Bruce Wallace new Men’s Golf Club president

Bruce Wallace,  Men’s Golf Club President

The new 2021 Canyon Lake Men’s Club Board of Directors was installed recently at the Canyon Lake Golf Course, where the club’s 52nd president, Bruce Wallace, was named.

In addition to Bruce, the following board members assumed their new roles in the club: 1st Vice President (Handicap), Rick Halsey; 2nd Vice President (Wednesday Game), Chuck Newsom; Treasurer, Jason Jernigan; Secretary, Tom Scudieri; Tournaments, Dan Rawlins; Public Relations, Andrew Quinn; Membership/Rules, John Reed; Social, Jerry Watson; and Green Committee, Dave Nickel.

Having been a member of the Men’s Golf Club and serving on the Board of Directors during the years since he moved here, Bruce said he decided that it was time to step forward and serve as president. One of his goals for 2021 is to improve communications with the members.

Bruce was born in 1951 in Dayton, OH and was the first of five children. He spent most of his childhood years traveling and living around the world. He’s lived in Holland, Germany and Turkey as well as Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Arizona, Delaware and California.

At three years of age, while living in Holland, Bruce was run over by a motorcycle. Although injured, he sustained no permanent damage. His father was a pilot in the United States Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. His mother was an Australian “war bride,” he said.

During his father’s military career, he also visited Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and American Samoa. He says that he has been in all 50 states, except Wisconsin. In his early teens, the family returned to the states and landed in California, where he graduated from Garden Grove High School as class Valedictorian in 1969. He was on the high school track and golf teams and went to the CIF golf playoffs as a senior.

Bruce received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy and studied there from June 1969 to March 1971, before deciding that a military career was not for him. In addition to the Air Force Academy, Bruce also attended the University of Colorado, the University of South Florida and Arizona State University before obtaining his Bachelor of Science Degree in Management in 1983 from the University of Phoenix.

In 1973, he became involved in the building materials business, originally with his father, and later, with his two brothers. They specialized in windows and doors. After cutting his teeth in the industry in Florida, he relocated to Tempe, AZ in 1976 and spent the next 27 years developing the family window and door company until 2003, at which time he and his brothers sold the company.

For the next five years he served as a consultant to Pella Window & Doors, before fully retiring and moving to Canyon Lake from Arizona. He was no stranger to the area, having played as a guest in the Canyon Lake Men’s Golf Club Member/Guest play several times with an old friend, Joe Young.

In addition to his talent at golf, that motorcycle incident at age three didn’t deter him from becoming a motorcycle enthusiast. He has participated in the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota five times.

Bruce and his wife Karen were married in 2006, although they have been together 31 years. He’d been married twice before and says, “I saved the best for last.” He and Karen have a blended family of five daughters and six grandchildren.

— Canyon Lake Golf Club Newsletter