In the same week that the CGA marked its official 100th “birthday”, the association celebrated by recognizing six “People of the Century” and by unveiling a keepsake poster (click to view large image) commemorating the last 100 years of Colorado golf.
The CGA was founded on Aug. 20, 1915, when a meeting was held to set up an association that would run the state championships and to appoint the officers for the new organization.
One hundred years later, on Saturday, a centennial kickoff celebration was held at the home of Colorado Golf Hall of Famers Kent and Janet Moore, the honorary chairs for the Nov. 14 Century of Golf Gala that’s set for The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, where Jack Nicklaus will be the featured guest and participate in a fireside chat.
At Saturday’s event, the half-dozen “People of the Century” in Colorado golf that were announced earlier this summer were honored. Those luminaries will also be feted at the Century of Golf Gala at The Broadmoor on Nov. 14. The six honorees are:
Man of the Century — Will Nicholson Jr.
Woman of the Century — Judy Bell
Golf Professional of the Century — Charles “Vic” Kline
Superintendent of the Century — Dennis Lyon
Male Player of the Century — Hale Irwin
Female Player of the Century — Barbara McIntire
For background on the People of the Century, who are pictured at bottom, CLICK HERE.
Five of the six — Nicholson, Bell, Kline, Lyon and McIntire — were on hand for Saturday’s event. Bell and Nicholson are two of the three Coloradans who have served as president of the USGA.
CGA executive director Ed Mate said the six represent “the Mount Rushmore of Golf in Colorado.”
“This is one of those moments where you need to take it all in — to be able to say, ‘I was in the room when these people were honored.'” Mate noted. “I mean, they’re legends of golf in Colorado. Of all the things we could have done to celebrate 100 years, I think this may be the most important, honoring these six people.”
Also on Saturday, the CGA made public a piece of centennial artwork it commissioned — thanks to a generous donation from the Solich Fund — from artist Lee Wybranski.
The poster (pictured at top), entitled “A Century of Golf in Colorado”, features highlights of the last 100 years of golf in the Centennial State. With a mountain backdrop, included are images of Babe Zaharias, Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Annika Sorenstam, all World Golf Hall of Famers who made their mark in the state.
Zaharias, a onetime Denver-area resident, won the 1950 Women’s Western Open, an LPGA Tour event held at Cherry Hills Country Club. Nicklaus captured his first USGA championship in Colorado, the 1959 U.S. Amateur at The Broadmoor. Palmer won his only U.S. Open at Cherry Hills by firing a final-round 65 in 1960, and is depicted tossing his visor in an iconic moment in golf history. And Sorenstam earned her first LPGA title at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open at The Broadmoor.
A timeline noting another 19 pinnacles of Colorado golf history frame the artwork.
“Art is very personal, but for me it’s a home run,” Mate said of the poster. “Trying to marry history and art in a way that comes out tasteful, I think it’s hard to do. But this is the kind of piece that people who love golf will want to put on the wall. I’m very pleased.”
The poster will be an exclusive gift for Century of Golf Gala major donors and will serve as the cover art for the Gala program. All the net proceeds from the Gala — and related activities — will benefit the Colorado Golf Foundation and its mission of youth development through golf.
The Century of Golf art was the creation of Wybranski, a longtime professional artist who has created the official poster for the last eight U.S. Open golf championships, including this year’s at Chambers Bay in Washington. Wybranski, who is based in Flagstaff, Ariz., also painted artwork for the 2015 British Open, PGA Championship and U.S. Amateur, as well as for many earlier major championships.
“One of the hallmarks of my work, I hope, is bold simplicity,” Wybranski said in an interview on his website, leewybranski.com. “I feel like a poster is not a painting. The point of a poster is to grab someone from across the street. These were advertisements in the old days. The point of it is to create an image that grabs someone, makes them want to stop and come closer and see what it is.”
Several major champions have purchased Wybranski’s original posters for their own collections.
“I view this work as a modest contribution to golf history,” Wybranski said.
Also unveiled Saturday was a limited-edition autographed print (left, next to Mate) provided to the CGA by officials at Castle Pines Golf Club, showing Nicklaus shaking hands with runner-up Charlie Coe after their U.S. Amateur final that Nicklaus won at The Broadmoor in 1959. A limited number of the prints, autographed by both Nicklaus and Coe — respectively, the Castle Pines course designer and a former member at Castle Pines — will be sold as part of the Century of Golf celebration, again with the proceeds benefiting the Colorado Golf Foundation.
Overall, Saturday’s kickoff fit the bill as a key initial step in the buildup toward the Century of Golf Gala.
“I think it was mission accomplished,” Mate said. “We’re inside 90 days (until the Gala) so these people (in attendance) who are so well respected in their circles are going to go back and talk about this event and share their excitement.”
The weekend of the Century of Golf Gala will also include a golf outing on Nov. 14 at 10 a.m., at the historic East Course at The Broadmoor, where Nicklaus and Coe squared off 56 years ago. In addition, The Broadmoor is offering a room rate of $100 (plus service charge and taxes) for Century of Golf participants for the night of Nov. 14.
“This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Tom Gysin, a CGA governor and chairman of the Century of Golf Leadership Committee.
The Century of Golf Gala itself will begin on Nov. 14 at The Broadmoor with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and formal program starting at 7 p.m.
To reserve spots at the Century of Golf Gala or for sponsorship opportunities or general information, CLICK HERE. Or you can contact CGA director of development Ryan Smith at rsmith@coloradogolf.org, or at 303-974-2108.
(Below are the “People of the Century” who attended Saturday’s kickoff event: From left, McIntire, Bell, Nicholson, Kline and Lyon. Not pictured: Irwin.)
