Changing the game for the better

Not all heroes wear capes. Len Kennett mostly donned golf shirts, unless the occasion was important, such as presiding over a junior tournament. Then he opted for coat and tie. To generations of students, PGA professional Len Kennett was Superman, Batman and Spider-Man wrapped into one. For his achievements as a teaching pro and as a pioneering advocate for junior golf, Len Kennett was a slam-dunk selection for the SoCal Golf Hall of Fame in 2010.

Kennett caught the golf bug in the late 1930s, caddying at newly built Santa Anita GC in Arcadia. After serving in the Marines, he played for USC, winning the 1950 Southern California Intercollegiate Championship. He took a club professional job in the early 1950s, starting at Camp Pendleton’s Marine Memorial GC in Oceanside. In 1957, San Gabriel CC hired him away, but with some reservations.

“The San Gabriel representatives came down to Oceanside to get to know him, and during their round together, Len shot 66,” recalled Jorge Badel, longtime PGA Professional and current SCGA Board Member, who served under and with Kennett in later years. “They were concerned he was such a good player, he wouldn’t want to last long in the club pro position. Len assured them that his score was a one-off and they agreed to play again up at San Gabriel. He shot 66 again!”

Badel described the tall, slender Kennett as a straight hitter and an excellent chipper and putter. “I attribute that exceptional short game to him being so upright, almost in a putting position when he chipped,” said Badel, who is also a past golf director for Los Angeles County and current Community Engagement Director for American Golf. “And Len learned that from Paul Runyan, who had one of the greatest short games in history.”

MENTORING FOR FREE

It was Runyan that summoned Kennett to nearby Annandale and hatched the idea to give free lessons to juniors. Kennett obliged and kept that commitment until his retirement in 2001. He stayed on at San Gabriel until 1964, then took the helm at newly opened Los Verdes GC, where he remained for 34 years. Concurrently, he was head pro at Lakewood CC.

He was a glass-is-completely-full person, never criticizing or finding fault, but always looking for solutions. His business success stemmed from how he treated people, not from squeezing every dollar from a transaction. Recipient of the SCGA’s Lynn Smith Award in 2005 for outstanding contributions to amateur golf, Kennett’s enduring legacy is embodied in one of Southern California’s premier events, the Len Kennett Junior Golf Championship, which debuted in 1955.

Among those who have graced the two-day, 36-hole tournament are Tiger Woods, John Merrick, Paul Goydos, Brianna Do and Lilia Vu. Kennett greeted each group on the first tee in coat and tie and each entrant received a golf merchandise gift.

A NEW TOURNAMENT CHAPTER

Len Kennett passed away this past July at the age of 98. Friends and supporters rallied to allow his namesake tournament to continue to flourish. The 69th edition took place at Lakewood CC in early August, with SCGA Junior serving as host and American Golf donating the course. The three starters, Badel, Bob Baker (Board Member, SCGA Junior Golf Foundation) and Bob Livingstone (former SCGA President and Long Beach Superintendent of Golf Operations) dressed in blazers and neckties as a nod to Kennett — despite the blazing heat.

“We all definitely sweated a lot, but it wasn’t difficult,” Badel told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. “It was an honor to sweat in the name of Mr. Kennett’s legacy.”

What didn’t change was the spirited competitiveness and exemplary sportsmanship that Kennett had instilled from the beginning. Winners included Freddy Arias, Downey, of the Boys 15-18 division; Zihong Sun, Menifee, Girls 15-18; Ryan Ahrari, Rancho Palos Verdes, Boys 12-14; and Ivy Zhou, Temple City, Girls 12-14.

To generations of students, PGA professional Len Kennett was Superman, Batman and Spider-Man wrapped into one. For his achievements as a teaching pro and as a pioneering advocate for junior golf, Len Kennett was a slam-dunk selection for the SoCal Golf Hall of Fame in 2010.”

“Len was looking down on us,” said Badel. “We hope we made him proud. It was a magical tournament.”

There were no losers among the kids that teed it up. To pay their respects, Kaycee Wilke, player and youth director for the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation, and Sidney Overman, program manager for the Foundation, asked each participant to compose a note to Kennett. The postcards were hung from the Len Kennett Walk Bridge at Lakewood CC’s third hole. Cerritos’ Kayden Tan perfectly crystallized Kennett’s influence: “Thank you for what you have done for the game of golf, from talking to juniors and changing the game of golf for the better.”