Like so many others, Denver-born Don Fox teed up his career as a pre-teen in the caddie ranks at Cherry Hills and Lakewood Country Clubs. But like so very few, Fox garnered a clubhouse full of honors in his nearly 50 years as a professional, during which he dedicated a lion’s portion of his efforts to promoting junior golf. The man known as “Foxy” spent 31 of his years as head professional at Loveland Golf Course—now the Olde Course at Loveland—and put his own blood, sweat and tears into the design and construction of the back nine of this distinctive municipal course.
That merely scratches the surface of the contributions he’s made to golf in Colorado, a pro career that began as an assistant at La Junta Golf Club in 1958 shortly out of Englewood High. A year later he became ensconced in Loveland and sparkling junior golf program that eventually led to his becoming the first PGA Master Professional in Colorado and just the 49th in the nation. It was Don’s inspiration that started a major charity golf tournament at Loveland that is continuing today long after his retirement and has raised over a half-million dollars, most for disadvantaged children.
This led Fox and his late great friend Bill Metier to start a junior golf academy in Loveland and Ft. Collins, a standout academy for 15 years, free to all students who could not afford the fee—a week of housing, food, complete supervision and instruction from the best area PGA professionals in golf fundamentals, rules and etiquette.
Fox served 13 years on the board of directors of the Colorado Section PGA, as president in 1981 and two terms as vice president. He became the first Warren Smith Award winner other than Smith himself, an award given by his peers in honor of the venerable Cherry Hills pro for exceptional contribution to the PGA and the profession.
Fox was PGA Section Professional of the Year in 1980, and, being a fiery but friendly competitor, had an exceptional playing record. He finished 32nd in the 1988 USGA Seniors at Lartrobe, PA., qualified four times for the national PGA Seniors, won the Colorado PGA Seniors once and twice finished second, won the Wyoming Senior twice, played in the 25 of the 30 Governor’s Cup Matches and had numerous top-10 finishes in the Colorado and Wyoming Opens.
Foxy is so revered by Loveland-ites and his fellow professionals that when the Mariana Butte Golf Course was built in 1992, they named a street in the surrounding subdivision “Don Fox Circle.”
2008 Lifetime Achievement
The first PGA Master Professional in Colorado spent 50 years in the business—31 of them at the Olde Course at Loveland—and contributed mightily to junior golf, the Colorado PGA Section and Governor’s Cup matches.
