Hepler Inducted To Hall Of Fame

An interest sparked by his eighth-grade teacher's yard stick, certainly Denny Hepler's golf career has measured up.

Sitting in Dan Pacheco's math class at Warsaw Middle School, Hepler said his teacher would use the yard stick to point at the chalkboard, but would occasionally swing it like a golf club.

This, Hepler said Wednesday, sparked an interest in the game.

And when Hepler's brothers wouldn't take him golfing for the first time, Pacheco did, and it began a Hall of Fame career.

"My eighth grade year, Dan Pacheco used a yard stick to point at the chalkboard, but every now and then he'd swing it like a golf club," Hepler said Wednesday at Raccoon Run. "It interested me, and I went out and hit wiffle balls and hoped my brothers would take me. I told Mr. Pacheco I wanted to play golf, and he said 'let's go.' He took me to Rozella, I shot a 53 (over 9 holes) and parred the third hole. I was hooked from then on."

From then on, Hepler said, it was all about finding as much time as he could to play golf, and his days of quarterbacking the middle school football team were over, as were his days of leading the Warsaw Little League in home runs.

From then on, it was all about golf.

And last week, Pacheco and Hepler were together again - this time as Hepler was one of three to be inducted into the Indiana Golf Foundation Hall of Fame. Forty people from Warsaw were on hand for the event.

Hepler is just the second Warsawan to be inducted into the hall, joining 1995 inductee Jerry Nelson. Since its inception in 1964, 81 people have been inducted into the hall, which includes the likes of Paul "Pete" Dye, Jim Flick, Jim Gallagher, SR., and Fuzzy Zoeller.

"Being on that list, that's something nobody can ever take away from me," said Hepler. "Thirty years from now, when people look back and say, 'these are the people that went in in 2003', I'll be etched in stone. This is something I'm extremely proud of. I've been fortunate and extremely blessed physically to play a sport that is so much fun, and is so rewarding when you do well."

To say the least, golf has been rewarding to Hepler.

After a career at WCHS that included three years on the varsity team, two trips to the state finals and All-State honors as a senior, Hepler accepted a full-ride scholarship to play for Ball State University.

Hepler, who averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds for Ike Tallman's Tiger basketball team, said he had the option of a full-ride golf scholarship, or splitting it between golf and basketball.

He chose golf and walked on to the basketball team.

After playing hoops one year for the BSU Cardinals, Hepler focused on just golf, and was a member of two Mid-America Conference championship teams, and played in the NCAA Finals twice for coach Earl Yestingsmeier, a 1997 inductee to the Indiana Golf Foundation Hall of Fame.

Wanting to play golf year round and needing warmer weather to do so, Hepler, who had an 18-hole stroke average of 74 in high school, transferred to Florida State University.

After sitting out his junior year because of the transfer, Hepler played on scholarship for the Seminoles.

At that time, Hepler said the Florida Gators were the top college golf team in the country. His senior year, Hepler and Co. beat them at a number of tournaments.

Hepler, whose 18-hole stroke average at FSU was 73.1, said his greatest accomplishment with the Seminoles was finishing runner-up in the Chris Schenkel Invitational at Georgia Southern.

Upon graduating from FSU in 1978, Hepler played on a number of mini tours and turned his sights towards the PGA Tour.

Competing on the Asian Tour, Hepler won the Malaysian Open his second year in 1982, and was runner-up in the tour's order of merit for money earned.

That same year, Hepler played in three European Tour events, including the British Open.

In 1986 and '87, Hepler played on the PGA Tour, recording two top-25 finishes.

After a two-year stint on tour, Hepler returned to Warsaw and was the teaching professional at the brand new Stonehenge Golf Club.

In 1997, Hepler became the head professional at the Stonehenge Executive Course, and one year later purchased it.

He has since changed its name to Raccoon Run, and added nine holes - doing the architechtural work and driving the bulldozer himself.

In his very-rewarding golf career, Hepler has played on six continents, broken 10 course records, hit three holes-in-one during competition - one of which came while partnered with Payne Stewart - and finished third during Chris Schenkel's last television broadcast for ABC.

While he still plays in tournaments, Hepler, who is friends with current PGA star Vijay Singh, can now be found teaching lessons at Raccoon Run.

To his credit, Hepler has given lessons to two Indiana high school state champions - 14-year-old Warsaw freshman Emily Johnson, and Mishawaka Marian grad now Notre Dame player Cole Isban.

Now 48 years of age, Hepler's dream is to play on the Senior PGA Tour, which one can qualify for when they're 49 and begin playing on their 50th birthday.

What began with his math teacher swinging a yard stick, it's safe to say Hepler's career has measured up on many levels of success.