Earlier this fall, the Greater Norwich Golf Hall of Fame elected four new members into its hall of fame, and each was recently inducted at Canasawacta Country Club. Posthumous selections were Renfroe Jackson and Sam Elia, while current players Scott Seiler Sr. and Steve Upton were honored.
Below are capsules of each golfer*:
Renfroe Jackson
Jackson moved to Norwich with his family as a boy, and became interested in the game as a teenager. At the time, the game was played primarily by those of affluence, and Jackson was fortunate enough to play and practice the game before he entered college.
Jackson returned to Norwich after the completion of college, and was a successful lawyer for over 30 years. He was one of the premier players in the area with a handicap ranging from scratch to four. He had numerous playing accomplishments winning two C.C.C. club championships, numerous low gross honors at the Eaton Memorial Cup and Fall Roundup, and many victories in C.C.C.’s weekend tournaments. He also had three holes-in-one.
In 1940, Jackson also competed in a match against established professional golfers playing with club pro Howie Jones in a match against U.S. Open champion Gene Sarazen and long-hitting pro “Porky” Oliver. Sarazen and Oliver won the combination medal/match play 1-up and 135-140. Jackson shot a 67 to outdo Sarazen (69), while Oliver was one better at 66, and Jones shot 73.
Jackson continued his fine play at C.C.C. and later joined Oneonta Country Club. He won the 1946 Norwich Amateur Championship, the predecessor to the Chenango County Amateur, and played regularly through the 1950s and 1960s up until his death at age 59 in 1970.
Sam Elia
Elia was an ambassador for the game of golf in the local area for decades, said Elia’s Hall of Fame presenter, Richard Milner.
Elia taught and coached for Norwich for decades serving as its wrestling coach for over a decade, and later as the golf team coach. His wrestling teams produced several standout wrestlers and unbeaten teams, and his golf teams produced back-to-back wins at Canasawacta Country Club over the great Union-Endicott teams that regularly turned out high-level players that competed on the collegiate and pro levels.
As a golfer, Elia’s game was good, “but he simply could not putt,” Milner said. “At his retirement, we gave him a new putter, and his putting got even worse.”
Elia’s induction this year was not based just on his golfing and contributions as a golf coach, but the ideals he stood for as a consummate gentleman on the golf course, Milner said. Of note, Elia played in the Norwich Faculty Golf League for many years, and won league titles in three different decades, Milner said.
