Majors
The University of California Golf Club has five major
tournaments. Majors are trophied events. Only members of the club are
eligible to win Major trophies. The Majors are:
| Major |
Approximate Month |
| Kooman Boycheff Memorial Tournament |
April |
| Eddie Reed Match Play Tournament |
April through September |
| Faculty/Staff Tournament |
Usually June |
| 2-Ball Championship |
Usually July |
| U.C. Club Championship |
October |
These Majors are the most prestigious of the club's
events. Except for the Eddie Reed Tournament., each major counts for double the amount of G.O.Y. points, i.e. 10 for 1st, 6 for 2nd,
4 for 3rd. Eddie Reed points are awarded 1 for entering the event, and 2 for each
win (byes not included), and 1 point for any lose. Visit the G.O.Y. page for
more points information.
How these Tournaments Became Majors:
Kooman Boycheff
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Kooman Boycheff was the Director of Recreational Sports at
U.C. Berkeley for many years. Kooman helped establish the University of California
Golf Club, running the Faculty/Staff event for years. Kooman began his
career at Cal in 1958 and served there until his untimely death at the age
of 62 on Monday, January 30th 1978. He worked to get the athletic program going at
Cal and also help found the U.C. Golf Club. For a period he even served as
the golf coach. Kooman was a very good golfer and he loved the game. His
handicap index ranged from 6-11. Kooman was 5'-8" tall. He didn't drive the ball very far, however he kept it down the middle and
his short game was amazing, During his years at Cal his weekly schedule
invariably included getting in a quick 9 holes a few times at Tilden
before work. In 1978 Kooman died from a heart attack while playing
handball. When Kooman came to the university the intramural program
consisted of nothing but a desk in the corner of a room. He served as the
Director of Recreational Sports from 1968 until his death. One of his
projects was involved the construction of the new Recreational Center,
which opened one year later.
For his work in founding the club and bringing Cal
athletics to national prominence the University of California Golf Club
has named one of its five majors in
his honor. The Kooman Boycheff Memorial Tournament is always our
first major. It's also somewhat like our Master's Tournament. In the
mid-1990's the Board decided to hold this event each year at Paradise
Valley, which is like out Augusta. No green jacket, but plenty of prestige
and tradition.
More facts about Kooman Boycheff:
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Kooman was born Thursday, July 27, 1916.
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He was an avid photographer and fly fisherman.
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His two daughters, Martha and Connie, were his delight
and joy.
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His daughter Connie married golf pro Bob Eastwood.
Kooman Boycheff, Supervisor of Physical Education at the University of California, passed away on January 30, 1978. Born in Toledo, Ohio
on July 27, 1915, Boycheff graduated from Morrison R. Waite High School. His A.B. degree was awarded by Oberlin College in 1933. His M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were earned at the University of Michigan. In 1941, Dr. Boycheff became Director of Physical Education at the Laboratory School of the New York State College for Teachers. After three years(1942-45) as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, he became Physical Director at the Ann Arbor Y.M.C.A.; in 1946 he and his family relocated to the University of Chicago, where he served as Associate Professor of Physical Education, golf coach, and Director of Intramural Sports.
In 1958, Kooman Boycheff accepted a position in the Department of Physical Education at U.C. Berkeley and immediately turned his energies and his talents to strengthening the existing intramural sports. Under his capable leadership this soon became one of the outstanding programs in the United States. During the 1960’s Boycheff performed a major role in the establishment of the All-University Intramural Sports Week End, an event that was held regularly for several years. This brought the winners of various intramural sports teams at the several University of California campuses together for a week end of competitions and social functions. (Although teams certainly played to win, the emphasis was on social interactions and good sportsmanship.) It was during this period that Boycheff also served on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for the Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area and the newly formed Chancellor’s Committee on Campus Recreation and the Recreation Faculty Building Committee.
Kooman's
leadership in the area of intramural and recreational sports programs was recognized by various professional organizations and by other universities as exemplified by his address “The University of California Sports Festival,” delivered at the Annual Meeting of the National Intramural Sports Association (which named him one of the top ten Intramural Directors in the country) and “Trends in the Planning of Recreational Sports Facilities,” delivered at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. During Kooman Boycheff’s Berkeley tenure the program grew from 14,000 participant hours in 1959 to over 120,000 participant hours in 1977, and it would have been much larger if the then available facilities (which were routinely scheduled into the early morning hours) have been more extensive. The subsequent building of the RSF and further extension of recreational
activities, which students now enjoy, owe a great deal to the dedication and foresight of Kooman
Boycheff.
(We wish to thank Gertrude Boycheff, who supplied
much of the information for this page and lent us many irreplaceable
photographs for scanning purposes. An interesting side note is that
relatives of Kooman encountered this page while searching for a lost
branch of their family tree.)
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1st
Lieutenant USAF, Miami, Florida -1943
Wife
Gertrude, and daughter Martha - Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - June 4, 1948
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Eddie Reed
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Several years ago Eddie Reed thought it would be good to
have a match-play tournament. Board members all agreed that they needed to come up with a
better name for the event than
"Match Play Tournament". Eva Ewen, Club President at the time,
recommended that because it was his idea the tournament should be named
after Eddie Reed, the person who thought of it in the first place.
Eddie Reed was born in Strong,
Arkansas on March 20, 1938. He laughs about Strong, because you'd
drive through it without even noticing. The population of Strong in 1990
was 624, with 303 housing units.
Eddie moved with his family to the Bay Area
in 1944. To provide a sense of distance Berkeley is approximately 43,493 strokes
from Strong, Arkansas.
Eddie was married to Marie in 1961 and celebrated
his 40th wedding anniversary in 2001. Eddie took up golf in 1964 and
will be celebrating his 40th golfing year in 2004. He served in the Marine
Corp Reserves for eight years. Eddie retired from the University in 1996,
where he'd been employed for 37 years while working as a Research Assistant in
the School of Public Health.
Eddie has two children, a daughter living in San Diego,
and a son, Brian, who lives in Oakland and has a son and a daughter.
Eddie's oldest grand-daughter graduated from SFSU in 2003 with a degree in
Economics.
Besides golf, Eddie enjoys fishing. He fishes about twice
a month. These are possibly fish tales, but Eddie claims to have netted
some large fish. The largest legal fish he's caught was a 24 lb. stripped
bass. He's also caught an 80 lb. stingray and a 42 1/2" Sturgeon. He
released both of those because they weren't legal size (Sturgeon
have to be at least 44" long to keep.)
A round of golf with Eddie can be a real adventure. To be
fair, he's seldom far off the fairway, but he'll make a pretty ugly shot
from time to time. He's very observant and always knows
when to say, "Nice Par".
During his golfing career Eddie has been witness to some
very good golf as well as some very poor golf. Eddie is supposedly also
the only person to have witnessed the alleged double-eagle by club member
Mike Armstrong at the alleged 13th hole of Tilden Park, a golf course
alleged to exist somewhere in the "Berkeley Hills".
Eddie and helped organize the U.C.
Golf Club and has served on the UCGC Board for more years than he cares
to count. (He's often similarly apathetic about counting his stokes). Eddie is a current member of the club. He's also still serving
on the UCGC Board.
Eddie Reed these days: In February of 2004 Eddie finds
he's having some injury problems. Eddie reed suffered a stroke in the
early 1990's. The main impediment to his game has been the back surgery he
had around 1980 which has made him stiff and made his left side weak. He's
also got a little arthritis, and problems with a knee. Walking is
difficult and in late 2003 Eddie went out and got one of those handicap
parking permits. In 2005 his back arthritis became more restrictive. His
swing still looks as graceful as ever. As of 2003 he plays only in tournaments where he can ride
his cart to the ball, not courses where you have to remain on the cart
paths.
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In 1977 at Rancho Canada in Monterey. Left to right are John
Scott, Ben Dennis, Eddie Reed and John Kimura.
Eddie
Reed during the UCGC Hawaii tournament.
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Faculty/Staff Tournament
The Faculty/Staff along with the Club Championship, is one the
oldest major events. Along with the Club Championship, it's the only
tournament that has taken place beginning back in 1977, when the club
originally formed. Prior to the official forming of the club the
Faculty/Staff occurred annually as early as the late-1950's, serving as a
fun outing for university faculty and staff. Through the 1987 season this
event had only Low Gross and Blind Bogey flights. In 1988 the Chancellor's
Trophy was presented to the Overall Lowest Net score. The same holds true
for the U.C. Golf Club Trophy. Traditionally held on a Friday, this event
has recently been held on a Saturday. Trophies awarded at the Faculty/Staff
Tournament are:
| President's Trophy* (Low Gross) |
| Chancellor's Trophy* ( pre-1988: Blind Bogey, 1988
to present: Low Net) |
| U.C. Golf Club Trophy** ( pre-1988: Blind Bogey,
1988 to present: Low Net) |
* - Must be U.C. affiliated (student, alumni, or employee)
** - Low net for the non-U.C. affiliated players.
2-Ball Championship
The 2-Ball Championship is a 2-person team event. Each
team's score is achieved by taking the best net score per hole. The 2-Ball
Championship is usually run as three events in one. 1). Our own 2-Ball Championship,
2). A qualifier for the NCGA
4-Ball Championships, and 3). A club vs. club 2-ball team event
between our club and another NCGA club. Until 2001, we had a rivalry with
the LBL club. Beginning in 2003 our club began playing the UCSF
Golf Club. Many have wondered whether UCSF is a golf club or simply a
bug to be squashed. The answer is "both"!
U.C. Club Championship
The final major is the Club Championship. this event usually
takes place on a local course. The Club Championship has, in the
past, been a two-day event. Recently it has been reduced to a single day,
however, some day the club may attempt a 2-day event, with the tournament
falling on consecutive Saturdays. (People have too many family obligations
to spend an entire weekend golfing.
Majors - Venues through 2005 Season
| Courses which have served as venues
for our Major Tournaments: |
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- Tilden Park (29)
- Boundary Oak (19)
- Diablo Creek (13)
- Paradise Valley (11)
- Richmond CC (8)
- Alameda North (4)
- Willow Park (4)
- Peacock Gap (3)
- Poppy Ridge (3)
- Blue Rock East (2)
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- Sonoma (2)
- Adobe Creek (1)
- Alameda South (1)
- Canyon Lakes (1)
- Indian Valley (1)
- Monarch Bay (1)
- Mountain Shadows North (1)
- Royal Vista (1)
- Skywest (1)
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