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Maryland Golf Hall Of Fame
Class Of 2024

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Ralph Beach, PGA

Head Professional at The Suburban Club

Long-time Head Professional at The Suburban Club, Mr. Beach played an integral role in forming the Middle Atlantic PGA, where he served terms as President in the 1930s and again in the 1940s.  He won a Maryland Open, two MAPGA stroke play championships, one MAPGA match play championship, and three MAPGA Senior titles in a row. He played in eight PGA Championships, twice making match play, eight US Opens, making the cut three times, and fifteen Senior PGA Championships, making the cut seven times, finishing third in 1953.

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Emmet Gary

Maryland State Golf Association

Mr. Gary served as Secretary and as Executive Director of the Maryland State Golf Association, executing all operations from 1930-1961, an era when state golf associations established the rules of golf.  Under Mr. Gary’s leadership, the MSGA was one of the first associations to abolish the stymie rule and to limit the number of clubs a player may carry to 14.  Mr. Gary wrote the first book on the history of the MSGA in 1938. In 1969, the MSGA named a scholarship in his honor. This scholarship remains active today and has benefited more than 170 University of Maryland’s Agronomy School students.

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Albert R. Green, PGA

Head Professional at Dwight D. Eisenhower Golf Course

In 1969, Mr. Green became the first African American head professional in Maryland at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Golf Course near his hometown of Annapolis. Throughout his career, he also served as Director of Golf at the Bahamas Princess Hotel and Casino, Head Professional at Langston GC in Washington D.C., and Head Professional at Lake Arbor. He had a leadership position with Lee Elder Enterprises before returning to Eisenhower as Head Teaching Professional until his full retirement in 2019. During his playing career, he won over 50 professional titles, including the MAPGA Senior Championship in 1991 and the PGA Tour Disney Team Championship in 1975, with Lee Elder as his partner. Mr. Green played in three US Opens and was the first African American to participate in the PGA Club Pro Championship. Mr. Green is a member of the National Black Golf Hall of Fame.

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Pat Kaufman

National Golf Club

Pat is considered by many to be one of the greatest advocates and leaders of Women’s Golf in Maryland.  She served as Chairman of the Committee on Maryland Women’s Golf until the MSGA created the MSGA Women’s Division in 1995, where she served as President for its initial four years. She was an officer of the Women’s District of Columbia Golf Association for eight years, including two years as President.  She served on many USGA Committees, such as Regional Affairs, the Women’s Committee, and Chaired the Women’s Mid-Amateur before being named to the USGA Executive Committee.  She was also a member of the USGA Rules Committee and Chairman of the Joe Dey Award and Senior Amateur Championship.  Pat has been a local rules official for all the area associations and has officiated more USGA Opens, Amateurs, and Juniors than she can count. Pat has served as a rules official at the Curtis Cup and The Masters. She has been recognized with many awards, including the MSGA-WD Distinguished Service Award, WDCGA Sharon Briggs Award for Distinguished Service, and Membership in the Middle Atlantic Golf Association Hall of Fame.

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Andrea Kraus

Woodholme Country Club

Andrea has won 17 MSGA Titles, including an MD Junior and an MD Open, three Amateurs, three Mid Amateurs, and three Senior Amateurs (winning all three in 2012).  She is a 13-time Baltimore Metropolitan Champion. She qualified for 39 USGA Championships and was runner-up in the 2016 USGA Sr. Amateur.  Andrea is a three-time champion of the Ione Jones Doherty Championship, thought by many to be the second most prestigious senior amateur championship in the US. Andrea played college golf for both the women’s and men’s teams at Yale, and was an assistant coach for the Towson University Women’s Golf Team in 2014.

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William "Bill" K. Smith

Hillendale Country Club

Served the MSGA for over 35 years, including as Executive Director from 2001-2020. Under Bill’s steadfast leadership, the MSGA migrated from a volunteer organization to a professionally organized and operated Association with full-time employees, interns, and countless volunteers.  Bill is a Member of the MAGA Hall of Fame, received the 2014 Golf Leader Award from the National Golf Course Owners Assoc., and in 2017, the USGA recognized his contributions to the game by awarding him with the Isaac B. Grainger Award and the MSGA named the Past President event and trophy in his name. Most recently, Bill published the book Maryland State Golf Association, Celebrating 100 Years.

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Bill "Coach" Strausbaugh, PGA

Columbia Country Club

Served 39 years as Head Professional in Maryland and served 27 of those years as the second head professional at Columbia Country Club—a member of the World Golf and Teacher’s Hall of Fame. Within the ranks of PGA leadership, Coach served on the National Education Committee and Chaired the National Club Relations Committee.  Nationally, he won the PGA’s Professional of the Year honor in 1966, the Horton Smith Trophy in 1983, and the Teacher of the Year Award in 1992. Bill Strausbaugh is the only one to have been awarded all three. The National Golf Foundation granted him the Joe Graffis Award in 1977. The PGA of America and the MAPGA have awards named in his honor.

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Jesse "Jess" W. Sweetser

Burning Tree Club

Won the 1920 National Intercollegiate Championship (precursor to the NCAA Championship), was runner-up in 1921 as a teenager, and finished 11th in 1921 in the US Open.  In 1922, Sweetser won the USGA Amateur, defeating Chick Evans at The Country Club, and was the first American to win the British Amateur Championship in 1926 at Muirfield.  He was a part of eight Walker Cup teams, two times as Captain. He played on three Walker Cup teams with Maryland Golf Hall of Fame member Roland Mackenzie and served as captain to fellow Maryland Hall of Fame member, Marty West. Mr. Sweetser was Treasurer and served on the Executive Committee of the USGA.  In 1986, he was presented the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the USGA, in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf.

References

  1. Ralph Beach, PGA: “PGA of America - Middle Atlantic Section Hall Of Fame.” Middle Atlantic PGA,   mapga.com/about-us/hall-of-fame/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.

  2. ‌Emmet Gary: Maryland State Golf Association

  3. Al Green, PGA: Staff, AAGD. “Al Green, PGA, MAPGA Member Passes Away.” African American Golfer’s Digest, 25 Feb. 2022, africanamericangolfersdigest.com/al-green-pga-mapga-member-passes-away/.

  4. Pat Kaufman: USGA Digital Archive 

  5. Andrea Kraus: USGA Digital Archive

  6. Bill "Coach" Strausbaugh, PGA: Middle Atlantic Golf Association. “Hall of Fame: Middle Atlantic Golf Association.” Middle Atlantic Golf Association | Promoting and Serving Golf in the Middle Atlantic since 1902, www.middleatlanticga.org/about-maga/hall-of-fame/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2024.

  7. William "Bill" Smith: Maryland State Golf Association

  8. ‌Jess Sweetser: USGA Digital Archive

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