In the eyes of Aaron Ingalls, life was an adventure not to be squandered, where each day was meant to be lived with purpose as he sought to master new challenges.
There was a persistent restlessness that motivated Ingalls to become the best at whatever he pursued, never coasting while living with a sense of intentionality. It was as if he knew there was precious little time to waste on trivial matters.
He was an accomplished amateur golfer in Tennessee, having claimed a state amateur championship in 2018 and partnered with close friend Jeff Reuter to win the 2024 Tennessee Mid-Amateur Four-Ball title just weeks before being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. Ingalls battled valiantly before passing away on April 11 at age 40.
A herniated disc was first believed to be the cause of numbness in Ingalls’ leg during stroke play at the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur. But worsening symptoms led to a CT scan revealing a mass on the right side of his brain, and Ingalls underwent surgery days later.
Despite being given a sobering prognosis, Ingalls embraced this next – and final – challenge with his customary vigor. He became a self-taught expert in non-traditional treatment protocols, an adventure that would take him and his family from El Salvador to Honduras to Mexico and California. He was fearless in his approach, viewing cancer as something that had been entrusted to him to make things better for those with similar conditions who might come after him.
“I’ll never forget the day my wife said to him, ‘I wish it could have been me with cancer,’ ” said Jim Ingalls, Aaron’s father. “He said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m the man for this job. Of all the people in our family, I’m the one that should take it on.’ He never complained and never asked, ‘Why me?’ He was fearless to the end, and it was amazing as a father to know the quality of man he had become.”
Remarkably, Ingalls stumbled into golf by accident after joining his brother, Bob, to play football at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee.
“Bobby was being recruited when the coach looked at Aaron’s size and asked, ‘You must play some football. How would you like to come to Lambuth with your brother?’” Jim Ingalls recalled. “Aaron said, ‘Oh, yes sir,’ even though he never played a lick of football. So, he headed to Lambuth, straightened out his life, met his wife, Kathleen, and decided to get serious about golf instead of playing football.”
Aaron had a knack for excelling in all of his exploits. He was a licensed private pilot, a respected builder and contractor around Jackson, and an early adopter of investing in cryptocurrency that led to his online presence as “BTCAaron” among the Bitcoin community. He was also the anchor of his family as he and Kathleen were raising three children: Ellie, 5, Jack, 3, and 11-month-old Lily.
It was the close bond with his family that still resonates with Tennessee Golf Association executive director Allison Brown.
“I had the honor of presenting to Aaron his state amateur trophy in 2018 after the playoff,” Brown said. “Before he did anything else, he asked for a few minutes to call his family to share in that moment with him. His family and loved ones always came first for him and was something I truly admired about Aaron.”
Ingalls also competed in a number of USGA championships, always representing the TGA with utmost class. It was something that caught the attention of longtime Tennessee amateur standout Tim Jackson.
“I met Aaron when he was in his 20s, and I immediately liked him,” said Jackson, who has amassed a record 27 TGA titles. “He was very mature and wise for his age, and he had an entrepreneurial spirit about him. He was someone I got to know better in leadership at the TGA. Obviously, he was an exceptionally talented player, and his death represents a big loss in our golf community.”
The reality of Ingalls’ death hit home with his father recently when thinking back of their many rounds played together.
“I had this vision in my mind of Aaron and this little habit where, before he would hit a wedge around the green, he would click the heel of his golf shoe twice,” Jim Ingalls said. “I thought, ‘Oh, that’s so cool. I can't wait to see …’ and then it hit me that I’d never see that again. It was like a memory that hadn’t been wiped out. He’s definitely going to be missed.”
Aaron Ingalls photos by Logan Whitton, USGA
