Hall of Fame

Tommy Aaron, PGA

1989

Tommy Aaron, PGA, is best known as the first native Georgian to win the Masters Tournament, which he captured in 1973 with a closing 68 to come from four behind third-day leader Peter Oosterhuis and win by a stroke over J.C. Snead. His record shows he also won significant championships at all levels of play and represented the USA in international team competitions as an amateur and a professional. Born in Gainesville, Ga., on February 22, 1937, his junior golf career included a quarterfinal appearance in the 1954 U.S. Junior Championship and the 1955 Class A Georgia High School title for Gainesville High. Aaron is the only player to win both the Georgia Amateur and Georgia Open titles in two different years, 1957 and 1960, and later during his professional career captured a third Georgia Open title in 1975. The highlight of his individual amateur career came in 1958 when he advanced to the final of the U.S. Amateur at Olympic Club in San Francisco. This led to his selection to the 1959 U.S. Walker Cup team at Muirfield, Scotland, that included such notables as Jack Nicklaus, Deane Beman, Billy Joe Patton and Charlie Coe. Other amateur victories included SEC individual titles in 1957 and 1958 while at the University of Florida, the Southeastern Amateur in 1958 and 1960 and the 1960 Western Amateur. During a successful PGA TOUR career that spanned from 1961-1979, in addition to his Masters victory, Aaron won the 1969 Canadian Open, 1970 Atlanta Classic, 1972 Lancome Tournament of Champions in Paris and was a member of Ryder Cup teams in 1969 at Royal Birkdale in England and 1973 at Muirfield. After moving on to the Champions Tour, Aaron won the 1992 Kaanapali Classic, giving him victories at every level of championship play. He is a member of the University of Florida's Athletic Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

Perry Adair

1989

Perry Adair grew up in Atlanta, Ga., playing golf at East Lake with the likes of Bobby Jones. He was an integral part of the "Golden Age of Golf." Adair toured the country as part of the "The Dixie Kids," along with Jones and Alexa Stirling, playing in matches to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I. Adair was the 1914 East Lake Country Club Champion, 1921 and '23 Southern Amateur Champion and 1922 Georgia Amateur Champion. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1973.

Billy Andrade, PGA

2023

Billy Andrade is a well-known professional golfer and winner on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, who has brought honor both to the game and to the Atlanta community for more than three decades.

Born in Bristol, Rhode Island, Andrade attended Providence Country Day School, where he found success early as a junior golfer. He would not only compete in, but win several national junior events, including the Junior PGA Championship in 1981. Andrade won back-to-back titles at the National Insurance Youth Classic Championship (1980-81). Also in 1981, he was the top-ranked junior golfer according to Golf Digest.

Andrade moved to Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1982 to begin what would become a distinguished collegiate career at Wake Forest University as an Arnold Palmer Scholarship recipient. As a Demon Deacon, Andrade helped lead his team to the 1986 NCAA National Championship, while earning an All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection four times, third-team All-America honors in 1984, and honorable mention All-America status in 1985 and 1986.

During college, Andrade won national amateur events, including the Sunnehanna Amateur (1986) and the North-South Amateur Championship (1986). He was a member of the 1986 World Amateur Team, 1987 U.S. Walker Cup Team, and in 1983, he won the Rhode Island Amateur Championship and the New England Amateur Championship.

After a successful college golf experience, which included earning a degree in Sociology, and winning many amateur events, Andrade moved to Atlanta and joined the PGA TOUR in 1988. Between 1991 and 2000, he won four times. His first two titles came back-to-back in 1991 at the Kemper Open and the Buick Classic. He began competing on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2014, where he currently has three victories – Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf, Boeing Classic, Charles Schwab Cup Championship – all in 2015.

Off the golf course, Andrade has been recognized for giving back to his community through charity. As an ambassador for East Lake Golf Club, Andrade, along with Stewart Cink (Georgia Golf Hall of Fame member), hosts the East Lake Invitational. This charity pro-am each year raises funds for the East Lake Foundation and its continued revitalization of the neighborhood in Atlanta.

Andrade also partners with Brad Faxon and manages the Billy Andrade/Brad Faxon Charities for Children, Inc., which supports children's charities in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

His commitment to charitable giving resulted in him receiving the 2022 Payne Stewart Award. This honor is presented annually by the PGA TOUR to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart's values of character, charity, and sportsmanship. Andrade was the 25th recipient of this award.

For these contributions to golf and to his community that spans over 35 years, Andrade was inducted into the Providence Country Day School Athletics Hall of Fame (1995), the Rhode Island Golf Hall of Fame (2001), named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Team (2002), and inducted into the Wake Forest University Sports Hall of Fame (2004).

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Tommy Barnes

1989

Thomas William Barnes was born in Monroe, Ga., on November 9, 1915. A lifelong amateur golfer, Barnes qualified for the U.S. Amateur 16 consecutive times. He won the 1935 and '37 Atlanta City Amateur, and the Bobby Jones Four-Ball and Dogwood Tournament five times each. During his college years, he captained the 1937 and '38 Georgia Tech teams. In 1941, he captured the Georgia Amateur title. He took the Pan-Am title in 1944, while serving in the U.S. Navy. Other titles include the 1938 and '46 Southeastern Amateur, 1946 Southeastern PGA Open and 1947 and '49 Southern Amateur. Barnes played in the 1950 Masters Tournament. In 1988, at age 73, Barnes shot a 62 at East Lake Country Club, breaking Bobby Jones' 1922 record of 63. Barnes served as a GSGA Director for 18 years, was the USGA Southeastern Sectional Committee Director for 14 years, directed the Southern Golf Association, and served as president of the Atlanta City Golf Association. Barnes was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981, the Southern Golf Hall of Fame in 1987, and Atlanta Athletic Club Hall of Fame in 1995. He died on September 20, 2007, at age 91. The GSGA's overall Player of the Year Award is named after Barnes.

Leo Beckmann, Sr.

1993

Leo Beckmann was born in Savannah, Ga., on July 11, 1918. He began his professional golf career at age 17 when he took an assistant pro position at Bacon Park Golf Course. He became the head professional at the Mary Calder Course in 1945. In 1949, Beckmann became the head professional at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta. But in 1953, the Mary Calder course beckoned once again, and he returned to serve there for the next 31 years. A Half Century Member of the PGA, Beckmann served as president of the Southeastern PGA in 1952-53 and was named Georgia PGA Professional of the Year for 1974. He was a member of the Ryder Cup Committee on four occasions and accompanied the team to England in 1961,'65 and '69. Beckmann served as the announcer on the ninth and 18th greens of the Masters Tournament for 34 years. Beckmann passed away in October 2004 at the age of 86.

Furman Bisher

2007

Furman Bisher was born November 4, 1918, in Denton, N.C. He became sports editor of the Atlanta Journal on February 3, 1957, after formally serving as sports editor of the Atlanta Constitution for seven years. He has been cited 18 times by the Georgia Associated Press for sports writing and received United Press International awards four times. The prolific sports writer has been selected 23 times for the "Best Sports Stories of the Year" anthology. He was cited by Time magazine in September 1961, as one of the nation's five best columnists. He was elected president of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association from 1974-75, and was president of the Golf Writers Association of America from 1992-93. Bisher is author of 11 books including, "Arnold Palmer - Birth of a Legend." In recognition of his 56th Masters Tournament coverage, and his 50 years with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the newspaper published a special "Fifty Years of Furman" edition in 2000. Bisher passed away on March 18, 2012.

Charles H. Black, Jr.

2000

Charles Harman Black, Jr. was born on April 23, 1903. Black began playing golf at the University of Georgia in 1920 and one year later competed in the U.S. Amateur. He won the Georgia Amateur in 1928, was runner-up two other times, and was a three-time Atlanta Amateur champion. In 1942, Mr. Black was invited by the USGA to play in the Hail America National Open Golf Tournament, an event to benefit the Navy Relief Society and the U.S. Service Organization. His playing partners in this event included Julius Hughes and Bobby Jones. In 1946, Black became a founding member of Peachtree Golf Club. He served as president of this club from 1953-55 following the term filled by his close friend Jones. In 1948, he served as president of the Atlanta Golf Association. Black passed away in 1975.

Bill Blalock

2019

William P. "Bill" Blalock of Atlanta, Ga., has given more than 40 years of volunteer service to the Georgia State Golf Association and has helped elevate golf in Georgia.

Born in Atlanta in 1951, Blalock attended the Lovett School and later Georgia Tech. He earned his degree in 1973 while also earning a scholarship along the way to play golf. After graduating from Georgia Tech, Blalock went to work for the family business - Blalock Machinery - which was started by his grandfather in 1927. In 1976, he and his brother took over the business.

Blalock has maintained the highest standard of service and stewardship to the GSGA ever since being elected to the Association's Board of Directors in 1984. Over the years, he has served on no less than 14 different GSGA committees and has chaired at least 10. Blalock has served on the GSGA Executive Committee three different times, including 1978-1989, 1994-2002 and 2007-2012. He was the Association's President in 2000-2001.

His interest in making the GSGA the best it could be has included involvement with committees and staff in handicap service, information technology and bringing the Association into the computer age, membership growth and activity, championship and competition development, financial matters and working closely with the GSGA's allied partners across the state.

One of his true passions is the GSGA Foundation, the charitable affiliate of the GSGA, which provides educational opportunities through two scholarship programs. He most recently served as Foundation President in 2017-2018. In recognition to the many years he has devoted his time to giving back, Blalock was presented the GSGA Foundation's first $100,000 endowed scholarship in his name.

Blalock was the recipient of the 2012 Bill Todd Award, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a GSGA volunteer.

A longtime member of both East Lake Golf Club and Capital City Club, Blalock has been instrumental in the preservation of each club's deep and storied history and remains a fixture at both today.

On the golf course Blalock maintained his skills as a player over the years ever since teeing it up for the Yellow Jackets. He has won three GSGA titles, including the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship (1976, 1988) and the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship (2011). He represented Georgia three times in the Billy Peters Cup Matches (1989, 1993, 2007).

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Arnold Blum

1989

Arnold Blum was born in Macon, Ga., on April 21, 1922. While at Lanier High, he won the state high school championship in 1937 and '39. He graduated from the University of Georgia, where he won the SEC Championship in 1941. A lifelong amateur, Blum won the Southeastern Amateur three times, the Georgia Amateur five times, and the Southern Amateur twice. Blum was a member of the victorious 1957 U.S. Walker Cup Team. He played in the Masters Tournament five times, finishing in the top 24 in 1952. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur 16 times and reached the quarterfinals twice. From 1960-61, Blum served as president of the Georgia State Golf Association. He also served as Board member of the GSGA and the Southern Golf Association. Blum is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and the Southern Golf Association Hall of Fame. Blum passed away on April 5, 2017.

Chris Borders

2014

Chris Borders, the longtime general manager of the Atlanta Athletic Club, has elevated Georgia's reputation in golf and is well-known for his promotion of the game across the world. Because of these contributions, he becomes the first club manager to be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

A native Georgian, Borders was born in Perry in 1947. After graduating from Reynolds High School, Borders attended Mercer University on a partial golf scholarship and was a member of the golf team. Borders graduated from Mercer in 1969 and then served as an officer in the U.S. Army infantry in Vietnam. He participated in various golf competitions while in the service, and one of his responsibilities was building the golf driving range at his duty station in Vietnam.

After returning home, Borders earned a second Bachelor's degree from Florida State University. He then went to work at the Atlanta Athletic Club, holding various management positions over the next 11 years and helping to host several major events, including the 1976 U.S. Open, 1981 PGA Championship, 1982 Junior World Cup and 1984 U.S Mid-Amateur Championship.

Borders was named general manager at Horseshoe Bend Country Club in Roswell in 1986 and held that position for two and a half years before returning to Atlanta Athletic Club as its general manager in March 1989. During his tenure the Athletic Club hosted the 1990 U.S. Women's Open, 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur, and 2001 and 2011 PGA Championships. Borders also oversaw extensive renovations to the club's two golf courses and clubhouse, and was involved in the creation of the club's Bobby Jones Room and the Jones Room Foundation.

Professional development and mentoring has been a hallmark of Borders' career. He is a fixture in the Georgia Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), serving as president in 1999-2000. He directed the development of continuing education courses and certifications for CMAA members. He established the CMAA Business Management Institute at Georgia State University to help prepare a future generation of club managers. Borders is also a longtime member of the GSGA Board of Directors.

Borders' industry honors are numerous. In 1992 he was named Club Manager of the Year by the national CMAA. Florida State honored him as Alumnus of the Year in 2001, while Golf, Inc. named him Operator of the Year in 2005.

Another signature characteristic of Borders is his desire to establish and maintain golf relationships across the globe. For years he has sponsored and organized golf trips to England, Scotland and Ireland, fostering goodwill with golf clubs in those countries.

Longtime friend Timothy Pakenham, who has served on the Atlanta Athletic Club Board and as its president during Borders' tenure, summed up his career this way: "While Chris' role in bringing high-profile events to Georgia cannot be over emphasized, what really needs to be appreciated are the roles Chris has played in mentoring aspiring professionals in the golf industry, his unassuming and unselfish leadership in various organizations dedicated or related to golf, his great ambassadorship in the United States and abroad on behalf of Georgia golf, and his support and promotion of the game in general."

Borders retired in March 2013 after 35 total years at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He and Patricia, his wife of 40 years, reside in Woodstock.

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Nanci Bowen

2016

Nanci Bowen of Travelers Rest, S.C., is a former touring player and major champion on the Ladies Professional Golf Association, and is currently teaching the game in Greenville, S.C. As a seasoned golf professional, she brings valuable experience and wisdom tothe students she teaches.

Born in Tifton, Ga., Bowen attended Tift County High School. As a junior golfer, she competed in many competitions administered by the Georgia State Golf Association, winning four consecutive Georgia Girls' Championships along the way. Now in its 37th year, Bowen won the second Girls' Championship played in 1981 at Coosa Country Club in Rome. She then added titles in 1982 (Country Club of Columbus), 1983 (Snapfinger Woods Country Club in Decatur) and 1984 (Houston Lake Country Club in Perry).

Bowen was awarded a full golf scholarship to the University of Georgia, where she was a two-time All-America selection, In 1987, Bowen earned individual runner-up honors at the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship, and in 1989, finished sixth at the NCAA Championship.

During her collegiate career as an amateur golfer, Bowen was a semifinalist at the 1987 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship played at Rhode Island Country Club in Barrington, Rhode Island. Also as an amateur, she qualified for and competed in four U.S. Women's Open Championships. She was the winner of the 1988 Trans-National Championship.

Bowen turned professional and joined the LPGA Tour in 1990. She captured her first professional victory at the Nabisco Dinah Shore in 1995, one of the LPGA's major championships. In 2002, she crossed the $1 million mark in career earnings. She was a member of the LPGA Tour Player Executive Committee from 1999-2001, and served as its vice president in 2001.

Past initiatives Bowen has been involved with include the Nanci Bowen Charity golf event benefitting Hospice, Oncology services and transitional care in Tift County; and a volunteer golf instructor for kids with Autism in 2010 and 2011. She served as athletic director at Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga., from 2007-2009.

Bowen currently resides in Travelers Rest, S.C.

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David E. Boyd

2005

As a young man, Boyd won the National Pee Wee Championship in 1954 and '56, then captured the 1959 Florida state high school championship. He was runner-up in the 1959 Southern Amateur. While at the University of Georgia, he was a member of SEC Championship teams from 1961-63, won the SEC Individual Championship in 1962, and served as team captain in 1962. He was selected to the NCAA All-American Golf Team in 1961-62. Boyd was runner-up in both the Southern Amateur and the Georgia Amateur in 1963. He was a member of the USGA Executive Committee from 1994-97, served on the USGA Nominating Committee in 1990, and was a director of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. He was a past president of Peachtree Golf Club. Boyd passed away on June 13, 2023.

Tommy Brannen, PGA

2022

A native of Marietta, Ga., Tommy Brannen attended and played golf at Marietta High School, where he won the Georgia State High School Championship in 1975. He then joined the collegiate ranks at Columbus State University, where he received All-America honors in 1978. That year Brannen also won individual honors at the NCAA Division II National Championship.

In 1980, Brannen returned to Marietta and began his career in the golf business with a role at Canterbury Golf Club. Two years later he joined Atlanta Athletic Club as a third assistant in 1982, where he would stay and gain experience and grow in the profession for the next 18 years. Brannen was promoted to head golf professional in 1989. Over the next few years along with longtime director of golf Rick Anderson, Brannen would develop the Bob Jones Learning Center, the state-of-the-art facility at Atlanta Athletic Club. In 1996, Brannen became the director of instruction for the new teaching center and would remain in this role until 1999.

Brannen's next move was east to Augusta Country Club, where he was hired as the head golf professional in 2000 and has been a fixture at the club since.

Not only has Brannen enjoyed a successful run as a club professional, he also is quite the competitor on the course. Over the years Brannen has competed in several Georgia PGA Section events. His top finishes came when he won the 2007 Georgia PGA Senior Championship, 1993 Georgia PGA Championship and the 1985 Atlanta Open, among others. On the national scene, Brannen has qualified for 11 PGA Club Professional Championships, including five PGA Senior Club Professional Championships.

Off the course Brannen has received numerous recognitions and awards for his contributions to the game. Among them included the 2015 Georgia PGA Golf Professional of the Year, certified as a U.S. Kids Coach in 2014, recognized by Titleist in 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 club fitters, the 2001 Georgia PGA Merchandiser of the Year for private clubs and the 1998 Georgia Section PGA Teacher of the Year.

In 1996, Brannen became the 175th PGA Master Professional of the PGA of America. He was inducted into the Columbus State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Marietta High School Hall of Fame in 2015.

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Glenn Burton

1995

Dr. Glenn Burton was born in Clatonia, Neb., in 1910. Dr. Burton received a B.S. in agronomy in 1932 from the University of Nebraska, and later obtained an M.S. from Rutgers University. He completed his Ph.D. at Rutgers University in 1936. In 1947, Burton made his first major contribution to the turf world by discovering a more durable grass; Tifton 57 was officially released in 1952 as "Tiflawn" Bermuda grass. This grass was ideal for football fields and playing grounds, but grew too fast for golf greens. Dr. Burton continued to improve it with Tifton 27 in 1953 and Tifton 328 in 1956. He finally perfected it with Tifton 419, still among the most widely used Bermuda grasses in the world years after its 1960 release. Dr. Burton's greatest interest was improving the cold tolerance of Bermuda grass. He served as an Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia. Dr. Burton passed away in 2005.

Stewart Cink

2017

Stewart E. Cink of Duluth, Ga., was a standout of the Georgia Tech golf program and is a major champion on the PGA TOUR who has brought honor to the game both as an amateur and professional.

Born in Huntsville, Ala., Cink attended Bradshaw High School in Huntsville. He moved to Atlanta and played golf at Georgia Tech from 1992 to 1995. He was an All-American in 1993, 1994 and 1995, and was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference (SCC) selection those years as well. Cink was named ACC Player of the Year in 1995 and was on its academic honor roll in 1992 and 1993.

Cink played in 38 team events while at Georgia Tech with a career stroke average of 72.47. He was the recipient of the Fred Haskins Award in 1995, given to the most outstanding collegiate golfer in NCAA Division I, and the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year award. He was inducted into the Georgia Tech Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

After a successful collegiate and amateur career, Cink turned professional in 1995. He is enjoying a professional career that includes six PGA TOUR victories, highlighted most recently by The Open Championship in 2009 at Turnberry Resort in Scotland. He also won the 2008 Travelers Championship, 2004 MCI Heritage, 2004 World Golf Championship-NEC Invitational, 2000 MCI Heritage and the 1997 Canon Greater Hartford Open. He was named PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 1997.

In international competition, Cink was selected to the United States Ryder Cup team five times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010) and the President's Cup four times (2000, 2005, 2007, 2009).

He founded Cink Charities in 2011, and the Cink It Challenge was developed to raise funds for two Atlanta area charities. Cink and his wike, Lisa, reside in Duluth, Ga., and have two sons - Connor and Reagan.

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Laura Coble

2013

Laura Mays Coble of Augusta is one of the most accomplished competitors in Georgia golf history – male or female – and there is no end in sight for the 2013 Georgia Golf Hall of Fame inductee.

After she was notified that she would become a member of this year's Hall of Fame class, she proceeded to add to her stellar resume with the following in 2012: won the Georgia State Golf Association's Women's Match Play Championship for a record ninth time; won the Georgia Women's Amateur Championship, conducted by the Georgia Women's Golf Association, for the sixth time; and advanced to the semi-finals of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship.

All of this earned her the 2012 GSGA's Women's Player of the Year honors for the 14th time in the past 15 years. The word "dominant" is used too frequently when a performance is only slightly advantageous, but in the case of Coble's consistent appearance at the top of leaderboards, the term is quite fitting.

Since 1991, Coble's name has been inscribed at the top of state championship trophies no less than 25 times. In addition to the aforementioned titles, she has won the Greater Atlanta Women's Amateur (a statewide event) four times, the GSGA Top 40, the Georgia Women's Open and the GSGA Women's Team Championship four times with three different partners. She has also represented her state 18 times in the Georgia-Florida (now Southeastern Women's Challenge) Matches.

Besides her Women's Player of the Year awards, Coble is the only golfer to have won the coveted Tommy Barnes Award as overall GSGA Player of the Year three times. She was the first female winner in 2000, claimed it again in 2005, and shared the award with her USGA State Team Champion mates Dori Carter and Mariah Stackhouse in 2009.

On the national scene, she holds the record as the only player to have participated on three USGA State Team Champion teams, in 2005, 2009 and 2011, with a different set of partners each time.

She has come oh-so-close to winning a coveted national individual title twice. In 2009, she squared off against former University of Georgia teammate Martha Stacy Leach in the final of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur in Ocala, Florida, but was defeated in that match. Again in 2012, she was defeated in the semifinal by eventual winner Meghan Stasi.

Coble's success outside Georgia also includes having qualified for the U.S. Women's Open in 2001; participation in two LPGA events, the 2001 Asahi Ryokykun Invitational in North Augusta and the 2005 Chick-fil-A Charity Championship in Stockbridge; a win in the prestigious Women's Southern Amateur in 2005, and earning her way to the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur four times: 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011.

She also finds time to work in a business outside her home, raise a college freshman, Katherine, and participate in several community organizations. She is a member of the GSGA Board of Directors, Tournament Site Committee, Hall of Fame Committee and Strategic Planning Committee. In her hometown of Augusta, she is on the Greater Augusta Sports Council Board, the Greater Augusta Fellowship of Christian Athletes Board, and the Georgia Health Sciences University Sports Medicine Clinic Patient Family Committee.

In her free time, she can be found on the practice tee or on the course at Augusta Country Club, getting ready for the next big event.

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Wendell Couch

2007

Wendell Couch was born February 1, 1945, in Cedartown, Ga. He began his golf career in Lithia Springs at the early age of nine, most notably serving as a caddie for Louise Suggs when she was in town visiting her father, the golf course manager, Johnny Suggs. Wendell began his 40-year career with Spalding in 1965 and after being drafted in the Army in 1966, received a Business Management diploma from LaSalle Extension University, which led to many opportunities later in his career. Couch served in numerous management positions and as a consultant before retiring in 2004. He has served on the Georgia State Golf Association Board of Directors since 1979 and was president from 1984-86. He was also president of the Georgia Junior Golf Foundation in 1987. The GSGA honored Couch in 2010 with the Bill Todd Award, given to a GSGA volunteer who maintains the highest standard of service and stewardship to the Association. Couch has served on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame Authority from 1992-2009 and was Chairman of the Authority from 2003-05.

Tom Cousins

2002

Tom Cousins became a golf enthusiast the day his family joined East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta during World War II. After college and a stint in the Air Force, Cousins began Cousins Properties Incorporated with his father in 1958. Today that company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Despite his focus on building a great company, Cousins never lost his enthusiasm for the game of golf. He developed the Atlanta area's first golf courses centered in residential communities, including Indian Hills, Hidden Hills, Cross Creek and Big Canoe. His vision to revitalize his old home club, East Lake, and its surrounding neighborhood serves as a model for other cities and philanthropists to follow. The American Society of Golf Course Architects presented Cousins with the 2004 Donald Ross Award in recognition of his work at East Lake. In addition, he was one of the 25 original founders of the Atlanta Country Club, the site of more than 30 PGA events, a U.S. Women's Amateur, and a U.S. Senior Amateur. In the 1960s, Cousins built The Omni, Atlanta's first world-class arena, and brought major league professional basketball and hockey to Atlanta. He is a member at Augusta National Golf Club, Cypress Point Club, East Lake Golf Club, National Golf Links of America, Peachtree Golf Club, Seminole Golf Club, The Honors Course and The Royal and Ancient Golf Club. In 2012, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the Metropolitan Golf Writers Associtaion.

Pete Cox

1992

Pete Cox was known as one of the most outstanding athletes to come out of Albany, Ga., and also became an instrumental figure in working and giving time on behalf of the game of golf in Georgia. He was born January 23, 1932 in Newnan, Ga., and his family moved to Albany when he was 12. At Albany High, he won 13 varsity sports letters. He attended South Georgia College and Furman University, where he played football and golf. Cox won approximately 150 golf tournaments during his career, including the Radium Springs Invitational 11 times, the Albany City Amateur Championship six times, the Jack Oliver Invitational twice and the Valdosta Open twice. His most prestigious title was the 1963 Georgia Amateur at his home Radium Springs Country Club in Albany, in the last championship to be conducted at match play. His competitive game remained sharp enough to later win the 1986 Georgia Senior Open Championship at Sea Island Golf Club. As a contributor to the game, junior golf was always close to Cox's heart. In 1973, he helped organize the GSGA Junior Sectional Program, serving as chairman for 16 years, and this introductory junior golf competition remains a mainstay of GSGA programs. He and Charlie Rountree of South Carolina started the Georgia vs. South Carolina Junior Challenge Match in 1976, an inter-state junior team match play competition that is the longest-running of its kind in the USA. He has served on the GSGA Board of Directors since 1968 and was its President in 1974-75. Cox is a member of the Albany Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, serving as a Director and past Chairman of the GSHOF. In 2011, Cox was presented with the GSGA's Bill Todd Award, honoring a volunteer who maintains the highest standard of service and stewardship to the GSGA. He was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1992.

Richard Crawford

2012

Richard Crawford is a golfer who enjoyed competitive success at the college, amateur, state and tour professional levels; who was also highly recognized as a club professional and first-rate teacher; and whose achievements have been honored in all facets of the game.

Crawford was born in 1939 in El Dorado, Arkansas. He won the high school junior championship of Little Rock before moving on to join college golf powerhouse University of Houston. There, he became the first player in NCAA history to win the national individual title twice (1959 and '60), was a member of two NCAA championship teams and All-American in 1960 and 1961. Crawford was selected as the team's most outstanding player at Houston three straight years (1959, '60 and '61). He also won the Southern Amateur in 1959, was third in the Houston Open in 1961 and participated in the Masters Tournament in 1961.

Crawford played on the PGA TOUR regularly from 1965-75 while living in Arkansas. He was runner-up three times on the TOUR (including the 1967 Atlanta Classic), and won the South Central PGA Section title and two Arkansas PGA Chapter titles during that time.

Crawford's connection to Georgia began in 1981, when he became the head professional at Green Island Country Club in Columbus. He also served as head professional at Jennings Mill Country Club in Bogart and as a teaching professional at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta.

During this same time, Crawford was active on the Georgia PGA competitions circuit. He won the Section Championship in 1981, was runner-up in the 1982 National PGA Club Professional Championship, was Georgia Section Player of the Year in 1983, a member of the 1983 PGA National Cup Team, won the 1989 and 1991 Brannen Perry Classic and the 1991 Georgia PGA Senior championship. He also qualified to participate in the Billy Peters Cup (Georgia PGA vs. GSGA matches) several times between 1991-2001.

In the area of education, Crawford was an instructor at national PGA business schools from 1984-86, was a coordinator of the Georgia Section PGA business seminar and a member of the Section education committee in 1987-88, and served as an instructor in the Crawford-Rudolph School of Golf.

Crawford, who was inducted into the Arkansas Golf Hall of Fame in 2003, currently lives in Alabama.

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Bob Cupp

2014

One of the most prominent golf course designers of this era, Bob Cupp became the first architect to be selected for induction into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 2014.

Born in 1939 in Lewistown, Pa., Cupp earned an art degree from the University of Miami and obtained a masters in Fine Arts while serving as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He went on to become a golf professional, but he never escaped art, finding himself rebuilding portions of golf courses. With a burgeoning business in south Florida, he joined Jack Nicklaus' design firm in 1970, serving as senior designer for more than 15 years. Cupp moved to Georgia in 1982 and formed Cupp Design two years later.

Since that time, his courses have hosted over 50 national and international tournaments, including seven major championships. In 1992, Golf World magazine named Cupp the first ever Golf Architect of the Year. Golf Digest and Golf Magazine have selected his work as the best in the nation no less than four times and runner-up six times. Cupp has numerous courses on various Top 100 course lists.

The game's biggest names have competed on Cupp's courses, and he has completed numerous collaborative works with many players, including Sam Snead, Tom Kite, Craig Stadler, Jerry Pate, Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green, Fred Couples, Billy Andrade and Gardner Dickinson.

Some of Cupp's recognizable works include Pumpkin Ridge and Crosswater in Oregon, Old Waverly in Mississippi, Indianwood in Michigan, Greystone in Alabama, East Sussex National in the United Kingdom, and Liberty National in New Jersey, site of the 2009 Barclays Fed-Ex Championship. His home state has been the beneficiary of his handiwork as well, including Ansley Golf Club's Settindown Creek in Roswell, site of the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, Hawks Ridge in Ball Ground and Marietta Country Club. He has also engineered rebuilds of Augusta Country Club, Druid Hills Golf Club and Capital City Club-Brookhaven Course. He teamed up pro bono with Billy Fuller and Georgia Golf Hall of Famer Jim Gabrielsen to renovate John A. White Golf Course for the First Tee of Atlanta program.

He served as president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

Bob also had a love of writing. His first effort, The Edict, a novel of the beginnings of golf, is published by Random House with a foreword by Jack Nicklaus and reviews by Arnold Palmer, Tom Kite, Craig Stadler and Ben Crenshaw. He also wrote the script and companion book for the 2012 PBS documentary "Golf's Grand Design."

Bob passed away in September 2016.

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Ray Cutright

2015

Ray Cutright of Macon, Ga., is the Director of Golf at Idle Hour Club in Macon, and is a professional and dedicated teacher in golf. He has made outstanding contributions to the game, and for that was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame's Class of 2015.

Born in Syracuse, New York, Cutright attended Auburn University from 1969 to 1972, and after graduation, moved to Georgia and began his career first as an assistant golf professional at Brookfield Country Club in Roswell. After serving as an assistant for five years, Cutright took on the role of Head Golf Professional at Toccoa Golf Club in Toccoa, Ga. Less than one year later, he made the move to Macon, Ga., where he held dual roles as General Manager and Head Golf Professional at Riverside Country Club, where he stayed from 1976 to 1982.

After nearly six years in Macon, Cutright moved south to St. Simons Island, where he served as Head Golf Professional at St. Simons Island Golf Club for seven years. In 1990, he became Director of Golf at Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga., then in 1993, he returned to Macon to his current role of Director of Golf at Idle Hour Club.

A longtime member of the PGA of America, Cutright served as Vice President before working his way up to President of the Georgia Section in 1996 and 1997, and Honorary President in 1998 and 1999. He served as a District 13 Director of the PGA of America from 2008 to 2010, and currently sits on its Junior Golf Committee.

Cutright is a Subject Matter Expert and is an original staff member of the Golf Professional Training Program, who has taught more than 50 workshops and seminars for the PGA, its Sections and Chapters since 1979.

Cutright has been recognized for his contributions to the game of golf with many distinctions and honors, including the 2014 PGA of America Professional of the Year. Other recognitions include the PGA Georgia Section's President's Award (2011), Bill Strausberg Award (2008), Horton Smith Award (1981, 1989, 2002, 2003), Merchandiser of the Year-Private (1999) and Professional of the Year (1992, 1997). He was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and was National PING Club Fitter of the Year in 2005.

Cutright owns his own business, Cutright Classic, and is a successful writer, inking a number of pieces for various golf industry outlets, including Golf Industry Magazine, Golfweek Magazine, Macon Telegraph, among others.

Currently a Georgia State Golf Association Foundation Trustee, Cutright lives in Macon, Ga., with his wife, Kris, and has five children - Lauren, Jeffrey, Gerral, Richard and McKinsey.

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Gene Dahlbender

2001

Gene Dahlbender was born in Atlanta, Ga., on October 18, 1923. Dahlbender was one of the most successful amateur players of his time. In 1939, he won the Southern Interscholastic High School Championship. While attending the University of Missouri, LSU, and the University of Georgia, he compiled a stellar amateur career. Dahlbender's tournament record includes the following: medalist in the Southern Amateur twice, winner of the 1948 Southern Amateur, six-time qualifier for the U.S. Open, and eight-time qualifier for the U.S. Amateur. He also competed in the 1949 Masters. He won the Sunnehanna Amateur twice and the Atlanta City Open seven times. In addition, he won the Southeastern Amateur twice and won the Georgia Amateur in 1962.

Mark E. Darnell

2000

Mark E. Darnell, a PGA Master Professional, was born in Indianapolis, Ind. At age 14, Darnell was one of the youngest Eagle Scouts in the country. He was an All-American and captained the golf team at Purdue University that won the NCAA Team Championship and two Big Ten Championships. During one NCAA Championship, Darnell was medalist runner-up to Jack Nicklaus. Darnell became the head golf professional at Augusta's West Lake Country Club in the fall of 1968, and served there for 34 years. Darnell has conducted over 250 educational seminars and workshops throughout the United States and Canada. He was honored with the PGA's National Horton Smith Award, given for outstanding and continuing contributions to golf education. Darnell was also named the National PGA Merchandiser of the Year. The West Lake Country Club golf shop was named one of America's 100 best for 10 consecutive years. Darnell has trained 22 assistants who have since become head golf professionals.

Jim Dent

1994

Jim Dent was born in Augusta, Ga., on May 9, 1939. He began his golf career as a caddie, participating in his first Masters when he was just 15. In 1970, he played in the Tucson Open, where his outstanding play earned him his PGA TOUR card. His best PGA TOUR finish was a tie for second in the Walt Disney World Open. He joined the PGA Champions Tour in 1989 and won a total of 12 tournaments. His 14 top-10 finishes during the 1992 season set a new Champions Tour record for most money won in a single season without a victory. Dent also set a Champions Tour record of finishing in the exempt top 31 money-winners for 12 consecutive years. Dent won three consecutive Florida PGA Championships and was a member of the 1990 and '91 United States DuPont Cup teams.

Allen M. Doyle

2000

Allen M. Doyle was born in Woonsocket, R.I., on July 26, 1948. He attended Vermont's Norwich University on a hockey scholarship, but played on the university golf team during his junior and senior years. After college and upon moving to Georgia, Doyle set records by winning five Southeastern Amateur titles and four Sunnehanna Amateur titles. Doyle also captured the Northeast Amateur and Porter Cup titles. Doyle won a record six Georgia Amateur titles, five Georgia Mid-Amateurs, four Georgia Four-Ball Championships and the Georgia Public Links Championship. Doyle was medalist in the 1991 U.S. Amateur and a semifinalist in 1992. In 1994, he was ranked the best amateur in the United States. He also played on three Walker Cup teams, three World Amateur teams, and was the 1994 World Amateur Medalist. Doyle turned professional and joined the Nike Tour in 1995 at age 46. He won three tournaments that year, including the Nike Tour Championship. That final victory qualified him for the 1996 PGA TOUR season at the age of 47, making him the oldest qualifying rookie in history. In 1998, he became the first player to achieve top 10 finishes on the Nike, PGA, and Champions Tours in the same year. Since joining the Champions Tour in 1998, Doyle has collected multiple victories, including the PGA Senior Championship, the Senior Players Championship and back-to-back U.S. Senior Open titles in 2005 and '06. Internationally, he won the 1999 and 2001 Senior Slam tournaments. He is a member of the Norwich University Sports Hall of Fame as a hockey player and a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame as a golfer.

Ed Dudley

1990

Ed Dudley was born in Brunswick, Ga., on February 10, 1901. Dudley was appointed by Bobby Jones as the first head golf professional at the Augusta National Golf Club in 1932. He is regarded as one of the dominant figures in the development of the golf course and of the Masters Tournament. Dudley's many victories spanned 10 years, from the 1929 California PGA Championship to the 1939 Walter Hagen Tournament. In 1937, Dudley placed third in the Masters Tournament. Well-known as a golf instructor in Augusta, he taught many Augusta National members, and even Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. His most famous pupil was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, whose "slice" he cured. Dudley served as the president of the PGA of America from 1942-48, and was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 1964. Dudley passed away in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1963.

Frank Eldridge

2014

Georgia native Frank Eldridge is a lifelong amateur golfer who compiled an impressive collection of victories and top finishes in a region which has produced many Hall of Famers and during an era which provided some of the game's greatest names.

Born in Valdosta in 1937, Eldridge started playing golf at a young age. He won the 13/14-year-old division of the Future Masters in 1952. While at Valdosta High School, Eldridge captained the golf team and won the Class A championship in 1954 and '55. Also in 1955, Eldridge won the Maxwell AFB Junior Tournament in Alabama, firing a course-record 63, and also finished as runner-up to Jack Nicklaus at the International Jaycee Junior in Columbus, Ohio.

Eldridge attended the University of Georgia and was a member of the golf team. The Bulldogs won three-straight Southeastern Conference titles during his time on the team in 1957, '58 and '59.

After college Eldridge returned to Valdosta and was successful in numerous golf tournaments around the South Georgia region. After winning Valdosta's prestigious Jack Oliver Invitational for the first time in 1955, Eldridge pocketed six more titles in an eight-year span from 1960-67, including four straight from 1960-63. He also won the Piney Woods Invitational in Thomasville four times in 1955, '59, '62 and '63.

Eldridge's most notable victory was the 1959 Southeastern Amateur in Columbus, Ga. He also won the Valdosta Open in 1966 and '75, and was low amateur in the 1961 Georgia Open.

Eldridge served on the Georgia State Golf Association's Board of Directors during the 1960s and 70s. In 1985 he was inducted into the Valdosta/Lowndes County Hall of Fame. Eldridge passed away in April of 2015.

"Frank Eldridge certainly belongs in the Golf Hall of Fame and I'm very happy he has been selected," said fellow Hall of Famer Pete Cox, who nominated Eldridge for the honor. "Frank was a really tough competitor and a gentleman on and off the golf course. He joins Bunky Henry and Dynamite Goodloe, who are also members of the Golf Hall of Fame from Valdosta; all of whom have certainly made an impact on golf in Georgia."

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John B. "Sonny" Ellis

2013

Sonny Ellis' name matches a disposition that has always been "sunny" to those that know the Columbus native, now a fixture at Capital City Club in Atlanta where he still plays golf twice a week with a regular group. He has earned his place into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2013 with a wide-ranging record as a fine competitor and of service to the game.

During his time as a young golfer, he won the 1939 Columbus Junior Championship, the 1940 Georgia Interscholastic High School tournament and the 1941 Southern Interscholastic (Southern Prep) tournament in Chattanooga. His junior record earned him a scholarship to Louisiana State University, one of only two southern universities to award golf scholarships at the time (the other was Duke University).

Ellis was individual medalist in the 1943 NCAA Championship in Chicago as a member of the golf team at LSU before joining the U.S. Navy. During World War II he served as a "SeaBee" and then returned to LSU in 1946. During his remaining years from 1946-48, he was a teammate of future PGA TOUR stars Gardner Dickinson (of Macon), and Lionel and Jay Hebert. The LSU team won the 1946 Southeastern Conference and 1947 NCAA titles and was NCAA runner-up in 1948.

As an individual, Ellis won the 1946 Southern Intercollegiate and 1947 Colonial in Memphis. He became the third LSU golfer to be named a first team All-American in 1943. Other events of note that he won during his college days included invitationals in Griffin, Selma and Eufaula in 1942 and the 1945 Rhode Island Open and Ft. Benning Open while on leave from the Navy.

His competitive golf continued after moving to Atlanta while juggling business and family commitments. Included among his accomplishments were championships at three different Atlanta area clubs in the late 1950s – Peachtree (1955-1956-1957), Capital City (1958) and Cherokee (1958-1959); qualifying medalist in the 1954 Georgia Amateur; runner-up to Billy Joe Patton in the 1961 Southern Amateur at Knoxville, Tenn.; runner-up in the 1955 Atlanta Amateur; member of the winning team in the Southern States Four-Ball in 1957 and 1958.

Ellis has also given of his time in volunteer golf administration. He served on the Board of Directors of the Southern Golf Association from 1957-65. He became President of the Georgia State Golf Association in 1962 and 1963 and remains an ex-officio member of the GSGA Board as a past president.

During his business career, Ellis was a successful investment banker and financial executive and served on several Boards of Fortune 500 and many other successful public and private companies.

Widely admired by peers such as fellow Hall of Fame members Arnold Blum, Hobart Manley, Jack Key, Billy Key and Dan Yates and with a stellar competitive career complemented by service to the game, Sonny Ellis' induction is indeed a ray of sunshine for his family and many friends.

Ellis passed away on July 21, 2022.

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Mark Esoda

2011

Mark Esoda was the longtime certified golf course superintendent at Atlanta Country Club in Marietta and has earned his induction into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame by virtue of exemplary contributions to the game and as one of the most well-respected and recognized members of his profession. He has been honored nationally by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America with its 2009 Distinguished Service Award and 2004 Excellence in Government Relations Award and in the state with the Distinguished Service and Superintendent of Year awards of the Georgia GCSA and the DSA of the Georgia Section PGA. A member of GGCSA since 1981 and GCSAA since 1987, he has served on numerous state and national committees and was president of GGCSA in 1995-1996. He was instrumental in formulating a best management practices template for superintendents in Georgia, which was endorsed by the state environmental protection division and recognized by the Governor's office as a proactive method of water use and conservation by the industry.

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Ed Everett

2002

Ed Everett was born on July 3, 1944, and grew up in Macon, Ga. He was a 1968 graduate of Mercer University, where he was captain of the golf team. After his college career Everett stayed in Macon and served as the assistant golf professional at Idle Hour Club, then moved to Albany where he was the head golf professional at Doublegate Country Club for 43 years. 

Everett's golf accomplishments span over four decades. He won the Macon City Amateur three times, the Georgia Senior Open five times, the Georgia PGA Senior Championship seven times, the 1989 Georgia PGA Match Play Championship, and the 1997 National PGA Senior Club Professional Championship. Everett was honored with the Georgia PGA's Bill Strausbaugh Award in 1993.

In 2010, Everett was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, and in 2002, was inducted into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame.

Mary Lena Faulk

1993

Mary Lena Faulk was born in Chipley, Fla., on April 15, 1926, and moved to Thomasville, Ga., at the age of 14. Her playing career was brief, yet her accomplishments were many. Faulk won the 1953 U.S. Women's Amateur. In 1954, she was a member of the USGA Curtis Cup Team. She is a three-time Georgia State Women's Amateur Champion and a three-time winner of the Florida East Coast Championship. She also won the 1951, '52, and '53 Helen Lee Doherty Championships, and the 1954 Georgia State Women's Medal Play Championship. Faulk turned professional in 1955. She went on to win six times on the LPGA Tour. After her retirement from the LPGA Tour in 1965, she became an instructor, teaching for many years at Sea Island Golf Club. She then taught at Broadmoor Country Club in Colorado Springs, Colo., for 16 years. Faulk passed away in the summer of 1995.

Tom Forkner

2007

Tom Forkner was born June 14, 1918, in Hawkinsville, Ga. He attended Young Harris Junior College where he has served on the Board of Trustees for more than 20 years. He then went to Woodrow Wilson Law School and began practicing law at age 23. World War II cut short his law practice and he spent nearly five years in the U.S. Army. Upon his return, and the death of his father, he turned to his father's business, Forkner Realty Company, and experienced a successful career in real estate. In 1955, he co-founded Waffle House, Inc. and became its first president. In 1959, his fast-paced, seven day per week schedule ended in a trip to the hospital with multiple ailments causing him to change his lifestyle dramatically. Stepping back from his real estate work and Waffle House responsibilities, Forkner adopted a good health plan, which included playing golf. As a senior amateur, his accomplishments are as impressive as his off-the-course successes. He was the Georgia Senior Champion four times (1968, '69, '82, '86), Georgia Senior Four-Ball Champion twice (1981, '82) and International Senior Champion twice (1974, '80). He was also acknowledged by Golf Digest as a top 10 National Senior golfer four times (1974, '78, '80, '86). Among his many other tournament wins, he was the Age 80 and Over Division World Super Senior Champion in 2003 and '04. Forkner passed away in May of 2017.

Alexa Stirling Fraser

1989

Alexa Stirling Fraser was born in Atlanta, Ga., on September 5, 1897. As Bobby Jones' childhood golfing partner, she was dubbed "The First Lady of East Lake" and "The Empress of Golf" to complement Jones' "Emperor" nickname. Quiet and competitive, she won her first title at East Lake at the young age of 12. In 1916, three days before her 19th birthday, she won the first of her three U.S. Women's Amateur Championships. When the Championship resumed after World War I, she successfully defended her crown in 1919 and '20, and placed second in that same tournament in 1921, '23 and '25. In 1920 and '34 she won the Canadian Women's Open, and she finished second in 1922 and '25. Throughout her life she maintained her interest in golf and was as an honorary member of the Royal Ottawa Golf Club. She returned to Atlanta for the 1976 U.S. Open shortly before her death. She died in Canada on April 15, 1977.

Lowell Fritz

2013

Lowell Dean Fritz's effect on the game of golf in Georgia comes in the form of his influence as a golf teacher and on the lives of the young people he taught from the Dalton area, where he has lived and worked as a golf professional at Dalton Golf and Country Club since 1966.

Achievements and recognition from the Georgia Section PGA of America, supporting letters of recommendation from many of the people he has touched over the years, and the lasting images of more than 100 young men and women who earned college scholarships or who became professional golfers after Fritz's tutelage helped guide the selection of this humble and giving gentleman into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame's Class of 2013.

The number of people who have taken lessons and learned from Lowell Fritz over the years is a lengthy one, and includes such names as PGA TOUR players Blake Adams and Mike Clark III, former Georgia Tech star and current University of South Carolina men's golf coach Bill McDonald, multiple Georgia Amateur champion David Noll and past Georgia Junior champion Steve White, just to name a few.

Maybe more meaningful to the local community, and to Fritz, are the junior golf clinics that annually are full at the club and the countless lessons that he gives, whether the golfer has designs on being a star or just a participant. This is a place, and he is a mentor, to give the children, and the adults, an opportunity to learn a game that will provide experiences on which to draw for a lifetime.

One of his colleagues in the northwest Georgia area, Deck Cheatham of The Farm, wrote about Fritz, "The consideration that you give him (for the Hall of Fame) cannot be based on any personal achievement; rather, you must consider the difference he has made in the lives of those who have learned the game under his tutelage. Lowell's genius and achievement is the quintessential man behind the player. His legacy will lead to future Hall of Famers and it is only fitting that he be chosen for this honor."

Lowell Fritz was born in Sandusky, Ohio but was a graduate of Avondale (Ga.) High School. After three years in the Army stationed in Okinawa, Japan, he became an assistant professional at The Standard Club in Atlanta for three years before going to Dalton in 1966 to work as an assistant to Jim Stamps. He became head professional in 1968 and is now the club's Director of Golf.

In 1989, he earned the Georgia Section PGA's Junior Golf Leader award, for outstanding contribution in the promotion and development of golf. He also earned the North Chapter of the Georgia Section's Junior Golf Leader award in 2004. In 1991, he was named the Georgia Section's Teacher of the Year for promoting the game of golf through outstanding service and expertise in teaching.

His most prestigious honor from the Georgia Section came in 2004, when he received the President's Award for overall professionalism, impact and promotion of the game of golf and the ability to inspire fellow professionals.

His name is also on the trophy which is given to the winning team of the Carpet Capital Collegiate Classic, a men's college tournament hosted by Georgia Tech and played annually at The Farm in Dalton.

Fritz says this about what he enjoys the most as a teacher: "From the two-week summer clinic to individual lessons with boys and girls, my greatest satisfaction is seeing these kids with swings that last a lifetime."

Fritz passed away on December 27, 2020.

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Billy Fuller

2023

Billy Fuller, the former superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club and current owner of Billy Fuller Golf Design, is a mentor to many in the industry serving as an educational speaker across the country.

Born in Louisburg, North Carolina, Fuller grew up playing in local junior tournaments before competing on the golf team at Louisburg High School. He then enrolled at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where he studied civil engineering for three years before earning an associate degree in turfgrass management in 1972.

After graduating with an interest in agronomy and turfgrass research, Fuller spent the next 14 years as a superintendent. From 1972 to 1981, he held the superintendent or director of agronomy position at various courses in South Carolina, including Seabrook Island Resort, Wildewood Country Club, Palmetto Dunes Resort and Kiawah Island Resort. He moved to Georgia in 1981 for the opportunity to serve as superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club.

While at Augusta National (1981-86), Fuller would develop the cooling and heating unit for the 12th hole, which would keep the frost off during winter months and maintain soil temperatures during hot summer months. In 1981, he would lead the conversion from overseeded Bermudagrass to Bentgrass.

It was during his time at Augusta National that Fuller developed what would become known as 'Billy Bunkers', a specification for constructing golf course sand bunkers. After years of additional research, this method of bunker construction would be used all over the world and reduce bunker repair work by 80%.

After his stint in Augusta, Fuller turned to the design side of the industry and joined Cupp Design. He worked alongside Georgia Golf Hall of Fame member Bob Cupp for 20 years (1986-2006) as a design associate and senior agronomist, where he worked on more than 100 new courses. In 2006, Fuller founded his own firm, Billy Fuller Golf Design.

He has been a member of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association (GGCSA) for more than 40 years. He was a past member of the board of governors for the American Society of Golf Course Architects. In 2016, he was inducted into the GGCSA Hall of Fame.

Fuller has given his time back to the industry by serving as guest speaker at educational seminars at many local, state, and national Superintendents and Club Managers gatherings. He formed a non-profit, Golf Gives, which raises funds for local charities while promoting golf through local media.

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James R. Gabrielsen

1990

James R. Gabrielsen was born in St. Peter, Minn., on October 28, 1941. While attending the University of Georgia, Gabrielsen was selected as an All-American and his teams took three consecutive SEC Championships. He was a quarterfinalist in the 1962 U.S. Amateur. His exceptional amateur career gained him three Georgia Amateur titles, the Atlanta Amateur Championship, and he was runner-up in the 1974 British Amateur. Gabrielsen also competed in three Masters Tournaments. He was a member of the 1971 Walker Cup team, a non-playing captain of the 1981 and '91 Walker Cup teams, and the general chairman of the 1989 Walker Cup Match in Atlanta. He was a member of the USGA Executive Committee and is a former GSGA Director. Gabrielsen served as president of Atlanta's Peachtree Golf Club from 1987-89.

John Gerring, PGA

2024

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, John Gerring moved to North Carolina as a junior and attended High Point High School. After winning a North Carolina High School State Championship and competing in events such as the U.S. Junior Amateur and the National Jaycee Junior, Gerring was recruited to Wake Forest University.

While a young freshman playing golf at Wake Forest, Gerring was nurtured by an older teammate named Arnold Palmer. As the top golfer for the Demon Deacons in 1955, 1956 and 1957, Gerring led the team to two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championships (1955, 1957). He also claimed an individual conference title in 1957 while earning medalist honors in five of seven home matches the team played.

After graduating from Wake Forest with a degree in social science, he served time on the Rifle Company of the United States Army, and at the conclusion of his service, Gerring turned pro in 1958 and started playing again.

Realizing that a career competing on the PGA TOUR wasn’t likely, Gerring went to work at Biltmore Forest Golf Club in Asheville, N.C., as an apprentice professional after joining the PGA of America in the early 1960’s.

Not long after that he moved to Georgia for an assistant professional’s job at Atlanta Athletic Club, and ultimately would become the head golf professional at Atlanta Country Club in 1978 and stay for 15 years. From there Gerring moved to the coast as head golf professional at Sea Island Golf Club in 1993, before returning to Atlanta to be head golf professional at Peachtree Golf Club in 2004.

Over the years Gerring made a name for himself as an outstanding teacher of the game, working with many touring pros as well as high handicap players. In 1977 he became the 13th member of the PGA of America to earn Master Professional status. During his time at Atlanta Country Club, he was the recipient of the PGA of America’s PGA Golf Professional of the Year award in 1981 – the highest honor bestowed on a PGA professional.

Within the Georgia Section PGA, Gerring has been honored as professional of the year, teacher of the year, and recipient of the Horton Smith Award and Bill Strausbaugh Award.

Gerring is a current member of three Halls of Fame, including the PGA of America National Hall of Fame (2005), Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame (2017) and Wake Forest University Sports Hall of Fame (2018). 

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Vicki Goetze-Ackerman

2012

Vicki Goetze-Ackerman is one of Georgia's most decorated female golfers at the national level, winning two U.S. Women's Amateur titles and representing her country four times in international team events.

She was born in 1972 in Mishicot, Wisconsin. The family moved to Georgia and most of her golf accomplishments occurred during the time they lived in Hull, outside Athens.

Goetze shot 70 in winning the 1991 Georgia Class A High School individual championship by six strokes…as the only girl in the field. Her Athens Academy team also won by 12 strokes. She was named the American Junior Golf Association's Player of the Year in 1988, 1989 and 1990.

Goetze had great success in USGA national championships. In the U.S. Girls Junior, she advanced to the quarterfinals at age 13, the semifinals at ages 14, 15 and 16, and the finals at 17. She was also a runner-up (to fellow Georgian Cindy Schreyer) in the 1986 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links before her 14th birthday. Her amateur career was topped by victories in the 1989 and 1992 U.S. Women's Amateur championships, including a win in the 1992 final over Annika Sorenstam. Those accomplishments on the national level earned her the first four GSGA Women's Player of the Year honors from 1989-1992.

In the two years she played at the University of Georgia (1991-92 and 1992-93), Goetze won the 1992 NCAA individual title and earned All-American honors. She also represented the United States in two Curtis Cup and two Women's World Amateur Team competitions, both in 1990 and '92. In 1990, she was the individual medalist in the Women's World Amateur for the victorious USA team.

Professionally, Goetze-Ackerman qualified for the LPGA Tour on her first attempt in the fall of 1993 and played for 16 years before retiring as a full-time member. Her best finish was a tie for second in the 2000 and 2004 Corning Classics. She served on the LPGA Player Executive Committee and Board of Directors in 2005-2007 and was President of the Association in 2007. In 2006, she was honored with the William and Mousie Powell Award, chosen by her peers, as the player whose behavior and deeds best exemplifies the spirit, ideals and values of the LPGA.

Goetze-Ackerman, her husband, Jim, and son, Jake, reside in the Tampa, Florida, area where she teaches at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club. She also began a new role on January 1, 2012, as Player President of the LPGA.

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William "Dynamite" Goodloe

2009

William "Dynamite" Goodloe, Jr. was born in Ocilla, Ga., on November 10, 1919. He has been acclaimed as one of the best and most colorful golfers in the United States and maintained great popularity throughout England and Scotland as well. "Dynamite" was noted for his outstanding golf game, charisma and South Georgia drawl. During his golf career, he scored 18 holes-in-one, posted the course record score of 62 at Valdosta Country Club, and scored a 71 on the day he died at age 62. Goodloe played in the Masters Tournament three times. He was an alternate for the 1951 Walker Cup Team, and played in four U.S. Amateurs. He won the Georgia Amateur in 1954 and '55. Goodloe died in Valdosta, Ga., on April 2, 1982.

Jerry Greenbaum

2004

Jerry Greenbaum was born February 1, 1941, in Atlanta, Ga. Following his graduation from Tulane University, he served as a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. As a young golfer, Greenbaum won the International Jaycee Amateur, played in the U.S. Amateur four times and finished as the third-lowest amateur in the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional. He also won the Atlanta Amateur three times (1960, '63, '71) and finished runner-up in the 1964 Georgia Amateur to fellow Hall of Famer Bunky Henry. Greenbaum left tournament golf for 16 years due to his business commitments, but he returned to competition as one of the country's best senior golfers, having won 19 events and qualifying for multiple U.S. Senior Opens, USGA Senior Amateurs and U.S. Mid Amateurs. In addition he was runner-up in the 1999 British Senior Amateur. Golf Digest ranked Greenbaum as the fifth-best senior amateur in the United States in 1999, third-best in both 2000 and '01 and second-best in 2002.

Watts Gunn

1989

Born in Macon, Ga., on January 11, 1905, Watts Gunn made golfing history in the 1925 U.S. Amateur, setting the world record for international championship golf by winning 15 straight holes in the first round of the 36-hole match. In that tournament, he went to the finals against friend and rival Bobby Jones, marking the only time two players from the same club ever met for the U.S. Amateur crown. At Lanier High School, Gunn captained golf teams that never lost a match. In 1926 and '28, he played on the Walker Cup teams with Jones, defeating the British team both years. He played many benefit tournaments, including several exhibitions with Jones in 1927 and '28. He also won the Georgia Amateur title in 1923 and '27, with a runner-up finish in 1925. Gunn passed away in 1994 at age 89.

Chris Haack

2016

Christopher Jay (Chris) Haack of Bogart, Ga., is the Head Coach and Director of Golf at the University of Georgia and his outstanding leadership and dedication has annually made his program a mainstay toward the top of the collegiate golf landscape. He was the first golf coach to be inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Born in Menasha, Wis., Haack moved to Georgia and attended Newnan High School. He played golf at West Georgia College from 197801981, and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Mellen University in 1997. He began his career in golf with the American Junior Golf Association, and from 1980-1996, he held multiple positions including Tournament Director, Director of Operations, Director of Development, Foundation Director and Assistant Executive Director.

Haack was named head golf coach at the University of Georgia in 1996 and has taken the program to a new level of success. He has guided the Bulldogs to two national championships (the only two in school history), seven Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles and several team and individual records. His first Georgia squad in the 1997-1997 season showed glimpses of what was to come as he led the team to finish fourth or better in seven of 11 competitions and advanced to the regionals of the NCAA Championship. Haack's breakthrough year came in 1998-1999 when his Bulldog team ascended to a number one ranking in multiple national polls, and later validated the ranking by winning the program's first national championship. Haack was named National Coach of the Year that season.

Under Haack, the Bulldogs have had eight top-10 and 14 top-20 finishes at NCAA Championships, including the 1999 and 2005 national title and runner-up honors in 2007 and 2011. He has developed 54 All-America selections during his tenure, including at least one in 16 of the past 17 seasons.

Haack is a two-time National Coach of the Year (1999 and 2005), four-time SEC Coach of the Year (1998, 2000, 2006, 2010) and was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame in 2012.

Haack has two children, son Charlie and daughter Kate, and currently resides in Bogart, Ga.

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Stephen Hamblin

2018

Stephen Hamblin of Alpharetta, Ga., is the longtime executive director of the American Junior Golf Association and has dedicated more than three decades to the overall growth and development of junior golf.

Born in Michigan in 1955, Hamblin attended Michigan State University and earned a degree in Landscape Architecture in 1980. He served as the resident golf professional at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., from 1980 to 1983. Hamblin then moved to Georgia to join the American Junior Golf Association where he has served as the executive director since 1984.

When a 29-year-old Hamblin took on the post in 1984, the AJGA hosted 13 tournaments, had five full-time employees, 1,100 members and a $200,000 fledging budget. Today, the AJGA hosts more than 100 tournaments across the United States and Canada which offer more than 17,000 playing opportunities, has 61 full-time employees, more than 6,000 members and an $11 million budget.

One of the many milestone achievements of his tenure was the implementation of the ACE Grant, which provides assistance to young men and women through college scholarships. Due to his leadership and ability of his staff, Hamblin's former staff can be seen throughout the golf industry. Each year the AJGA helps nearly 90 interns launch their careers through administering events nationwide or working at national headquarters located in Braselton, Ga. Hamblin serves on the executive committee of Golf 20/20, the World Golf Foundation initiative to grow the game.

Hamblin currently resides in Alpharetta, Ga., with his wife, Carol, and has four daughters and one son. Away from promoting junior golf on a worldwide scale, Hamblin is an avid fly fisherman.

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George S. Hamer, Jr.

2006

George Hamer, Jr. was born October 15, 1922. After serving in the U.S. Army in World War II, he attended the University of Georgia where he excelled on the golf team and served as captain. His accomplishments include the prestigious "Triple Crown" in 1946 when he captured the National Intercollegiate Golf Tournament, the Southern Amateur and the All-American Amateur. In 1947, Hamer was the Georgia Amateur champion, a member of the U.S. Walker Cup Team and participated in the Masters. He was the Southeastern Amateur champion in 1951 and '52. Hamer devoted himself to promoting junior golf. His contributions to the game include being a founding member, major contributor, and lifetime supporter of the internationally recognized Fred Haskins Outstanding Collegiate Golfer Award, and established an achievement award to annually recognize the most improved junior golfer at the Country Club of Columbus. Hamer passed away in 1992 at the age of 69.

Terri Moody Hancock

2022

A native of Athens, Ga., Terri Moody Hancock attended the Athens Academy (1973-77) where she was a two-time state high school champion while competing on the boy's golf team. She stayed in Athens and enjoyed a successful collegiate golf career at the University of Georgia (1977-81), where she was the first female to receive a full scholarship.

While at UGA, Hancock led the team to 16 victories in a three-year span, including winning five individual titles of her own. In 1981 during her senior year, she won the first individual national championship in UGA women's athletics history at the AIAW National Championship (pre-NCAA), also becoming just the fourth UGA student-athlete to win an individual national title. For her efforts, Hancock was a two-time All-America and was the 1981 Broderick Award winner for women's golf as the nation's top collegiate golfer. She was also the 1981 National Golfer of the Year – only the third UGA student-athlete to win a national player of the year award in any sport.

During her time leading the University of Georgia women's golf team to victory, Hancock kept a busy competitive schedule of her own. She qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship each year while at UGA in 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1980. Hancock received low amateur honors at the 1979 U.S. Women's Open. In 1980, she was a member of the Curtis Cup Team, where she helped the United States to a 13-5 victory over Great Britain and Ireland, which at the time was the largest margin of victory in the event's history. She also won the 1976 Georgia Women's Amateur Championship.

After her collegiate golf career came to an end, Hancock earned her LPGA Tour card and competed on the professional circuit for five years. She then retired from competing on Tour full-time to focus on starting a family.

For her on-course accomplishments, Hancock has been recognized for her contributions. Most recently she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, and the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1997, she was named to the University of Georgia's Circle of Honor, which is designed to pay tribute to extraordinary student-athletes and coaches who by their performance and conduct have brought honor to the university.

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Butch Hansen, PGA

2023

Butch Hansen was a PGA golf professional who devoted his career to serving the game and giving back to the golf community through charitable efforts, elevating junior golf programming around the state.

Born in Miami, Fla., Hansen moved to Virginia as a junior and attended high school at Granby High School in Norfolk. He enrolled at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and captained the golf team (1961-63), where he was the number one player in 1961. After college Hansen served in the U.S. Navy, won 20 Navy golf tournaments, and was a member of the All-Navy Golf Team and All-Service Golf Team in 1964.

In 1965, Hansen officially began his career with a move to Atlanta as he accepted the assistant professional position at Cherokee Town & Country Club. He became a PGA member in 1966. From 1967-1969, Hansen was the head golf professional at Berkeley Hills Country Club in Duluth, and from 1969-1971, he was the head golf professional at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta. Hansen's responsibilities expanded when he joined Brookfield West Country Club (now Brookfield Country Club) in Roswell in 1972 as the head golf professional and general manager, where he would be for 19 years.

The next few years Hansen would be instrumental in bringing together state organizations to benefit the golf community. In 1973, he led a joint effort to bring together the Georgia State Golf Association (GSGA) and the Georgia PGA to form the Georgia Junior Golf Foundation, where he would serve as its first president. Then in 1977, Hansen assisted in the founding of the Atlanta Junior Golf Association, serving as its first president as well.

Brookfield West hosted the Georgia Open Championship in 1974, which Hansen served as the general chairman and tournament director. He secured a total purse of $26,000, which was the largest this event had seen. A year later in 1975, the purse grew to $33,000 with a record attendance of 30,000 spectators. Proceeds were donated to the Georgia Junior Golf Foundation. Hansen would garner praise from his peers and the media, often described as a spiritual philanthropist for his efforts in giving back to the community through golf.

His next endeavor came when he served as tournament chairman and host professional for the Lady Tara Classic/Lady Michelob on the LPGA circuit, from 1977 to 1985. After declining in interest in previous years, under Hansen's leadership and guidance, the event raised thousands, all benefiting the Georgia Special Olympics, while at the same time becoming a favorite event to the LPGA players and fans alike.

His philanthropic efforts would continue for several years. In 1987, while still at Brookfield West, Hansen would take on the role of head golf professional simultaneously at Polo Golf & Country Club in Cumming. There he founded the Polo Golf Classic, a 36-hole event that included a total purse of $100,000 and a $25,000 first-place prize. Proceeds, once again, benefited the Georgia Junior Golf Foundation.

Along with mentoring many PGA professionals who would go on to achieve success of their own, Hansen has been honored and celebrated numerous times over the years. In 1996, he was the Georgia PGA North Chapter Professional of the Year. He was honored by the Georgia Athletic Hall of Fame as Georgia's Sportsman of the Year in 1975 and is a member of the Granby High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Hansen passed away on July 4, 2024.

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Doug Hanzel

2019

Doug Hanzel of Savannah, Ga., is one of the most accomplished players in Georgia winning on every level of amateur golf from junior golf to national championships.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1957, Hanzel found success in golf early and often, winning over 30 junior golf tournaments in the state of Ohio, including the 1974 Ohio State High School Championship. He continued that success at Kent State University where he was a four-year letterman and served as team captain in 1978-1979. He led his team to win the 1977 Mid-American Conference Championship, and twice earned All-Conference recognition in 1978 and 1979.

After his time at Kent State, Hanzel enrolled in Medical School at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He then moved to Savannah, Ga., in 1989 and his success on the golf course followed him south.

Once Hanzel turned 50 and became eligible to compete as a senior, the wins started piling up. He is a three-time winner of the Georgia Senior Championship. He won in 2012 at Reynolds Plantation-Great Waters in Eatonton by 16 strokes. He then won back-to-back at Doublegate Country Club in Albany in 2014 and Brickyard Golf Club in Macon in 2015 by 13 strokes. Hanzel (with partner Jack Hall) has won the past three Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championships – only team to ever win three-straight. He has earned multiple GSGA Senior Player of the Year honors, including the recipient of the Tommy Barnes Award, signifying the GSGA's overall Player of the Year, in 2012 and 2013.

Hanzel has certainly left his mark on the national circuit. Having qualified for several United States Golf Association national championships, the highlight came in 2013 when he won the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship at Wade Hampton Golf Club in Cashiers, N.C. He has qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship 13 times, the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship five times, the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship four times and the U.S. Senior Open five times. Hanzel represented Georgia at the USGA Men's State Team Championship twice.

In 2012, he became the only player ever to advance to match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship, U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, U.S. Senior Amateur Championship and earn low amateur honors at the U.S. Senior Open in the same year.

Hanzel was inducted as a member of the Northern Ohio Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Kent State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

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Charlie Harper

2005

Charlie Harper was born April 15, 1922, in Albany, Ga. He played on the Valdosta High School and Louisiana State University golf teams before enlisting in the U.S. Armed Forces in 1942. He won the Florida State Amateur in 1946 and the Florida State Open in 1947 before turning professional in 1948. As a pro, he won the Georgia Open, the Georgia PGA Championship, the Southeastern PGA and the Georgia/Alabama PGA. He played in four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. Harper became the head golf professional at Country Club of Columbus in 1953, then retired in 1986 after 33 years.

Charles W. Harrison

1992

Charles Harrison was born in Atlanta, Ga., on June 25, 1931. He won the 1947 Atlanta City Junior Championship and then went on to letter in golf for four years at Georgia Tech. A lifelong amateur, Harrison won the Atlanta Amateur a record 10 times, captured the Atlanta Athletic Club Championship nine times, and the Atlanta Country Club Championship six times during his illustrious career. He also claimed victories in the 1955 Southern Amateur and the 1959 Georgia Amateur. In 1966, Harrison was ranked 13th-best amateur in the country and captured the prestigeous Dogwood Invitational at Druid Hills Golf Club. The next year in 1967, he was an alternate for the U.S. Walker Cup team. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur 16 times, placing as a quarterfinalist in 1959 and finishing fifth in 1972. He was also a quarterfinalist in the 1980 British Amateur and twice played in the Masters Tournament. Harrison served as a director of the Southern Golf Association and was president of the Atlanta Golf Association from 1971-85. He was elected to the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame in 1978 and Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. The East Lake Golf Club has named a caddie scholarship after him, now called the Harrison Scholarship.

Fred Haskins

1992

Fred Haskins was born in Hoylake, England, on May 1, 1898. In 1921, he came to Atlanta's East Lake Country Club, where he became a close friend of Bobby Jones. A year later, it was Jones who recommended Haskins for the head golf professional position at the Country Club of Columbus. Haskins' greatest impact was in teaching and inspiring junior golfers. As a tribute to his teaching abilities, his young pupils went on to win more than 150 championships. In 1922, Haskins also started the Country Club of Columbus Invitational, now held annually as the Southeastern Amateur. Haskins retired in 1952 after 34 years of service as the golf professional, but remained at the Country Club of Columbus as golf course superintendent until 1971. Also in 1971, the Fred Haskins Award was established to honor his lifelong dedication to golf and his teaching accomplishments. The Haskins Trophy, which is nationally regarded as the Heisman of college golf, is presented annually to honor the most outstanding collegiate golfer in the United States. Haskins died on April 5, 1981.

Bunky Henry

2008

Bunky attributes his first tournament at age 10, the Future Masters, for developing his love for the game. He went on to win the Georgia State Junior Jaycee Championship in 1960, and was runner-up in 1961. He was also the two-time winner of the Region 1-AAA Championship. He captured the 1964 Georgia Amateur Championship and was runner-up to Billy Key in 1967. Other amateur wins include the Golden Isles Invitational and the Okefenokee Invitational, both in 1961. In 1965, he was the Canadian Amateur Champion and went on to win the Peach Blossom in 1966 and '67. Henry qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1966 and '67, and received his first of two invitations to the Masters in 1966. In college, Henry was a four-year letterman for the Georgia Tech golf team and twice qualified for the NCAA Championship as an individual. Henry earned All-American honorable mention in 1966, and was a first-team All-American in 1967. Henry's 12-year professional career began in 1967. He won the National Airlines Open Invitational in 1969. He also finished among the top 10 in both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship that same year. Among his many accolades, Henry was elected to the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame for his achievements in both football and golf, as well as the Lowndes County Sports Hall of Fame.

Bruce Heppler

2022

A native of St. George, Utah, Bruce Heppler attended Dixie High School before a brief collegiate golf stint in 1979 at Dixie Junior College, where he received an Associate degree in arts and sciences in 1982. In 1985, Heppler earned his Bachelors degree in accounting from Brigham Young University, and in 1988, his Masters degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts.

While earning his Masters degree at Massachusetts, Heppler began his coaching career as the men's and women's golf coach at nearby Amherst College in 1987. A year after graduating, he joined the staff at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) as assistant men's golf coach (1989-91). Two years later he would make the move to Oklahoma State University as assistant men's and women's golf coach, where he would stay for five years (1991-95). In 1995, he moved to Atlanta with the opportunity to become the head men's golf coach at Georgia Tech, where he has led the program to record-breaking heights ever since.

While at Georgia Tech, Heppler has guided the program to an NCAA Regional every year it has been played since 1998, including 18 of those teams advancing to the NCAA Finals. Since 2000, Georgia Tech has finished outside the top 10 in national polls only four times. During his tenure, the Yellow Jackets have won or shared 13 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles, while capturing or sharing 64 team titles overall.

Heppler has annually recruited and developed talented players from across the globe. The program has had at least two All-ACC honorees in 19 of the last 23 seasons and have had four members of the team honored four times. Three of Heppler's players have earned national player of the year honors, including Matt Kuchar, Bryce Molder and Troy Matteson. In addition, three former players – Kuchar in 1997, Andy Ogletree in 2019 and Tyler Strafaci in 2020 – have won the U.S. Amateur Championship. With Ogletree's and Strafaci's victories in 2019 and 2020, Georgia Tech became the first school to have teammates win the national title in back-to-back years.

In 2002, Heppler led his squad to the best season in school history as the Yellow Jackets won a record seven team titles and finished runner-up at the NCAA Championship. That year, Matteson became the third Georgia Tech player to win an individual national title.

Heppler has been recognized for his leadership many times over the years. Among the honors include the ACC Coach of the Year 10 times, more than any other ACC coach in conference history, as well as the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) National Coach of the Year in 2002. He was named a Georgia Tech Honorary Alumnus in 2018.

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Larry W. Hinson

2009

Larry Hinson of Douglas, Ga., attended Coffee County High School where he lettered in track and basketball, as well as being a member of the state championship golf team. He spent a successful two years at South Georgia College and then received a full scholarship to attend East Tennessee State University. Under Coach Hal Morrison, Hinson won the 1966 Asheville Men's Invitational and was the NCAA runner-up. In 1967, he won the NCAA Championship, was a first-team All-American, runner-up in the Southern Amateur and low amateur in the Atlanta Golf Classic. He also won the Tournament of Golf Club Champions in both 1967 and '68. He had 30 top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR during his professional career. Hinson was inducted into the East Tennessee State Golf Hall of Fame in 1977 and the Upper Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 1989.

Ed Hoard

1999

Ed Hoard was born in Atlanta, Ga., on May 3, 1946. He began playing golf at the Bobby Jones Municipal Golf Course, where he later held the official course record of 63. Hoard went on to play on the University of Florida golf team that won the 1968 SEC and NCAA team championships. Hoard served as the head golf professional at Athens Country Club from 1980-2006. He was actively involved in the Georgia PGA, serving as its president on three occasions. From 1985-91, he was a member of the Georgia PGA's advisory committee, awards committee, and nominating committee. Hoard also served as a PGA board member from 1985-2001. From 1988 until his death in 2009, he served as an instructor in over 40 PGA-USGA Rules Golf Workshops and over 20 PGA Business Schools. In 1985, he was appointed to the PGA of America Rules of Golf Committee, becoming chairman in 1995. He served as rules chairman of the PGA Championship from 1995-2000, and served as a referee for the 1991 and 2002 Ryder Cup matches. He was the Ryder Cup chief referee in both 1995 and '99. Hoard's additional honors include winning the 1983 Georgia PGA Match Play Championship, Georgia PGA Professional of the Year award twice and the Georgia PGA Horton Smith Award five times. He was also the recipient of the PGA National Horton Smith Award in 1996 and was named PGA National Golf Professional of the Year in 1999.

Alfred "Tup" Holmes

2012

Alfred F. "Tup" Holmes was an outstanding amateur golfer who made an immeasurable impact on the game by virtue of his leadership in the opening of Atlanta's golf courses to black citizens, which became an important step for equality in the sport.

He was born November 6, 1917 in East Point, Ga., graduated from Booker T. Washington High in Atlanta in 1933 and earned a degree from Tuskegee (Ala.) Institute in 1939.

Holmes excelled as a young amateur golfer. In college, he won the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference three times. He also captured the black-only Southern Amateur title three times and was the National Negro Amateur Champion four times.

After having been denied the opportunity to play a round at Bobby Jones Golf Course in 1951, Holmes and his family were instrumental in obtaining the right for blacks to play golf on City of Atlanta public golf courses. They subsequently brought suit against the city and the case wound its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, whose final ruling would end segregation of the City's courses and eventually lead to the desegregation of all City of Atlanta public places.

The first ruling in the case, in Federal District Court in Atlanta, was that blacks could play on city public courses but only on certain days. The family appealed the verdict and a federal appellate court upheld the district court's decision. Holmes obtained assistance from Thurgood Marshall, then a Baltimore attorney who successfully argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, in the family's next appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. It struck down the original ruling by the district court, sending the case back to the original judge with instructions to end segregation on the City's courses.

On December 23, 1955, "Tup" Holmes, his brother, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and friends Charles T. Bell, T.D. Hawkins and E.J. Peterson played a round of golf at North Fulton Golf Course, thus legally breaking the color barrier on Atlanta's public golf courses.

Holmes passed away from cancer December 16, 1967, but his family and the City of Atlanta joined together to dedicate a golf course in his honor in 1983 -- the Alfred "Tup" Holmes Memorial Golf Course in Adams Park on the site of a Civil War battlefield.

Holmes was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and among family and friends in attendance at the ceremony was 91-year-old Charles Bell, a member of the 1955 ground-breaking fivesome.

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Joe Inman, Jr.

2017

Joseph Cooper (Joe) Inman, Jr., of Marietta, Ga., is the Head Coach of the Georgia State University men's golf program and a longtime professional golfer with success on the PGA and Champions Tours.

Born in Indianapolis, Ind., in 1947, Inman attended high school in Greensboro, N.C., and then played golf at Wake Forest University from 1965 to 1970. As a collegiate golfer, Inman was a three-time All-America selection, including first-team honors in 1969. Playing under the leadership of head coach Jesse Haddock, Inman helped his team win three-consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) titles and top-three finishes at the NCAA Championships in 1968 and 1969.

After graduating with a degree in History, Inman turned professional in 1972. He won four times as a professional - once on the PGA TOUR and three times on the Champions Tour. He won the 1976 Kemper Open on the PGA TOUR, and on the Champions Tour, he won the Pacific Bell Open in 1988 and 1999, and the SBC Open in 2000. He had nearly 100 top-25 finishes on each circuit and earned over $5 million.

Inman currently serves as the head coach of the men's golf team at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he has raised the level of success expected by the program. In his first year, Inman led the Panthers to the NCAA Regionals in 2009. During the 2013-14 season, he guided his squad to a school-record four wins, a second-place finish at the NCAA Regionals and a ranking of 43rd in the country.

Inman is active in the community, serving on the Board of Directors of the First Tee of Atlanta, and founded the Larry Nelson-Joe Inman Foundation, which supports youth golf initiatives. Inman and his wife, Nancy, reside in Marietta, Ga., and have three children - Craig, Sally and Kate.

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Suzanne Jackson

2003

Suzanne Jackson could be called one of Georgia golf's modern pioneers. She was first in line at a time when opportunities were just becoming available for young women golfers, and later she was instrumental in paving the way for women in professional golf administration. Born in 1952 in LaGrange, Ga., Jackson was the only girl playing on the boys' golf team at LaGrange High from 1968-70. As a junior golfer, she advanced to the semifinals of the 1969 U.S. Girls' Junior Championship and won the Burdeshaw Trophy as low junior medalist in the 1970 Georgia Women's Amateur. She became the first woman to receive a golf scholarship to the University of Florida, where she won three college tournaments. In 1981, she was hired as a tournament official by the LPGA and continued up the ranks to become tournament director in 1985. She was named director of tournament operations in 1991. While overseeing the rules and regulations of the growing LPGA, Jackson's reputation as a rules expert earned her invitations as one of the first women to serve as a rules official at the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship, and the Masters. In addition, she represented the LPGA as a consulting member of the USGA Rules of Golf Committee. Jackson was honored with the LPGA's Patty Berg Award for outstanding contributions to women's golf and she is a member of the University of Florida Sports Hall of Fame and National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Jackson passed away in November 1998 at the age of 46 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer.

Bobby Jones

1989

Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Ga., on March 17, 1902. He graduated from Georgia Tech and Harvard University. From 1923-30, he won 13 national golf titles: four U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs, three British Opens and one British Amateur. In 1930, at age 28, he scored the Grand Slam of Golf by winning the U.S. Amateur, the U.S. Open, the British Amateur and the British Open. This master stylist's grace and ability brought publicity and honor to his state and his nation. He was made burgess of the town of St. Andrews, Scotland, sharing this title with only one other American: Benjamin Franklin. In 1933, Jones co-founded the Augusta National Golf Club, and established the prestigious Masters Tournament there in 1934. He was golf's greatest ambassador and is generally honored as its greatest competitor. Jones died in 1971 at the age of 69.

Rosie Jones

2006

Rosie Jones was born November 13, 1959. Early in her amateur career, she won the New Mexico Junior Championship three consecutive years and in 1979 was the New Mexico State Champion. In 1981, while in her fourth year of varsity golf at Ohio State University, she was honored as All-American. Her first professional win was at the Rail Charity Classic in 1987. The following year she captured the USX Golf Classic, Nestle World Championship and the Santa Barbara Open. In 1990, she was on her first of seven U.S. Solheim Cup teams. She won the Rochester International in 1991, the Pinewild Women's Championship in 1995 and the LPGA Corning Classic in 1996 and '97. Again in 1998, she won the Wegman's Rochester International. In 1999, she was the Firstar LPGA Classic Champion and won the Kathy Ireland Championship in 2001. Her most recent win was 2003, when she captured the Asahi Ryokuken International Championship. She experienced a very successful 2005 with eight top 10 finishes. To date, Jones is 11th on the LPGA Career Money List and owns 13 LPGA wins. She served as captain of the 2011 U.S. Solheim Cup team.

Gunby Jordan

1994

Gunby Jordan was born in Columbus, Ga., on November 2, 1915. In 1961, he created the Green Island Hills residential community and Green Island Country Club, which later hosted more than 20 years of PGA Tournaments. He organized the first PGA tournament to be held in Columbus, the 1970 Southern Open, and traveled the PGA TOUR regularly to attract the top names in golf to participate. In 1987, he authored the humorous book, "Caddies." When it was announced that the City of Columbus would close its only par-3 golf course, Jordan personally leased the course and maintained it for the use of young golfers in what he called his "Senior for Kids" program. This program utilizes the skills and knowledge of senior golfers while developing the skills and enriching the lives of Columbus' golfing youth. Jordan died on July 25, 1994.

O.B. Keeler

1996

Oscar Bane "Pop" Keeler was born on June 4, 1882, and spent most of his boyhood in Marietta, Ga. He was one of those wonderful characters of old-time newspapering who have become all too scarce in present-day journalism. He was a veteran Atlanta Journal sports staffer, covering more than 80 major golf tournaments of national and international importance. He won national recognition and fame as a writer and authority on golf. But, most importantly to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame, Keeler chronicled every tournament stroke ever played by the legendary Bobby Jones. He saw Bobby Jones – just 14 years old – win his first big tournament, the Georgia Amateur in 1916. Soon after, the two became close companions. He traveled 150,000 miles with Jones and is the only man to witness all of Jones' 13 major championship wins – most notably the grand slam victories of 1930. A unique individual, he was one of the best-known and liked of all the newspapermen in the business. Keeler passed away on October 15, 1950, at the age of 68.

George Kelnhofer

2019

George Kelnhofer of Norcross, Ga., was a pioneer of golf instruction for over half a century on the national and international levels and helped produce some of Georgia's finest champions.

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, in 1938, Kelnhofer became one of the most knowledgeable golf instructors in the country.

He mastered the science of the golf swing and is the pioneer of numerous setup and swing concepts that are widely used today by instructors across the country.

He has influenced many notable golfers including major winner and Georgia Golf Hall of Famer, Stewart Cink, and PGA TOUR winners, Charles Howell III and David Duval.

He was recognized as the 1995 Georgia Section PGA Teacher of the Year.

One of his many achievements included the development of a technique called Accelerated Golf which used "Hot Lines" technology to speed up the learning process. He was the eighth person in the world to receive a Doctors degree in Golf (golf stroke engineering doctorate).

His influence was vast as many golf instructors from across the country have traveled to Atlanta to learn from Kelnhofer and adopt his techniques.

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Stephen Keppler

2014

A well-known golf professional and an accomplished member of the Georgia PGA section, Stephen Keppler, the PGA Director of Golf at Marietta Country Club, has been selected for induction into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Born in London, England, Keppler represented his home country at all levels of amateur golf. He was a member of the 1983 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. He came to the United States to attend college, playing on the golf team at Florida State University. He was named an All-American during his time in Tallahassee.

Keppler became a PGA member in 1989 as an assistant golf professional at Dunwoody Country Club. He then served as head professional at Summit Chase Country Club in Snellville for eight years before becoming Director of Golf at Marietta Country Club in 2000.

During his time in Georgia, Keppler has compiled an impressive collection of Georgia PGA Section victories and honors. Starting with the 1988 Georgia PGA Assistants' Championship, Keppler owns 15 tournament titles, including four Georgia PGA Championships (1990, '94, '96 and 2011), back-to-back Georgia Opens (1994, '95), two Match Play Championships (1991, '93) and the Georgia PGA Professional Championship in 1998. His accomplishments earned him the Georgia PGA Player of the Year award for four-straight years from 1993-96. Keppler also earned the Gregg Wolff Award in 2006 for low stroke average.

On the national scene, Keppler has played in four PGA Championships and 13 PGA Professional National Championships, with his best finish a tie for eighth in both 1996 and '98. Keppler has played in 12 PGA TOUR events. His best showing, a tie for third at the 1995 BellSouth Classic at Atlanta Country Club, was the highest finish by a club professional in the history of the PGA TOUR.

" 'Keppy' has been a mainstay in Georgia professional golf for the past three decades and still remains one of the top players within the Georgia Section," said Michael Paull, Executive Director of the Georgia PGA. "Stephen is not only an accomplished player, but an outstanding PGA professional and always a true gentleman both on and off the golf course. He is a dedicated family man who puts them ahead of himself at all times. He has been and will continue to be a shining light in the annals of the Georgia PGA."

Keppler and his wife, Karen, have two teenage children: daughter Jordan and son Jonathan.

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Billy Key

1995

James W. "Billy" Key was born in Columbus, Ga., in 1931. His interest and success in golf began when he won the 1946, '47, and '48 Georgia State Junior Championships. In 1947 and '48, he won the Southern Interscholastic Championships. In 1948, he won the Georgia Interscholastic Championship. In 1951, he won the Florida Intercollegiate Championship. Key won the 1958 Western Amateur, the 1962 Southeastern Amateur, and the 1968 Georgia Amateur. As a senior, he won the American Seniors Best-Ball Championship five times. He won the Society of Seniors Best-Ball Championship in 1989. In 1989 and '90, he won the Society of Seniors Individual Stroke Play Championship. A member of the U.S. Seniors International Team, Key was team captain in 1994 and '95. In 1990, he was ranked the No. 2 senior golfer in the United States by Golf Digest. He has been a director of the Southern Golf Association, serving as its president in 1978-79. Key passed away on December 29, 2020.

Jack B. Key, Jr.

1997

Jack Key was born in Columbus, Ga., on November 11, 1927. Golf enthusiasts across the southeast have long known Key and his younger brother, Billy. The Key Cup --inter-club matches between six clubs in the Columbus, Fort Benning and Phenix City, Ala., area -- was named in honor of the Key brothers and their contributions to the sport. Jack Key was captain of the Auburn University golf team for four years. He won the Georgia Amateur twice, the Southeastern Amateur twice, the Gala Seniors Championship three times, and was a member of the Four-Man International Championship team. In 1971, he co-founded the Fred Haskins Award. He has been a member of the GSGA board of directors, and both a board member and golf chairman at Green Island Country Club and the Country Club of Columbus, where he served as president in 1965-66. Key was also a co-founder and board member of Bull Creek Municipal Golf Course in Columbus. Key passed away in February of 2016.

Dot Kirby

1989

Mary Dorothy Kirby was born in West Point, Ga., on January 15, 1920. She attended the Washington Seminary in Atlanta, learning to play golf under the tutelage of Howard "Pop" Beckett at the Capital City Club. Kirby went on to become one of the most consistent women golfers in the country during the 1940s and '50s. Her greatest golf achievement was winning the 1951 U.S. Women's Amateur. In addition, she was a runner-up in that championship two other times. Kirby was selected to the U.S. Curtis Cup team four times, and six times won the Georgia Women's Amateur Championship. She also claimed titles in the North-South Tournament and the Southern Amateur. She passed away December 12, 2000, at the age of 80.

Martha W. Kirouac

2006

Born and raised in southern California, Kirouac began her competitive golf career with the Southern California Junior Golf Association. Her competitive career includes championship victories in the 1967 Women's Intercollegiate, 1970 U.S. Women's Amateur, 1970 Trans-Mississippi Women's Amateur and Curtis Cup appearances in 1970 and '72. She also won the Georgia Women's Amateur in 1986 and the Women's Southern Amateur in 1990. Kirouac served as the executive director of the Georgia State Golf Association from 2013-2015 and was a GSGA volunteer prior to joining the staff in 1996. She served as a volunteer member of the Board of Directors and was the first woman elected to the Executive Committee. In 2004, Kirouac served as captain for the U.S. Curtis Cup team that was successful in its defense of the cup in the biennial match played at Formby Golf Club, Merseyside, England. Kirouac lives in Norcross, is a member of the Atlanta Athletic Club and serves on the USGA Women's Committee. She is a member of the Atlanta Athletic Club's Hall of Fame.

Jeff Knox

2017

Jefferson B.A. (Jeff) Knox of Augusta, Ga., is an accomplished lifelong amateur golfer on the state and national levels and has made an impact in the community on and off the golf course.

Born in Thomson, Ga., Knox attended Thomson High School, and later the University of Georgia, earning a degree in Finance in 1984.

Knox has played in several competitions sanctioned by the Georgia State Golf Association, and still currently competes at a high level. He won the Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship in 2008 at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee in Eatonton, and a year later in 2009 at White Columns Country Club in Alpharetta. He finished runner-up at the Georgia Mid-Amateur four times (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005). In the Georgia Amateur Championship, Knox earned runner-up honors in 1998, 2006 and 2007.

He has won the Azalea Amateur Championship, the Peach Blossom Invitational and is a two-time Charlie Coe champion.

On the national circuit, Knox has qualified for and competed in several national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association. He has played in seven U.S. Mid-Amateur Championships and two U.S. Amateur Championships. Knox was also chosen to represent Georgia at the USGA Men's State Team Championship four times.

He oversees the Knox Foundation, which was started with the purpose of giving back to a charitable organization and building up supportive funds for non-profit groups in the Augusta community.

Knox is a board member of the University of Georgia Foundation as well as the First Bank of Georgia.

Knox and his wife, Catherine, reside in Augusta, Ga., and have three sons - Jefferson, Lee and Austin.

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George Kozelnicky

1992

George "Koz" Kozelnicky was born in Akron, Ohio, on November 22, 1918. After he served in World War II, he graduated from the University of Georgia. He became a member of its faculty in 1951, specializing in agronomy and plant pathology. From 1961 until his retirement from the university in 1983, he researched and taught turfgrass management. As a turfgrass instructor, Kozelnicky instituted a turfgrass disease laboratory held on North Georgia's golf courses, the only one of its kind at the time. He strived to acquaint all those he taught and with whom he worked of the actual game of golf, so that their future contributions would benefit the game. In 1992, Kozelnicky received the Distinguished Service Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. He served as executive secretary of the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association and as editor of "Georgia Turfgrass News" from 1971-92. Kozelnicky died August 17, 2005, at the age of 86.

Martha Stacy Leach

2018

Martha Stacy Leach of Hebron, Ky., is a USGA national champion and former University of Georgia standout, who has competed at the highest level from junior golf through the present.

Born in Savannah, Ga., in 1961, Leach attended St. Vincent's Academy. As a junior golfer, she earned First Team All-American honors on the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and competed in numerous events on the Georgia State Golf Association circuit, winning the 1978 Georgia Girls' Championship and advancing to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship that same year.

Leach attended and played golf at the University of Georgia and earned a letter in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. In her senior season, she helped her team win the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship and finished third at the NCAA Championship in 1983. Individually, she earned All-SEC Conference recognition that year as well.

In 1991, Leach began an impressive run of success on the national stage beginning with the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship, where she advanced to the semifinals. She would go on to qualify for and compete in 18 other U.S. Women's Amateurs. She qualified for 29 U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championships, winning in 2009 at Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club in Ocala, Fla. Most recently as a senior golfer, Leach has qualified for 6 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur Championships.

Over the course of her amateur career, she has competed in more than 60 USGA championships. Leach's sister, Hollis Stacy, was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1991 and the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012. In 1985, the Stacy family was named the "Golf Family of the Year" by the USGA.

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Emory Lee

2003

Emory Lee was born in Felton, Ga., on January 13, 1929. After serving in the Marine Corps for eight years, Lee served as the head golf professional at Canongate I Golf Club for 32 years before his retirement in 1996. Lee's impressive golf wins include the 1955 All-Marine Championship, the Georgia Open, and the Georgia PGA Championship. He also won the Georgia Senior Open twice. In addition, Lee participated in the 1968 U.S. Open. Lee served as president of the Georgia PGA from 1977-79. He was named Georgia PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 1973, and again in 1977.

William Lewis, PGA

2022

A native of Huntsville, Alabama, William Lewis was the oldest of seven children. His father died when Lewis was 10-years-old, and at 11, he started caddying at Huntsville Country Club to help support his mother and family. Lewis attended Lee High School (1966-69) and was the first black member of the golf team. His junior year the team advanced to the state tournament and finished sixth, and his senior year Lewis helped his team win the region and finish sixth in state.

Lewis stayed in Huntsville and enrolled at Alabama A&M University in 1970, ultimately earning a four-year scholarship. He quickly found success in collegiate golf as Lewis was voted Most Outstanding Athlete his freshman year. He led is team to victory at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Tournament his freshman and junior years, while the team finished runner-up his sophomore and senior years. Lewis won over 28 tournaments during his collegiate career, earning him Small College All-America honors each year (1970-74). With the success Lewis found in college, he kept his caddying side job to support his family.

His first job after college moved him to Georgia as the assistant golf professional at John A. White Golf Course in Atlanta. During his early working years, Lewis supplemented his income by playing on the mini tour circuit. In the late 1970s, Lewis made the decision to devote time and energy to refining his skills, and a year later, he began playing regularly on the North American Golf Association Tour. After a few years of making a name for himself alongside professionals Jim Dent, Lee Elder and others, Lewis entered PGA TOUR Qualifying School. He won the Atlanta Open in 1978 and the Greensboro Open in 1979 and 1981, before making the finals at Qualifying School in 1981. His first PGA TOUR event was the 1981 Southern Open in Columbus, Ga., and competed in the 1995 BellSouth Classic.

Once his playing days slowed down, Lewis made an impact on the Atlanta city courses community as the head golf professional at Alfred Tup Holmes Golf Course for 15 years and the head golf professional and general manager at Brown's Mill Golf Course. While moving to River's Edge Golf Course in Fayetteville, Lewis obtained his Class A status with the Georgia PGA of America.

He joined the First Tee of Metro Atlanta when it was founded in 1999 as the head golf instructor and youth coach, where he stayed involved with the chapter for 18 years before retiring in 2017. As head instructor, Lewis touched the lives of many junior golfers in the Southwest Atlanta and surrounding communities; helping young boys and girls qualify for high school teams and earning college scholarships.

Lewis would also serve as head golf coach at Morehouse College for 16 years. In 2010, his team at Morehouse College became the first all African-American member team to win the National Minority Golf Championship.

Lewis received recognition for his efforts and service to the game over the years. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame and the Huntsville – Madison County (Alabama) Athletic Hall of Fame. On February 19, 2016, the Atlanta City Council proclaimed 'Coach William Lewis Day' in the city of Atlanta, highlighting his significant contributions to youth and the game of golf. Lewis passed away in February of 2022.

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Nancy Lopez

1998

Nancy Lopez was born in Torrance, Calif., in 1957. At the age of 12, she won the New Mexico Women's Amateur. In the following years as an amateur, she won the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship twice, the Western Junior three times, the Mexican Amateur once, and was a member of the U.S. Curtis Cup and World Amateur teams. Lopez began her professional career in 1977. The following year, she won nine tournaments – including a record-setting five in a row. Including three LPGA Championships, she has won 48 official tournaments on the LPGA Tour. Lopez has won nine LPGA Awards, including Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year four times, the Vare Trophy three times, and the William and Mousie Powell Award. Other major honors include induction into the LPGA Hall of Fame, the World Golf Hall of Fame, the USGA Bob Jones Award, the William D. Richardson Award from the GWAA, and the GCSAA Old Tom Morris Award. She also served as captain for the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2005.

Lyn Lott

2005

Lyn Lott was born April 9, 1950, in Douglas, Ga. While at Coffee County High School, Lott twice won the Georgia state high school championship, the Georgia State Junior and the Southeastern Junior Amateur. He also won the Georgia State Jaycees Championship and the Future Masters. At age 17, Lott became the youngest person to win the Georgia Open. In 1972, he won the Georgia Amateur. While at the University of Georgia, he was on the only UGA team in school history to win four consecutive SEC Championships. Lott competed on the PGA TOUR for 11 years, participating in three Masters. He served on the PGA TOUR Advisory Board from 1978-1979. After making 150 cuts in his career, he qualified for lifetime membership in the PGA TOUR. Lott was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. Lott passed away on March 22, 2018.

Davis Love, Jr.

1991

Davis Love Jr., was born on September 19, 1935. While at the University of Texas, he captained the golf team to the SWC Championship. He won the Oilbelt Invitational, one of the largest tournaments at the time. Love's outstanding professional record includes participation in eight U.S. Opens, three PGA Championships, and two British Opens. He played in the Masters twice, in 1955 as an amateur and professionally in 1965. Love also won two Georgia PGA Championships. One of the most well-known teaching professionals in the country, Love served as head golf professional at the Charlotte Country Club, and later at the Atlanta Country Club from 1965-77. He joined the Golf Digest Schools in 1975, writing 35 major articles over the next 13 years. He was featured in two instructional videos and co-authored "How to Feel a Real Golf Swing." He was also a member of the PGA Teaching School staff. Love died in 1988 in a plane crash en route to a teaching seminar. He was selected posthumously as the recipient of the Harvey Penick Teaching Award in 1999.

Davis Love III

2001

Davis Love, III was born in Charlotte, N.C., on April 13, 1964. He began his amateur career at the University of North Carolina, where he was a three-time All-American, winner of the 1984 North-South Amateur and winner of the ACC Championship. After turning pro in 1985, Love earned his first PGA TOUR victory at the 1987 MCI Heritage Golf Classic, a feat he repeated in 1991, '92, '98 and 2003. Love has been a member of six President's Cup teams, six Ryder Cup teams, five World Cup teams and was a Ryder Cup assistant captain in 2010. In 1996, he won the World Cup individual title. Love earned his first major at the 1997 PGA Championship. To date, Love has won a total of 19 times on the PGA TOUR and owns two international victories. In 1997, he was inducted into the University of North Carolina Order of Merit. Also in 1997, Love's book, "Every Shot I Take," a tribute to his late father, was the recipient of the USGA International Book Award. In June 1998, he was named honorary chairman of the PGA of America's National Golf Day. In 2008,. he received the PGA TOUR's prestigious Payne Stewart Award. Love and his brother, Mark, have been involved in the golf course design business in recent years.

Jack Lumpkin

2008

Jack Lumpkin was born in Macon, Ga., on June 20, 1935. In 1951 and '53, he won the Georgia state high school Class A championship. He went on to play four years at the University of Georgia from 1953-57 and was co-captain of the team in 1956 and '57. In 1957, the team won the SEC Championship. After graduation, Lumpkin played briefly on the PGA TOUR in 1958-59. Over the course of his career, he played in the Jaycee National Junior Championship, participated in two NCAA Championships, the U.S. Amateur, three U.S. Opens, the PGA Championship, five National PGA Club Pro Championships and the U.S. Senior Open. Lumpkin eventually became an assistant professional at Winged Foot. He later became head professional at Echo Lake and Oak Hill Country Club, serving as host professional at the latter for the 1968 U.S. Open. He served as president of the Western New York PGA from 1968-70, earning the section's Professional of the Year award in 1970 and was Player of the Year in 1970 and '71. From 1972-78, Lumpkin was head professional at Atlanta's Cherokee Town and Country Club. In 1979, he became a full-time member of the Golf Digest staff and continued as such for the next 22 years while based at Pinehurst, Elk River and Amelia Island. Lumpkin came to Sea Island in 1989. In 1995, he was named the PGA National Teacher of the Year and was selected among the top 50 golf teachers in America (No. 1 in Georgia) by Golf Digest. Since 2000 he has been annually ranked among the top 50.In December 2000, the National Golf Foundation presented the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year Award to the Jack Lumpkin family. Lumpkin passed away on February 11, 2022.

Ceil Maclaurin

1992

Ceil Maclaurin was born in Fitzgerald, Ga., on October 26, 1925. She collected 75 tournament titles in her career, including the 1976 USGA Senior Women's Championship. As an amateur, she won 13 Georgia State Championships, seven North-South Senior Championships, the Women's Southern Golf Association Championship, the 1977 Women's Southern Senior Championship, and the Canadian Senior Championship. Maclaurin won two Georgia Athletic Ladies Association Championships, and was runner-up four times in the USGA Senior Women's Championship. She was also the low amateur in the 1963 LPGA Sea Island Invitational. Maclaurin served on the boards of the Georgia Women's Golf Association and the Women's Eastern Golf Association. Maclaurin was the first woman to be inducted into the Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame. Maclaurin passed away on January 25, 2010, at the age of 84.

Stewart "Kiltie" Maiden

2016

Stewart "Kiltie" Maiden was well-known for his teahcing and club building and has been recognized for his expertise of the golf swing.

Maiden was born in Angus (Carnoustie), Scotland, in 1886. Following his brothers, he came to the United States, specifically to be the golf professional at the East Lake facility, in 1908. He spent nearly 40 years in America, mostly in Georgia, prior to his death in 1948.

Among the many golfing legends who Maiden taught during his career include the great Bobby Jones, Alexa Stirling, Perry Adair, Watts Gunn and Charlie Yates, all members of the Georgia State Golf Association.

Maiden's most-famous pupil, Bobby Jones, once said, "The best luck I ever had in golf was when Stewart Maiden came from Carnoustie, Scotland, to be the professional at East Lake."

Though his accomplishments and career in the golf industry began well over 100 years ago, his students and all the individuals he impacted will be forever embedded in Georgia golf history.

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Ken Mangum

2015

Ken Mangum of Cumming, Ga., is the Director of Golf Courses and Grounds at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., and is a leader in the turfgrass and golf course industries. He continues to serve as an ambassador for the game of golf in Georgia, nationally and internationally, and for that is part of the Class of 2015 of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame.

Mangum was born in Anniston, Ala., and attended Alexandria High School and later Lake City Community College in Lake City, Fla., graduating in 1975 from the School of Golf Course Operations. Mangum moved to Georgia and served as Assistant Superintendent at Mystery Valley Golf Course in Atlanta from 1976 to 1978. He returned to his home state of Alabama in 1978, taking the role of Golf Course Superintendent at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

Mangum then served as Golf Course Superintendent at Idle Hour Club in Macon, Ga., from 1981 to 1988. At Idle Hour Club, Mangum installed the first computerized irrigation system east of the Mississippi River, and established a golf course management program and hosted seven Peach Blossom Invitational tournaments. He designed and managed construction of a golf course operations center and implemented a master landscape program for the course.

In 1988, Mangum joined Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga., where he currently serves as the Director of Golf Courses and Grounds. Under his leadership, Mangum prepared the course for the 1990 U.S. Women's Open Championship, the 2001 PGA Championship, the 2002 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship, the 2011 PGA Championship and the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship. He was Project Manager for six major golf course renovations and designed and built the par 3 course in 1993. He also developed a management program that has produced many successful superintendents across the United States.

An active member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, Mangum served on its Board of Directors from 1996 to 2001. He also served as President of its Georgia Chapter in 1987. He is a current member of the Rain Bird Irrigation Select Superintendent Advisory Board and sits on the USGA Green Section Committee. In 2004, Mangum was appointed by then-Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Board of Directors, where he served until 2009. He has served as an instructor at the John Deere/Bayer Green Start Academy since it began in 2006.

Mangum was inducted into the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association Hall of Fame in 2013, and was the recipient of the USGA's Ike Grainger Award and the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award that same year. He was named Georgia Superintendent of the Year in 2002 and the Georgia Turfgrass Professional of the Year in 1996.

Mangum and his wife, Pam, are parents of two daughters, one son and three grandchildren, and reside in Cumming, Ga.

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Hobart Manley, Jr.

1991

Hobart Manley, Jr., was born in Savannah, Ga., on December 20, 1926. After accumulating several high school team sports honors, he began a highly successful amateur golf career at the University of Georgia. Starting in 1948, he played in six U.S. Amateurs, three British Amateurs, two French Amateurs, and one Canadian Amateur. Manley's tournament titles include the 1951 North-South Amateur and the 1954 Southeastern PGA Open. He teamed with Marlene Streit to win the 1953 and '63 National Mixed foursomes tournaments. He was named Savannah's Outstanding Athlete in 1950 and was inducted into the Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame in 1969.

Palmer Maples, Jr.

2002

Palmer Maples, Jr., was born in Rocky Mount, N.C., in 1932. Although a native of North Carolina, he has spent the majority of his time contributing to golf in Georgia through his vast experience as an agronomist and golf course superintendent. Maples studied turfgrass under fellow Hall of Famer Dr. Glen Burton at the Tifton Experiment Station and completed a degree in Turf Culture from Abraham-Baldwin Agricultural College in 1953. He went on to the University of Georgia to earn a B.S. in Agronomy in 1958. Maples has served as golf course superintendent at the Charlotte Country Club, The Standard Club and Summit Chase Country Club. From 1967-69, he was the president of the Carolina Golf Course Superintendents Association. He was Georgia's Superintendent of the Year in 1971, and was elected president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) in 1975. Maples has been honored nationally with the GCSAA Distinguished Service Award (1999) and the United States Golf Association Green Section Award (2000).

Don Marsh

2023

Don Marsh is a lifelong amateur golfer who has been a force on the senior circuit in Georgia for a many years and has given back to the game through volunteering.

Born in Dayton, Ohio, Marsh attended Colonel White High School, before enrolling at Ohio State University in Columbus in 1961. While at Ohio State, Marsh competed on the golf team and was captain in 1966. After college, Marsh served in the U.S. Army as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War. Once his service ended, he began working for IBM. Over the next several years, he would take on roles in sales and marketing.

In 1985, Marsh moved south to Georgia and joined Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek. His professional life continued with IBM in consulting services, which included projects such as ticketing for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. His golf game also continued, as he quickly started winning multiple club championships at Rivermont.

Once Marsh became eligible for senior golf, his trophy case started filling up rather quickly. As a regular competitor in Georgia State Golf Association competitions, his name would more times than not be featured towards the top of leaderboards.

He's a five-time winner of the Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championship, and three times won the Georgia Super Senior Championship (including in 2022). He's been honored as the GSGA Senior Men's Player of the Year and the GSGA Super Senior Men's Player of the Year multiple times as well.

Marsh has also qualified for and competed in many national events. He has seen victory at the National Senior Hall of Fame Championship, Golfweek Super Senior Match Play, Jones Cup Super Senior, Lupton Memorial Super Senior, Legendary Senior and Canadian Senior Match Play, among others. USGA national championships include the U.S. Senior Amateur and U.S. Senior Open.

In addition to competing for championships, Marsh devotes time back to the game by volunteering for the GSGA. He has served as a rules official for close to two decades, as well as serving on committees. Always striving to better the GSGA competitions program, Marsh was instrumental in the creation of the Georgia Super Senior Championship, Georgia Super Senior Four-Ball Championship, and the Georgia Senior and Super Senior Match Play Championships.

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James Mason

2016

James Mason of Dillard, Ga., has enjoyed a successful career as a professional golfer and has made noteworthy contributions to the game.

Mason was born in Gwinnett County, Ga., and attended Duluth High School. He would then walk on to the Auburn University golf team, where he became a four-year letterman. In 1972, he won the Atlanta Amateur Championship (now the Atlanta Amateur Match Play Championship) held at Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, which began in 1919 as a stroke play competition for amateur golfers in the Atlanta area.

After his amateur career at Auburn University, Maosn went to work at Sky Valley Country Club in Sky Valley, Ga., where he would hold various positions of Owner, Manager and PGA Golf Professional from 1975-1991.

As a professional golfer, Mason was, and still is, a fixture in Georgia PGA competitions. He won the Georgia Section PGA Team Championship (with Randy Brooks) in 1995. He earned Georgia PGA Player of the Year recognition in 1997, 1998 and 2000, and was Georgia PGA champion in 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2015. Also in 1997, Mason won the Polo Classic Golf Championship and qualified for and competed in the PGA Championship held at Winged Foot Country Club in Mamaroneck, New York. He won the Atlanta Open in 2000.

As a senior golfer, the PGA life-member was the Georgia PGA senior champion in 2001 and again in 2015. On the Champions Tour, he won the NFL Golf Classic in 2002. In total, Mason has competed in nearly 200 Champions Tour events and has earned more than $3 million in career earnings.

Mason and his wife currently reside in Dillard, Ga.

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Gene McClure

2015

Gene McClure of Atlanta, Ga., is a lifelong contributor to the game of golf and has demonstrated an excellence in his knowledge, passion and volunteerism for the good of the game. He belongs to the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame's Class of 2015.

Born in Macon, Ga., McClure attended Lanier High School for Boys before studying law at Emory University, where he earned his Juris Doctorate in 1970 from the School of Law. Before earning his law degree, McClure joined the United States Air Force and served as Captain from 1963 to 1967. While enlisted, he was an Accounting and Finance Officer, responsible for all financial matters supporting the Strategic Air Command bomber refueling and missile defense bases. He also supervised base recreational and club facilities and competed in Strategic Air Command golf tournaments, conducted by the Air Force in the U.S. and Canada. He was awarded the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal for Outstanding Achievement.

McClure's dedication to the game of golf is evident in his longstanding volunteer work both with the Georgia State Golf Association and the United States Golf Association. He served as President of the GSGA from 1996 to 1997, and is a past member of many committees, including the Executive Committee, Nominating Committee, Communications Committee and a past chairman of the Championship Committee. His work with the GSGA caught the attention of the USGA, where McClure first joined its Regional Affairs Committee in 1992 and has been involved with the national organization ever since.

From 2008 to 2012, McClure served as a member of the USGA's Executive Committee, where his knowledge benefitted the GHIN, Mid-Amateur and Regional Affairs Committees. Over the past two decades, McClure has been a rules official at many USGA national championships and qualifiers, as well as many collegiate and state championships. As a USGA Rules of Golf Committee member, McClure has served as a rules official and referee at more than 100 USGA national championships. He was co-chairman of the 2005 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship when it was held at Ansley Golf Club in Roswell, Ga. McClure is an instructor in Rules of Golf for PGA-USGA Workshops.

McClure is a Trustee with the Jones Foundation at the Atlanta Athletic Club. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Atlanta History Center's permanent exhibit, "Down the Fairway with Bobby Jones," and was a historical consultant to its 2005 traveling exhibit and video, "Quest for the Grand Slam."

In 2008, McClure was the recipient of the Joe Dey Award, given by the USGA for his service to the world of golf as a volunteer.

A practicing lawyer in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C., McClure and his wife, Sharon, reside in Atlanta and have three children - Meredith, Holly and Devon.

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Billy McWilliams

1997

Billy McWilliams was born in Rome, Ga., in 1912, and certainly saw the game of golf evolve in his more than 60 years of participation as a successful amateur. His remarkable talent carried him to win the Georgia Amateur in