THE PARADIGM OF GOLF resides at the intersection of self-confidence and self-doubt. A correct turn leading to a validation of talent.
For David K. Brookreson, the newest GAP
Hall of Famer, the defining direction came in
middle school.
“When I was in eighth grade [in the Northern
Burlington County Regional School District] and
they told me I could play with the varsity team,
that was the first indication that someone
thought as highly of my game as I did,” said
a chuckling 68-year-old Brookreson. “I was a
pretty good baseball player, but it was at that
moment that I decided if I was going to be
really good at golf I had to choose one sport,
so I quit baseball.”
That choice back then, and, his talents, of
course, have now resulted in the highest recogni-
tion a player in the Golf Association of Philadel-
phia territory can receive. Brookreson, along with
fellow Huntingdon Valley Country Club member
A.H. Smith (see page 24), will be immortalized in
the Association’s Hall of Fame, set to be inducted
during the Player’s Dinner on Oct. 26 at White
Manor Country Club.
“It caught me by surprise. I’ve always
admired individuals who have received those
awards. And you always think in the back of
your mind what it would be like if you are so
lucky to make it,” said Brookreson, a resident
of Huntingdon Valley, Pa. “I was driving out to
Oakmont Country Club when the phone call
came. The next 50 or 60 miles or so I didn’t
even realize what landmarks I had passed. I
was so euphoric.”
Brookreson’s résumé is deep. It includes 15
Major Golf Association of Philadelphia tourna-
ment victories; three total Players of the Year and
16 USGA appearances. His competitive career in
Philadelphia spans six decades. He announced
his presence in the 1968 Amateur Championship, losing in the semifinals to eventual
champion Jimmy Meyer of Tavistock. The father
of five would go on to win two Middle-Amateurs
(1986, 1988), two Patterson Cups (1991, 1996),
two Silver Cross Awards (1984, 1988) and an
Amateur (1991). He won the 1991 Player of the
Year, qualified for eight U.S. Amateurs and five
U.S Mid-Amateurs. He made match play in those
national championships a combined nine times.
There is a different Right of Passage that
comes with belonging to Huntingdon Valley,
Philadelphia’s most decorated playing club.
Brookreson, who categorizes himself a
historian of the game, knew it. He cites his
1991 Amateur Championship victory over Rob
Savarese, Jr. as a career achievement.
“It was very important,” said Brookreson of
his 1-up victory. “Mr. [O. Gordon] Brewer, [Jr.]
had won it, Mr. [William] Hyndman, [III] had
won it and Mr. [W.B.] McCullough, [Jr.] had won
it and all those other Huntingdon Valley players
you hear about had won it. I wanted to be part
of them. [After I did] I think I started respecting
myself more. ‘You thought you could do it and
golly you finally did it.’” Brookreson also won
the Patterson Cup that year, becoming just the
ninth player at the time to do so. His son Jesse
caddied for him in both.
After turning 55, the requisite Senior age, in
2004, Brookreson flashed his brilliance once
again with four Senior Silver Cross Awards
(2004-06, 2009), two Senior Amateur championships (2005, 2009), a Warner Cup (Gross)
(2006) and a Brewer Cup (2008). He was the
2004 and 2005 Senior POY and qualified
for three U.S. Senior Amateurs. Brookreson
represented the Association in 16 Compher
Cups, 14 Mason-Dixons and five Philadelphia
Challenge Matches.
A military brat – David’s father Kendrick was an Air Force dentist – Brookreson set roots in the Huntingdon Valley area
in 1966 when his dad retired from the service
to become an assitant dean at Temple Dental
School. David caddied and worked at HVCC
initially, before his family joined in 1967 and he
in 1970, the same year he married wife Dona.
Dona is Brookreson’s biggest supporter, living
the highs and lows of tournament golf. She has
walked many miles in many a city enthusiasti-
cally following her husband’s exploits.
Brookreson knows any of the three
nine-hole courses at Huntingdon Valley are
a challenge, a flat lie never to be had, but he
specifically cited the time he spent with HVCC
legends, Hyndman and Brewer, as the impetus
for his game’s ascension.
“I met Mr. Hyndman in 1967 and we talked
all the time. I learned to take the left side of
the golf course out of play from him. Once I
did that my ball-striking got better and better,”
said Brookreson. “I also learned from Mr.
Hyndman, Mr. Brewer and Mr. [R. Jay] Sigel
that you have to be patient. When you have
an opportunity to get aggressive, be aggres-
2016 GAP HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE
David K. Brookreson
BY MARTIN D. EMENO, JR.
