Bill loved growing up in the coastal town of Darien, Georgia with his brothers, Paul and Rob. He attended high school at Glynn Academy. At Glynn Academy, he excelled in football, basketball, and golf. He later attended Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He received scholarship offers to Clemson for football, to the University of Georgia for basketball, and to Georgia Tech for golf. He decided on Georgia Tech and played on the freshman basketball team before fully committing to golf. He served as captain of the 1963 Yellow Jackets golf team and was named an honorable-mention NCAA All-American. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1963 with a degree in Industrial Management.
He was a successful insurance executive for The Jordan Agency from 1963 to 1999. Most recently, he worked part time for Oakbridge Insurance Company and Striffler Hamby Mortuary.
Bill, affectionately known as “Chief”, won the Golden Isles Invitational championship in Brunswick a record 11 times. He also won the Georgia Senior Championship four times and captured the 1999 USGA Senior Amateur. In 2000, he participated in the U.S. Senior Open and the British Senior Open. In 1999, Golf Digest ranked Bill as the top senior amateur. In 2002, Golfweek ranked him as the No. 1 Senior Amateur golfer in the United States.
He was a devoted member of his beloved Green Island Country Club’s Early Birdies Golf Group, where he found both camaraderie and joy on the course.
Bill was inducted into the Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Senior Amateur Hall of Fame, and the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame for his outstanding accomplishments in the game of golf.
Beyond the fairways, Bill gave generously of his time and talents through community leadership, leaving an impact that reached far beyond the game he loved. He served as past President of the United Way and The Boys Club of Columbus. Bill was a former member of Rotary Club of Columbus.
Bill was an example of kindness, grace, and humility - a man with a huge heart, a gentle spirit, and while he was an accomplished golfer, he was even more accomplished as a husband, father, stepfather, Granddaddy, Grandbuddy, brother, uncle, and friend. To quote Bill, “Golf is what I do, it is not who I am.” These simple words capture his essence. His passion for the game was undeniable, but his legacy lives in the family he adored, friendships he nurtured, the community he helped lead, and the love he shared so freely.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Paul Hamilton Ploeger, III, and his mother-in-law, Christine Gillespie.
He is survived by his loving wife, Alta Gillespie Ploeger, his partner in life for 28 years. His daughter, Allison Ploeger Young (Richard), his grandsons, William Whitaker Young and Thomas Steed Young (Alyssa), his stepchildren, Tiffany Beach Patten (Ben), Ben Beach (Tiffany), and Calvin Collins (Josie). Step grandchildren, Austin and Ezra Redding, Benjamin and Bailey Beach, and Trey and Asa Patten, his brother Robert Bowers Ploeger (Joyce), His father-in-law, Rev. Hilton Gillespie, Brothers and Sisters in law, Carole Ploeger, Wendy and Billy Mathis, John and Celeste Gillespie, and Joe Norton, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Flowers accepted or donations can be made to the William D. Ploeger Youth Golf Fund, to support organizations that use the game of golf as a way to provide life-learning opportunities to the underprivileged youth of the Chattahoochee Valley. Donations may be made to the William D. Ploeger Youth Golf Fund, Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, 1147 6th Ave., Columbus, GA 31901 or https://cfcv.com/giving/ways-to-give
