BEN KERN, DIRECTOR OF GOLF
August 11, 1946 ~ October 14, 2002

"The first day I met Ben Kern, I was petrified," Shawn Aucoin recalls. "Here was the best club pro in Canada, one of the best touring pros ever to come out of Canada, and at our first meeting he said that working for him would be like Chinese water torture.

"Of course, it wasn't and it never was," Aucoin said as he reflected on the seven years he worked as Associate Professional for Ben Kern at Devil's Pulpit Golf Association, home of Devil's Pulpit and Devil's Paintbrush, in Caledon, Ontario.

Ben Kern passed away on October 14, 2002, after a battle with cancer. He was just 56. He left behind his wife, Janet, and sons Shandy, Jordan and Tobin.

The staff and members of Devil's Pulpit Golf Association lost their Director of Golf.

Canadian golf lost a titan.

Ben Kern was known for many things–the first Canadian to be named a First Team All-American, a PGA Tour player, a brilliant teacher, an effective administrator and a junior golf catalyst, to name but a few. Ben was the consummate golf professional–the epitome of class–but more importantly, he was immensely respected and well liked.

"He was a true professional, and he was a great guy," said Lee Trevino of his frequent playing partner when Ben attended the New Mexico State University in the late 1960s.

Ben's genial and reflective nature endeared him to most everyone he met. He never rushed to judgment on any weighty matter, and he refused to share his thoughts until he was good and ready. "Ben was always so thoughtful, especially with his staff," said Ray Lange, Head Professional at the Devil's Paintbrush. "He'd always take the time to explain things. Always."

For his staff, Ben was a mentor, educator and father figure. He went the extra mile to develop the Assistant Professionals' Sponsorship Draw, which helped the assistants to attend seminars and workshops. Ben always encouraged his professionals to elevate their careers and skills and to develop their games. "That's why he always had a great staff," Lange said. "Everyone came back year after year."

For the members, Ben ensured that everything about the club's golf operations was at the highest standards of excellence, including club events such as the President's Cup and his industry-leading junior program. "That junior program is incredible," said Chris Haney, co-owner of Devil's Pulpit Golf Association, along with Scott Abbott.

"To him, the kids were the future of golf," said Chris of Ben, who became Director of Golf at Devil's Pulpit in 1996 after 20 standout years at The National Golf Club of Canada, in Woodbridge, Ontario. It was ranked No. 1 in the country for most of those years largely because of his efforts.

"He should be the measuring stick for his profession," said Paul Morrow, 2002 Devil's Pulpit Golf Association Club Champion. "As an instructor, he took great pride in his students and loved to see you progress with your swing."

Paul caddied for Ben when he was coming off the PGA Tour in 1976. "He walked with his head high and his shoulders back as if to tell everyone 'The rest of you guys are playing for second.' He had the best short game I have ever seen."

As a former touring professional–he played the PGA Tour for six years–a colleague of George Knudson and contemporary of some of the world's greatest teachers, Ben was one of Canada's leading golf instructors. He shared his insights–among his key tenets was that the golf swing should flow effortlessly in balance–with novices, weekend golfers, elite amateurs and touring professionals such as Lorie Kane. "The things that Ben taught me, I'll remember for a lifetime," said the LPGA Tour star.

Ben gave his time and energy at every level of the game in Canada. He organized the first International Teaching and Coaching Symposium that brought world-renowned instructors to Canada in 1990. He served on the board of the Canadian PGA and coordinated completion of its teaching manual.

With help from Devil's Pulpit superintendent Ken Wright, he invented the Accuform bunker rake, which became the standard at most golf courses and PGA Tour stops in North America. He also helped design the Accuform PTM iron, which is respected as one of the best blades ever built. Club companies constantly came to him for advice.

"I am passionate about these things, especially when you have the knowledge to share," he said. "You don't do it for money. I did them because they needed being done."

Ben designed the curriculum for the Future Links junior development program used as a model across the country. Until he teamed up with the Royal Canadian Golf Association in the mid '90s, there was no organized way to teach golf to children in Canada. Future Links evolved from the junior program that he and George Knudson created at The National, the graduates of which include the PGA Tour's David Morland IV. professionals, who could compete at the game's highest levels, but he also wanted to introduce more children to golf so they could share its simple pleasures, its camaraderie, and its values of honesty and respect for others.

Ben's legacy will be his dedication to Canadian junior golf. He wanted to foster more Canadians, amateurs and professionals, who compete at the game's highest levels, but he also wanted to introduce more children to golf so they could share its simple pleasures, its camaraderie, and its values of honesty and respect for others.

"It doesn't matter if you're a good golfer, just as long as you enjoy playing," he wrote in a Future Links manual. "Golf is a great game you can play for the rest of your life. And remember the most important rule in golf: Have fun!"

Benchmarks in a Legend's Lifetime

Born in Brazil on August 11, 1946
Moved to Canada at age of 5
Began golf at Credit Valley Golf Club in 1962 at 15
Won first tournament with a score of 70 in 1964
Won more than 15 amateur events in Ontario
Runner-up 1966 Ontario Amateur; tied first 1968 Ontario Open
At New Mexico State, won 10 U.S. intercollegiate events 1967-1970
Named New Mexico State Athlete of 1968-69
First Canadian voted First Team All-American 1968-69
Graduated, Bachelor of Business Administration 1969-70
Won 1968 New Mexico Open as an amateur (won as a pro in 1972)
Represented Canada in 1968 Americas' Cup
Won PGA Tour card in fall 1969 (sixth of 450 starters)
Played PGA Tour 1970-1976
Won 1974 New Mexico PGA (set course record 62 in second round)
Represented Canada in 1974 World Cup (Caracas, Venezuela)
Joined professional staff of The National Golf Club of Canada in 1976
Won 1979 Ontario PGA Championship by 8 strokes
Won more than 40 Pro Ams and Ontario PGA events
Low Canadian in Canadian Open 3 times
Set 7 competitive course records
National Chairman of Advisory Board of Canadian Junior Golf Association
Chair of Canada's first International Teaching and Coaching Symposium
Served as President of CPGA of Ontario 1984-85
Named Ontario CPGA Golf Professional of 1985
Inducted into the Mississauga Hall of Fame 1987
Named National CPGA Golf Professional of 1991
Director of Golf, Devil's Pulpit Golf Association, 1996