Minnesota’s First Family of Golf: The Herron Legacy

This year the Minnesota Golf Association marks its 125th anniversary, celebrating more than a century of golf in the state. We honor the players, the courses, the traditions, and the families who have made Minnesota golf what it is today. And it’s impossible to tell that story without the Herrons.

Their family history practically mirrors the MGA's. Four generations of Herron golfers have helped shape Minnesota golf across nearly a century, from C. Lee Herron starting the University of Minnesota's first golf team in 1920 to his great-great-grandson Carson winning the 2024 Minnesota State Open and teeing it up on professional tours today. If you want to add up trophies or talk about who the best player in the family might be (Tim's father, Carson, says it's Alissa), you'd be missing the bigger story for Minnesota golf. This is a story about something deeper: a love of the game passed down through generations, a commitment to Minnesota golf, and living proof you can compete at the highest levels while still playing for the right reasons.

Four Generations Into the Game

The story begins with C. Lee Herron, who came to Minneapolis from La Mars, Iowa to attend the University of Minnesota. In 1920, he gathered a group of players and founded what would become the University's golf team. They didn't have a coach, just a group of guys who loved the game and wanted to compete. C. Lee went on to win the Minnesota State Amateur and qualify for four U.S. Amateurs—including the 1927 championship at Minikahda Club where he saw Bobby Jones claim the title. In 1934, he became the first Herron to qualify for the U.S. Open.

His son, Carson D. Herron, carried that forward. Carson D. qualified for the U.S. Open, continuing the family tradition his father had started. He played at the University of Minnesota, and competed against the likes of Jack Nicklaus who played for Ohio State at the time. He remained a competitive golfer nearly his entire life, playing in U.S. Amateurs, State Amateurs, Senior events, and the U.S. Open. He won Minnesota Senior Player of the Year and stayed active in the state's golf community for decades.

Carson D.'s children, Tim and Alissa, grew up, as they say, about a nine-iron from a fairway at Wayzata Country Club. They would walk over to the course at night and play, it would seem they were destined to carry on the family legacy from the start. There was access, there was encouragement, but as Tim recalls, there was never pressure. "My dad didn't really push us," he says. "Golf was just always there if we wanted it."

Carrying the Herron Legacy Forward

Alissa's father has, on many occasions, called her the most talented player in the family. But in the 1980s and early 1990s, opportunities for competitive junior girls' golf weren't what they are today. Alissa has noted that there weren't many girls playing competitively then, leaving her with few peers to compete alongside. Nevertheless, she earned a scholarship to the University of Florida before transferring to Wisconsin, where she played under Dennis Tiziani and alongside Nicki Stricker, the future wife of PGA Champions Tour player, Steve Stricker. Her crowning golf achievement was winning the 1999 USGA Women's Mid-Amateur Championship, with none other than her brother, Tim, on her bag. Alissa has also qualified for a dozen U.S. Women's Amateurs.

Tim's career needs little introduction to Minnesota golfers. Before his 4 PGA Tour wins, he won the 1992 Minnesota State Amateur, and played on the 1993 Walker Cup team at Interlachen Country Club. That same year he handed Tiger Woods his worst-ever defeat in a USGA amateur competition, a 6-and-4 victory in the U.S. Amateur at Muirfield Village. He turned professional that year and notched his first tour victory in 1996 at the Honda Classic—the first and, for 27 years, the last time someone would lead a PGA Tour event wire to wire. He played in ten U.S. Opens, finishing sixth in 1999, and earned more than $19 million during his career.

A New Wave of Herrons on the Course

These days Tim doesn't talk about the money or his Champions Tour points. He prefers talking about, what else? His family. He and his wife, Ann, have three boys—Carson, Mick, and Patrick. The twins, Mick, and Patrick, are playing Division II golf in Florida. Carson, who attended the University of New Mexico like Tim, turned professional in 2025 after qualifying for the John Deere Classic. At 23, the 2024 Minnesota State Open champion hits the ball more than 300 yards off the tee, leaving Tim, now dealing with Dupuytren's contracture in his hands, hitting rescue clubs from distances where Carson pulls a mid-iron. Which oddly makes him like a lot of dads who play with their kids.

On the other hand, the Herron family already holds a rare distinction: they are one of three families in history with three generations of U.S. Open qualifiers, joining the Alexanders and the Loves. But Tim has set a goal for his sons, and it's the kind of goal that captures what this family is about. "I told my kids, the only thing I want you to do, the only goal you should have—and I don't put a lot of pressure on them—is try to qualify for the U.S. Open every single year," he says. "Let's get that fourth generation. No one's gonna beat that."

Carson came within a shot of making it happen about three years ago, missing by one shot. As a pro, the window is open but the path is just as difficult, and the goal persists. A family with four generations of golfers playing in the U.S. Open would be unprecedented. And it would cement the Herron family's place not just in Minnesota golf history, but in the national record books.

Still Minnesota, Still Playing

The Herrons are Minnesota golf and they have represented our state well. They have won at the highest levels while maintaining their connection to Minnesota golf, to their home courses, and to the community that watched them grow. Tim still considers himself a Minnesota resident, returns when he can, and deeply values the relationships built over a lifetime. The family has been shaped by Minnesota golf, and Minnesota golf, in some ways, has been shaped by them.

Looking back on 125 years of the Minnesota Golf Association, the history is naturally defined by championships and records. But beneath the stats, you find the families who truly sustain the game. The Herrons are a perfect study in what happens when golf is passed down not as an obligation, but as a genuine gift. Now four generations deep—stretching from C. Lee’s start with the first University of Minnesota team to Carson’s current professional pursuit—the family’s connection to the sport remains unbroken. Whether it’s a quiet summer evening at Wayzata Country Club or the high stakes of a U.S. Open qualifier, that common thread between grandfather, father, and son continues to hold firm.

That's a family legacy. And it's a Minnesota golf story worth celebrating.

How to Stay Connected

As the 125th Anniversary unfolds, there are several ways to follow along and take part:

• Follow the MGA on social media (@mngolfassn) for regular anniversary features, historic moments, and modern-day stories
• Visit the MGA website to explore the upcoming 125th Anniversary page and interactive timeline
• Read Minnesota Golfer magazine for in-depth anniversary features and archival storytelling
• Share your story when opportunities arise to contribute memories, photos, or reflections from Minnesota golf’s past and present