An all-around athlete, Joyce Kazmierski found her life-long calling with the game of golf and took it to the highest level.
The Detroit native attended Michigan State University and was the National Collegiate Golf Champion in 1966, two years after she was runner-up.
She played on the LPGA Tour from 1968 to 1986 and became a top-50 career money earner. Although never a winner on the LPGA, she had a number of seconds including the 1973 Sears Women’s Classic, 1974 LPGA Borden Classic, 1974 National Jewish Hospital Open, 1977 Orange Blossom Classic, 1977 Greater Baltimore Golf Classic, 1978 Mayflower Classic and the 1982 Inamori Classic.
After retiring from the Tour, Kazmierski started teaching golf and leading golf tours to the Ireland and Scotland. She taught the game for more than 25 years and in 1986 she was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame.
She still plays golf – usually by herself and at a rapid pace. About this routine, she once explained: “I was given some advice once that, for a teacher, it’s important to play every so often to remind yourself how difficult it is. I prefer to play by myself. I can play faster. It’s just me and the golf course. I’m always with someone. I’m with the golf course.”
Kazmierski was inducted into Michigan State’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Year inducted: 2003
| Last Name | Kazmierski |