By MARK CARTNER

Tom Thorpe’s 8th floor office window in downtown Winston-Salem offers a panoramic view of the city. The only problem is he works for Wachovia — ironically, in mergers and acquisitions. "I’m not sure what’s going to happen," says Thorpe of his future with the company that was recently swallowed up by Charlotte’s First Union Bank. "I’d rather stay here … we’ll see."

But regardless of how Thorpe, 52, chooses to earn a living, golfers in the Carolinas can count on seeing him for some time to come. His passion for the game can’t be bought out.

In February, Thorpe, a Clemmons resident and member at Salem Glen Country Club, will end his two-year reign as the president of the Carolinas Golf Association. It’s a position he seemed destined for since former CGA executive director, Hale Van Hoy placed a phone call back in the mid 80s.

"I’d been helping out the CGA for a few years when Hale calls me one night and asks me to serve on the executive committee," recalls Thorpe. "That was about sixteen years ago and I’ve been on the committee ever since."

Thorpe worked his way up through the chairs and in 2000 landed in the president’s seat. Today, the mild-mannered former UNC-Pembroke golfer admits his biggest concern after assuming the top post was not to screw up.

"I didn’t go in with any ambitions to change things," he says. "I was more nervous about creating issues where there were none." He succeeded.

During the past two years Thorpe has guided the 18-member executive committee through some of the CGA’s most prosperous times – though Thorpe takes little credit.

"I mainly just have to manage our spring and fall meetings," Thorpe says. "Jack (Nance, the CGA’s executive director) runs the show and outlines everything that needs to be discussed. I just keep things organized."

When asked, Thorpe quickly states that the health of the CGA is quite good. And the numbers back him up. Currently the organization boasts 192,000 individual members – second most of any similar golf association in the country. And the CGA’s staff and tournament schedule continue to grow.

"That’s been the biggest change in the CGA since I first got involved in the 70s," Thorpe says. "The growth has been tremendous."

A little more than 30 years ago the association served just a few thousand members. And when Thorpe got involved, the CGA (founded in 1909) was still just a two-man operation working out of an office in the clubhouse at Tanglewood Park. Today the full-time staff numbers eight and operates out of their own building in West End near Pinehurst.

Thorpe reasons that the biggest challenge facing the CGA is keeping up with the demands of tournament golf.

"We offer our members many services, but when you get down to it people really love golf because they love to play," he says. "So I don’t think we want to lose sight of giving our members the opportunity to play golf – whether that means one day events with three divisions of handicaps, or our championships where you have to almost be a scratch player to even compete."

To illustrate how popular the CGA events have become, Thorpe cites the N.C. Junior which fielded just 66 boys at the 1995 tournament where Thorpe’s oldest son Scott competed. This year they had more than 200 applicants.

During his two years at the CGA helm, Thorpe says his heaviest involvement came with planning for the association’s future – which included everything from decisions about the CGA’s official publications to whether or not the association should build a course.

Recently the executive committee introduced a line of CGA merchandise to its tournament players. "We’re going to experiment with it," says Thorpe, whom Nance calls the best "high tech" president the CGA has had. "And if it works we’ll expand it to all our members."

Although Thorpe will step down this winter, he’ll remain on the committee for at least two more years as the Past President. After that he’ll probably return to the role he enjoyed years ago.

"I really look forward to helping Jack and his staff as a volunteer," Thorpe says. "Just so I can be around their friendly, witty attitudes and just because it’s the game of golf. One way or the other I’ll be helping. I just won’t be on the hot seat."