In 1936, the town of Fort Worth saw the birth of two Texas golf legends - Colonial Country Club and Martha V. Leonard. The father of both was 1993 Texas Golf Hall of Fame inductee, J. Marvin Leonard. Because Marty was born into the world of golf and shares her father’s passion for the game, her accomplishments are often linked with those of her father. While that connection is undeniable, Marty has created her own legacy by her choices to continue her family’s tradition of both giving back to her community and creating opportunities for golfers of all skill levels to learn and love the game. It is Marty’s lifelong commitment to serving, giving and intentional philanthropy that earned her this Hall of Fame induction.

Marty Leonard began playing golf as a young girl and played frequently at all three of the golf courses her father built (Colonial C.C., Shady Oaks C.C., and later Starr Hollow G.C.). She was an accomplished amateur golfer at both the local and state level. The scope of her impact on the game broadened significantly when she was invited to join the USGA Women’s Golf Committee, where she was a member for 18 years.

The list of Committees and Boards she has served is lengthy. In addition to those at the family’s golf courses, she supports several other notable non-golf organizations. Marty has been on the Board of the Lena Pope Home for over 60 years and was instrumental in building a chapel to serve the children and families within the Lena Pope community. It is appropriately named the Marty Leonard Community Chapel. Marty’s love for animals and nature is also well-noted and the Marty Leonard Boardwalk at the Ft. Worth Nature Center & Refuge is a tribute to her long-term contributions. She is also an active Board member of Baylor, Scott & White’s All Saints Foundation, whose mission includes serving all people through excellent healthcare and education.

While clearly busy off the golf course, Marty still has golf in her blood and cherishes her role as a keeper of her family’s slice of Texas golf history. She is the owner of Leonard Golf Links, a Ft. Worth driving range and practice facility that ranks among the biggest and best in the country. Marty also manages and cares for the final golf course her father created, the private and pristine Starr Hollow Golf Club. In a nod to her love of nature, bluebird boxes mounted on cedar posts are used as fairway yardage markers and every hole on the course has an animal name like “Jack Rabbit Jump”, “Catfish Cove”, and “Duck’s Downfall”. As excited as people are to get to play golf at Starr Hollow, its fishing draws just as much acclaim and its hamburgers are reportedly world-class. In the tradition of her family, Marty works faithfully to preserve the private, peaceful, and unhurried golf experience where simple pleasures are an art.