Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame

Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame was established in 1987 to recognize Minnesotans for their outstanding contributions to the game of golf. A task force meets annually to determine nominations. The Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame is housed at the Bunker Hills Golf Club in Coon Rapids, Minn., and is operated and supported by the Minnesota Golf Association and the Minnesota Section of the Professional Golfers' Association of America. For more information, contact Jon Mays, MGA executive director, or Jon Tollette, PGA section executive director. 

Nomination deadline: Applications will be accepted on a biennial basis beginning in January 2025. 
 

Hall of Fame Inductees

William F. Brooks

In the early days of Minnesota golf, it would be hard to find anyone as impactful or accomplished as William F. “Bill” Brooks. His golf administrative résumé includes serving as president of the MGA, in 1906-1907, of the Trans-Mississippi Golf Association, in 1916, of the Western Golf Association, in 1920, and as a committee member of the USGA’s Green Section,  from 1922-1927. Brooks had a hand in bringing several major golf tournaments to Minneapolis and The Minikahda Club: the 1910 Western Amateur and an important early success; the 1916 U.S. Open Championship, played west of Illinois for the first time and won by Chick Evans; and  the 1927 U.S. Amateur Championship, where the likes of Bobby Jones and Evans competed, and the former triumphed.

In addition to his administrative acumen and influence, Brooks, a mechanical engineer by trade, was responsible for innovations that pushed the game into the future. He invented an early tractor-mounted mower which was more efficient and cost-effective than horse-powered mowers, and in collaboration with Minikahda’s head greens keeper, Charles Erickson (also posthumously a member of the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame), experimented on a variety of grasses and aerification methods and invented a new fairway sprinkler system affectionately called the “Sea Serpent.”  

Otis J. Dypwick

For the sake of creating and conserving golf history, Minnesota was fortunate to be served by Otis J. Dypwick throughout the latter half of the 20th century. Dypwick was director of sports information at the University of Minnesota from 1944-1976, where he covered Gopher sports including golf for more than 30 years. In this time, he also co-authored numerous books and instructional series about the game, and he is credited with capturing and preserving the swings of the likes of Byron Nelson, Patty Berg, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, and a litany of other great players. In addition, Dypwick served as director of public relations for several golf tournaments hosted in Minnesota, including the U.S. Walker Cup (1957), the Western Amateur (1958, at the Country Club of Florida), the PGA Championship (1959), the Trans-Mississippi Championship (1959 and 1966), the U.S. Women’s Open (1966), and the U.S. Open (1970). Among his many talents, Dypwick created tournament publicity, promotions, and authored the programs associated with these historic competitions. The game in Minnesota was undoubtedly elevated thanks to Dypwick’s deep passion for sharing the game with others.

Dawn Ginnaty

Throughout the 1980s, Ginnaty was a force to be reckoned with in Minnesota golf. She started her career at Edison High School, where she found great success on the course, finishing second in the Minneapolis city high school tournament in both her junior and senior years. At Winona State, where she was persuaded to switch from playing softball to playing golf, she became the team’s top performer in both her junior and senior years. After graduating college, she continued to find success on the golf course. While representing Gross Golf Club (Minneapolis) and Northern Hills Golf Club (Rochester), she accomplished the remarkable feat of winning four consecutive Minnesota Women’s Public Golf Association Championships, from 1983 to 1986. This winning streak has never been duplicated. Additionally, she won the MGA Women’s Amateur Championship (then known as the Minnesota Women’s State Amateur Championship) in 1986 by four-strokes, a notable margin given the level of competition. Clearly, Ginnaty is one of the best players of her time and a well-deserved inductee to the Minnesota Golf Hall of Fame.

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