Randy Syring, a life-long resident of Salina, became the 45th member of the Kansas Golf Hall of Fame with his induction in October 2018 and is the eighth golf professional to be so honored. He started as a part-time club washer at the age of 15 (which no doubt gave him the chance to play and practice) and after college studies and golf team participation at both Marymount College (Salina) and Friends University (Wichita) he graduated in 1980 and started his first full-time job as an assistant golf professional at SCC under the legendary Wally Beets, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Kansas Golf Hall of Fame inductee Bill Knox, a longtime member of Salina Country Club and past president of the Kansas Golf Association and the Kansas Golf Foundation, has known Randy Syring throughout his Hall of Fame career. He describes Randy as “lifting up the game of golf in Kansas his entire life. He is a steward for the foundations of the game – honesty, integrity, passion, perseverance – and an ambassador for making the game accessible to all. Randy believes in the ability of golf to effect change in people’s lives, and it is through this belief that he has changed the game for his community.”
In 1988 at a youthful 31 years, Randy Syring became the head golf professional at Salina Country Club upon the retirement of Beets. He served in that capacity for 29 years, a role reflective of not only the membership’s love of the man but his commitment to the community, the club, and to all golfers in Salina.
The First Tee of Salina, the first chapter to be established in Kansas, was assured of its formation in 1999 with Syring’s assistance. He helped with organization and initial fund-raising. He also recruited local community leaders and professionals to serve on the organization’s governing board.
One sure sign of the quality of a club golf professional is the reputation he has with his fellow golf professionals throughout the state of Kansas. Randy Syring was a leader among his golf professional colleagues. The Midwest Section PGA was the beneficiary of Syring’s thoughtful approach to the golf profession and willingness to serve. In 1996 he was elected President of the Section for a two-year term having served the prior six years as an officer. He also received Section awards for Club Fitter of the Year, Teacher of the Year (1997, 2002), and Golf Professional of the Year (2004). In 20017 he received the ultimate recognition from his peers by being inducted into the Midwest Section PGA Hall of Fame.
Kansas Golf Hall of Fame member Bill Knox, a longtime member of Salina Country Club and past president of the Kansas Golf Association and the Kansas Golf Foundation, has known Randy Syring throughout his Hall of Fame career. He describes Randy as “lifting up the game of golf in Kansas his entire life. He is a steward for the foundations of the game – honesty, integrity, passion, perseverance – and an ambassador for making the game accessible to all. Randy believes in the ability of golf to effect change in people’s lives, and it is through this belief that he has changed the game for his community.”
