in middle school because my dad played and he thought back then that it could be a way for a female athlete to have a lot of opportunities down the road,” recalled Underhill on her start on the links. “He and my mom made sure that I got what I needed. I was in lessons. I did the junior tours.

“I played other sports in middle school, but in high school, I dropped the other sports and started focusing on golf.”

Underhill was a star in Warren County, one of the local legends in a Lady Pioneer program that has produced a state championship team (in 1992) and the school’s most recent state champion (Lauren Slatton won a title in October). She went on to excel at Tech, but even during all of her success, Underhill never dreamed of being a Hall of Famer.

“I found out – I think around the end of August – when the athletic director called me after they did their vote. I was speechless. I even kind of laughed and told him, ‘I don’t even know what to say,’” said Underhill.

She didn’t have to say anything. Her play did all the talking while she was residing in Cookeville.

According to information provided by the TTU Sports Information department, Underhill set the school record with 14 All-Tournament nods in her career (she still owns the record). 

She was chosen as the given the team’s Most Dedicated honor as a freshman, was named Most Improved as a sophomore (by Hall of Fame head coach Bobby Nichols) and earned Team MVP as a junior and senior.

Underhill was named All-OVC second team as a junior (and was also OVC all-tournament) with a 79.9 scoring average. She went on to lower that mark to 77.3 as a senior and was named All-OVC first team and OVC all-tournament during the 2005-06 season. She was also the OVC female golfer of the week twice during her final season, according to TTU sports information records.

It wasn’t all about golf in Cookeville for Underhill though. She graduated with a degree in human ecology and was a three-time member of the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll all eight semesters and earned the President’s Award for the women’s golf team in 2005 and 2006. 

All those accomplishments were listed off when Underhill accepted her Hall of Fame nod earlier this month, even if she didn’t remember many of them.

“I read the press release and, honestly, I don’t remember doing all of that. When I was in it, I was just trying to do the best I could for my team and my coach. I was focused on the all-tournament record, but all the stuff just came along with it. It was a lot of fun and a lot of hard work,” said Underhill.

While she doesn’t get on the golf course as much anymore, Underhill still enjoys the game and can send it sailing off the tee box. She said her rounds usually involve playing scrambles now, so if anybody is looking to round out a team for a local tournament, calls can be put out to a local Hall of Famer.

Information provided by the TTU Sports Information department was used in this story.