In celebrating the 125th anniversary of the NCGA, we’d be remiss to not give the late Bob Hanna a long tip of the hat.
Hanna, who died in 2009 at the age of 92, was the first executive director of the NCGA and a principal figure in the building of Spyglass Hill Golf Course and development of Poppy Hills Golf Course.
During Hanna’s tenure as executive director (1955-1981), the NCGA, now one of the largest regional golf associations in the country, grew from fewer than 90 member clubs to more than 280, with more than 67,000 members.
In the early 1960s, Hanna approached Del Monte Properties Co. founder and chairman Samuel F.B. Morse about constructing a course within Del Monte Forest. A total of 250 charter NCGA members, known as The Founders, put up $2,500 apiece to assist in the construction of the course.
In March 1966, Spyglass Hill, designed by Robert Trent Jones, opened. Hanna later named every hole of the course after a character, place or incident in Robert Louis Stevenson”s book “Treasure Island.”
“He (Hanna) used to say that he wrote every check into the building of Spyglass,” said friend Bob Huntley. “He felt that the NCGA, which was basically his baby, should have a place where they could have their tournaments and have a membership.”
A decade later, Hanna played a major role in the purchasing of more land from Del Monte Properties for another course. In 1986, Poppy Hills, designed by Robert Trent Jones II, opened.
Originally from Rochester, N.Y., Hanna got his start in golf as a caddie at Oak Hill Country Club outside Rochester, where he looped for, among others, Walter Hagen. It was at Oak Hill that Hanna became acquainted with Jones Sr., who also occasionally caddied at the course.
Following tours of duty in North Africa and Europe in World War II, Hanna relocated to Oakland where he sold insurance. He later enrolled at Cal-Berkeley and played on the Golden Bears’ golf team.
Along with his NCGA duties, Hanna also served on the board of the National Club Association for more than 10 years and various USGA committees. In 2002, he was named the recipient of the International Association of Golf Administrators Distinguished Service Award.
