Being born, golf, taxes, and kisses sweeter than wine:
the diversions of life well lived,
about Gary Olson

“I was born!” said Gary Olson, longtime member of our church, when asked what happened in his life that caused him to come to Turlock.“ I traveled all over the country, and some parts of the world, and I still came back to Turlock,” he continued.

As a golf professional, Gary played golf at St. Andrews in Scotland, as well as on various courses in the British Isles. Gary has visited Sweden, where his grandfather was born, and has visited national parks, including Zion, Glacier, and of course Yosemite.
“I am a life member of the PGA, teaching at Rancho del Rey golf course in Atwater. I also teach golf classes at Merced Junior College.” In addition, Gary became an accountant, earning an MBA in accounting and finance 23 years ago at CSU Stanislaus. Besides doing accounting work, Gary taught golf theory and accounting at the University. He has been preparing taxes for the last 28 years for H. & R. Block, and is an Enrolled Agent, qualified to practice before the IRS. This is why you might not see him much for the first quarter of the calendar year.
Gary competed against Jack Nicklaus in the 1956 USGA Junior Championship. Both boys were 16 years of age. After the match, Gary “told George Buzzini, the golf professional at Turlock Country Club that Nicklaus was going to be the greatest player in the world. And I was right.

Gary was a quarter finalist in the Canadian Amateur 1961 at age 22. He played on the Fresno State University golf team, one of the top ten college teams in the U.S, before graduating in 1962. Gary played on the PGA U.S. Open Tour in 1962 and 1963. In 1964, he competed in the U.S. Open Championship at Congressional Country Club in Washington, D.C. He also competed in eleven national championships during his career.
Gary met an amazing variety of people through the years on tour, including at least two popular singers: Don Cherry and Jimmie Rogers. Don Cherry, the singer of the hit “Band of Gold,” was a professional on the PGA tours. “We would play practice rounds, then watch Don sing at the nightclubs.”
Singer Jimmie Rogers (“Honeycomb,” “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” and a host of other hits) “was sponsoring one of my friends on the tour,” said Gary.
Gary’s family was important for the growth of the Turlock community in its early days. His father was an M.D., Sidney Julien Olson, whose uncles, Drs. Eric and Albert Julien founded Emmanuel Hospital in 1917. Gary’s great grandfather “built the Carolyn Hotel, named after my great aunt. It burned down, and now is Jack in the Box!”
Gary has a picture of pigs running down Highway 99, to be used at the hotel. They would bring them in live, then slaughter and kill them for the bacon.
Aviation is one of Gary’s interests. He has a private commercial license, with instrument ratings and multi-engine ratings. “We used to get a group, fly places, and play golf.” Gary also collects coins, and explores galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, binary star systems, etc.
Two of Gary’s most difficult challenges were “passing the GMAT to get into graduate school, and starting my first PGA tour, playing with the best golfers in the world.”
“The three most exciting events of my life were playing in the U.S. Open (1964), my first solo flight, and watching the birth of my daughter, Jennifer.
“I like to give kids lessons in golf because if they get interested in golf, it gives them a better chance to succeed in their profession and in their own life, and hopefully stay away from drugs.”
Gary loves animals, especially dogs, but currently does not have time to take care of one. Most important for Gary in life is “staying connected with family and friends (including those at church), my golf students, and clients and my co-workers at H.&R. block.”