Western Historian Roderic Korns' son William Lester "Bill" Korns won the Utah State Amateur Golf Championship six times, a record that still stands. (1941, 1942, 1946, 1948, 1950, and 1951). He missed the 1943-45 Championships due to his World War II service. He became a professional golfer in 1952, and was elected as a PGA member in 1959. He served as a teaching professional until 1955, took a position in Rexburg, Idaho for a year. He moved to Caldwell, Idaho through 1959, then lived in Billings, Montana through 1965. At that time, he was hired as the Professional at a new course in Provo, Utah and served in that capacity until 1979. He then took over as executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Section of the PGA which included Utah, the eastern half of Nevada, Southern Idaho, Western Wyoming, and the eastern half of Montana. He was inducted into the Utah Golf Hall of Fame in 1991. For an interesting newspaper article on William Korns from the July 10, 2006 "Deseret Morning News", click here.
Bill Korns was born in Salt Lake City, and graduated from the University of Utah in 1946. Two children: Dr. W. Robert Korns and Mrs. Stephen (Susan) Hughes.
This photo of a well-worn Bill Korns golf ball is reproduced above courtesy of its previous owner. On July 26, 2008, Bill Korns wrote the following to me about the type of ball shown in the photo "They were made for the most part about 1955 or so ... A salesman from California sold me on them, and I sold them thru my Pro Shop in Caldwell, Idaho and in Billings, Montana."
Highlights of Bill's career:
To view a copy of William Korns' obituary, click here.