Ray and Buckman Get Inducted Into Texas Golf Hall of Fame
In partnership with the Texas Golf Hall of Fame and its founding members, the Southern Texas PGA would like to congratulate PGA of America Members Brent Buckman and Mike Ray for being inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Both will be showcased at the induction dinner held on Monday, October 21 at Houston Country Club.
Brent Buckman, who has been a PGA of America Member for over 40 years, is best known for his tremendous impact on the golfing community in Austin. From work with the George Hannon Association to working at facilities like Onion Creek, Barton Creek, Spanish Oaks, and now Driftwood Golf and Ranch Club, Brent always has a smile on his face and always wants to grow the sport he loves.
“This means more to me than anyone could imagine,” said Buckman who has helped raise over $600,000 for college scholarships through the George Hannon Association. “The phone call was such a surprise, and I will never forget that moment.”
Throughout his career as a PGA of America Member, Buckman always understood the importance of mentoring and teaching the next generation. He is proud to have seen over 20 PGA of America Members work for him and then go on to have their own success within the golf industry. Buckman is being inducted into the Golf Professional/Teacher Category.
PGA of America Member Mike Ray is being inducted into a new category that was created this year called Professional Service. Ray served as Executive Director for the Southern Texas PGA for 30 years and currently works for the PGA of America helping Sections and Members across the country.
Ray’s impact starts with establishing STPGA’s independent business operation and growing from a $100,000 annual budget to a $4M budget when he left in 2017. He created the STPGA Scholarship Program, acquired tax exempt 501(c)3 status with the creation of the STPGA Foundation, and was the biggest proponent of junior golf.
“There is no other state like Texas when it comes to golf,” said Ray, who has been a PGA of America Member for 38 years. “We have so many unbelievable Golf Professionals in Texas and it was an honor to work on their behalf for so many years and continue to do that today.”
One of Ray’s biggest accomplishments was the work he put in around the Texas Junior Golf Alliance. It was Ray’s idea to create one membership for juniors to play either STPGA or NTPGA Junior Golf along with receiving a free membership to the Legends Junior Tour. This model continues to thrive today with close to 100 2-Day Championships in Texas for the best junior golfers.
“We are so excited not only for Brent and Mike, but for the entire 2024 Class of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame,” said Thomas Hutton, Executive Director for the STPGA. “The Hall of Fame brings all of the key stakeholders together to showcase golf at the highest level and I encourage everyone to visit the digital museum that the Hall of Fame has created.”
Click Here to visit the Texas Golf Hall of Fame digital museum.
The full 2024 Class includes the following people and the designated category. Golf Media, living Members of the Hall of Fame, and the Texas Golf Hall of Fame Board of Directors make up the individuals that vote every two years on the next class into the Hall!
• Golf Professional/Teacher – Brent Buckman, PGA
• Professional Service – Mike Ray, PGA
• Professional Service – Marvin Ferguson
• Amateur Player – Randy Sonnier
• Lifetime Achievement – C. Malcolm Holland III
• Professional Player – D.A. Weinbring
• Registry of Historic Golf Courses – Royal Oaks Country Club (Dallas)
If you wish to reach out to Mike or Brent to wish them congratulations, we have listed their email address below.
mray@pgahq.com
bbuckman@driftwoodgolfclub.com
If you would like to call them, please reach out to Thomas Hutton, PGA at thutton@pgahq.com and he will gladly connect you with them.
