Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame
During his twenty-four year tenure as club manager at North Oaks Golf Club, Dick Haugen left an impression on everyone he met. Haugen dedicated himself to his club and its membership and helped provide excellent customer service daily. Outside of his duties at North Oaks, Haugen was also active in the Upper Midwest Club Managers Association of America and served on their Board of Directors for ten years including two terms as President in 2000 and 2011. Haugen also volunteered for the Minnesota Golf Association for over twenty years, serving on several committees including the Rebholz Award and Government Relations committee, and also volunteered as a Tournament official.
Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minn., Gloria Bjork Brandness started playing golf at Keller Golf Course and during the 1950’s was a force in Minnesota Women’s public golf winning the Minnesota Women’s State Public Links four times and finishing runner-up two other times. Brandness also won the Minnesota Women’s amateur in 1956.
Born and raised in Moundsview, Minn., Dan Croonquist began winning championships at an early age by winning the 1975 State High School Championship. Following High School Croonquist continued his winning ways at Arizona State University by winning the 1979 PAC-10 Championship and earning All-America honors. Returning home from college, Croonquist won the Minnesota Golf Champions and Minnesota State Open in 1979 and the Open again in 1980. Croonquist also finished runner-up in the State Open twice and finished in the top ten ten consecutives years. After a short stint as a professional, Croonquist returned to the amateur ranks and won the 1990 Minnesota State Amateur.
Born into a family of talented golfers, Alissa Super won her first state title in 1990 at the Minnesota Junior Girls’ State Championship. She is a three-time women’s state amateur champion, having won the Minnesota Women’s State Amateur three consecutive years, from 1996 to 1998, a two-time Minnesota Women’s State Match Play champion, winning in 1994 and 2000, and was twice honored as the MGA Women’s Player of the Year, in 1998 and 1999. At 26, Super captured her lone national title, advancing through match play at the 1999 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Cherokee Town & Country Club, outside Atlanta, Ga. She beat the 50-year-old veteran Carol Semple Thompson, 3 and 2 in the first round, and never looked back, eventually meeting Leland Beckel in the finals, and winning 1-up.
