Len Kennett, PGA
Deep roots in the Southern California golf landscapeLen Kennett has deep roots in the Southern California golf landscape. After serving in the Marines, he continued playing at USC, where he won the 1950 Southern California Inter-Collegiate Championship. He eventually met fellow SCGA Hall of Famer Paul Runyan, who invited him to team up and offer kids free golf lessons. This was the starting point for Kennett’s contributions to junior golf, and in particular, the Len Kennett Junior Golf Championship, now going into its 61st year. He and his wife Marie lived in Oceanside until 1957, when Kennett took the second in a string of head professional jobs at San Gabriel CC. In 1964, Kennett transferred to a newly opened Los Verdes GC, where he was head pro for 34 years. In 1979, he also became the head professional at Lakewood GC before retiring from teaching in 2001.