The state’s golf associations jointly announced a “Golf in Schools” initiative Saturday that will introduce the game to students in physical education classes, beginning this year.
Conducted by the Colorado PGA section, the program has a 2011 goal of reaching as many as 3,000 students in 20 schools, from elementary level to high school. The plan is to add 10 schools per year to the program during the subsequent four years. Two club professionals from the Colorado PGA will be involved with each P.E. class.
Golf in Schools will be funded by the Colorado PGA Foundation and Colorado Open Golf Foundations sponsors.
Colorado announces new Hall members.
Touring players Mark Wiebe and Paul Runyan highlight the newest class of the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Also elected were club professionals Kyle Heyen of Hiwan Country Club in Evergreen and former Riverdale director of golf Bob Doyle.
A native Californian, Wiebe moved to Denver 25 years ago and has won twice each on the regular PGA Tour and the Champions (seniors) Tour. Runyan, a winner of 53 tour titles, served as head professional and teaching pro at Green Gables Country Club for 19 years, until 1983. He retired to California, where he died in 2002 at age 93. A native of Arkansas, Runyan was a two-time Ryder Cup player and participated in the inaugural 1934 Masters, finishing third.
In 2009, Heyen, Hiwan’s director of golf, became the first Coloradan to be awarded the PGA of America’s President’s Plaque given for contributions to player development. Doyle helped to develop the Riverdale Golf Courses into one of the nation’s top public 36-hole facilities. Heyen and Doyle are past presidents of the Colorado Section of the PGA.
