{"id":634417,"date":"2026-06-12T06:53:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/634417\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T06:53:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T06:53:15","slug":"jack-hall-garners-accolade-amid-health-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/634417\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Hall garners accolade amid health battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, Jack Hall and David Millis were announced as the newest inductees into the National Senior Amateur Hall of Fame. But while Millis was present in High Point, North Carolina, for the ceremony, Hall was not. About a month ago, Hall\u2019s life was flipped on its head.<\/p>\n

Following an emergency room visit and a CT scan, doctors discovered a cue ball-sized mass on Hall\u2019s jejunum, a section of the small intestine. Originally, the radiologist predicted Hall had a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which gave Hall a grim picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at that and you think four months to 12 months, your life goes into turmoil,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

But after surgery that removed the mass, the pathologist gave Hall favorable news. It was lymphoma, still cancer, but treatable with chemotherapy, which Hall started a week after Memorial Day. While he was lying in his hospital bed, the former No. 1 senior amateur\u2019s phone was continually lighting up. Hall\u2019s impact on amateur golf goes far beyond the course.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope I don\u2019t get choked up,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI was on my back for eight days. And in those eight days I probably had 400-500 texts from all over the country. It humbles you. Yeah you can be competitive, but at the end of the day I love these guys. It\u2019s a tight-knit family with a common bond over the love of golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall didn\u2019t grow up in a family of means, so he looks back with appreciation on his dad\u2019s decision to join Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta when Hall was 10.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember that the initiation fee was $500 and that was a stretch for him,\u201d Hall said. \u201cBut he did it for us. And you look back now and I\u2019m sure that my family didn\u2019t go on a lot of vacations at all to allow me and my brother the opportunity to play golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time Hall started hitting balls, he started working on the golf course to earn extra money. Now a real-estate developer, he says he\u2019s never been without a full-time job.<\/p>\n

Hall played his first tournament at age 12 and instantly fell in love with competing. That competitive fire still burns strongly today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cut grass in the neighborhoods and worked on and around the golf course, especially on the driving range,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

Hall played his first tournament at age 12 and instantly fell in love with competing. That competitive fire still burns strongly today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even keep up with the tournaments I\u2019ve won and lost,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI\u2019m just a guy who feels so lucky to be able to play. I love competition. I don\u2019t really enjoy just going out and playing golf, but to play against someone or to play against a field is what drives me.\u201d<\/p>\n

After attending the University of Georgia, Hall briefly entertained a professional golf career and tried PGA Tour Q-School twice. He even Monday qualified for a handful of PGA Tour events. But he ultimately realized that life wasn\u2019t for him.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jack Hall found a job that enabled him to keep playing golf for business. Ted Pio Roda,\u00a0 Courtesy, USGA<\/p>\n

Instead, Hall learned how to market real estate, which allowed him to keep playing golf for business. In 1983, he married his wife, Gay, and the couple later had two children. Amid familial responsibilities, Gay always supported her husband\u2019s love of golf.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven with raising two kids, she always wanted me to take a few minutes, maybe hit a bucket of balls or do whatever,\u201d Hall said. \u201cBut she has always been my biggest fan and biggest promoter for maintaining my golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall moved to Savannah, Georgia, in 1995 and his family came a year later. There he met Doug Hanzel, who would later win the 2013 U.S. Senior Amateur. The two were instantly competitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d heard of this doctor who was a real good golfer but never really played against him,\u201d Hall said. \u201cAnd people thought we were antagonistic to each other because we were competitors. Nothing could have been further from the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Hall turned 55 and became eligible for senior events, he suggested that he and Hanzel travel to tournaments together. The two became great friends and won three Georgia Senior Four-Ball Championships together (2015-2017).<\/p>\n

\"\"Hall feels lucky to be playing the game at 68 years of age. Ted Pio Roda, Courtesy USGA<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are months where I\u2019ve spent more time with Jack than with my wife,\u201d Hanzel said.<\/p>\n

When Hanzel has diabetes-related health issues, Hall is there.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes he\u2019s had episodes that if he had been by himself it would have been scary but he\u2019s been with me so we\u2019ve looked after each other,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n

When Hanzel learned Hall was sick, he says he was devastated. With more than 40 years of medical experience, Hanzel wants to help in any way he can.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve taken care of very ill people and have experience with cancer,\u201d Hanzel said. \u201cMy own wife has had breast cancer and has gone through chemotherapy so we\u2019ve experienced a lot of what he\u2019s experiencing and hopefully we can be a resource for him and Gay.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Hall couldn\u2019t attend the hall of fame ceremony due to chemotherapy, Hanzel spoke on his behalf, returning the favor for when Hall spoke upon his 2019 hall induction.<\/p>\n

When he learned of the honor, Hall didn\u2019t think he belonged.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy initial reaction was no thank you,\u201d Hall said. \u201cDavid Millis said we want you in the hall and I said, \u2018David, I\u2019m not a hall of famer.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very generous with his time and money and really doesn\u2019t want to be recognized for it. And that\u2019s why he\u2019s kind of shied away from any awards like a hall of fame because to some degree he doesn\u2019t feel like he deserves it but he definitely does.\u201d \u2013 Doug Hanzel<\/p>\n

Hall pointed to his lack of USGA championship victories, which many hall of famers have on their r\u00e9sum\u00e9s. But Hanzel says Hall is more than deserving not only for his playing accomplishments but his philanthropic efforts, especially on behalf of the Georgia State Golf Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very generous with his time and money and really doesn\u2019t want to be recognized for it,\u201d Hanzel said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why he\u2019s kind of shied away from any awards like a hall of fame because to some degree he doesn\u2019t feel like he deserves it but he definitely does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall says that if there\u2019s something he\u2019s most proud of, it\u2019s his longevity. When he was in college, he saw a 30-year-old playing golf and thought how lucky he\u2019d be to still be playing the game at 30. And now, at 68, he says he has hit golf balls almost every day of his life since he graduated college.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe I\u2019ve carried this sport through my life,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI love this sport. I love what it represents. I love the integrity that comes along with it. I\u2019m going to get through this chemo so I can play golf again. I\u2019m going to be competitive again. I\u2019m going to beat somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Top: Jack Hall at the 2024 U.S. Senior Amateur. Photo: Jeff Haynes, Courtesy USGA
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