TALLAHASSEE – It’s how traditions begin.

Matt O’Brien, the head professional at the Seminole Legacy Golf Club, wanted to do something special for the golf teams at Florida State University.

When the multi-million dollar renovation of the course by the legendary Jack Nicklaus and his son, Jack II, was completed, and the club opened to golfers in March of 2020, O’Brien wanted to show the Seminole players and coaches just how much they meant to the vitality of the club, to Florida State University, and to the city of Tallahassee.

The idea he had in his mind has become one of the signature sights at one of the top courses in the nation.

Only a couple of days after the Seminole men won the championship of the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate on February 15, 2022, a flag with a W emblazoned in garnet and gold appeared underneath the American flag on the flagpole which sits just above the 18^th hole at Seminole.

“I was looking for something to start a tradition,” said O’Brien. “The W represents a win and a tradition of success for our student-athletes.”

Including the initial W which made its way up the flagpole in 2022, O’Brien has made it his honor of raising 21 flags representing victories by Amy Bond‘s Seminole women (11 wins) and Trey Jones’ Seminole men (10 wins) to the highest point on the course. Individual victories are also commemorated with the raising of a W flag in their honor.

The W flag is flown for each winner from the time of their victory until they start their next tournament.

The flags are different and signify a win by the Florida State women – a gold flag with garnet W – and the Seminole men – a garnet flag with a gold W.

The idea of flying the W flag at Seminole Legacy is a variation on a theme utilized by the Chicago Cubs – one of the iconic teams in Major League Baseball. The tradition of flying a flag over the stadium for a win (W) or a loss (L) began soon after the construction of Wrigley Field was completed in 1937.

At Florida State, the W flag is flown on the large flagpole on the Seminole Masters Pavilion just outside the clubhouse at Seminole Legacy.

The most recent W flags were hoisted up the flagpole at the Seminole Legacy in the last week following the victories by the women’s team in the NCAA Lexington regional championship and the men’s team in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

“The flying of the W tradition has become something of great significance to our program,” said Amy Bond, the 2025 ACC Women’s Coach of the Year. “It’s a sense of pride that we are recognized as winning individually or as a team at Seminole Legacy. With the W flying high everyone knows something great happened. It’s something that we really enjoy as a team. We love it, and it’s become a great tradition for us and everyone who comes to Seminole.”

Bond’s sentiment is echoed by her players who have seen seven W flags raised in their honor just this season.

“It’s great to see the flag being raised,” said senior captain Kaylah Williams of the ACC Champion Seminole women. “It shows all the hard work being paid off.  It’s a great reminder to everyone that what we’ve been given, the support we are given, should not be taken for granted. It also reminds us that we have a lot of work to do and have one main goal which is to win nationals.”

Trey Jones, Florida State’s Director of Golf and three-time ACC Men’s Coach of the Year honoree, immediately saw the value flying the W to honor Florida State’s golfers.

“It’s more than just raising a flag at the team’s home course when they win,” said Jones. “It’s a symbol of how much we’re in this together – #OneTribe. Flying the W is our way of showing not only how proud we are of the teams’ accomplishments, but also that we want the community to celebrate what these teams have accomplished.”

O’Brien, who watched over Florida State’s victory at the 2025 NCAA Tallahassee Men’s Golf Regional Championship at Seminole Legacy, often hoists the W Flag at an empty course in the late hours of the night following a Florida State golf victory.

“I think the student-athletes really enjoy seeing the flag for their victories,” said O’Brien “The raising of the W helps symbolize their great accomplishments. When we were building this course, we wanted a connection with the membership and the players. I think we have done a good job of that. Most of the members are locked in hitting the refresh button on their computers every week (on Golfstat) whenever the teams are playing.

“We are hoping to replace the W flag with a National Championship flag in the near future,” said O’Brien.