The golf world – and the Athens community – lost a legend Monday evening.

Ed Hoard, an instructor at the UGA Golf Course and member of the PGA Professional Golf Hall of fame, died from a heart attack at the age of 63 while walking his dog.

“Well, we have been friends for years. I guess you could say he was one of my mentors because he’s been around Athens since 1981, so I’ve known him for years,” UGA Golf Course Director Dave Cousart said.

“He was just a really good guy, well respected PGA professional, real strong on the rules of golf, and it is just a huge loss for us all.”

Hoard was inducted into the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame in 1999 and was not only renowned for his work as a golf instructor, but also for his work as a golf rules official, serving as Chairman of the PGA Rules of Golf National Committee from 1995-2000. Hoard’s work allowed him the incredible privilege of officiating at golf’s greatest events such as The Ryder Cup, and at each one of golf’s four major tournaments.

“Ed is a world renowned rules professional. He worked Ryder Cups, PGA Championships, British Opens, etc,” Cousart said. “He’s probably a top 20-25 expert in the whole world on rules. He knew everything about the rules.”

Hoard played golf at the University of Florida and won an SEC Championship and National Championship in 1968. However, Georgia men’s golf coach Chris Haack said Hoard never let his collegiate affiliation stand in the way of helping out, always offering to volunteer his time to help Georgia’s golf team.

He frequently gave rules clinics to the teams to help them use the complex rules of golf to their advantage, always keeping the team entertained with his plethora of great stories from years of giving rulings to the game’s premier players.

“I think it’s not only a sad day in the Athens community and the golfing community, but in the golfing world. He was extremely well respected and just an incredible guy when it came to golf,” Haack said.

“He was always one to reach out to help us and do some rules quizzes and talk to our guys about the rules any chance we needed him. He was always available, and there was no one who knew it like he did.”

Hoard’s connections to the Athens community go way back, as he served as PGA Professional and Director of Instruction at Athens Country Club from 1980-2006 and his wife, Kathy Hoard, currently serves as an Athens-Clarke County Commissioner.

“He was so unassuming and didn’t ever talk about himself, but he was very accomplished,” Cousart said. “He was a master professional, which is like the highest in the club pro ranks. That’s as high as you can go, so it’d be like he was a doctor of teaching golf in the golf business. He was so decorated, but you would have never known.”

Bernstein Funeral Home will be handling Hoard’s funeral arrangements for what Cousart said will surely be “a rather large funeral.”