News

Sherm Hatfield

Sherm Hatfield, one of Utah golf's longest serving and most popular volunteers will be given the UGA Gold Club Award at the UGA Annual Meeting October 27th at Hidden Valley Country Club it was announced today by UGA President Reed McGregor.

The award is the UGA's highest honor and goes annually to an ‘individual who through significant or unselfish service has contributed to the history and tradition of the game of golf in Utah, and whose personal integrity, sportsmanship, common courtesy, loyalty, and friendship earn him the love and respect of his fellow golfers.'

Sherm's service to golf began at Mountain View Golf Course where he was elected to the men's league board of directors and served as its president for two years. He was honored as Mountain View's Member of the Year in 1981.

In 1985 he was elected to the UGA Board of Directors, a position he held for the maximum nine years and included a stint as President of the UGA in 1994. It was during those years that the UGA launched into the progressive, full service golf association that it is today and Sherm was part of that group of leaders.

During that time he developed a special interest in the Rules of Golf and became one of a cadre of volunteers who developed significant expertise through attending USGA Rules Schools and gaining on course experience through officiating at numerous UGA events.

His officiating for the UGA has included more than 25 years of tournaments, including all of the Utah State Amateurs in those years, and almost a hundred percent at the UGA Winterchamps, Tournament of Champions, and Mid-Am events.

He has also officiated at many high school and college championships, and USGA qualifying events, and was on the Salt Lake County Golf Advisory Board for six years. He served as a co-captain of the Boys Junior Americas Cup teams for many years.

He became particularly expert at marking golf courses for competitions, a volunteer service that requires a full day of painting, staking, and establishing local rules prior to any quality tournament even beginning.

He served as a rules official for many Utah PGA events, including many Utah Opens, and in 2001 was the recipient of the PGA's Bill Howard Award for outstanding service to golf in Utah.

At golf tournaments his cheerfulness, sense of humor, and cooperative spirit are as important as his rules knowledge and players, pros, and volunteers are all happy when Sherm is on the course.

Sherm was born to Carl and Eleanor Hatfield on September 22, 1940 in Bingham Canyon and was raised in West Jordan along with two younger brothers, Roger and Gary, who are also avid golfers, and a sister, Karen, who was killed in a tragic car accident at the age of 16. He graduated from Jordan High in 1958 and began working at Kennecott that year. He entered the army in 1959, training at Fort Ord, California and then on to signal school at Camp Gordon in Georgia. He spent 20 months in Berlin in 1960-61.

He worked at Kennecott as a heavy equipment electrician for 28 years until it closed in 1985. He then worked in the Jordan School District in the maintenance department, retiring in 2004 after 20 years.

He married Joyce Jackson in August of 1962 and they helped build and supervise construction of their first home and have lived in it ever since. They have two sons, Mark and Mike, and four grandchildren.

For over a quarter of a century golf and golfers have been the beneficiary of Sherm's unselfish service, his good will, work ethic, sense of humor, compassion for others, and his insistence on doing things the right way. His trip to the UGA Gold Club Award was like a ride in his jeep, long and slow, but on time.