Hershey is one of the few golf resorts in the world to have had two World Golf Hall of Fame members serve as head golf professional

That become a fact this past October, when the late Henry Picard, who served as head professional at HERSHEY Country Club from 1934 to 1941, was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida. Picard was succeeded by the legendary Ben Hogan, who remained in the job until 1951.

Nicknamed the "Hershey Hurricane," Picard compiled 26 PGA Tour wins during an outstanding career, including the 1938 Masters and the 1939 PGA Championship. 22 of those 26 wins took place during his tenure at HERSHEY Country Club. Other individual titles included back-to-back Hershey Invitationals in 1936 and 1937. He also participated on victorious U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1935 and 1937. Notably, 20 of his 26 victories came between 1935 and 1939, including six wins in 1939 alone, when he led the PGA Tour in earnings.

From 1934 until 1941, Picard served as professional of the HERSHEY Country Club and Hershey's other three golf courses: Hershey Park Golf Club, THE HOTEL HERSHEY Course, and the Juvenile Golf Course (the only course at that time for young boys and girls under the age of 18) now known as Spring Creek Golf Course. At the four courses, which were made up of 54 holes, Picard gave lessons to youth and adult amateur golfers in between his participation in tour events. One of the more popular teachers in the country, Picard's skill at hitting a two-iron led to him being proclaimed the master of the long iron in this era.

Since the days of Picard and Hogan, HERSHEY Country Club has hosted events featuring PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, and Nationwide Tour players.

The town of Hershey is also celebrating two important milestones in 2007 - Milton Hershey's 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of HERSHEYPARK. An avid golfer himself, Milton Hershey allowed his High Point mansion, still visible today behind the West Course's fifth hole, to be used as the Club's original Clubhouse. Surely he would be proud of the honor being accorded to head professional, Henry Picard.

Launch The History of Golf in Hershey timeline.