NCPGA FOUNDATION STORIES OF HOPE

2022HallofFame

JOHN FRY WAS BORN INTO THE GOLF BUSINESS. HIS FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THE GOLF BUSINESS FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, STARTING AS CADDIES IN WASHINGTON IN 1910. JOHNS FATHER DICK FRY AND HIS FOUR BROTHERS WERE ALL GOLF PROFESSIONALS AND DICK WAS HEAD GOLF PROFESSIOANAL AT LAKE CHABOT GOLF COUIRSE IN OAKLAND. JOHN GREW UP AT LAKE CHABOT ALONGSIDE CONTEMPORARIES LIKE CHAMPAGNE TONY LEMA. HE PLAYED GOLF FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO AND WAS LATER INDUCTED INTO THEIR HALL OF FAME. JOHN BEGAN COMPETING AS AN AMATEUR WINNING THE OAKLAND CITY CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1953 AND THE HAYWARD CITY CHAMPIONSHIP IN 1954. HE TURNED PROFESSIONAL IN 1957, WORKING AS AN APPRENTICE AT LAKE CHABOT. AFTER A STINT IN THE ARMY, HE RETURNED TO LAKE CHABOT TO WORK FOR HIS FATHER. HE BECAME HEAD PROFESSIONAL AT HARDING PARK GOLF COURSE IN 1967…SERVING UNTIL 1978.

DURING THOSE YEARS HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE NCPGA BOARD OF DIRECTORS SERVING AS PRESIDENT IN 1974. FRY REMEMBERS THE SECTION HAVING ONLY ONE EMPLOYEE AT THE TIME IN A SMALL OFFICE IN JACK LONDON SQUARE. AFTER LEAVING HARDING PARK, HE OPENED FRY SPORTS NEAR THE SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT OFFERING GOLF AND TENNIS EQUPIMENT. DURING THAT TIME FRY SPORTS BECAME A FREQUENT STOP FOR WORLD WIDE TRAVELERS INCLUDING JOHNNY MILLER, ERNIE ELS, SCOTTY CAMERON AND MORE. HE RAN THE STORE UNTIL 2005 RETIRING AT THE AGE OF 71.

2022HallofFame

FRY LOOKS BACK WITH PRIDE AT BEING A 60 YEAR PGA MEMBER AND BEING IN THE GOLF BUSINESS IN WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS THE GOLDEN YEARS BETWEEN ARNOLD PALMER AND TIGER WOODS. GOLF MADE HUGE STRIDES IN BUILDING NEW COURSES, MERCHANDISING AND DEVELOPING NEW EQUIPMENT.

JOHN AND HIS WIFE CARMEN HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR 61 YEARS AND THEY ARE PARENTS TO ONE SON AND TWO DAUGHTERS.

JOHN FRYS’ LIFE HAS BEEN A LIFE WELL LIVED AND THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA IS PROUD TO WELCOME JOHN FRY, A PGA LIFE MEMBER, INTO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA HALL OF FAME.

2022HallofFame

SHIM LA GOY HAS BEEN A DISTINGUISHED PGA MEMBER SINCE 1978. THE PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL GOT HIS START AT SHELBY COUNTRY CLUB IN SHELBY, OHIO. HE IS A SECOND-GENERATION PGA MEMBER, SERVING IN HIS 44TH YEAR…A MILESTONE ALSO GAINED BY HIS FATHER RAY LA GOY, JR. STRICKEN WITH POLIO AS A CHILD, SHIM WAS LEFT WITH A LIMP THAT HASN’T GOTTEN IN THE WAY OF A DECORATED CAREER. HE PLAYED IN THE UNITED STATES SENIOR OPEN, QUALIFYING WHILE WALKING AND WALKING IN THE TOURNAMENT. SHIM SERVED AS HEAD GOLF PROFESSIONAL AT ORINDA COUNTRY CLUB FOR TWENTY-THREE YEARS. ALONG THE WAY, HE WAS AWARDED THE NCPGA PATRIOT AWARD, TWICE NAMED NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR, AND WAS NAMED NCPGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR.

IN HIS TIME AT ORINDA COUNTRY CLUB, HE FACILITATED COUNTLESS CHARITABLE EVENTS BENEFITING JOHN MUIR MEDICAL CENTER, CAL GOLF, ALS, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, SUTTER HOSPITALS, MARY READ BREST CANCER CENTER, FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION, AND MORE.

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SIN 1980, HE ORGANIZED WHAT WAS MOST LIKELY THE FIRST EVER GOLF MARATHON CHALLENGE. SET TO PLAY 100 HOLES IN ONE DAY IN OHIO’S HUMIDITY. SPURRED ON BY PLEDGES AND SUPPORT FROM MEMBERS SHIM PLAYED AN ASTONISHING 210 HOLES FINISHING 1 OVER PAR FOR HIS EFFORTS. HE HAS MAINTAINED THAT CHALLENGE WHICH CONTINUES TODAY. UPON HIS RETIREMENT FROM ORINDA COUNTRY CLUB, HE WAS AWARDED AN HONORARY MEMBERSHIP WHICH KEEPS SHIM’S HAND IN THE GAME. HE HAS BEEN MARRIED TO HIS WIFE LINDA FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS AND IS THE FATHER OF THREE SONS AND A DAUGHTER. IN CONSIDERING HIS LIFE, SHIM COUNTS HIS FAMILY INCLUDING HIS CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AS WHAT GIVES HIM THE MOST AMOUNT OF PRIDE.

IHE ADDS THAT DURING HIS TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA, THEY EMBARKED ON BREAKING THE THRESHOLD WITH THE FIRST WOMAN OFFICER, WHO WENT ON TO BE A NATIONAL DIRECTOR. HE IS PROUD OF HIS STAND ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AND SAYS THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION IS ON THE CUTTING EDGE. IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE AND ADMIRATION, THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SECTION OF THE PGA OF AMERICA WELCOMES PAUL “SHIM” LA GOY INTO THEIR HALL OF FAME.

2022HallofFame

SUE FISCOE, PGA, WAS BORN IN SYRACUSE, NEW YORK WITH AN IMMEDIATE LOVE OF HORSES AND HORSEBACK RIDING. HER FATHER WAS AFRAID SHE WOULD GET INJURED FROM RIDING HORSES, SO SHE TOOK UP GOLF AND NEVER LOOKED BACK. SHE MOVED TO HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, AND THE PALMETTO DUNES OCEANFRONT GOLF COURSE IN THE ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT. AND CONTINUED TO PLAY GOLF. FROM 1977 TO 1980 SUE PLAYED ON THE MINI TOUR THEN AND THEN MOVED TO CALIFORNIA, BEGINNING HER PGA GOLF CAREER AT PALO ALTO MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE WHERE SHE WORKED WITH BRAD LAZARES, AS ASSISTANT GOLF PROFESSIONAL. SUE BECAME A PGA MEMBER IN 1995.

SHE ENJOYED GOLF AND ITS WORLD SO MUCH, SHE FOUNDED FM GOLF MANAGEMENT COMPANY AND WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO CREATE A GOLF MANAGEMENT COMPANY. THE COMPANY WAS A SUCCESS AND FOR 23 YEARS, UNTIL 2013, FM GOLF MANAGEMENT MANAGED THREE GOLF COURSES IN MODESTO, CALIFORNIA.

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IN 2002, SUE WAS ELECTED TO THE NCPGA BOARD OF DIRECTOR AND IN 2006 SHE WAS THE FIRST FEMALE SECTION PRESIDENT IN THE PGA OF AMERICA. SHE DIDN’T STOP BREAKING BARRIERS EITHER, AS SHE WAS NAMED NCPGA DISTRICT DIRECTOR IN 2009, BECOMING THE FIRST WOMAN TO MOVE ON TO THE PGA OF AMERICA NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS. SHE WAS NAMED NCPGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR 2007, SUE THEN RAN FOR SECRETARY OF THE PGA OF AMERICA AND WAS ACKNOWLEDGED BY PRESIDENT SUZY WHALEY FOR PAVING THE WAY.

TO ADD TO HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS, SUE BECAME A LPGA CLASS A MEMBER, THEN LPGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL IN 1981, LPGA SECTION PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR IN 2003 AND AGAIN IN 2011. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA IS PROUD TO WELCOME SUE FISCO, PGA TO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA HALL OF FAME.

2022HallofFame

MIKE RAWISTER WASN’T ALWAYS THE “GOLF DOCTOR” OR EVEN INTERESTED IN GOLF. ORIGINALLY FROM CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND, MIKE MOVED TO MICHIGAN AND PLAYED BASEBALL THROUGH COLLEGE AND EVEN AS A SEMI-PROFESSIONAL. GOLF DIDN’T ENTER HIS LIFE UNTIL LATER, BUT EVENTUALLY HE GRAVITATED TOWARDS THE INDUSTRY WHERE HE’D BUY HIS FIRST OF TWO SAN JOSE COURSES 53 YEARS AGO.

THE GOLF COURSE OWNER, GURU SERVED IN THE AIR FORCE ON ACTIVE DUTY IN 1963 JUST TWO YEARS AFTER HIS FIRST HIGH END DEVELOPMENT ROLE AT PEACOCK GAP GOLF COURSE IN 1960 WITH BOB FINN. HIS FIRST THREE WEEKS ON DUTY, THE PUEBLO INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE HE WAS AT HAMILTON AIR FORCE BASE IN MARIN, CALIFORNIA. HE’D LATER RETURN TO GOLF AFTER HIS DUTY ENDED.

2022HallofFame

MIKE RETURNED TO THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA AT MARIN COUNTRY CLUB, THEN MOVED TO, WHAT IS NOW CALLED METROPOLITAN GOLF CLUB, IN OAKLAND. HE OPENED A STORE WITH BUSINESS PARTNER, DON SHERWOOD IN 1975 IN SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. MIKE HAD HIS ROOTS IN THE GOLF WORLD NOW AS HE EARNED A SPORTS ILLUSTRATED AWARD, MERCHANDISER OF THE YEAR IN 1987 AND WAS PRESIDENT OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PGA FROM 1993 TO 1994. DURING HIS TIME WITH THE NCPGA, HE NEGOTIATED FOR SADDLE CREEK GOLF COURSE TO BE HOME COURSE OF THE SECTION.

IN 2011, HE WAS INTERESTED IN CUTTING HORSES AND TRAVELED TO PASO ROBLES BUT DIDN’T LEAVE BEFORE BUYING PASO ROBLES COUNTRY CLUB OUT OF BANKRUPTCY. TO BOOST THE CLUB, HE HIRED FOUR PGA MEMBERS WHO PREVIOUSLY HAD LEFT THE INDUSTRY AND ADDED FINN AS WELL AS JIM MCGRATH TO THE TEAM.