Toledo District Golf Association celebrates 100 years

Sep. 25—The flow of northwest Ohio golf luminaries populating the Terrace Room at Inverness Club Friday was constant, all there to pay homage to a century of history — names, courses, and events that have shaped golf in the Glass City.

The Toledo District Golf Association's 100th birthday party was a celebration of what made Toledo an amateur golf powerhouse for decades, an authority on golf's complex and sometimes nonsensical rules, and a leader in growing the game.

"A hundred years is a long time and, in the case of the TDGA, it has meant a steady stream of developing the best amateur golfers in the state — names like [Harold] Weber and [R.A. and Frank] Stranahan, father and son, and [Pat] Lindsey, [Denny] Spencer and [Alan] Fadel, and a dozen others," said long-time Blade golf writer and retired sports columnist Dave Hackenberg. "But mostly, and I imagine this was the goal 100 years ago, it has meant the premier local courses opening their doors to top competition that has forged a lot of camaraderie."

It was February, 1921, when nine Toledo businessmen, including S.P. Jermain, known affectionately as "The Father of Toledo Golf," met inside the Chamber of Commerce offices to create an organization that would operate tournaments — among them a city championship and interclub matches — under the rules of the United States Golf Association and issue handicaps for members of each club.

Representatives from Inverness, Toledo Country Club, Sylvania Country Club, and Toledo Golf Club (present-day Ottawa Park) were present, forming the Toledo District Golf Association.

"It's been a great venture," said Marianne Reece, a two-time executive director of the TDGA. "For the size of the Toledo District, we had a pretty good reputation. I'm very proud."

The Toledo District stretches from Toledo to Norwalk, Port Clinton to Van Wert, Lima to Tecumseh, Mich.

A story in the Feb. 2, 1921 edition of the Toledo Daily Blade carried the headline, "Toledo District Golf Association to rule game here." They didn't realize how literal that statement would be.

For 100 years, golf in Toledo has revolved around the TDGA, reaching its peak from the 1970s through the 1990s when tournament entries were cut off soon after invitations went out because fields filled up so quickly.

"Toledo, having Frank Stranahan, and Inverness, and Ottawa Park, and S.P. Jermain, was a leader in golf," said Alan Fadel, whose name is etched in glory throughout the TDGA's record book.

Stranahan, the best amateur golfer in the world during the post-Bobby Jones and pre-Tiger Woods era, is Toledo golfing royalty, unquestionably the city's finest player. He won 51 amateur titles, including two British Ams, and six PGA tour events, having grown up at Inverness under the tutelage of five-time major champion Byron Nelson, the Inverness club professional from 1940-1944.

In 1947, Stranahan finished second at the Masters and British Open. He was runner-up again at the 1953 Open, low amateur a record four times at the Masters, and five times at the British Open.

"If you had the best amateurs to ever play the game of golf and Bobby Jones being No. 1, you could easily make the case that Frank is No. 2 or No. 3," Inverness Club historian Mike McCullough said.

Among the best of the rest of Toledo amateurs is Fadel, an Ohio Golf Hall of Famer, the winner of three Ohio Mid-Amateurs, his last at 59 years old, an Ohio Amateur, and medalist honors at 11 USGA events. He's an 11-time club champion at Inverness and twice won the club championship at Pine Valley, considered by many to be the greatest golf course in the world.

Fadel has qualified for three U.S. Senior Opens and finished in the top 10 of the British Senior Amateur twice. In 2017, he won the Seminole Pro-Member, one of the most competitive tournaments in all of golf, with former Ohio State golfer Bo Hoag.

Off the course, Fadel has been instrumental in the growth of the First Tee of Lake Erie.

"At one time, [the TDGA] was unbelievable," Fadel said. "I played in the finals of the match play with [PGA Tour winner] Pat Lindsey and the finals of the stroke play with guys like Denny Spencer. We had several hundred people who would follow us. Having the local media coverage back then with such great writers like Hal Shanahan and Jim Taylor, and even before them, Toledo has had such a great history of strong journalists supporting the game.

"I think what's happened the past 10 or 15 years, and even 20 years, competitive amateur golf has taken a backseat to social golf. And I think that's hurt the District. Hopefully, people will hold the highest levels of competitive amateur golf in higher regard in the future because it doesn't get the attention it deserves. The professional game doesn't even exist without a robust amateur game."

Golf had only been in the United States for three decades prior to the founding of the TDGA. Jermain built Ottawa Park, the oldest course in the United States west of New York, in 1899. He was involved in the creation of eight area courses — Ottawa Park, Inverness, Bay View Park, Collins Park, Spuyten Duyval, Highland Meadows, Chippewa, and Stone Oak.

One year prior to the formation of the TDGA, Inverness hosted the U.S. Open. One year after the TDGA's birth, Ottawa Park hosted the inaugural U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

"I think a lot of people fail to realize how much history there is in Toledo, not just in terms of S.P. Jermain or Frank Stranahan, but some of the other great players, clubs, events, and people that have come along the way," said Toledo native Justin Kruse, a member of the Northern Ohio Golf Association executive committee. "When you look at the Toledo Golf Hall of Fame and all the names that are in there, you realize how much history there is in Toledo golf, and the Toledo District Golf Association is a big part of that. To celebrate their 100th anniversary is a pretty cool event."

Few people have been as synonymous with the TDGA as Reece, who was honored Friday with her induction into the Toledo Golf Hall of Fame. She's been involved in the association for more than 40 years, serving as executive director for 22. Her attendance at events has been a welcome sight for players who feel comforted by her disarming nature.

"There's no person I'd rather work with," said former TDGA executive director Cliff Siehl.

Rules have been Reece's forte, leading her to officiate college events, including the Division I NCAA women's championships, USGA tournaments, and the Solheim Cup. Her inclusion in the Hall of Fame caps a remarkable career with the TDGA.

"I can't tell you how happy I am because it is the centennial year," Reece said.

In 2021, the TDGA began its consolidation process with the Northern Ohio Golf Association. The combined organization will retain the name of the Northern Ohio Golf Association, which serves 27,000 golfers and 171 member clubs.

The hope among both boards is that consolidation will lead to stronger golf communities and improve the quality of programming and services offered to the region.

"I'm still really proud of the association, and I do think we'll get to be bigger and better with our association with Northern Ohio because they're able with their staff to offer so much more to our members," Reece said.

And for one more night, at the city's grandest venue, the Toledo District Golf Association received a well-earned toast.

"Through the ups and downs of the golf industry and country clubs in the Toledo area, the Association is still going," Kruse said. "It speaks a lot of the people who have been involved and committed a lot of their time. While the TDGA name may eventually fade away, the legacy will continue with the partnership with NOGA for the next 100 years."

First Published September 24, 2021, 9:16pm