Bob Lendzion (left) and Bruce Dobie (right) represent the New England PGA Hall of Fame Class of 2019
BOYLSTON, Mass. – The New England PGA is proud to welcome two outstanding and deserving additions to the NEPGA Hall of Fame, as Bruce Dobie and Bob Lendzion will represent the Class of 2019.
The NEPGA Hall of Fame was established in 1996 to pay tribute to those people whose lifetime achievements and contributions to golf are such that they merit the highest possible recognition and honor from their peers and future generations of golfers.
Bruce Dobie became just the second Head Golf Professional at Green Hill Golf Course in Worcester, Mass., In 1965, taking over for his teacher Walter Cosgrove. Dobie worked at Green Hill for more than 30 years, through 1996.
A top-notch player himself, Bruce won the 1963 Massachusetts Amateur, 1967 New Hampshire Open, 1983 New England PGA Section Championship, and qualified for two US Opens.
Dobie was ahead of his time when it came to bringing golf to local juniors in the Worcester area, allowing hundreds of area kids the opportunity to learn and play the game at Green Hill. In 1991, Bruce was recognized for his efforts with the NEPGA Youth Player Development Award.
“It certainly means a lot to me, at my age, to be recognized amongst all my friends,” Dobie said of the honor. “I miss all the guys that I used to play with and see. It’s a very nice honor that I should share with everybody that I worked with at Green Hill, all my assistants. I’m very proud of the fact that I had a lot of golf pros come out of my junior golf.”
Bob Lendzion played golf collegiately at San Fernando Valley State (now Cal State Northridge) and helped his team win the 1969 NCAA Division II National Championship.
After graduation, he headed to Vermont to work at the Palmer Academy at Stratton Mountain in 1972. He spent 12 years at the Academy, eventually working his way into the role of Director of Golf. In 1983, Lendzion became the Head Professional at Quechee Club, where he worked for another 12 years. During his time at the Quechee Club, Lendzion built the New England Open into a major championship within the New England PGA, as the championship was contested at Quechee every year from 1980 through 1998.
Lendzion continued his competitive career, winning the 1986 Club Pro Championship and the 1993 Chile Open, as he competed in South Africa, Jamaica and South America during the off-season. In 1992, Lendzion was recognized as the New England PGA Skip Wogan Player of the Year.
In 1997, Lendzion took his talents to the European Senior Tour, where he picked up a qualifying spot thanks largely to an eagle on the final hole of the qualifying tournament, and he won the 1998 Senior Turkish Open and 2005 Egyptian Senior Open.
Lendzion, who currently resides in Las Vegas, competed in 30 Champions Tour events in 2000 and recorded four Top-25 finishes.
“It’s a real honor to be considered for something like this,” Lendzion said. “Somebody recognized something I did, that’s fantastic. I did all of my working life in New England. As far as a PGA pro, I feel like half New Englander. What can you say? I just feel like New England is a big part of me.”
The NEPGA Hall of Fame class of 2019 will be inducted during the annual NEPGA Award Dinner on Nov. 2 at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Mass.