BUCKINGHAM — Following the completion of play at the 32nd annual Lake County Open Golf Championship on Saturday, Buckingham PGA professionals Mark Wotherspoon and Ted Matilla hosted an awards ceremony for the newly formed Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit Hall of Fame.
The local golf Hall of Fame honored its first class in this, the circuit’s 30th year of existence. A large perpetual plaque lists the names of the seven inaugural members of the Class of 2023 and will feature the names of future inductees. This year’s inductees also received individual plaques.
In his opening remarks, Wotherspoon acknowledged there were perhaps 15-20 local amateur golfers considered for the inaugural class, and that other nominees will be strongly considered in subsequent years. The first Hall of Fame call featured golfers who played on the circuit for more than 25 years and were members of the circuit from its earliest days. Four golfers from the championship and senior level were inducted as were three golfers from the net and senior net ranks.
Former Upper Lake High School football and girls basketball coach Craig Kinser played in the Lake County Circuit’s first tournament, the 1994 Tournament of Champions. Now living in the San Diego area, Kinser was the only Hall of Fame inductee unable to attend Saturday’s ceremonies. He won two individual titles on the championship level and 17 individual titles on the senior level. He won 27 team titles and was a two-time Senior Golfer of the Year in 2009 and 2015.
Todd Colbrandt of Middletown is still active on the Lake County Circuit. A local businessman, Colbrandt has won 12 individual titles in the net and senior net divisions. He also has won 21 team titles. Colbrandt has been the Net Golfer of the Year on three occasions — 2008, 2017 and 2020. He had a five-year run of consecutive Senior Net Golfer of the Year honors from 2016-2020. Colbrandt was both the net as well as the Senior Net Golfer of the Year in 2020.
Rick Easter of Lakeport also remains an active member of the Lake County Circuit. A mathematics teacher at Lower Lake High School, Easter is the most successful left-handed golfer on the local circuit. He has won 10 individual titles in the senior, net and senior net flights along with 26 team titles on all three levels combined. Easter was the Senior Golfer of the Year in 2017 and 2019, the Net Golfer of the Year in 2005, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and the Senior Net Golfer of the year in 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Bob Jolin of Lakeport also was a contestant at that very first Lake County Circuit event in 1994. Still active as a chiropractor at age 74, Jolin has won 18 individual titles at the senior, net and senior net levels. He was a member of 36 team titles on all four levels. Jolin was the Senior Net Golfer of the Year for three consecutive years from 2013-2015. In an era of slow play on tour as well as local golf courses, Jolin is acknowledged to be the fastest golfer of note in Lake County Circuit circles.
Hidden Valley Lake Golf Course superintendent Billy Witt was selected to the Lake County Circuit’s Golf Hall of Fame following an illustrious amateur career as a seven-time championship level Golfer of the Year in 2010, 2012 and 2018-2022. He also has been the Senior Golfer of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and is the third golfer in circuit history to win titles on both the championship and senior levels. Witt is the only local golfer to do so in the same season. Witt has won 20 individual titles and 35 team titles over more than 25 years.
Juan Lopez is a local Lakeport businessman who doubles as a golf coach at Clear Lake High School. He has the most victories in the 30-year history of the Lake County Circuit — 31 individual titles between the championship and senior levels, and 26 team titles since he first played in the inaugural circuit event in 1994. He was the championship flight Golfer of the Year eight times — from 2002-2005, 2008, 2012-2013 and 2016. Lopez was the Senior Golfer of the Year in 2020. He was the second golfer in circuit history to be named Golfer of the Year and Senior Golfer of the Year.
John Berry was the final inductee into the Class of 2023. A longtime Kelseyville school teacher and administrator, Berry has coached the Kelseyville High School golf team for the past 41 years and has been the golf columnist for the Lake County Record-Bee since 1993. A co-founder of the Lake County Amateur Golf Circuit along with Wotherspoon, Berry is an original member of the circuit and was involved in perhaps the most watched sudden-death two-hole playoff in circuit history, the 1995 Lake County TOC and has win over John McMillan. He won eight individual titles on the championship and senior levels and claimed nine team titles. The first circuit golfer to win both Golfer of the Year and Senior Golfer of the Year honors, he was the Golfer of the Year in 1995 and the Senior Golfer of the Year in 2012-2013.
A large number of area golfers attended the Lake County Golf Circuit Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Each inductee gave a short acceptance speech after which Wotherspoon gave a brief history of their golfing accomplishments. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Wotherspoon announced that the Hall of Fame Class of 2024 would be recognized next year at the conclusion of the Lake County Open in late April.
