Though Jack Van Ess may have been best known for never playing on Sunday out of respect for his father’s religious-based wishes, he marked his way in golf with world-class skill and a hickory-shafted putter.
He was among the state’s finest golfers and a local legend while he ran a furniture factory supplies company in Grand Rapids.
As a senior he collected trophies in state and national competitions. He was the first to win both the Michigan Senior Open and the GAM Senior Amateur, and he won the prestigious Dale Morey Society of Seniors event and the World Super Seniors 70-and-over event.
He also competed against our nation’s best golfers in the U.S. Amateur, the North and South Amateur, the Western Amateur and two U.S. Senior Opens and five Senior Amateurs.
At Egypt Valley Country Club, Van Ess won the club championship 10 times spanning four decades and often withdrew as the leader before Sunday’s final round in local tournaments.