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WOOD RIVER - The Jordan Hooks Memorial Terrace was dedicated at Belk Park Golf Course on Tuesday, Aug. 15, in memory of golfer Jordan Hooks.
The terrace includes furniture, barstools and a television. The space will serve as a spot for people to relax after a round of golf or enjoy a drink overlooking the golf course. Tuesday marked its official opening, but the crowd agreed that the night was really about Jordan.
“It’s kind of bittersweet. Jordan would golf every Tuesday, and I’d rather have Jordan than the patio,” said Mickey Sabolo, Belk Park Golf Course manager. “He loved being out here and we loved having him.”
Hooks passed away in May 2022 at the age of 39. He loved playing golf and enjoyed participating in the Amateur Players Tour. Off the green, he worked as a letter carrier with the United States Postal Service.
Jordan’s family approached Sabolo about installing the terrace in Jordan’s memory. His brother Aaron donated TVs and barstools, and golfers pitched in to help cover other costs.
“He loved to golf. He loved Belk,” Rick Hooks, Jordan’s father, explained. “It’s a beautiful park.”
The Wood River Parks and Recreation department oversees Belk Park and supported them throughout this project. The terrace itself was built by the Laborers League. Jordan golfed with them every week for eight years. Construction of the terrace began in April 2023, and the Laborers League helped pour concrete and build the wooden frame and roof.
Multiple signs throughout the space show pictures of Jordan and tell his story. Family, friends and Jordan’s fellow golfers celebrated the terrace’s opening with food and beers.
“You always have guys in the golf league that don’t like playing against somebody else or with somebody else. That was never the case with Jordan,” Sabolo said. “He was always so nice to everybody. And that’s why when he passed away, it was a shock to me, a shock to everybody in the golf league, because you just never thought something would happen to somebody as nice as him…He was never upset about how we played. He was always just super friendly to everybody. He had that smile on his face all the time.”
Sabolo invites people to come out to the golf course and enjoy a night on the terrace. For more information about Belk Park Golf Course, visit their official website or Facebook page.
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