Lions Municipal, operated by the city since 1936, was Austin’s first public course. Its rich history includes the 1950 exhibition match involving Ben Hogan, Harvey Penick, Morris Williams Jr. and Ed Hopkins. Upon arriving at the current No. 16 tee, Hogan left a lasting footnote calling the difficult par-4 “the only hole I’ve ever seen without a fairway.”
The course impacted national history the next year when it became the first
municipal facility in the South to racially integrate. The USGA formally
recognized the desegregation as a milestone for the game.
Congratulations to the staff at Lions, the City of Austin and to the numerous supporters of amateur golf in our great city.
Other 2017 inductees include: Kelli Kuehne, Steve Elkington, James E. “Buddy” Cook and Montford T. Johnson Jr.
It took extra holes for Ryan Murphy (pictured left) to outlast Steve Paterson to win the 2017 Cup at Great Hills. Each finished 1-under par (141), with Ryan winning on the second play off hole. Both players were the only ones to finish under par for the tournament. Congratulations to Ryan and thank you to Rick Arnett and his staff at Great Hills C.C. for a great tournament.
Austin Amateur Golf 