NJ Golf to Induct Four into 2026 Hall of Fame Class
KENILWORTH, N.J. - New Jersey Golf is proud to announce the NJ Golf Hall of Fame Class of 2026. This year’s distinguished class, made up of Cindy Ferro, Rees Jones, August F. Kammer and Jim McGovern represents the very best of golf in our state. Through exceptional achievement, leadership, and dedication to the game, these individuals have made lasting contributions to the New Jersey golf community and have helped shape the rich history and tradition of the sport.
"As we continue to celebrate the legacy and impact of NJ Golf, it’s fitting to honor an outstanding class of inductees,” said NJ Golf Executive Director Kevin Purcell. “Cindy Ferro, Rees Jones, August F. Kammer and Jim McGovern each represent excellence in different eras and areas of the game. From championship-winning play and course design to leadership and service. Their collective contributions have helped shape golf in New Jersey, and it’s an honor to recognize their lasting influence with induction into the New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame."
A dominant force in the metropolitan area during the 1970s, Cindy Ferro captured the New Jersey Women’s Amateur Championship three times (1972, ‘75, ‘76) and earned numerous junior and amateur titles. A longtime member of Forest Hill Field Club, Ferro also built a remarkable family legacy in the game, winning the Women’s Metropolitan Golf Association (WMGA) Father-Daughter Championship nine times and the Brother-Sister Championship six times.
Ferro went on to star collegiately at Furman University, where she captained a powerhouse team to the 1976 AIAW National Championship.
After turning professional, Ferro competed on the LPGA Tour for 10 seasons beginning in 1979. Her career highlights include a tie for 14th at the 1987 MasterCard International and a career-low round of 69 that same year at the Standard Register Turquoise Classic.
Following her playing career, Ferro joined the professional staff at Baltusrol Golf Club in 1989, where she spent more than three decades teaching and mentoring countless students.
Her induction recognizes a lifetime of excellence as a player, professional and ambassador for the game of golf in New Jersey.
Rees Jones, one of the most influential golf course architects in the world and a proud New Jersey native, will be inducted into the New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026.
Born into a family synonymous with golf course design, Jones grew up in Montclair where he learned the game and the craft from his father and New Jersey Golf Hall of Fame class of 2023 inductee, legendary architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. After graduating from Yale University and completing graduate studies at Harvard, he began his professional design career in 1965 with Robert Trent Jones, Inc., before establishing his own design firm, Rees Jones, Inc., in 1974. The firm has been headquartered in Montclair ever since, making New Jersey the home base for one of the world’s most respected golf architecture practices.
Over a career spanning more than five decades, Jones has designed or renovated more than 300 courses around the world. Known as “The Open Doctor,” he has been entrusted with preparing many of the game’s most important championship venues, including multiple U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Walker Cup sites. His design contributions include New Jersey staples like Baltusrol (Upper & Lower) Golf Club, Echo Lake Country Club, Hackensack Golf Club, Morris County Golf Club and The Ridgewood Country Club as well as several of the game’s most highly regarded modern layouts.
Jones’ impact on golf has been recognized with the sport’s highest honors, including the Old Tom Morris Award, the Donald Ross Award and the Don A. Rossi Award (presented by the Golf Course Builders Association of America), a distinction achieved by only a handful of individuals in golf history. He has also been inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame and has received numerous national and international awards for excellence in golf course architecture.
A standout figure in early New Jersey golf, August F. Kammer was one of the most accomplished amateur players of his era. He captured the New Jersey Amateur Championship three consecutive times from 1924 through 1926 and remains one of the most successful competitors in championship history, with only six players having more New Jersey Amateur titles.
Kammer also built a remarkable family legacy, winning the New Jersey Father & Son Championship seven times with his two sons, A.F. Jr. and Lowery, between 1926 and 1943. His success extended to the regional level, where he finished runner-up in the 1913 Metropolitan Amateur Championship, and later, the Metropolitan Senior Championship crown in 1939 and 1941.
A two-time Baltusrol Golf Club Champion in 1919 and 1921, Kammer also served the game administratively as Chairman of the Metropolitan Golf Association’s Handicap and Tournament Committee in 1918.
An Oradell native, Jim McGovern emerged as a standout amateur before going on to a decorated collegiate career at the University of Arkansas and then Old Dominion University, where he earned multiple All-Conference honors and was later inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame. He turned professional in 1989 and quickly reached the game’s highest level, qualifying for the U.S. Open that same year and earning full PGA TOUR status in 1990.
McGovern competed on the PGA TOUR from 1991 to 1998, highlighted by his victory at the 1993 Shell Houston Open and a fifth-place finish at the 1994 Masters. He recorded 14 top-10 finishes on the PGA TOUR and later added 10 more while competing on the Nationwide (now Korn Ferry) Tour.
Since returning full-time to New Jersey, McGovern has continued to be a major force in the state’s competitive golf landscape. He has served as head golf professional at White Beeches Golf & Country Club since 2011 and has recorded numerous victories and honors, including a runner-up finish at the 2013 New Jersey Open and a berth in the 2014 PGA Championship. McGovern has also dominated NJPGA senior competition, earning three Senior Player of the Year awards and multiple state and regional senior titles.
The 2026 NJ Golf Hall of Fame induction will take place on Wednesday, April 22 at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton. Information regarding ticket sales and full details of the evening will be announced in the coming weeks.
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