Michigan Golf Hall of Fame
Opens in Troy

Walter Hagen, Horton Smith and the Hill brothers, Dave and Mike, have found a home as the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame opens in the Troy Officentre, Suite 160, Building B, 320 East Big Beaver, east of Livernois.

Hagen, winner of 11 major championships (and five Western Opens when they were considered major), Smith, winner of the first Masters Tournament and the third as well, and the Hill brothers who starred on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, are featured along with the 79 other men and women who have played, built and contributed to the game.

The Hall of Fame's first class was inducted in 1982 at Indianwood Golf and Country Club and was the brainchild of onetime caddie Ken Janke who found time in his business life to recognize the need to honor those who have made golf such an important part of Michigan's sports life.

Indianwood owner Standart Aldridge supported the idea and Hagen, and Chuck Kocsis, the most decorated amateur in state history, and Al Watrous of Oakland Hills, the most decorated state professional, were the first inductees.

Since then the induction classes have included national champions such as U.S. Women's Open champion Meg Mallon, U.S. Public Links champions Sam Kocsis and Bill McDonald, U.S. Senior Amateur champions Tom Draper and Greg Reynolds, PGA of America Club Professional champions Buddy Whitten and Jeff Roth, and presidents of the United States Golf Association and the Professional Golfers Association of America, Ladies Professional Golf Association, Western Golf Association, American Society of Golf Course Architects, Golf Course Superintendents of America, and the Golf Writers Association of America.

Portraits and plaques of the Hall of Fame members and descriptions of their careers adorn the eight rooms of the Hall and exhibits include Hagen's last driver which he used to hit balls at his lakeside retirement home near Traverse City. The last driver used by longtime Oakland Hills professional Watrous also is on display among 20 significant clubs donated/used by Hall of Fame members.

Mallon's Solheim Cup golf bag, autographed by the members of the American and European teams is exhibited as is Roth's bag when he helped the United States to victory over Europe in the PGA Cup, the club professionals' version of the Ryder Cup.

There is a rare picture of Kocsis, Glenn Johnson and Pete Green who combined to win 15 Michigan Amateur championships, six by Kocsis, five by Johnson and four by Green. Johnson, a talented artist and devoted boatman as well as golfer who favored water scenes and clowns, donated a painting of a clown.

Ted Woehrle, golf course superintendent at Oakland Hills and The Orchards, donated his stimpmeter, a tool to measure green speed that is often mentioned but rarely seen. There are wedges from Dan Pohl, Steve Maddalena and Joyce Kazmierski and drivers from Greg Reynolds and John Morse. Each inductee is asked to donate something from their career.

“With this start we are recognizing the achievements in Michigan and nationally of the Hall of Fame members and honoring their contributions to making the game what it is to us individually and to the entire state. We intend to keep expanding to also recognize the many organizations and tournaments that have enriched the game for all golfers,” said Bob McMasters, co-chairman of the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation which operates the Hall of Fame.

The Foundation has a 20-member board comprised of representatives from all of the major golf organizations and members of the media. The board conducts a yearly election of new Hall of Fame members and holds an induction dinner in the spring.

The Foundation Web site, www.michigan-golf-foundation.com lists all members of the Hall of Fame and the year of their induction in addition to winners of the major championships of the Michigan PGA and the Golf Association of Michigan.

The Hall will be open Wednesdays, beginning Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

MGCOA Conference Attendees: The Hall of Fames will be opened on Thursday, December 4th at the closing of the conference so you will be able to make the short one mile drive from Somerset Inn. This will give you an opportunity to visit this inspiring collection of Michigan's golf history.