Art Tangen
Art
Tangen was born on Wednesday, January 31, 1912 in
Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He
contracted polio at the age of one and wore leg
braces for a number of years. At the
age of twelve, he began caddying at the now
defunct Riverside Golf Course in Eau Claire, and
as a high school junior he became caddy master at
the Hillcrest Golf Course, also now not in
existence.
Upon
high school graduation he worked at the newly
opened Neillsville Golf Course briefly but by this
time, Art knew he wanted to become involved in
golf as a profession. One of
his trips took him to Florida looking for work in
the industry where he met his future wife, the
former Merida James.
They married in 1941 and had two daughters,
Tonya and Peggy.
In
1941 Art and Culley Johnson leased Hallie golf
Course from Bertha Moe; a year later they bought
it. Art
became the sole owner in 1957. Also in
1941, Art organized the very first “Hallie Open”,
won by Don Johnson.
In
1958, Art, along with Bill Rolland and 6 other
area club pros met and launched the Chippewa
Valley Golf Association. In 1975,
Art developed the still used point system to
determine Player of the Year and qualifications
for the Tournament of Champions.
In
1963, Art became a PGA Class A professional. He was a
well respected member of the Wisconsin PGA and was
recognized as “Pro of the Year” in 1976 by the
WSGA. In
1987, he became a member of the Quarter Century
Club of the PGA.
Arthur G. Tangen
passed on Saturday, September 6, 1997. He was
84.