Local golf hall of fame inducts new members
By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
PLYMOUTH – The Greater Norwich Golf Hall of Fame recently inducted its 2006 class of entrants last month at Canasawacta Country Club.
David Branham and Amy Spittler, the two youngest Hall of Fame entrants, were joined by posthumous selections Rufus Perkins, who passed away in January, 2004, and Dr. M. Webster Stofer, a selection from the bygone era who was an original member of C.C.C. when it opened in 1920. Below we have listed capsules of each inductee in alphabetical order:
David Branham
The current head professional at Canasawacta Country Club, Branham won 12 straight men’s scratch championships between 1981 and 1992, and in 1991, shattered the course record shooting a 10-under-par 60. One year later, Branham was the Broome County Amateur champion and was named the TCGA Player of the Year. He teamed to win three C.C.C. member-guest championships with Tom Wheaton, and eventually turned professional after his 1992 season. He was an assistant professional at Cortland and Binghamton Country Clubs before assuming the head professional position at C.C.C. in 1999. Among his more noteworthy accomplishments as a professional was a Central New York sectional championship in 2003 that earned him an automatic spot in the 2004 B.C. Open. Also in 2004, Branham qualified for the PGA Club Pro Championships In Kiawah Island, SC. Said former C.C.C. pro, Fred Zahner: “He came from a very competitive family of golfers. They used to play a lot of games around their house growing up, and David – like his brothers – had to learn to make every shot he was confronted with. That is how he developed his shot-making ability.”
Rufus Perkins
A New Berlin High School graduate in 1938, Perkins learned to play the game at Silver Lake in New Berlin where he caddied and played with his brother Ruso. A standout player with a near scratch handicap, Perkins was the number two player on his Colgate University golf team and was captain of the team his senior year. Among his distinguished golfing accomplishments was a New York State Elks tournament of Champions winner representing the Norwich Elks Lodge. Among his teammates were Hall of Famers Stig Biviano, Dusty Annesi, Joe Rotundo, Jim Rotundo, Bob Hall, along with other team members Buff Magistro, Honk Mirabito, and Dick Johnson. In later years, Perkins all but gave up the game of golf, but in the building of the new second-hole tee at C.C.C., hit the first shot off the tee onto the green after not playing for two years. He worked for several years at the golf course before retiring in 1995. He volunteered at the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry at the Episcopal Church in Norwich, and volunteered for Chenango County Hospice.
Amy Spittler
No player has won more women’s scratch championships than Spittler, and she has dominated the field with her uncanny consistency and accuracy. During discussions for nominations this past year, group members joked about the number of times she has lost a ball. She recalled one time playing at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton “She could probably play one ball an entire season,” Zahner said. Spittler did not take up the game until well into her college years, but the former standout basketball player quickly improved. In 1990, she began her accumulation of C.C.C. titles, and she won four overall in the decade. Since 2000, she has won every scratch title with her victory in 2006 giving her seven straight and 11 overall. Spittler also has a pir of women’s member-guest titles with Mary Smith winning in 2000 and 2004. “She is pretty much self-taught and a really hard worker at the game,” Zahner said. “She is always striving to improve and she doesn’t make many mistakes. She simply does not let things get out of hand.”
Dr. M. Webster Stofer
The Stofer family moved to Norwich in the early 1890s, and Stofer’s father R.C. was a chemist at Norwich Pharmacal taking the job in 1892, and eventually becoming president of the company in 1906. It is believed the elder Stofer created the patent for Unguetine. Dr. Stofer served in World War I in France as a medical doctor, and eventually settled back in the Norwich area in 1919 where he became an original share-holder in C.C.C. and charter member of the club in 1920. Stofer was a member of the club from 1919-1946 before relocating to Phoenix, Arizona. During his time at the course, Stofer was an active volunteer in nearly every club committee, Zahner said. He was also an avid player – four to five times a week – and a staunch supporter of the caddy program.
Sun Sports Editor
PLYMOUTH – The Greater Norwich Golf Hall of Fame recently inducted its 2006 class of entrants last month at Canasawacta Country Club.
David Branham and Amy Spittler, the two youngest Hall of Fame entrants, were joined by posthumous selections Rufus Perkins, who passed away in January, 2004, and Dr. M. Webster Stofer, a selection from the bygone era who was an original member of C.C.C. when it opened in 1920. Below we have listed capsules of each inductee in alphabetical order:
David Branham
The current head professional at Canasawacta Country Club, Branham won 12 straight men’s scratch championships between 1981 and 1992, and in 1991, shattered the course record shooting a 10-under-par 60. One year later, Branham was the Broome County Amateur champion and was named the TCGA Player of the Year. He teamed to win three C.C.C. member-guest championships with Tom Wheaton, and eventually turned professional after his 1992 season. He was an assistant professional at Cortland and Binghamton Country Clubs before assuming the head professional position at C.C.C. in 1999. Among his more noteworthy accomplishments as a professional was a Central New York sectional championship in 2003 that earned him an automatic spot in the 2004 B.C. Open. Also in 2004, Branham qualified for the PGA Club Pro Championships In Kiawah Island, SC. Said former C.C.C. pro, Fred Zahner: “He came from a very competitive family of golfers. They used to play a lot of games around their house growing up, and David – like his brothers – had to learn to make every shot he was confronted with. That is how he developed his shot-making ability.”
Rufus Perkins
A New Berlin High School graduate in 1938, Perkins learned to play the game at Silver Lake in New Berlin where he caddied and played with his brother Ruso. A standout player with a near scratch handicap, Perkins was the number two player on his Colgate University golf team and was captain of the team his senior year. Among his distinguished golfing accomplishments was a New York State Elks tournament of Champions winner representing the Norwich Elks Lodge. Among his teammates were Hall of Famers Stig Biviano, Dusty Annesi, Joe Rotundo, Jim Rotundo, Bob Hall, along with other team members Buff Magistro, Honk Mirabito, and Dick Johnson. In later years, Perkins all but gave up the game of golf, but in the building of the new second-hole tee at C.C.C., hit the first shot off the tee onto the green after not playing for two years. He worked for several years at the golf course before retiring in 1995. He volunteered at the Our Daily Bread Food Pantry at the Episcopal Church in Norwich, and volunteered for Chenango County Hospice.
Amy Spittler
No player has won more women’s scratch championships than Spittler, and she has dominated the field with her uncanny consistency and accuracy. During discussions for nominations this past year, group members joked about the number of times she has lost a ball. She recalled one time playing at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton “She could probably play one ball an entire season,” Zahner said. Spittler did not take up the game until well into her college years, but the former standout basketball player quickly improved. In 1990, she began her accumulation of C.C.C. titles, and she won four overall in the decade. Since 2000, she has won every scratch title with her victory in 2006 giving her seven straight and 11 overall. Spittler also has a pir of women’s member-guest titles with Mary Smith winning in 2000 and 2004. “She is pretty much self-taught and a really hard worker at the game,” Zahner said. “She is always striving to improve and she doesn’t make many mistakes. She simply does not let things get out of hand.”
Dr. M. Webster Stofer
The Stofer family moved to Norwich in the early 1890s, and Stofer’s father R.C. was a chemist at Norwich Pharmacal taking the job in 1892, and eventually becoming president of the company in 1906. It is believed the elder Stofer created the patent for Unguetine. Dr. Stofer served in World War I in France as a medical doctor, and eventually settled back in the Norwich area in 1919 where he became an original share-holder in C.C.C. and charter member of the club in 1920. Stofer was a member of the club from 1919-1946 before relocating to Phoenix, Arizona. During his time at the course, Stofer was an active volunteer in nearly every club committee, Zahner said. He was also an avid player – four to five times a week – and a staunch supporter of the caddy program.
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