Every year at the Haggin Oaks Golf Expo, one of the most important events held is The First Tee of Greater Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
This ceremony is held to recognize some of the most influential people in the local golf industry for all they have done by inducting them into the TFTGS Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame where their achievements will be remembered for years to come.
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame looks to recognize those individuals who shaped the game of golf in Sacramento and the recipients in 2019 were no exception. This year’s winners had accomplishments ranging from making significant strides in introducing golf to disabled youth to bringing a whole golf course to the Sacramento area. The people listed below have all had an incredible impact on the game of golf and we are so thankful for all they have done.
Mike Green
Mike is the head golf pro at Del Paso Country Club where he has worked since the early 80s. Since he was hired on he has been involved in many initiatives that have contributed to Del Paso’s mission of serving the community. He has lead and or been involved in a number of events that have raised millions of dollars, including the Swing at Cancer Pro-Am, Del Paso’s Charity Golf Marathon, Del Paso’s Pro-Am Fore Kids, the 2015 U.S. Senior Open and the Del Paso Foundation.
William Land
William land was a reserved local businessman who, due to his success, gave the city of Sacramento over half a million dollars to better the lives of the people of the area. When he died at the age of 74, he left $250,000 to the city of Sacramento to build a new park that eventually became the William Land Golf Course where hundreds of golfers now get to come and enjoy a beautiful game of golf every year. At the TFTGS Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame Ceremony, this award was received by City Council Member, Steve Hansen.
Lanie Case
Lanie is famous for creating extremely successful programs for youth and people with special needs or disabilities. One of her greatest accomplishments was the creation of the first and largest Special Olympics golf program in the country called The California Eagles. In this program, people with disabilities are given the opportunity to experience and enjoy the game of golf through both emotional and physical assistance. These programs and Lanie’s efforts to create more interest from youth in golf has had a great impact on many people’s lives.
Frank Freer
Frank was committed to and involved in advancing the game of golf for over 50 years. He was the Tournament Director for the California State Fair Golf Championship for almost 30 years where he worked tirelessly to make it better year after year. He was also the chairman of the 1963 USGA Men’s National Public Links Championship, served on the NCGA Board of Directors from 1962 – 1968. and was a USGA Sectional Qualifying Committeeman of the National Public Links from 1964 – 1995. This year, his award was accepted by his daughter, Debbi.
Ed Vasconcellos
Ed committed over 30 years of his life to running a number of different operations at the Diamond Oaks Golf Course in Roseville as well as overseeing dozens of amateur events including the longtime David Oxley Memorial Junior Championship, one of JGANC’s premier events. In addition to his work at Diamond Oaks, Ed also worked a lot with the First Tee of Greater Sacramento to create a number of youth events that helped develop and nurture a love for the game of golf in a younger generation.
Bob Burns
Bob Burns was a sports enthusiast who eventually became a writer for the Sacramento Bee where he covered events like the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four and every local golf event in Greater Sacramento for over 10 years. He had a very close connection to Haggin Oaks through the stories he wrote and, according to Morton Golf’s CEO, Ken Morton Sr., he was one of the greatest golf writers of his time!
Overall, the 2019 TFTGS Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony had six very impactful inductees who joined the Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame for some incredible accomplishments in the progression of the game of golf. They definitely deserve it and we are thankful for all they have done over the years to allow even more people to be introduced to and fall in love with the game of golf.
To learn more about the Sacramento Golf Hall of Fame, visit
http://www.sacramentogolfhalloffame.com/
