Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame
Pair of Connecticut ’ s Best Highlight 2016 Class
On December 1st , 2016 at the 117th Annual Meeting of the Connecticut State Golf Association , a pair of distinguished individuals were inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame - Jeff Hedden ( Distinguished Golf Achievement ) and Tom Gleeton ( Distinguished Service to Golf ).
T he Heddens of New London Country Club were a talented lot , and winning the CSGA ’ s Father-Son Championship had become a family tradition . Jeff Hedden ’ s father Richard won it with Jeff ’ s grandfather , Graham before Richard won it on separate occasions with both Jeff and Jeff ’ s brother , Chris . On his own , Jeff displayed an early aptitude for state-wide competitive golf in winning Connecticut Junior Amateur titles in 1980 and 1981 .
But after a long hiatus from both championship golf and the winner ’ s circle , Jeff began competing again at the urging of his wife , Nicole . It was the year 2000 , and Nicole , a past Connecticut Women ’ s Golf Association champion recognized Jeff ’ s natural talent and told him ,“ You know , you ’ re really good . You should try the CSGA stuff again .”
Two years later Jeff won the Connecticut Amateur championship at the Country Club of Farmington , with Nicole as his caddie .
“ That was like an out-of-body experience ,” Jeff said . “ I still didn ’ t have the maturity or experience .” Later in 2002 , he won his second CSGA major , the Mid-Amateur championship at Wee Burn Country Club . He also reached the national stage , qualifying for both the U . S . Amateur and the U . S . Mid- Amateur .
The 2002 Connecticut Mid-Amateur would be the first of four Mid-Am titles as Jeff went on to win in 2005 , 2006 and 2009 . When he wasn ’ t winning he was always in the hunt , finishing as runner up in 2010 , and in third place in 2007 and 2008 .
Jeff ’ s game and expanding list of accomplishments grew more impressive with each passing year throughout the 2000s . He qualified again for both the U . S . Amateur and U . S . Mid-Amateur in 2003 , as he was steadily establishing himself as a fixture at national championships . From 2002 through 2009 he qualified for the US Mid-Am seven times , and reached match play on three of those occasions . He finished second in the Connecticut Player of the Year standings in 2006 and 2007 before earning the title outright in 2008 and 2009 .
His biggest victory was the 2008 Connecticut Open at Round Hill Club . With wife Nicole caddying throughout the Championship , Jeff forced a playoff with past champion Kyle Gallo after a spectacular up and down on the final hole , then claimed the title with a birdie on the first extra hole . He remains the only amateur to have won the Open in the 21st century , the last to do so since Jay Rice of Wee Burn in 1999 .
Rick Odermatt , longtime writer and producer of The Connecticut Golfer declared Jeff the “ Player of the Decade ” after the 2009 season for his extraordinary ten-year record .
“ It was an unofficial accolade ,” recalls Odermatt , “ but it did seem to put in perspective how Jeff really dominated the decade . A compilation of Player of the Year points showed that Jeff amassed 4,100 points to runner up Mark Farrell ’ s 2,916 from 2000-2009 .”
Reflecting on the decade , Jeff acknowledged his growth in the mental game , “ In the first three years , I ’ d have a great round , then mentally break down ,” he said . “ Over the last three or four years , I ’ ve come the farthest in terms of maturity and experience . Having some success helps you to have more success . Instead of wondering if you can win , you know you can win .”
As dominant as he was over the first ten years of the new century , Jeff wasn ’ t about to tap the brakes . He won his third CSGA Player of the Year title in 2010 , and in 2011 claimed his biggest prize outside the state of Connecticut when he won the New England Amateur Championship .
T he Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame recognizes two categories when considering nominees , “ Distinguished Achievement in Golf ” for an individual ’ s competitive accomplishments , and “ Distinguished Service to Golf ” for exemplary dedication to growing and supporting the game . Tom Gleeton could be considered for induction into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame in either category , such is the breadth of his accomplishments in golf .
Tom grew up in Cheshire playing golf at the Country Club of Waterbury where he became one of Connecticut ’ s best amateurs during the 1970s . He won the New England Junior ,
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