As the meat of the golf season approaches, it’s pretty much business as usual at City Park Golf Course in Denver. But, in all likelihood, this is the last springtime in a while that that will be the case.

The course, which opened 105 years ago, is expected to close late this year and not reopen for business until sometime in 2019 — though it’s possible pending litigation could affect plans.

As part of the contentious Platte to Park Hill stormwater drainage project the city of Denver has planned, a newly redesigned 18-hole City Park Golf Course will be used in part for stormwater detention, assuming nothing derails the plans. The idea is to integrate stormwater detention areas into the course to “help protect some of the city’s most at-risk neighborhoods from flooding” — specifically those north and northwest of the site, according to the City and County of Denver website.

As part of the project, the redesigned City Park Golf Course will “temporarily hold and slow floodwaters while protecting the course from damage” during major storms. … “Outside of major storms, the area will remain a dry, fully-functioning golf course.”

Miles Graham from GBSM, which handles communications and community outreach for the city on this project, said that things will largely remain status quo for this golf season.

“Other than some exciting news about which of the teams will be doing the final design and the construction on the redesign, there’s not going to be any change or disruption this golf season,” he said. “It’s going to be business as usual.”

Ed Mate, the CGA’s executive director, grew up as a regular at City Park GC. He played his first 18-hole round of golf there, and to this day, he says he’s played more at the historic layout than anywhere else.

Asked his feelings about the changes that are planned, Mate said, “It’s bittersweet. It’s where I grew up playing. With the nostalgia and all that, obviously it’s hard to see (the existing course) go away. But you have to be realistic. There’s a way to transform public property that incorporates very-much-needed (public safety-related changes) and modernizes the course like at (CGA-owned and operated) CommonGround. It’s sad to see the old course go, but I’m glad to see it used for the greater good of the community. If it was becoming a parking lot or a high-rise, it would be a different matter, but it’s staying a golf course.”

The plan calls for a course architect and construction team to be selected to design and build a new 18-hole layout at the site, with that choice expected to be made public this summer after contract finalization. The finalists are Robert Trent Jones II, with Landscapes Unlimited; iCon Golf Studio with Hale Irwin Golf Design, with Saunders Construction; and Dye Design, with SEMA Construction. Among their Colorado work, Trent Jones designed Ute Creek Golf Course in Longmont, Icon Golf Studio the Glacier Club in Durango, and Dye Design Riverdale Dunes in Brighton.

City Park GC was originally designed by Scotsman Tom Bendelow. After public input was solicited on the matter, it’s hoped that some of the most iconic elements of the existing course and site can be incorporated into the new layout.

“City Park Golf Course is a very special place and so are the people there,” said Keith Soriano, currently a Colorado PGA assistant executive director, who served as the PGA head professional at City Park from 2009 through 2012. “Whoever they choose (for the redesign team), I hope they maintain some of the uniquesness of the course.

“Because of the confined nature (of the site), I hope they stay with small greens, with approach shots having to be placed well and on the correct side (of the pin).”

Soriano understands why some people are unhappy with the impending changes, but is glad there still will be a golf course at the site.

“Anytime you change something historical as that, that’s been there 100 years” there’s bound to be some controversy. “But that’s the cost of progress,” he said. “At least there will be a golf course there. People will have access to green space (amid) the concrete jungle, and to PGA professionals, but the look of it may change.”

Added Mate: “It’s a really good golf course as it is. It’s underappreciated. It has really fun greens that are challenging. It’s a classic Tom Bendelow course. Whatever they replace it with won’t be the same. You can’t recreate the charm.

“But I recognize the stormwater challenge, and the city needs to be proactive. I trust the engineers (and other experts). The way I look at it, if that work is needed, then it’s needed. And it could be that the course they replace it with is a fun, sporty layout.”

Integrating stormwater detention areas into golf courses isn’t unusual. Examples in the Denver metro area are CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora and Lakewood Country Club. That certainly came into play at CommonGround during the September 2013 flooding as more than 14 inches of rain fell in just six days. At one time, nearly half the course was under water, at some points 6 feet deep of it. It took nearly a month before the water drained off the course completely, and by then eight holes were damaged severely and the turf on five greens died. But the good news was that the Westerly Creek Dam that borders the course did its job — flood control — by protecting land and real estate in nearby areas of eastern Denver and northwestern Aurora.

“Sometimes the best interest is to be a true citizen in the larger picture,” Mate said. “Public safety concern has to supersede (golf course matters). As hard as it was to see CommonGround flooded in 2013, this community asset served a greater good. It kept (homes, businesses and the people that use them) from the effects of the flood. The fact that they’re keeping (City Park) as a golf course, that’s a great outcome. Times change.”

But that doesn’t mean that the old layout won’t be missed. Both Soriano and Mate specifically noted how much they like the 18th hole at City Park.

Dating back more than a century, City Park certainly has a unique history to draw upon.

Among those who have played the course are former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, outstanding all-around athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Charlie Sifford and Jonathan Kaye of PGA Tour fame, and 1952 Olympic long jump champion Jerome Biffle.

Some of those players — and many others — were attracted to City Park because it was known as a place where there was plenty of “action” — in other words, where a little cash was known to be exchanged via golf bets.

A founding member of the City Park-based East Denver Golf Club, Judge James Flanigan, helped knock down racial barriers in state golf tournaments when he was refused the right to play in the CGA Match Play Championship in 1961. The next year, the CGA changed its policies and admitted minority clubs, including the East Denver Golf Club.

Another thing that’s made City Park distinctive is the makeup of its players. To put it succinctly, the course is among the most diverse in Denver. While many of the various men’s club golfers played with their own groups at City Park, gambling eventually integrated people of different races.

“When I started playing there (in the late 1960s), the men’s clubs were pretty much segregated, but the gambling games weren’t,” Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Woodard, a former PGA head professional at City Park, as well as a former director of golf for the City of Denver, said when the course celebrated its 100th anniversary. “The color of money — green — was the only thing that mattered there. I thought that was pretty amazing.

“The thing I remember most is the gambling games. Every Friday and Saturday you could find a game — but you better bring your ‘A’ game. You better be ready to play. If you were a good player from a public course, you eventually made your way to City Park.”

With the impending course redesign, the city is considering various priorities for the site, according the the city’s website. Based on community outreach sessions, those include improved/updated practice facilities, expanding/improving The First Tee of Denver program that’s based at the course, and relocating/redesigning the clubhouse, among other things.

“City Park is certainly one of the most beloved municipal courses in Denver. It’s got a ton of history,” Graham said. “The city is fully committed to making sure this redesign retains all of those great aspects of City Park and looks for opportunities to update it further.

“That eight-month collaborative process we did with the community really heavily referred back to the history of the course, making sure we retain the character of the course. But there will be opportunities to make some updates that would improve playability.”

Courses closing for more than a year, then reopening, certainly isn’t unprecedented in the Denver metro area. Just in recent years, Coal Creek Golf Course in Louisville closed in the wake of the 2013 flood before being rebuilt and returning to business in 2015. And Thorncreek Golf Course in Thornton closed last fall for renovation, with officials anticipating a 2018 reopening.

For more information on the City Park Golf Course plans, CLICK HERE.

While big changes are planned for City Park GC, it’s not the only City of Denver course that’s been in the news. The city is in the running to host a three-day outdoor musical festival at Overland Park Golf Course starting in 2018, most likely in September of that year. If a deal is struck, Overland would be closed for 4-6 weeks, according to the city website. Assuming the musical festival comes to Denver, city officials say they anticipate an initial five-year contract.

Denver is one of two cities being considered to host the music festival. A decision on the matter is expected in late spring of this year.

For more information about the Overland proposal, CLICK HERE.

At the beginning of the training session for the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course, some of the first-year caddies are a bit raw, to put it mildly. Many may have no idea how to carry a golf bag, much less the difference between a putter and a wedge.

“Basically, you’re teaching them what a tee box is, a flagstick, a fairway, the rough and the green,” said one of the trainers, Janene Guzowski (pictured at bottom), who chairs the CGA’s Caddie Development Committee. “Most of these kids, maybe they’ve watched Tiger Woods a few times, but they’ve never actually been on a golf course carrying a bag. Believe it or not, carrying a 25- or 30-pound bag 18 holes for a lot of kids is a huge challenge.”

But by the end of a nine-hole training session on the Kids Course at the CGA-owned and operated facility in Aurora, some of the newcomers already are handing their trainers their putters immediately after their shots stop on the greens, and are getting the basic gist of not walking in a players’ putting line.

It’s a work in progress, to be sure, but considering this is the first time on a golf course for a fair number of these prospective Solich Academy caddies, it’s a positive first step toward what could become a life-changing venture.

Thirty-eight boys and girls took part in Wednesday’s first on-course training session for the Solich Academy, which is entering its sixth season at CommonGround, its third at Meridian Golf Club and its first at Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado Golf Courses in Grand Junction. Most of the kids participating in the program at CommonGround are from the area surrounding the golf course at First Avenue and Havana.

“I’m really impressed,” said another trainer, Tom Woodard (pictured at top with two caddies), a Colorado Golf Hall of Famer who as a teenager earned a full-ride Evans Scholarship for caddies to the University of Colorado. “The kids are super smart, they have good manners, they’re polite. That’s the one thing I noticed more than anything.

“I had two kids who had never been on a golf course. You start from A and go through Z (regarding training). After nine holes you could see how much experience they gained — little things like carrying the bag and cleaning the clubs and watching the ball and where to stand and making sure you don’t step in lines and holding flags against the pin. It’s amazing how much you can go over in nine holes.

“But one thing I try to share with them is, it’s a process. You’re going to make mistakes and get frustrated, but it’ll get better. You’ll catch on really fast.”

The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy is one of the flagship programs at CommonGround, which takes pride in hosting numerous such initiatives that benefit the community and the game. Also on site are Community and Wellness Programs and the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program, among other things.

Founded in 2012, the Solich Academy — named for former caddies and current oilmen and philanthropists George and Duffy Solich — creates opportunities for boys and girls to build leadership skills and develop character through caddying and Academy programming.

The Solich Academy promotes the use of caddies by paying the base caddie fees through an educational grant, with participating golfers having the option of adding a tip. In addition to the caddying, a major component of the Academy is that all of the caddies are required to attend weekly leadership classes and do volunteer community-service work each summer. Ideally, some of the participants will become good candidates for the Evans Scholarship.

“The way I look at CommonGround is it’s a lab for a lot of different programs related to golf, and this is one of them,” CGA president Joe McCleary (pictured in second photo from the top) said regarding the Solich Academy. “We also have a chapter down at Meridian and we’re now into Grand Junction. And the model has been used for other places around the country. How can anyone argue with what we’re doing? I think it’s awesome, and I love being a part of it.”

Between the two existing Solich Academy sites, CommonGround (almost 1,100) and Meridian (about 330) produced more than 1,400 caddie loops for participating youngsters in 2016. Over the past five years, CommonGround and Meridian have generated almost 5,400 loops, with CommonGround on its own racking up almost 4,800. And 13 Solich caddies have gone on to earn full-tuition and housing Evans Scholarships at CU.

The normal pattern is for Solich caddies to spend two years at CommonGround (or Meridian), then graduate to other programs around the metro area such as those at Cherry Hills Country Club, Denver Country Club, Lakewood Country Club, etc.

Wednesday’s training group included both first- and second-year caddies, but mostly newbies. Almost three dozen trainers — which included leaders of the CGA and CWGA, Colorado PGA professionals, friends of CommonGround and others — volunteered their time to help teach the nascent caddies the basics.

Last week, the prospective 2017 Solich Academy caddies began their training by attending video sessions. The next couple of weeks, a much smaller group of trainers will run the caddies through “intensive situation training”, where they’ll learn about raking bunkers, work around the greens and other specifics.

Wary of overloading the kids with too much information too quickly — giving them the “firehose” approach, as CGA executive director Ed Mate calls it — Mate prefers to mainly emphasize keeping up and where to stand during this week’s first on-course session.

“That makes it so much more enjoyable — just enjoying the conversation and getting to know (the caddies) — rather than getting them distracted by giving them the firehose,” he said.

Following situation training for the remainder of April, the prospective Solich Academy 2017 roster may be winnowed a bit based on absences or lack of interest on the part of a few kids. Then the remaining youngsters will be taken out on the CommonGround championship course twice in May by a group of about eight trainers before getting their first official loop of the season, probably starting around Memorial Day weekend.

“We’re really going to drill them on the most important things: keeping up, and being pro-active on the putting green and not just standing back twiddling their thumbs,” Mate said. “The new kids will be so much better off because they will have caddied two rounds on the big course before they go to their first live loop.”

Of course, while the kids can reap potentially large dividends through participating in the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy, the trainers tend to get a lot of fulfillment out of it as well.

McCleary, for instance, has served as a trainer all six years the Academy has existed. And his youngest daughter, Sydney, participated in the program the last two years and plans to caddie at Cherry Hills this summer.

“These are great kids and to see them grow and move on is special,” he said. “And it’s rewarding when you go to the Evans Scholars Selection Meeting and you see kids from this program making their way up to that and getting the scholarship. The Selection Meeting is one of my favorite events every year. I’ve been to that longer than we’ve had this program.

“But I love doing this. That’s just the best way to put it.”
 

After all, for a guy who not long ago wondered whether he’d ever play Tour golf again, every tournament is cherished, and he could have played in a Champions Tour event this week in Duluth, Ga. Moreover, any tournament is an opportunity for a breakthrough, as Colorado resident Mark Wiebe proved two years ago when he won on the Champions Tour the same day he was inducted — in absentia — into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

But in the end, Jones couldn’t bypass Thursday night’s Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet at the Denver Marriott City Center.

“In the very beginning, yeah (it was a tough choice skipping a Champions Tour event), but when you really think about it, my parents raised me pretty well to think correctly,” Jones said before Thursday’s dinner. “And thanks to that upbringing, I made the right decision to come here.

“There’s no way you can miss something like this. It’s the biggest golf honor in my life that I’ve been given.”

Inducted with Jones on Thursday were former Bronco Steve Atwater, ex-Avalanche captain Adam Foote, Rockies original manager Don Baylor, former NFL kicker Don Cockroft and ex-major league pitcher Stan Williams.

(Jones is pictured above taking a photo of Olympic swimming gold medalist Missy Franklin on Thursday.)

Jones, who grew up in Yuma, Colo., and played golf at the University of Colorado, has been one of the most successful Tour players the state has ever produced. In joining fellow former Buff golfers Hale Irwin and Dale Douglass in the CSHOF, Jones won eight times on the PGA Tour, with the highlight certainly being his victory in the 1996 U.S. Open.

Coincidentally, his Colorado Sports Hall of Fame induction falls during the 25th anniversary year of his victory in the 1988 Colorado Open, and of his first PGA Tour win, the 1988 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Jones, 54, hasn’t won yet on the Champions Tour, but after not playing in a PGA/Champions Tour event from the middle of 2007 until the beginning of 2011 because of a severe case of tennis elbow, the fact that he’s competing at all is a plus.

“I could get in 15-16 (tournaments this year), which is better than the 10-12 I’ve gotten in the last couple of years,” said Jones, who is conditionally exempt on the Champions circuit this season. “But the key is just playing well.”

Jones has made a total of 26 official Champions Tour starts since making his debut in the spring of 2011. He’s posted three top-20 finishes.

As has been the case throughout his career, injuries have held Jones back. Most notably, an irregular heartbeat, a thumb injury, shoulder issues and the tennis elbow have sidelined Jones six full tour seasons since 1990. Right now, it’s nothing major, but wrist, finger and nagging ligaments are hampering him.

“It’s crazy how things keep coming up as you get holder,” he said.

Jones, an Arizona resident, only gets back to Colorado an average of about once a year these days, but he drew a nice contingent of support to Thursday’s induction. His wife, Bonnie, attended, along with his parents and in-laws, plus numerous representatives of CU and the Colorado golf community.

Among the “surprise” guests were former CU golf teammate Tom Woodard, who is being inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame this year, and Valerie Simpson, wife of the late Mark Simpson, who made Jones his first CU recruiting signee. Also on hand were childhood friend from Yuma Rich Holden, longtime CU associate athletic director/sports information Dave Plati, Buff golf coach Roy Edwards and Ron Rope, who, unbeknownst to Jones at the time, funded more than a quarter of Jones’ scholarship costs at CU in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

“He helped with my scholarship to get me to Colorado with a full ride,” Jones said of Rope. “And for me, I’m glad I went to Colorado and not New Mexico State.”

For more information about Jones going into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, CLICK HERE.

The Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class 40 years ago, is taking its show on the road.

The first stop was last weekend’s Denver Golf Expo, and after flying under the radar for much of its four decades of existence, the CGHOF is hoping that’s a springboard toward taking on a higher profile in the future.

The Hall of Fame recently purchased a large touch-screen monitor, and the organization has streamlined biographies of all its 128 inductees and has added narration provided by CGA communications director Aaron Kellough — all so a Hall of Fame kiosk can easily be set up wherever it’s appropriate for golf functions around the state.

“Our whole goal here is to help us get exposure to the golf community regarding what the Golf Hall of Fame is all about,” said Keith Schneider, who serves as the volunteer president of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in addition to being the general manager at Castle Pines Golf Club, where he’s been a fixture since the early 1980s.

Schneider, himself a Colorado Golf Hall of Fame inductee, and several of his cohorts manned the Hall of Fame’s exhibit last weekend at its coming-out party at the Denver Golf Expo at the Denver Merchandise Mart. (Schneider is pictured above at the Expo.)

Besides the new touch-screen monitor that provided information on all the Hall’s inductees, there were placards detailing some history of the Hall, its mission, prominent members, and who’s going in this year. Also on display were Dale Douglass’ golf bag from the 1969 Ryder Cup, and one of the oldest golf trophies in the country, the 1897 Overland Cup (pictured at left).

The 2013 class of inductees will be enshrined on June 9 at Cielo at Castle Pines in Castle Rock. The following day, the Hall will hold its annual pro-am tournament, this year at the Country Club at Castle Pines.

This year’s three inductees are Colorado PGA professionals Tom Woodard (pictured below last weekend at the Expo) and Alan Abrams, and Jimmy Vickers, one of the state and region’s finest amateurs from the late 1940s into the 1960s. For more information on the impending inductees, CLICK HERE. 

“We want people to be aware of who is in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame,” Schneider said. “The response (at the Expo) has just been fabulous. It’s been a lot of fun just talking to people who come up and say, ‘Gosh, I know so and so. What year did he get in?’ And we’ll go in (on the touch-screen monitor) and pull up the name. It’s been great exposure for us.”

The CGA and CWGA’s web site, COgolf.org, has long served as the on-line site for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame’s inductee biographies (CLICK HERE). And the Hall of Fame’s museum has been prominently displayed at the Riverdale golf courses in Brighton for the last decade. But the idea of the traveling kiosk is to expose the CGHOF to people who otherwise might not be aware of it.

The first class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame was inducted in 1973, with Babe Zaharias, Dave Hill and Babe Lind going in. Besides Zaharias — a co-founder of the LPGA and a three-time U.S. Women’s Open champion — the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame includes three other people also inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame: three-time U.S. Open champion Hale Irwin, former USGA president Judy Bell and twice PGA Championship winner Paul Runyan.

In addition, more than a dozen members of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame are also Colorado Sports Hall of Fame inductees: Bell, Joan Birkland, Dale Douglass, Dow Finsterwald, Irwin, Lind, Barbara McIntire, Tubb Morris, Will Nicholson Jr., Thayer Tutt, Jack Vickers, Starr Yelland and Zaharias. And 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones will join that heady company in two months when he’s enshrined into the CSHOF.

Schneider said the Hall of Fame’s new computer kiosk often will be housed at the Hall’s home at Riverdale, but “the idea is to get a second kiosk that can travel around to member-guests, to dinners, etc.; we’ll have it at our (June 9) dinner. This is kind of a road show that will give us exposure.”
 

With the year drawing to a close, it’s time to play one final 18. In this case, we’ll run down the top 18 Colorado golf stories of 2012, then throw in some honorable-mention selections at the end.

And just for the sake of a little suspense, we’ll start with the 18th-biggest story.

18. Woodard Inducted into National Black Golf Hall of Fame, Voted into Colorado Golf Hall of Fame: 2012 was a big year for longtime Coloradan Tom Woodard, now the director of golf for the Foothills Park & Recreation District. In March, he was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame, then in October he was voted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame, along with fellow Colorado PGA professional Alan Abrams and Jimmy Vickers. COLORADO GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY, NATIONAL BLACK GOLF HALL OF FAME FULL STORY

17. Tourney Routs by Eaton, Humerickhouse: There were a couple of lopsided state tournament victories that went beyond the norm. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Kim Eaton prevailed by 16 shots in the CWGA Senior Stroke Play at the course on which she grew up, Greeley Country Club. STORY And in winning his third straight CGA Mid-Amateur, Keith Humerickhouse was a dozen shots ahead of the runner-up, marking the biggest margin in the event since 1991. STORY Then Humerickhouse put an exclamation mark on the year by proposing to his girlfriend in the midst of his acceptance speech for the CGA Mid-Amateur Player of the Year award.

16. A Lucky Seven Straight for Kent Denver: Kent Denver, coached by Bob Austin, set a Colorado record by winning its seventh consecutive state high school boys team championship, this time in Class 3A. STORY 

15. Bertsch, Jacques, Huffer ‘Open’ the Door: Three Coloradans qualified for the top USGA championship for their respective gender. Shane Bertsch of Parker earned a U.S. Open berth for the first time since 1998. STORY And Becca Huffer and Kelly Jacques made it through qualifying at the Broadmoor to punch their tickets to their first U.S. Women’s Open. STORY Then in December, Jacques joined former University of Denver golfer Stephanie Sherlock in earning LPGA Tour status in 2013. STORY

14. Jones Joining Nicholson in Colorado Sports Hall of Fame: Former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April. STORY And after being voted in in October, 1996 U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, a former University of Colorado golfer, will follow suit in the spring of 2013. STORY

13. Ringsby Hits the National Stage: Calli Ringsby of Cherry Hills Village had a memorable 2012 tournament season. She swept both the CWGA Junior Stroke Play STORY and Junior Match Play titles. Then she was one of just four American girls selected to compete in the USA-China Youth Golf Match. STORY

12. Lee Adds Still More Variety to Her Accomplishments: With a nine-shot victory in the CWGA Stroke Play, Somin Lee became just the second player in history to win the CWGA Junior Stroke Play, Junior Match Play, Stroke Play and Match Play. Lee joined Wendy Werley as the only golfers to capture all four of those titles during their careers. STORY

11. Colorado PGA Keeps its Streak Going: For the sixth and seventh time in six years, the Colorado PGA earned national awards from the PGA of America. Dale Smigelsky, the director of golf at Collindale Golf Club in Fort Collins, was named PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, while George Kahrhoff, head professional at The Country Club at Castle Pines in Castle Rock, earned the Merchandiser award for private facilities. STORY The Colorado PGA also was among the national leaders in the “Get Golf Ready” initiative in which PGA and LPGA professionals teach people everything they’ll need to know to play golf with confidence — in five lessons, usually for $99 total. The idea is to bring new and former golfers into the game as seamlessly as possible in a no-pressure environment.

10. Tolan Doubles Up in Colorado Open: Coloradan Derek Tolan won his second HealthOne Colorado Open in the last four years, this time rallying after trailing by four strokes with six holes to play. STORY

9. Bermel Departs CSU After 13 Years: After 13 successful years at the helm of the Colorado State University men’s team, Jamie Bermel resigned to take the same job at the University of Kansas. Bermel’s teams went to the NCAA regional tournament in 12 of his 13 years, and in 2011 the Rams earned a berth in the NCAA Finals for just the second time in program history. Overall, the Rams won 18 multi-team tournaments in Bermel’s tenure, including two conference titles. Former national assistant coach of the year Christian Newton succeeded Bermel at CSU. STORY

8. Near Miss in College Finale for Knous: Colorado School of Mines golfer Jim Knous finished up his college career with a flourish. After leading most of the final round of the NCAA Division II national finals, Knous finished second, losing in a playoff. STORY

7. Mallon, Neumann Will Lead the Way at Colorado Golf Club: The leadership of the competing teams for the 2013 Solheim Cup matches that will be played at Colorado Golf Club in Parker was set early this year. Meg Mallon, winner of 18 LPGA Tour events in her career, will captain the U.S. squad, while 1988 U.S. Women’s Open champion Liselotte Neumann will be her European counterpart. STORY 

6. CU Women Score NCAA Breakthrough in Colorado: An NCAA women’s regional golf tournament was held in Colorado for the first time, and the University of Colorado took advantage of its host role at Colorado National by advancing to the NCAA Finals for the first time in program history. STORY

5. Kupcho Rallies from 9 Down in Final Round to Win CGA Stroke Play: After starting the final round nine strokes out of the lead and in 16th place, Steven Kupcho posted one of the biggest final-round rallies ever by a winner of the CGA Stroke Play. His final-round 66 at Fort Collins Country Club gave him the title as a 19-year-old. STORY

4. Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy Debuts: The CGA and CWGA launched a unique initiative to promote the use of caddies and foster candidates for the Evans Caddie Scholarship at the University of Colorado. The Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy at CommonGround Golf Course — which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA — provides a powerful incentive to use caddies by paying all of their base fees. The program’s mission is to use caddying and the game of golf to help kids learn how to succeed in life. STORY

3. Stacy Gains Spots in World Golf Hall of Fame: Part-time Colorado resident Hollis Stacy earned one of golf’s biggest honors by being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Stacy, who lives in Lakewood during the summer, won 18 times on the LPGA Tour, but particularly excelled in USGA events. She won three U.S. Women’s Opens and three U.S. Girls’ Juniors. STORY

2. Austin Departing Powerful USGA Executive Committee: Not many women preceded Coloradan Christie Austin as a member of the USGA Executive Committee, one of golf’s most powerful governing bodies. But after six years in that role, Austin will be stepping down in February. STORY 

1. U.S. Amateur a Hit in Colorado: The U.S. Amateur was held in Colorado for just the fourth time, with Cherry Hills hosting and CommonGround being the second stroke-play course. The week started with Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships and two U.S. Amateurs, playing the role of spectator as son Gary competed. It continued with two players with strong Colorado ties — Michael Schoolcraft and Justin Spray — qualifying for match play. And it ended with largely unheralded and 63rd-seeded Tennesseean Steven Fox winning a final in 37 holes after being 2 down with two holes left. Fox (pictured above with his dad Alan) was the the highest-seeded player to win the U.S. Amateur since the USGA began the seeding process in 1985. About 4,500 fans attended the final day, one of the largest totals in recent U.S. Amateurs. STORY

Honorable Mention: Former University of Colorado athlete Hale Irwin followed the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson in receiving the Nicholson Award given for a lifetime of commitment and dedication to the game of golf. Later in the year, the Hale Irwin Elite Player Program was launched, with the initiative designed to nurture the budding careers of exceptional young golfers in the state. … After Ray Makloski won the CGA Senior Match Play in May, son Jimmy claimed a CGA title of his own (the Junior Stroke Play) in June. Later in the year, University of Denver golfer Andy Yang qualified for the U.S. Amateur shortly after sister Jennifer advanced to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. … Former college hockey standout David Delich won the CGA Senior Stroke Play the week after placing second in the HealthOne Colorado Senior Open, which marked the best finish by an amateur in that event since 1999. … Despite dozens and dozens of entrants both years, Lone Tree Golf Club repeated as champion in the season-long CGA Team InterClub Championship. … Nicole Zhang made it to the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur after qualifying for the event in Colorado. … At age 14, Jordan Sahm of Centennial qualified for U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship. … Cherry Creek’s Mackenzie Cohen, who shot 93 in the first round of the 5A state tourney in 2011, posted a score 26 strokes better in the final round of this year’s meet en route to an improbable victory. … Six-time CGA Player of the Year Rick DeWitt, who had never before competed in an event on the PGA, Champions or Web.com Tours, qualified for the U.S. Senior Open.
 

Indian Tree Golf Course head professional and operations manager Alan Abrams, Foothills Park & Recreation District director of golf Tom Woodard and Jimmy Vickers will be inducted on June 9 as the 41st class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame also will present annual honors to several individuals on that night. Cherry Hills Country Club head professional John Ogden, the host pro for this year’s U.S. Amateur, is Golf Person of the Year. Gail Godbey, a former executive director of the Colorado Open — and founder of the Colorado Women’s Open — as well as being a dedicated volunteer in the game, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. And Rich Langston, who donates many, many hours as a rules official, and Denver Post sports writer Tom Kensler, a respected golf reporter in the state for a couple of decades, will be honored with Distinguished Service Awards.

The three impending inductees will join the 128 people currently in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame.

“I’ve been in Colorado since I was 10 years old, and if I went down the list of those inducted I bet I’d know 90 percent of them,” Woodard said Wednesday. “And I (previously) served on the Hall of Fame selection committee for four or five years, so I know what it takes to get in. It’s one of the biggest accomplishments of my golfing career. To me it says, ‘Job well done’ and that’s huge. It’s outstanding news, and I can’t tell you how excited I am.

“And it’s high cotton (to be voted in with Abrams and Vickers).”

It’s been a big year from an honors standpoint for both Woodard and Abrams. In March, Woodard joined the likes of Charlie Sifford, Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jim Brown and Lee Elder in the National Black Golf Hall of Fame. And on Friday, Abrams will join Danny Harvanek (1990-92) as a three-time Colorado PGA Golf Professional of the Year, the Section’s highest honor.

Woodard, 56, was elected based both on his playing record and for working in the game. As a tournament player, he competed for 2 1/2 years on the PGA Tour, qualified for two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship, and twice was the Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year. He also won a national professional tournament on the United Golfers Association tour in 1979.

Since becoming a club professional in 1986, Woodard has made an impact all around the Denver metro area. He’s served as head professional at City Park (1987-89), Littleton Golf Club (1990), South Suburban (1991-95) and at Buffalo Run (where he was the first head pro in 1996). He was director of golf for the City of Denver from 1997-2006, and has been in the same position at the Foothills District since then.

During his time working for the city of Denver, Woodard co-founded The First Tee of Denver and he served on the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame board.

As a young man, Woodard was one of the first African-Americans to receive the Evans Caddie Scholarship and one of the first to earn Division I All-American status (he was an honorable mention choice at the University of Colorado).

Abrams is well known for his service to the Colorado PGA. He’s a former president of the Section and he currently serves as the chairman of the Colorado PGA Foundation.

The Colorado native, 58, has been a mainstay at Indian Tree since 1980 — initially working for current Hall of Famer Vic Kline — and he’s been head professional at the facility since 1991. During all his years at Indian Tree, Abrams has been one of the state’s leaders in the area of junior golf.

In fact, Abrams is so highly respected in the realm of junior golf development that he was voted national Junior Golf Leader by the PGA of America in 1997.

He was one of the first Colorado professionals to utilize a golf in schools programs to introduce kids to the game during physical education classes. It’s estimated that he’s taught the game to more than 10,000 elementary school students through the program.

And in 1988 his junior golf program at the course was named by Golf Digest to be the best among municipal golf facilities in the nation. Indian Tree’s junior program has been a model for many other facilities in Colorado.

In addition, Abrams was also a lead instructor at national PGA Junior Academies.

As for Vickers — the brother of Jack Vickers, founder of The International PGA Tour event held in Colorado — during the late 1940s and well into the 1960s, he was one of the finest players in the state and region.

Jimmy Vickers won the 1949 and ’50 CGA Match Play Championships while at Regis University, and he claimed the NCAA individual title and the Western Amateur Championship in 1952 while playing for the University of Oklahoma. He also won the Kansas state amateur in 1964 and competed in 15 USGA championships, including several U.S. Opens. He placed fifth in the 1965 U.S. Amateur. Vickers won the World Seniors Championship three times and claimed the pro-am team title — with Leonard Thompson — at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am in 1977.

On the administrative side, Vickers served as a director for the Western Golf Association, the Evans Scholars Foundation and the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association.

And Vickers, now 82, also played a major role in devising the scoring system used for 21 years at The International PGA Tour event in Castle Rock.
 

Denver’s City Park Golf Course, designed by Scotsman Tom Bendelow, is among those that can, as this year it’s joining the centenary club. And in this case, hitting the 100-year milestone is no small matter in the minds of many who have deep roots at City Park.

“I love that course,” said Tom Woodard, a former PGA head professional at City Park, as well as a former director of golf for the City of Denver. “I’ve played at that course more than any other, and I hold the course record of 61. I’ve probably played between 2,000 and 2,500 rounds there. I played there every day all day” as a kid.

This week, Woodard and several other people with longtime ties to City Park will join other prominent members of the Colorado golf community and Denver dignitaries in celebrating City Park Golf Course’s 100th birthday. On Friday (April 27), a “Centennial Season Tee-Off Breakfast” will be held at the facility at 2500 York Street. Invitees will share stories about the course, then hit ceremonial tee shots from the eighth hole, which features some picturesque views of the Denver skyline and the mountains beyond.

It will be the start of a 100-year celebration at City Park. Also on the schedule is a Centennial Tournament on Sept. 1, and a variety of promotions which prominently feature the number 100 in various ways. Though plans haven’t been finalized, City Park head professional Keith Soriano said a time capsule may be buried as part of the Centennial Tournament celebration on Sept. 1.

“To have 100 years of golf played here is incredible,” Soriano said. “It’s a big moment in the history of the course. But it’s also an opportunity to look forward and see where we can take the course and what it can mean to the community in future years. We want it to be a place for everyone.”

Not surprisingly, City Park has a rich history over the last century. Among those who have played the course are former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis, outstanding all-around athlete Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Charlie Sifford and Jonathan Kaye of PGA Tour fame, and 1952 Olympic long jump champion Jerome Biffle.

Some of those players — and many others — were attracted to City Park because it was known as a place where there was plenty of “action” — in other words, where a little cash was known to be exchanged via golf bets.

Another thing that’s made City Park distinctive is the makeup of its players. To put it succinctly, Woodard believes the course is still the most diverse in Denver.

Three people invited to share their thoughts about City Park on Friday certainly know of what they speak. Colorado Golf Hall of Famer and noted Colorado golf historian Dan Hogan won 10 club championships at City Park and claimed the Denver Muni-Links title three times. He was a regular at the course for about a quarter-century beginning in the late 1950s.

Woodard moved to within a couple blocks of the course in 1967. He caddied at City Park, played there daily, and after attending the University of Colorado and spending time as a tour player, he served as City Park’s head professional from 1987 to ’90, and as Denver’s director of golf from 1997 to 2006. Woodard was there long enough that he can remember the days when the head professional — who doubled as the concessionaire — lived in the upstairs of the clubhouse with his wife. And Woodard’s sponsor as a tour player, Willie Kellum, came from City Park-based East Denver Golf Club.

As for Ed Mate, the CGA’s executive director, he grew up playing and practicing at City Park, primarily from 1979 to ’85.

“City Park had two practice greens, and we’d sit out there for hours putting for Cokes,” Mate remembers. “That’s one of my favorite memories. The fewest (cumulative) strokes would win. One time I was down 50 Cokes, and you’d always go double or nothing. I don’t know if anyone ever paid off. But I think that’s one of the reasons I became a pretty good putter.”

Mate recalls how Woodard, who grew up at the club, was held in such high regard, particularly during the 2 1/2 years that he competed on the PGA Tour during the early and mid 1980s.

“He was a legend,” Mate said. “People would get out the sports pages and show his name that was in bold face (in the PGA Tour scores). When he came back, it was like a king returning. For me it was like, ‘Wow, it’s the Tom Woodard everyone is talking about.'”

But long before Woodard gained prominence, Hogan was a renowned player at City Park. He remembers annual home-and-home Denver public links league matches against teams from the other city courses. Hogan, who played in a couple of British Amateurs, was one of the more formidable competitors.

“I had an awful lot of fun out there” at City Park, Hogan said. “There was just so much competition. And it was quite a melting pot (of players from various ethnic backgrounds). At one time they had four men’s clubs out there — the East Denver Golf Club (made up of African-American players), the City Park Men’s Club (white) and two Japanese-American clubs.”

A founding member of the East Denver Golf Club, Judge James Flanigan, helped knock down racial barriers in state golf tournaments when he was refused the right to play in the CGA Match Play Championship in 1961. The next year, the CGA changed its policies and admitted minority clubs, including the East Denver Golf Club.

Coincidentally, one of the notables Mate remembers most from his City Park days was Sam Valuck, who ironically won the 1961 CGA Match Play from which Flanigan was barred.

While many of the various men’s club golfers played with their own groups at City Park, gambling eventually integrated people of different races.

“When I started playing there (in the late 1960s), the men’s clubs were pretty much segregated, but the gambling games weren’t,” said Woodard, now the director of golf for the Foothills Park & Recreation District. “The color of money — green — was the only thing that mattered there. I thought that was pretty amazing.”

Indeed, money games were part of what made City Park famous. Kaye, who has since won twice on the PGA Tour, was among the active participants as a youngster, as were some local professionals and other promising young players.

“The thing I remember most is the gambling games,” Woodard said. “Every Friday and Saturday you could find a game — but you better bring your ‘A’ game. You better be ready to play. If you were a good player from a public course, you eventually made your way to City Park.”

During Mate’s days at the course, one of the better players who was a regular there was CU golfer Darrell Knight.

“He was a guy I idolized,” Mate said. “He was so polished. He was really friendly with the younger kids; he wasn’t too good for you. He and Sam Valuck would hit balls forever. City Park had a driving range where you could shag your own balls, which really added to the communal aspect of the course.”
 

In fact, Woodard had attended the last couple of NBGHF inductions and the accompanying golf tournaments. But the longtime fixture in the Colorado golf community was totally taken aback last September when he received a phone call telling him he would be enshrined into the NBGHF in 2012.

“It was a total surprise,” Woodard recalled in a phone interview this week. “When I got the call I said, ‘Wow, that’s pretty exciting.’ They do a good job. It’s first-class.”

Woodard, for the last five years the director of golf at the Foothills Park and Recreation District, was among three people to be inducted into the Hall of Fame last Saturday in Tampa, Fla. Joining him were Adrian Stills of Pensacola, Fla., and the late Ann Gregory of Gary, Ind.

Coincidentally, Woodard and Stills roomed together on and off for about five years while playing mini tours in Florida in the early 1980s.

“That was special to be inducted with Adrian,” said Woodard (pictured at right in photo with Stills and JoAnn Gregory Overstreet, daughter of Ann Gregory).

Woodard, a 56-year-old resident of Littleton, joins about 140 other inductees into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame. Among the more notable enshrinees are Charlie Sifford, Jackie Robinson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jim Brown, Louis, Lee Elder, Calvin Peete, Jim Dent, Jim Thorpe and Althea Gibson. Woodard, who early in his professional career played in some of the events on the old black tour run by the United Golfers Association, estimates he knows three-quarters of the NBGHF inductees.

Founded in 1986, the organization’s mission is “to recognize and honor the contributions of black golfers for their skills and to honor persons, regardless of race or ethnicity, who have done the most to promote golf in the black communities.”

On induction day, Woodard said about 200 people were in attendance and he received some national media attention, being interviewed by representatives of the Golf Channel and the USGA.

Woodard is gratified to see how, 50 years after African-Americans broke the color barrier on the PGA Tour, many blacks now hold very prominent positions in golf.

“When I was growing up, there were no black role models for me as far as (local) club professionals go,” Woodard said. “Now you have Joe Barrow leading The First Tee nationally. I managed the eight City of Denver golf courses (in the late 1990s until 2006). And a friend of mine is the director of golf for Tampa, Kennie Sims.

“Things have changed. Now there are a lot of African-Americans in positions of power.”

Woodard has been at the forefront among African-Americans in golf on more than one occasion. According to the National Black Golf Hall of Fame, he is believed to be the first black to earn All-American recognition as an NCAA Division I golfer (Woodard was an honorable mention pick as a University of Colorado senior in the late 1970s.) In addition, Woodard said he was the first black recipient of the Evans Caddie Scholarship.

Woodard played for 2 1/2 years on the PGA Tour in the early and mid-1980s and later competed in two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship. He became a club professional in Denver in 1985. Since then, he’s had stints at Wellshire Golf Course (as an assistant pro), and as a head professional at City Park, Littleton Golf Club, South Suburban and Buffalo Run. For the last 15 years, he’s been an area-wide director of golf, first for the City of Denver, and now in the Foothills District.

In addition to his duties as a golf professional, Woodard was a co-founder — along with Dave Kolquist — of The First Tee of Denver.

“As a kid growing up at City Park, Tom Woodard was the man,” said Ed Mate, executive director of the CGA and like Woodard a CU Evans Scholar alumnus. “I remember following him on the PGA Tour when he was playing and when he came back to City Park he always got a hero’s welcome. His induction into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame is very deserving.”