Class of 2012

Charlie Epps

Golf Professional / Teacher

Biography

Charlie Epps is a PGA Professional in Cypress, TX who most recently served as President of The Spirit, a unique philanthropic organization that benefits health related causes while promoting the global goodwill of amateur golf.

Epps has been a fixture in the Houston golf scene since 1973. Currently a member of the teaching staff at Golf Club of Houston, he has always been committed to giving back to the game of golf, especially in the development of young players. He spent 15 years as the Head Professional at Houston Country Club and six years Pine Forest Country Club, in addition to time at Redstone Country Club. Epps also created and directed the Golf Experience & Education Center at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic

On the PGA Tour, Epps coached two-time Major Championship winner Angel Cabrera and five-time Tour winner Blaine McCallister. Epps is currently featured weekly on the Charlie Epps Golf Hour which airs nationally on the SportsMap Nation Radio Network on Saturdays 8-9 a.m. CT (97.5 FM in Houston).

Much of Epps' energy as an instructor has focused on developing young players. Before the 2006 passing of Dick Harmon, his close friend and fellow instructor, the pair provided a wide range of opportunities for juniors. Epps founded the Yellowstone Academy Foundation Golf Tournament to raise money to help Houston's inner-city youngsters gain access to golf. He also helps organize the Dick Harmon Memorial Invitational and a number of other charity events.

To date Charlie Epps is one of the most decorated professionals in the history of the Southern Texas Section of the PGA of America having won the following section awards: Professional of the Year—1983 and 1998: Player of the Year—1982, 1983, 1988, and 1989: Teacher of the Year—1985 and 2010: Horton Smith Award—1982, 1984, and 1987: STPGA Dick Forrester Quarter Century Award—2011. His playing awards include Section Champion—1979, 1985, and 1989: Senior Champion—1998, 2000, and 2002

Legacy Video

Long Drives

Born in Michigan, Charlie Epps moved with his family to Argentina for his father’s job in the automobile industry, where he took up the game of golf. His high school diploma lists his school as the University of Nebraska, the official site of his correspondence class. In college, Epps and three childhood buddies from South America drove from San Francisco, Calif., to Argentina, a 12,000-mile drive that began in June and finished in August.

In the Army Now

Drafted into the Army in 1969, Epps ultimately was transferred to Fort Sill, Okla. Early on during his training, he was given advice that he should tell everyone he could that he was both a golfer and a college graduate, having starred on the golf team at the University of Toledo. That advice paid off, as during his advanced individual training he was chosen to serve as the golf pro at the Fort Sill Golf Club instead of heading overseas to serve in the Vietnam War like many of his bunkmates.

The Offer of a Lifetime

While in the middle of playing a practice round prior to a PGA Tournament qualifier at Houston Country Club, Epps was offered a job by the club’s head professional. Epps chose to postpone accepting the offer, and instead continued on in his quest to earn a PGA Tour card. However, after the fall, Epps went back to the club to accept. The only position available was the caddy master job, but Epps took it. Due to some personnel movement within the club, he became the interim head professional at one of the most prestigious country clubs in the south a few months later and remained there as head pro for 15 years.

A Teacher for All

Epps, who is dyslexic, has always remembered his struggles in school, which included finishing fifth in his five-person high school graduating class. Therefore, he was determined to become a teacher for all. A patient person by nature, his enjoyment of teaching meant he would work with anyone who wanted to learn, and his unofficial job title became “Vice President of Fun.” A fixture in Houston area golf beginning in 1973, Epps founded the Yellowstone Academy Foundation Golf Tournament to raise money for inner-city youth to gain access to golf.

Awards Galore

Epps claimed a bevy of awards from the PGA of America, including the South Texas PGA Player of the Year (four times), Horton Smith Award (three times), Section Professional of the Year (twice) and Teacher of the Year (twice). He also is a three-time STPGA champion and a three-time STPGA senior champion. His pupils included a pair of PGA Tour stars as well. He coached two-time major championship winner (2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters) and Argentine Angel Cabrera as well as Blaine McCallister, a five-time champion on the PGA Tour.