The first director of golf at the Jeremy Ranch golf course, Lanny Neilsen has passed away.
Park City’s first private golf course, Jeremy Ranch, opened in the fall of 1981. While Park City residents had the municipal course to play on, Jeremy Ranch was the first country club in the area. Park Meadows Golf and Country Club, Park City’s first in-town course, didn’t open until 1983.
According to his obituary, Lanny’s contributions to Jeremy Ranch were a source of great pride. He developed close relationships with the founder of the course, Gerald Bagley, as well as course architects Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay.
Through the 1980s, Lanny served as tournament director of The Shootout, a PGA Tour event hosted at Jeremy. Later, comedian Bob Hope hosted several years of the Great American Indian Shoot Out at Jeremy Ranch.
Prior to that, Lanny served as the head professional at Wasatch Mountain State Park.
Lee Benson, Lanny’s longtime friend and sportswriter for the Deseret News, wrote that “Lanny’s greatest achievement was collecting friends. He had a gift of putting everyone at ease and making them feel important.”
Lanny lived in Jeremy Ranch. He is survived by his wife, one brother and one daughter. He passed away September 17 at the age of 86.
Friends are invited to a celebration of his life at Jeremy Ranch Country Club on Tuesday, September 27 from 3 to 7 p.m. and asked to wear casual golf wear.