The Heddens of New London Country Club were a talented lot, and winning the CSGA’s Father-Son Championship had become a family tradition. Jeff Hedden’s father Richard won it with Jeff’s grandfather, Graham before Richard won it on separate occasions with both Jeff and Jeff’s brother, Chris. On his own, Jeff displayed an early aptitude for state-wide competitive golf in winning Connecticut Junior Amateur titles in 1980 and 1981.
But after a long hiatus from both championship golf and the winner’s circle, Jeff began competing again at the urging of his wife, Nicole. It was the year 2000, and Nicole, a past Connecticut Women’s Golf Association champion recognized Jeff’s natural talent and told him, “You know, you’re really good. You should try the CSGA stuff again.”
Two years later Jeff won the Connecticut Amateur championship at the Country Club of Farmington, with Nicole as his caddie.
“That was like an out-of-body experience,” Jeff said. “I still didn’t have the maturity or experience.” Later in 2002, he won his second CSGA major, the Mid-Amateur championship at Wee Burn Country Club. He also reached the national stage, qualifying for both the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Mid-Amateur.
The 2002 Connecticut Mid-Amateur would be the first of four Mid-Am titles as Jeff went on to win in 2005, 2006 and 2009. When he wasn’t winning he was always in the hunt, finishing as runner up in 2010, and in third place in 2007 and 2008.
Jeff’s game and expanding list of accomplishments grew more impressive with each passing year throughout the 2000s. He qualified again for both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Mid-Amateur in 2003, as he was steadily establishing himself as a fixture at national championships. From 2002 through 2009 he qualified for the US Mid-Am seven times, and reached match play on three of those occasions. He finished second in the Connecticut Player of the Year standings in 2006 and 2007 before earning the title outright in 2008 and 2009.
His biggest victory was the 2008 Connecticut Open at Round Hill Club. With wife Nicole caddying throughout the Championship, Jeff forced a playoff with three-time past champion Kyle Gallo after a spectacular up and down on the final hole, then claimed the title with a birdie on the first extra hole. He remains the only amateur to have won the Open in the 21st century, the last to do so since Jay Rice of Wee Burn in 1999.
Rick Odermatt, longtime writer and producer of The Connecticut Golfer declared Jeff the “Player of the Decade” after the 2009 season for his extraordinary ten-year record.
“It was an unofficial accolade,” recalls Odermatt, “but it did seem to put in perspective how Jeff really dominated the decade. A compilation of Player of the Year points showed that Jeff amassed 4,100 points to runner up Mark Farrell’s 2,916 from 2000-2009.”
Odermatt wrote at the time, “Add to that an arthritic shoulder, a sometimes painful foot condition and the natural aging process, and it’s surprising that Hedden’s game improved through the 2000s with the speed of a youngster. He has gotten a little gray at the temples over the decade, but the biggest change is what goes on now between them.”
Reflecting on the decade, Jeff acknowledged his growth in the mental game, “In the first three years, I’d have a great round, then mentally break down,” he said. “Over the last three or four years, I’ve come the farthest in terms of maturity and experience. Having some success helps you to have more success. Instead of wondering if you can win, you know you can win.”
As dominant as he was over the first ten years of the new century, Jeff wasn’t about to tap the brakes. He won his third CSGA Player of the Year title in 2010, and in 2011 claimed his biggest prize outside the state of Connecticut when he won the New England Amateur Championship.
An outstanding partner and teammate as well, Jeff won the CSGA Four Ball Championship four straight years, 2007 through 2009 with Ryan Leahy, and in 2010 with Jim Gentile. The Hedden-Gentile duo also claimed the CSGA Two Man Championship in 2008, 2009, and 2011. A seven-time member of the CSGA’s Tri-State team, Jeff also represented Connecticut three times in the USGA State Team Championship.
Nicole’s encouragement of her husband in 2000 led to enormous success and the two were an outstanding tandem.
“She was always a great caddie, and terrific at reading greens,” Jeff said. “When she wasn’t on the bag, I would wonder if I would be doing better if she were. She had a calming influence on me. ”
For her part Nicole recalls Jeff as the calm one. “He may think I was calm, but really I get really nervous and I think he has nerves of steel. I look at him sometimes and I know he’s in one of his zones.”
One of the greatest amateur golfers in Connecticut history and the most dominant player for more than ten years at the start of the 21st century, Jeff Hedden enters the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame as a unanimous selection in the category of Distinguished Golf Achievement.
