Reg Zurinskas
(Golf, 1955)
This 2012 Hall of Fame inductee was introduced to the sport of golf as a caddy at the
Ridgewood Country Club, Reg Zurinskas. This southpaw played golf right
handed and learned the game by reading books by his idol, Ben Hogan, and
Sam Snead. As a youngster, he caddied in the CSGA Connecticut Open and
the Connecticut Amateur. He also won the caddy championship at the
Ridgewood Country Club. At Danbury High School, Reg played for a strong
golf team. The format was four players playing eighteen holes of match
play, three points per match. The 1955 team was undefeated and Reg
played the third position. After his graduation from Danbury High School
Reg went to Mount Saint Mary’s College where he played golf and was a
runner-up in the Mason-Dixon Conference Championship. After his freshman
year he transferred to Villanova University to be with his twin
brother, Ron. At Villanova, college golf was played with a seven man
team, eighteen holes, match play, one point per match. For his senior
season, Reg played the number one position and was 13 and 1 in match
play. The Villanova golf team was 12 and 2 his senior season, and Reg’s
average score was 75. In 1959 Reg received a BS in economics from
Villanova. After college Reg played in CSGA events in Connecticut. As a
member of the Ridgewood Country Club, he won the championship in 1965/66
and tied the course record of 66. Reg has qualified for the Connecticut
Amateur and was fifth in the CSGA Connecticut Open in 1965. In 1992 Reg
was amateur champion in the Connecticut PGA Senior Open, and runnerup
in 1994. In Simsbury where he now resides, Reg won the Simsbury Amateur
in 1972, 1973, and 1974 and won the Simsbury Farms senior championship
six times. Reg was employed by General Electric for 37 years and retired
in 1997. In 2003 he was inducted into the Danbury Old Timer’s
Association. Reg and his wife of 48 years, Jane, have three children,
Ronald, Lauren and Leslie and six grandchildren.