CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 5, 2010) – Ken Venturi, who is respected for his contributions off the course as much as he was for his achievements during an illustrious professional career, will receive the NGCOA’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Ken Venturi is one of golf’s most admired and beloved personalities and one of the game’s great champions,” said Mike Hughes, CEO of the NGCOA. “This is a well-deserved tribute, and one we are proud to bestow.”
Venturi, 78, will be honored during the NGCOA’s member appreciation and awards event on Feb. 11, during the association’s Annual Conference in San Diego.
During a 10-year professional career that was cut short by injuries, Venturi won 14 times, including the 1964 U.S. Open. Venturi’s only major championship marked an inspiring comeback following an automobile accident and a three-year slump, a time when he contracted carpal tunnel syndrome.
The night before the final 36-hole finish at Congressional CC, Venturi prayed that he would be able to survive the scorching heat and regain the touch that he had in the early days of his career. “I just said, ‘Put the clubs back in my hands one more time, and I’ll find a way to give back,” Venturi recalls. His winning 278 total, accomplished only after a doctor’s examination of a dehydrated Venturi, included closing rounds of 66 and 70.
True to his word, following the end of his competitive career in 1966, Venturi began giving back to the game with his time, money and personality. For 25 years Venturi ran the Guiding Eyes Golf Classic in New York, an event whose proceeds provided Seeing Eye dogs for the blind. He and his wife, Kathleen, have been instrumental in raising millions of dollars for the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation. Venturi also has supported the Kerry Mental Health Association in Ireland and numerous other charities.
Venturi, who overcame a stuttering problem as a teenager, was an analyst on CBS golf telecasts for 35 years and served as a spokesperson for the National Stuttering Foundation.
Venturi, who was a protégé of the legendary Byron Nelson, said he once asked Nelson “how I could repay him for all he had done for me. He said, ‘Just be good to the game and give back.’ I’ve tried to do that.”
The golf industry’s largest gathering of course owners and operators will be held Feb. 8-12 in San Diego. NGCOA members and non-members can register for the Conference at www.ngcoa.org/conference. A $50 early-registration discount is available through Jan. 7.
The NGCOA’s Annual Conference will run concurrently with the 2010 Golf Industry Show, Feb. 10-11, at the San Diego Convention Center. The Golf Industry Show, which is expected to attract more than 625 manufacturers and service providers whose exhibits will cover more than 220,000 net square feet, is presented by the NGCOA, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Club Managers Association of America.
About the NGCOA
The National Golf Course Owners Association is the leading authority on the business of golf course ownership and management. The Association represents the key decision makers with ultimate responsibility for golf courses throughout the world. Through advocacy, information resources, purchasing programs and networking opportunities, the NGCOA helps golf course owners and operators run more successful businesses. For more information, visit www.ngcoa.org or call 1-800-933-4262.
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