Golf loses a gem
Jeff Hollman dedicated to junior program
The Penticton golf community is mourning the loss of a local pro who helped grow the club’s youth program.
Jeff Hollman died suddenly on Monday. He was 48.
Guy Dow, director of golf and general manager of the Penticton Golf and Country Club said Hollman was instrumental in recharging youth golf in Penticton.
“He was very passionate about juniors and developing their golf ... a very patient teacher to them. He got along great with all the kids. They looked up to him as a teacher, a friend, a role model,” Dow said.
Hollman grew the club’s youth program to nearly 100 juniors in recent years. He was the Interior Region’s nominee for the PGA of B.C.’s Coach of the Year Award in 2013, the same year he guided Penticton’s entry in the Jack McLaughlin Memorial PGA of B.C. Pro-Junior championship to a runner-up finish.
“Nobody had a bad thing to say about Jeff, he was just an allaround great person,” Dow said.
Hollman took over as assistant pro for now-city councillor Campbell Watt, who held the position for about a decade.
“Jeff was one of the most thoughtful, easy-going, cheerful, friendly people I’ve ever met,” Watt said. “That’s an absolute fact. He joked and laughed with anybody that ever went in the pro shop. He was incredibly easy to get along with. He was a caring person.”
Originally from Edmonton, Hollman’s career spanned 25 years with the PGA of Canada. He was an assistant professional at Penticton Golf & Country Club since 2009.
Hollman trained as a chef at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology before transitioning into a career as a golf professional, joining the PGA of Canada in 1992 and obtaining his Class A designation in 1996.
He began as an assistant at Edmonton’s J.R. Golf Course, then earned his first head professional position in 1997 at Saskatchewan’s Loon Lake Golf Club. He would return to J.R. Golf Course for a four-year stint as head professional in 2000, and in 2004 moved to the Rolling Green Golf Course to serve as manager and head professional prior to his arrival in Penticton.
Hollman is survived by wife Martina and daughters Honor and Kathryn.
Details regarding a celebration of life will be determined in the coming days according to a press release from The PGA of B.C..
“The PGA of B.C. extends its deepest sympathies to Jeff Hollman’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time,” the release states.