By MARTY JAMES martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Ian Hall made a big decision in his life, committing to playing golf year-round after getting cut during tryouts for basketball as a sophomore at Vacaville High School. Ian's father, Alex Hall, who has worked in the golf industry for years and years, was right there to provide support and help and guidance.
"He pretty much built my game, built my mental game, like the whole aspect of golf," said Ian Hall, who recently completed his freshman season on the Napa Valley College men's team. "He just kind of showed me the right things to do, and just kind of said, 'It's not a game that you can just pick up one day and you're amazing the next day. It's a long process.'
"He just kind of helped me figure it out, just guiding me along the way. I'd say he's a very, very important, crucial part of my golf."
It was Alex Hall, a former assistant golf professional at Napa Valley Country Club, Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards in American Canyon and Rio Vista Golf Club, who got Ian started in golf. Ian was there to learn from his dad – about the golf swing, about each of the clubs in the bag, about the execution of shots, about how to conduct yourself on the course.
"I would watch him and I kind of like put his game into my game a little bit and take what he does, adjust what I do, and just kind of like learn from him as I go on," said Ian, 19.
Ian Hall had a very good spring season for Napa Valley College, helping the Storm to its third straight Big 8 Conference North Division championship and earning All-Big 8 honors. The Storm continued its season, placing second at the California Community College Athletic Association-Northern California Regional Championships at Bayonet Golf Course, May 3-4, in Seaside (Monterey County), and then finishing seventh at the CCCAA State Championships, May 10-11, at the Arnold Palmer Classic Course, at SilverRock Resort, in La Quinta.
"He's my grinder competitor," said Napa Valley coach Bob Freschi. "He's just the utmost competitor for the game of golf, and he was a big, great contributor to our team. In our fall program, he improved as the fall semester went on, so that was really good to see. He qualified to get into our spring team, and once we started, ramping up for spring, he started playing some terrific golf. He just kept on progressing as the season went on, won tournaments for us and was low individual, which was quite an accomplishment. So, very proud of what he's accomplished his freshman year."
Ian Hall was joined on the All-Big 8 Conference team by the Storm's Lawrence Collins and Will Hutton.
As an all-freshman team, Napa Valley made excellent strides, growth and progress during the 2026 season. In their final home tournament, the Storm shot a 5-over-par 293 team score, taking first place and winning the Big 8 Conference's North Division title, as four players posted scores in the 70's at Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards. It was the sixth win of the season for the NVC team.
"To have the kids do what they did this year, what a great freshman year," said Alex Hall.
"The advice that I told the entire team, is to play together, compete with each other, drive each other. It's only going to help you. Keep grinding, keep competing. Golf is that way. The more you play, the better you get the feeling of what you need to do."
Ian Hall was pursuing basketball as a shooting guard in high school, hoping it would lead him to playing at a community college one day.
"I was playing basketball, and I ended up not making the (junior varsity) team," said Ian, 19. "That was kind of a letdown, wasn't really what I was expecting. I took a break from basketball, and then I ended up joining the golf team at my high school. I kind enjoyed it, and then that summer I just started playing
with my dad like three or four times a week. I just started picking it up and practicing every day. I just fell in love with the game."
Ian played basketball for Vacaville High as a freshman. Looking back on it, Ian said he played "really well" during a summer league going into his sophomore year.
"The cards just didn't play for me, just kind of unlucky. But it's all good," he said. "Completely like flip the switch, and now I'm playing golf – actually love golf way more than I ever loved basketball. It's a mind blower. Extremely lucky that my dad played golf, because if he didn't, I probably wouldn't be playing. So, very appreciative of that."
Said Alex Hall:
"When Ian decided to transition from basketball, he had the grip, the posture and the stance, really the fundamentals. He has so much ability, it's just a matter of fine tuning the course management. The sky is definitely the limit at such a young age. The future is very, very bright."
After graduating from Vacaville High in 1989, Alex Hall played on basketball and golf teams at Napa Valley College for one year. He played three years in the basketball program at Vacaville. He also played one year of basketball for Solano Community College-Fairfield.
The golf season for Napa Valley, beginning in February, consisted of dual matches, tournaments, practice rounds, along with all the time and work spent on the driving range and practice green.
"It was a good experience," said Ian. "I've got a lot of good friends on the team that made it really competitive and enjoyable. Having my teammates next to me on the van rides, and just being around them, made it really enjoyable and manageable. It's not just me out there; we all pick each other up, and it's kind of like the team aspect of it. I would say I changed just kind of like my mindset – now I'm playing as a team.
"I'm very appreciative of Coach (Freschi) and what he's done for me. He made it a really enjoyable and fun season. Great coach. I'm looking forward to next year."
It's a big commitment playing golf at Napa Valley College. The commitment for players begins with them playing during the fall – a program that is led by David Knox, the Storm's assistant coach and a PGA Class A golf professional who is the Director of Instruction at Napa Golf Course.
Qualifying rounds are played at Silverado Resort's North and South courses, Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, Napa Golf Course, Eagle Vines Golf Club in American Canyon, Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland, Green Valley Country Club in Fairfield, and Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo.
Ian Hall's first year for the Storm was highlighted by the scores he posted at:
* Pheasant Run Golf Club in Chowchilla (Madera County), 7-over-par 79 in a season-opening dual match against Modesto Junior College.
* The Ridge Golf Course in Auburn, 76 in a dual match against Sierra College-Rocklin.
* Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, individual low medalist, even-par 72, Big 8 Conference's first tournament of the spring season.
* Silverado Resort North Course, 3-over-par 75, tied for low individual medalist honors, Big 8 Conference tournament.
* Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, 3-over-par 75, Big 8 Conference tournament.
* Black Horse, in Seaside (Monterey County), 7-over-par 79, NorCal Preview-Big 8 Conference tournament.
* Elkhorn Golf Club in Stockton, individual low medalist, 1-under-par 70, Big 8 Conference tournament.
* Castle Oaks Golf Club, in Ione (Amador County), 4-over-par 75, Big 8 Conference tournament.
* Chardonnay Golf Club & Vineyards, 3-over-par 75, Big 8 Conference tournament.
* 3C2A-Northern California Regional Championships at Bayonet Golf Course, in Seaside (Monterey County), 31st place, 82-84 – 166.
* California Community College Athletic Association State Championships, at SilverRock Resort's Arnold Palmer Classic Course, in La Quinta, tied for 40th place, 79-78 – 157.
"He's just a very talented young man who is still maturing and developing," said Freschi. "He was spot-on with his wedge play. Everything from 80 yards to 140 he was pretty dialed in, and that's where he scored a lot. He took advantage of those nice shots.
"He's one of those putters that has a will to get the ball in the hole. He doesn't overthink things in his game. He knows exactly what club he wants to pull, and he executes it. It's a really nice tempo, and just a great mindset of he's going to get this done. Even when things start to go awry, he's still competing toward to the end. Just a great individual, and then just an awesome team guy and team player."
Alex Hall's background in golf, sports, golf industry
Alex Hall played basketball, as a forward/shooting guard at Vacaville High.
He was given a set of golf clubs by a friend, Marvin Braa, in December of his senior year. The two of them went out to Green Tree Golf Club, in Vacaville, the day after Christmas. It was Braa who got Alex into golf.
"I was absolutely hooked," said Hall. "Golf had me hooked."
He tried out for the golf team at Vacaville High just a couple of months after picking up a club for the first time. Despite shooting scores in the 80s, he was unfortunately cut during tryouts.
But his future and pathway in the game remained bright.
"It progressed," he said. "For me, golf came relatively easy. Within two months, I was shooting in the 80s, from never picking up a club."
During his senior year, Hall worked on the maintenance crew at Green Tree.
He then went on to join the maintenance team at Rancho Solano Golf Course, in Fairfield.
From there, he went to work at Chardonnay, working in outside services, in 1991.
Hall earned his PGA of America apprentice card after posting scores of 72 and 73 and winning a one-day, 36-hole player's abilities test at Rancho Solano Golf Course in 1992.
He worked at Napa Valley Country Club as an assistant golf professional and first assistant for over seven years, starting in 1993.
He had the backing of a sponsor and played professionally for a short time in Australia.
He spent over two years as an assistant pro at Rio Vista Golf Club.
Hall returned to Chardonnay in 2001 as director of sales.
He has worked in the golf industry for almost 30 years.
Hall is a Vacaville resident and is president and owner of Hall Management Services Inc. It's a consulting firm.
He applied and got his amateur status back several years ago through the office of the PGA of America.
Playing golf at area courses
Alex and Ian Hall get out to play at area courses together year-round. They often play together at Chardonnay and Cypress Lakes Golf Course, in Vacaville
"We have a lot of laughs when we do it, but I know that he's picking things up from me and I'm picking things up from him. To be able to play together as much as we do and as often as we do is an absolute honor," said Alex.
"(Ian's) been around golf his entire life, as I've got a history in golf, and he's been around it. Three years ago, he says he's looking to focus on golf, and he gets exceptionally good at a very difficult game, relatively quickly. So, his next step will be the mental aspects of acceptance.
"It's just how you overcome those bad shots. Hopefully, he takes a little bit of my advice, that it's a long grind, it's forever. You'll have good scores, and then there will be a downtime. That's just the ebb and flow of golf."
It's a big summer for Ian, as he will be practicing, playing and looking for improvement in his game. He also plans to hit the gym, trying to increase his overall strength.
"The sky's the limit with his ability," said Alex. "I say this objectively, that he has the ability to take this to any level."
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.