The drawing was held today, June 6, per our state raffle license. All proceeds fund the Michigan Golf Foundation, which administers the selection of the inductees and produces the MGHOF displays in the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Course. Prizes not available for 2020 will be delivered in 2021 with help from the MGHOF Committee and gracious donors.
The seven winners drawn in one through seven order will choose in that order, for example winner No. 1 makes a choice, and then six prizes remain to No. 2 to choose from and so on.
THEY WILL CHOOSE FROM THE FOLLOWING PRIZES:
• Golf for 3 at Crystal Downs CC with a member of Crystal Downs.
• Golf for 3 at Detroit GC with a member of DGC.
• Golf for 4 at Country Club of Jackson.
• Golf for 4 at Birmingham CC.
• 4 tickets to the Meijer LPGA Classic at Blythefield CC and golf for four at Blythefield.
• 4 tickets to the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills CC and golf for four at Warwick Hills.
• Harbor Shores Golf Package.
Thank you to all participants for supporting the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame learned recently of Larry Adderley’s passing. He was one of the founding members of the MGHOF Committee in 1982 and served through 2018 when he withdrew because of his health. Dementia was his final health battle, and due to his wishes, his family did not have a memorial, create an obituary or make a public announcement. He was cremated after passing Dec. 20, 2019. He was 82. “He never wanted a big deal made about him,” his wife Linda said this week. “He was private and proud, and he missed his golf trips, especially the ones up north, and we would laugh and tell stories about the golfers, the people we met and things they said.” Adderley is remembered as a broadcaster in the Detroit market for WXYZ-TV, his radio and television work for the Detroit Tigers and being involved with his longtime friend Jim Brandstatter with the original Michigan Replay TV Shows at the University of Michigan. A must-see is his creative 1976 jogging interview with legendary coach Bo Schembechler following the coach’s heart surgery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1MVLGjClsw “I spent a lot of time with Larry, and he was just a great guy, a great professional and very talented,” Brandstatter said. “The last time I visited him, about a year ago now, we had a great talk, shared some memories. I’m so glad we went to see him that day.” After his broadcasting career in Detroit, Adderley developed and was the talent for the Michigan Golf Network. He covered major Michigan golf tournaments, including Michigan PGA events in addition to the Buick Open and other tour events, and provided live and taped reports to radio stations across the state. He wasn’t timid with his questions. He was always prepared. Tim Hygh, CEO of Mackinac Island Tourism, coordinated press and media coverage of Michigan Section PGA major championships for 20 years across the state as a summer sideline while working in the radio industry. Larry’s Michigan Golf Network was part of the package. “Larry brought a tinge of glamour to our traveling media centers,” Hygh said. “He was the silver fox with the beautiful wife who made the most of being on the road. Tales of their wonderful dinners with exotic wines were always welcomed to start another sunup to sunrise tournament day. “Larry kept adapting to an ever-changing world of radio so that names like Roth, Brady, Erskine and Gillis were known all over Michigan. For us, we’ll have a lasting memory of Larry working in the corner of a quiet media center, hunched over his laptop and recorder with cheaters and earphones on, then clearing his throat and saying: ‘In 3-2-1…’” Larry could also be seen golfing on television sets at Michigan golf resorts for years, usually in resort marketing productions interviewing and or playing with the head golf professionals of courses and talking about the merits of the resorts. He did voice work for radio and some television commercials, too. As a founding committee member at the Hall of Fame, he would volunteer to bring in friends and fellow broadcasters to serve as master of ceremonies for annual induction events. He would grudgingly though seamlessly fill in when needed. He loved to play golf, though he would lament his skill level even as he often played better than others in the group. Larry, a resident of Edmore when he passed away, was from Beverly Hills in the Detroit area and a Michigan State graduate in communications. A gifted athlete, he was a walk-on to the football team while a student at MSU. “Let’s put it this way, I was confused with Herb Adderley only in last name references,” he said when pressed to talk about the experience. He was a proud and critical fan of the Spartans, a season-ticket holder, alumni club member and we often partnered in charity and media golf outings. He would call sometimes just to talk sports, especially golf or the Spartans, and he had the perfect broadcasting voice that immediately identified him. He was the voice of Michigan golf for several years, and he was always the best-dressed guy in the room. Rest in peace Adds. -Greg Johnson, chairman MGHOF
The induction of the 2020 class to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, originally scheduled for Saturday, June 6 at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club, has been postponed.
The Hall of Fame Committee is exploring options including possibly rescheduling for later in the year.
Katke Golf Club and its facilities, including the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center that houses the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, is currently closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.
In February the class was announced. It includes David Graham, former executive director of the Golf Association of Michigan, Holt’s Julie Massa, a dominant senior golfer, Bay City’s Roy Schultheiss, a winner of both the Michigan Amateur and the GAM Championship, and Dick Stewart, a celebrated former head PGA golf professional at Kalamazoo Country Club.
“The inductees will have their day, their induction, but at this point we are mindful of their health and the health of their friends, loved ones and the greater golf community who would be part of the celebration,” Greg Johnson, chairman of the MGHOF, said.
For information, contact MGHOF Administrator Loretta Larkin at llarkin@michigan-golf-foundation.com, 248-719-0650. Learn about the Hall of Fame at mghof.org
BIG RAPIDS – David Graham, former executive director of the Golf Association of Michigan, Holt’s Julie Massa, a dominant senior golfer, Bay City’s Roy Schultheiss, a winner of both the Michigan Amateur and the GAM Championship, and Dick Stewart, a celebrated former head PGA golf professional at Kalamazoo Country Club, have been elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF).
The induction celebration is planned for Saturday, June 6, at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club, home of the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center that houses the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. The 2019 class will bring the number of inductees to 131.
“This fabulous foursome reflects the best of Michigan golf in playing ability, leadership, service and character,” Greg Johnson, MGHOF committee chairman, said in announcing the 2020 class. “Mark your calendars now to come help us celebrate in June at the Hall of Fame.”
Graham, who is 63 and recently moved to Pinehurst, N.C., from Lake Orion, retired in 2019 after serving as the GAM’s executive director for 18 years, which was the longest tenure of an executive in the 100-year history of the association. He is credited by the GAM for having designed and implemented a successful turnaround of the association from near bankruptcy in 2001. Increased membership of clubs, golfers, tournament offerings and participation, creation of programs and events and the launching of the GAM Foundation and its work with Youth on Course are among his many contributions and accomplishments.
Massa, 56, is a native of Oregon and former Oregon Women’s Amateur Champion who played collegiate golf at Arizona State University. She has been a Holt resident since 1989 and has won 14 times in GAM championships, including two GAM Women’s Mid-Amateur titles and two Michigan Women’s Senior Amateur titles, and has been named the GAM Senior Women’s Player of the Year for five consecutive seasons including 2019. Over the years she has played in 20 United States Golf Association (USGA) national championships, including the U.S. Women’s Amateur twice, the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur nine times, and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur five times.
Schultheiss, 64, was dominant in the Bay City area and on the state amateur golf scene in the 1980s and 90s when he collected titles in the Michigan Amateur in 1984, the GAM Championship in 1990 and ’95 and was the 1991 GAM Mid-Amateur winner. He has qualified for match play 17 times in the Michigan Amateur over the years and was GAM Player of the Year in 1984. He has played well on the national level, too, having competed in five USGA national championships, including the U.S. Amateur three times in 1980, ’90 and ’91. He played in two U.S. Mid-Amateur Champions and made it through to match play each time. He won two rounds of matches in 1991.
Stewart, 67, retired in 2018 after 40 years as the head golf professional at Kalamazoo Country Club. A native of Petoskey, Stewart was elected to the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame in 2018. He is a seven-time winner of the Michigan PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award, which recognizes the PGA professional who best demonstrates exceptional character, integrity and leadership in mentoring others, and he is also a two-time winner of the Horton Smith Award, which honors PGA professionals for helping to educate other professionals. A former Michigan PGA president, he has helped place 22 former assistants in head professional positions across the country and helped train 4,000 caddies via the KCC program.
The MGHOF is a heralded collection of portraits, plaques and memorabilia that currently commemorates 127 members, including Walter Hagen, Chuck Kocsis, Horton Smith and more current notables Dave and Mike Hill, Dan Pohl, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins. The collection is housed and displayed in the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center at Ferris State University’s Katke facility. The late Ken Janke Sr. is co-founder and a member of the MGHOF.
The MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which is funded through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation (501(c) (3) since 1996) and includes 18 people representing a cross-section of the state’s golf associations as well as golf media. The MGHOF committee conducts an annual election to recognize the achievements of competitive Michigan golfers, but also accomplishments of individuals who have contributed to the growth of the game. For more information and to learn about the current members of the Hall of Fame, visit mghof.org.
BIG RAPIDS – A
new class, a new website, a new home and raffle winners make for a
big Michigan Golf Hall of Fame weekend ahead.
Go now to
www.mghof.org to see the new
official website of the Hall of Fame.
Go to
http://events.eventease.com/mghof/
and order tickets before the Friday night deadline for a chance to
win six great golf prizes in The Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Raffle.
The drawing is Saturday.
As previously announced, the class of the late George Bayer, Ron
Beurmann, Bernie Friedrich and Al Mengert will be inducted Sunday
evening to the Hall of Fame, now housed in the new Ken Janke Sr. Golf
Learning Center at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club. In
addition, the Golf Association of Michigan will receive a special
award marking its centennial year of providing services to Michigan
golf.
“We have a
lot to celebrate this weekend, a new home that will allow us to grow
and thrive in a great golf and learning environment, a new website
that serves as a source for Michigan golf history, and especially our
2019 class of the Hall of Fame and the Golf Association of Michigan,”
Greg Johnson, chairman of the MGHOF, said.
“We are proud
the center is named for Ken Janke Sr., our Hall of Fame co-founder.
He was a man of vision who loved the game of golf, and his son, Ken
and Ken’s wife Kim, honored this project with a great financial
gift to help bring life to his vision. It’s a great weekend for the
Hall of Fame, a great weekend for Ferris State University, a great
weekend for the Janke family and so many other wonderful donors, and
a great weekend for golf in Michigan.”
The new
website, mghof.org, includes updated biographies of the 123 current
members of the Hall of Fame as well as other information.
The weekend is
centered around the induction of Bayer, a former Detroit Golf Club
head professional and PGA Tour player, Beurmann, head professional at
Country Club of Jackson, Friedrich, senior vice-president of golf
operations and resort sales for Boyne Resorts, and Mengert, a former
Oakland Hills Country Club head professional. They will bring the
Hall of Fame’s membership to 127.
The special
award going to the Golf Association of Michigan is just the fourth
special award presented in the Hall of Fame’s history.
The Hall of
Fame Raffle proceeds go to the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation,
which funds the Hall of Fame. The MGHOF is administered by the
Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which is funded through the
foundation (501(c) (3) since 1996) and includes 18 people
representing the state’s primary golf associations as well as
media.
BIG
RAPIDS – The late George Bayer, a former Detroit Golf Club
head professional and PGA Tour player, Ron Beurmann, head
professional at Country Club of Jackson, Bernie Friedrich, senior
vice-president of golf operations and resort sales for Boyne Resorts,
and Al Mengert, a former Oakland Hills Country Club head
professional, have been elected to the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame
(MGHOF).
In
addition, the MGHOF has elected to present just its fourth Special
Award in history to the Golf Association of Michigan, which in 2019
is celebrating its centennial year of service to the game.
The
induction celebration is planned for Sunday, June 2, at Ferris State
University’s Katke Golf Club, home of the new Ken Janke Sr. Golf
Learning Center which will soon house the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame.
The 2019 class will bring the number of inductees to 127.
Bayer,
who died in 2003 in California at the age of 77, was once one of
golf’s longest drivers and won four times on the PGA Tour between
1957 and 1960. He was the head golf professional at Detroit Golf Club
for 12 years (1972-1983). Prior to becoming a golf professional at
age 29, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Bayer was an All-American college
football tackle and end for the University of Washington and was
drafted and played briefly in the NFL. The native of Bremerton,
Wash., was also a veteran of the U.S. Navy. While working at Detroit
Golf Club he was the winner of the 1973 Michigan Open Championship.
Beurmann,
58, has been the head professional at CC of Jackson for 26 years, and
one of the Michigan PGA Section’s top golfers. He won the Michigan
PGA Professional Championship in 2010, and the Michigan PGA Match
Play Championship in 1998, and has also won a Michigan PGA Senior
Championship (2013) and two Michigan Senior Open Championship titles
in (2012, ’13). He was the Michigan PGA Player of the Year in 2004,
the Michigan PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2014 and twice has
been the Michigan PGA Merchandiser of the Year (1998, 2008). He has
also mentored caddies, including 25 who became Evans Scholars.
Friedrich,
66, has worked for Boyne Resorts for 44 years and currently oversees
a staff of over 200 employees in agronomy, course and golf shop
operations for 12 golf courses, including 10 at three resorts in
Michigan and one course each at resorts in Maine and Montana. He is a
two-time Michigan PGA Golf Professional of the Year (1998, 2001), a
four-time Michigan PGA Resort Merchandizer of the Year and has served
in various capacities with The First Tee of Northern Michigan, the
Michigan Golf Course Association and the Michigan PGA Section. He is
also co-founder and a leader of the annual Harbor Cup golf event,
which has raised over $400,000 for charitable food projects in
Northern Michigan.
Mengert,
89 and a resident of Carefree, Ariz., was a club professional who
also played on the PGA Tour. He worked at many notable clubs,
including Oakland Hills Country Club as head professional from 1976
to ’86. He won the 1976 and 1980 Michigan PGA Professional
Championships, three Michigan Senior PGA Professional titles (1980,
’83, ‘86) and two Michigan Senior Open titles (’83 and
’85) as well as several other PGA section titles from around the
country. He was a top-ranked amateur when he lost in the final match
of the 1952 U.S. Amateur to Jack Westland. He worked as a club
professional for steady income, yet played in 27 Grand Slam major
championships, including nine U.S Opens and eight Masters
Tournaments. The U.S. Air Force veteran was also the host
professional at Oakland Hills for the 1979 PGA Championship, the 1981
U.S. Senior Open and the 1985 U.S. Open.
The
MGHOF is a heralded collection of portraits, plaques and memorabilia
that currently commemorates 123 members, including Walter Hagen,
Chuck Kocsis, Horton Smith and more current notables Dave and Mike
Hill, Dan Pohl, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins. The collection will
soon be housed and displayed in the new Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning
Center at Ferris State University’s Katke facility. The late Ken
Janke Sr. is co-founder and a member of the MGHOF.
The
MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee,
which is funded through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation
(501(c) (3) since 1996) and includes 18 people representing a
cross-section of the state’s golf associations as well as golf
media. The MGHOF committee conducts an annual election to recognize
the achievements of competitive Michigan golfers, but also
accomplishments of individuals who have contributed to the growth of
the game.
MEDIA
CONTACT:
Greg Johnson, chairman MGHOF, 616-560-8995, greggie24@hotmail.com
BIG RAPIDS – A notable foursome joined the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Saturday night.
Tom Harding of South Lyon, a winning tour professional and PGA instructor, Debbie Williams-Hoak of Saline, a former LPGA player and award-winning coach, Gordon LaFontaine of Houghton Lake, executive director emeritus of the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation (MTF) and groundbreaking fundraiser, and the late Bud Erickson of West Bloomfield, a former executive director of the LPGA and the Golf Association of Michigan (GAM), were inducted at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club.
“I still can’t believe I was included,” said Williams-Hoak. “What an incredible honor. I’m so humbled by this.” LaFontaine called his life in golf service an incredible journey. “In the grass cutting business, I met some of the greatest people in the world,” he said. Harding cited the support of his wife Peggy, her daughter Esther and his three daughters Caroline, Priscilla and Elizabeth, who in 2019 will all be part of the Michigan State women’s golf program. “We are a family that plays golf,” he said. “This is a big deal to us.” Jon Erickson, Bud’s son, said their father loved the social aspect of golf. “I always said he wasn’t the life of the party, but he was the guy next to the guy who was life of the party,” he said. Erickson, who died last August at the age of 94, was an Army Air Corps veteran and graduate of Michigan State University who before his career in golf was a public relations director and assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions when they won three NFL Championships in the 1950s. In golf he was executive director of the LPGA from 1970-75 credited with adding tournaments and purses and was executive director of the GAM from 1980-84. He also served as tournament director for Oakland Hills Country Club as host site of the 1979 PGA Championship, the 1981 U.S. Senior Open, the 1985 U.S. Open and the 1991 U.S. Senior Open. Harding, 53 and a teaching professional at Kendall Academy of Golf in Ypsilanti, played on the Asian, Australian and Web.com tours and won the Canadian PGA Championship in 1991. After his tour career, the Michigan State graduate and Spartan golfer was twice the Michigan PGA Player of the Year and won four Michigan PGA Section major titles including the 1997 Michigan PGA Professional Championship. He has been at Kendall Academy since 2004 where he has been named one of Golf Digest’s Top 15 Instructors in Michigan five times since 2011. Williams-Hoak, 58 and golf academy director at Brookside Golf Club in Saline, was an All-America track and field athlete in javelin at the University of Michigan before taking up golf at age 31. At age 40 she was a celebrated rookie on the LPGA Tour. Before turning professional she was a two-time Michigan Women’s Amateur champion and qualified for seven USGA national championships. She won the Michigan Women’s Open in 2000 and twice lost in playoffs on the LPGA’s Symetra Tour. She coaches the boys and girls golf teams at Saline High School and has twice been named a state high school golf coach of the year. LaFontaine, 73 and owner of Pine View Highlands Golf Course in Houghton Lake, retired in January after 37 years as executive director of the MTF where he administered $500,000 in annual revenue and product funds, helped to raise over $1.1 million annual donations of equipment, product and funds, oversaw $1.3 million in endowments and was instrumental in the creation of the world renown Hancock Turfgrass Research Center at Michigan State University. The MSU graduate has won multiple awards, and is a past winner of the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America Distinguished Service Award. The MGHOF is a heralded collection of portraits, plaques and memorabilia that now commemorates 123 members, including Walter Hagen, Chuck Kocsis, Horton Smith and more current notables Dave and Mike Hill, Dan Pohl, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins. The collection will soon be housed and displayed in the new Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center that is under construction at Ferris State University’s Katke golf facility. The late Ken Janke Sr. was co-founder and is a member of the MGHOF. The MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which is funded through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation (501(c) (3) since 1996) and includes 18 members representing a cross-section of the state’s golf associations as well as golf media. The MGHOF committee conducts an annual election to recognize the achievements of competitive Michigan golfers, but also accomplishments of individuals who have contributed to the growth of the game. Find out more at michigan-golf-foundation.com. MEDIA CONTACT: Greg Johnson, co-chairman MGHOF, 616-560-8995, greggie24@hotmail.com PHOTO ATTACHED: The Class of 2018, from left Tom Harding, Gordon LaFontaine and Debbie Williams- Hoak. LaFontaine holds the Hall of Fame plaque of Bud Erickson.
This speech was given on April 28 by Terry Moore, co-chair of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame, at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center—the new home of the MGHOF— at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI.
Good morning, everyone! On behalf of my co-chair Greg Johnson and the 16 other Board members of the Michigan Golf Foundation, let me say this is a great day for Ferris State and for Michigan golf. Today is the result of a successful partnership between Ferris State and the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame and with the generous support of many alumni, organizations and donors, especially lead donors like Ken & Kim Janke and Mike Bigford. As such, the HOF is closer to moving into its new home. For over 5 years, the plaques, portraits, and artifacts have been held in safekeeping here at Ferris State with only a few items on public display. With today’s groundbreaking, we’re taking the next steps in our path for opening the doors to the HOF. Greg and I along with our entire Board were overjoyed with the news of this groundbreaking. BUT the reality really hit us about moving into a new home | when we started getting sales calls from 2 Men and a Truck! As for why we’re so honored to be here today, let me quote three of our past chairs who have all given so much to our Board and to golf: Immediate past chair Fritz Balmer said, “What better place to exhibit the Hall of Fame than at Ferris State, the birthplace of the Professional Golf Management curriculum. Putting the students in touch with golf history and the people who made that history is a perfect fit.” Another past chair, dynamic golf leader and generous donor Bob McMasters wisely said, “Individuals may come and go but an institution like a university lasts forever. Ferris State has the resources to ensure a sustain- able future for the HALL OF FAME. And besides, it’s at a golf course with a state-of-the-art learning center. What can be any better than that?” Sara Wold, another energetic chair and major donor, said: “We are so excited to have a new home for the Hall of Fame. It’s important to preserve the legacy of women’s golf, and introduce the game to future women players as well. Ferris State is a great location.” At its core, the HOF is about recognizing and preserving the stories and the achievements of Michigan golf. With the new Ken Janke Senior Golf Learning Center, the Hall of Fame will celebrate the legacy of its notable champions and contributors. In remembering these stories, this slice of Pure Michigan,we hope students and visitors—golfers and non-golfers alike— will find a rich history, valuable lessons and perhaps even inspiration. At this time, let me express our gratitude to several key individuals and organizations: First, thank you to the Board of Trustees of FERRIS STATE and to President Eisler for their vision, their wholehearted support, and for their bulldog determination for this project. Thank you to the staff of the PGM program as well as the Advancement & Marketing team or all of their efforts. At the PGM program, we must mention Mark Wilson who years ago read a press release story by Greg Johson titled, “Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Seeking New Home” and then contacted us. We commend Mark, a HOF member, for being not only an astute reader of the Rules of Golf but also of urgent press releases! Thank you to the co-founders of the HOF in 1982, Stan Aldridge and Ken Janke Sr., who conceived and nurtured it and made it a lasting part of Michigan golf history. Thanks too to those charter committee members still on the Board today: Larry Adderly, Jack Berry and Jim Dewling. We’re indebted to them for their long and loyal service and counsel. A thank you to all 8 of our member organizations—as well as their Boards of Directors— for their unwavering support over many years. And a special mention to these lead donors: The Golf Association of Michigan, Michigan Golf Course Superintendents Association, Michigan PGA, and the Michigan Women’s Golf Association. Finally let me share a few closing thoughts and words from Meg Mallon, who grew up in Michigan, and became an 18-time LPGA winner, Solheim Cup captain and a member of Michigan’s and the World Golf Hall of Fame. Meg said: “What separates the great players from the very good ones are their work ethic, their of love of the game and their passion for competing.” Meg also understood what legendary golfer Ben Hogan meant when he was once asked what was the secret of his golf swing. “It’s in the dirt,” he said, meaning the dirt of the practice range and all the time and sacrifice spent there to be a champion. Today at this Groundbreaking we’re inspired by so many champions and supporters of both Ferris State and the Mich. Golf Hall of Fame, who made this day possible by their work ethic, by their love of the game and for learning, and by their dedication and passion. Yes, the secret and the promise of this groundbreaking is “in the dirt” and so much more. Thank you. And see you at the Grand Opening! —Terry Moore
