Steve Hogan Sr. and the Legacy of Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes
Nebraska PGA Members of Impact
Written by Bob Denney | Historian Emeritus – PGA of America
When Steve Hogan arrived at Miller Park Golf Course in 1988 on North 30th Street in Omaha, he got a firsthand view of a par-3 layout bearing scars.
Acts of vandalism peppered the property. Most noticeably, there were hardly any juniors playing the course.
Two years later, a chance encounter on the course became a signature Hogan moment.
“One day, I caught a couple of kids riding their bikes across the course and stopped them,” said Hogan in 2003. “They didn’t know it was a golf course. They thought it was a big park.”
Hogan took the bikes to the clubhouse as the children begged him to give them back. After reviewing the damage to the greens caused by the bikes, Hogan gave the kids a choice: he would either contact their parents to pay for the damage, or they could come back the next day to actually learn what golf was all about.
Those same biking trespassers returned the next day—and began a journey in golf.
They went on to attend college, become accomplished amateur players, and, as Hogan said with pride, “helped bring other kids into golf.”
It was one vignette in the life of a PGA Professional who was like the uncle some youngsters yearned to have by their side—encouraging them to take the next step toward enjoying the game.
Steve Hogan left us far too soon, losing a long battle with colon cancer in November 2008. He was just 55.
What he accomplished in abundance during his life was making Miller Park an authentic home of Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes. Call it junior golf’s peacetime adaptation of the popular World War II sitcom Hogan’s Heroes.
This reality version in Omaha had no barbed wire—just open space, a thread of green fairways, a welcoming leader in Hogan, and opportunity.
It’s where inner-city youngsters could enjoy a game they otherwise might never have tried.
That moment of stopping cyclists across a fairway sparked the birth of a program that today serves more than 1,400 boys and girls annually across the Omaha metro area.
Hogan’s goal for his Junior Golf Heroes was to keep kids out of trouble, provide sport options beyond basketball and football, instill a true appreciation of golf, and build pride and character using his favorite phrase: “Golf as the hook.”
Miller Park Golf Course was renamed Steve Hogan Golf Course in 2009, in honor of the man who was a magnet for nourishing the spirit and hopes of youngsters through golf.
To arrive at that point, let’s roll back the calendar and understand more about Steven Ray Hogan Sr.
Born and raised in North Omaha, Hogan didn’t grow up playing golf—he was a tennis player. He eventually landed a job in the maintenance department at Elmwood Golf Course in central Omaha. That job became Hogan’s golf “classroom.”
Because he was on staff, Hogan could play the course in the evenings. One of his mentors, William Parker, a local small business owner and avid golfer, often played with Hogan and taught him the finer details of the game.
Hogan was a well-rounded athlete, and golf came naturally to him. It was during this time that he learned about Miller Park Golf Course, which the City of Omaha owned and was looking to staff with a manager.
“No one wanted to take the job since it was in an undesirable area of the city,” said his youngest son, Steve Jr. “My dad took on the challenge and made the course a massive success story. He did so well that eventually the city entered into a long-term lease with him, giving him full control over Miller Park—including operations, staffing, maintenance, and concessions. That type of arrangement was unprecedented for a city golf course.”
Word quickly spread about Hogan’s successful junior golf program, with its core values and “Golf as the hook” approach to keep kids out of trouble. In the late 1990s, Hogan was invited to join The First Tee, a new national junior golf organization.
He agreed—on the condition that he could retain his brand and uniquely call the program Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes – The First Tee of Omaha.
To reach kids who wouldn’t normally have access to golf, Hogan went to where they lived. He ventured into underserved neighborhoods, including public housing communities, often bringing along some of his “Junior Golf Heroes” to run clinics, explain the program, offer scholarship opportunities, and organize raffles.
He also provided free or discounted lessons for inner-city kids and hired local youth to work at the course, maintain the grounds, learn club repair, and even teach younger children the game.
PGA Director of Golf Tony Driscoll, now at Whispering Woods in Council Bluffs, Iowa, recalled his first meeting with Hogan.
“It was the winter of sixth grade. I was playing basketball and I met Steve Sr. and his brother-in-law, Mike Rice,” said Driscoll. “Every summer of my life was golf, and Steve Hogan treated me like I was one of his sons. His junior golf program led to me meeting Steve Jr., who is my best friend.”
Driscoll became a “Junior Golf Hero” and got rides from his father to Miller Park.
He has two sisters and said Steve Jr. was the brother he never had.
“I went off to college. Steve Jr. went to law school. We began our careers,” Driscoll said. “When Steve Sr. passed away, it was tough for the program. He was the engine behind the bus.”
Though she wasn’t a golfer, Steve Sr.’s widow, Danette, stepped up as board chair and kept the program alive to carry on her husband’s legacy.
“Now, there are great people on the board,” said Driscoll. “Together, they figured out how best to utilize all the resources available.”
“I got into golf course operations and also did what I could to consult and help the junior program. It’s like our baby. We built the putting course there, and they’re doing great things.”
Maintaining the Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes brand under The First Tee of Omaha wasn’t easy. But the program’s record of success made it possible.
“We’re the only First Tee chapter in the country to negotiate and retain our original name,” said Steve Jr., who worked for his father before earning a degree in 2008 from Creighton University.
Steve Jr. later worked for the Obama presidential campaign in Minnesota, then as a policy aide in Minneapolis. He returned to Omaha to earn his master’s and law degrees from Creighton in 2016.
Today, he practices commercial litigation at KUTAK Rock and chairs the Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes Foundation.
“The program grew so much that we’ve outgrown operating out of Steve Hogan Golf Course—though it’s still our heart and soul,” said Steve Jr. “We now provide services at eight different courses throughout the metro area, including my dad’s course.”
Programming remains free for kids at Steve Hogan Golf Course and has expanded to Ashland, Plattsmouth, and “everywhere in between,” said Steve Jr. “We go to where the kids are. It’s vital we provide opportunities to all kids, no matter their background—both life skills and golf skills. That’s what we do.”
Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes has grown through generations of players.
“People who didn’t know my dad quickly learn that junior golf in Omaha blossomed because of him,” said Steve Jr. “When he started, if you didn’t belong to a country club, there were no junior golf programs.”
Before Steve Sr. made a name in golf, his family connections helped shape his path.
Mike Rice, his brother-in-law, had married Steve’s sister, Shirley.
“I knew Steve for many years before he got into golf,” said Rice. “I had played for a long time, and in 1992 he hired me when he ran Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes.” Rice now manages Steve Hogan Golf Course.
“Steve was extremely popular with kids. He was a fantastic individual—and one I emulate in our core values: honesty, courtesy, and etiquette.”
The top fundraiser for the program is the Steve Hogan Memorial, held each May. In addition to events, the program solicits monetary donations and accepts equipment donations at several citywide locations.
Among the most-needed items are beginner-level and “SNAG” golf equipment, which costs over $3,000 for a complete set.
The vision doesn’t stop there. Steve Jr. is excited about the next chapter in the Hogan legacy.
“We hope to launch a capital campaign next year,” said Steve Jr., “and build an indoor facility for winter training instead of relying on school gymnasiums.”
Elected to PGA membership in 1997, Steve Hogan Sr. was a two-time Nebraska PGA Junior Golf Leader Award recipient. His community service honors include the 2001 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream Award and the 1997 Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service.
In 2003, Hogan turned 50 and had served 28 years with the City of Omaha’s Parks & Recreation Department. That year, he became the first Nebraska PGA member to receive the national PGA of America Junior Golf Leader Award. He also earned the Nebraska Golf Hall of Fame’s Dr. Herbert H. Davis Memorial Award.
In his acceptance speech in January 2004 in Orlando, Hogan recalled the advice of a neighbor and business owner in North Omaha:
“Steve, you be honest with people and you try to give back, and you’ll be blessed.”
That night, he gave a moving speech:
“I’m just proud of what Hogan’s Heroes is all about. We’re doing great things. You know golf is just a little part of it. It’s the hook—to get the kids to pick up a book, to read, to make friends, to share ideals, to grow.
“Martin Luther King had a dream that all of God’s children can walk hand in hand. My dream’s the same—it’s just in the game of golf. When I see our kids playing and it’s a rainbow of kids, I feel excited. They’re off the streets. They’re in the grass. They’re getting dirty. They’re hitting golf balls. They’re asking questions. They’re picking up books.”
“I feel that I’m doing my part, and I know I’m being led and I’m being blessed. This is what I do.”
Steve Hogan Sr. is survived by his wife, Danette; sons Anthony and Steve Jr.; and daughter, Sierra.
“My dad’s favorite saying was that he was ‘a fisherman at his soul, and golf was just the hook,’” said Steve Jr.
“I tell people all the time—I don’t remember learning how to play golf. It was something I’ve always just done. I’d head to the course with my dad every single summer day and golf all day with my friends.”
Steve Jr. got his first taste of high-level competition at the Junior World Championships at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California. He later became a four-year NCAA Division I golfer at Creighton.
He also remembers another prophetic line from his father:
“We’re not trying to create the next Tiger Woods. We’re trying to create better people—and provide the opportunities golf can bring you. It will take you farther in life.”
Just like Steve Hogan Jr., thousands of kids have been positively impacted by Hogan’s Junior Golf Heroes and The First Tee of Omaha.
In 2025, more than 1,400 junior golfers will experience the program showing the incredible growth and lasting impact Steve Hogan Sr. has had on surrounding communities.
About the Nebraska Section PGA
The Nebraska Section PGA is a non-for-profit organization comprised of over 340 PGA Members and PGA Associates who strive to promote the enjoyment and growth of the game of golf. The Nebraska Section PGA encompasses the entire State of Nebraska, western fifth of Iowa and a small portion of South Dakota including Dakota Dunes and Yankton. The Section office is located in Lincoln, NE and acts as a resource for local and national golf information for the golf professional and amateur player alike. Our members are often referred to as “Club Professionals”, not to be mistaken as PGA Tour Professionals.
Each Nebraska Section PGA Professional serves as an expert in the ever-changing business of golf. They are the leading expert players and teachers, skilled business managers, community leaders, and superior merchandisers who have dedicated their careers to the local delivery of these services.