In the West wing of The Broadmoor, there’s a hall of fame that includes an impressive photographic array of people of note who have visited the resort over the years.

There’s everyone from Arnold Palmer to Babe Zaharias, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama, from Aerosmith to Liberace, from Bing Crosby to Bob Hope, from Mickey Rooney to John Wayne, from John Elway to Peyton Manning, and even from Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.

Such a site seemed an altogether appropriate venue for Saturday night’s Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor, which featured a who’s who of golf in Colorado — and beyond.

About 1,250 people attended the Gala, the culmination of a year of activities and initiatives held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CGA. Both the history and future of golf in the state were celebrated, with all proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.

Jack Nicklaus — who won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club — was the headliner on Saturday. He noted that it was his first trip back to the resort since the 1960 NCAA Championships — and just his second since his career-launching victory over defending champion Charlie Coe in the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final 56 years ago. (Nicklaus is pictured above at the Gala and at left on the 18th green at The Broadmoor’s East Course.)

“I’m really pleased to have had the pleasure to have Colorado be such a large part of my golfing life,” Nicklaus said before a fireside chat with journalist Tim Rosaforte. “… I’ve been blessed to be able to (design or redesign 10) golf courses in Colorado (including Castle Pines Golf Club, site of the PGA Tour’s International for 21 years, with three other Colorado courses done by Nicklaus Design). I’ve had a blast coming here. I’ve had two or three homes in Colorado, skied a lot in Colorado and spent a lot of time with (President) Gerald Ford when he was here; what a man. What I’m trying to say is, we’ve had a great, great time in Colorado, and it’s nice to be back here this evening.”

Also in attendance Saturday were the president and executive director of the USGA — Thomas O’Toole and Mike Davis, respectively — along with John Kaczkowski, president and CEO of the Western Golf Associaton, and Rhett Evans, CEO of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

And, of course, there were the six Colorado golf People of the Century who were recognized on Saturday: Will Nicholson Jr. (Man of the Century), Judy Bell (Woman of the Century), Hale Irwin (Male Player of the Century), Barbara McIntire (Female Player of the Century), Charles “Vic” Kline (Golf Professional of the Century) and Dennis Lyon (Superintendent of the Century). (Five of the six are pictured above: from left, Kline, Bell, Nicholson, Lyon and Irwin. McIntire missed the event after feeling ill.)

To put things into perspective, there are six players in the history of golf to have won three or more U.S. Opens, and two of them were at the Gala, Nicklaus (four-time champ) and Irwin (three-time winner).

“We’ve got a five-time USGA champion in Hale Irwin,” O’Toole noted Saturday. “We’ve got the greatest major winner ever in Jack (Nicklaus). We’ve got two past presidents of the USGA (Nicholson and Bell). We’ve got a past chairman of the Women’s Committee (actually two in Bell and McIntire, in addition to Joan Birkland, who was also in attendance). We’ve got a many-time Curtis Cup captain in both Judy and Barbara. It was important for us to be here tonight.”

(For more about the People of the Century, CLICK HERE.)

And Nicholson, a longtime acquaintance of Nicklaus through the former’s longstanding roles with the USGA and the Masters, was responsible for getting the Golden Bear to headline Saturday’s Gala.

“Will has been an unbeliebable friend,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a great man and you’re lucky to have him in Colorado.”

Nicklaus’ fireside chat — covering his tournament, design and personal experiences in Colorado and beyond — was popular with the big crowd (left) at The Broadmoor.

Nicklaus has said in the past — and reiterated on Saturday — that the U.S. Amateur victory at The Broadmoor in 1959 was one of the most important in his career. He sank an 8-foot birdie putt on the 36th hole to secure the first of his 20 major championships, if U.S. Ams are still considered majors.

“That’s probably the most important putt I ever made,” Nicklaus said. “In those days it was a major championship. What it did was it put me in a position where if I had to make a putt if I wanted to win something, I did. And winning breeds winning.

“The U.S. Amateur was the one that gave me the confidence to know that I could play, that I could do things under pressure. That was important to me.”

Nicklaus also noted that he defeated Robert Tyre Jones III, son of Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones, in the first round of match play.

Jones III told Nicklaus that he had called his dad and asked the elder Jones if he was going to come out and watch him. Bobby Jones asked who Jones III was playing. After being told it was Nicklaus, Bobby Jones told his son, “I’ve heard of him. No, I’m not coming out to watch you play 13 holes.”

And, noted Nicklaus, “We played 13 holes” in the Bear’s match play victory.

As for his performance in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills, where he finished runner-up — as an amateur — to Arnold Palmer while being paired with Ben Hogan for the final two rounds …

“Probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my career was not to win that tournament,” Nicklaus said. “Had I won that tournament, I probably wouldn’t have put my nose to the grindstone and would not have wanted to get better. It brings you down to earth.”

But Nicklaus would win again in Colorado, both at the 1977 Jerry Ford Invitational, then prevailing by one shot at Cherry Hills over fellow former Ohio State golfer Tom Weiskopf in the 1993 U.S. Senior Open.

And though Nicklaus’ competitive golf days are now over — aside from periodic participation in the PNC Father-Son Challenge — he still isn’t done making his mark in Colorado. Just in recent months, he made alterations to numerous holes at the Castle Pines Golf Club course which opened in 1981.

“It’s a better course now,” Nicklaus said.

(For more about Nicklaus’ many accomplishements in Colorado, CLICK HERE.)

Odds and Ends from The Broadmoor: In tribute to Nicklaus for playing such a prominent role in the Century of Golf Gala, CGA president Phil Lane said that $25,000 will be donated to the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. …

George Solich, a former Broadmoor caddie who provided the lead gift for the Colorado Golf Foundation three years ago, spoke at the Gala along with current University of Colorado Evans Scholar Josh Aguilar (left, next to Solich). Aguilar was a product of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, one of the beneficiaries of the Colorado Golf Foundation. Solich, a CU Evans Scholar alum, encouraged support of the Foundation and the programs it supports. …

About 20 Evans Scholar caddies from CU assisted with Saturday’s Century of Golf golf outing, held at The Broadmoor’s East and West courses, along with the Gala. …

Roughly 170 players participated in the golf on a mid-November day in which the temperature reached the mid-60s. Each threesome/foursome/fivesome competed Saturday by seeing if its net best-ball score bettered that of Jack Nicklaus during the 36-hole U.S. Amateur final in 1959 at the East Course. Also, each competitor had the chance to try an 8-foot birdie putt similar to the one Nicklaus sunk to win the Amateur on the 18th green at the East Course, with those making it being awarded a Century of Golf in Colorado poster created by artist Lee Wybranski.
 

The Century of Golf Gala set for Saturday night (Nov. 14) at The Broadmoor will feature more golf luminaries than you can shake a stick — or a golf club — at.

Of course, heading the list will be arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus, the featured guest at the Gala. (To read about his many accomplishments in Colorado, CLICK HERE). The Golden Bear will participate in a fireside chat with another notable, columnist and Golf Channel insider Tim Rosaforte.

Other headliners at the Gala will be the six Colorado golf People of the Century who will be recognized at The Broadmoor:

Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.

Woman of the Century — Judy Bell

Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin

Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire

Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline

Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon

(Pictured above are five of the six, from left: McIntire, Bell, Nicholson, Kline and Lyon.)

And many other big names will be among the roughly 1,250 people expected to attend the Gala or the 160 planning to play golf as part of the festivities earlier in the day, weather-permitting.

The Gala and related events are being held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the CGA. The Nov. 14 events are being conducted by the Colorado Golf Foundation, with all proceeds benefiting the Foundation’s mission of youth development through golf.

As a primer to the Gala, here’s a look at the People of the Century, by the numbers:

1 — Women who have served as USGA president since the position was created in 1894, with that one being Judy Bell of Colorado Springs (1996-97).

1st — U.S. captain for the President’s Cup, Hale Irwin in 1994.

2 — World Golf Hall of Famers among the People of the Century, Judy Bell and Hale Irwin (left).

2 — People of the Century who lost to the great Mickey Wright at the 1952 U.S. Girls’ Junior. Judy Bell fell to Wright in the semifinals and Barbara McIntire in the final. McIntire was also the runner-up in 1951.

2 — Major national awards earned by Dennis Lyon in the years shortly following his retirement as manager of golf for the city of Aurora: USGA’s Green Section Award, given to individuals who contribute significantly to the game of golf through their work with turfgrass (2011) and the Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award, presented by the GCSAA to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent’s profession (2013).

2 — Sports in which Vic Kline lettered at the University of New Mexico (golf and basketball) and in which Hale Irwin lettered at the University of Colorado (golf and football). Irwin was a two-time All-Big Eight defensive back in football (1965 and ’66) and won the 1967 NCAA individual title in golf.

3 — Coloradans who have been presidents of the USGA, with People of the Century Will Nicholson and Judy Bell joining Frank Woodward.

3 — Courses Hale Irwin has designed in Colorado: Highlands Ranch GC, Indian Peaks GC and the Cordillera Mountain Course.

3 — National amateur titles won in the U.S. and Great Britain by Barbara McIntire from 1959-64. She claimed the U.S. Women’s Amateur in 1959 and ’64 and also captured the 1960 British Ladies Amateur, becoming just the fourth American to win that event.

3 — Coloradans who have chaired the USGA Women’s Golf Committee, with People of the Century Judy Bell and Barbara McIntire joining Joan Birkland.

4 — People of the Century who are in the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Hale Irwin, Judy Bell, Will Nicholson and Barbara McIntire.

4 — Times Hale Irwin, 70, shot his age or better during the 2015 Champions Tour season, including his final two official rounds of the year (both 68s).

5 — USGA championships won by Hale Irwin, including three U.S. Opens and two U.S. Senior Opens. Also the number of CGA championship titles he captured, including three straight Stroke Plays (1963-65). In addition, Irwin claimed the 1963 state high school title at Boulder High, where he was a teammate of Dick Anderson, who would go on to be a three-time NFL Pro Bowler with the Miami Dolphins.

5 — Times Vic Kline was named the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year. Also, years he served as president of the Colorado PGA from 1975 to ’92.

6 — People of the Century who’ve been inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

6 — People who have won the U.S. Open at least three times: Jack Nicklaus (4), Ben Hogan (4), Bobby Jones (4), Willie Anderson (4), Hale Irwin (3) and Tiger Woods (3).

7 — Recipients of the Will Nicholson Jr., Award who are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Judy Bell, Hale Irwin and Ernie Els. The award goes to people who have demonstrated a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Nicholson himself was the first recipient.

8 — Curtis Cup teams on which Barbara McIntire competed (6) or captained (2). Judy Bell played in two and captained two.

11 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., spent on the powerful USGA Executive Committee.

11 — Times the Vic Kline Award has been given to a member of the Colorado PGA Board of Directors for outstanding service and leadership for the Section.

13 — Match wins by Hale Irwin in the Ryder Cup (against five losses and two draws).

15 — Age at which Judy Bell won the first of her three Kansas state women’s amateur titles, in 1952.

17 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., chaired the Rules Committee for the Masters. Nicholson was responsible for setting up Augusta National for the Masters from 1992-2006.

20 — PGA Tour victories recorded by Hale Irwin from 1971-94.

25 — Years of volunteer service on USGA committees for which Dennis Lyon received the Ike Grainger Award.

38 — USGA championships in which Judy Bell competed.

45 — Record total of career Champions Tour victories posted by Hale Irwin, 16 more than runner-up Lee Trevino. The total includes seven senior major championships.

45 — Age at which Hale Irwin won the 1990 U.S. Open, making him the oldest champion of that event.

67 — Score Judy Bell shot at the 1964 U.S. Women’s Open, which remained the record for the championship for 14 years.

302 — Four-round total shot by Barbara McIntire in the 1956 U.S. Women’s Open in forcing a playoff with Kathy Cornelius. If McIntire had won the playoff, she would have become the first amateur to capture the U.S. Women’s Open title, but Cornelius prevailed 75-82.

1250 — Prize money earned by Vic Kline for winning the Colorado Open in 1968.

1973 (to present) — Time Will Nicholson has served on the CGA Board of Governors.

1980-81 — Years Will Nicholson Jr., served as president of the USGA.

1987 — Year Judy Bell became the first female to serve on the USGA Executive Committee.

1988 — Year the junior golf program at Indian Tree Golf Club in Arvada was named the best in the nation at a municipal facility by Golf Digest. Vic Kline was the longtime director of golf at Indian Tree.

1989 — Year Dennis Lyon became national president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

2000 — Year Barbara McIntire received the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

2000 — Year Vic Kline was presented the PGA of America’s top award, as national Golf Professional of the Year. Only one other member of the Colorado PGA has earned the honor, Warren Smith in 1973. Five years later, in 2005, Kline was inducted into the PGA of America Golf Professional Hall of Fame.

2002-03 — Years Dennis Lyon served as president of the CGA. In 2008, he would become general chairman of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Murphy Creek Golf Course in Aurora.
 

After winning 18 major championships — plus two U.S. Amateurs — and 73 PGA Tour events in all, Jack Nicklaus is considered by many to be the GOAT — greatest of all time — in golf.

Still, when he stood over his tee shot on the 72nd hole of the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills Country Club, a case of nerves set in — and the Golden Bear couldn’t have been happier.

In an all-too-familiar situation, Nicklaus held a one-stroke lead coming down the stretch in a major championship — in this case a senior major.

“On that tee shot on 18, I was half shaking,” Nicklaus recalled later. “And I said to myself, ‘Damn, this is fun.'”

Not surpisingly, Nicklaus turned that fun into a victory. He hit a perfect 1-iron off the tee over the water on the 450-yard, par-4 18th at Cherry Hills, a 5-iron approach to 35 feet, then two-putted for a par and a one-shot win over Tom Weiskopf, who also finished second to Nicklaus at the 1972 and ’75 Masters.

“I knew it was over when he hit it on the green,” said Weiskopf, like Nicklaus a former Ohio State golfer. “Jack is the greatest putter under pressure of all time.”

(Afterward, Nicklaus was congratulated by his son/caddie, Jackie, in a moment pictured above.)

It was yet another stellar performance in a long series of stellar performances by Nicklaus in Colorado. And it was another reason why the Bear will be the featured guest and participate in a fireside chat with noted golf journalist Tim Rosaforte at the Century of Golf Gala that will be held Nov. 14 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. (For more information about the Gala, CLICK HERE.)

Some people may think it’s neat that Nicklaus agreed to headline the event during the year the CGA turns 100 years old, but that the same thing could take place in any number of other states given all that Nicklaus accomplished during his unmatched career. But Colorado truly is the site of more than its fair share of Nicklaus highlights:

— He won eight USGA championships in his lifetime, and the first and last of those came in the Centennial State.

He outdueled defending champion and two-time winner Charlie Coe to win the 36-hole U.S. Amateur title at — appropriately — The Broadmoor’s East Course in 1959, 1 up.

Coe never trailed through the first 31 holes and things were all square going into the 36th hole. Though Coe missed the green there, he almost pitched in for birdie, with the ball ending up on the lip of the cup. The 19-year-old Nicklaus (left in a USGA photo) then drained an 8-foot birdie putt to become the youngest U.S. Am champion in 50 years. He would go on to capture a second U.S. Amateur title in 1961.

“My career basically started right there,” Nicklaus said of The Broadmoor. “That 8-foot putt gave me the opportunity to believe that I could win a championship, that I was good enough to play and I was good enough to win.”

In his 1969 book, “The Greatest Game of All”, Nicklaus said the match against Coe “certainly was both the most exhilarating and exhausting duel I have ever been engaged in.”

(With the Gala taking place at The Broadmoor, the Nov. 14 golf outing appropriately will have a Nicklaus tie-in. Participants will compete, with each group’s net best-ball scores being matched up against the best-ball scores from the Bear’s two rounds — totaling 65 — in the ’59 U.S. Am final. The winning team will be the one which “defeats” the 19-year-old Nicklaus by the largest margin. And players will also have a chance to attempt the 8-foot winning birdie putt Nicklaus stroked on No. 18.)

Then, as noted above, Nicklaus edged Weiskopf for the ’93 U.S. Senior Open championship at Cherry Hills, earning his final USGA title. In the case of both the U.S Amateur and the U.S. Senior Open, it marked the first time each USGA championship had been held in Colorado.

— Thirty-three years before his U.S. Senior Open victory at Cherry Hills, Nicklaus came very close at that same venue to becoming the only amateur since John Goodman in 1933 to win the U.S. Open. But on a leaderboard that featured a confluence of three generations of all-time golf greats — Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Nicklaus — Arnie prevailed by two strokes over Nicklaus in the ’60 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. The 20-year-old Nicklaus led by two with six holes to play, but two three-putts on the final nine proved very costly. Still, the runner-up showing was the best by an amateur at the U.S. Open in the last 82 years — and his 2-under-par 282 total remains the best ever by an amateur at the U.S. Open. Hogan, paired with Nicklaus for the final two rounds, noted he had just played 36 holes with a kid who should have won by 10 shots.

“I remember not getting a whole lot of respect at the ’60 U.S. Open, and I shouldn’t have,” Nicklaus said in a 21st-century visit to the state. “I was 35 to 1 (to win). My dad came up and said, ‘Do you want a piece of that?’

“It’s the only bet on golf that I’ve made in my entire life. I think I was more excited down the stretch about the $20 bet and maybe winning $700 than about winning the U.S. Open.”

— Besides the 1959 U.S. Amateur and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open, Nicklaus won the inaugural Jerry Ford Invitational in Vail, in 1977.

Another year at the JFI, a major thunderstorm moved through the Vail Valley and Ford, Nicklaus and about 20 other golfers were so far away from the clubhouse that they headed for shelter under an I-70 overpass. The group ended up spending about a half-hour there as perplexed drivers sped by.

— In addition to the 1959 U.S. Amateur, 1960 U.S. Open and ’93 U.S. Senior Open, Nicklaus contended in other major championships held in Colorado. The Bear finished third — one shot out of a playoff — at the 1967 PGA Championship at Columbine Country Club, and sixth at the 1978 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. For the record, Nicklaus was 32nd in his only other major in Colorado, the 1985 PGA Championship at Cherry Hills, where he was tied for second after a first-round 66.

“There’s no more fun in golf than going up 18 with a chance to win,” he said after his ’93 U.S. Senior Open triumph at Cherry Hills. “I love to be competitive.”

— Nicklaus also advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1960 NCAA Championships at The Broadmoor, though that undoubtedly was a bit of a letdown after winning the U.S. Amateur at the course the previous September.

— Nicklaus and his company have designed — or redesigned — 13 courses in Colorado, making him and Nicklaus Design one of the most prolific course designers in the state, along with the likes of Dick and Rick Phelps, Henry Hughes, Frank Hummel and Press Maxwell. Of course, the most prominent course Nicklaus designed in Colorado is Castle Pines Golf Club, which hosted The International on the PGA Tour from 1986 through 2006. The Bear’s best finish at The International was a ninth in 1989.

Other Nicklaus Design courses in Colorado include Aspen Glen Club; Breckenridge Golf Club; The Bridges; The Broadmoor’s Mountain Course (redesign); the Country Club at Castle Pines; Cherry Creek Country Club; the Club at Cordillera’s Summit Course; Cougar Canyon Golf Links (now closed); the Country Club of the Rockies; Meridian Golf Club; Ptarmigan Country Club; and the Roaring Fork Club.

— And Nicklaus was the third recipient of the Will Nicholson Jr. Award, given for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Only Nicholson, the Denver resident who served as USGA president in 1980-81, and Palmer previously received the honor. Nicholson, by the way, is the person who deserves credit for receiving Nicklaus’ commitment to attend the Century of Golf Gala. (Nicklaus and Nicholson are pictured together at left at CommonGround Golf Course during the 2012 U.S. Amateur.)

Also in Colorado, Nicklaus learned to ski at Snowmass in the 1970s and owned property for several decades.

In short, while he doesn’t live in the state, Nicklaus may deserve honorary resident status for all he’s done and accomplished here.

Nicklaus won’t be the only luminary honored on Nov. 14 during the Century of Golf Gala. Also in the spotlight that night will be six “People of the Century” in Colorado golf: Judy Bell, Hale Irwin, Charles “Vic” Kline, Dennis Lyon, Barbara McIntire and Nicholson. For more on them, CLICK HERE.