Pat Browne Jr.

Golfer

Inducted 2008

  Pat attended Jesuit High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was born and raised. A captain of the basketball team and two-year letterman in baseball, Pat received numerous accolades while at Jesuit, including All State honors and election to the American Legion All Star Team, where he hit a league-leading batting average of .484.

  After graduating in 1950, Pat continued his athletic success at Tulane University, where he lettered three times in both golf and basketball and was named Captain of each team for two years. During his senior year, Pat set the single-game scoring record for Tulane Basketball. Upon receiving his Law Degree from Tulane in 1956, he practiced law for eighteen years in New Orleans, before becoming President and C.E.O of Hibernia Homestead Bank, an office which he held for thirty years. He is presently the Chairman of the Board.

  In 1966, Pat lost his sight and sustained multiple injuries as a result of an automobile accident. After a long recovery process, he was introduced to the idea of blind golf by his close friend, Henry Sarpy. A 2-handicap prior to his accident, Pat’s return to golf proved to be a difficult transition, but after a few years of struggles, he eventually won his first USBGA National Championship with Henry as his coach in 1975. Thereafter, beginning in 1978, Pat and his coach, Gerry Barousse, won the USBGA National Championship 20 consecutive years. On two other occasions, Pat won the USBGA National Championship, one of which was with David Clark as his coach, and, most recently in 2005, with his son Patrick at his side.

  At the Ken Venturi Guiding Eyes Golf Classic, which has been referred to as the “Masters of Blind Golf” due to its invitational nature, Pat and multiple coaches have been the champion 18 times, 16 years consecutively. The most recent of these victories took place in 2007, with his son Patrick as his coach. In his blind golf career, Pat, through the aid of many dear coaches, has 65 blind golf victories around the world. Pat recorded the lowest four consecutive rounds ever by a blind golfer, shooting rounds of 75, 74, 79, and 75 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Palm Springs, California. He and Gerry Barousse shot 85 at St. Andrews and 80 at Pinehurst, as well as recording the lowest ever nine holes of competitive blind golf, shooting an even par 36 on the back nine of the USBGA National Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina.

  In 1990, Pat and Gerry played a 9 hole exhibition match with two-time U.S. Open Champion, Payne Stewart, in which Payne blindfolded himself for the entire match and played with the aid of a coach. Payne shot 62 and Pat and Gerry managed to shoot 42.  Pat has been elected to the Tulane University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Sugar Bowl

Athletic Hall of Fame and the Louisiana State Sports Hall of Fame.

  In 1988, the United States Golf Writers Association presented Pat with the Ben Hogan Award in Augusta, Georgia during the Masters. This award is presented to a golfer who has overcome great adversity. In 2007, New York Metropolitan Golf Writers Association presented Pat with the Mary Bea Porter Award, which “recognizes an individual in golf who, “through a heroic or humanitarian act, saves or betters the lives of others.”  Pat is father to three daughters and one son, and has seven grandchildren. He lives in New Orleans with his wife, Sherry.

  The United States Blind Golf Association is proud to recognize and induct Pat Browne, Jr. into its 2008 class of the Hall of Fame.

Gerry Barousse

Coach

Inducted 2008

 Gerry Barousse was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he attended Country Day School and was the Louisiana State Junior Golf Champion. He later attended Washington and Lee University, where he was an All American golfer. In 1977, he became Pat Browne Jr.’s blind golf coach. In their first year of competition at the USBGA National Championship, they lost in a playoff to David Meador. Thereafter, 1978 was the first of twenty consecutive victories with Pat, an accomplishment unmatched by any other coach in blind golf history.

  Gerry has also coached Pat to numerous other blind golf victories around the world and is considered by many to be the best blind golf coach of all time. In 1997, Gerry retired in order to spend more time with his family. He is the Senior Partner of a successful real estate development company in New Orleans. Gerry is married and has three daughters.

  The United States Blind Golf association is proud to recognize and induct Gerry Barousse into its 2008 class of the Hall of Fame.

Ken Venturi

Friend of Blind Golf and the USBGA

Inducted 2008

To anyone born after about 1955, Ken Venturi is best known as the decades-long lead golf analyst for CBS Television. But before he was a great broadcaster, Venturi was a great golfer, one whose career was cut short by injuries, and was bookended by a famous failure and a famous success.  As an amateur in 1956, Venturi took the first-round lead at The Masters, and held a 4-shot lead going into the final round. But in that final round, Venturi three-putted six times and shot 80, winding up as runner-up to Jack Burke Jr. That round was one of the toughest scoring days ever at the Masters. Venturi's score was only a couple above the field average.

  In 1964, Venturi battled through severe dehydration and heat exhaustion on a 36-hole, 100-degree final day at the U.S. Open, nearly collapsing on the course, but hanging on to win his only major championship.

  Born in 1931 Venturi grew up in California. He had a severe stuttering problem as a youth, and enjoyed spending hours alone on the golf course. As a 13-year-old, Venturi followed Byron Nelson at a tournament and Nelson became his hero - and later, Nelson became his mentor and his Ryder Cup captain at the 1965 matches.  Venturi won the California State Amateur titles in 1951 and '56, and after his near miss at the '56 Masters he placed 8th at the U.S. Open. He turned pro at the end of 1956, and soon had two more near misses at The Masters, finishing fourth in 1958 and second in 1960.

  Although he didn't win The Masters in 1958, Venturi did lead the PGA Tour with four victories that year. He won at least twice each year from 1957 through 1960, but not again for three years following an auto accident in 1961.  Then he won three more times in 1964, including the U.S. Open. However, by this time Venturi was suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists. Surgery improved the condition, and he won once more in 1966, but Venturi's career was essentially over at age 33 following the 1964 season.

  His awards included; PGA Player of the Year, 1964; Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, 1964; Member, U.S. Ryder Cup team, 1965; Captain, U.S. Presidents Cup team, 2000; Member, U.S. Walker Cup team, 1953

  He joined CBS in 1967 and remained the network's lead golf analyst until 2002. It was a remarkable career development given his childhood stuttering problems. Venturi was a highly popular broadcaster, especially teaming with play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall. Venturi's 35 years with CBS made him the longest-serving lead analyst in sports broadcasting history.

  Venturi captained the U.S. team to a victory in the Presidents Cup in 2000. In 2004, his autobiography, "Getting Up and Down: My60 Years in Golf," was published. His name is attached to a series of golf instructional schools.

  He ran the Guiding Eyes Golf Classic, an event that raised money for providing guide dogs to the blind, for 27 years.  He not only lent his name, but he attended each event and continues to be a true friend of blind golf.

  The United States Blind Golf Association is proud to recognize and induct Ken Venturi into its 2008 class of the Hall of Fame.

Rotary International

Friend of Blind Golf and the USBGA

Inducted 2008

The United States Blind Golf Association has been fortunate to have Rotary Club International play a part in its history. Numerous times Rotarians volunteered to host and run the Blind Golf National Championship. They helped the USBGA continue its tradition of annually providing a golf tournament for its membership to decide the best blind golfers.

The Rotary Club was established in 1905 and derived its name from rotating meetings between member’s offices. Within 20 years it had expanded world wide and adopted the name Rotary International.  In order to promote international educational and cultural exchanges it formed UNESCO in 1942 and went on to serve in the United Nations Charter conference. Today Rotary International   addresses new challenges such as environmental degradation, illiteracy, world hunger, and children at risk.

Rotarians have a code of ethics which was developed in 1943.  Two of the phrases in the code were exemplified when Rotarians took part in the USBGA National Championship. There code challenged them to answer questions about their service. 1: Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? And 2: Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? Of course, the answer to these questions is a resounding yes. The service to the USBGA resulted in additionally benefitting many other people and causes supported by the events. Funds raised through Rotarian support of the Blind Golf National Championship helped other non-profit organizations as well as local Rotary Club projects.

During the 1970s, 80s, and beyond locations from Louisiana to Pennsylvania and from Florida to California national tournaments were supported by Rotarians. On two occasions major international match play events were successfully held because of a Rotary Club’s commitment to blind golfers. Through the years Rotarians certainly answered the questions about how well their involvement benefitted all and how it developed good will and friendship.

Rotary International’s motto “service above self,” has made a significant difference in the lives of many blind and vision impaired golfers. The United States Blind Golf Association is proud to recognize and induct Rotary International into its 2008 class of the Hall of Fame. The plate on the Hall of Fame trophy very appropriately reads: “Friend of the USBGA”.