1987-1996

Club Welcomes Athletes 

Professional athletes and Yorba Linda Country Club have always had a strong relationship. In addition to many noted athletes playing the course, several were members.

When Hal Gregg became a charter member of Yorba Linda Country Club, he was part of an historic group, but the Anaheim native was accustomed to milestones and had a front-row seat for one of the most important moments in sports. Gregg was a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1943 to 1947 and was a fixture at Ebblets Field in the New York City borough.

The All-Star pitcher was not the only notable charter member of the club. Another famous Anaheim athlete jumped at the opportunity to join the club. Jerry Shipkey retired from professional sports a year after Gregg did and, like the baseball player, returned to Orange County.

The tradition of athletes as members at Yorba Linda continued in the 1970s, when Tommy John joined the club after buying a house on the 9'th fairway in 1974. The famous Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander aspired to be an assistant golf professional when he retired. 

John Van Boxmeer, a member of the club since 1978, won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1976, played in the NHL for twelve seasons, and coached the Buffalo Sabres for two years. He also coached the Long Beach Ice Dogs and was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Kings. He doesn't let a little thing like a coaching job in Switzerland keep him from utilizing his membership- he spends half his time at his home in Orange Country, visiting the course every chance he gets.