Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame: Ceremony, tournament proceeds benefit youth programs

Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Foundation is seeking nominees for induction into the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame.

Rick Grayson, president of the nonprofit foundation, said the hall of fame was "created to honor the golf legends of the Ozarks who did so much that was instrumental in making the game so popular in southwest Missouri."

To be eligible, an individual needs to live within 100 miles of Springfield or to have been born in Springfield, and to have made major contributions to the game of golf. The hall of fame display is at Rivercut Golf Course.

This is the second year for the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame and the third year for the Heart of the Ozarks Junior Golf Foundation.

The foundation provides funding for various programs, including the Betty Allison Junior Golf Course, purchasing golf bags for the Horton Smith Cup team and scholarships to high school golfers. The boy and girl Golfers of the Year each received a $1,500 scholarship.

Three hundred people attended the Hall of Fame induction dinner last year. Six people were inducted: Horton Smith (won 1934 and 1936 Masters); Sam Reynolds (35-year-golf professional at Hickory Hills Country Club); Dorl Sweet (25-year-golf professional at Grandview); Ken Lanning (ran one of the biggest junior golf tournaments in Missouri for 25 years); Bill Stewart (won Missouri State Amateur Championship twice); and Joyce Mahoney (won City Championship 18 times).

Money raised from the hall of fame and the accompanying Pro-Am tournament is put back into junior golf in southwest Missouri, Grayson said.

"I'm not terribly fond of all these halls of fame and everybody standing up and saying how great they've been.

"What I am interested in is raising funds for kids and having some sort of regular machinery in place in order to do it that makes it fun and gets people involved," Mahoney said.

Youth programs

The Betty Allison Junior Golf Course is a free four-hole children's course, Grayson said.

"Most of the holes are real short so we get a tremendous amount of young kids ages 5 to 7 some may be older but are just beginning as golfers," Grayson said.

"Junior golf is very active. There are more junior tournaments, more participation in the junior tournaments now than there ever has been. Kids are starting at a younger age, being more accomplished, and are good golfers at an early age."

Mahoney helps with the Girls' Junior Golf Program at Rivercut. The program allows girls to receive 12 hours of golf instruction for $20.

"It's amazing how much the girls have taken to golf through this program that we started. They all seem to just really enjoy it. We feel as though we've come a long way. It's going to be slow and uphill but so many people volunteered their time, and Rivercut is a perfect place for them to start because they have the Betty Allison Junior Golf Course," Mahoney said.

More information

For more information on the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony on Sept. 26, or to submit a nomination for the hall of fame, call Rick Grayson at 417-823-7888. For information on the Ozarks Golf Hall of Fame Pro Am Tournament on Sept. 26, call Steve King at 417-891-1645.