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Forsman, Blake, and Barker Inducted Into Utah Golf Hall of Fame
Nearly three hundred Utah golf leaders packed into the Hidden Valley Country Club banquet room Wednesday and inducted three new members into the already illustrious Utah Golf Hall of Fame.
Dan Forsman and Jay Don Blake, PGA Tour veterans and current stars on the PGA Champions Tour, and amateur Todd Barker were inducted and among the crowd of supporters were six current living members of the Utah Golf Hall of Fame. Billy Johnston flew up from Phoenix to support the night, and Masters Champion Mike Weir also came to pay his respects to the new inductees, along with Mary Lou Baker, Arlen Peacock, Bob Betley, and Ernie Schneiter, Jr.
Lavell Edwards, Hall of Fame football coach, gave the keynote speech and weaved birdie and bogey stories with pass blocking and going deep stories to the delight of the crowd. He made two points in his speech, ‘that he loves golf because it is self policed, the players call fouls on themselves. Can you imagine an offensive lineman going up to an official and saying, “I think I held my opponent on that play?” and his second point was that ‘the difference that separates the superstar from the great physical abilities of nearly everyone on a roster is ‘the way they think.’
Friends and family members of Blake, Forsman, and Barker were plentiful in the crowd. All three thanked their wives and families for their support. Richard Blake, a brother, paid a tribute to Jay Don; Tommy, Forsman’s son and full time caddy, gave a tribute to his dad; and Todd Jr. (T.A.) pointed out in his tribute how being named after his father has accrued to his benefit many times in his life.
In their responses Jay Don focused on his family and their closeness and support. Todd thanked his father for building Fore Lakes Golf Course and setting his life’s path, and his wife and family and friends for their support.
Forsman wrapped up the night with the focus on the fact that he wouldn’t be living in Utah except for falling in love with a beautiful Utah girl, Trudy Holley, whom he married as a result of a chance meeting when she caddied for someone in his group at the Pacific Coast Amateur championship at Riverside Country Club. They settled in Utah and he has been a member of Riverside Country Club for nearly 25 years.
All in all it was a great night for Utah golf and the Utah Golf Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Utah Golf Association and the Utah Section of the PGA, has now been enlarged to 33 members.