tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11798232684827980812024-03-27T13:11:24.084-07:00Kellys Golf HistoryWilliam Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-74598067358458898132021-05-24T11:17:00.009-07:002021-05-24T20:18:25.435-07:00Wilfred Reid and Mel Reid <p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">WILFRED
AND MEL REID</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Kellys Golf History: Wilfrid Reid - First Seaview Pro and ACCC 46-48 - My Life in Golf" class="rg_i Q4LuWd" data-atf="true" data-deferred="1" data-iml="1635.0000000093132" data-index="0" height="285" jsname="Q4LuWd" 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" width="178" /><img alt="LPGA golfer Mel Reid of England on coming out -- 'This is who I am'" class="rg_i Q4LuWd" data-atf="false" data-deferred="1" data-iml="1427.0000000251457" data-index="0" height="169" jsname="Q4LuWd" 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iIhUpuclMIM89HQ/LAWYo1DidtmKsGHSXxywlYNHraXoY5z9Idb3elWfzYLnsgJc/wDi/rhZ57Y8RYIWU7gbeTH3UP1ZT8psbioKa06KjpTTnyUuiEeefyM9FNSWjM0FKpgt+6n45/tJPa5Ep7a61e2PZtA+QH+8sLb4M+f5QcaGOdu5gla/oIwDOzMTsiDJY9sCCcZ4gEGkbuxwijmTJeFcNW3Rritu+CxJ+yOwjekAP4hu2qOlBRpyVJXtn4Qfxl67rQpl2+FF2+QwAPM7CVXArFnc3FUe85Jpqeaqdgx+WwnOOMbislqhwq4esR0/ZH5+pETrUV0uw/Y3w7SZxUuH+J2wPQc8eXIfyzG/pJ4TpdbhBs2EqYHJgDob5gEfyjvPUFoqiKijAGAB5CVXH7FayPTbkylSe3VWHmGAPymXIs01/gLR4SWxJqbxt1bsjMjDDKzKw7FTg/eIxDOBosIY5nUjMxgOJFAiaoJxapHOcDZnNBjAlLZklOntIaIhoQyGBV03k/tCYMhkoaVQB9rW6QyrWyIDbJmTXKZG0zaVjRX3NXfEhLR9WngyJpaESa5FUaRnMQMsBYnURmYKoLMThQoLMx7ADcmWVtwc6Q9ZvZIdwXGalQfuJzI/eOF35mTPxRUUpbJoBGGcnVWqDrl+g/dXA9ZVfIWdThyURquX97pRpsDU9HfcJ6DLekHveMu66EC06Y+FKY0r6nqx82JMrqmTuZA20L+AoIRpOrQanJYmA9jOao3M5EA8xgjsx4SUA+nJ1XEhSE+zMTY2TWdxpODyJUn+VgfwzPQkvVaojYyS1IYPQtqP3flPMxkGaXhl9hUfnoqW4I6/E65+jj6Tq8ef9WQzV8FOab+dWpn5H/qXoq6aRY9D+UzPhmoWFUdBVqH+oiXN/W/ySB1fT67D/edj2ySHgFr7VzcOM7laeeSgcyPOXPF7hVVQy6iWGhP22+zny6/KO4ZR0IvkBgdoKma1wT9lBjPmf7SXuV+kP0F1Lj2VJ6tQ5Kgk45Z/ZX8IB4bt2CtWf46p1t5L9kfn9JB4gf2talar8OddXH7K8gfXf7pcq35ARVr7D2TM0iqpqEWqMZyN4UM8k8f2Hs7nUBtUUN/Mvut/+T85lws9Q/SNah6KuB71NtQOPiRtnGe4Ok+m88wacHNHGT/ZSHLGMY5DGuJkA5DDLZCecDpiHWz9JLAJt7bOT2hP6uO8Vu4AIkNSoM85HY7M6rx4eDAyenNWIs7Bt5ZpQJldwxd9zNLYoDywdwPPJ+H64Pzx3mLTbpFKl2Ut5ZhVJlQF3xNne2pcaVGSc9hjHUk7AeZlB7OjRb3yKz9FUkUU/iOxc+QwPWVxptWxtUSW3DC66sBUHN3OlAe2ep8hkyGrWo25zSTW/SpVUaU/gTkPU5P8MsDdM4yxzgYA2CqOyqNlHkJn+IN70uMknolrRDcXT1GLOxZjzLEmcQSLTHK2IxHasGYwiocyELBAOpGECQqslAgB0TrCcj1lARoISBGIse+wgAqfxSwBgFAdZLUqYEl7EzjkZh/DrjSHHPKh1HdkYOPuDSnNSTUK5Vgw5gg+vlKhLGSYqPSPDaYesBybQ6+hBI/ES9p0wVTP7bH8JnPCNQHBHI0XA9EbCj5LgTT2zqqIzdifqZ6t3sksHfSpPlBuF4UEKe7VG7ntI+KXOEHTPIfhB7+p+r2bH7bD577CTWvsYF4fc1a9eueWdCeg/wCl+sv0MrOA2vsbZQR7zZZvVv7YhwfEfsEECOkKPHB4qAGvrVXRkddSOCGHbIxkHod55B4n8O1LNwG96m5Psnx8XXS3Zx268x5e3qNQ6TPeMuFs9nWGz4XWg+0pQ6tt+eAR85hyxUl+0NHjSxtSORo1zOEo6phNEEwRDLKiJEgJDWwN4G9XedunzBg0Eh0AoITTEctLaF0LMkZlOSGOtn3AHMkAfOWqV/Z66Z3epSaoGU7qpTWEPnoTV/MJU2VImsi8stzJwBsTHVb8rV188spdmHvOox7oB5LgYxGkuxNWiyS6Svio7ZqgaSvJNh8YGfiIPP8AvKe5Pv5jbG3YVlVQTjUp8wmrJ/oXMfdrhjFJ27Gug1Lr3dpXXTajOatpGIorYmyRE2kVUSYGD1TNBDCZwGNJnMxUAQhkoMGQyVYwJcZnQuJymZIzbQA7TaSuoIgoeOarJEEU9pDcvGCrIajZgkNDdUcjyHMcJQM33gKt7tTJ+BamB5Mo/NT9Zuralq9kp6IpI8zvPNPArgtXXJ1GmpQDkRrVWz6alnrdClpycbAYB9Bid/FL/miAC6X2lZU7Yz2EH8Rn2lSnRG4DDb0ljw6n7z1D0ziCcPph6r1m5LsueU0vf0AbcDGhB5EyOoN4+kSxZzy+z6SEtlpSAIpjacYyWmNo4L2EmwBMP0yPujru1WomlywHdT+I6jyiuaqJu9VEHXUwEAfjlAD3DUqn/wCtCF/qOB98TkvbBKzx/jFmKFepSB1BHIU4IyvNdj5ESvabHxzeUq7q6I6VFGmoHKN7RfsnKk4IO2D0PlMqiZnmzSUnRZEslSsQInp7SBTI7Aez5kqU9o2im8s6dMYkt0BT060tLO6USjRYTSp55Ryiiiwqe82VOCDkEcxJqlBnI1opHIMEGMfLkYJSRk3M0FlcjRgc5Em10KrKuzpMlZyegcKfN10Hf0Egv1yJZ3jnnKi8qQVugqgBTJEiAjZqIlxImWT0jG1eUdgCOsjAk6bzjpEAkj9UGDR2ZQBSNHusFR8GFo4xEwIBGsZI8geICRGnWEjRpMVgBAwj0WSKkkI2jsC18GVNN5SU8nJRvMY1Af1Ks9sfUVwdie08d8GW6CsteqMqKlOnSXP+pVcgZ9EUlvUrPU+NeJrW1Ol3y45U6YL1PmB8PzxOvhbUdksKuEKoKaj+I8o6haEKF5Dr3MwfEv0i1P8A4bXT2asxJH8q7f8AlK/hHFrq+Nx7Ws4WnQqVAlAikuVIwDjcj5zVzoD0S/4nbURipWpp5M41fTnKV/FVnnCNUc/uId/mcTzih4lrBQgWmo2GdDMwHfLMd4f/AIk2jS7sxO7BXamu/IYTGe28j+RvoPs11x4rqsP/AG9EKOWup77Z/hXr85Q8R4s5J/WLps9URyCPIom4/mmYur/GyKE3+zz35xtrxGqRpXLHOw3I38h1mUm32yl9Gt4ZRoPb1rhFJNF6astRB74c4DA575+kFq8WdhgbDoAMD+8tfB3DLmpTuaVRdK1qaCmWBwrqSQcZGeeflNVw39HlBMGqzVD1HJP6Rj7yY44xV0DtnlHFHLLnOSMZ643xv25yut/xn0W3h63NM0dChGUqyqFAIO3IDE8P8V8BawuDSJLIQGouwxrQ9+moHIPpnrMeZ5O0CVARo7SsuU0tLenV2zK2+G+ZhEpkVNt5b0DtKalLBG25waEVNFMmW1tQIIyIooSHEs69IaeXOMtk0jM7FMi2duXzKO7HvRRTSBDBi06ozFFNWSPAkbmKKIDiCOZcxRRARrT3iZIoo0AwJ5SQHE7FADmqMeKKUAqK7wuKKJgyMNOOxMUUQFva8U0ew0IP8oq/vFvffVqJ2PpPVbT9H9u6+1ZqqVHyzMrDJLb5If8A2E5FNFOQA9X9HIJ92u+PMU/+f87wrg/gk2zOwq6/aU2psDTUEByN8j0iimuTCilp/ooTrcufJKa5++Df+mbs7rrxuTq5gr093SMN8zFFE3sCXh/gKgpxULNuclmYD6Deafhnh6lS+BFUdCF98jpud/viimlEsvrG0yc/Co/qb59BDv1lR7oI+o++KKZ9t2Udq3iqMkzzb9LPEErW1MAYZaylScZOUcEfn8hFFJmlQsmeZW1SMuFJ3iinP7LB02k/tIooEn//2Q==" style="text-align: left;" width="300" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Wilfred Reid and Mel Reid </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When Mel
Reid tees off at the US Women’s Open at the Olympic course in San Francisco, she
will be swinging with a spiritual affinity with the designer of the original
course Wilfred Reid, a distant relative.
Although the course has been expanded and redesigned numerous times,
Wilfred Reid is still recognized as the original course designer. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Mel Reid got an automatic invitation to the Open
based on her winning her first LPGA event, the 2020 Shoprite Classic at the
Seaview Country Club near Atlantic City, where Wilfred Reid was the first golf
pro in 1914. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As the
author of <i>The Birth of the Birdie – 100 Years of Golf at the Atlantic City
Country Club</i>, I devote a chapter to Wilfred Reid, so when I heard Mel Reid was
from England; I looked her up and discovered she is from near Nottingham, where
Wilfred was proud to be from Rob</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">in Hood country. I then sent Mel Reid an
Instagram, asking her if they were related, and she said they sure were. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wilfred
said that everyone in his family played golf, and he wanted to become a golf
professional, and met up with Harry Vardon, unquestionably one of the greatest
golfers of all time, who took young Wilfrey under his wing and taught him the
ropes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Vardon
and his usual sidekick Ted Ray were from the British isle of Jersey, off the
French coast, and between them won a dozen major tournaments. Whenever they
came to America to give demonstrations, they usually took the US Open trophy
home with them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The
first twelve U.S. Open golf championships were won by British and Scottish
professionals, until 1911, when a young, Spunky Irish-American John McDermitt
became the first American and at 19, youngest still to win the US Open in
Buffalo, New York. Inspired by McDermott’s victory, an equally young Walter
Hagen quit his assistant pro job and took up playing tournament golf, changing
the nature of the game completely. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When
McDermott, the Atlantic City Country Club pro won the following year in
Chicago, back to back, Hagen said it was the sign of a true champion. But
neither Vardon nor Ray were in either tournament, so they decided to come over
in 1913, and Vardon brought his protégé Wilfred Reid with him. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
giving demonstrations around the country, the Englishmen headed for Brookline,
Massachusetts, the site of the 1913 Open. Before hand though they were invited to play a
tournament at Shawnee, a course on the Delaware River in Pennsylvania that
included most of the Open field. At some point, after the days golf was over,
they went to a bar for some drinks, where a fist fight broke out between Ted
Ray and Wilfred Reid. Reid later said that he sparked the fight by asking Ray - how he could be a socialist while making so much money playing golf?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
John McDermott won the Shawnee tournament by eight strokes, he gloated in the
locker room, promising everyone that neither Vardon nor Ray would take the Open
trophy home with them, a threat that was picked up by the media and took golf
off the sports pages and put it on the front page of every English language
news paper in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The USGA
reprimanded Wilfred Reid and Ted Ray for fighting and McDermott for his rude
outspoken promise, and they all apologized. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At
Brookline Wilfred Reid was tied with Vardon for the lead at the half way mark,
but both Reid and McDermott fell off the lead, leaving young amateur champion,
caddy and son of the groundskeeper Francis Ouimet to full fill McDermott’s promise. The tournament ended in a three way tie
between Vardon, Ray and Ouimet, and played out the next day in what has been
described as “The Greatest Game,” won by Ouimet, who maintained his amateur
status throughout his career. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">While
Vardon and Ray went home without the Open trophy, Wilfred Reid liked America
and took up the offer from gas magnet Clarence Geist to be the first golf pro
at his new, luxurious, private club, the Seaview, off bay from Atlantic City. When Geist
couldn’t get a tee time to play the Atlantic City Country Club, he had his own
club built - Seaview. Geist saw Wilfred Reid’s name at the top of the leaderboard in most
tournaments, and named him the Seaview pro. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1916
Wilfred Reid attended the first meeting of the PGA, where the first order of
business was to take up a collection for John McDermott, one of golf’s greatest
tragedies. While returning from the
British Open, his steamship was rammed and sunk, and McDermott survived in a
life boat, but when he got home, learned his life’s savings were lost in the
stock market. He had a nervous breakdown and never recovered to play serious
golf again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
awhile Wilfred Reid went on to the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware, and
later Michigan, where he not only worked as a club professional – making golf
balls, clubs, giving lessons and playing tournaments, he also designed and laid
out a number of golf courses, some in Michigan, but also the original design of
the Olympic course in San Francisco in 1917, where the US Women’s Open will be
held. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At
Seaview, Reid was replaced by “Jolly” Jim Fraser, from Scotland, whose son Leo
became a golf professional. When Leo returned home from World War II, he
purchased the deteriorating Atlantic City Country Club and restored it to its
former glory, and in 1946 brought Wilfred Reid in to be his golf pro. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In 1948,
while Wilfred Reid was the pro, Leo hosted the third U.S. Women’s Open, won by
Babe Zaharias. At that time Wilfred Reid became known for coaching women golf
champions, both amateur and professional. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Before
eventually retiring to Florida, Wilfred Reid wrote a letter addressed to Leo
Fraser in which he put his career in a nutshell: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">My Life in Golf – By Wilfrid Reid<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s hard to believe it now, but
I almost became a minister instead of a professional golfer. At least my family
had that in mind for me until I was about 14. My family all played golf – my
grandfather, my father, my brother – all of them – so it was only natural for
me to start. I was about five years old when I began and by the time I was 14 I
was a pretty good player.<br />
<br />
I was born in Sherwood Forest – an outlaw, you know – and golf was popular in
Nottingham like every place else. The Notts, the gentlemen of Nottingham, allowed
us to play on the golf course. We were artisans, you know, the working men.
Anyway, in 1898 Harry Vardon played an exhibition match there and after seeing
him I don’t think I ever considered any other career besides golf.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Instead of studying for the
ministry I went to Edinburgh as an apprentice to golf professional. Well, this
was a few years before the rubber-core ball came out and people were still
using the guttie. I learned to make golf balls using molds, two halves and put
them together. I used to make several dozen balls a day.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Harry Vardon was very quiet on
the course. The thing I remember most is that there was a great crowd of people
gathered there, and when I stepped up on the first tee I was so scared I
couldn’t talk. Then Vardon came up and said, “What’s the matter, lad?” I
pointed to all the people and he said, “Don’t worry about them, they’re only
trees.” I never forgot how kind he was.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It was during these years that we
had what we were called international matches, between teams from England and
Scotland. I was on the English team seven years – from 1906 through 1913 and my
record was 10 victories, one loss and one match halved. There were some great
matches, as you might imagine, since England has players like Vardon, Taylor
and Ray, while Braid, Herd and Willie Park were on the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s funny how some things remain
in your mind, while more important ones are sometimes forgotten. I recall
looking for Ray at the 1913 Open and found him in the bar of the hotel with
Alex Smith. They were having a big argument about socialism. Then I had to open
my big mouth. I said, “Ted, how the hell can you argue in favor of socialism
when you make as much money as you do?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Well, Ted really got angry at
that, really upset, and he punched me right in the face and knocked me clear
over the table. My face was swollen clear out to the ear, and the next day I
had a devil of a headache. Vardon was very upset and said he was going to
withdraw, but I talked him out of it.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">While I was here, I talked to a
lot of fellows I had known in Britain and saw how well they were doing and how
much golf was growing here, and I began to wonder if it might not be a good
thing for me to make the move. As it turned out, I went back home and stayed
there a couple of years, then came here permanently in 1915 and took the job at
Seaview in Atlantic City.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I don’t know what I would have
done in other circumstances, but the war was on and golf in Britain was almost
at a standstill.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I wasn’t too happy there and was
soon looking for another club. Then Gil Nichols came to me and said he was
accepting an offer from Great Neck, on Long Island, and he told me to come down
to his present club at Wilmington and play a match with him. He wanted to
introduce me to the people at the club because he thought he might be able to
get the job. It was a sort of a game of musical chairs because I took Gil’s
place at Wilmington, he took Jimmy Fraser’s place at Great Neck, and Jimmy took
my place at Seaview.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I stayed at Wilmington seven
years and during that time I became an American citizen. I had studied the
material from top to bottom so I answered all of them correctly, and when the
judge congratulated me he admitted he hadn’t known all the answers himself.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Well, I’ve been here and there since
then. I spent several years in Detroit and I used to spend every winter in St.
Augustine. I was around when the PGA was founded in 1916, and after I went to
Detroit I got Leo Fraser and Warren Orlick into the PGA. Both of them later
became president of the association, you know?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">I played quite a lot of
tournament golf the first few years I was over here and in fact, I’ve never
completely stopped, because I played in the PGA Seniors.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">It’s been a good life and I
wouldn’t have had it any other way, although once in awhile I wonder what my
life would have been like if I had gone ahead and studied for the ministry.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Wilfred
Reid is now buried in a grave in Florida, not far from where Mel Reid lives
when she isn’t on the LPGA tour. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
winning four tournaments in Europe, Mel Reid turned to the LPGA in America, and
in her first year on the tour, won her first tournament at Seaview in 2020,
during the pandemic when no spectators were allowed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Just as
McDermott, Wilfred and Ted Ray were reprimanded</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> by the USGA for their behavior
at Shawnee; Mel Reid was reprimanded by the LPGA for breaking Covid protocols
by taking her caddy and friends to dinner at a restaurant, and drinking beer
out of the glass trophy mug she won as the Seaview champion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">If
Wilfred Reid was looking over her shoulder at Seaview, he certainly will be at
the Olympic, and Mel Reid will return to the Seaview to defend her title in October, this time with spectators</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When
asked about it, she simply said, “History will never be forgotten,” and while
it often is, it doesn’t have to be. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">William
Kelly <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="mailto:Billkelly3@gmail.com">Billkelly3@gmail.com</a> 609-346-0229 <o:p></o:p></span></p>William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-37091178949502180522014-12-06T11:55:00.002-08:002014-12-06T12:41:29.256-08:00Golf's Forgotten Legends <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Golf's
Forgotten Legends<br />
<br />
Just when you thought you heard every golf story to come down the fairway along
comes Jeff Gold whose new book <i>Golfs
Forgotten Legends and Unforgettable Controversies</i> (Morgan James,
NY 2014) details the careers of some of the most colorful characters to
fall through the cracks of mainstream golf history.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3CCF2kbcUlpVvl2dEmebdS3oMfq9-6fFv4a4nZijNpr0Swe4RWwVcjQOajxwxatotpyczVOErEPt7iBhlaOQK0nsQGLJXPztdKcUNKCcuItwSBhWywheqBbM9TM0b5jOWTH1ZDw2_7kD/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3CCF2kbcUlpVvl2dEmebdS3oMfq9-6fFv4a4nZijNpr0Swe4RWwVcjQOajxwxatotpyczVOErEPt7iBhlaOQK0nsQGLJXPztdKcUNKCcuItwSBhWywheqBbM9TM0b5jOWTH1ZDw2_7kD/s1600/imgres.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The stories of Australian Peter Thompson, Billy
Casper, Seve Bellesteros Sota, Johnny Miller, Porky Oliver are all chronicled
here as well as a few with local ties - Willie Anderson, who died young in
Philadelphia, Johnny McDermott - the Atlantic City CC pro who won two US
Opens, Tommy Armour, who Seaview owner Clarence Geist hired to be the pro
at Boca Raton and Dr. Cary Middlecoff, who won the Sonny Fraser tournament as
an amateur and went on to become known for his notorious slow play.<br />
<br />
Gold's spirited chapter on McDermott references the chapter on McDermott in my
book <i>Birth of the Birdie </i>and he agrees with my assessment of the
false portrayals of McDermott in the movie "The Greatest Game" and
the Golf Magazine article, which Gold, in an appendix, calls for an apology and
correction.</span></div>
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For more on Jeff Gold and McDermott see: <a href="http://kellysgolfhistory.blogspot.com/2014/11/john-mcdermott-finally-gets-his-due.html">Kellys Golf History: John McDermott Finally Gets His Due</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
This book is great for profiling some of golf's most interesting but unhearld
players, as well as detailing some of the most legendary golf controversies and
scandals, most of which have to do with the rule of playing the ball where it
lies.<br />
<br />
Gold, who now lives in the Southwest and plays and teaches golf year
round, also adds a chapter, without much sarcasm, on the joys of living
and playing golf in Minnesota, which is where he met Tom Lehman, who writes the
introduction.<br />
<br />
The best part of the book however is meeting, some for the first time,
some of golf's more eccentric characters.<br />
<br />
Take for instance the greatest golfer of all time.<br />
<br />
Who is the best golfer ever?<br />
<br />
Bobby Jones? Ben Hogan? Arnold Palmer?<br />
<br />
Guess again.<br />
<br />
Maybe it’s one of the vintage players of golf’s early years? Like Harry
Varden, James Braid or J.H. Tylor? They were called The Great Triumvirate
- each of whom earns a chapter in this book.<br />
<br />
But no cigar for being the best ever.<br />
<br />
None of these famous golfers can compete with Harry M. Frankenberg - also known
as "Count Yogi" - the greatest golfer of all time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Meet Harry M. Frankenberg - "Count Yogi" -
the Greatest Golfer<br />
<br />
Being a Jewish - Native American Indian was as good as being black when it came
to being blackballed by the early PGA - just as black players like Charlie
Sifford were kept from playing, or South Africa's Bobby Locke - who also
gets a chapter in this book -who was banned for being too good.<br />
<br />
Frankenberg was prevented from playing in major and sanctioned tournaments
because he too was so good, too good, and being a Jewish-German-American Indian
didn't help.<br />
<br />
A natural athlete as a youth, his talents stood out and his records stand on
their own - as Frankenberg holds many of the major playing records including
the best round ever and the fastest round (58 minutes).<br />
<br />
In his career he also hit 55 holes-in-one, once shot seven consecutive
birdies, made two albatross (3 under par) and broke 60 four times - 55, 57, 58
and 59. He also owns the course records at Bel Air CC (63), Grossinger GC
(63) and Greenview CC, Chicago (59).<br />
<br />
The best round ever was a 55 played at Bunker Hill GC (par 74) in winning
the 1934 Chicago Golf Championship. He did it with two back-to-back
holes-in-one - on a par 3, 187 yards and a par 4, 347 yards (29-26).<br />
<br />
Frankenberg also held the records for driving distance - with drives of 425,
435, 450, 453 yards and one of his students - 64 year old Mike Austin is
credited by Guinness with the longest drive in tournament play - 515 yards at
the 1974 Winterwood GC in Las Vegas when the ball finished 65 yards past the
hole.<br />
<br />
Known as the most consistent, mechanical golfer of all time, among his other
students Frankenberg could count Ben Hogan, Walter Hagen, Tommy Armour, Babe
Didrikson, Al Espinosa and President Kennedy, who said Harry was "the most
exploited, unexploited individuals I have ever met."<br />
<br />
Born near Chicago on April 4 (ca) 1908, a distant relation to Sioux Indian
Sitting Bull and Bavarian Count Harry Hilary "Montana" Von Frankenberg,
he was nicknamed "The Great Frankenberg" and then "Count
Yogi" after he moved to Los Angeles in 1949.<br />
<br />
Banned by the PGA, Frankenberg was forced to teach and travel around the
country putting on demonstrations and golf exhibitions - much like Harry Vardon
and Walter Hagen.<br />
<br />
His book "Revolutionary Golf Made Easy" promoted his mechanical
motions and quick pace and his wide travels made him a prolific teacher who
taught more students than anyone.<br />
<br />
"It isn't what'd you shot - its how'd you shoot it," is what
Frankenberg told his students of the game.<br />
<br />
As Jeff Gold relates in his informative book, "Much of Count Yogi's life
is shrouded in mystery, but there's no doubt about his ability to play and
teach the game."<br />
<br />
Mohammed Ali even called Frankenberg "the greatest of all times."<br />
<br />
Frankenberg died without much fanfare on February 15, 1990, but his exploits
and the fascinating careers of other forgotten golf legends live on in this
book that should be a part of every golfer’s library.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For more on Golf’s Forgotten Heroes: <a href="https://jeffgoldgolf.com/">https://jeffgoldgolf.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-26107251149788485002014-11-17T12:22:00.004-08:002014-12-06T11:32:37.548-08:00John McDermott Finally Gets His Due <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">John
McDermott Gets His Due, finally – Bill Kelly <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">John
McDermott is finally getting his due over a hundred years after he became the
first American and at 19 he remains the youngest to win the U.S. Open national
golf championship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
winning the 1910 Philadelphia Open, the 1911 U.S. Open, the 1911 Philadelphia
Open, the 1912 U.S. Open, 1913 Philadelphia Open, the 1913 Western Open, the
1913 Shawnee invitational, and being the first American to place among the
leaders of the British Open, McDermott was the best American golfer and said to
be on his way to being the best ever. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then McDermott
fell ill with an undiagnosed nervous breakdown and didn’t play in a tournament
after 1914, but he continued to play quietly until his clubs were stolen. In and
out of asylums for the rest of his life, McDermott attended the 1971 Open at
Merion a few weeks before he died at his sister’s house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">After
losing his health and his clubs, McDermott appeared to have lost his legacy as
well as he was much maligned by Hollywood and in a carelessly written profile
in Golf Magazine that said McDermott was a “famously rude, combative, abrasive,
embarrassing, insane bigot, best left forgotten.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">[Golf Mag."The Curious Case of John McDermott" by John Garrity </span><a href="http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/john-mcdermott-won-us-open-twice-then-checked-psychiatric-ward">John McDermott won U.S. Open twice then checked into psychiatric ward - GOLF.com</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When
Hollywood put “The Greatest Game” to the screen McDermott is wrongfully, unfairly
and rudely portrayed as a typical Mick – a tall gangly red haired buffoon with
a mustache. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And
that’s how it seemed Johnny McDermott would be remembered, but then Pete
Trenham, John Burnes and Jeff Gold stepped up to the tee and took some swings
for him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">On the
100<sup>th</sup> anniversary of his tremendous feats McDermott was belatedly
and posthumously inducted into the prestigious Philadelphia Sports Hall of
Fame, an honor that was accepted by Jim Faser, whose family owned the Atlantic
City Country Club where McDermott was the pro.[</span><a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/PTHGNews.html">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a> /<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruxJ4zgpls0&feature=youtu.be">Trenham Golf History Johnny McDermott - YouTube</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">]</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">McDermott
was also more accurately portrayed in a short film by Pete Trenham
[</span><a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/PTHGOther.html#JM">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">] – whose golf
history web site [</span><a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">] is a treasure trove of
Philadelphia area golf lore, including my own book "Birth of a Birdie" [</span><a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/Documents/BirthoftheBirdie.pdf">trenhamgolfhistory.org/Documents/BirthoftheBirdie.pdf</a>].</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then,
through the efforts of John Burnes, the state of Pennsylvania erected a
permanent historic plaque in front of the Kingsessing Library at 1201 South 51<sup>st</sup>
Street in McDermott’s old West Philadelphia neighborhood – “JOHN J. McDERMOTT
(1891-1917) In 1911 at the Chicago Golf Club, 19-year old John McDermott became
the first American to win the U.S. Open. He successfully defended his title the
following year. One of the world’s top golfers between 1910 and 1914, he helped
to popularize the game in this country. His career was cut short due to illness
and he retired in 1914. This was his childhood neighborhood, where he caddied
and learned to play at Aronimink Golf Club, once located here.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Pete
Trenham helped dedicate the plaque on Thursday, October 9, 2014 [</span><a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/PTHGTreasureTrove08.html">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;">]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">And now
McDermott is prominently featured in a new book – Jeff Gold’s “Golf’s Forgotten
Legends and Unforgettable Controversies,” (Morgan James, N.Y. 2014) [ </span><a href="https://jeffgoldgolf.com/">https://jeffgoldgolf.com/</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> / </span><a href="https://jeffgoldgolf.com/">Jeff Gold Golf, Golf Book Phoenix AZ, Golf Books for Sale Phoenix AZ</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> - </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Golfs-Forgotten-Legends-Unforgettable-Controversies/dp/1630473014">Golf's Forgotten Legends: & Unforgettable Controversies: Jeff Gold: 9781630473013: Amazon.com: Books</a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This excellent book can be purchased at </span><a href="https://jeffgoldgolf.com/">Jeff Gold Golf, Golf Book Phoenix AZ, Golf Books for Sale Phoenix AZ</a><br />
<br />
And incldues a chapter on the greatest golfer of all time - not who you think. .</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Gold
details the numerous historical and factual errors in “The Greatest Game,” and
takes special issue with John Garitty’s portrait of McDermott in <i>Golf Magazine</i> (May 2, 2012), going so
far as to cancel his subscription, calling for a boycott and demanding a
retraction, correction and public apology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">“In my
eye,” writes Gold, “Johnny McDermott holds the title of Greatest Teenage Golfer
in American History. I can’t envision another American teenager coming within miles
of challenging Johnny’s U.S. Open record, a tie for second and a win, not to
mention his two teenage wins in the Philadelphia Open against a field of top
professionals. Even Tiger Woods as a teenager never challenged McDermott’s
accomplishments.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Rather
than a boring lout, Gold says that McDermott should be honestly remembered for
inspiring the now intense international Walker and Ryder Cup matches and should
be an inspiration to all young, teenage golfers. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKKMaTkQBdhZ45RgVLq2kzhIBZSTGBM68JMUmHmr4UZVxHGKZbGabpn0HrISjeTWx9DpEhhq1QiqRwjq5SvlrCMA8gOsm13HBOG5Kqrlj-HkX505oUqnf1Z_nLiHHWbUpiaSFWmg7B6HN/s1600/mcdermott_i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKKMaTkQBdhZ45RgVLq2kzhIBZSTGBM68JMUmHmr4UZVxHGKZbGabpn0HrISjeTWx9DpEhhq1QiqRwjq5SvlrCMA8gOsm13HBOG5Kqrlj-HkX505oUqnf1Z_nLiHHWbUpiaSFWmg7B6HN/s1600/mcdermott_i.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> John McDermott with U.S. Open Trophy </span></div>
</div>
William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-53773270683859769172014-08-21T14:40:00.003-07:002017-09-03T02:00:37.380-07:00Flight of the Eagle - Seaview and the Growth of Golf in America <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Flight of the Eagle – Seaview Country Club and
the Growth of Golf in America <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By William E. Kelly, Jr. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Summer 1914 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sitting in the shade of an apple tree near the first
tee at the Atlantic City Country Club, Clarence Geist exhaled from his cigar
and complained about having to wait to play a round of golf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mister Geist, or “C.H.” as he was known, was a multi-millionaire
industrialist, owner of a number of gas companies in Baltimore, Philadelphia
and Atlantic City, when gas lamps lighted the cities, and he was an avid
golfer. He loved to play golf and played as much as he could, often running his
companies from the golf course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Standing next to him, his golfing partner Maurice Risley
began to respond, “Mister Gist,” he said, “if I had as much money as you do I’d
build my own golf course.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And that he did. Geist instructed Risley, a real
estate agent, to find him a suitable piece of property that would be good for a
links course – one that ran along the bay waters and allowed for the variable winds
to come into play, just like the legendary Scottish links courses. And in the
end, the winds of change fanned by Clarence Geist altered the landscape of America
and changed the nature, style and business of the game of golf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
Risley was a real estate agent whose family were among the first settlers of
the area, a family that includes many illustrious politicians, professionals
and colorful personages, Maurice Risley one of the more interesting, if only
for enticing Geist to build his own golf course. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Risley selected and surveyed the bayside land on
Route #9, just off the White Horse Pike, Geist went and hired Hugh Wilson to
lay out his golf course. Wilson also laid out the Merion Golf Club course in
Philadelphia, an amateur golfer who traveled to the British Isles to study the
links courses there and he later helped finish George Crump’s legendary Pine
Valley, which included Geist as an original member. So while Wilson only
assisted in the design of three courses – Merion, Seaview and Pine Valley, they
are considered three of the best golf courses in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Wilson began to lay out the course, which was
later completed by the equally renowned Donald Ross, their distinctive
signatures can still be clearly seen along the fairways and among the traps and
bunkers. In 1927 Geist hired Howard C. Toomey and William S. Flynn to design
the scenic Pines Course in the woods to the west behind the clubhouse that was
expanded in 1957 by Flynn mentor William Gordon. More recently the courses were
restored to their original designs to reflect the visions of Wilson, Ross,
Toomey and Flynn, four of the greatest golf course architects in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To go with his distinctly designed links golf course,
Geist hired the best golf professional available – Englishman Wilfred Reid, who
had finished among the leaders of the 1913 U.S. Open championship and wanted to
stay in America, the land of opportunity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist, being a self-made millionaire when there were
far fewer of them, is said to have earned a personal income of two million
dollars a year, and he lived first class – wore the best clothes, owned the
best cars, lived in the biggest houses, and exhibited a lifestyle that would
become generally popular once the nation’s economy grew and money started to
spread around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So the clubhouse would also have to be the best,
serve the best food and wines, provide the best service and everything would be
done in a simple but elegant style. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist christened his club the Seaview Country Club,
even though the sea was quite our of view, and the Seaview was considered one
of a dozen golf clubs offshoots of the Atlantic City Country Club – some others
were Pine Valley, Oakmont and most of the golf clubs in South Jersey and the
Jersey Shore, which gave it the reputation of being the “mother club” when golf
began to spread wing across America. While the Country Club of Atlantic City
was owned by the boardwalk hotel owners and open to all of their guests,
Geist’s country club would be private, open only to Geist’s friends and
business associates and those who fit his personal qualifications. If you were
invited, membership dues weren’t that expensive, but if Mister Geist heard you
complain about anything – the food, the wine, the service – he would walk up to
your table and say “You’re resignation has been accepted.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSamcyG0GXA3Ygce5Z3pp7gFTF7UpNqWoLpF_KEIGfGo5geUp0bPpJaD8oA5QuUyN4QzdLcqNsjXM5ZUVVeIRz9fLN1XKhT7MX04zF-4fX1QAK790L9soLwIB8Z8mhb6XsevwawbTPxRTU/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSamcyG0GXA3Ygce5Z3pp7gFTF7UpNqWoLpF_KEIGfGo5geUp0bPpJaD8oA5QuUyN4QzdLcqNsjXM5ZUVVeIRz9fLN1XKhT7MX04zF-4fX1QAK790L9soLwIB8Z8mhb6XsevwawbTPxRTU/s1600/images.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Golf at the Seaview made its debut with great
fanfare in January 1915, and over the course of the next century, a lot of
great, championship golf would be played there, but the ripples of change that
began there would expand far beyond Seaview and change the nature and style of
the game and the landscape of America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist would go on to even bigger and better things –
opening the historic Boca Raton Country Club in Florida (where he hired Tommy
Armour to be the club golf professional), and he made many other similar deals
before his controversial death, but Seaview would continue on as a living,
growing entity and see many great championships, social events and interesting
characters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wilfrey Reid, Geist’s first golf pro, didn’t last
long. From Nottingham, England, home of Robin Hood, Reid was a good tournament
player and stayed at the top of the leaderboard with the best, but at a pre-1913
US Open tournament at Shawnee he got into a fist fight with British Champion Ted
Ray. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The argument began in the Shawnee locker room, where
Johnny McDermott, the young 20 year old Atlantic City pro and two-time U.S.
Open defending champion had already created considerable controversary after
winning the tournament by eight strokes and promising the foreign visitors they
wouldn’t take the U.S. Open trophy home with them. McDermott’s remarks put golf
on the front pages of most newspapers worldwide and created great international
interest in the 1913 U.S. Open, said to be “the greatest game.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meanwhile Wilfred Reid, who was second after the
first round at Shawnee, had words about politics with Ted Ray. Reid later said
he asked Ray how he could be a socialist while making so much money playing
golf. That was enough to spark Ray to take a swing at Reid, and like McDermott,
the gentlemen had to publicly apologize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Harry Vardon and Ted Ray would tour the United
States a number of times, Wilfried Reid’s 1913 visit was his first, and he liked
America, and took up Geists’s offer to be the first golf professional of the
Seaview Country Club, which was also making news because of its refined extravagance.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For some reason Geist wasn’t happy with Wilfred Reid,
and while discussing this matter over drinks with some other rich power
brokers, they decided to switch golf pros, so Wilfred Reid and his contract was
traded like a sports star to the Wilmington Golf Club in Delaware, while the
golf pro there went to Garden City in North New Jersey, and the pro there - James
“Jolly Jim” Fraser, would become the second golf pro at Seaview. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fraser was probably the cornerstone to that
“triple-switch,” as the sports writers of the day called it, since he was from
Scotland where the Fraser Clan name is proudly carved onto rocks at the Highland
battlefields depicted in the movie Braveheart. Fraser, the son of an Aberdeen constable, came
to America by winning a “Silver Quill” essay contest, and he joined the many
other expatriate Scotsmen who found work in America as golf professionals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fraser’s first job was at Van Cortlandt Park, the
first public golf course in the country, which is where he was working when he
met Millie Leeb on a train. They got married and when they got to Seaview they settled
into a comfortable house just off the first green of the Bay Course. Those who
knew it was there would stop by Fraser’s cellar door for a touch of scotch
whiskey he kept in a barrel there for thirsty friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Millie practiced putting on the first green the
morning James “Sonny” Fraser was born. Sonny Fraser was the epitome of the
great amateur golfers of his day, and his brother Leo would become an esteemed
professional, a protégé of Walter Hagen, and together with Mr. Geist, they would
alter the nature and style of the game of golf as it is played in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist didn’t want a great tournament player, he wanted
a golf professional who could teach his wife and inspire his daughters to play
the game, and while Wilfred Reid would later become known for his ability to
coach champion women golfers, it was left to Jolly Jim Fraser to teach the game
of golf to Geist’s family and the new members of the elite, exclusive and
renown Seaview Country Club. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a Scottish professional at one of the newest and
most prestigious golf courses in America, Jolly Jim Fraser’s home on the first
fairway at Seaview was the destination of many Scottish and British
professionals who came to America, - the Smith Brothers, the Armours and
especially Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. Vardon and Ray were actually from the British
Channel Isle of Jersey, for which the state of New Jersey is named. Besides
being well known as the best golfers of their day, they are considered among the
best of all time, and on their visit to America in 1921 Fraser convinced them
to play a promotional tournament at a new course in Pottstown, Pennsylvania,
now Brookside [http://www.brooksidepottstown.com/]. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fraser’s good friend and hunting partner Walter
Hagen played with him and Fraser’s 10 year old son Leo caddied for his father as
Fraser and Hagen defeated Vardon and Ray in one of their only loses in America.
They may have a dozen British and US Open championships between them, but on
that occasion, the Americans carried the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Mister Geist detested dogs, Fraser adopted
them, especially hunting dogs, and with Hagen, would take the dogs for walks into
the pine forest behind the club, sometimes hunting deer and small game. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hagen was a young 20 year old Buffalo, New York
assistant pro when he witnessed an equally young Johnny McDermott win his
second U.S. Open championship in 1912, which inspired Hagen to gave up his
assistant pro shop job and became one of the first touring golf professionals,
and when on tour he always put into Seaview to visit his good friend Jolly Jim
Fraser. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then tragedy struck on February 15, 1923 when Jolly
Jim was killed when his car collided with a Route 9 Trolley. While a series of
golf professionals would take his job, the Fraser clan had lost their father,
so Geist stepped up and took them in and provided for their well being,
especially Sonny Fraser, who Geist treated like a son. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James “Sonny” Fraser was a golf prodigy who as a child in
1922, played a round under 100 with President Warren G. Harding, and won a bet
Geist had with the president, who was elected, if you believe Boardwalk Empire,
with the help of Nucky Johnson. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Johnson hosted the 1929 conference of organized
crime bosses from around the country, Al Capone disappeared while the crime
bosses determined his fate for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre that had put
unnecessary pressure on them all. While there were reports that Capone was
holed up in the locker room at the Atlantic City Country Club, Geist was afraid
of being kidnapped and being held for ransom by the gangsters, and was paranoid
enough to have his caddy carry a Thompson submachine gun in his golf bag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After Sonny Fraser graduated from high school Geist
hired him as an executive of one of his companies, requiring Sonny only to play
golf with him all day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Leo Fraser was more rambunctious though, and didn’t
want to be coddled by Mister Geist, so he dropped out of school and took a job as
an assistant pro in Michigan before taking up Walter Hagen’s offer to go on a
cross country tour, barnstorming golf clubs, selling equipment, putting on
shows and playing tournaments like a traveling circus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hagen would become the first golf millionaire and
was such a tournament draw he could make his own terms, and wouldn’t play if
the golf clubs didn’t let all of the golf professionals in the clubhouse, from
which they were previously banned by strict club protocol. Because golf pros
were staff employees they were on the same social level as the cooks and maids and
not considered proper gentleman, at least as the term gentleman meant in their day.
Every golf professional today owes a debt of gratitude to Walter Hagen for
opening the clubhouse doors to them. And Leo Fraser, who would become a golf
club owner himself, got his primary education riding around the country with Hagen,
one of the first great touring pros. Whenever he wanted, Leo returned home to assume the role of golf
professional at Seaview, literally his home course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then Geist died suddenly, leaving Sonny Fraser out
of his will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But Sonny’s new job was secretary to H. “Hap”
Farley, the political boss of Atlantic City who took over when Nucky Johnson
went to prison. With Nucky’s blessing Hap Farley took over the political
machine in Atlantic City and his right hand man Sonny Fraser, was elected to
the state legislature with plans to bring legal gambling to New Jersey in the
form of horse racing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Although there was considerable legal wrangling over
Geist’s estate, the Seaview continued to function normally because the club had
been taken over by Elwood Kirkman, Hap Farley’s Georgetown law school room mate.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Elwood Kirkman also owned Boardwalk National Bank,
the Chelsea Title company, a number of boardwalk theaters, some motels on the
pike and the Flanders Hotel in Ocean City (NJ), so the Seaview was just one of
a dozen operations overseen by Kirkman, and it was under Kirkman’s leadership
that Seaview hosted a major celebrity tournament in 1940 and the 1942 PGA
tournament, won by Sam Snead in one of golf’s most memorial championships. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the early forties Sonny Fraser formed a syndicate
that purchased the Atlantic City Country Club from the boardwalk hotel owners,
and to back the effort to open the Atlantic City Race Track he recruited a
number of friends and celebrities like Olympic Champion Jack Kelly, Bob Hope
and Bing Crosby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fraser got the law passed that brought horse racing
to New Jersey and was part of the group that built the Atlantic City Race
Track, which also included John B. Kelly, the Philadelphia contractor, Olympic
champion and father of Grace Kelly, the actress and princess of Monaco, who
celebrated her sixteenth birthday with her friends in the Oval Room of the
Seaview Clubhouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 1940 tournament at Seaview brought together
celebrities like Bing Crosby and Bob Hope and top flight golfers including Ben
Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Gene Sarazen. Around the same time Sonny Fraser
persuaded Bob Hope, his good friend and frequent golfing partner, to open the
Apex Golf Club in Pleasantville, one of the few golf courses owned by and open
to blacks, who were not welcome at most of the private clubs that lined Route
9. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The 1942 <st1:stockticker w:st="on">PGA</st1:stockticker>
championship at Seaview, won in dramatic style by Sam Snead over Jimmy Turnesa
(2-1), was conducted in match play, and was Snead’s first major. Turnesa was
then stationed at Fort Dix, and shortly thereafter, Snead joined the Navy, both
men serving their country during the war. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Sonny Fraser was not accepted into the
military because of failing health, he became a popular politician and New
Jersey State legislator who helped raise money for war bonds and founded the
Atlantic City chapter of the American Cancer Society. In the legislature, Sonny
Fraser rose to the elite position of Speaker of the House, and got every bill
and law passed that he introduced, including the passage of the bill to bring
horse racing to New Jersey, the first legal gambling in Atlantic City. <br />
<br />
Tragedy struck again in 1950 when Sonny Fraser finally died of a debilitating disease,
ending the short but significant career of one of golf’s great amateurs. Before
he died however, Sonny held an invitational tournament that attracted all of
the best amateur golfers from around the country, and then he won the inaugural
event, which would become an annual affair that would only be rivaled by the
Crump Cup at Pine Valley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While Sonny Fraser would be the great amateur
golfer, Leo Fraser took over and restored the Atlantic City Country Club,
became a senior executive of the PGA of America and is credited with saving the
PGA Tour at its most dangerous hour, when the tournament pros were about to
break away from the PGA to form their own tour. Leo Fraser also promoted
friendly foreign Ryder Cup completion, stimulated the growth of women’s golf by
bringing the US Women’s Open to Atlantic City numerous times and he helped
organize the LPGA, which brought the Shoprite Classic to the Jersey Shore. Leo Fraser
was also the host, in 1980, of the first PGA Seniors tournament (now the
multi-million dollar Champions Tour).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After Geitz died and the Frasers left their house on
Seaview’s first fairway to move to the Atlantic City Country Club, the Seaview
was left in the hands of Elwood Kirkman. As the former Georgetown law school room
mate of political boss Hap Farley, Kirkman was powerfully connected and could
be unscrupulous in business. Kirkman had many businesses, including restaurants
and motels and hotels, but his bank and title company were his primary
enterprises. <br />
<br />
When the State of New Jersey decided to build Stockton State College, Kirkman
sold them some of the land, mainly pinelands, the ownership of which was
questionable, and deeds provided by Kirkman’s title company proved to be
falsified. Although this scandal didn’t become news until the 1980s, when it
did Kirkman was forced to relinquish control of Seaview, but he was never
charged, convicted or did jail time for his misdeeds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Marriot purchased the Seaview in 1984 it was opened
it to the public, but after decades under Geist and Kirkman, it maintained its
first class status, so much so that when the Rolling Stones came to Atlantic
City for their Steel Wheels Tour in 1989 they preferred to stay at the Seaview
rather than any of the Atlantic City casino hotels. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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In 1998 Marriot sold the Seaview to LaSalle Hotels and golf course architect
Bob Cupp, Jr. was brought in to restore the Bay Course to its original state as
one of the finest links courses in America, and the LPGA Classic returned to
Seaview, continuing its championship traditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Given the history of the shady land deals, some
thought it ironic that Seaview would be purchased by Richard Stockton State
College, though it seems quite fitting that Stockton would now own the club with
plans to upgrade the facility and use it to help educate a new generation of
students in the business, service and maintenance of such a first class golf resort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And now, a century after C.H. Geist told Maurice
Risley to find him land for a golf course, it’s quite clear that Geist and
those associated with the Seaview’s early history – Hugh Wilson, Wilfred Reid,
Jolly Jim Fraser, Walter Hagen, Harry Vardon, Ted Ray and Sonny and Leo Fraser would,
each in their own way, change the nature and style of the game, take it to
another level, and with the growth of golf in every community, alter the landscape
of America.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p>This is a summary of the Flight of the Eagle - Seaview and the Growth of Golf in America, a work in progress.</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">William
Kelly, author of “The Birth of the Birdie,” can be reached at </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">billkelly3@gmail.com</span></div>
</div>
William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-54595602892658302442014-04-23T17:08:00.003-07:002014-04-23T17:57:42.259-07:00Clarence "C.H." Geist <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Birth of the Birdie 12 - Clarence H. Geist </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">CLARENCE H. GEIST</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One member of the Atlantic City Country Club who
really stood out was Clarence H. Geist, one of the most eccentric individuals
of all time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A self-made man, “C.H.” was rich behind imagination.
He was the owner of a number of major utilities which earned him over $2
million a year. With so much money he was paranoid of being kidnapped and was
known to take along two caddies, one for his golf bag and the other to protect
him with a submachine gun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Born in LaPorte, Indiana in 1874 of Pennsylvania
Dutch ancestry, he refused to go to college because college men were “saps.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Instead he traded horses until he was eighteen when he discovered there was not
a lot of money in the West. After working as a brakeman on the railroad, and
dabbing at real estate, his big break came when he met Charles Dawes, of the
South Shore Gas Company. While Dawes went o to become Vice President of the
United States and ambassador to the Court of St. James, Geist found his fortune
in Gas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to William A. Gimmel, “Geist aggressively
began to acquire utilities. In 1909 he acquired Atlantic City Gas & Water
Company and Consumers Gas & Fuel, both serving Atlantic City and vicinity.”
Gas was an important commodity and Geist was one of the men who bought and
consolidated competing gas companies creating “natural monopolies.” He owned
the gas companies and other utilities that served Pennsylvania, Delaware and
South Jersey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist maintained homes and offices in Atlantic City
and Philadelphia, but spent much of his time playing golf. Geist was the
President of the Whitemarsh Country Club near Philadelphia and was a member of
the Atlantic City Country Club. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist was one of the first to travel to the Atlantic
City Country Club by automobile, rather than by train, trolley or horse and
buggy. “Among the automobile parties,” one newspaper item noted,” were Clarence
H. Geist, who had as his guest A.W. Atterbury, one of the vice presidents of
the Pennsylvania lines.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1914, Geist became impatient as he waited to get
to the first tee at the Country Club of Atlantic City. With him was realtor
Maurice Risley, who has been quoted as responding to Geist’s displeasure by
saying, “Mr. Geist, If I had as much money as you I’d build my own golf
course.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist told Risley to find him the land, which he
did, just north of Absecon, and it was there Geist built the Seaview Country
Club, which opened a year after construction began in January, 1915. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geist hired Wilfred Reid to be the first golf
professional at Seaview. He also hired a private Scottish golf professional to
teach his wife and daughters how to play. Reid lasted less than a year before
he moved on to the Wilmington Country Club and was replaced by James Fraser.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James “Jolly” Jim Fraser was the pro at Seaview when
President Warren G. Harding played a round of golf there in May, 1922. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After the death of James Fraser in an automobile
accident, Geist went through a series of golf professionals, though he treated
them all with respect. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Dad told me Gesit treated his golf professionals
like staff executives,” said Jim Fraser, “but it took a long time before golf
professionals were admitted to most other club houses.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Leo Fraser also attributes the growth and popularity
of first class country clubs to Geist, although he didn’t believe it was such a
great thing for golf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Besides the Seaview Country Club, Geist also
developed the Boca Raton Country Club in Florida, where Tommy Armour later
became the club professional and where many of the Atlantic City golfers
retreated during the winter months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Leo, who became the Seaview pro in 1935 said, “There
was nothing like Seaview in the rest of the country. How many other clubs at
the time had an indoor swimming pool, a French chef and liveried chauffeurs who
drove Rolls Royces and Pierce Arrows? Every affluent club used Seaview as its
standard. There was not a dining room in Philadelphia or New York that could
excel Seaview’s. They had horses, squash courts, tennis courts, a trap shooting
ranges, and of course, a golf course.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“It only cost $100 to join Seaview but it took more
than money to get in, and if Mr. Geist heard anyone complain about the price of
anything, he’d just go up to that person and say, ‘Your resignation has been
accepted.’ That’s the kind of guy Geist was. He despised dogs, thought
airplanes were the product of the devil, couldn’t stand cigarettes and his feet
always hurt.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“I talk so much about Mr. Geist because he was one of
the greatest characters I’ve ever met during my whole life in golf. And he had
a lot to do with my career in the early years. But you know, he was also a part
of the game’s history in this country with the golf resorts he built.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“He probably fired me and rehired me a dozen times.
I probably argued with Mr. Geist more than I should have. My brother Sonny,
didn’t argue with him and he got along very well with C.H. They played a lot of
golf together, too. Yes, he was a character, but he owned the finest club
around and he never got the credit for all of his accomplishments that he
deserved. He was a man ahead of his time.” <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKByyS0iUQR34FWseJWMUVnj5M-4zjZDII8d8EoK3HkVJkyuzam75TTidj5fEiH03yat_wiSTpnpst7jsaTT4UF6wyR0AEtgod2OpqJ1k0Kcdzl2lpu4DU_UCXg-BeUHKN1I6MND2UVm8/s1600/nucky_gallery_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKByyS0iUQR34FWseJWMUVnj5M-4zjZDII8d8EoK3HkVJkyuzam75TTidj5fEiH03yat_wiSTpnpst7jsaTT4UF6wyR0AEtgod2OpqJ1k0Kcdzl2lpu4DU_UCXg-BeUHKN1I6MND2UVm8/s1600/nucky_gallery_1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Clarence H. Geist and Nucky Johnson </span></div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-31982251208895598352014-04-23T17:06:00.002-07:002014-04-23T17:53:59.260-07:00James "Jolly Jim" Fraser <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Birth of the Birdie – 13 <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James “Jolly Jim” and Millie Fraser <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.399999618530273px;"> Ted Ray, Harry Vardon, Jolly Jim Fraser and Walter Hagen </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James Fraser came to America from Aberdeen, Scotland
in 1907, obtaining work as a golf professional at Van Courtlandt Park, New
York, the first public golf course in America, and at Great Neck. While working
in New York he met Millie Leeb, from Albany N.Y. on a Flushing train. They were
married and had four children, Sidney, Leo, James “Sonny” and Elizabeth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to Mrs. Elizabeth Fraser Jordan, her
father was the son of an Aberdeen, Scotland constable who served in Singapore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Jolly Jim,” as he was called, came to America on a
Silver Quill award scholarship, apparently because of his literary talents. His
passion, however, was golf. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">James Fraser was named the Seaview’s second golf
professional in 1916 when he replaced Wilfred Reid. At Seaview he became
associated with a number of great golfers including Mac Smith, Walter Hagen,
Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Fraser family lived in a house on the first hole
at Seaview that is still there. “In the early days the house had coal heat and
an outhouse,” recalls Elizabeth Jordan. “We were a close family; they used to
call us a clan.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With his ten year old son Leo serving as their caddy
Jolly Jim Fraser and Hagen defeated Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a Pottstown,
Pa. exhibition tournament in 1920. According to Leo, his father had designed
the course where the exhibition was staged and it was one of only two losses
the British champions experienced on that tour, during which Ray won the U.S.
Open. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jolly Jim also won the Philadelphia Open, a
significant accomplishment at the time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“My father was a marvelous man,” relates Elizabeth.
“He was a fun man who liked to collect and tell jokes, and was a good friend of
Harry Lauder, the comedian. He was a bit heavy, talked with a thick Scot
accent, drank Scotch naturally, and used to bring home every dog imaginable. He
was a great hunter, who often went duck shooting with Dr. Allen, and he used to
raise birds and dogs. All the club members loved him because he was such a
great joke and story teller. He kept a batch of brandy for the members down in
the cellar and going down the first hole they used to stop for a sip.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Millie also played golf, and practiced on the
putting green the morning that Sonny Fraser was born. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The world of the Fraser Clan changed on February 15,
1923, when Jolly Jim Fraser died after an auto accident with a trolley on Shore
Road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Elizabeth recalled, “He was on his way to pick up
Sonny and me at school, and to mail somebody some jokes and collided with the
trolley. Now the front and the back of the Toonerville Trolley looked the same
so you couldn’t tell if it was coming or going, and he died of his injuries.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sidney, the oldest son joined the Navy and much of
the burden of being the man of the house fell on young Leo Fraser and of
raising the family on Millie. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Mille was a phenomenal woman,” recalls Bonnie Siok.
“She was a tiny thing with a charismatic personality. The world loved Millie.
Against everyone’s wishes she used to sneak out and play cards with the caddies
at the 19<sup>th</sup> Hole across from the Seaview club. Later she married Flo
Ciriano, the only grandfather any of us really knew. Flo worked at Seaview and
later a bartender at the Atlantic City Country Club, and was a very handsome
man from Spain, who adored Millie ‘til they day she died.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-14723541343174912882013-07-09T16:45:00.002-07:002013-07-09T16:45:30.743-07:002013 US OPEN 100th Anniversary of the “Greatest Game.” <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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2013 US OPEN 100th Anniversary of the “Greatest Game.” </div>
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By Bill Kelly </div>
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There was a lot of history behind the 2013 US Open at Merion
in <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>, but none more
significant than the 100th anniversary of the “Greatest Game” - the 1913 U.S.
Open, and quite fitting that it was won by Justin Rose of <st1:country-region><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
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It might have happened over a century ago, but you can still
soak up some of history at the venerable Atlantic City Country Club clubhouse
because that’s where the legend of “the Greatest Game” began, and despite the
100 years that has elapsed, you can still feel the history emanating from the
clubhouse walls, especially in the historic Tap Room or the McDermott Room,
named in honor of Johnny McDermott, who made “The Greatest Game” great. </div>
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When people think of the 1913 US Open most think of the
Country Club at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>, Francis
Ouimet, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. </div>
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The story, as it has been retold in history books and on
film, has young, amateur caddy, Francis Ouimet, the son of the groundskeeper,
winning the national championship by defeating in a three way playoff, British
champions Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, two of the greatest golfers of all time. </div>
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The rest of the story, the real story, is equally compelling
and even more incredible, but seldom told.</div>
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Rather than Ouimet however, the hero is the equally young
Johnny McDermott, a <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
teenager who - after thirteen foreigners, becomes the first American to win the
US Open (1911). He then successfully defended his title and promised the
British that they won’t take the US Open trophy “back across the pond,”
creating the international anticipation for the great game.</div>
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Recently described in a national golf magazine as an
“abrasive, combative, embarrassing, insane bigot best left forgotten,” most
golf writers either fail to mention McDermott at all or mischaracterize him, as
he is by Mark Frost in his book <i>“The
Greatest Game</i>,” and the movie based on the book.</div>
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John McDermott is truly one of <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
forgotten heroes, for without him, there would not be “the Greatest Game” at
all. He made the game great. </div>
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Before McDermott the United States National Open championship was won by golf
professionals from the <st1:place>British isles</st1:place> who had either
found work in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
or were visiting British champions. Harry Vardon visited <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
a few times on promotional tours, usually taking the Open trophy with him. </div>
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McDermott, the short, slight and spunky Irish teenager
knocked the British champions off their horse, not only becoming the first
American, but at nineteen years, the youngest champion ever, and he won it back
to back (1911-1912), the sign of a true champion, as Walter Hagen said. </div>
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Although McDermott did beat Alex Smith and other British
professionals, Harry Vardon didn’t play in those tournaments, and neither did British
champions Ted Ray or Wilfred Reid, so there were whispers that McDermott
couldn’t really beat the best of the Brits. </div>
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For McDermott that day finally came in June 1913 when,
shortly before the Open, a preliminary tournament was held at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee-on-Delaware</st1:place></st1:city>,
which included most of the top Open field including Vardon, Ray and Reid. </div>
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McDermott silenced his critics and everyone else when he
soundly defeated Vardon and Ray by eight strokes and then, standing up on a
chair in an impromptu locker room speech, promised the foreign guests they
wouldn’t take the Open Trophy home with them “back across the pond.” </div>
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Fighting words for sure, and quickly quoted by the foreign
press and New York Times and even though McDermott apologized and recanted some
of it, the message was oft repeated, stirring up a nationalistic fever on both
sides of the “pond” that hadn’t been felt since the War of 1812. </div>
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McDermott’s promise took golf from the sports page to the
front page, and got ordinary people who had never played the game, to become spectators
and to pay attention to what happened at the 1913 US Open at the Country Club
at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>. </div>
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“The Greatest Game” wasn’t great because of great shots or
great play, it was a great game because Johnny McDermott, in his youthful, raging
brigadier - made it so. </div>
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In the book <i>“The
Greatest Game,”</i> McDermott is downplayed as a sidebar, and marginalized as
unlikeable, and in the movie he is portrayed as a tall, red head lout with a
mustache, hardly the quiet and demur, short and skinny kid he really was. </div>
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The son of a West Philadelphia mailman, McDermott discovered
golf at the old Aronomick, and found work first as a caddy and after dropping
out of school, as a pro, perfecting his game to the point where he barely lost
the 1910 US Open while only 18. After his first job as the golf pro at the
Merchantville (NJ) club, McDermott was made the golf professional at the
Atlantic City Country Club. </div>
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At the 1910 Open McDermott had called Alex Smith “a big
lout” and promised that he would beat him the next time they played, and he
did, and when he left <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic City</st1:place></st1:city>
for the 1911 Open McDermott told his assistant, “you are carrying the clubs of
the next US Open champion,” a prediction McDermott made true. </div>
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Photos of Harry Vardon playing at <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic
City</st1:place></st1:city> in 1900 still hang on the walls, and Wildred
Reid, who was tied for first after the second round of the “Greatest Game,” was
recruited by Clarence Geist to be the first golf professional at the Seaview
Country Club when it opened in 1914. </div>
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Reid, who got into a clubhouse fistfight with Ted Ray at the
1913 Open, had designed the first nine holes at the Olympia Club in San
Francisco, the site of the 1912 US Open, and was the golf professional at
Atlantic City Country Club in 1948, when the US Women’s Open was held there. </div>
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For many years an old photo of Francis Ouimet lining up his
final putt on the 18th green at the 1913 Open was strategically placed next to
the door between the Tap Room and the Men’s Locker Room at the Atlantic City
Country Club, a silent but constant reminder of the significance of that moment
to everyone who passed through those doors.</div>
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Shortly thereafter Johnny McDermott disappeared, went
missing for years that stretched into decades, but then nearly sixty years
later, he suddenly appeared like a ghost in the pro shop at the 1972 US Open at
Merion. </div>
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Tired and haggard, dressed in a shabby, wrinkled suit,
McDermott went unrecognized, and was ordered out of the pro shop by a young,
assistant pro who thought he was in the way. </div>
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But then Arnold Palmer came along and recognized McDermott
and the young assistant pro was quietly informed, “You know you just kicked a
two-time winner of the US Open out of the pro shop.” </div>
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Palmer put his arms around McDermott and asked, “How’s your
game coming?” </div>
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McDermott reportedly said that his putting was okay but his
long game was off, to which they laughed and agreed that all you could do was
practice. </div>
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McDermott died a few months later, a grave marker simply
states John McDermott - 1972 - US Open Golf Champion 1911 - 1912 </div>
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And now, on the 100th anniversary of “the Greatest Game,”
Johnny McDermott should be remembered as the young, brash kid, the first
American to win the national championship, two time winner of the US Open and
at nineteen years old, still the youngest champion ever. </div>
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And he should be especially remembered as the one whose
promise to keep the US Open Trophy on “this side of the pond,” took the game of
golf to another level and sparked the great international competitions
personified by the Ryder and Walker Cups, encouraging friendly competition
among nations. </div>
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And now when things get heated up, tensions rise, sabers are
rattling and we are about to go to war, perhaps someone should suggest our differences
between nations should be settled like gentlemen - on the golf course. </div>
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And this year, after the 100th anniversary of “the Greatest
Game,” Englishman Justin Rose took the US Open National Championship trophy
home with him, across the pond. </div>
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[Bill Kelly is the author of <i>“300 Years at the Point,”</i> a history of <st1:place><st1:city>Somers
Point</st1:city>, <st1:state>N.J.</st1:state></st1:place>, and <i>“Birth of the Birdie,”</i> a history of golf
at the Atlantic City Country Club. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:billkelly3@gmail.com">billkelly3@gmail.com</a> ]</div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-32795110030343635152013-02-02T09:09:00.001-08:002013-02-02T09:20:28.569-08:002013 US Open at Historic Merion GC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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2013 US Open at Merion </div>
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The 2013 US Open at the historic Merion Golf Club will present another opportunity to call attention to the local connections to the great history of the Open, especially the 100th anniversary of John McDermott's attempt to defend his title for a third consecutive time and the legendary preliminary tournament at Shawnee. </div>
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From what I understand, a new book on the history of Shawnee is in the works. </div>
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Besides Atlantic City CC pro John McDermott winning the 1911 and 1912 US Opens, there are a number of other local connections. </div>
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When the 1971 US Open was held at Merion, the Open ground crew came to the Atlantic City Country Club to collect some straw grass, that grows along the bay that they put around some of the greens as an additional hazard. </div>
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That was the last US Open that McDermott would watch as a spectator and when he would meet Arnold Palmer. </div>
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Pete Trenham's Gold History site is gearing up for the Open and is filling us in on some of the great history of the game. </div>
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More to come on this as we get closer to tee time. </div>
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Bill Kelly </div>
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<b>Pete Trenham <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a> says: </b></div>
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Dear Golf Historians and Golf Enthusiasts</div>
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With the U.S. Open coming to Merion GC again in June the <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/" target="_blank">trenhamgolfhistory.org</a>
team is announcing four presentations that will appear on our website leading
up to the tournament. This, our first of the four, showcases the 1934 U.S. Open
at what was then called Merion Cricket Club.</div>
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The winner, Olin Dutra, pulled off an amazing feat. While
visiting his brother Mortie in <st1:city><st1:place>Detroit</st1:place></st1:city>
on his way to Merion he suffered an attack of dysentery and had to be
hospitalized. Still feeling week he trailed the leader Gene Sarazen by eight
strokes at the end of 36 holes. Dutra suffered another attack after Friday’s
round and had to play Saturday’s double round on a diet of sugar cubes and
water. He was the last player off the tee on Saturday morning and in
spite of having to face greens that had been spiked up by the earlier players
he finished the day one stroke in front of the field. He was $1,000 to the
better, less the $150 he paid his caddy Harry Gibson, and 15 pounds lighter
than when he arrived at Merion. </div>
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When you go to our website you will see a new look for the
U.S. Open. The winners of the four U.S. Opens held at Merion are pictured along
with the 1934 program book and a list with the order of finish which shows the
money breakdown. You can view all 52 pages of the program book which features
articles by the “Dean of American Sports Writing”, Grantland Rice, and O.B.
Keeler who chronicled every stroke of Bobby Jones’ career. In order to read the
articles you may need to enlarge them. </div>
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We want to give a special thank you to well known Chadds
Ford golf writer Jeff Silverman for writing the lead for our U.S. Open
presentation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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- Pete Trenham <o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>Previous <st1:country-region><st1:place>United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
Open <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/" title="Click to Continue > by Shopping Sidekick Plugin">Winners</a> At
Merion - Olin Dutra 1934, Ben Hogan 1950, Lee Trevino 1971 & David
Graham 1981</b></div>
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<b>Looking Back At The Four <st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
Opens Held At Merion<br />
by Jeff Silverman</b></div>
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Pete Dye, who knows a few things about golf <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/" title="Click to Continue > by Shopping Sidekick Plugin">courses</a> and
what can happen on them, once observed that “Merion isn’t great because history
was made there; history was made there because Merion is great.” Great golf
courses bring out the best in great players, in terms of game, certainly, but
also in the ways they test – and reveal – the core of a champion’s character.</div>
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Olin Dutra had to beat back terrible illness and a more
terrible reputation for collapsing down the stretch to triumph in 1934. Less
than a year and a half after the horrific crash that almost killed him, Ben
Hogan was forced to grittily walk on wobbly legs to prevail – over an
exhausting four rounds and a play-off -- in 1950. Twenty-one years later, Lee
Trevino confronted and banished crushing self-doubt – and the immense shadow of
Jack Nicklaus – to prove that his first Open victory was no fluke, while a
decade after that, an unheralded David Graham triumphed over what had been, in
the championship’s approach, an exhausted game and a depleted body to survive
the field and hoist the trophy.</div>
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With the U.S. Open returning to the East Course for the
fifth time in June, the eyes of the golf world will again be on a small patch
of the <st1:place>Main Line</st1:place> that was talked about as a pushover --
too short, too compact, too dated -- by Dutra’s own contemporaries. Yet, if I
learned one thing in the writing of “Merion: The Championship Story,” the
club’s forthcoming history, it is this: it is the very marvelous character of
the course itself – deemed passé as far back as 1934 – that has let it stand up
to every challenge, and, in so doing, <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/" title="Click to Continue > by Shopping Sidekick Plugin">continue</a> to
stand the test of time.</div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-9425698870461619942012-10-26T13:31:00.000-07:002012-10-26T13:31:13.827-07:00JOHN MCDERMOTT - PHILLY SPORTS HALL OF FAMER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Johnny McDermott Video<o:p></o:p></div>
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Narrated by Jack Whitaker</div>
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On November 8th Johnny McDermott is being inducted into
the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. McDermott, a native of <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
came within one stroke of winning three straight U.S. Opens. He lost the 1910
tournament in a three-way playoff and then won the next two in 1911 and 1912.
He was the first American born to win the U.S. Open and is still at age 19 the
youngest. We are excited to announce that a video depicting McDermott’s career
is now on our website—trenhamgolfhistory.org. This video, a TelRa production,
was narrated by Jack Whitaker.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Pete Trenham<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>’s
own Johnny McDermott is featured in this video tribute narrated by
long time sportscaster, Jack Whitaker. Born in 1891, McDermott
learned to play golf as a caddy at the old Aronimink Golf Club in <st1:place>West
Philadelphia</st1:place>. In 1910 he lost a three- way playoff for
the U.S. Open at the Philadelphia Cricket Club but the next year he was
victorious in <st1:city><st1:place>Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>, becoming the
first American born golfer to win the U.S. Open. In 1912 he
successfully defended his title in <st1:city><st1:place>Buffalo</st1:place></st1:city>. 100
years after winning two U.S. Opens back-to-back, McDermott is being recognized
in his hometown with his induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.<o:p></o:p> </div>
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New Addition to <a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/" target="_blank">trenhamgolfhistory.org</a></div>
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<a href="http://trenhamgolfhistory.org/PTHGNews.html">Pete Trenham & The History of the PGA Philadelphia</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruxJ4zgpls0&feature=youtu.be">Trenham Golf History Johnny McDermott - YouTube</a></div>
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Today John McDermott is <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country>’s
forgotten hero, most recently described in a national golf magazine as an ‘abrasive,
combative, embarrassing, insane bigot best left forgotten.’</div>
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That’s not the John McDermott who is remembered at the
Atlantic City Country Club, where he was the golf professional in 1911 when he
was the first native born American and at 19 years old, the youngest to win the
us open, - and he won it twice, back-to-back, defending his title, what Walter
Hagen said was the mark of a true champion. </div>
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At ACCC McDermott was
quiet, proud and determined. He didn’t drink, smoke or curse and dutifully
attended mass every morning before beginning work. </div>
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The John McDermott who returned in his later years was
quiet, shy and reserved, yet you could see it in his eyes, the broken vision of
what might have been. Maybe he was arrogant to his foreign opponents and
obsessive about practice, but what one man says is abrasive, obsessive, rude,
combative and bigoted others recognize as young, arrogant, competitive and
proud. Maybe that’s what it takes to be the first American champion, to successfully
defend your title, and to be the youngest to win the US Open championship. </div>
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Young, arrogant and competitive were all attributes
attributed to <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country>
and Americans as nation at that time – the turn of the 19<sup>th</sup> century,
when John McDermott was born in <st1:place>West Philadelphia</st1:place> to an
Irish American family, the son of mailman. Like Leo Fraser and others who
discovered the game of golf at an early age, McDermott knew his calling and dropped
out of school to become a golf professional.
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Beginning at the old Aronomick club, McDermott first
distinguished himself by winning the Philadelphia Open, and then tying the
Smith brothers from Scotland in the 1910 US Open, losing in the playoff to Alex,
who tried to console the youngster saying, ‘better luck next time,’ to which
the eighteen year old McDermott responded, ‘‘I’ll beat you the next time you
big lout.’’ </div>
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While that might be considered rude to some, McDermott did
beat Smith the next time they played, and he beat everyone else he played over
the next two years, during which time he won two Philadelphia Opens, two US
Opens and every other tournament he entered. He also had a standing challenge
to play anyone for any amount of money, a challenge few took up, as McDermott
was clearly recognized as on the top of his game and one of the best golfer in
the world at that time. And at 20 years old, it was said that if he lived up to
his potential he could be the best ever. </div>
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Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, from the British Isle of Jersey,
were the best golfers in the world, and among
the best of all time, but they didn’t participate in the two US Opens McDermott
won, so there was the nagging suggestion that if Vardon and Ray had
participated, perhaps McDermott would not have won. So there was much anticipation
for the 1913 US Open, when the best British golfers would meet head to head
with the best Americans, including McDermott, the spunky two time winner, defending
national champion and odds on favorite to win the open. </div>
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But a week before the championship, most of the open field
were entered in a popular regional tournament at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee-on-Delaware</st1:place></st1:city>,
where the first great showdown between American and British golfers would take
place. </div>
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On this trip to <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country>,
Vardon and Ray were accompanied by Wilfred Reid, of <st1:place>Sherwood Forest</st1:place>,
<st1:place>Nottingham</st1:place>, a formidable tournament player who would
later become the golf pro at ACCC. </div>
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Though there was some animosity among the British as Wilfrey
and Ted Ray got into fist fight, things were more light-hearted on the American
side of the locker room. When twenty year old Walter Hagen showed up, having
quit his assistant pro job to try to make living as a full time tournament player,
he said, ‘I’m here to help you beat the foreigners,” getting a laugh out of McDermott,
who went on to win the tournament handily, by eight strokes. </div>
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In the <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>
locker room, flush with victory, McDermott gave a short speech that would
change the nature of the game of golf forever. </div>
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Since the tournament had received widespread media attention,
there were reporters present from all of the major newspapers in <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country>
and <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country>
when McDermott stood up, welcomed the foreign guests and promised them they
wouldn’t take the US Open trophy home with them. While some, including the USGA
officials, considered McDermott’s remarks rude and ordered him to apologize,
which he did, McDermott also said he was misquoted in the news. These were news
articles that took golf off the sports pages and put it on the front pages of
newspapers throughout <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country>
and the world. </div>
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Thanks to Pete Trenhan for finding and passing on a news
report in which McDermott tried to clarify the situation, in which he said, “I
have been horribly misquoted in the papers, and people not cognizant of the
true facts are censuring me right and left. The correspondence, as well as some
of the golfers at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>, took,
my words in the wrong light and this caused all the trouble. They should have
looked at them in a broadminded manner and not taken exception to a few
harmless words, delivered in a laughing manner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The papers read, ‘The open champion, with a sneering twirl
of his mouth, jumped on a chair and said, the visiting English golfers may as
well go back home, as their quest of the American open championship honors
would get them nowhere in particular.’ My exact words were ‘I Wish Ray and
Vardon great success, but the people of this country needn’t worry or fear as
to the cup going to the other side. The professional gloves are able enough to
take care of the trophy and protect it, as conditions are all in their favor,
just as much as they were in the visitors’ favor on their home courses across
the pond.’ I then dwelt shortly on the method of scoring, saying that ours was equal
to the system abroad, and hence all of the American professionals were sure of
holding their own under any scoring plan.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“On dismounting, it was called to my attention that the
Englishmen were hurt and felt insulted at these words. I was told to see them
personally, and I apologized to Vardon, Ray and Reid, beseeching his pardon if
either thought my words were directed at slurring, and likewise told the
newspapers. I meant nothing less than my words ordinarily would have been
interpreted. The Americans, in my opinion, were equally clever at the game as
foreigners, and hence would fully able to hold their own with all ‘invaders’ to
this side, being especially favored with familiarity with home greens and other
conditions. I am broken hearted over the affair, and the way the papers used my
speech. No harm was meant, and I am certainly sorry that my talk has been taken
up in this manner.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In any case, the cat was out of the bag, and the greatest
game was set up for the 1913 US Open at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>.
It wasn’t the greatest game because of what happened on the course, or because
the young, unknown amateur Francis Ouimet kept McDermott’s promise that the US
Open trophy would not travel across the pond, it was the greatest game because
McDermott made it so. </div>
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And now we have the <st1:city><st1:place>Walker</st1:place></st1:city>
and Ryder Cups and other intense international rivalries –friendly team
competitions between nations, in part sparked by Johnny McDermott.</div>
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So for a slightly built, brash teenage dropout, McDermott
accomplished quite a lot in his first 21 years –– after the first dozen years
of domination by British and Scottish professionals, becoming the first
American to win the national championship, he was the first American to defend
his title, which hasn’t been done very often, he helped spark the intense national
rivalry that exists today, and is still today, the youngest champion ever. </div>
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Certainly the arrogant, combative, bigoted McDermott is best
left forgotten, but unfortunately the insane part is true. While he
accomplished a lot in his first 21 years, the rest of his life was pretty
simple. </div>
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Totally under control on the golf course, where he was the master,
things he had no control over began to affect his life. It all started
innocently enough, when McDermott missed a ferry in <st1:country -region="-region"><st1:place>England</st1:place></st1:country>
and arrived late to the British Open and didn’t play. Then on the way home his
steamship was in a collision, and he survived the harrowing experience in a
lifeboat. </div>
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Arriving home he learned his stock portfolio had tanked. The
final straw was a letter from Vardon canceling a proposed visit to the ACCC for
what would have been a popular exhibition. One late October morning the once
spunky, arrogant and proud McDermott was found unconscious on the pro shop floor,
having apparently suffered a nervous breakdown. As something that doctors of
that day knew little of, McDermott spent the rest of his life in and out of sanitariums,
most notably <st1:place>Norristown</st1:place> hospital, where a six hole golf
course was laid out over the grounds for him to play as a form of therapy.</div>
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Wilfred Reid was at the very first meeting of the <st1:stockticker>PGA</st1:stockticker>,
where one of the items on the agenda was to start a fund and hold a tournament
to raise money for the medical care of John McDermott. The cost of the institutions
often left McDermott at home where his two sisters, took care of him, sometimes
dropping him off at a local golf course, where the pro would match him with
strangers who didn’t know him. </div>
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Tim Debaufree and others played a round with McDermott in
his later years, and said that he still used his old wooden clubs and refused
to use a golf tee, preferring to pinch a piece of sand into a mound like they
did in the old days. And he played remarkably well, especially his chip shots
onto the green. Then his golf clubs were stolen from the back of his sister’s
car, and he didn’t play as often. </div>
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In the end his sisters drove him around to the various
clubs, including ACCC, where he was treated as an honored guest, and where the
McDermott room in the clubhouse is named after him. He had lost the fire in his
eyes and the passion in his heart. Gone was the arrogance and combative spirit,
but there was still a sense of pride in his accomplishments and a vision in his
eyes that reflected what might have been had John reached his potential and
become the greatest golfer ever. </div>
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A few months before he died, McDermott’s sister dropped him
off at the 1972 US Open at Merion, where for awhile, dressed in his shabby and
wrinkled suit, he was stationed alone against a wall, in the way of a busy
assistant pro who ordered him out of the pro shop. Others recognized him
however, and the assistant pro was told, “do you know you just kicked a
two-time US Open Champion out of my pro shop?” </div>
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Arnold Palmer recognized McDermott, went up to him, put his
arms around him and asked him how his game was going. McDermott reportedly said
his long game was okay but his putting needed some work, and they both agreed
that all they could do was practice. </div>
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A few weeks later
McDermott died in his sleep and is now buried next to his sisters at a cemetery
in nearby Yeadon. Since they never married, the sisters gave one of McDermott’s
US Open medals to Leo Fraser, and after he died, the Fraser family decided to
donate the medal to the USGA, where it is on display at their museum at <st1:place><st1:city>Far
Hills</st1:city>, <st1:state>NJ</st1:state></st1:place>.</div>
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Now, when ever they mention Johnny McDermott we can think of
him as he was, a young, arrogant, obsessive, competitive champion in the true
sense of the word. We can remember him as the first American, the first American
defender, still the youngest to have won the national open championship. We can
think of McDermott whenever Americans are pitted against foreign golfers, and
we can remember him every time a young, brash, arrogant and hot kid comes
along, who they say, if he lives up to his potential, can be the best ever. </div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-67168860303761318092012-09-16T18:33:00.001-07:002012-09-16T18:33:35.458-07:00GACCA - CRDA Press Conference <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT ** MEDIA ALERT<o:p></o:p></div>
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PRESS CONFERENCE ON <st1:stockticker>GOLF</st1:stockticker>
& ATLANTIC <st1:stockticker>CITY</st1:stockticker> TOURISM<o:p></o:p></div>
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Greater <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic City</st1:place></st1:city> Golf
Association<o:p></o:p></div>
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Announces Tourism Expansion Partnership with CRDA<o:p></o:p></div>
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also NFL Great Ron Jaworski to be Named Ambassador of Golf</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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WHAT: NJ
Governor Christie’s dedication to revitalize <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic
City</st1:place></st1:city>’s tourism has inspired area golf course owners
and operators to unify marketing efforts. The Greater Atlantic City
Golf Association (GACGA) is now officially a marketing cooperative with 17
member golf courses and 2 member vacation packagers. During this
reorganization, members have been in discussions with the CRDA, AC Alliance,
ACCVA, and NJ Dept. of Tourism seeking partnerships to market <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic
City</st1:place></st1:city> as a premier golf destination on the East
Coast. Along with Tom Sullivan, GACGA President, Wayne
Hasenbalg, Pres. and CEO of NJ Sports and Exposition Authority;Grace
Hanlon, Exec. Dir. NJ Travel & Tourism; John Palmieri, Executive
Director of CRDA will also be speaking on golf’s role to tourism in the AC
area. Executives from the CRDA, AC Alliance, the ACCVA, SJTA,
and other business leaders are expected to attend. Also an
announcement will be made naming <st1:place><st1:placename>Ron</st1:placename> <st1:placename>Jaworski</st1:placename>
<st1:placename>GreaterAtlantic</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>City</st1:placetype></st1:place>’s
Ambassador of Golf.<o:p></o:p></div>
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WHEN: <st1:date day="19" month="9" year="2012">WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2012</st1:date><o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:time hour="10" minute="0">10:00 a.m.</st1:time><o:p></o:p></div>
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RSVP: Media
please RSVP to <a href="mailto:lisa@lisajohnsoncommunications.com" target="_blank">lisa@lisajohnsoncommunications.com</a> ATTENDING
MEDIA <st1:stockticker>ARE</st1:stockticker> INVITED TO PLAY NINE HOLES AT
ATLANTIC <st1:stockticker>CITY</st1:stockticker> COUNTRY CLUB AT 7 AM PRIOR TO
THE PRESS CONFERENCE OR 18 HOLES FOLLOWING THE PRESS CONFERENCE AT <st1:stockticker>ONE</st1:stockticker>
OF GACGA’S BEAUTIFUL COURSES<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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ARRIVAL: Media
should arrive at <st1:time hour="9" minute="45">9:45 a.m.</st1:time> and park
in ACCC lot. Those playing golf prior to the press conference should
arrive by <st1:time hour="6" minute="30">6:30 a.m.</st1:time><o:p></o:p></div>
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WHERE: <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic
City</st1:place></st1:city> Country Club<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:street><st1:address>900 Shore Road</st1:address></st1:street><o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place><st1:city>Northfield</st1:city>, <st1:state>New
Jersey</st1:state> <st1:postalcode>08225</st1:postalcode></st1:place><o:p></o:p></div>
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Charles Fahy, <st1:stockticker>PGA</st1:stockticker><br />
General Manager & Director of Golf<br />
Atlantic City Country Club<br />
(609) 236-4416 direct / <a href="tel:%28609%29%20236-4431" target="_blank">(609)
236-4431</a> fax<br />
<a href="mailto:cfahy@caesars.com" target="_blank">cfahy@caesars.com</a> / <a href="http://www.accountryclub.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ACcountryclub.com</a><br />
#1 Public Golf Club in New Jersey - Golf Week 2007 – 2012<br />
#34 Resort Course in the Country - Golf Week 2010 - 2012<br />
TOP 100 Courses YOU CAN PLAY - Golf Magazine 2008 - 2012<br />
Home to the golf term "Birdie" / 6 USGA Championships / Inaugural
Senior Tour Event / Audubon Certified<o:p></o:p></div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-8058387169276250762012-08-22T17:47:00.002-07:002012-08-22T17:47:36.375-07:00McDermott Speaks In Defense <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;"> GOLFER M’DERMOTT SPEAKS IN DEFENSE</span></div>
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National Open Champion Regrets Unwarranted Remarks Hurled at
Englishman. </div>
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Special Telegram to the Public Ledger. </div>
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<st1:place><st1:city>ATLANTIC <st1:stockticker>CITY</st1:stockticker></st1:city>,
<st1:state>N.J.</st1:state></st1:place> Aug. 29. – J.J. McDermott, twice
national open champion and professional at the Atlantic City Country Club, has
at last spoken in his defense in answer to the storm of criticism hurled at
him, because of his alleged discourteous remarks at the recent tournament at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>.
The young star is worried greatly over the affair, and has almost broken down
under the strain. </div>
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“Please help me set this matter right in the newspapers,”
said the young champion, when seen by reporters at the Country Club today. “I
have been horribly misquoted in the papers, and people not cognizant of the
true facts are censuring me right and left. The correspondence, as well as some
of the golfers at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>, too, my
words in the wrong light and this caused all the trouble. They should have
looked at them in a broadminded manner and not taken exception to a few harmless
words, delivered in a laughing manner.” </div>
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“The papers read, ‘The open champion, with a sneering twirl
of his mouth, jumped on a chair and said, the visiting English golfers may as
well go back home, as their quest of the American open championship honors
would get them nowhere in particular.’ My exact words were ‘Wish Ray and Vardon
great success, but the people of this country needn’t worry or fear as to the
cup going to the other side. The professional gloves are able enough to take
care of the trophy and protect it, as conditions are all in their favor, just
as much as they were in the visitors’ favor on their home courses across the
pond.’ I then dwelt shortly on the method of scoring, saying that ours was
equal to the system abroad, and hence all of the American professionals were
sure of holding their own under any scoring plan.” </div>
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“On dismounting, it was called to my attention that the
Englishmen were hurt and felt insulted at these words. I was told to see them
personally, and I apologized to Vardon, Ray and Reid, beseeching his pardon if
either thought my words were directed at slurring, and likewise told the
newspapers.”</div>
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“I meant nothing less than my words ordinarily would have
been interpreted. The Americans, in my opinion, were equally clever at the game
as foreigners, and hence would fully able to hold their own with all ‘invaders’
to this side, being especially favored with familiarity with home greens and
other conditions.” </div>
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“I am broken hearted over the affair, and the way the papers
used my speech. No harm was meant, and I am certainly sorry that my talk has
been taken up in this manner.” </div>
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“All expected that the incident had been forgotten that
evening, but the thing was aggravated and aggravated by others until I finally
find myself forced to speak in my own behalf. There is at present no breach
between Vardon, Ray and Reid and myself as far as I know, and I am certainly
sure that they will be liberal-minded enough to see the thing in the light that
I explained to them.”</div>
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McDermott has received sympathies of <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
and other visitors to the greens this week, because of the alleged mishandling
of his statements of the press, especially the <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state>
papers. Several were down that attended the <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>
tournament, and said that the attack was unwarranted. </div>
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The home star will play in competition with the English
golfers in the national open matches on September 16 at <st1:place><st1:city>Brookline</st1:city>,
<st1:state>Mass.</st1:state></st1:place> It is expected, however, that the
incident will now be closed and the affair dropped. </div>
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McDermott acted right in apologizing at the moment following
his speech, and his manly attitude in going direct to the foreigners when he
realized that they felt insulted should exempt him from further criticisms. His
supporters here are still loyal, and everything has been done to console the
unstrung local professional. </div>
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BK Notes: Many thanks to Peter Trenham, Sr. for locating this news report and sharing it with us. </div>
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William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-23980032145343900802012-07-18T18:58:00.002-07:002012-07-18T19:01:19.742-07:00John McDermott to be Inducted into Philly Sports Hall of Fame<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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John McDermott to be Inducted into Philadelphia Sports Hall
of Fame –</div>
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By William Kelly <a href="mailto:billkelly3@gmail.com">billkelly3@gmail.com</a>
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John McDermott will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports
Hall of Fame 100 years after he won his second U.S. Open golf championship, 101
years after he became the first native born American and at 19 years old, still
the youngest still to have ever won the national championship. </div>
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McDermott’s nomination will be announced at a Philadelphia
Sports Hall of Fame press conference Thursday (July 19, 2012) at the Sheraton Society Hill.
Also nominated and expected to be inducted into the Class IX during official ceremonies in November – are Philadelphia
76er coach Doug Collins and former player Wali Jones, former Flyer Eric
Lindros, Eagle quarterback Tommy Thompson and Phillie all-star right fielder
Johnny Callison and others. </div>
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For <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
sports fans, McDermott is a forgotten hero who, one hundred years ago, was the
toast of the town and the entire nation, being the first native-born American
to win the US Open national golf championship. After defending his title he
fell into obscurity, having suffered a nervous breakdown that left him a quiet
recluse. </div>
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Unless a relative can be located, McDermott’s honor will be
recognized and accepted by James Fraser, the President of the Greater Atlantic
City Golf Association, owner of the Mays Landing Country Club and former owner
of the Atlantic City Country Club where McDermott was the golf professional
from 1911-1914.</div>
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Born in <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>,
the son of a <st1:place>West Philadelphia</st1:place> mailman, McDermott dropped
out of school to work as a caddy at the Old Arnomick Golf Club. When he was 18
years old he tied Alex and Mac Smith for the 1910 Open (held at Merion?), then
lost in a playoff. When the senior Scotsman said something at the end of the
match, the brash teenager replied, “I’ll beat you next time you big lout,”
exhibiting a spunky determination that would allow him to keep his word. </div>
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Although disappointed his son had dropped out of school,
McDermott’s father was surprised to read about his son’s golf game in the
newspapers, and as a top finish in the Open got McDermott the job as the head
professional at the Merchantville (NJ) Golf Club. That didn’t last long
however, as he was shortly hired away by the more affluent Atlantic City
Country Club, where he rented a room in a house across the street and took the
trolley to Atlantic City every morning to attend mass. </div>
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McDermott didn’t drink alcohol, smoke or have any apparent
vices, other than golf, and while he fulfilled his normal pro shop duties of
making and repairing clubs and giving lessons, he spent most of his time
practicing. One local account has him placing a patch of newspapers on the side
of a slope and using it as a target, reducing its size until he could hit a
small patch every time. </div>
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Although no American had ever won the national open
championship since it was inaugurated over a dozen years ago, McDermott was
confident when he left the pro shop to take the train to <st1:city><st1:place>Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>
in 1911, telling his assistant, “You’re carrying the clubs of the next US Open
champion.” </div>
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And as with his threat to Smith, McDermott made good on his
prediction, as he won in a playoff with two others. Not only was he the first
American to win the championship, at 19 years of age he was and remains the
youngest to ever win the US Open golf championship. </div>
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And as Walter Hagan said was the sign of a true champion,
McDermott did won the Open twice, back to back, winning again in Buffalo, New
York, a tournament that inspired Hagen to forego the drudges of an assistant
golf pro and strictly play tournament golf. Last year, when young Irishman Rory
McElroy won the US Open by record scores, they said he could be the greatest
ever, just as they said the same about McDermott, but then McElroy couldn’t do
what McDermott did, and defend the title, not even making the cut at this
year’s Open. </div>
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It was the year after McDermott had defended his title, in 1913,
that would be pivotal in the game of golf, as many of the great European pros - most notably Harry Vardon, Ted Ray and
Wilfred Reid, who did not participate in the previous two Opens, would be touring
America and it was expected they would take the Open trophy home with them as
they had done on previous occasions. </div>
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A week before the 1913 Open there was a tournament at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee-on-Delaware</st1:place></st1:city>,
where most of the Open field were to play a celebrated game, won solidly by
McDermott by eight strokes. The game was significant because of the exuberant
locker room speech McDermott gave following his victory, promising once again
that the Europeans wouldn’t take the American national Open trophy back across
the pond. Reporters who were there sensationalized the speech, and implied that
McDermott was a rude braggart, and he apologized, but the publicity had given
the Open unprecedented attention from both sides of the <st1:place>Atlantic</st1:place>.
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While the 1913 US Open a the Country Club at Brookline,
Massachusetts would become known as “the Greatest Game,” it was McDermott’s
victory at Shawnee the week before that set up the Open as the most important
tournament in golf history, and took golf off the sports page and put the game
on the front pages of newspapers around the world. </div>
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Although McDermott didn’t win that open, he did advise young
amateur Francis Oiument, a former Brookline caddy, on how to defeat Vardon and
Ray and keeping McDermott’s promise of keeping the Open trophy in America. </div>
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McDermott did play in the British Open, finishing fifth, the
highest for an American up to that time, but when he returned for the 1912
Open, he missed a train and his t-time and didn’t get to play. It was the beginning
of a series of events that would have an unknown affect on him, as the
steamship he took home collided with another ship and sunk, with McDermott
surviving in a lifeboat. When he did finally get home, he learned that his stock
portfolio had tanked, and he was broke. </div>
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Then one morning McDermott, after receiving a notice from
Harry Vardon and Ted Ray that they were canceling their planned exhibition
together, McDermott was found unconscious on floor of the <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic
City</st1:place></st1:city> pro shop, apparently of a nervous breakdown, as
the doctors were unable to properly diagnose the illness. Although sent to the <st1:place><st1:placename>Norristown</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype>Hospital</st1:placetype></st1:place>, his two sisters found it
hard to maintain the $1.50 a day costs, and he was often sent home to live with
them. </div>
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When a group of professional golfers formed the Professional
Golfers Association (<st1:stockticker>PGA</st1:stockticker>), one of the first
issues they addressed was to begin a fund to help pay for the care of
McDermott. Although he found it hard to communicate, McDermott still enjoyed
playing golf, and they created a small, six-hole course around the grounds of <st1:place>Norristown</st1:place>
hospital, where Walter Hagen and others visited him. Occasionally McDermott’s
sisters would drop him off at <st1:place>Valley Forge</st1:place> or another
local course where the pro would see that he played a round of golf. </div>
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After Leo Fraser purchased the Atlantic City Country Club in
1945, he arranged for McDermott to visit, play some golf and enjoy the salt air
amid old, familiar surroundings. </div>
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A photo of McDermott with Leo Fraser and “Lighthorse” Harry
Cooper, standing behind the Atlantic City Country Club clubhouse, is included
in the book <i>Birth of the Birdie</i>
(1998), and is published in a special feature story about McDermott in <i>Golf Magazine </i>(June, 2012), which
unfairly describes him as a “bigot best left forgotten.” </div>
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McDermott was a special guest at the 1972 US Open
Championship at Merion, but when his sister left him alone in the pro shop, a
young assistant pro ordered the disheveled old man out of the shop because he
was in the way. But Arnold Palmer recognized him, put his arm around the old
man and asked him how his game was coming along. McDermott reportedly said that
his long game was okay but his putting was off, and Palmer they agreed that all
it took was practice. </div>
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A few weeks later, McDermott was found dead in his sleep at
the Yeaden, <st1:state><st1:place>Pennsylvania</st1:place></st1:state> home of
his sister, and was quietly buried without ceremony. His grave simply notes: US
Open winner 1911-1912. </div>
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Neither of his sisters were married or had any children, and
in appreciation of his care for McDermott, they gave Leo Fraser one of
McDermott’s two US Open gold medals. The whereabouts of the other medal is
unknown. After Leo Fraser died in 1986, the Fraser family donated the medal to
the USGA museum in <st1:state><st1:place>New Jersey</st1:place></st1:state>,
where it is on permanent display. </div>
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James Fraser also has a series of photos of McDermott that
were part of an original motion picture process that’s yet to be identified,
and will be part of an exhibit of photos and other McDermott mementos that will
placed on display at the Constitution Center in Philadelphia in November when
McDermott is inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. <br />
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Also nominated are stadium public address announcer Dan
Baker, basketball player and coach Debbie Black, Philadelphia Athletics pitcher
Eddie Plank, baseball player Gertrude Dunn, Harold Johnson, Orace Ashenfelter,
footballers Joe Klecko and Maxi Baughan and 12-time all-star catcher Mike
Piazza. The Arthur Ash Youth Tennis and Education Foundation will also be
honored.</div>
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William Kelly is the author of “Birth of the Birdie,” the
first 100 years of golf at the Atlantic City Country Club. He can be reached at
<a href="mailto:billkelly3@gmail.com">billkelly3@gmail.com</a> or (609)
425-6297. </div>
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<br /></div>William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-83871538676143079102012-07-16T15:00:00.001-07:002012-07-16T15:03:58.265-07:00Open Letter to the Editors of Golf Magazine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrkqNEw5lAxkV0671R4MswCNFWWopXHrhdnayRTHAgUxqfXje8dkjx4Ownhd1feBiAD4eyZHsFGYaHgu24z-QDe14g5IeZI20JTrxZxUsz-p4TYgGz0tCRaBVKdzgs-Bfk-WNjq7_KX6E/s1600/mcdermott3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrkqNEw5lAxkV0671R4MswCNFWWopXHrhdnayRTHAgUxqfXje8dkjx4Ownhd1feBiAD4eyZHsFGYaHgu24z-QDe14g5IeZI20JTrxZxUsz-p4TYgGz0tCRaBVKdzgs-Bfk-WNjq7_KX6E/s320/mcdermott3.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
John McDermott - U.S. Open Champion 1911-1912 - First American and at 19 years, the youngest still to have ever won the U.S. National Championship.<br />
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This is Bill Kelly's Response to the June 2012 <i>Golf Mag</i> article "The Curious Case of John McDermott":<o:p></o:p></div>
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To the Editor, Golf Magazine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was quite surprised to read John Garitty’s “The Curious
Case of John McDermott” in the June 2012 issue of <i>Golf Magazine</i> and learn that
John McDermott was a “famously rude, combative, abrasive, embarrassing, insane
bigot, best left forgotten.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the Atlantic City Country Club John McDermott still has
the reputation for being a young, brash and determined gentleman who didn’t
throw his clubs, drink or curse and attended mass every day before going to
work, where he was highly regarded as the golf professional. I thought I had
researched the life of McDermott thoroughly while writing the <i>“Birth of the
Birdie” </i>history of the club, but I must have somehow missed the “bigot” and
parts “best left forgotten.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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McDermott had a typical Irish-American view of the British
and Scot pros who dominated the game in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region> and
won the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> national
championship for its first 16 consecutive years until he came along. Maybe
McDermott was a bit rude in calling a Alex Smith a “a big lout” after
losing the 1910 Open in a playoff, but he was only 18 years old at the time,
and he did make good on his promise to beat Smith the next time they met.<o:p></o:p></div>
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McDermott’s “bigoted” view of the British of that era may
have been justified, as it was supported by Walter Travis, who won the US
Amateur at the Atlantic City Country Club before he won the British Amateur,
but was so rudely treated by the British he refused to return to defend his
title, especially after his center-shafted putter was retroactively banned by
the Royal and Ancient Order of what he considered Snobs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Walter Hagen, McDermott’s friend and colleague, confirmed
their view when he took exception to the British rule that golf pros were not
permitted in the clubhouse dining room, and refused to play until the rules
were changed. And John B. Kelly, another ACCC member and Olympic rowing
champion, was banned from participating in the Henley rowing regatta because he
was a bricklayer and not a considered a gentleman.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It wasn’t McDermott who had bad manners and had to be taught
a lesson, it was the British and <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region> professionals
who thought they could win the US Open trophy just by showing up, and it was
McDermott – the young, brash and determined teenager who taught them a lesson.
He did it again at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city> in
1913, shortly before the U.S. Open at Brookline, when he handily won the Shawnee tournament by eight strokes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That’s when McDermott gave his famous speech, promising to
keep the US Open trophy in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
which generated international interest in the game and took golf off the sports
pages and put it on the front pages of every newspaper in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and theBritish Empire. That
speech set the stage for the showdown at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>,
which was called “the Greatest Game” not because a local amateur won it, but because
McDermott made it so. The international spirit inflamed by McDermott’s
“combative” style can still be felt today during Walker, Ryder and Curtis Cup
tournaments, and other “friendly competitions between nations,” especially
between the <st1:country-region><st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hope that Golf Magazine will correct their crude and rude mischaracterization of John McDermott, and the true story is someday told of
the great American teenage champion who sparked and inspired today’s
international competitions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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William E. Kelly, Jr.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:street><st1:address>20 Columbine Ave.</st1:address></st1:street><o:p></o:p></div>
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Browns <st1:place><st1:city>Mills</st1:city>, <st1:state>New
Jersey</st1:state> <st1:postalcode>08015</st1:postalcode></st1:place><o:p></o:p></div>
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<st1:place><st1:postalcode><br /></st1:postalcode></st1:place></div>
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This letter is in response to the article that appears below - "The Curious Case of John McDermott." </div>
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</div>William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-88768566554877798312012-06-18T11:15:00.000-07:002012-06-20T18:20:23.131-07:00Re: "The Curious Case of John McDermott" Golf Magazine - June 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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GOLF MAGAZINE - JUNE 2012<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbre5iRz9s27vhNq4INZnLBGvUGqjxWeslcnCKHPIRzVvOqJTIY8TFfH3b3rVvdqp-rBv0lMbObss1T4ULRMiaHPwVmLyV4t-DAcv79Z8GO5fjzShIRn2_-RXkBbE5qs2J6fWM0m_vVmR/s1600/m_1000-00693.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTbre5iRz9s27vhNq4INZnLBGvUGqjxWeslcnCKHPIRzVvOqJTIY8TFfH3b3rVvdqp-rBv0lMbObss1T4ULRMiaHPwVmLyV4t-DAcv79Z8GO5fjzShIRn2_-RXkBbE5qs2J6fWM0m_vVmR/s1600/m_1000-00693.jpg" /></a></div>
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Photo Caption: John McDermott with Open Trophy (USGA) </div>
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The Curious Case of JOHN McDERMOTT</div>
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By John Garrity </div>
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A century before 22-year-old Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open,
19-year-old John McDermott did the same. McDermott defended his title the
following year and then did something even more remarkable: He checked into a
psychiatric ward and all but vanished from the game. </div>
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DAMNED YANKEE Before his mental illness, McDermott became
the first American to win the U.S. Open. </div>
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<st1:country-region><st1:place>U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
OPEN At the Majors </div>
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THE PRODIGY <br />
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McDermott (above) circa 1911, the year he won his first U.S.
Open, at 19.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_jqAMvhftHanezDJPSYia-LRpgFP_9zQTN0dwYx3sqHXYKqjhmLuY__jTUKJ_C8s9US5tWh6li_E_K10JTj7JfiBg5KQTL7NTFSw-f-fXCMZPCVcMwUxbN-FWFahZuAXmQIhroX0bS3-/s1600/MI_11GH__J5F0288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_jqAMvhftHanezDJPSYia-LRpgFP_9zQTN0dwYx3sqHXYKqjhmLuY__jTUKJ_C8s9US5tWh6li_E_K10JTj7JfiBg5KQTL7NTFSw-f-fXCMZPCVcMwUxbN-FWFahZuAXmQIhroX0bS3-/s1600/MI_11GH__J5F0288.jpg" /></a></div>
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Above: His champion’s medal and cleek from the ’11 Open. </div>
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“McDERMOTT WAS RUDE <st1:stockticker>AND</st1:stockticker> BIGOTED, WITH A
GENERAL DISLIKE OF FOREIGNERS, ESPECIALLY THE BRITISH.</div>
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Photo Credit: Birth of the Birdie </div>
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OLD GUARD Forgotten by fans, McDermott (center) was highly
regarded by such former touring pros as Leo Fraser (left) and Harry Cooper </div>
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EVERY <st1:stockticker>GOLF</st1:stockticker> MOVIE SEEMS TO
HAVE A “you-got-to-be-kidding-me” moment that spoils it for real golfers. In
Tin Cup it’s the scene where driving-range pro Roy McAvoy straps on so many
swing aids that he looks like a one-man band. In Bagger Vance it’s the scene
where amateur golfer Rannulph Junuh wanders into the woods for a prolonged
chitchat with his girlfriend while Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and thousands of
spectators wait patiently in the fairway, staring at the clouds. </div>
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The Greatest Game Ever Played has such a scene. It’s the
moment in the final round of the 1913 U.S. Open at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>
where the camera jumps to an unspecified fairway, where two-time defending
champion John J. McDermott addresses the ball. A tall, intense man with a sandy
mustache and an unruly shock of blond hair, McDermottt nearly snaps his
suspenders when he swings, but his face registers shock and dismay as the ball
peals off in a 90-degree slice and disappears into dense foliage. Like a
villain skewered in Hollywood sword fight, McDermott drops his club behind him
and freezes for a moment – legs buckling, arms hanging limp – before finally
sagging to the ground, a broken man. </div>
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That’s the point in the film where I punched the pause
button. “Two thumbs down!” I said dismissively. “I mean, who writes this
stuff?” </div>
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So you can imagine my chagrin when I learned recently that
the movie’s golfer-goes-mad scene was genuine.</div>
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Genuine, I say, as distinct from accurate. John McDermott
did not, in fact, suffer a mental breakdown on the eve of amateur Francis
Ouimet’s historic playoff victory over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray. Playing for a
large and supportive gallery, the 22-year old McDermott completed his
rain-plagued round without incident and finished at 308, good for 8<sup>th</sup>
place and a $50 check. Furthermore, he looked nothing like Michael Weaver, the
actor who played him in the 2005 movie. The real McDermott was short, slight,
and clean-shaven, with soft, brown hair combed across a broad forehead. </div>
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But you have to grant filmmakers their creative license.
McDermott, an abrasive and combative man notorious for his club-throwing rages,
actually had his nervous breakdown some 13 months later in his pro shop at the
Atlantic City Country Club, and it wasn’t until the summer of 1916 that he was
committed to the Pennsylvania State Hospital for the Insane in Norristown, Pa.,
where he would reside for the better part of 55 years. If anything, the
screenplay’s portrayal of McDermott shows restraint, given that <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
preeminent pro golfer of the era suffered financial ruin and survived a
shipwreck in the <st1:place>English Channel</st1:place> within a year of
Ouimet’s triumph. </div>
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What’s astonishing is the historic vanishing act performed
by McDermott, who still holds the record for youngest player to win a U.S. Open
(19 years, 10 months, 12 days). The son of a <st1:place>West Philadelphia</st1:place>
mailman, he caddied at Aronimink Golf Club and learned to play on a sandlot
course in an adjoining apple orchard. Dropping out of high school in defiance
of his father – shades of Ouimet! – McDermott apprenticed with Aronimink pro
Walter Reynolds and worked at clubs in <st1:state><st1:place>Pennsylvania</st1:place></st1:state>
and <st1:state><st1:place>New Jersey</st1:place></st1:state> while honing his
game. A prodigy, he was only 18 when he won the <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
Open by a stroke over four-time U.S. Open champion Willie Anderson, a
transplanted Scott. A few weeks later, McDermott narrowly lost the 1910 U.S.
Open to Carnoustie-born Alex Smith in a three-man, 18 hole playoff, making a
strong impression with his accurate iron play and an even stronger impression
with his parting gibe at Smith: “I’ll get you next year, you big lout!” </div>
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Did I mention that McDermott was famously rude and bigoted?
Mark Frost, who wrote both the screenplay for The Greatest Game and the
bestseller upon which it was based, characterized him as “a rough, half-crazed
professional whom people crossed the street to avoid.” McDermott’s general
dislike of foreigners came to a boil when he encountered British accents –
which was pretty much every day, since English and Scottish pros held most of
the prestigious club jobs and ruled the tournament circuit, winning the first
16 U.S. Opens. In the movie, a smiling McDermott stands protectively by the Open
trophy while delivering a welcoming speech to Vardon and Ray, whom he calls
“the great English champions.” </div>
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SCENE: <st1:stockticker>INT</st1:stockticker>. CLUBHOUSE –
NIGHTTIME </div>
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McDERMOTT (easily) </div>
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As the only born American to ever win this cup, I’d like to
say welcome. We hope you boys have a nice time here in <st1:city><st1:place>Boston</st1:place></st1:city>
(expression hardens). But personally, I don’t think you will. I don’t care if
you whipped every single one of us the last six weeks, I’m sick and tired of
people sayin’ all you have to do to win is show up! (pointing a finger at
Vardon). This time you’re not taking our damn cup back! </div>
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I’m no film critic, but I didn’t buy that Jekyll-and-Hyde
transformation any more than I believed the falling-to-the-turf scene. Not,
that is, until I burrowed into century-old newspapers and read contemporaneous
accounts of McDermott’s ugly outburst. The movie fibs by placing the incident at
Brookline-it actually occurred a couple of weeks earlier at the
Shawnee-on-Delaware Open, where the boastful Yank had won by a mile, beating
Vardon by 13 strokes and Ray by 14 – but the dialogue and the stage directions
ring true. History records that USGA President Robert Watson, after publicly
apologizing for McDermott’s “extreme discourtesy,” came close to banning the
troubled pro from the Brookline Open. </div>
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Truth is, the Philadelphian’s game could be as manic as his
manners. McDermott won the 1911 U.S. Open at the Chicago Golf Club despite
hitting his first two tee shots off the playoff out of bounds. Defending his
title in 1912, he won by two at the Country Club of Buffalo, but a few months
later, in hated <st1:country-region><st1:place>Scotland</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
he couldn’t break 90 at Muirfield and failed to even qualify for the Open
Championship. (He did far better in 1913, his fifth-place at Hoylake being, at
the time, the best-ever finish by an American.) His swagger, however, never
flagged. “McDermott expected to win every tournament he entered,” golf
historian Herbert Warren Wind wrote some four decades later. “For two or three
seasons, while his never held high, the 130-pound bantam-cock was almost as
good as he thought he was.” </div>
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Nobody really knew, of course, what was coursing through the
youngster’s troubled mind, McDermott cashed in his Open wins with endorsements,
exhibitions and $1,000 challenge matches, but he squandered his newfound riches
in a plummeting stock market. Hoping to recoup at the 1914 British Open, he
somehow missed his ferry and train connections to <st1:place><st1:city>Prestwick</st1:city>,
<st1:country-region>Scotland</st1:country-region></st1:place>, arriving too
late to qualify. It’s fair to say he was already reeling from those setbacks
when he boarded the superliner Kaiser Wilhelm II for the voyage home. McDermott
was in the ship’s barbershop when a grain carrier, the Incemore, rammed the
fogbound liner off the <st1:place>Isle of Wight</st1:place>. </div>
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SCENE: EXT. FIRST CLASS <st1:stockticker>DECK</st1:stockticker>
– DAYTIME </div>
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Paniky passengers fight over access to a starboard lifeboat
as crewmen crank the winches. Evacuation sirens blare. McDermott,
expressionless, leans heavily against a shuddering bulkhead. He slides slowly
to the deck, oblivious to the surrounding chaos and the seawater soaking his
trousers. </div>
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STEWARD (urgently) </div>
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I’ll need you to get up, sire. We’ve been ordered to the
boats. </div>
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(shaking McDermott’s shoulder) Sir? Sir?</div>
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Okay, that’s from my own, unfinished screenplay, based
loosely on James Cameron’s Titantic. In reality, neither ship sank, nobody
died, and McDermott made it safely onto another liner. His family, though,
would partially blame the accident for his deteriorating state of mind. </div>
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McDermott had one more Open in him, and he played
respectably, finishing in a ninth-place tie at Midlothian Country Club, outside
<st1:city><st1:place>Chicago</st1:place></st1:city>. Shortly thereafter, he
experienced the psychotic episode in <st1:city><st1:place>Atlantic City</st1:place></st1:city>,
which marked his descent into paranoid schizophrenia and institutional care.
“He made no contact with staff or patients,” James Finegan writes in A
Centennial Tribute to Golf in <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>.
“Indeed, he rarely spoke He spent endless hours scribbling unintelligibly in
notebooks, claiming he was writing his mother’s and father’s names.” </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But McDermott never quit the game. He played on the asylum’s
six-hole course, and he ventured out for two cracks at real competition,
finishing last in the 1925 Philadelphia Open and next-to-last in that year’s
Shawnee tournament, 59 strokes behind Willie MacFarlaine. For decades
thereafter, his sisters Gertrude and Alice signed him out of the asylum for day
trips that included rounds of golf or tournament spectating. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You must play a round with him to get your fill of
amazement,” said the <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>
club pro Elwood Poore. “He’s almost a cinch to be using the wrong club, but
he’s also a cinch for the low 80s. He plays by the rules as he knew them, still
drops a ball over his shoulder after an out of bounds shot off the tea.” Poore
added, “He hardly mentions the old days except when something happens to light
up a dim picture.” A sudden onslaught of rain, for example, reminded McDermott
of a round a Muirfield. “Cold and raw,” he told Poore, “and I could not get any
feeling of the club.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So no, McDermott didn’t quit the game. But neither did the
game quit him. In 1924, golfers in <st1:state><st1:place>New York</st1:place></st1:state>
and <st1:state><st1:place>New Jersey</st1:place></st1:state> raised funds for
his treatment, with donations from Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, and singer Al
Jolson. Years later, <st1:city><st1:place>Hagen</st1:place></st1:city> played a
round with McDermott on the hospital course, at the end of which the
still-young patient said, “Tell the boys I’m getting along just fine.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the passage of time – picture calendar pages turning –
McDermott slipped into that gray zone between “Whatever happened to?” and “I
thought he died years ago.” He was deeply moved when the <st1:stockticker>PGA</st1:stockticker>
of America, in 1940, selected him as one of its 12 original Hall of Fame
inductees. He was happy, too, when the Atlantic City Country Club named a room
for him and put one of his championship medals on display. But it had to hurt
when he was snubbed by the “official” Golf Hall of Fame (since morphed into the
World Golf Hall of Fame). And there’s the story of the confused old man kicked
out of the pro shop at a certain <st1:stockticker>PGA</st1:stockticker>
championship because the staff didn’t recognize him as a two-time U.S. Open
champion. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, that’s one version of the story. Another, widely
circulated, takes place at <st1:city><st1:place>Philadelphia</st1:place></st1:city>’s
fabled Merion Golf Club during the 1971 U.S. Open. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SCENE: <st1:stockticker>INT</st1:stockticker>. CLUBHOUSE –
DAYTIME </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Arnold Palmer, on his way to the locker room, notices a
shambling old man being ejected from the clubhouse lobby. Recognizing the old
man, the 1960 U.S. Open champions intervenes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ASSISTANT PRO (baffled) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But he’s just an old bum that’s been hangin’ around. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PALMER (in a kingly manner) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’re wrong. This gentleman is the oldest living U.S. Open
champion, and he’s my special guest. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Palmer has confirmed the spirit, if not the letter, of the
story. Accounts agree that McDermott, despite his mental state, beat bogey on
Philadelphia-area courses up to his death of heart failure, in 1971, at the age
of 79. His gravestone reads: FIRST AMERICAN-BORN <st1:stockticker>GOLF</st1:stockticker>
CHAMPION 1911-1912. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I knew none of this when I first viewed The Greatest Game.
So I practically howled at the scene where McDermott sits down in the fairway.
Are you kidding? The spectators don’t come to his aid! They avert their eyes
and drift away, embarrassed. And McDermott’s caddie stands rigidly by the bag,
seemingly blind to his employer’s breakdown. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s not believable,” I grumbled. “A champion golfer
doesn’t suddenly become invisible.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unless – and this is what I’ve come to believe – he’s the
champion <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
wanted to forget. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<br />
<br />
Bill Kelly's Response to this article:<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
To the Editor, Golf Magazine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was quite surprised to read John Garitty’s “The Curious
Case of John McDermott” in the June 2012 issue of Golf Magazine and learn that John
McDermott was a “famously rude, combative, abrasive, embarrassing, insane bigot,
best left forgotten.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the Atlantic City Country Club John McDermott still has
the reputation for being a young, brash and determined gentleman who didn’t throw
his clubs, drink or curse and attended mass every day before going to work,
where he was highly regarded as the golf professional. I thought I had
researched the life of McDermott thoroughly while writing the “Birth of the
Birdie” history of the club, but I must have somehow missed the “bigot” and
parts “best left forgotten.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
McDermott had a typical Irish-American view of the British
and Scot pros who dominated the game in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and won the <st1:country-region><st1:place>US</st1:place></st1:country-region> national
championship for its first 16 consecutive years until he came along. Maybe
McDermott was a bit rude in calling a Alex
Smith a “a big lout” after losing the 1910 Open in a playoff, but he was only
18 years old at the time, and he did make good on his promise to beat Smith the
next time they met. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
McDermott’s “bigoted” view of the British of that era may
have been justified, as it was supported by Walter Travis, who won the US
Amateur at the Atlantic City Country Club before he won the British Amateur,
but was so rudely treated by the British he refused to return to defend his
title, especially after his center-shafted putter was retroactively banned by
the Royal and Ancient Order of what he considered Snobs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Walter Hagen, McDermott’s friend and colleague, confirmed
their view when he took exception to the British rule that golf pros were not
permitted in the clubhouse dining room, and refused to play until the rules
were changed. And John B. Kelly, another ACCC member and Olympic rowing
champion, was banned from participating in the <st1:place>Henley</st1:place> regatta
because he was a bricklayer and not a considered a gentleman. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t McDermott who had bad manners and had to be taught
a lesson, it was the British and <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>
professionals who thought they could win the US Open trophy just by showing up,
and it was McDermott – the young, brash and determined teenager who taught them
a lesson. He did it again at <st1:city><st1:place>Shawnee</st1:place></st1:city>
in 1913, shortly before the U.S. Open at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>,
when he handily won the preliminary tournament by eight strokes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s when McDermott gave his famous speech, promising to
keep the US Open trophy in <st1:country-region><st1:place>America</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
which generated international interest in the game and took golf off the sports
pages and put it on the front pages of every newspaper in the <st1:country-region><st1:place>United
States</st1:place></st1:country-region> and the <st1:place>British Empire</st1:place>.
That speech set the stage for the showdown at <st1:city><st1:place>Brookline</st1:place></st1:city>,
which was “the Greatest Game” not because a local amateur won it, but because
McDermott made it so. The international spirit inflamed by McDermott’s “combative”
style can still be felt today during Walker, Ryder and Curtis Cup tournaments,
and other “friendly competitions between nations,” especially between the <st1:country-region><st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region><st1:place>UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope that Golf Magazine will correct their crude mischaracterization
of John McDermott, and the true story is someday told of the great American
teenage champion who sparked and inspired today’s international competitions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
William E. Kelly, Jr. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<st1:street><st1:address>20 Columbine Ave.</st1:address></st1:street></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Browns <st1:place><st1:city>Mills</st1:city>, <st1:state>New
Jersey</st1:state> <st1:postalcode>08015</st1:postalcode></st1:place></div>
</div>
</div>William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-63783402102169074282012-01-10T03:09:00.000-08:002012-01-11T04:12:46.051-08:00Kenny Robinson - RIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ9ufKKyfM7N-3xVXso6EcpsZpdDPOCHR43xvrmpAMd1nTlJNaMiJ8b08JxkG3DnYJNzbgGx_xcVtE8sm1IVv7Ds86e1K9gGNZe4qR954bFHKPcfOmL0h1ULfs7U2QZfjMYeKHGmTewIb/s1600/IMG_0001x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="285" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ9ufKKyfM7N-3xVXso6EcpsZpdDPOCHR43xvrmpAMd1nTlJNaMiJ8b08JxkG3DnYJNzbgGx_xcVtE8sm1IVv7Ds86e1K9gGNZe4qR954bFHKPcfOmL0h1ULfs7U2QZfjMYeKHGmTewIb/s400/IMG_0001x.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Kenny Robinson and Raymond Floyd <br />
<br />
Kenny Robinson – The Keeper of Tee Times <br />
<br />
At one time Kenny Robinson was the most important person in the life of the most powerful movers and shakers at the Jersey Shore. Bankers, businessmen, sports celebrities and casino owners all turned to Kenny Robinson when they wanted a tee time at the private, exclusive and venerable Atlantic City Country Club in its hey-days. <br />
<br />
Under the job title of Caddy Master, Starter and Pro-Shop Manager, Kenny assigned the tee times, arranged the foursomes and introduced those club members and guests who wanted to meet, to play, or play together. <br />
<br />
If anyone needed anything Kenny was the go-to guy when it came to golf, especially during tournaments when golf professionals, the best amateurs, sports celebrities and just regular guys were mixing it up on the course, the pro-shop and locker room. <br />
<br />
Even on his day off every morning Kenny Robinson routinely made his way over to the Northfield clubhouse of the Atlantic City Country Club to feed Bogie the clubhouse cat, who resided there for 20 years. <br />
<br />
Kenny’s went to the ACCC every morning for many years longer than Bogie, worked there in a half dozen various capacities over the years, and was left with the job of maintaining the history and traditions of the club. The history is long and embroidered, while the traditions are few but steadfast, one of which includes feeding Bogie the cat, who could usually be found either napping or sitting sentry on the shelf next to the bag room door. From where he sat, if cats could talk, Boggy saw it all, but so it seems, did Kenny Robinson. Sitting down with him to talk about his experiences in golf was a lesson in history, traditions and the growth of the game. <br />
<br />
Born near Philadelphia, the son of a Vaudeville entertainer and a Broadway showgirl, Kenny Robinson first became associated with the game of golf when still in school while caddying at the Old York Road golf club in North Philly. <br />
<br />
Playing the harmonica was a family tradition, and Kenny and his brothers played often, for both fun and profit, and broke their father’s marathon harmonica playing record at a charity event in the 1930s. Once in awhile, like on St. Patrick’s Day, Kenny was persuaded to play “Danny Boy” and a few other appropriate tunes. <br />
<br />
After serving in the Army in Korea, from where he returned a decorated hero, Kenny continued to work in Vaudeville. He had left a job working at the historic Country Club at Brookline, Massachusetts when he came to Atlantic City to entertain at the old Globe and Capitol Burlesque Theaters. That's when he met Leo Fraser at a boardwalk hotel event in 1969. <br />
<br />
From one Army vet to another, Leo Fraser asked Robinson to come to work for him at the Atlantic City Country Club. Robinson took him up on the offer and he never left. Taking on practically every job around the clubhouse, Kenny worked as a housekeeper, maintenance man, caddy, caddy master, starter and pro shop manager. <br />
<br />
When the most distinguished and influential members of the community were also members of the elite, private club, Kenny knew them all and they knew Kenny, and depended on him for their tee times. His job also allowed him to meet many celebrities who played the course, including Bob Hope and Perry Como and others he knew from the old Vaudeville circuit who came around as casino headliners. Kenny treated everybody the same, whether you were rich, a celebrity or a hack who just liked to play golf. <br />
<br />
Of all the championship tournaments and celebrated golf events he’s been associated with, Kenny said the 1980 PGA Senior Tournament was the most memorial. “Seeing all of those guys get together was something else. The champions of the game who hadn’t played together in awhile were happy to just see each other again.” <br />
<br />
That was even before Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicholas were old enough to play as seniors. Among those who were there included Al Besselink, Sam Snead, Art Wall, Sr., Tony Pena, Tommy Bolt and the Herbert brothers. As the third senior event of the year, just after the Senior Open, that tournament is considered the first and beginning of the PGA Senior Tour, now called the Champions Tour, one of the most prestigious golf tours in the world. That tournament also raised money for charity – Juvenile Diabetes, and was sponsored by Bally Casino, whose parent company purchased the club from the Fraser family. <br />
<br />
It was also the tournament that the longtime course single round record of 63 was set by Charlie Sifford, one of the first blacks to play on the PGA tour. It was a record that was only eclipsed by Frank Dobbs, who shot a 62 while overcoming a boggy at a Duke Delcher tournament. But Kenny didn’t think the course records would be seriously threatened by any new, hot shot youngster, but rather, the seniors, if they ever hold another senior tournament at Atlantic City again. <br />
<br />
A profile published in Golf Styles magazine entitled, “Keeping the Past Alive,” says that, “He's been at the club for almost 40 years and watched the evolution of a local shrine from its heyday as an elite private golf club to one now open to the public. When Kenny Robinson arrived in 1969, Atlantic City Country Club was yet in its prime - hosting dignitaries, golf legends, celebrities and champions of industry. The 74 year old has been a fixture at the club longer than anyone, serving as caddie, pro shop manager, starter, ambassador and historian.”<br />
<br />
"Even though we are now open to the public, it's retained a private club atmosphere," Robinson said. "The clubhouse has changed little over the last 50 years or so. At the front door is the bell that rang for the last trolley returning hotel guests to Atlantic City."<br />
<br />
“Robinson recalls many tales of colorful characters and people he's known during his time at the club, mentioning such stars as Perry Combo, Joe Namath, Bob Hope, Bert Lancaster and many others who frequented the facility.”<br />
<br />
"It was the most sought after club to get a game and a most congenial place to visit. The service, help and food have always been excellent. the recipe for our famous crab cakes, still served today, came from Leo's wife Doris Fraser," added Robinson.<br />
<br />
Kenny was a big part of the club, especially after Leo Fraser died and Jimmy and Doug Fraser and Bonnie and Don Siok saw it through its best growth years for the next decade. <br />
<br />
<b><br />
ROBINSON, KENNETH F. 78</b> - Egg Harbor Township and formerly of Villas; passed away on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center after a lengthy illness. Born in Montgomery County, PA and formerly of Buffalo, NY; he relocated to Southern New Jersey in the early 1970's. <br />
<br />
Kenny began working at the Atlantic City Country Club (a job he would have for the next forty years) working for the Frasier and Siok family. He quickly endeared himself to all with his amiable personality and his amazing knowledge of the club's history. In the mid seventies, Ken took the position of caddy master and director of outside operations and held that position until 2010. <br />
<br />
Kenny had a gift of making everyone feel special, from celebrities that visited the club to members and fellow employees. He was also known for his love of all animals. His loyal friend and companion Bogey the cat was at his side for more than 20 years, and lays to rest on the country club grounds. <br />
<br />
Kenny's fondest memories were in the South Jersey area where he met the love of his life Mary Ann and then married in 1980. <br />
<br />
Prior to his lengthy career at ACCC, Kenny led a very interesting life. After serving his country courageously in the Korean conflict as a teenage, he returned home to follow his father's footsteps as an entertainer. Kenny and his brothers formed the "Verstiles" a harmonica trio. All were accomplished musicians and toured extensively. Their talents earned them television spots on the Ed Sullivan Show. To this day they hold a world record recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for playing 53 hours non-stop; breaking the old record of 51 hours held by Kenny's father Paul. In the process, they raised thousands of dollars for cerebral palsy research. After the trio stopped touring, Kenny remained in show business working as a straight man in a two man comedy team. He also acted as a host and emcee for burlesque reviews under the name "Kenny Dee", working venues all over the northeast and mid west. <br />
<br />
Kenny will be sadly missed by all who knew him and loved him â€" family, extended family, friends, and the crew at Charlie's Bar where he was a regular. <br />
<br />
Ken was preceded in death by his wife Mary Ann Robinson, and two brothers: Dale and Richard. He is survived by his son James Robinson; his stepson Dan DeGeorge; his stepdaughter Karen Romo DeGeorge; his daughter-in-law Cindy Staats; nine grandchildren; and three great grandchildren. Kenny's last wishes were simple and without fanfare. Instead of a ceremony or flowers, Kenny asked that a donation be made in his memory to any local no-kill Animal shelter. <br />
<br />
[Ocean City, NJ Humane Society - 1 Shelter Road, P.O. Box 1254, Ocean City, NJ 08226 (609) 399-2018 info@hsocnj.org]<br />
<br />
To share condolences, please visit www.evoyfuneralhome.com.William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-72847262814008811352011-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:002011-11-11T14:50:48.734-08:00South Jersey Golf Timeline1457 - Word “golf” first appears in Scottish law forbidding it. <br />
<br />
1567 - Mary Queen of Scotts plays Edinburg’s Musselburg Links <br />
<br />
1873 - Royal Montreal Club founded in Canada. <br />
<br />
1888 - John Reid, Scottish amateur, lays out three hole course at Yonkers, NY <br />
<br />
1891 - Harry C. Groome introduces golf at Philadelphia Country Club <br />
<br />
1893 - Marcellus Cox and Montgomery Wilcox layout course in Devon, Pa. that doesn’t survive. <br />
<br />
1894 -<br />
<br />
Philadelphia Cricket Club opens 9 hole course. <br />
<br />
In September, William G. Lawrence wins a "national amateur championship" at Newport (R.I.)Golf Club.In October, Laurence B. Stoddard wins a "national amateur championship" at St. Andrew's Golf Club. <br />
<br />
C.B. Macdonald, runner-up in both events, calls for the formation of a governing body to run a universally recognized national championship. <br />
<br />
The Amateur Golf Association of the United States - soon to be called the United States Golf Association - is formed on Dec. 22. Charter members are Newport Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, The Country Club (Brookline, Mass.), St. Andrew's Golf Club (Yonkers, N.Y.), and Chicago Golf Club. <br />
<br />
America's first golf magazine,<i> The Golfer</i>, is published in New York, N.Y. <br />
<br />
1895 -<br />
<br />
Merion Cricket Club opens course. <br />
<br />
Charles B. Macdonald wins the first official U.S. Amateur championship at Newport <br />
<br />
Golf Club. The first U.S. Open is held the next day at the same club, almost as an afterthought to the Amateur. Horace Rawlins wins the $150 first prize over a field of 11. <br />
<br />
Mrs. Charles S. Brown (Lucy Barnes) wins the first U.S. Women's Amateur championship at the Meadow Brook Club in Hempstead, N.Y. <br />
<br />
Golf in America: A Practical Manual, by James Lee, is the first golf book written in the U.S. <br />
<br />
1896 -<br />
<br />
James Foulis wins the second official U.S. Open, held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. <br />
<br />
John Shippen, an African-American professional, and his friend Oscar Bonn, a Shinnecock Indian, compete in the U.S. Open despite a threatened boycott by the other contestants. Shippen finished fifth. <br />
<br />
Cape May Golf Club formed – now defunct, located on west side of Lafayette St. as you come into town. Club house is a big square building that's now apartments, and you can can see some fairways that are now lawns.<br />
<br />
1897 -<br />
<br />
John Reid, Scottish professional who previously worked at Philadelphia CC, lays out the Northfield Links of the Atlantic City Country Club for Atlantic City Boardwalk hotel owners.<br />
<br />
Yale wins the first collegiate golf championship. <br />
<br />
Joe Lloyd is victorious in the third U.S. Open, held at Chicago Golf Club. <br />
H.J. Whigham wins his second U.S. Amateur <br />
<br />
1898 -<br />
<br />
Beatrix Hoyt wins her third straight U.S. Women's Amateur at Ardsley Club in New York. Two years later, she retires at the age of 20. <br />
<br />
Coburn Haskell and Bertram Work design and patent a wound-rubber golf ball, which flies farther than the gutta-percha ball. <br />
<br />
The United States Open expands to 72 holes from 36 and is held for the first time at a separate course from the Amateur. <br />
<br />
First ACCC club championships won by Mr. and Mrs. Milton Work, also club bridge champions.<br />
<br />
First ACCC amateur golf championship won by Mr. Francis H. Bohlen, also first Philadelphia CC champion in 1899.<br />
<br />
Mr. Bohlen attends the 1898 US Amateur championship in Morristown, NJ<br />
<br />
Harriet Curtis attracts large local gallery to exhibition at ACCC. With sister Margaret, the Curtis sisters place the Curtis Cup in to competition.<br />
<br />
ACCC members took a train to Cape May to play the members of a Cape May golf club that no longer exists.<br />
<br />
Date? according to USGA. More probably 1903-05 - The term "birdie" is coined at Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey when Ab Smith says a fellow member hit a "bird of a shot" and suggests a double payoff for scoring one under par on a hole. <br />
<br />
William "Robbie" Robinson named ACCC golf pro<br />
<br />
1900 -<br />
<br />
Estimated 250,000 Americans play golf.<br />
<br />
British star Harry Vardon shows Americans how to play the game. In the country for an exhibition tour, he wins the U.S. Open over fellow Englishman J.H. Taylor. Vardon becomes the first sports figure in history to endorse a product, using his "Vardon Flyer" ball througout the tour. Visits ACCC. <br />
<br />
Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott win gold medals in golf in the Olympic Games in Paris. <br />
<br />
U.S. Amateur Championship held at ACCC – won by Walter J. Travis, who took up golf in 1896 at age 35, wins the U.S. Amateur with Haskell ball at ACCC.<br />
<br />
The Ozone Club formed by group of amateur golfers dedicated to playing once a month and continue to do so today.<br />
<br />
1901 <br />
<br />
Walter Travis wins his second straight U.S. Amateur Championship and publishes an instruction book,Practical Golf . He's the first to win a major championship playing a Haskell wound-rubber ball. <br />
<br />
Willie Anderson ties Alex Smith with a record-high 331 in the U.S. Open and takes the playoff with an 85. <br />
<br />
Pinehurst resort in North Carolina opens the first nine holes of its No.2 course. <br />
<br />
1902 <br />
Willie Anderson wins the Western Open with a 299 total; the first time 300 is broken for 72 holes in an American event. <br />
<br />
1903 <br />
<br />
Walter Travis, known as "The Old Man," wins his third U.S. Amateur at age 41. <br />
Oakmont Country Club opens near Pittsburgh, Pa., quickly gaining a reputation as one of the nation's toughest tests because of its penal style of architecture. <br />
<br />
Willie Anderson sets a U.S. Open record with a 72 in the final round and a 303 total. <br />
Americans claim Australian-born <br />
<br />
Walter Travis as the first of their own to win the British Amateur. He uses the center-shafted Schenectady putter. <br />
<br />
December? Term “birdie” coined at Atlantic City Country Club.<br />
<br />
1905 <br />
<br />
Twenty-five-year-old Willie Anderson wins his third consecutive U.S. Open and fourth in five years. It is also his last Open victory; he dies in 1910. <br />
Harry Vardon publishes The Complete Golfer , which explains, among other things, the Vardon grip. <br />
<br />
1906 <br />
<br />
Three-time runner-up Alex Smith finally wins the U.S. Open, becoming the first to break 300 for the 72-hole championship. His brother, Willie, is second. <br />
<br />
In Great Britain, William Taylor applies for a patent on a dimple design for golf ball covers. <br />
<br />
1907 <br />
<br />
Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina adds the back nine holes to its No.2 course. It is the seminal work of Donald Ross, who goes on to design hundreds of courses in the United States. <br />
<br />
Margaret Curtis beats her sister Harriot in an all-in-the-family final of the U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
James “Jolly Jim” Fraser arrives in New York from Aberdeen, Scotland. Takes professional job at Cortland Park, NY, the first public golf course in America. <br />
1908 <br />
<br />
Jerry Travers wins his second consecutive U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
Three-time U.S. Amateur champion Walter Travis shows he's jack-of-all-trades by founding American Golfer magazine and serving as its first editor. He's also a golf course designer. <br />
<br />
1909 <br />
<br />
Robert Gardner becomes the youngest U.S. Amateur champion at age 19. <br />
New U.S. President William Howard Taft is the first golf-loving occupant of the White House. <br />
<br />
The USGA rules that caddies, caddie-masters and greenkeepers past the age of 16 are professionals. The age would be raised to 18 in 1930, 21 in 1945, until the ruling was rescinded in 1963. <br />
<br />
1910 <br />
<br />
Leo Fraser born.<br />
<br />
Arthur F. Knight obtains a patent for a seamed, tubular, steel golf shaft. Steel shafts, however, are still illegal. <br />
<br />
The R&A bans the center-shafted putter, while the USGA keeps it legal, marking the first time that the USGA diverges from an R&A equipment ruling. <br />
<br />
Alex Smith wins his second U.S. Open by beating his other brother, Macdonald. <br />
18 year old John McDermott wins Philadelphia Open and then ties MacDonald and Alex Smith to force a three-way play-off at U.S. Open at Merion Cricket Club in Philadelphia? <br />
<br />
– McDermott then takes job at Merchantville CC.<br />
<br />
1911 <br />
<br />
Johnny McDermott named ACCC golf pro, signals the end of dominance by Scottish-born professionals in early American golf by becoming the first native to win the U.S. Open. At 19, he's also the youngest winner ever. <br />
<br />
Englishman Harold Hilton is the first player to win the British and U.S. Amateur in the same year. <br />
<br />
McDermott wins U.S. Open at Chicago Golf Club<br />
<br />
The USGA increased yardage for determining par: Three - up to 225 yards Four - 225 to 425 yards Five - 426 to 600 yards Six - 601 yards and over.<br />
<br />
1912 <br />
<br />
John Ball wins his eighth British Amateur championship - still a record number of victories in a major event. <br />
The USGA introduces a handicap limit of six on entrants for the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
McDermott defends title at Buffalo NY <br />
1913 <br />
<br />
Twenty-year-old American amateur Francis Ouimet stages the game's biggest upset, beating English stars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff to win the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The resultant headlines spark a surge of interest in the game in America. <br />
<br />
Jerry Travers wins his fourth U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
McDermott defeats field by eight strokes at Shawnee<br />
<br />
Ouiment wins U.S. Open at Country Club at Bookline, Mass. <br />
1914 <br />
<br />
McDermott goes to England<br />
<br />
Harry Vardon wins his sixth British Open, one more than each of the other two members of the "Great Triumvirate," J.H. Taylor and James Braid. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen, a stylish 21-year-old professional, wins the first of his two U. S. Open titles, leading after every round. <br />
<br />
Francis Ouimet becomes the first with career U.S. Open and Amateur titles, beating Jerry Travers in the final of the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
October 31 – McDermott passes out in ACCC pro shop.<br />
<br />
Clarence Hackney assumes pro position and holds it until 1940. <br />
<br />
Seaview CC – founded by Clarence Geist. Wilfred Reid named first pro. <br />
<br />
Seaview’s 18-hole Bay Course was partially designed by Hugh Wilson in 1914.<br />
<br />
Donald Ross completed the 6,300 yard Seaview Bay course.<br />
<br />
1915 <br />
<br />
Jerry Travers adds the U.S. Open to his four U.S. Amateur crowns, then retires at age 28. <br />
All British and Canadian championships are suspended because of World War I. They resume in Canada in 1919 and Britain in 1920. <br />
<br />
1916 <br />
<br />
The amateur run on the U.S. Open continues. Chick Evans is the third amateur to win in four years, shooting a record 286. He is also the first to capture the U.S. Open and Amateur titles in the same year. <br />
<br />
Fourteen-year-old Bobby Jones makes his U.S. Amateur debut, reaching the quarterfinals at Merion Cricket Club. <br />
<br />
The Professional Golfers' Association of America is formed in January. In October, Jim Barnes wins the first PGA Championship, taking the $500 first prize. <br />
<br />
James “Jolly Jim” Fraser named golf professional at Seaview.<br />
<br />
1917 <br />
<br />
The USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur) and the PGA Championship are suspended in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones, 15, wins the Southern Amateur. <br />
<br />
Sonny Fraser born. His mother practiced putting earlier in the day.<br />
<br />
Par yardage is again changed: Three - up to 250 yards Four - 251 to 445 yards <br />
Five - 446 to 600 yards Six - more than 600 yards <br />
<br />
1918 <br />
<br />
George Crump, founder and designer of Pine Valley Golf Club, dies; only 14 holes of the New Jersey course have been completed. The remaining holes open within a few years. <br />
Among the fund-raising tours by professional and amateur golfers for the war effort, the Dixie Kids -- featuring Atlanta teenagers Perry Adair, Watts Gunn, Bobby Jones and Alexa Stirling -- raise $150,000 for the Red Cross. <br />
<br />
<br />
1919 <br />
<br />
Pebble Beach Golf Links opens on California's Monterey Peninsula. <br />
The first golf book to use high-speed sequence photography - Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes , by Jim Barnes - is published. <br />
<br />
First International Golf Match US vs Canada <br />
<br />
US meets British officials of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews Rules Committee<br />
<br />
1920 <br />
<br />
Second International Golf Match US vs Canada <br />
<br />
George Herbert Walker Pres. of USGA <br />
<br />
James “Jolly Jim” Fraser and Walter Hgen and 10 year old Leo Fraser as caddy, defeat Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in exhibition match at what is now the Brookside Club in Pottstown, Pa.<br />
<br />
Harry Vardon, 50, competing in his third U.S. Open, plays the last seven holes in even fives to finish second, one stroke behind his English countryman, 43-year-old Ted Ray. <br />
<br />
Ray becomes the oldest man to win the Open (a record that will stand until 1963). <br />
<br />
Alexa Stirling wins her third consecutive Women's Amateur (1916, 1919, 1920 -- the championship wasn't held in 1917 and 1918). <br />
<br />
The USGA creates the Green Section for turfgrass research. <br />
<br />
The USGA and R&A agree to a standard ball - 1.62 inches in diameter and 1.62 ounces. <br />
<br />
<br />
1921 <br />
<br />
Jim Barnes romps to a nine-stroke win in the U.S. Open and President Warren Harding, a USGA Executive Committee member, presents the trophy at Columbia Country Club near Washington, D.C. <br />
<br />
Jock Hutchison wins the British Open using deep-grooved irons; they were banned four years later. <br />
<br />
Willie Park, Jr. comes to Atlantic City and redesigns the course, adds nine more (for 27) and lays out the Ocean City-Somers Point golf course, now Greate Bay.<br />
<br />
1922 <br />
<br />
The USGA invited all golfing nations to send teams to compete in the Match, but no country was able to accept that year. <br />
<br />
Early in 1922, The R&A announced that it would send a team to compete for the Walker Cup at the National Golf Links of America, Walker’s home club, in Southampton, N.Y. <br />
<br />
<br />
A Cinderella story: 20-year-old Gene Sarazen, a sixth-grade dropout from a working-class family, wins the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
An admission fee ($1) is charged for the first time at the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen becomes the first American-born player to win the British Open. <br />
<br />
Intended for all interested countries, the first Walker Cup match between amateurs from the United States and Great Britain (the only taker) is held at National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. The United States wins. <br />
<br />
Public-course golfers get their own tournament - the USGA's Amateur Public Links Championship. <br />
<br />
Glenna Collett wins her first of six U.S. Women's Amateur titles. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen is the first professional to found a golf equipment company under his name. <br />
<br />
President Warren G. Harding, dedicated golfer and friend of Seaview founder Geist, played a round of golf on the Bay Course. Harding made frequent excursions to Seaview and was known to be fond of wagers. It was said that Harding placed a bet on every swing.<br />
<br />
Seaview professional James “Jolly Jim” Fraser dies in automobile accident with Shore Road trolley <br />
<br />
1923 <br />
<br />
Winged Foot Golf Club opens, with 36 holes designed by A.W. Tillinghast. Designers like Tillinghast, Alister MacKenzie and Donald Ross make the 1920's the Golden Age of golf architecture. <br />
<br />
After several near-misses in the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, Bobby Jones, 21, claims his first major title by beating Bobby Cruickshank in a playoff for the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
The Texas Open, in its second year, has golf's biggest purse yet - $6,000. Walter Hagen wins. The tournament is part of a growing winter circuit for the professionals. <br />
<br />
Gene Sarazen beats Walter Hagen in a classic 38-hole final at the PGA Championship when a tree stops Sarazen's ball from going out of bounds on the deciding hole. <br />
<br />
1924 <br />
<br />
Steel-shafted clubs are permitted in the United States by the USGA as of April 11; the R&A continues to ban their use in Great Britain until 1929. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones wins the first of his five U.S. Amateur titles, at Merion Cricket Club in Ardmore, Pa. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen's unmatched reign begins in the PGA Championship - he wins the first of four consecutive titles. <br />
<br />
The USGA introduces sectional qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1925 <br />
<br />
Willie Macfarlane shoots a record 67 in the second round of the U.S. Open and goes on to defeat Bobby Jones in a playoff. <br />
<br />
The first complete fairway irrigation system is installed at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. <br />
<br />
The Havemeyer Trophy, which goes to the U.S. Amateur champion, is destroyed in a fire at Bobby Jones' home club, East Lake, in Atlanta. <br />
<br />
1926 <br />
<br />
Leo Fraser, age 16, quits school and moves to Michigan where he works as golf pro at Saginaw.<br />
<br />
Bobby Jones is the first to win the U.S. and British Opens in the same year. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen beats Leo Diegel in the final of the PGA Championship. The night before, when a carousing Hagen is told his opponent had long since gone to bed, he replies, "Yes, but he isn't sleeping." <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen wallops Bobby Jones, 12 and 11, in a 72-hole challenge match billed as the "World Championship." <br />
<br />
Jess Sweetser is the first American to win the British Amateur since Walter Travis in 1904 - and the first United States native ever. <br />
<br />
1927 <br />
<br />
The Seaview Pines Course, designed by the architectural firm of Toomey and Flynn, was initially a nine-hole course sculpted in the scenic pinelands on the west side of our Atlantic City resort. The course was completed in 1929.<br />
<br />
Walter Hagen wins his fourth consecutive PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
The United State Department of Agriculture says it has developed "the perfect putting green grass" -- creeping bent. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones wins the British Open and U.S. Amateur, and publishes Down the Fairway. <br />
The United States whips Great Britain 9-1/2 to 2-1/2, in the inaugural Ryder Cup match at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. <br />
<br />
1928 <br />
<br />
Cypress Point Golf Club opens in Pebble Beach, Calif. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen wins the British Open. He would take his final title in the championship the following year at Muirfield. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones and Glenna Collett continue to dominate amateur golf. Jones wins the U.S. Amateur final by a 10 and 9 margin. Collett claims the Women's Amateur, 13 and 12. <br />
<br />
1929<br />
<br />
Great Britain evens the fledgling Ryder Cup series by winning on its home turf at Moortown, England. <br />
<br />
Twenty-year-old Horton Smith sweeps out of Missouri to win eight professional tournaments, including four in a row in the spring. <br />
<br />
The world's two best women amateurs meet in the British Ladies Amateur. Great Britain's Joyce Wethered beats America's Glenna Collett, 3 and 1, at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, claiming her fourth British title. <br />
<br />
The U.S. Amateur goes to the West Coast for the first time, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Bobby Jones is the victim of a first-round upset. <br />
<br />
1930 <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones wins the Grand Slam - the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open and British Amateur - then retires at age 28. <br />
<br />
Glenna Collett wins her third consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
The onset of the Depression brings a slowdown in golf-course construction, which lasts through the end of World War II. <br />
<br />
Seventeen-year-old Ben Hogan registers as a professional at the Texas Open. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones completes “Grand Slam,” builds Augusta National, home of the Masters, and hires Ed Dudley to be first pro. Dudley later becomes ACCC golf pro.<br />
<br />
1931 <br />
<br />
The USGA mandates use of a larger and lighter ball (1.68 inches and 1.55 ounces). This so-called "balloon ball" is very unpopular, and after only one year the USGA increases the allowed weight to 1.62 ounces, keeping the size at 1.68 inches. Meanwhile, the R&A stays with the 1.62-inch, 1.62-ounce ball. <br />
<br />
The concave-faced wedge is banned, but Gene Sarazen perfects his design of the sand wedge, with a wide flange, which will remain legal. <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones films a series of instructional movies, How I Play Golf. <br />
<br />
Billy Burke is the first to win a U.S. Open using steel shafts. It takes him seventy-two extra holes (two thirty-six-hole playoffs) to beat George Von Elm. <br />
<br />
1932 <br />
<br />
Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open and British Open, with record scores of 286 and 283, respectively. He finishes the U.S. Open with a record 66. <br />
<br />
The first Curtis Cup Match, between women amateurs of the U.S. and Great Britain, is won by the United States, 5-1/2 to 3-1/2. <br />
<br />
<br />
1933 <br />
<br />
Augusta National Golf Club, founded by Bobby Jones, has its grand opening in January. <br />
Johnny Goodman is the fifth, and most recent, amateur to win the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1934 <br />
<br />
Horton Smith wins the first Augusta National Invitational. Its name will be changed to The Masters in 1939. <br />
<br />
Lawson Little wins the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur, the "Little Slam," a feat he will repeat in 1935. <br />
<br />
England's Henry Cotton ties the British Open record with a 67 in the first round and breaks it with a 65 in the second. His victory is the first by a Briton in eleven years.<br />
<br />
Virginia Van Wie wins the U.S. Women's Amateur for the third consecutive year. <br />
Joseph C. Dey, Jr., is appointed Executive Secretary of the USGA. He will hold the post for thirty-four years. <br />
<br />
Helen Hicks becomes one of the first women to turn professional. There are no professional tournaments, but she promotes products for Wilson-Western Sporting Goods Company. <br />
<br />
1935 <br />
<br />
Gene Sarazen strikes the most famous shot in the history of The Masters - a double eagle on Augusta National's fifteenth hole, which ties Craig Wood during the final round. Sarazen wins the playoff the next day. <br />
<br />
Glenna Collett Vare wins her sixth U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
<br />
1936 <br />
<br />
Lawson Little turns professional instead of going for a third consecutive U.S. Amateur - British Amateur sweep. <br />
<br />
Unheralded Tony Manero closes with a 67 to win the U.S. Open with a record 282. <br />
<br />
In winning the U.S. Amateur, Johnny Fischer is the last to capture a national championship using hickory-shafted clubs. <br />
<br />
1937 <br />
<br />
Sam Snead bursts onto the professional circuit with five victories. <br />
<br />
The first Bing Crosby National Pro-Am is held at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego. It will move to Pebble Beach in 1947. <br />
<br />
Byron Nelson wins The Masters, making up six strokes on fellow Texan Ralph Guldahl on the twelfth and thirteenth holes of the final round. <br />
<br />
Denny Shute wins his second consecutive PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
The United States wins the Ryder Cup on British soil for the first time. <br />
<br />
<br />
1938 <br />
<br />
A new USGA Rule limits players to fourteen clubs. Some players (e.g., Lawson Little) have been carrying as many as twenty-five. The Rule is designed to restore shot-making skill. <br />
<br />
Sam Snead wins eight tournaments and shatters the earnings record with $19,534. <br />
<br />
Ralph Guldahl wins his second consecutive U.S. Open, and third consecutive Western Open. <br />
<br />
Patty Berg, twice a runner-up, wins the U.S. Women's Amateur at age twenty. <br />
<br />
1939 <br />
<br />
The Ryder Cup is canceled because of the war in Europe. <br />
<br />
Byron Nelson wins the U.S. Open in a playoff over Craig Wood and Denny Shute after Sam Snead makes an eight on the seventy-second hole. <br />
<br />
1940 <br />
<br />
Clarence Hackney, ACCC pro since 1914 dies. <br />
<br />
Charles Hofner named ACCC pro. <br />
<br />
The Walker Cup is canceled because of the war. The British Open and Amateur are also canceled. <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan wins his first individual title, the North & South Open, then takes the next two events as well. <br />
<br />
Jimmy Demaret, the most colorful golfer of his generation, wins the first of three Masters titles despite Lloyd Mangrum's tournament-record round of 64. Jimmy Demaret, Ben Hogan, Bing Crosby, and Gene Sarazen all graced the green at Seaview in a tournament together. Crosby said that golf was his great passion, yet all but Bing appeared in the star-studded line-up at Seaview for the 1942 PGA Championship<br />
<br />
Ed "Porky" Oliver would have tied for first in the U.S. Open, but he is disqualified from the playoff. While trying to beat a storm, Oliver and five other players start the final round before their scheduled starting times. Lawson Little defeats Gene Sarazen for the title. <br />
<br />
Bryon Nelson beats Sam Snead, one up, in a match of titans for the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
1941 <br />
<br />
Craig Wood ends a string of frustrating runner-up finishes in major events by winning both The Masters and the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
The USGA develops a machine for testing golf-ball velocity at impact. Plans for limiting initial velocity are put on hold until after the war. <br />
<br />
1942 <br />
<br />
Seaview Country Club hosted the PGA Championship where Sam Snead captured his first major. On the final day of the match, Snead holed a spectacular 60 foot chip on the 37th hole for birdie to secure a 2-1 victory over Jim Turnesa. PGA Newsweek Magazine sports writ-ers’ state "The National PGA Tour of 1942 will go down in history as the hottest ever." Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship. He had been granted a delay of several days before induction into the Navy so he could play in the event. <br />
<br />
A Rule change authorizes players to stop play on their own initiative if they consider themselves endangered by lightning. <br />
<br />
The USGA cancels all its championships for the duration of the war. The PGA of America continues its Tour schedule, though it is an abbreviated one. <br />
<br />
The United States government halts the manufacturing of golf equipment. <br />
<br />
Byron Nelson beats Ben Hogan in a playoff for The Masters. <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan wins the Hale America National Open, a charity event for the Navy Relief Fund and the USO. He shoots a second-round 62 en route to a 17-under-par total. <br />
<br />
1942-44 – U.S. Army Signal Corps takes over ACCC Clubhouse.<br />
<br />
1943 <br />
The war takes a heavy toll on competitive golf. The PGA Tour is reduced to only three tournaments. There is no PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
The Masters is canceled for the duration of the war. <br />
<br />
1944<br />
<br />
The PGA Tour is back up to 22 tournaments, though many players remain in military service. <br />
<br />
The Tam O'Shanter Open offers a record purse of $42,000 and is won by Byron Nelson, who is exempt from military service because of a blood disorder.<br />
<br />
Ed Dudley becomes ACCC pro. <br />
<br />
Sonny Fraser syndicate (John B. Kelly, “Hap” Farley, et al) purchase ACCC from AC Hotel owners. <br />
<br />
Sonny Fraser inaugurates the Sonny Fraser Invitational Amateur tournament, and wins. <br />
<br />
1945<br />
<br />
Sonny Fraser, John B. Kelly, “Hap” Farley et al. build AC Race Track and bring first legal gambling to South Jersey.<br />
<br />
Leo Fraser returns home after WWII, purchases ACCC (w/ Carroll Rosenbloom)<br />
<br />
Dr. Carey Middelcoff wins the Sonny Fraser tournament.<br />
<br />
Byron Nelson wins a record 11 consecutive tournaments from March through August, and 18 during the year. While fields aren't at full strength, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan each are on hand for part of the year.<br />
<br />
Ben Hogan sets a 72-hole scoring record with 261; two weeks later, Byron Nelson breaks it with 259.<br />
<br />
1946<br />
<br />
Wilfred Reid becomes ACCC pro.<br />
<br />
Ben Hogan wins 13 PGA Tour events, including the PGA Championship, but loses The Masters and U.S. Open by one stroke. <br />
<br />
Sam Snead wins the British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. On passing the course on a train on his way to the championship, Snead declares, "That looks like an old, abandoned golf course." <br />
<br />
The first U.S. Women's Open is held, and the only one ever waged at match play. Patty Berg is the champion. <br />
<br />
Byron Nelson retires at age 34 after winning six tournaments during the year. <br />
Grace Kelly, later known as Princess Grace of Monaco, celebrated her 16th birthday at Seaview in the Oval Room<br />
<br />
1947<br />
<br />
The USGA revises and simplifies the Rules of Golf, going from 61 Rules to 21. The R & A doesn't go along, however. <br />
South African Bobby Locke storms onto the PGA Tour with six victories. <br />
The U.S. Open is televised - but only locally - on KSD-TV in St. Louis. <br />
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is the first American to win the British Ladies' Open Amateur. She turns pro later in the year. <br />
Golf World magazine begins publishing.<br />
<br />
1948<br />
<br />
The first U.S. Junior Amateur is played, with Dean Lind beating future U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi in the championship match. <br />
<br />
Bobby Locke wins the Chicago Victory National Championship by 16 strokes, establishing a PGA Tour record. <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan captures the first of four U.S. Opens with a record score of 276. He also wins the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
Golf Journalmagazine - originally USGA Journal Combining Timely Turf Topics - appears. <br />
<br />
African-American professionals Ted Rhodes and Bill Spiller finish in the top 25 at the Los Angeles Open, one of the few tournaments open to African-Americans. They remain excluded from most PGA Tour events under a rule that leaves the decision up to tournament sponsors.<br />
<br />
January 14 – the trolley bell at ACCC clangs for the last Shore Fast Line Trolley run down Shore Road.<br />
<br />
ACCC hosts U.S. Women’s Open, won by Babe Zarahias, who is instrumental in establishing the LPGA.<br />
<br />
<br />
1949 <br />
<br />
Sam Snead wins The Masters by finishing 67-67. Later, he adds the PGA Championship. <br />
Marlene Bauer, 15, wins the inaugural U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, and turns pro later in the year. <br />
<br />
The Ladies Professional Golf Association, under dynamic tournament manager Fred Corcoran, replaces the struggling Women's Professional Golf Association. <br />
<br />
Wilber "Dutch" Hood named ACCC pro. <br />
<br />
1950 <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan returns to the Tour a year after nearly being killed in an automobile accident and wins the U.S. Open at Merion in an 18-hole playoff. <br />
<br />
Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters. <br />
<br />
Babe Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open by nine strokes. <br />
<br />
Sam Snead wins 11 events on the PGA Tour. <br />
<br />
Howard Everett defeats young Arnold Palmer in Pennsylvania Amateur.<br />
<br />
Virgil “Bucky” Worham becomes ACCC pro. His brother Lew won U.S. Open.<br />
<br />
1951 <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer drops out of college when his roommate “Buddy” Worsham dies in car crash, joins Coast Guard and stationed at Cape May.<br />
<br />
The USGA and R&A hold a joint conference and agree on a uniform Rules of Golf worldwide, effective the following year. The only remaining difference is the size of the ball (the R&A permits a diameter of 1.62 inches compared with the USGA's 1.68 inches). <br />
The stymie is abolished, center-shafted putters are legalized (in Britain center-shafted putters had been illegal since 1909), and the out-of-bounds penalty is made stroke and distance. <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan wins The Masters and a second consecutive U.S. Open. The latter victory comes at Oakland Hills, deemed a "monster" after its redesign by Robert Trent Jones Sr., in 1950. <br />
<br />
Golf Digest begins publishing.<br />
<br />
1952<br />
<br />
General Dwight David Eisenhower is elected U.S. President. During his eight years in office, his cottage at Augusta National becomes the "Little White House." <br />
<br />
Jack Burke Jr. wins four consecutive events on the PGA Tour, second in history to Byron Nelson's 11. <br />
<br />
Patty Berg shoots an LPGA-record 64 in the Richmond Open. <br />
<br />
Julius Boros captures the U.S. Open. He also wins the biggest first-place prize, $25,000, at the World Championship.<br />
<br />
1953<br />
<br />
Ben Hogan takes the three majors he enters - The Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. It is his fourth U.S. Open title. <br />
<br />
The first nationally televised tournament, the World Championship, ends with a moment of high drama when Lew Worsham holes out from 135 yards to eagle the final hole and win by one. <br />
<br />
Tommy Armour's popular instruction book, How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time, published .<br />
<br />
Avid golfer President Dwight D. Eisenhower visited the Seaview. His legendary passion for golf prompted two press junkets to Seaview and helped raise the games popularity among the American public. During his term in office, the number of American golfers doubled.<br />
<br />
1954 <br />
<br />
The U.S. Open is televised nationally for the first time. Also new - the holes are roped for gallery control. <br />
<br />
Babe Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open by twelve strokes a year after undergoing cancer surgery. <br />
<br />
Sam Snead beats Ben Hogan in a playoff to win The Masters after amateur Billy Joe Patton falters on the final nine holes of regulation play. <br />
<br />
The World Championship has the first $100,000 purse, with $50,000 going to the winner - five times more than the next largest first prize. Bob Toski earns the windfall. <br />
<br />
1955 <br />
<br />
Unheralded Jack Fleck stuns Ben Hogan with his U.S. Open playoff win at The Olympic Club. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer scores his first professional victory in the Canadian Open. <br />
Life Magazine pays Ben Hogan $20,000 for a cover story revealing the "secret" he discovered nine years earlier which rid him of a hook. <br />
<br />
1955-1957, the Seaview Pines Course was expanded<br />
<br />
1956 <br />
<br />
Senior tournament held at ACCC, won by Art Wall.<br />
<br />
Seaview adds conference wing.<br />
<br />
Jack Burke, Jr., makes up an eight-stroke deficit on amateur Ken Venturi to win The Masters. Burke also takes the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
Australian Peter Thomson wins his third consecutive British Open. <br />
<br />
Cary Middlecoff captures his second U.S. Open title. <br />
<br />
Yardage for guidance in computing par are increased to current levels: Three - up to 250 yards Four - 251 to 470 yards Five - 471 yards and over <br />
<br />
1957 <br />
<br />
Jackie Pung finishes as the apparent winner of the U.S. Women's Open, but is disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Betsy Rawls takes the title.<br />
<br />
Bobby Locke wins his fourth British Open with a record tying 279. <br />
<br />
Great Britain triumphs in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1933. <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan publishes an instructional classic: Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf . <br />
<br />
Charlie Sifford wins the Long Beach Open, an event "cosponsored" by the PGA. <br />
<br />
Senior tournament held at ACCC, won by Dick Sleichter. <br />
<br />
1958 <br />
<br />
A new USGA system provides just one handicap for golfers, not "current" and "basic." <br />
Arnold Palmer wins his first of four Masters titles. <br />
<br />
At age twenty-three Mickey Wright sweeps the U.S. Women's Open and LPGA<br />
Championship. <br />
<br />
The PGA Championship changes from match play to stroke play. Dow Finsterwald claims the title. <br />
<br />
The USGA and R&A organize the World Amateur Golf Council, and hold the first World Amateur Team Championship at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Bobby Jones serves as captain of the American squad. <br />
<br />
1959 <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright wins her second consecutive U.S. Women's Open. <br />
<br />
Bill Wright becomes the first African-American player to take a national championship, claiming the U.S. Amateur Public Links. <br />
<br />
Nineteen-year-old Jack Nicklaus captures first of two U.S. Amateur titles. <br />
<br />
Betsy Rawls wins 10 LPGA tournaments. <br />
<br />
1960 <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer, golf's most popular player, has his greatest year. He wins The Masters with birdies on the last two holes, the U.S. Open with a final-round 65, finishes second in the British Open, and wins eight PGA Tour events. <br />
<br />
Betsy Rawls wins her fourth U.S. Women's Open. <br />
<br />
Centennial British Open – St. Andrews, Scotland. Leo Fraser attends with Stan Dudas and Arnold Palmer.<br />
<br />
William Kelly ACCC pro. <br />
<br />
1961 <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright wins three majors - the U.S. Women's Open, LPGA Championship, and the Titleholders - and 10 events in all. <br />
<br />
The PGA of America drops the Caucasians-only clause from its constitution, allowing African-Americans to become members. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer wins the British Open; his appearances in the event starting in 1960 convince more American players to make the trip. <br />
<br />
Jerry Barber sinks monster putts of 40 and 60 feet on the last two holes to tie Don January for the PGA Championship; Barber then wins the 18-hole playoff by a stroke. <br />
Anne Quast Sander wins the U.S. Women's Amateur by a record 14 and 13 margin over Phyllis Preuss. <br />
<br />
There are now 5 million golfers in the United States, according to the National Golf Foundation. <br />
<br />
Seaview’s Executive wing was complete with 6 suites and 21 executive bedrooms.<br />
<br />
Leo Fraser lays out and opens Mays Landing Country Club. <br />
<br />
Atlantis CC, Ocean County – George Fazio<br />
<br />
Ron Ward ACCC Pro <br />
<br />
1962 <br />
<br />
Rookie professional Jack Nicklaus beats hometown favorite Arnold Palmer to win the U.S. Open in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer wins The Masters, British Open, and seven PGA Tour events. <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright wins 10 tournaments for the second consecutive year. <br />
<br />
For the first time, water hazards are marked with painted lines at the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1963 <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer is the first player to surpass $100,000 in earnings in a single year. <br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters and PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
At the age of 20 years, 6 months, Ray Floyd is the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event (the St. Petersburg Open) since 1928. <br />
<br />
New Zealand's Bob Charles becomes the only left-hander to win one of the four major championships, claiming the British Open. <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright wins 13 events on the LPGA Tour. <br />
<br />
Clubmakers are experimenting with the casting method for making irons, enabling them to create a larger "sweet spot" than forged blades offer. <br />
<br />
1964 <br />
<br />
Pete Brown becomes the first African-American to win an "official" PGA Tournament, taking the Waco Turner Open. <br />
<br />
Ken Venturi wins the U.S. Open despite suffering from heat prostration during a 36-hole final day at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C. <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright wins her fourth U.S. Open, one of 11 tournaments she captures during the year. <br />
<br />
Bobby Nichols wins the PGA Championship with a 72-hole total of 271. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer, for the fourth time, wins The Masters. <br />
<br />
B. L. England, Marmora – Leo Fraser design.<br />
<br />
An executive conference center added to Seaview.<br />
<br />
1965 <br />
<br />
Sam Snead earns his 81st and final PGA Tour victory in the Greater Greensboro Open, while becoming the Tour's oldest winner ever at 52 years, 10 months. <br />
<br />
The U.S. Amateur changes from match play to stroke play. The U.S. Open is held over four days instead of three; no more 36 holes on the final day. <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters by nine strokes with a record 271 total. Tournament host Bobby Jones says Nicklaus "plays a game with which I am not familiar." <br />
<br />
Gary Player joins Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen to become the third player in history to win all four majors when he captures the U.S. Open. The South African is the first foreign winner of the Open in 45 years. He donates his winners check back to the USGA in support of junior golf. <br />
<br />
Peter Thomson earns his fifth British Open. <br />
<br />
U.S. Women’s Open at ACCC won by Carol Mann, and features young amateur Catherine Lacosta, who secretly plays Pine Valley.<br />
<br />
Don Siok named ACCC Pro. <br />
<br />
1966 <br />
<br />
Billy Casper wins the U.S. Open in a playoff after Arnold Palmer drops a seven-stroke lead over the last nine holes of regulation at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus takes his third Masters in four years and second in a row. He also is the British Open champion, becoming the fourth player to win all four major events. <br />
<br />
1967 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus takes the U.S. Open with a record total of 275 at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. <br />
<br />
Catherine Lacoste of France becomes the only amateur to win the U.S. Women's Open. <br />
Forty-five-year-old Charlie Sifford wins the Greater Hartford Open. <br />
<br />
Eisenhower returns to Seaview. <br />
<br />
1968 <br />
<br />
Croquet-style putting, recently employed by Sam Snead, is ruled illegal by the USGA. <br />
The Tournament Players Division is created within the PGA. <br />
<br />
Roberto De Vicenzo loses The Masters when he signs an incorrect scorecard for one stroke higher than he actually shot. He would have been in an 18-hole playoff with Bob Goalby, who is declared the winner. <br />
<br />
Lee Trevino is the first player to break 70 for all four rounds in a U.S. Open, winning with a record-tying 275 total. <br />
<br />
Forty-eight-year-old Julius Boros is the oldest player to claim a major title, winning the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
Jo Anne Gunderson Carner wins her fifth U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer becomes the first player to top $1 million in career earnings. <br />
<br />
Kathy Whitworth and Carol Mann each win 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour. <br />
<br />
1969 <br />
<br />
Jo Anne Carner is the last amateur to win an LPGA Tour event, the Burdine's Invitational. <br />
<br />
Tony Jacklin is the first homebred player to win the British Open in 18 years. <br />
<br />
1970 <br />
<br />
Mickey Wright retires from full-time competition at age 34, while Jo Anne Carner turns professional at age 30 after an outstanding amateur career. <br />
<br />
England's Tony Jacklin wins the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins the British Open in a playoff after Doug Sanders misses a 3-foot putt on the 72nd green. <br />
<br />
Lanny Wadkins beats Tom Kite by one stroke to win the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
1971 <br />
<br />
Leo Fraser serves as an official on the U.S. Ryder Cup team.<br />
<br />
Lee Trevino becomes the first player to win the U.S., British, and Canadian Open with his three victories in a four-week stretch. Tiger Woods would match that feat in 2000. <br />
<br />
Astronaut Alan Shepard takes the game to new frontiers by hitting a 6-iron shot during a walk on the moon. <br />
<br />
With his PGA Championship victory, Jack Nicklaus becomes the first player to win all the majors twice. <br />
<br />
The number of golfers in the U.S. has doubled in the last 10 years - there are now 10 million. <br />
<br />
1972 <br />
<br />
U.S. Women’s Open won by Sandra Palmer; features young amateur Nancy Lopez.<br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters and U.S. Open, then is thwarted in his bid for the Grand Slam by Lee Trevino in the British Open. <br />
<br />
The Colgate-Dinah Shore Winners Circle debuts on the LPGA Tour, offering the first six-figure purse in women's golf -- $110,000. <br />
<br />
Spalding introduces the two-piece Top-Flite ball, constructed with a solid core inside a durable synthetic cover. <br />
<br />
Title IX legislation is passed by Congress, forcing colleges to provide more opportunities for female athletes. The expansion of women's college golf increases the talent pool of the LPGA Tour. <br />
<br />
Carolyn Cudone wins her fifth consecutive USGA Senior Women's Amateur, a record for any USGA event. <br />
<br />
1973 <br />
<br />
Johnny Miller becomes the U.S. Open Champion, firing a record 63 in the final round at Oakmont. <br />
<br />
Tom Weiskopf takes five tournaments, including the British Open, in a two-month stretch. <br />
<br />
Gene Sarazen, age 71, scores an ace on the "Postage Stamp" hole during the British Open at Royal Troon. <br />
<br />
Ben Crenshaw bursts onto the PGA Tour by winning his first event as a member, the San Antonio Texas Open. <br />
<br />
The U.S. Amateur returns to match play; the winner is Craig Stadler. <br />
<br />
Kathy Whitworth is the LPGA Player of the Year for the seventh time in eight years. <br />
The graphite shaft is introduced. <br />
<br />
1974 <br />
<br />
Johnny Miller wins eight PGA Tour events. <br />
<br />
Deane Beman becomes Commissioner of the PGA Tour. <br />
<br />
The Tournament Players Championship makes its debut. <br />
<br />
The Muirfield Village Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead, opens near Nicklaus' hometown of Columbus, Ohio. <br />
<br />
Sandra Haynie sweeps the U.S. Women's Open and LPGA Championship. <br />
<br />
1975 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins his fifth Masters in a classic battle with Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. Nicklaus also takes his fourth PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
Lee Elder becomes the first African-American to play in The Masters. <br />
<br />
Nineteen-year-old Amy Alcott wins in just her third LPGA Tour event. <br />
<br />
Lippincott and Leeds families, original founders of ACCC, sell Chalfonte Haddon Hall which becomes Resorts International, the first legal casino outside of Nevada. <br />
<br />
1976 <br />
<br />
Ray Floyd wins The Masters with a record tying 271 total. <br />
<br />
Judy Rankin, with $150,734 in earnings, becomes the first LPGA Tour player to earn more than $100,000 in a season. <br />
<br />
The USGA adopts the Overall Distance Standard for golf balls, limiting them to 280 yards under standard test conditions. <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus leads the PGA Tour in earnings for the eighth and final time. <br />
<br />
1977 <br />
<br />
Al Geiberger is the first PGA Tour player to break 60, shooting a 59 in the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. <br />
<br />
Tom Watson hits the big time, besting Jack Nicklaus in both The Masters and the British Open. Watson's 268 sets a British Open record. <br />
<br />
The U.S. Open is the first American golf event to provide television coverage of all 18 holes. <br />
<br />
A major championship is decided by sudden death for the first time when Lanny Wadkins beats Gene Littler in the PGA Championship at Pebble Beach. <br />
<br />
1978 <br />
<br />
Nancy Lopez gives the LPGA Tour a boost by winning five tournaments in a row, and nine in all, during her first full season. <br />
Gary Player takes his third Masters by shooting a 64 in the final round, then wins the next two events as well. <br />
Jack Nicklaus's third British Open title gives him at least three wins in all four majors. <br />
The Legends of Golf debuts, an event that will lead to the birth of the Senior Tour (now called the Champions Tour). <br />
<br />
1979 <br />
<br />
TaylorMade introduces its first metal wood. In the next decade, metal woods will become predominant. <br />
The USGA plants a tree overnight at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio to block a shortcut taken by several players in the first round of the U.S. Open. <br />
Sixty-seven-year-old Sam Snead shoots a 66 during the Quad Cities Open. <br />
Twenty-two-year-old Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. <br />
<br />
1980 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus captures the U.S. Open (his fourth) and PGA Championship (his fifth) at age 40. He shoots a U.S. Open record 272 in the Open at Baltusrol and ties the 18-hole record with a 63. <br />
<br />
The USGA adds the U.S. Senior Open to its list of Championships. Roberto De Vicenzo is the inaugural Champion. <br />
<br />
Leo Fraser hosts PGA Senior tournament shortly before US Senior Open, helping to establish the PGA Senior Tour, now the Champion’s Tour. Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Lew Worsham and many others showed up for the event, which was a charity benefit for Juvenile Diabetes and was won by Don January.<br />
<br />
Tom Watson leads the PGA Tour money list for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year. He wins six U.S. events and the British Open. <br />
<br />
The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, designed by Pete Dye, opens near Jacksonville, Fla. It is the first "stadium course," and the first course of the PGA Tour's TPC network. <br />
<br />
The USGA introduces the golf ball Symmetry Standard to the Rules of Golf. <br />
<br />
1981 <br />
<br />
Avalon CC – Cape May Court House – Est.<br />
<br />
Kathy Whitworth is the first woman golfer to top $1million in career earnings. <br />
The USGA adds the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship for players 25 and older, an event in which career amateurs won't have to face college golfers, who often dominate the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
Tom Kite finishes in the top 10 in 21 of 26 tournaments and leads the PGA Tour money list. <br />
<br />
1982 <br />
<br />
Tom Watson takes his only U.S. Open, chipping in on the 71st hole to beat Jack Nicklaus at Pebble Beach. <br />
<br />
Juli Inkster takes her third consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur, the first to accomplish this feat in 48 years. <br />
<br />
Kathy Whitworth breaks Mickey Wright's record for career LPGA victories by winning her 83rd event. She will later take five more. <br />
<br />
Jan Stephenson wins the LPGA Championship, and the next year, the U.S. Women's Open. <br />
<br />
1983 <br />
<br />
For the fifth time, Tom Watson is the British Open champion. <br />
<br />
<br />
1984 <br />
<br />
Golf instruction videotapes begin to hit the market. <br />
<br />
Hollis Stacy takes her third U.S. Women's Open to go with her three U. S. Girls' Junior titles. <br />
<br />
Forty-year-old Lee Trevino is the PGA titleholder, giving him two U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA titles. <br />
<br />
1985 <br />
<br />
The USGA introduces the Slope System to adjust handicaps according to the difficulty of the course being played. <br />
<br />
Europe beats the U.S. in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1957 (the Great Britain and Ireland team was expanded to include all of Europe in 1979). Two years later, the European team wins for the first time on U.S. soil. <br />
<br />
T.C. Chen drops a four-stroke lead in the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills by double-hitting a chip shot and making a quadruple bogey on the fifth hole. Andy North wins the championship. <br />
<br />
Senior tournament held at ACCC.<br />
<br />
<br />
1986 <br />
<br />
Seaview was the proud host of the Atlantic City LPGA Classic, which would later become the ShopRite LPGA Classic, that drew legendary players like Betsy King, Juli Inkster, and Nancy Lopez.<br />
<br />
Forty-six-year-old Jack Nicklaus wins his sixth Masters and 18th professional major. <br />
<br />
Forty-three-year-old Ray Floyd wins the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., the first Open played at the club in 90 years. <br />
<br />
Bob Tway holes out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to break a tie and beat Greg Norman in the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
Pat Bradley wins three LPGA majors - the Nabisco Dinah Shore, LPGA Championship, and du Maurier Classic. <br />
<br />
Greg Norman wins nine events worldwide (two in the U.S., three in Europe, and four in Australia). <br />
<br />
There are now 20 million golfers and 12,384 courses in the U.S. <br />
<br />
Senior tournament held at ACCC. <br />
<br />
1987 <br />
<br />
Larry Mize beats Greg Norman in a sudden-death playoff at The Masters by holing a 100-foot pitch on the second extra hole. <br />
<br />
Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected to the USGA Executive Committee. <br />
The PGA Tour tops $30 million in prize money; the new season-ending Nabisco Championship is the first $2 million event. <br />
<br />
Nick Faldo pars all 18 holes of the final round in the British Open to win his first major. <br />
Craig Stadler is disqualified from the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams San Diego Open for kneeling on a towel to play a shot, then signing an incorrect scorecard. <br />
<br />
1988 <br />
<br />
Mary Bea Porter interrupts her qualifying round for the LPGA's Standard Register Classic to resuscitate a boy who had fallen into a nearby swimming pool. <br />
Seve Ballesteros wins his third British Open - one of seven victories during the year in seven different countries. <br />
Curtis Strange becomes the first player to collect $1 million in season earnings on the PGA Tour. <br />
The groove wars begin. The USGA rules that Ping Eye2 irons don't conform to the Rules because the grooves are too close together. Karsten Manufacturing, maker of Ping, files suit. A settlement will be reached in 1990 under which new Pings are modified to conform and existing Pings are deemed acceptable. <br />
<br />
<br />
1989 <br />
<br />
The PGA Tour announces it will ban square-groove irons next year, but Karsten Manufacturing wins a court injunction against the move. Four years later, in an out-of-court settlement, the Tour reverses itself and permits square grooves. <br />
<br />
Curtis Strange wins his second consecutive U.S. Open, the first to do so since Ben Hogan (1950 and 1951). <br />
<br />
The Rolling Stones stayed at Seaview for 10 days during December of 89’. The Stones were in the midst of their Steel Wheels Tour and lead singer Mick Jagger was said to have met music legend Eric Clapton for lunch in the Grill Room one day. Folk-artist Bob Dylan was also a guest at the Seaview during this time, staying under the pseudonym "Justin Case".<br />
<br />
<br />
1990 <br />
<br />
After a controversy at the PGA Championship site Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., the PGA of America and PGA Tour announce they will not play tournaments at clubs that have no African-American or women members. <br />
<br />
Robert Gamez beats Greg Norman in the Nestle Invitational by holing a seven-iron from 176 yards on the 72nd hole. <br />
<br />
Hale Irwin, at age 45, becomes the oldest U.S. Open winner. <br />
<br />
Nick Faldo becomes the first player since Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966) to capture consecutive Masters titles. He also wins the British Open. <br />
<br />
Phil Mickelson sweeps the U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championship, a feat not accomplished since Jack Nicklaus. <br />
<br />
The R&A adopts the American-sized ball (1.68 inches) as standard all over the world. <br />
<br />
1991 <br />
<br />
Long-hitting rookie John Daly overpowers the field in the PGA Championship, after making the field as an alternate. <br />
Amateur Phil Mickelson wins the PGA Tour's Northern Telecom Open at age 20. <br />
Chip Beck shoots a 59 during the Las Vegas Invitational to tie Al Geiberger's PGA Tour record. <br />
Payne Stewart claims the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in a playoff with Scott Simpson. <br />
<br />
1992 <br />
<br />
Fred Couples' victory at The Masters puts him over $1million in earnings in the second week of April. <br />
<br />
The PGA Tour tops $50 million in purses; the LPGA and Senior Tours both go over $20 million. <br />
<br />
Ray Floyd, at age 49, wins the Doral Ryder Open 29 years after his first PGA Tour victory. Later in the year, he wins on the Senior Tour.<br />
<br />
Betsy King wins the LPGA Championship by 11 strokes with a 72-hole record 267. <br />
John F. Merchant, a Connecticut attorney, is the first African-American elected to the USGA Executive Committee.<br />
<br />
Nick Faldo captures his third British Open.<br />
<br />
1993 <br />
<br />
Bernard Langer wins his second Masters. <br />
<br />
Greg Norman wins his second British Open. Norman's 267 total sets a British Open record. <br />
<br />
For the third consecutive year, Tiger Woods is the U.S. Junior Amateur champion. No other player has repeated in the event. <br />
<br />
Sarah LeBrun Ingram becomes the first player to take the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship twice. The event began in 1987. <br />
<br />
Blue Heron Pines – Stephen Kay <br />
<br />
1994 <br />
<br />
Nick Price wins the British Open at Turnberry, aided by a final-round eagle on the 17th hole. <br />
<br />
Tim Finchem succeeds Deane Beman as Commissioner of the PGA Tour. <br />
Arnold Palmer bids farewell to the U.S. Open in a stirring march up the 18th fairway at Oakmont. <br />
<br />
Patty Sheehan wins the U.S. Women's Open at Indianwood, her second in three years. <br />
<br />
Nick Price wins his second major of the year -- the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. <br />
<br />
1995 <br />
<br />
Corey Pavin claims the USGA's Centennial U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. <br />
<br />
Ben Crenshaw wins The Masters just days after the death of his mentor and teacher Harvey Penick. <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods wins his second consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship, held at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. <br />
<br />
At St. Andrews, John Daly captures the British Open, his second career major. <br />
<br />
The European team wins the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill by the margin of 14½-13½. <br />
<br />
1996 <br />
<br />
Harbor Pines – 1996 Max Gurwiez & Sons, Inc. – Stephan Kay.<br />
<br />
Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected President of the USGA. <br />
<br />
Nick Faldo overtakes Greg Norman to win The Masters. <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods wins his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship at Pumpkin Ridge. Later, he joins the PGA Tour, wins twice, and earns Rookie of the Year honors. <br />
<br />
Tom Watson wins the Memorial Tournament - his first victory in nine years. <br />
<br />
Kelli Kuehne wins her second consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur title, and later adds the British Ladies Open Amateur. <br />
<br />
Annika Sorenstam wins her second consecutive Women's Open Championship, held at Pine Needles. <br />
<br />
1997 <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods wins The Masters in record fashion, with an 18-under-par total and a 12-stroke margin of victory. <br />
<br />
Ernie Els wins the U.S. Open at Congressional, his second in four years. <br />
<br />
The first Ryder Cup is held on Continental European soil, at Valderrama in Spain. The European team wins. <br />
<br />
Justin Leonard wins the British Open at Royal Troon, carding a final-round 65. <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus competes in the U.S. Open at Congressional -- his 150th consecutive major championship. <br />
<br />
1998 <br />
<br />
Lee Janzen wins his second U.S. Open title of the 90's at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. <br />
<br />
Casey Martin is awarded the right to ride in a golf cart at the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
Mark O'Meara, at age 41, becomes the oldest player to win The Masters and the British Open in the same year. <br />
<br />
Vijay Singh, with a victory at the PGA Championship, wins his first major; it is the first major championship claimed by a player from Fiji. <br />
<br />
Se Ri Pak, a 19-year-old phenom from Korea, captivates the LPGA Tour with major wins at the U.S. Women's Open and the LPGA Championship. <br />
<br />
The Bay Course is restored close to its original design by architect Bob Cupp Jr.<br />
<br />
Fraser family sells ACCC to Bally-Hilton <br />
<br />
William Billy Ziobro named ACCC Pro. <br />
<br />
1999 <br />
<br />
Thirteen-year-old Aree Wongluekiet becomes the youngest winner in USGA history by capturing the Girls' Junior championship at Green Spring Valley Hunt Club. <br />
<br />
The U.S. wins the Ryder Cup in dramatic comeback at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. <br />
<br />
Paul Lawrie, a native of Scotland, wins the British Open in a three-way playoff when Frenchman Jean Van de Velde collapses on the 72nd hole. <br />
<br />
Jose Maria Olazabal wins his second Masters. <br />
<br />
The U.S. Senior Open attracts record crowds of over 250,000 in Des Moines, Iowa. <br />
Payne Stewart wins his second U.S. Open title at Pinehurst, sinking a dramatic par putt on the 72nd hole. Tragically, he perishes along with five others in a plane crash four months later. <br />
<br />
Juli Inkster smashes the U.S. Women's Open scoring record at Old Waverly. Later in the year, with a victory in the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship, she earns entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. <br />
<br />
The USGA implements testing protocol for "spring-like" effect in metal woods. <br />
<br />
2000 <br />
<br />
The USGA celebrates the 100th playing of the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, and U.S. Women's Amateur, as well as the 75th playing of the U.S. Amateur Public Links. <br />
<br />
Shigeki Maruyama cards a 58 in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
At 10 years of age, Michelle Wie becomes the youngest player to compete in a USGA women's amateur competition when she qualifies for the Women's Amateur Public Links in Aberdeen, N.C. <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods rolls to a record 15-stroke victory at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. It is Woods' first Open title and his seventh USGA championship. He would go on to win the season's final two major championships, the British Open at St. Andrews and the PGA Championship at Valhalla, becoming the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in a year. <br />
<br />
By defeating Anna Schultz, 3 and 2, in the final of the Women's Mid-Amateur, Ellen Port becomes only the second player in the championship's history to win three Women's Mid-Amateur titles, joining Sarah LeBrun Ingram. <br />
2001 <br />
<br />
Galloway National Galloway – Vernon Hill. Tom Fazio <br />
<br />
Ballamor Brian T. Ault/Dan Schlege <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods is the first player to hold all four professional-major titles at one time when he captures The Masters in April. It becomes known as the "The Tiger Slam." <br />
<br />
Retief Goosen of South Africa wins the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in an 18-hole playoff over Mark Brooks. <br />
<br />
Karrie Webb rolls to an eight-shot victory at the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles and joins six others (Mickey Wright, Donna Caponi, Susie Maxwell Berning, Hollis Stacy, Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam) as back-to-back winners of this championship.<br />
<br />
Annika Sorenstam becomes the first female golfer to ever shoot a 59 in an LPGA event, achieving the feat at the Standard Register PING in Phoenix, Ariz. <br />
<br />
Christina Kim registers the lowest 18-hole score in any USGA championship when she fires a 62 in the second round of stroke-play qualifying at the U.S. Girls' Junior at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan. <br />
<br />
James Vargas establishes a U.S. Junior 36-hole stroke-play scoring record of 132 at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas. <br />
<br />
Meredith Duncan outlasts Nicole Perrot in a 37-hole thriller for the U.S. Women's Amateur title at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Wichita, Kan. The loss prevented Perrot from becoming the first golfer to capture the U.S. Girls' Junior and Women's Amateur in the same year. <br />
<br />
In the first 36-hole final in U.S. Mid-Amateur history, Tim Jackson defeats George Zahringer, 1 up, at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif. <br />
<br />
The Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team registers a 15-9 victory over the USA squad at Ocean Forest Golf Club. It's the first time the GB&I squad had posted consecutive victories over the USA in the 79-year history of the Match. <br />
<br />
Kemp Richardson joins his later father, John, as the only father-son duo to capture a USGA championship, when he defeats Bill Ploeger, 2 and 1, for the USGA Senior Amateur crown at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. John Richardson also won the Senior Amateur title in 1987 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa. <br />
<br />
2002 <br />
<br />
For the first time ever, the U.S. Open is held at a publicly owned facility (Bethpage State Park's Black Course). Tiger Woods wins the title by three strokes over Phil Mickelson and is the only player in the field to finish under par (-3). <br />
<br />
Ernie Els ends Tiger Woods' hopes for a Grand Slam by taking the British Open at Muirfield in a playoff over Steve Elkington, Thomas Levet and Stuart Appleby. Woods had won the Masters and U.S. Open titles. <br />
<br />
Juli Inkster returns to the site of her first Women's Amateur championship (Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.) and fires a final-round 66 to beat Annika Sorenstam by two strokes for her second U.S. Women's Open title. Inkster joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win a U.S. Amateur and Open at the same course. <br />
<br />
Carol Semple Thompson, playing in her record 12th Curtis Cup Match, sinks a 27-foot birdie putt from the fringe at the 18th hole to secure the USA's 11-7 victory over Great Britain and Ireland. The dramatic putt was fitting since the Match was played in Thompson's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., at the Fox Chapel Golf Club. It was also Thompson's 18th victory in Curtis Cup play, another record. <br />
<br />
George Zahringer, at 49, becomes the oldest player to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur title, when he defeats Jerry Courville Jr., 3 and 2, at his home course, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. <br />
<br />
Carol Semple Thompson, en route to winning her fourth consecutive USGA Senior Women's Amateur championship at Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., establishes a consecutive match-play winning streak record of 24. <br />
<br />
2003 <br />
<br />
Michelle Wie, 13, becomes the youngest champion of an adult USGA championship when she defeats Virada Nirapathponporn in the final of the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at Ocean Hammock Golf Club in Palm Coast, Fla. <br />
<br />
Jim Furyk establishes a 54-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 200 en route to a three-stroke victory over Stephen Leaney. Furyk's 72-hole total of 272 tied an Open mark held by Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen and Tiger Woods. <br />
<br />
Hilary Lunke outlasts Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins in an 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women's Open title. Lunke becomes the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 1995 to make the Women's Open her first professional victory. Lunke also is the first champion to have won by going through local and sectional qualifying. <br />
<br />
2004<br />
2005<br />
2006 - Steve Sullivan ACCC Pro. <br />
2007 - Charles Fahy named ACCC Pro. <br />
2008<br />
2009<br />
<br />
2010 <br />
The ShopRite LPGA Classic returned to Seaview after a 3 year hiatus. Playing on the historic Bay Course, Ai Miyazato captured the title by 2 strokes.<br />
Seaview was purchased by The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, which updated and made improvements to the property to continue its tradition of elegant accommodations for vacations, golf outings, weddings and corporate events, while playing an integral role in their expanding Hospitality and Tourism Management Studies program.<br />
2011<br />
Seaview - A Dolce Resort completes Phase I of a multi-million dollar renovation of the property’s golf, dining, meeting and event venues while paying tribute to the historical significance of the resort’s architectural standards and grand style.<br />
2012William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-64594676095736269792011-11-10T08:09:00.000-08:002011-11-10T08:09:28.931-08:00USGA Golf Time Line ChronologyUSGA Golf Time Lie Chronological History<br />
<br />
The foundation of the United States Golf Association on Dec. 22, 1894 marked the formal organization of American golf, establishing a centralized body to write the Rules, conduct national championships and establish a national system of handicapping. The USGA also plays a prominent role as the game's historian in the United States, collecting, displaying and preserving artifacts and memorabilia at its Museum and Archives in Far Hills, N.J. <br />
<br />
USGA History: 1894 - 1910 <br />
<br />
1894 <br />
In September, William G. Lawrence wins a "national amateur championship" at Newport (R.I.) Golf Club. In October, Laurence B. Stoddard wins a "national amateur championship" at St. Andrew's Golf Club. <br />
C.B. Macdonald, runner-up in both events, calls for the formation of a governing body to run a universally recognized national championship. <br />
The Amateur Golf Association of the United States - soon to be called the United States Golf Association - is formed on Dec. 22. Charter members are Newport Golf Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, The Country Club (Brookline, Mass.), St. Andrew's Golf Club (Yonkers, N.Y.), and Chicago Golf Club. <br />
America's first golf magazine, The Golfer , is published in New York, N.Y. <br />
<br />
1895 <br />
Charles B. Macdonald wins the first official U.S. Amateur championship at Newport Golf Club. The first U.S. Open is held the next day at the same club, almost as an afterthought to the Amateur. Horace Rawlins wins the $150 first prize over a field of 11. <br />
Mrs. Charles S. Brown (Lucy Barnes) wins the first U.S. Women's Amateur championship at the Meadow Brook Club in Hempstead, N.Y. <br />
Golf in America: A Practical Manual , by James Lee, is the first golf book written in the U.S. <br />
<br />
1896 <br />
James Foulis wins the second official U.S. Open, held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. <br />
John Shippen, an African-American professional, and his friend Oscar Bonn, a Shinnecock Indian, compete in the U.S. Open despite a threatened boycott by the other contestants. Shippen finished fifth. <br />
<br />
1897 <br />
Yale wins the first collegiate golf championship. <br />
Joe Lloyd is victorious in the third U.S. Open, held at Chicago Golf Club. <br />
H.J. Whigham wins his second U.S. Amateur <br />
<br />
1898 <br />
Beatrix Hoyt wins her third straight U.S. Women's Amateur at Ardsley Club in New York. Two years later, she retires at the age of 20. <br />
Coburn Haskell and Bertram Work design and patent a wound-rubber golf ball, which flies farther than the gutta-percha ball. <br />
The United States Open expands to 72 holes from 36 and is held for the first time at a separate course from the Amateur. <br />
The term "birdie" is coined at Atlantic City Country Club in New Jersey when Ab Smith says a fellow member hit a "bird of a shot" and suggests a double payoff for scoring one under par on a hole. <br />
<br />
1900 <br />
British star Harry Vardon shows Americans how to play the game. In the country for an exhibition tour, he wins the U.S. Open over fellow Englishman J.H. Taylor. Vardon becomes the first sports figure in history to endorse a product, using his "Vardon Flyer" ball througout the tour. <br />
Americans Charles Sands and Margaret Abbott win gold medals in golf in the Olympic Games in Paris. <br />
Walter J. Travis, who took up golf in 1896 at age 35, wins the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
1901 <br />
Walter Travis wins his second straight U.S. Amateur Championship and publishes an instruction book,Practical Golf . He's the first to win a major championship playing a Haskell wound-rubber ball. <br />
Willie Anderson ties Alex Smith with a record-high 331 in the U.S. Open and takes the playoff with an 85. <br />
Pinehurst resort in North Carolina opens the first nine holes of its No.2 course. <br />
<br />
1902 <br />
Willie Anderson wins the Western Open with a 299 total; the first time 300 is broken for 72 holes in an American event. <br />
<br />
1903 <br />
Walter Travis, known as "The Old Man," wins his third U.S. Amateur at age 41. <br />
Oakmont Country Club opens near Pittsburgh, Pa., quickly gaining a reputation as one of the nation's toughest tests because of its penal style of architecture. <br />
Willie Anderson sets a U.S. Open record with a 72 in the final round and a 303 total. <br />
Americans claim Australian-born Walter Travis as the first of their own to win the British Amateur. He uses the center-shafted Schenectady putter. <br />
<br />
1905 <br />
Twenty-five-year-old Willie Anderson wins his third consecutive U.S. Open and fourth in five years. It is also his last Open victory; he dies in 1910. <br />
Harry Vardon publishes The Complete Golfer , which explains, among other things, the Vardon grip. <br />
<br />
1906 <br />
Three-time runner-up Alex Smith finally wins the U.S. Open, becoming the first to break 300 for the 72-hole championship. His brother, Willie, is second. <br />
In Great Britain, William Taylor applies for a patent on a dimple design for golf ball covers. <br />
<br />
1907 <br />
Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina adds the back nine holes to its No.2 course. It is the seminal work of Donald Ross, who goes on to design hundreds of courses in the United States. <br />
Margaret Curtis beats her sister Harriot in an all-in-the-family final of the U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
1908 <br />
Jerry Travers wins his second consecutive U.S. Amateur. <br />
Three-time U.S. Amateur champion Walter Travis shows he's jack-of-all-trades by founding American Golfer magazine and serving as its first editor. He's also a golf course designer. <br />
<br />
1909 <br />
Robert Gardner becomes the youngest U.S. Amateur champion at age 19. <br />
New U.S. President William Howard Taft is the first golf-loving occupant of the White House. <br />
The USGA rules that caddies, caddie-masters and greenkeepers past the age of 16 are professionals. The age would be raised to 18 in 1930, 21 in 1945, until the ruling was rescinded in 1963. <br />
<br />
1910 <br />
Arthur F. Knight obtains a patent for a seamed, tubular, steel golf shaft. Steel shafts, however, are still illegal. <br />
The R&A bans the center-shafted putter, while the USGA keeps it legal, marking the first time that the USGA diverges from an R&A equipment ruling. <br />
Alex Smith wins his second U.S. Open by beating his other brother, Macdonald. <br />
<br />
<b>1911 <br />
<br />
Johnny McDermott signals the end of dominance by Scottish-born professionals in early American golf by becoming the first native to win the U.S. Open. At 19, he's also the youngest winner ever. </b><br />
Englishman Harold Hilton is the first player to win the British and U.S. Amateur in the same year. <br />
The USGA increased yardage for determining par: <br />
Three - up to 225 yards <br />
Four - 225 to 425 yards <br />
Five - 426 to 600 yards <br />
Six - 601 yards and over <br />
<b><br />
1912 <br />
<br />
JOHNNY MCDERMOTT WINS HIS SECOND CONSECUTIVE US OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP IN CHICAGO. </b><br />
<br />
John Ball wins his eighth British Amateur championship - still a record number of victories in a major event. <br />
The USGA introduces a handicap limit of six on entrants for the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
1913 <br />
<br />
Twenty-year-old American amateur Francis Ouimet stages the game's biggest upset, beating English stars Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in a playoff to win the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The resultant headlines spark a surge of interest in the game in America. <br />
Jerry Travers wins his fourth U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
1914 <br />
<br />
Harry Vardon wins his sixth British Open, one more than each of the other two members of the "Great Triumvirate," J.H. Taylor and James Braid. <br />
Walter Hagen, a stylish 21-year-old professional, wins the first of his two U. S. Open titles, leading after every round. <br />
Francis Ouimet becomes the first with career U.S. Open and Amateur titles, beating Jerry Travers in the final of the U.S. Amateur. <br />
<br />
1915 <br />
<br />
Jerry Travers adds the U.S. Open to his four U.S. Amateur crowns, then retires at age 28. <br />
All British and Canadian championships are suspended because of World War I. They resume in Canada in 1919 and Britain in 1920. <br />
<br />
1916 <br />
<br />
The amateur run on the U.S. Open continues. Chick Evans is the third amateur to win in four years, shooting a record 286. He is also the first to capture the U.S. Open and Amateur titles in the same year. <br />
Fourteen-year-old Bobby Jones makes his U.S. Amateur debut, reaching the quarterfinals at Merion Cricket Club. <br />
The Professional Golfers' Association of America is formed in January. In October, Jim Barnes wins the first PGA Championship, taking the $500 first prize. <br />
<br />
1917 <br />
<br />
The USGA championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women's Amateur) and the PGA Championship are suspended in 1917 and 1918 because of World War I. <br />
Bobby Jones, 15, wins the Southern Amateur. <br />
Par yardage is again changed: <br />
Three - up to 250 yards <br />
Four - 251 to 445 yards <br />
Five - 446 to 600 yards <br />
Six - more than 600 yards <br />
<br />
1918 <br />
<br />
George Crump, founder and designer of Pine Valley Golf Club, dies; only 14 holes of the New Jersey course have been completed. The remaining holes open within a few years. <br />
Among the fund-raising tours by professional and amateur golfers for the war effort, the Dixie Kids -- featuring Atlanta teenagers Perry Adair, Watts Gunn, Bobby Jones and Alexa Stirling -- raise $150,000 for the Red Cross. <br />
<br />
1919 <br />
<br />
Pebble Beach Golf Links opens on California's Monterey Peninsula. <br />
The first golf book to use high-speed sequence photography - Picture Analysis of Golf Strokes , by Jim Barnes - is published. <br />
<br />
1920 <br />
<br />
Harry Vardon, 50, competing in his third U.S. Open, plays the last seven holes in even fives to finish second, one stroke behind his English countryman, 43-year-old Ted Ray. Ray becomes the oldest man to win the Open (a record that will stand until 1963). <br />
Alexa Stirling wins her third consecutive Women's Amateur (1916, 1919, 1920 -- the championship wasn't held in 1917 and 1918). <br />
The USGA creates the Green Section for turfgrass research. <br />
The USGA and R&A agree to a standard ball - 1.62 inches in diameter and 1.62 ounces. <br />
<br />
1921 <br />
<br />
Jim Barnes romps to a nine-stroke win in the U.S. Open and President Warren Harding, a USGA Executive Committee member, presents the trophy at Columbia Country Club near Washington, D.C. <br />
Jock Hutchison wins the British Open using deep-grooved irons; they were banned four years later. <br />
<br />
1922 <br />
<br />
A Cinderella story: 20-year-old Gene Sarazen, a sixth-grade dropout from a working-class family, wins the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. <br />
An admission fee ($1) is charged for the first time at the U.S. Open. <br />
Walter Hagen becomes the first American-born player to win the British Open. <br />
Intended for all interested countries, the first Walker Cup match between amateurs from the United States and Great Britain (the only taker) is held at National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y. The United States wins. <br />
Public-course golfers get their own tournament - the USGA's Amateur Public Links Championship. <br />
Glenna Collett wins her first of six U.S. Women's Amateur titles. <br />
Walter Hagen is the first professional to found a golf equipment company under his name. <br />
<br />
1923 <br />
<br />
Winged Foot Golf Club opens, with 36 holes designed by A.W. Tillinghast. Designers like Tillinghast, Alister MacKenzie and Donald Ross make the 1920's the Golden Age of golf architecture. <br />
After several near-misses in the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur, Bobby Jones, 21, claims his first major title by beating Bobby Cruickshank in a playoff for the U.S. Open. <br />
The Texas Open, in its second year, has golf's biggest purse yet - $6,000. Walter Hagen wins. The tournament is part of a growing winter circuit for the professionals. <br />
Gene Sarazen beats Walter Hagen in a classic 38-hole final at the PGA Championship when a tree stops Sarazen's ball from going out of bounds on the deciding hole. <br />
<br />
1924 <br />
<br />
Steel-shafted clubs are permitted in the United States by the USGA as of April 11; the R&A continues to ban their use in Great Britain until 1929. <br />
Bobby Jones wins the first of his five U.S. Amateur titles, at Merion Cricket Club in Ardmore, Pa. <br />
Walter Hagen's unmatched reign begins in the PGA Championship - he wins the first of four consecutive titles. <br />
The USGA introduces sectional qualifying rounds for the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1925 <br />
<br />
Willie Macfarlane shoots a record 67 in the second round of the U.S. Open and goes on to defeat Bobby Jones in a playoff. <br />
The first complete fairway irrigation system is installed at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. <br />
The Havemeyer Trophy, which goes to the U.S. Amateur champion, is destroyed in a fire at Bobby Jones' home club, East Lake, in Atlanta. <br />
<br />
1926 <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones is the first to win the U.S. and British Opens in the same year. <br />
Walter Hagen beats Leo Diegel in the final of the PGA Championship. The night before, when a carousing Hagen is told his opponent had long since gone to bed, he replies, "Yes, but he isn't sleeping." <br />
Walter Hagen wallops Bobby Jones, 12 and 11, in a 72-hole challenge match billed as the "World Championship." <br />
Jess Sweetser is the first American to win the British Amateur since Walter Travis in 1904 - and the first United States native ever. <br />
<br />
1927 <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen wins his fourth consecutive PGA Championship. <br />
The United State Department of Agriculture says it has developed "the perfect putting green grass" -- creeping bent. <br />
Bobby Jones wins the British Open and U.S. Amateur, and publishes Down the Fairway. <br />
The United States whips Great Britain 9-1/2 to 2-1/2, in the inaugural Ryder Cup match at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. <br />
<br />
1928 <br />
<br />
Cypress Point Golf Club opens in Pebble Beach, Calif. <br />
Walter Hagen wins the British Open. He would take his final title in the championship the following year at Muirfield. <br />
Bobby Jones and Glenna Collett continue to dominate amateur golf. Jones wins the U.S. Amateur final by a 10 and 9 margin. Collett claims the Women's Amateur, 13 and 12. <br />
<br />
1929 <br />
<br />
Great Britain evens the fledgling Ryder Cup series by winning on its home turf at Moortown, England. <br />
Twenty-year-old Horton Smith sweeps out of Missouri to win eight professional tournaments, including four in a row in the spring. <br />
The world's two best women amateurs meet in the British Ladies Amateur. Great Britain's Joyce Wethered beats America's Glenna Collett, 3 and 1, at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland, claiming her fourth British title. <br />
The U.S. Amateur goes to the West Coast for the first time, at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Bobby Jones is the victim of a first-round upset. <br />
<br />
1930 <br />
<br />
Bobby Jones wins the Grand Slam - the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Open and British Amateur - then retires at age 28. <br />
Glenna Collett wins her third consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
The onset of the Depression brings a slowdown in golf-course construction, which lasts through the end of World War II. <br />
Seventeen-year-old Ben Hogan registers as a professional at the Texas Open. <br />
<br />
1931 <br />
The USGA mandates use of a larger and lighter ball (1.68 inches and 1.55 ounces). This so-called "balloon ball" is very unpopular, and after only one year the USGA increases the allowed weight to 1.62 ounces, keeping the size at 1.68 inches. Meanwhile, the R&A stays with the 1.62-inch, 1.62-ounce ball. <br />
The concave-faced wedge is banned, but Gene Sarazen perfects his design of the sand wedge, with a wide flange, which will remain legal. <br />
Bobby Jones films a series of instructional movies, How I Play Golf . <br />
Billy Burke is the first to win a U.S. Open using steel shafts. It takes him seventy-two extra holes (two thirty-six-hole playoffs) to beat George Von Elm. <br />
<br />
1932 <br />
Gene Sarazen wins the U.S. Open and British Open, with record scores of 286 and 283, respectively. He finishes the U.S. Open with a record 66. <br />
The first Curtis Cup Match, between women amateurs of the U.S. and Great Britain, is won by the United States, 5-1/2 to 3-1/2. <br />
<br />
1933 <br />
Augusta National Golf Club, founded by Bobby Jones, has its grand opening in January. <br />
Johnny Goodman is the fifth, and most recent, amateur to win the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1934 <br />
Horton Smith wins the first Augusta National Invitational. Its name will be changed to The Masters in 1939. <br />
Lawson Little wins the U.S. Amateur and British Amateur, the "Little Slam," a feat he will repeat in 1935. <br />
England's Henry Cotton ties the British Open record with a 67 in the first round and breaks it with a 65 in the second. His victory is the first by a Briton in eleven years. <br />
Virginia Van Wie wins the U.S. Women's Amateur for the third consecutive year. <br />
Joseph C. Dey, Jr., is appointed Executive Secretary of the USGA. He will hold the post for thirty-four years. <br />
Helen Hicks becomes one of the first women to turn professional. There are no professional tournaments, but she promotes products for Wilson-Western Sporting Goods Company. <br />
<br />
1935 <br />
Gene Sarazen strikes the most famous shot in the history of The Masters - a double eagle on Augusta National's fifteenth hole, which ties Craig Wood during the final round. Sarazen wins the playoff the next day. <br />
Glenna Collett Vare wins her sixth U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
<br />
1936 <br />
Lawson Little turns professional instead of going for a third consecutive U.S. Amateur - British Amateur sweep. <br />
Unheralded Tony Manero closes with a 67 to win the U.S. Open with a record 282. <br />
In winning the U.S. Amateur, Johnny Fischer is the last to capture a national championship using hickory-shafted clubs. <br />
<br />
1937 <br />
Sam Snead bursts onto the professional circuit with five victories. <br />
The first Bing Crosby National Pro-Am is held at Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego. It will move to Pebble Beach in 1947. <br />
Byron Nelson wins The Masters, making up six strokes on fellow Texan Ralph Guldahl on the twelfth and thirteenth holes of the final round. <br />
Denny Shute wins his second consecutive PGA Championship. <br />
The United States wins the Ryder Cup on British soil for the first time. <br />
<br />
1938 <br />
A new USGA Rule limits players to fourteen clubs. Some players (e.g., Lawson Little) have been carrying as many as twenty-five. The Rule is designed to restore shot-making skill. <br />
Sam Snead wins eight tournaments and shatters the earnings record with $19,534. <br />
Ralph Guldahl wins his second consecutive U.S. Open, and third consecutive Western Open. <br />
Patty Berg, twice a runner-up, wins the U.S. Women's Amateur at age twenty. <br />
<br />
1939 <br />
The Ryder Cup is canceled because of the war in Europe. <br />
Byron Nelson wins the U.S. Open in a playoff over Craig Wood and Denny Shute after Sam Snead makes an eight on the seventy-second hole. <br />
<br />
1940 <br />
The Walker Cup is canceled because of the war. The British Open and Amateur are also canceled. <br />
Ben Hogan wins his first individual title, the North & South Open, then takes the next two events as well. <br />
Jimmy Demaret, the most colorful golfer of his generation, wins the first of three Masters titles despite Lloyd Mangrum's tournament-record round of 64. <br />
Ed "Porky" Oliver would have tied for first in the U.S. Open, but he is disqualified from the playoff. While trying to beat a storm, Oliver and five other players start the final round before their scheduled starting times. Lawson Little defeats Gene Sarazen for the title. <br />
Bryon Nelson beats Sam Snead, one up, in a match of titans for the PGA Championship. <br />
<br />
1941 <br />
Craig Wood ends a string of frustrating runner-up finishes in major events by winning both The Masters and the U.S. Open. <br />
The USGA develops a machine for testing golf-ball velocity at impact. Plans for limiting initial velocity are put on hold until after the war. <br />
<br />
1942 <br />
A Rule change authorizes players to stop play on their own initiative if they consider themselves endangered by lightning. <br />
The USGA cancels all its championships for the duration of the war. The PGA of America continues its Tour schedule, though it is an abbreviated one. <br />
The United States government halts the manufacturing of golf equipment. <br />
Sam Snead wins the PGA Championship. He had been granted a delay of several days before induction into the Navy so he could play in the event. <br />
Byron Nelson beats Ben Hogan in a playoff for The Masters. <br />
Ben Hogan wins the Hale America National Open, a charity event for the Navy Relief Fund and the USO. He shoots a second-round 62 en route to a 17-under-par total. <br />
<br />
1943 <br />
The war takes a heavy toll on competitive golf. The PGA Tour is reduced to only three tournaments. There is no PGA Championship. <br />
The Masters is canceled for the duration of the war. <br />
<br />
1944<br />
The PGA Tour is back up to 22 tournaments, though many players remain in military service. <br />
The Tam O'Shanter Open offers a record purse of $42,000 and is won by Byron Nelson, who is exempt from military service because of a blood disorder.<br />
<br />
1945<br />
Byron Nelson wins a record 11 consecutive tournaments from March through August, and 18 during the year. While fields aren't at full strength, Sam Snead and Ben Hogan each are on hand for part of the year.<br />
Ben Hogan sets a 72-hole scoring record with 261; two weeks later, Byron Nelson breaks it with 259.<br />
<br />
1946<br />
Ben Hogan wins 13 PGA Tour events, including the PGA Championship, but loses The Masters and U.S. Open by one stroke. <br />
Sam Snead wins the British Open at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. On passing the course on a train on his way to the championship, Snead declares, "That looks like an old, abandoned golf course." <br />
The first U.S. Women's Open is held, and the only one ever waged at match play. Patty Berg is the champion. <br />
Byron Nelson retires at age 34 after winning six tournaments during the year. <br />
<br />
1947<br />
<br />
The USGA revises and simplifies the Rules of Golf, going from 61 Rules to 21. The R & A doesn't go along, however. <br />
South African Bobby Locke storms onto the PGA Tour with six victories. <br />
The U.S. Open is televised - but only locally - on KSD-TV in St. Louis. <br />
Babe Didrikson Zaharias is the first American to win the British Ladies' Open Amateur. She turns pro later in the year. <br />
Golf World magazine begins publishing.<br />
<br />
1948<br />
<br />
The first U.S. Junior Amateur is played, with Dean Lind beating future U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi in the championship match. <br />
Bobby Locke wins the Chicago Victory National Championship by 16 strokes, establishing a PGA Tour record. <br />
Ben Hogan captures the first of four U.S. Opens with a record score of 276. He also wins the PGA Championship. <br />
Golf Journalmagazine - originally USGA Journal Combining Timely Turf Topics - appears. <br />
African-American professionals Ted Rhodes and Bill Spiller finish in the top 25 at the Los Angeles Open, one of the few tournaments open to African-Americans. They remain excluded from most PGA Tour events under a rule that leaves the decision up to tournament sponsors<br />
<br />
1949 <br />
<br />
Sam Snead wins The Masters by finishing 67-67. Later, he adds the PGA Championship. <br />
Marlene Bauer, 15, wins the inaugural U.S. Girls' Junior Championship, and turns pro later in the year. <br />
The Ladies Professional Golf Association, under dynamic tournament manager Fred Corcoran, replaces the struggling Women's Professional Golf Association. <br />
Louise Suggs wins the U.S. Women's Open by 14 strokes<br />
<br />
1950 <br />
<br />
Ben Hogan returns to the Tour a year after nearly being killed in an automobile accident and wins the U.S. Open at Merion in an 18-hole playoff. <br />
Jimmy Demaret wins his third Masters. <br />
Babe Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open by nine strokes. <br />
Sam Snead wins 11 events on the PGA Tour. <br />
1951 <br />
<br />
The USGA and R&A hold a joint conference and agree on a uniform Rules of Golf worldwide, effective the following year. The only remaining difference is the size of the ball (the R&A permits a diameter of 1.62 inches compared with the USGA's 1.68 inches). The stymie is abolished, center-shafted putters are legalized (in Britain center-shafted putters had been illegal since 1909), and the out-of-bounds penalty is made stroke and distance. <br />
Ben Hogan wins The Masters and a second consecutive U.S. Open. The latter victory comes at Oakland Hills, deemed a "monster" after its redesign by Robert Trent Jones Sr., in 1950. <br />
Golf Digest begins publishing.<br />
<br />
1952<br />
<br />
General Dwight David Eisenhower is elected U.S. President. During his eight years in office, his cottage at Augusta National becomes the "Little White House." <br />
Jack Burke Jr. wins four consecutive events on the PGA Tour, second in history to Byron Nelson's 11. <br />
Patty Berg shoots an LPGA-record 64 in the Richmond Open. <br />
Julius Boros captures the U.S. Open. He also wins the biggest first-place prize, $25,000, at the World Championship.<br />
<br />
1953<br />
<br />
Ben Hogan takes the three majors he enters - The Masters, U.S. Open and British Open. It is his fourth U.S. Open title. <br />
The first nationally televised tournament, the World Championship, ends with a moment of high drama when Lew Worsham holes out from 135 yards to eagle the final hole and win by one. <br />
Tommy Armour's popular instruction book, How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time, published .<br />
<br />
1954 <br />
The U.S. Open is televised nationally for the first time. Also new - the holes are roped for gallery control. <br />
Babe Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open by twelve strokes a year after undergoing cancer surgery. <br />
Sam Snead beats Ben Hogan in a playoff to win The Masters after amateur Billy Joe Patton falters on the final nine holes of regulation play. <br />
The World Championship has the first $100,000 purse, with $50,000 going to the winner - five times more than the next largest first prize. Bob Toski earns the windfall. <br />
<br />
1955 <br />
Unheralded Jack Fleck stuns Ben Hogan with his U.S. Open playoff win at The Olympic Club. <br />
Arnold Palmer scores his first professional victory in the Canadian Open. <br />
Life Magazine pays Ben Hogan $20,000 for a cover story revealing the "secret" he discovered nine years earlier which rid him of a hook. <br />
<br />
1956 <br />
Jack Burke, Jr., makes up an eight-stroke deficit on amateur Ken Venturi to win The Masters. Burke also takes the PGA Championship. <br />
Australian Peter Thomson wins his third consecutive British Open. <br />
Cary Middlecoff captures his second U.S. Open title. <br />
Yardage for guidance in computing par are increased to current levels: <br />
Three - up to 250 yards <br />
Four - 251 to 470 yards <br />
Five - 471 yards and over <br />
<br />
1957 <br />
Jackie Pung finishes as the apparent winner of the U.S. Women's Open, but is disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard. Betsy Rawls takes the title. <br />
Bobby Locke wins his fourth British Open with a record tying 279. <br />
Great Britain triumphs in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1933. <br />
Ben Hogan publishes an instructional classic: Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf . <br />
Charlie Sifford wins the Long Beach Open, an event "cosponsored" by the PGA. <br />
<br />
1958 <br />
A new USGA system provides just one handicap for golfers, not "current" and "basic." <br />
Arnold Palmer wins his first of four Masters titles. <br />
At age twenty-three Mickey Wright sweeps the U.S. Women's Open and LPGA Championship. <br />
The PGA Championship changes from match play to stroke play. Dow Finsterwald claims the title. <br />
The USGA and R&A organize the World Amateur Golf Council, and hold the first World Amateur Team Championship at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Bobby Jones serves as captain of the American squad. <br />
<br />
1959 <br />
Mickey Wright wins her second consecutive U.S. Women's Open. <br />
Bill Wright becomes the first African-American player to take a national championship, claiming the U.S. Amateur Public Links. <br />
Nineteen-year-old Jack Nicklaus captures first of two U.S. Amateur titles. <br />
Betsy Rawls wins 10 LPGA tournaments. <br />
<br />
1960 <br />
Arnold Palmer, golf's most popular player, has his greatest year. He wins The Masters with birdies on the last two holes, the U.S. Open with a final-round 65, finishes second in the British Open, and wins eight PGA Tour events. <br />
Betsy Rawls wins her fourth U.S. Women's Open.<br />
<br />
1961 <br />
Mickey Wright wins three majors - the U.S. Women's Open, LPGA Championship, and the Titleholders - and 10 events in all. <br />
The PGA of America drops the Caucasians-only clause from its constitution, allowing African-Americans to become members. <br />
Arnold Palmer wins the British Open; his appearances in the event starting in 1960 convince more American players to make the trip. <br />
Jerry Barber sinks monster putts of 40 and 60 feet on the last two holes to tie Don January for the PGA Championship; Barber then wins the 18-hole playoff by a stroke. <br />
Anne Quast Sander wins the U.S. Women's Amateur by a record 14 and 13 margin over Phyllis Preuss. <br />
There are now 5 million golfers in the United States, according to the National Golf Foundation.<br />
<br />
1962 <br />
Rookie professional Jack Nicklaus beats hometown favorite Arnold Palmer to win the U.S. Open in a playoff at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh. <br />
Arnold Palmer wins The Masters, British Open, and seven PGA Tour events. <br />
Mickey Wright wins 10 tournaments for the second consecutive year. <br />
For the first time, water hazards are marked with painted lines at the U.S. Open. <br />
<br />
1963 <br />
Arnold Palmer is the first player to surpass $100,000 in earnings in a single year. <br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters and PGA Championship. <br />
At the age of 20 years, 6 months, Ray Floyd is the youngest player to win a PGA Tour event (the St. Petersburg Open) since 1928. <br />
New Zealand's Bob Charles becomes the only left-hander to win one of the four major championships, claiming the British Open. <br />
Mickey Wright wins 13 events on the LPGA Tour. <br />
Clubmakers are experimenting with the casting method for making irons, enabling them to create a larger "sweet spot" than forged blades offer. <br />
<br />
1964 <br />
Pete Brown becomes the first African-American to win an "official" PGA Tournament, taking the Waco Turner Open. <br />
Ken Venturi wins the U.S. Open despite suffering from heat prostration during a 36-hole final day at Congressional Country Club outside Washington, D.C. <br />
Mickey Wright wins her fourth U.S. Open, one of 11 tournaments she captures during the year. <br />
Bobby Nichols wins the PGA Championship with a 72-hole total of 271. <br />
Arnold Palmer, for the fourth time, wins The Masters. <br />
<br />
1965 <br />
Sam Snead earns his 81st and final PGA Tour victory in the Greater Greensboro Open, while becoming the Tour's oldest winner ever at 52 years, 10 months. <br />
The U.S. Amateur changes from match play to stroke play. The U.S. Open is held over four days instead of three; no more 36 holes on the final day. <br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters by nine strokes with a record 271 total. Tournament host Bobby Jones says Nicklaus "plays a game with which I am not familiar." <br />
Gary Player joins Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen to become the third player in history to win all four majors when he captures the U.S. Open. The South African is the first foreign winner of the Open in 45 years. He donates his winners check back to the USGA in support of junior golf. <br />
Peter Thomson earns his fifth British Open. <br />
<br />
1966 <br />
Billy Casper wins the U.S. Open in a playoff after Arnold Palmer drops a seven-stroke lead over the last nine holes of regulation at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. <br />
Jack Nicklaus takes his third Masters in four years and second in a row. He also is the British Open champion, becoming the fourth player to win all four major events. <br />
<br />
1967 <br />
Jack Nicklaus takes the U.S. Open with a record total of 275 at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey. <br />
Catherine Lacoste of France becomes the only amateur to win the U.S. Women's Open. <br />
Forty-five-year-old Charlie Sifford wins the Greater Hartford Open. <br />
<br />
1968 <br />
Croquet-style putting, recently employed by Sam Snead, is ruled illegal by the USGA. <br />
The Tournament Players Division is created within the PGA. <br />
Roberto De Vicenzo loses The Masters when he signs an incorrect scorecard for one stroke higher than he actually shot. He would have been in an 18-hole playoff with Bob Goalby, who is declared the winner. <br />
Lee Trevino is the first player to break 70 for all four rounds in a U.S. Open, winning with a record-tying 275 total. <br />
Forty-eight-year-old Julius Boros is the oldest player to claim a major title, winning the PGA Championship. <br />
Jo Anne Gunderson Carner wins her fifth U.S. Women's Amateur. <br />
Arnold Palmer becomes the first player to top $1 million in career earnings. <br />
Kathy Whitworth and Carol Mann each win 10 tournaments on the LPGA Tour.<br />
<br />
1969 <br />
Jo Anne Carner is the last amateur to win an LPGA Tour event, the Burdine's Invitational. <br />
Tony Jacklin is the first homebred player to win the British Open in 18 years. <br />
<br />
1970 <br />
Mickey Wright retires from full-time competition at age 34, while Jo Anne Carner turns professional at age 30 after an outstanding amateur career. <br />
England's Tony Jacklin wins the U.S. Open. <br />
Jack Nicklaus wins the British Open in a playoff after Doug Sanders misses a 3-foot putt on the 72nd green. <br />
Lanny Wadkins beats Tom Kite by one stroke to win the U.S. Amateur. <br />
1971 <br />
<br />
Lee Trevino becomes the first player to win the U.S., British, and Canadian Open with his three victories in a four-week stretch. Tiger Woods would match that feat in 2000. <br />
Astronaut Alan Shepard takes the game to new frontiers by hitting a 6-iron shot during a walk on the moon. <br />
With his PGA Championship victory, Jack Nicklaus becomes the first player to win all the majors twice. <br />
The number of golfers in the U.S. has doubled in the last 10 years - there are now 10 million. <br />
<br />
1972 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins The Masters and U.S. Open, then is thwarted in his bid for the Grand Slam by Lee Trevino in the British Open. <br />
The Colgate-Dinah Shore Winners Circle debuts on the LPGA Tour, offering the first six-figure purse in women's golf -- $110,000. <br />
Spalding introduces the two-piece Top-Flite ball, constructed with a solid core inside a durable synthetic cover. <br />
Title IX legislation is passed by Congress, forcing colleges to provide more opportunities for female athletes. The expansion of women's college golf increases the talent pool of the LPGA Tour. <br />
Carolyn Cudone wins her fifth consecutive USGA Senior Women's Amateur, a record for any USGA event. <br />
<br />
1973 <br />
<br />
Johnny Miller becomes the U.S. Open Champion, firing a record 63 in the final round at Oakmont. <br />
Tom Weiskopf takes five tournaments, including the British Open, in a two-month stretch. <br />
Gene Sarazen, age 71, scores an ace on the "Postage Stamp" hole during the British Open at Royal Troon. <br />
Ben Crenshaw bursts onto the PGA Tour by winning his first event as a member, the San Antonio Texas Open. <br />
The U.S. Amateur returns to match play; the winner is Craig Stadler. <br />
Kathy Whitworth is the LPGA Player of the Year for the seventh time in eight years. <br />
The graphite shaft is introduced. <br />
<br />
1974 <br />
<br />
Johnny Miller wins eight PGA Tour events. <br />
Deane Beman becomes Commissioner of the PGA Tour. <br />
The Tournament Players Championship makes its debut. <br />
The Muirfield Village Golf Club, designed by Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead, opens near Nicklaus' hometown of Columbus, Ohio. <br />
Sandra Haynie sweeps the U.S. Women's Open and LPGA Championship. <br />
<br />
1975 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus wins his fifth Masters in a classic battle with Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller. Nicklaus also takes his fourth PGA Championship. <br />
Lee Elder becomes the first African-American to play in The Masters. <br />
Nineteen-year-old Amy Alcott wins in just her third LPGA Tour event. <br />
<br />
1976 <br />
<br />
Ray Floyd wins The Masters with a record tying 271 total. <br />
Judy Rankin, with $150,734 in earnings, becomes the first LPGA Tour player to earn more than $100,000 in a season. <br />
The USGA adopts the Overall Distance Standard for golf balls, limiting them to 280 yards under standard test conditions. <br />
Jack Nicklaus leads the PGA Tour in earnings for the eighth and final time. <br />
<br />
1977 <br />
<br />
Al Geiberger is the first PGA Tour player to break 60, shooting a 59 in the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. <br />
Tom Watson hits the big time, besting Jack Nicklaus in both The Masters and the British Open. Watson's 268 sets a British Open record. <br />
The U.S. Open is the first American golf event to provide television coverage of all 18 holes. <br />
A major championship is decided by sudden death for the first time when Lanny Wadkins beats Gene Littler in the PGA Championship at Pebble Beach. <br />
<br />
1978 <br />
<br />
Nancy Lopez gives the LPGA Tour a boost by winning five tournaments in a row, and nine in all, during her first full season. <br />
Gary Player takes his third Masters by shooting a 64 in the final round, then wins the next two events as well. <br />
Jack Nicklaus's third British Open title gives him at least three wins in all four majors. <br />
The Legends of Golf debuts, an event that will lead to the birth of the Senior Tour (now called the Champions Tour). <br />
<br />
1979 <br />
<br />
TaylorMade introduces its first metal wood. In the next decade, metal woods will become predominant. <br />
The USGA plants a tree overnight at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio to block a shortcut taken by several players in the first round of the U.S. Open. <br />
Sixty-seven-year-old Sam Snead shoots a 66 during the Quad Cities Open. <br />
Twenty-two-year-old Seve Ballesteros wins the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. <br />
<br />
1980 <br />
<br />
Jack Nicklaus captures the U.S. Open (his fourth) and PGA Championship (his fifth) at age 40. He shoots a U.S. Open record 272 in the Open at Baltusrol and ties the 18-hole record with a 63. <br />
The USGA adds the U.S. Senior Open to its list of Championships. Roberto De Vicenzo is the inaugural Champion. <br />
Tom Watson leads the PGA Tour money list for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year. He wins six U.S. events and the British Open. <br />
The Tournament Players Club at Sawgrass, designed by Pete Dye, opens near Jacksonville, Fla. It is the first "stadium course," and the first course of the PGA Tour's TPC network. <br />
The USGA introduces the golf ball Symmetry Standard to the Rules of Golf.<br />
<br />
1981 <br />
<br />
Kathy Whitworth is the first woman golfer to top $1million in career earnings. <br />
The USGA adds the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship for players 25 and older, an event in which career amateurs won't have to face college golfers, who often dominate the U.S. Amateur. <br />
Tom Kite finishes in the top 10 in 21 of 26 tournaments and leads the PGA Tour money list. <br />
<br />
1982 <br />
<br />
Tom Watson takes his only U.S. Open, chipping in on the 71st hole to beat Jack Nicklaus at Pebble Beach. <br />
Juli Inkster takes her third consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur, the first to accomplish this feat in 48 years. <br />
Kathy Whitworth breaks Mickey Wright's record for career LPGA victories by winning her 83rd event. She will later take five more. <br />
Jan Stephenson wins the LPGA Championship, and the next year, the U.S. Women's Open. <br />
<br />
1983 <br />
<br />
For the fifth time, Tom Watson is the British Open champion. <br />
<br />
1984 <br />
<br />
Golf instruction videotapes begin to hit the market. <br />
Hollis Stacy takes her third U.S. Women's Open to go with her three U. S. Girls' Junior titles. <br />
Forty-year-old Lee Trevino is the PGA titleholder, giving him two U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA titles. <br />
<br />
1985 <br />
<br />
The USGA introduces the Slope System to adjust handicaps according to the difficulty of the course being played. <br />
Europe beats the U.S. in the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1957 (the Great Britain and Ireland team was expanded to include all of Europe in 1979). Two years later, the European team wins for the first time on U.S. soil. <br />
T.C. Chen drops a four-stroke lead in the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills by double-hitting a chip shot and making a quadruple bogey on the fifth hole. Andy North wins the championship. <br />
<br />
1986 <br />
<br />
Forty-six-year-old Jack Nicklaus wins his sixth Masters and 18th professional major. <br />
Forty-three-year-old Ray Floyd wins the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y., the first Open played at the club in 90 years. <br />
Bob Tway holes out from a greenside bunker on the 72nd hole to break a tie and beat Greg Norman in the PGA Championship. <br />
Pat Bradley wins three LPGA majors - the Nabisco Dinah Shore, LPGA Championship, and du Maurier Classic. <br />
Greg Norman wins nine events worldwide (two in the U.S., three in Europe, and four in Australia). <br />
There are now 20 million golfers and 12,384 courses in the U.S. <br />
<br />
1987 <br />
<br />
Larry Mize beats Greg Norman in a sudden-death playoff at The Masters by holing a 100-foot pitch on the second extra hole. <br />
Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected to the USGA Executive Committee. <br />
The PGA Tour tops $30 million in prize money; the new season-ending Nabisco Championship is the first $2 million event. <br />
Nick Faldo pars all 18 holes of the final round in the British Open to win his first major. <br />
Craig Stadler is disqualified from the Shearson Lehman Brothers Andy Williams San Diego Open for kneeling on a towel to play a shot, then signing an incorrect scorecard. <br />
<br />
1988 <br />
<br />
Mary Bea Porter interrupts her qualifying round for the LPGA's Standard Register Classic to resuscitate a boy who had fallen into a nearby swimming pool. <br />
Seve Ballesteros wins his third British Open - one of seven victories during the year in seven different countries. <br />
Curtis Strange becomes the first player to collect $1 million in season earnings on the PGA Tour. <br />
The groove wars begin. The USGA rules that Ping Eye2 irons don't conform to the Rules because the grooves are too close together. Karsten Manufacturing, maker of Ping, files suit. A settlement will be reached in 1990 under which new Pings are modified to conform and existing Pings are deemed acceptable.<br />
<br />
1989 <br />
<br />
The PGA Tour announces it will ban square-groove irons next year, but Karsten Manufacturing wins a court injunction against the move. Four years later, in an out-of-court settlement, the Tour reverses itself and permits square grooves. <br />
Curtis Strange wins his second consecutive U.S. Open, the first to do so since Ben Hogan (1950 and 1951). <br />
<br />
1990 <br />
<br />
After a controversy at the PGA Championship site Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., the PGA of America and PGA Tour announce they will not play tournaments at clubs that have no African-American or women members. <br />
Robert Gamez beats Greg Norman in the Nestle Invitational by holing a seven-iron from 176 yards on the 72nd hole. <br />
Hale Irwin, at age 45, becomes the oldest U.S. Open winner. <br />
Nick Faldo becomes the first player since Jack Nicklaus (1965 and 1966) to capture consecutive Masters titles. He also wins the British Open. <br />
Phil Mickelson sweeps the U.S. Amateur and NCAA Championship, a feat not accomplished since Jack Nicklaus. <br />
The R&A adopts the American-sized ball (1.68 inches) as standard all over the world. <br />
<br />
1991 <br />
<br />
Long-hitting rookie John Daly overpowers the field in the PGA Championship, after making the field as an alternate. <br />
Amateur Phil Mickelson wins the PGA Tour's Northern Telecom Open at age 20. <br />
Chip Beck shoots a 59 during the Las Vegas Invitational to tie Al Geiberger's PGA Tour record. <br />
Payne Stewart claims the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in a playoff with Scott Simpson. <br />
<br />
1992 <br />
<br />
Fred Couples' victory at The Masters puts him over $1million in earnings in the second week of April. <br />
The PGA Tour tops $50 million in purses; the LPGA and Senior Tours both go over $20 million. <br />
Ray Floyd, at age 49, wins the Doral Ryder Open 29 years after his first PGA Tour victory. Later in the year, he wins on the Senior Tour. <br />
Betsy King wins the LPGA Championship by 11 strokes with a 72-hole record 267. <br />
John F. Merchant, a Connecticut attorney, is the first African-American elected to the USGA Executive Committee. <br />
Nick Faldo captures his third British Open.<br />
<br />
1993 <br />
<br />
Bernard Langer wins his second Masters. <br />
Greg Norman wins his second British Open. Norman's 267 total sets a British Open record. <br />
For the third consecutive year, Tiger Woods is the U.S. Junior Amateur champion. No other player has repeated in the event. <br />
Sarah LeBrun Ingram becomes the first player to take the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur Championship twice. The event began in 1987. <br />
<br />
1994 <br />
<br />
Nick Price wins the British Open at Turnberry, aided by a final-round eagle on the 17th hole. <br />
Tim Finchem succeeds Deane Beman as Commissioner of the PGA Tour. <br />
Arnold Palmer bids farewell to the U.S. Open in a stirring march up the 18th fairway at Oakmont. <br />
Patty Sheehan wins the U.S. Women's Open at Indianwood, her second in three years. <br />
Nick Price wins his second major of the year -- the PGA Championship at Southern Hills. <br />
<br />
1995 <br />
<br />
Corey Pavin claims the USGA's Centennial U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. <br />
Ben Crenshaw wins The Masters just days after the death of his mentor and teacher Harvey Penick. <br />
Tiger Woods wins his second consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship, held at Newport (R.I.) Country Club. <br />
At St. Andrews, John Daly captures the British Open, his second career major. <br />
The European team wins the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill by the margin of 14½-13½. <br />
<br />
1996 <br />
<br />
Judy Bell becomes the first woman elected President of the USGA. <br />
Nick Faldo overtakes Greg Norman to win The Masters. <br />
Tiger Woods wins his third consecutive U.S. Amateur Championship at Pumpkin Ridge. Later, he joins the PGA Tour, wins twice, and earns Rookie of the Year honors. <br />
Tom Watson wins the Memorial Tournament - his first victory in nine years. <br />
Kelli Kuehne wins her second consecutive U.S. Women's Amateur title, and later adds the British Ladies Open Amateur. <br />
Annika Sorenstam wins her second consecutive Women's Open Championship, held at Pine Needles. <br />
<br />
1997 <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods wins The Masters in record fashion, with an 18-under-par total and a 12-stroke margin of victory. <br />
Ernie Els wins the U.S. Open at Congressional, his second in four years. <br />
The first Ryder Cup is held on Continental European soil, at Valderrama in Spain. The European team wins. <br />
Justin Leonard wins the British Open at Royal Troon, carding a final-round 65. <br />
Jack Nicklaus competes in the U.S. Open at Congressional -- his 150th consecutive major championship. <br />
<br />
1998 <br />
<br />
Lee Janzen wins his second U.S. Open title of the 90's at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif. <br />
Casey Martin is awarded the right to ride in a golf cart at the U.S. Open. <br />
Mark O'Meara, at age 41, becomes the oldest player to win The Masters and the British Open in the same year. <br />
Vijay Singh, with a victory at the PGA Championship, wins his first major; it is the first major championship claimed by a player from Fiji. <br />
Se Ri Pak, a 19-year-old phenom from Korea, captivates the LPGA Tour with major wins at the U.S. Women's Open and the LPGA Championship. <br />
<br />
1999 <br />
<br />
Thirteen-year-old Aree Wongluekiet becomes the youngest winner in USGA history by capturing the Girls' Junior championship at Green Spring Valley Hunt Club. <br />
The U.S. wins the Ryder Cup in dramatic comeback at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. <br />
Paul Lawrie, a native of Scotland, wins the British Open in a three-way playoff when Frenchman Jean Van de Velde collapses on the 72nd hole. <br />
Jose Maria Olazabal wins his second Masters. <br />
The U.S. Senior Open attracts record crowds of over 250,000 in Des Moines, Iowa. <br />
Payne Stewart wins his second U.S. Open title at Pinehurst, sinking a dramatic par putt on the 72nd hole. Tragically, he perishes along with five others in a plane crash four months later. <br />
Juli Inkster smashes the U.S. Women's Open scoring record at Old Waverly. Later in the year, with a victory in the Safeway LPGA Golf Championship, she earns entry into the LPGA Hall of Fame. <br />
The USGA implements testing protocol for "spring-like" effect in metal woods. <br />
<br />
2000 <br />
<br />
The USGA celebrates the 100th playing of the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, and U.S. Women's Amateur, as well as the 75th playing of the U.S. Amateur Public Links. <br />
Shigeki Maruyama cards a 58 in sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open. <br />
At 10 years of age, Michelle Wie becomes the youngest player to compete in a USGA women's amateur competition when she qualifies for the Women's Amateur Public Links in Aberdeen, N.C. <br />
Tiger Woods rolls to a record 15-stroke victory at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links. It is Woods' first Open title and his seventh USGA championship. He would go on to win the season's final two major championships, the British Open at St. Andrews and the PGA Championship at Valhalla, becoming the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in a year. <br />
By defeating Anna Schultz, 3 and 2, in the final of the Women's Mid-Amateur, Ellen Port becomes only the second player in the championship's history to win three Women's Mid-Amateur titles, joining Sarah LeBrun Ingram. <br />
<br />
2001 <br />
<br />
Tiger Woods is the first player to hold all four professional-major titles at one time when he captures The Masters in April. It becomes known as the "The Tiger Slam." <br />
Retief Goosen of South Africa wins the U.S. Open at Southern Hills in an 18-hole playoff over Mark Brooks. <br />
Karrie Webb rolls to an eight-shot victory at the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles and joins six others (Mickey Wright, Donna Caponi, Susie Maxwell Berning, Hollis Stacy, Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam) as back-to-back winners of this championship. <br />
Annika Sorenstam becomes the first female golfer to ever shoot a 59 in an LPGA event, achieving the feat at the Standard Register PING in Phoenix, Ariz. <br />
Christina Kim registers the lowest 18-hole score in any USGA championship when she fires a 62 in the second round of stroke-play qualifying at the U.S. Girls' Junior at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan. <br />
James Vargas establishes a U.S. Junior 36-hole stroke-play scoring record of 132 at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, Texas. <br />
Meredith Duncan outlasts Nicole Perrot in a 37-hole thriller for the U.S. Women's Amateur title at Flint Hills National Golf Club in Wichita, Kan. The loss prevented Perrot from becoming the first golfer to capture the U.S. Girls' Junior and Women's Amateur in the same year. <br />
In the first 36-hole final in U.S. Mid-Amateur history, Tim Jackson defeats George Zahringer, 1 up, at San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif. <br />
The Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team registers a 15-9 victory over the USA squad at Ocean Forest Golf Club. It's the first time the GB&I squad had posted consecutive victories over the USA in the 79-year history of the Match. <br />
Kemp Richardson joins his later father, John, as the only father-son duo to capture a USGA championship, when he defeats Bill Ploeger, 2 and 1, for the USGA Senior Amateur crown at Norwood Hills Country Club in St. Louis, Mo. John Richardson also won the Senior Amateur title in 1987 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pa.<br />
<br />
2002 <br />
For the first time ever, the U.S. Open is held at a publicly owned facility (Bethpage State Park's Black Course). Tiger Woods wins the title by three strokes over Phil Mickelson and is the only player in the field to finish under par (-3). <br />
Ernie Els ends Tiger Woods' hopes for a Grand Slam by taking the British Open at Muirfield in a playoff over Steve Elkington, Thomas Levet and Stuart Appleby. Woods had won the Masters and U.S. Open titles. <br />
Juli Inkster returns to the site of her first Women's Amateur championship (Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan.) and fires a final-round 66 to beat Annika Sorenstam by two strokes for her second U.S. Women's Open title. Inkster joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win a U.S. Amateur and Open at the same course. <br />
Carol Semple Thompson, playing in her record 12th Curtis Cup Match, sinks a 27-foot birdie putt from the fringe at the 18th hole to secure the USA's 11-7 victory over Great Britain and Ireland. The dramatic putt was fitting since the Match was played in Thompson's hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., at the Fox Chapel Golf Club. It was also Thompson's 18th victory in Curtis Cup play, another record. <br />
George Zahringer, at 49, becomes the oldest player to win the U.S. Mid-Amateur title, when he defeats Jerry Courville Jr., 3 and 2, at his home course, The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn. <br />
Carol Semple Thompson, en route to winning her fourth consecutive USGA Senior Women's Amateur championship at Mid-Pines Inn and Golf Club in Southern Pines, N.C., establishes a consecutive match-play winning streak record of 24. <br />
<br />
2003 <br />
<br />
Michelle Wie, 13, becomes the youngest champion of an adult USGA championship when she defeats Virada Nirapathponporn in the final of the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship at Ocean Hammock Golf Club in Palm Coast, Fla. <br />
Jim Furyk establishes a 54-hole U.S. Open scoring record of 200 en route to a three-stroke victory over Stephen Leaney. Furyk's 72-hole total of 272 tied an Open mark held by Jack Nicklaus, Lee Janzen and Tiger Woods. <br />
Hilary Lunke outlasts Angela Stanford and Kelly Robbins in an 18-hole playoff for the U.S. Women's Open title. Lunke becomes the first player since Annika Sorenstam in 1995 to make the Women's Open her first professional victory. Lunke also is the first champion to have won by going through local and sectional qualifying.William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-3122033344319433592011-11-10T07:52:00.000-08:002011-11-10T08:00:47.540-08:00Golf House & USGA Museum at Far Hills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7l8G0UjLxNS7k5mW1y3IyVJy2JITTe3YRy_N8naVLlxYdg0ZnlQ4mI3sJpwfDLWlS6l0EuatQ7qO9lfqveLrQT9ZUZRUdj9R6kBwCnS5G9LOGQUqx6cklkR0rYW9SaR8oCePlg18kynW/s1600/1000-02300e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="367" width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7l8G0UjLxNS7k5mW1y3IyVJy2JITTe3YRy_N8naVLlxYdg0ZnlQ4mI3sJpwfDLWlS6l0EuatQ7qO9lfqveLrQT9ZUZRUdj9R6kBwCnS5G9LOGQUqx6cklkR0rYW9SaR8oCePlg18kynW/s400/1000-02300e.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The foundation of the United States Golf Association on Dec. 22, 1894 marked the formal organization of American golf, establishing a centralized body to write the Rules, conduct national championships and establish a national system of handicapping. The USGA also plays a prominent role as the game's historian in the United States, collecting, displaying and preserving artifacts and memorabilia at its Museum and Archives in Far Hills, N.J. <br />
<br />
The USGA HQ was at Golf House in New York City (Left) until it moved to Far Hills, NJ.<br />
<br />
About the USGA <br />
<br />
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico. The USGA annually conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open, U.S. Senior Open and 10 national amateur championships. It also conducts two state team championships and helps conduct the Walker Cup Match, Curtis Cup Match and World Amateur Team Championships.<br />
<br />
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System®, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $65 million over 13 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.<br />
<br />
The USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History showcases the nation’s largest and most significant collection of golf artifacts and documents. The interactive multimedia exhibits tell the story of the game’s development in the United States, highlighting the greatest moments in the game’s history, with a particular focus on United States Golf Association champions and championships. Visitors also have the opportunity to tour the USGA Research and Test Center and play a round on the Pynes Putting Course. For more information about the USGA Museum, or to visit the Museum in Somerset County, N.J., visit the Museum Web site at www.usgamuseum.com or call (908) 234-2300.<br />
<br />
About The PGA of America <br />
<br />
Since 1916, The PGA of America's mission has been twofold; to establish and elevate the standards of the profession and to grow interest and participation in the game of golf. By establishing and elevating the standards of the golf profession through world-class education, career services, marketing and research programs, the Association enables PGA Professionals to maximize their performance in their respective career paths and showcases them as experts in the game and in the multi-billion dollar golf industry.<br />
<br />
By creating and delivering dramatic world-class championships and exciting and enjoyable golf promotions that are viewed as the best of their class in the golf industry, The PGA of America elevates the public’s interest in the game, the desire to play more golf, and ensures accessibility to the game for everyone, everywhere. The PGA of America brand represents the very best in golf.<br />
<br />
The United States Golf Association <br />
P.O. Box 708 <br />
Far Hills, N.J. 07931 <br />
908-234-2300 Fax: 908-234-9687 <br />
<br />
Frequent Q & A <br />
By Dr. Rand Jerris <br />
<br />
What is the origin of the word 'golf?' <br />
<br />
The word 'golf' is not an acronym for anything. Rather, it derives linguistically from the Dutch word 'kolf' or 'kolve,' meaning quite simply 'club.' In the Scottish dialect of the late 14th or early 15th century, the Dutch term became 'goff' or 'gouff,' and only later in the 16th century 'golf.'<br />
<br />
The linguistic connections between the Dutch and Scottish terms are but one reflection of what was a very active trade industry between the Dutch ports and the ports on the east coast of Scotland from the 14th through 17th centuries.<br />
<br />
Some scholars suggest that the Dutch game of 'kolf,' played with a stick and ball on frozen canals in the wintertime, was brought by the Dutch sailors to the east coast of Scotland, where it was transferred on to the public linkslands and eventually became the game we know today. <br />
<br />
How did the terms 'birdie' and 'eagle' come into golf? <br />
<br />
The term 'birdie' originated in the United States in 1899. H.B. Martin's "Fifty Years of American Golf" contains an account of a foursomes match played at the Atlantic City (N.J.) CC. One of the players, Ab Smith relates: "my ball... came to rest within six inches of the cup. I said 'That was a bird of a shot... I suggest that when one of us plays a hole in one under par he receives double compensation.' The other two agreed and we began right away, just as soon as the next one came, to call it a 'birdie.' In 19th century American slang, 'bird' refereed to anyone or anything excellent or wonderful.<br />
<br />
By analogy with 'birdie,' the term 'eagle' soon thereafter became common to refer to a score one better than a 'bird.' Also by analogy, the term 'albatross' for double eagle - an even bigger eagle!<br />
<br />
What is the origin of the word 'bogey?' <br />
<br />
The term 'bogey' comes from a song that was popular in the British Isles in the early 1890s, called "The Bogey Man" (later known as "The Colonel Bogey March"). The character of the song was an elusive figure who hid in the shadows: "I'm the Bogey Man, catch me if you can."<br />
<br />
Golfers in Scotland and England equated the quest for the elusive Bogey Man with the quest for the elusive perfect score. By the mid to late 1890s, the term 'bogey score' referred to the ideal score a good player could be expected to make on a hole under perfect conditions. It also came to be used to describe stroke play tournaments - hence, in early Rules books we find a section detailing the regulations for 'Bogey Competitions.' It was only in the late 1900s/early 1910s that the concept of 'Par' started to emerge - this being the designated number of strokes a scratch player could be expected to take on a hole in ideal conditions. In this way par was distinguished from bogey. The term par itself is a standard term in sports handicapping, where it simply means 'level' or 'even.'<br />
<br />
What are the origins of the term 'dormie?' <br />
<br />
Historically, the term dormie is derived from the French/Latin cognate 'dormir,' meaning 'to sleep,' suggesting that a player who is 'dormie' can relax (literally, go to sleep) without fear of losing the match.<br />
<br />
Why do golfers shout 'Fore!' when they hit an errant shot? <br />
<br />
The word 'fore' is Scottish in origin, and is a shortened version of the word 'before' or 'afore.' The old Scottish warning, essentially meaning "look out ahead," most probably originated in military circles, where it was used by artillery men as a warning to troops in forward positions. Golfers as early as the 18th century simply adopted this military warning cry for use on the links.<br />
<br />
What is the definition of a 'links' course? <br />
<br />
'Links' is a term that refers to a very specific geographic land form found in Scotland. Such tracts of low-lying, seaside land are characteristically sandy, treeless, and undulating, often with lines of dunes or dune ridges, and covered by bent grass and gorse. To be a true links, the tract of land must lie near the mouth of a river - that is, in an estuarine environment. From the Middle Ages onward, linksland (generally speaking, poor land for farming) were common grounds used for sports, including archery, bowls and golf.<br />
<br />
Because many of the early courses of Scotland were built on these common linksland, golf courses and links have forever been associated. The term 'links' is commonly misapplied to refer to any golf course. But remember that a true links depends only on geography.<br />
<br />
What is the origin of the popular golf game called 'skins?' <br />
<br />
As a format of golf gambling, 'skins' has been around for decades, but really only became popular after the creation of "The Skins Game" in the 1980s. In other parts of the country, 'skins' is also known as 'cats,' 'scats,' 'skats,' or 'syndicates.' Of these, 'syndicates' seems to be the oldest term, going back at least to the 1950s, and possibly earlier. It has been suggested that 'skins,' 'scats,' etc. are simply shortened, simplified versions of the term 'syndicates.'<br />
<br />
Why are there 18 holes on a golf course? <br />
<br />
The links at St. Andrews occupy a narrow strip of land along the sea. As early as the 15th century, golfers at St. Andrews established a customary route through the undulating terrain, playing to holes whose locations were dictated by topography. The course that emerged featured eleven holes, laid out end to end from the clubhouse to the far end of the property. One played the holes out, turned around, and played the holes in, for a total of 22 holes. In 1764, several of the holes were deemed too short, and were therefore combined. The number was thereby reduced from 11 to nine, so that a complete round of the links comprised 18 holes.<br />
<br />
When golf clubs in the UK formally recognized the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews as the rule-making body for the sport in the late 1890s, it became necessary for many clubs to expand or reduce the length of their course to eighteen holes. Prior to this time, courses ranged in length from six holes to upward of 20 holes. However, if golfers were to play by the official R&A rules, then their appointed round would consist of 18 holes.<br />
<br />
Where does the word 'mulligan' come from? <br />
<br />
There is considerable debate about this topic, to say the least. There are several clubs and several people who have staked claims about the origin of the term 'mulligan.'<br />
The story most widely accepted focuses on a gentleman named David Mulligan who played at the St. Lambert CC in Montreal, Canada during the 1920s. There are several versions of the David Mulligan story.<br />
<br />
Mr. Mulligan was a hotelier in the first half of the century, a part-owner and manager of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, as well as several large Canadian hotels. One story says that the first mulligan was an impulsive sort of event - that one day Mulligan hit a very long drive off the first tee, just not straight, and acting on impulse re-teed and hit again. His partners found it all amusing, and decided that the shot that Mulligan himself called a 'correction shot' deserved a better named, so they called it a 'mulligan.'<br />
<br />
Story two: Mulligan played regularly with a group of friends at St. Lambert, and in the morning he drove to pick up his golfing buddies. The road into the club was reportedly bumpy and windy and just sort of generally poor, with bridge of bumpy railroad ties. An extra shot was allotted to Mulligan, the driver of the car, on the first tee because he was jumpy and shaking from the difficult drive.<br />
<br />
Story three: this story again identified a specific moment, citing a day when David Mulligan showed up late to the course, having scrambled to get out of bed late and get dressed and get to the course on time. He was frazzled on the first tee, hit a poor shot, and re-teed.<br />
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Another version of the 'mulligan' story comes from the Essex Fells CC in N.J. This story is one of the latest, and may therefore be less credible. According to this version, the term was named after a locker room attendant at the club named John A. 'Buddy' Mulligan, who worked at the club during the 1930s and was known for replaying shots, particularly on the first tee.<br />
<br />
Dr. Rand Jerris <br />
Compiled by Dr. Rand Jerris, former USGA Museum Curator<br />
<br />
<b>Golf Etiquette 101</b><br />
<br />
Unlike many sports, golf is for the most part played without the supervision of a referee, umpire or coach. The game relies on the individual golfer to show consideration for other players and to abide by the rules. New golfers are often in need of advice about customary behavior and practices to follow on course so that play proceeds safely and without delay. Here are 10 tips to help all players get the maximum enjoyment from the game.<br />
<br />
The Spirit of the Game<br />
<br />
Unlike many sports, golf is played, for the most part, without the supervision of a referee or umpire. The game relies on the integrity of the individual to show consideration for other players and to abide by the Rules. All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf.<br />
<br />
Consideration for Other Players<br />
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No Disturbance or Distraction<br />
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Players should always show consideration for other players on the course and should not disturb their play by moving, talking or making any unnecessary noise. <br />
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Players should ensure that any electronic device taken onto the course does not distract other players. <br />
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On the teeing ground, a player should not tee his ball until it is his turn to play. <br />
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Players should not stand close to or directly behind the ball, or directly behind the hole, when a player is about to play.<br />
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On the Putting Green<br />
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On the putting green, players should not stand on another player's line of putt or when he is making a stroke, cast a shadow over his line of putt. <br />
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Players should remain on or close to the putting green until all other players in the group have holed out. <br />
<br />
Scoring<br />
<br />
In stroke play, a player who is acting as a marker should, if necessary, on the way to the next tee, check the score with the player concerned and record it. <br />
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Pace of Play<br />
<br />
Play at Good Pace and Keep Up<br />
<br />
Players should play at a good pace. The Committee may establish pace of play guidelines that all players should follow. <br />
<br />
It is a group's responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and it is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group. <br />
<br />
Be Ready to Play<br />
<br />
Players should be ready to play as soon as it is their turn to play. When playing on or near the putting green, they should leave their bags or carts in such a position as will enable quick movement off the green and towards the next tee. When the play of a hole has been completed, players should immediately leave the putting green. <br />
<br />
Lost Ball<br />
<br />
If a player believes his ball may be lost outside a water hazard or is out of bounds, to save time, he should play a provisional ball. <br />
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Players searching for a ball should signal the players in the group behind them to play through as soon as it becomes apparent that the ball will not easily be found. <br />
<br />
They should not search for five minutes before doing so. Having allowed the group behind to play through, they should not continue play until that group has passed and is out of range. <br />
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Priority on the Course<br />
<br />
Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, priority on the course is determined by a group's pace of play. Any group playing a whole round is entitled to pass a group playing a shorter round. <br />
<br />
Care of the Course<br />
<br />
Bunkers<br />
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Before leaving a bunker, players should carefully fill up and smooth over all holes and footprints made by them and any nearby made by others. If a rake is within reasonable proximity of the bunker, the rake should be used for this purpose. <br />
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Repair of Divots, Ball-Marks and Damage by Shoes<br />
<br />
Players should carefully repair any divot holes made by them and any damage to the putting green made by the impact of a ball (whether or not made by the player himself). On completion of the hole by all players in the group, damage to the putting green caused by golf shoes should be repaired. <br />
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Preventing Unnecessary Damage<br />
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Players should avoid causing damage to the course by removing divots when taking practice swings or by hitting the head of a club into the ground, whether in anger or for any other reason. <br />
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Players should ensure that no damage is done to the putting green when putting down bags or the flagstick. <br />
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In order to avoid damaging the hole, players and caddies should not stand too close to the hole and should take care during the handling of the flagstick and the removal of a ball from the hole. The head of a club should not be used to remove a ball from the hole. <br />
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Players should not lean on their clubs when on the putting green, particularly when removing the ball from the hole. <br />
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The flagstick should be properly replaced in the hole before players leave the putting green. <br />
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Local notices regulating the movement of golf carts should be strictly observed.<br />
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Conclusion; Penalties for Breach <br />
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If players follow the guidelines in this Section, it will make the game more enjoyable for everyone. <br />
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If a player consistently disregards these guidelines during a round or over a period of time to the detriment of others, it is recommended that the Committee consider taking appropriate disciplinary action against the offending player. Such action may, for example, include prohibiting play for a limited time on the course or in a certain number of competitions. This is considered to be justifiable in terms of protecting the interest of the majority of golfers who wish to play in accordance with these guidelines. <br />
<br />
In the case of a serious breach of Etiquette, the Committee may disqualify a player under Rule 33-7.<br />
<br />
<br />
NOT A MEMBER OF A GOLF CLUB? <br />
START YOUR OWN. <br />
<br />
Forming a golf club is not at all difficult. A "golf clubis an organization of at least ten individual members that operates under bylaws with committees (including a Handicap Committee) to supervise golf activities, provide peer review, and maintain the integrity of the USGA Handicap System™ (see Compliance Checklist, Section 8-2m; Decision 2/7). A golf club must be licensed by the USGA® to utilize the USGA Handicap System. A club can obtain a license agreement directly from the USGA or through its membership in an authorized golf association that is already licensed by the USGA and that has jurisdiction in the geographic area that includes the principal location of the golf club.<br />
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Members of a golf club must have a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with each other. They must be able to return scores personally. These scores must be readily available for inspection by others, including, but not limited to, fellow members and the club's Handicap Committee.<br />
<br />
Each golf club must determine its type. A golf club is one of three (3) types:<br />
1. It is located at a single specific golf course with a valid USGA Course Rating™ and USGA Slope Rating® where a majority of the club's events are played and the club's scoring records reside; or<br />
2. Its members are affiliated or known to one another via a business, fraternal, ethnic or social organization. The majority of the club members had an affiliation prior to organizing the club; or<br />
3. The members had no prior affiliation and a majority of the recruiting and sign-up of the membership is done by solicitation to the general public (e.g., Internet, newspaper).<br />
An organization of amateur golfers at a public course is considered a golf club if it satisfies the above conditions. If a "golf club" which utilizes the USGA Handicap System is not readily available to you, you can create such a club with a minimum of ten golfers. The club can be formed from business associates or just golfing friends, provided that they live in a close geographic area and play golf regularly together.<br />
<br />
Click to review a sample set of possible bylaws . The USGA Handicap System manual, which explains all procedures, can be purchased for $3.00 plus shipping through the USGA Order Department (Golf House, P.O. Box 708 , Far Hills , New Jersey 07931 ).<br />
<br />
We want to make it possible for every golfer to get a USGA Handicap Index®. Golf is much more fun when you can compete equitably with any other golfer.<br />
http://www.usga.org/handicapping/get_handicap/Forming-Your-Own-Golf-Club(2)/<br />
<br />
USGA <br />
GOLF CLUB <br />
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS<br />
<br />
(Note 1: A newly forming golf club should modify and adapt the following Articles to fit its particular circumstances and review the document with its own counsel).<br />
(Note 2: Statements in parenthesis are recommendations and may be modified as decided by the club).<br />
<br />
Article I - NAME<br />
The name of this golf club shall be ___________________________________________ Golf Club.<br />
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Article II - PURPOSE<br />
<br />
FIRST: To stimulate interest in golf at the ____________________________________ (course or company) by bringing together a group of golfers desirous of forming a golfing organization.<br />
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SECOND: To promote and foster among the members a closer bond and fraternity for their joint and mutual benefit, and to promote and conserve the best interests and true spirit of the game of golf as embodied in its ancient and honorable traditions.<br />
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THIRD: To encourage conformance to the USGA Rules of Golf by creating a representative authority.<br />
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FOURTH: To maintain a uniform system of handicapping as set forth in the USGA Handicap System and issue USGA Handicap Indexes to the members.<br />
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FIFTH: To provide an authoritative body to govern and conduct club competitions.<br />
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Article III - MEMBERSHIP<br />
<br />
Section 1. Membership shall be available to all (men/women) 18 years of age or older. There shall be a least 10 members with a maximum membership of (300).<br />
Section 2. Memberships in the club are individual and non-transferable (which is associated with the ________________________________________ privately owned and operated golf course).<br />
Section 3. Only golfers with a reasonable and regular opportunity to play golf with fellow members and who can personally return scores for posting may be members and receive USGA Handicap Indexes from the club.<br />
Section 4. Membership confers no voice in the operation of any golf courses, clubhouses nor any facilities of the courses.<br />
Section 5. Membership confers no special privileges in connection with any golf course.<br />
Section 6. Memberships in the club are for a calendar year only, with all memberships expiring on (October 31st).<br />
Section 7. The fiscal year for the club will be (November 1st through October 31st).<br />
Section 8. Each candidate for membership shall be proposed and seconded by two active members in good standing. The Board of Directors shall act upon each proposal by vote and two negative votes shall disqualify any candidate.<br />
Section 9. The Board of Directors may confer honorary memberships upon those whom they feel have contributed to the advancement of golf. The unanimous affirmative vote of the Board shall be required to approve such action.<br />
Section 10. In the event that any member of the club shall commit any act which reflects discredit or disrepute thereon or shall refuse or neglect to comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Board of Directors or the duly appointed officers, such member shall be subject to suspension or expulsion after (ten days) written notice and the right to be heard, by a vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors at any regular meeting or special meeting called for such purpose.<br />
Section 11. The annual meeting of the ________________________________________ shall be held on the (third Wednesday in the month of October). The Board of Directors shall provide for the holding of such other meetings as may be deemed necessary or desirable, and they shall call special meetings upon written petition signed by not less than (ten percent of the membership).<br />
Section 12. A legal quorum at any meeting shall be (twenty) members present in person or by proxy. Each active member in good standing shall be entitled to one vote.<br />
Section 13. All membership fees and dues shall be established by the Board of Directors from time to time in such amounts as they deem to be adequate to operate and maintain the club. Members shall be liable for dues until their written resignation has been received and accepted. All monies collected shall accrue to the benefit of the membership.<br />
<br />
Article IV - BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br />
<br />
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall consist of five members in good standing of the _______________________________________________ and they shall exercise all powers of management of the club not specifically excepted by these By-Laws. The Board of Directors shall include the General Manager of the golf courses or his nominee.<br />
Section 2. At least five weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors shall appoint a nominating committee consisting of five members of the organization. At least four weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, this committee shall submit to the Board and shall post upon the club bulletin board a list of nominees to fill any vacancies for the term o office beginning on the day of the meeting. Names of other members in good standing may be nominated by petition signed by a least (ten) members and submitted to the Board at least two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. At least one week prior to the Annual Meeting, a list of all candidates nominated shall be mailed to each member at their last known address and a copy of such list shall be posted on the club bulletin board.<br />
Section 3. Voting shall be written ballot and those names receiving the greatest number of votes cast shall be declared to be elected. The Board shall appoint a committee of three judges who are not members of the Board or candidates for election to supervise the election.<br />
Section 4. The Board of Directors shall meet at such times and places as they may select and a majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.<br />
Section 5. In the case of any vacancy through death, resignation, disqualification or other cause, the remaining directors, even though less than a quorum, may elect a successor by majority vote to hold office for the unexpired term of the director whose place shall be vacant, and until the election of his successor.<br />
<br />
Article V - OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES<br />
Section 1. Within (ten days) after the annual meeting and election, the Board of Directors shall meet and elect the officers.<br />
Section 2. The officers shall consist of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, and their duties shall be such as their titles would indicate or such as may be assigned to them respectively from time to time.<br />
Section 3. The Board of Directors shall authorize and define the powers and duties of all committees. Chairmen and members of all committees shall be appointed by the president, and the president shall be an ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating committee.<br />
Section 4. The following committees shall be appointed each year, with such other committees as the president may deem necessary or advisable:<br />
Tournament Committee to arrange and schedule with the management of any golf course as necessary, and conduct all intra-club and inter-club competitions.<br />
Handicap Committee composed primarily of members with the responsibility to establish a fair and proper system of handicaps in accordance with procedures set forth in the USGA Handicap System Manual.<br />
Membership Committee to investigate and act upon all applications for membership and to recommend appropriate action to the Board of Directors.<br />
Social Committee to encourage and arrange social entertainment features and events for special occasions.<br />
<br />
Article VI - AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS<br />
Section 1. The Board of Directors shall have the power to repeal or amend any of these By-Laws provided that such action shall not be effective until approved by a majority vote of the members of _______________________________ club at a meeting held in accordance with the provisions contained herein.William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-53455908657615539112011-10-12T00:48:00.000-07:002011-10-12T01:04:45.806-07:00Charlie Rose - Arnold Palmer - Interview Transcript<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnopaj0GfvKIfOlz4lQhbK_yT2pFr1FMxT3G3IAfdN_UYZbKw9hhKzUj2-Xv4ZjysVg-ttct6K8Gvw2YQsXACD1_Pg2C3QO4csSFBhuDKmH1sWYerppElF9X2iq-ubK-QoGKT_AznDCxX1/s1600/40022229_384x288_generated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="288" width="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnopaj0GfvKIfOlz4lQhbK_yT2pFr1FMxT3G3IAfdN_UYZbKw9hhKzUj2-Xv4ZjysVg-ttct6K8Gvw2YQsXACD1_Pg2C3QO4csSFBhuDKmH1sWYerppElF9X2iq-ubK-QoGKT_AznDCxX1/s400/40022229_384x288_generated.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Charlie Rose interviews Arnold Palmer <br />
The transcript. <br />
<br />
An hour with Arnold Palmer from Latrobe, Pennsylvania. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11823<br />
<br />
Charlie Rose: Arnold Palmer is with us for this hour. He is a legend who came out of the hills of Pennsylvania with his father’s hard driving lessons deep in his soul. He had the strength of a linebacker, and the magnetism of a movie star. All of that and he could hit a golf ball a mile and then roll it into a small hole with the touch of a master. <br />
<br />
He won 4 Masters, 1 US Open, 2 British Opens and 62 PGA tour events. But never, never the PGA, although he came close, coming in second three times. He was once chosen the athlete of the decade, not only in his sport but in all sports. <br />
<br />
Golf has never been the same. It is bigger, better and more popular in every dimension. He changed the game. Everyone that followed is indebted to him. No one has had an army like Arnie’s Army. No one has been so quoted by presidents, from Eisenhower to Obama. No one has had so much respect from his piers. <br />
<br />
He and Jack Nicholas defined great rivalry. Like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, like John McEnroe and Bjorn Borge, like the Red Sox and Yankees, like Duke and North Carolina.<br />
<br />
When Jack Kennedy was in power. Arnold Palmer was winning everything. <br />
He was the best. So good that the president wanted Arnie to look at his swing and come play around. <br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer is a pilot and a hugely successful businessman. He and the late Mark McCormick showed us what endorsements were all about. He was most of all a competitor and a gentleman, and he still is as he approaches his 82 birthday. <br />
<br />
We visited his home in Latrobe Pennsylvania – he still lives there and also in Florida with his second wife during the winter, right across by the golf course his father helped builds. Nearby is an office with enough awards to fill a museum. <br />
<br />
We began with a tour of so many memories, and then a conversation about so many experiences. <br />
<br />
Charlie Rose: This is a Norman Rockwell.<br />
<br />
Arnold Palmer: That was done a number of years ago. Obviously. <br />
<br />
CR: You asked me if I recognized this guy? <br />
<br />
AP: Well I wasn’t sure you would recognize who it was. <br />
<br />
CR: So Norman Rockwell did your picture. <br />
<br />
CR: Not bad. <br />
<br />
AP: This is a number of times I’ve been on the cover of Sports Illustrated.<br />
<br />
CR: You and Sam (Snead). <br />
<br />
AP: We played in the World Cup and won both times we played. <br />
<br />
CR: You and Jack.<br />
<br />
AP: Palmer: Casper.<br />
<br />
CR: Billy Casper<br />
<br />
AP: That’s the one we talk about every once in awhile. <br />
<br />
CR: The toughest one. It’s the toughest one to win or the Masters?<br />
Well you won more Masters. <br />
<br />
AP: Of course I hung out at the Masters, that was social, I loved it.<br />
<br />
CR: That’s your favorite.<br />
<br />
AP: It had to be, but you can’t ignore the Open. It’s, it’s…<br />
<br />
CR: The denizen of America. <br />
<br />
AP: That’s one, that’s it. <br />
<br />
CR: It’s the American national Championship. <br />
<br />
AP: That’s it. The American Championship. <br />
<br />
CR: Here’s when you turned 40 – 40 years ago. See how much you have changed.<br />
<br />
CR: This is you and the famous Winnie. <br />
<br />
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CR: Sports Illustrated, that’s 1967. There you are. Let’s look at that swing.<br />
<br />
AP: Our of the water.<br />
<br />
CR: You Jack, and Gary. US Open. <br />
<br />
CR: We won both times we played together. <br />
<br />
CR: You and Jack again. It says, “Golf Kings Must be selfish.” Are you selfish? <br />
<br />
AP: I don’t think he’s selfish and I don’t think I am. <br />
<br />
CR: Whose that? <br />
<br />
AP: Those are my buddies. That The Blue Angels. <br />
<br />
CR: Tell me about flying for you. It’s a second passion. <br />
<br />
AP: You know I started by being scared. When I was an amateur I played a couple tournaments and I had to fly, and got into weather and stuff, and it scared me, and I decided that would not work, I had to learn to fly, I had to find out about airplanes and aeronautical engineering and what it was all about.<br />
<br />
CR: You stopped flying now? <br />
<br />
AP: Just. I still have my license. I have to do some return training. If I wanted to fly again I’d have to go back and get recertified. <br />
<br />
CR: Did you fly all those famous jets. <br />
<br />
AP: I will show them to you when we finish this tour. <br />
<br />
CR: Yes, sir. So this is your office. Pictures of family. <br />
<br />
AP: Everything. <br />
<br />
CR: This is your dad, Deke, his given name was Deacon? <br />
<br />
AP: Milfred Jermone. Now you know why he’s called Deacon. <br />
<br />
CR: There’s the guy. <br />
<br />
AP: He was a great guy, a strong dude, not a real big guy, but very strong.<br />
<br />
CR: By the time after the amateur, did he fully appreciate it?<br />
<br />
AP: It was great, he was great. <br />
<br />
AP: This was my first tournament win - the Canadian Open <br />
<br />
CR: That was what year? <br />
<br />
AP: 1955. <br />
<br />
CR: That was three years before you started killing it. <br />
<br />
AP: Now, as you know, I’m approaching 82 and I’ve never shot four rounds in an official tournament lower than that. <br />
<br />
CR: 64 67 64 70 – pretty good. <br />
<br />
CR: Do you think if you were playing today back with the same skills you had when you won all your major tournaments, when you won all your grand slams, if you were playing today, would you be number one? <br />
<br />
AP: (Laugh) I can’t answer that. <br />
<br />
CR: But you have the will to win, clubs are different, you’d be stronger. You’d like to give it a shot wouldn’t you? <br />
<br />
AP: You’re damn right. I’d like to give it a go. <br />
<br />
CR: Well, Wake Forest (degree). I’ve spoken twice at commencement there – that’s a picture of the school at Winston Salem <br />
<br />
AP: Pebble Beach (photo), which I’m a partner in. <br />
<br />
AP: That’s the hole I drove at Cherry Hills. <br />
<br />
CR: When you actually reached that green you were so infused with what …said to you. <br />
<br />
AP: At the termination the thing we talked about…..all over….<br />
<br />
CR: Everybody believed that if you had wanted to be you could have been governor of Pennsylvania. Did you think about it? <br />
<br />
AP: I had no choice, you know people pushed for me, Tom Ridge was a good friend, <br />
<br />
CR: The future Governor of Pennsylvania. <br />
<br />
AP: So that was something that, – I’m not a politician. <br />
<br />
CR: But you are a citizen, you love America. <br />
<br />
AP: I love America. I wanted to play golf. <br />
<br />
CR: You don’t have to be a politician to make a contribution to the country. <br />
<br />
AP: Here’s degrees I got from speaking at schools around the country. Here’s something I got recently – My Degree from St. Andrews. Well come on, we’ll show you some more. <br />
<br />
CR: Tell me what I’m going to see here, as this is legendary, where you come to hide, <br />
<br />
AP: I love it. I come in here and work on golf clubs. Some say I destroy more than I build.<br />
<br />
CR: What you do here is make the club better for your sing. <br />
<br />
AP: I always said that if I have the perfect club then I should play the perfect game.<br />
<br />
CR: You grind and you build.…<br />
<br />
AP: I can do anything. I put them together, I take them apart. People say that I’m very good at taking them apart. <br />
<br />
CR: What kind of clubs do you play with today?<br />
<br />
AP: Calloway. <br />
<br />
CR: Of course. <br />
<br />
CR: Let’s talk for a moment about President Eisenhower. Your 37 birthday he shows up at your front door on your house to pay tribute to you on your birthday. He comes with his wife to This is the President you had the deepest relationship with?<br />
<br />
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AP: Yes. I played with him on the day after I won the Masters at his request. We became everlasting friends. I was with him the day before he died at Walter Reed, which is familiar because they are closing Walter Reed. We just became very good friends, we played golf, we played heart exhibitions. Then his doctor said he should not play golf anymore. He’d spend his winters at Palm Springs, and he’d call me and say what are you doing? I’m going to play golf I think. And he’d say if you get the time come by the house and we’ll have a beer. And I wouldn’t play golf, I’d go over and sit with him and talk about golf, and business, the military, the whole thing, the country. <br />
<br />
CR: His passion for golf helped make the game popular.<br />
<br />
AP: You can say that in spades. <br />
<br />
CR: Then there was JFK, who also sought you out.<br />
<br />
AP: Yes, unfortunately.<br />
<br />
CR: He was a guy who loved winners.<br />
<br />
AP: And he was a good golfer.<br />
<br />
CR: When you saw his swing, they said he was a good golfer and had a more fluid swing than any other president, and you could make it better. <br />
<br />
AP: It never happened.<br />
<br />
CR: Why didn’t it happen? <br />
<br />
AP: Actually I was on my way to Palm Springs to play with him. <br />
<br />
CR: This was 1963.<br />
<br />
AP: 1963. We were going to play some golf and the White House called me and said, Arnie, forget it. I said why, I want to do it. They said he hurt his back and was going to take some time off and not play for awhile, and just couldn’t do it, and that was it. <br />
<br />
CR: Here’s a plaque. “No house calls.”<br />
<br />
CR: You always had a good relationship with the press. <br />
<br />
AP: I enjoy the press. I understand their business. Doc has helped me with that, but the press were guys that I could get with. I could talk to them. <br />
<br />
CR: Part of what made Arney’s Army famous because there was a sense of you being this brawny guy who liked to win, but it was like you were with them.<br />
<br />
AP: Buddies. <br />
<br />
CR: They were buddies.<br />
<br />
AP: We had a beer together.<br />
<br />
CR: Presidential Medal of Freedom<br />
<br />
AP: It is the highest award that the United States can give to a civilian. <br />
<br />
AP: This is the one (medal) from Portugal. The highest civilian award. I built a golf course there and became friends with the president. <br />
<br />
AP: This is the Hitchcock belt – 1960 I won it for professional athlete of the year.<br />
<br />
CR: You also won as professional athlete of the decade. <br />
<br />
AP: Yes sir, yes sir. That’s what this relates to. <br />
<br />
CR: This is President Bush giving you the Medal of Freedom.<br />
<br />
CR: The National Amateur medal. That is a great honor, isn’t it. <br />
<br />
AP: Yes it is. <br />
<br />
CR: What’s this? <br />
<br />
AP: That is the National Amateur. <br />
<br />
CR: So that’s 1954. That stands pretty high up in importance…<br />
<br />
AP: That’s Major. <br />
<br />
AP: Charlie, this is my Presidential Corner. Things that happened with various Presidents I was associated with.<br />
<br />
CR: Here’ s Nixon. Did Nixon play golf?<br />
<br />
AP: Yes he did.<br />
<br />
CR: Gerald Ford. Great athlete<br />
<br />
AP:. Played football. <br />
<br />
AP: This is a conference Nixon called of all his friends to talk about how to negotiate the war. Kissinger, the whole crowd.<br />
<br />
CR: To see how to negotiate the end the Vietnam War.<br />
<br />
AP: Yes.<br />
<br />
CR: Wow. <br />
<br />
CR: George Bush 41 – <br />
<br />
AP: A great guy.<br />
<br />
CR: Played fast golf.<br />
<br />
AP: Very. <br />
<br />
CR: Here’s Ronald Reagan. <br />
<br />
AP: These are White House dinners. <br />
<br />
CR: Whose the lady in white? <br />
<br />
AP: Oh, she happens to be the Queen. <br />
<br />
CR: Here we go with trophies. <br />
<br />
AP: Ryder Cup, Open Championship…..<br />
<br />
CR: The Ryder Cup.<br />
<br />
AP: It’s a great international competition.<br />
<br />
CR: There’s more enthusiasm for it. <br />
<br />
AP: We hope so. I’ve always been a big thinker that the more international competition that we create through sports the better relationships we’ll have with countries.<br />
<br />
CR: More common ground and the better off we’ll be. <br />
<br />
AP: Exactly, that’s the name of the game. <br />
<br />
CR: Bill Clinton. <br />
<br />
AP: Loved golf. <br />
<br />
CR: How’s his golf?<br />
<br />
AP: The balls didn’t have a zip code on it. <br />
<br />
CR: Here’s a letter from President Eisenhower. <br />
<br />
AP: We played golf one day, and you can see the date on it. This is a letter from Eisenhower, he and I were playing golf one day, you can see the date – it’s 1965 – DDE Gettysburg. August 15, 1955. “<i>Dear Arnie, enclosed is payment for my bet ($10) and never was there one more reluctantly paid. Also attached is a picture cut from the Philadelphia, Inquirer. It indicates dejection. Please remember that a couple of accidents will not be important a year from now. You will win a lot more tournaments and forget all the wounds caused by bridges, rocks and complaints about a tree, love to Winnie, all the best, DD.</i>” <br />
<br />
CR: The bet was? <br />
<br />
AP: He bet me that I’d win the PGA championship that year, and I didn’t. <br />
<br />
CR: A hell of a life. <br />
<br />
PART II – CONVERSATION <br />
<br />
CR: It’s an honor to be here. <br />
<br />
AP: That you, it’s an honor to have you here Charlie. <br />
<br />
CR: You once said this about golf: <br />
<br />
<b>“It’s deceptively simple, endlessly complicated. A child can play it well, and a grown man can never master it. Any single round of it is full of unexpected triumphs and perfect shots that end in disaster. It is almost a science, yet it is a puzzle without an answer. It is gratifying and tantalizing, precise and unpredictable. It requires complete concentration and total relaxation. It satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time, rewarding and maddening. And it is without doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”</b> <br />
<br />
CR: That is well said, sir.<br />
<br />
AP: Well thank you very much, that was a long time ago.<br />
<br />
CR: When did you fall in love with this game? <br />
<br />
AP: Well Charlie, I’ve got to start at the beginning I guess and it was right here, about 200 yards from where we are sitting. My father started on this golf course at Latrobe when he was sixteen years old. He was digging ditches when they were building the golf course. <br />
<br />
CR: You were raised right here? <br />
<br />
AP: I was raised here, I was playing cowboys and Indians in the trees, and then I started hitting the golf club with clubs he sawed off for me, and I began playing right here with my father. <br />
<br />
CR: Did he tell you to hit it hard and worry about accuracy later? <br />
<br />
AP: He did, he said, “Hit it hard, boy, then go and get it and hit it again.” <br />
<br />
CR: It served you well. <br />
<br />
AP: It did. He was a tough guy, Charlie. I was the first son and first child. When my sister came along, well, she was two years younger, and I had to go to the golf course because my mother couldn’t handle all the action going on. So I came with him to the golf course since I was a year and a half old and I spent the day with him here, and it worked in naturally. And it was fun for me being with my father, and doing things that a kid did it was great. <br />
<br />
CR: What part of your game today is something that you can look back and say it was because of Deak? <br />
<br />
AP: Everything, my manners, I wanted to emulate him. I wanted to be as tough as he was. I wanted to do the things that he did. I watched him. We had some guys who worked on the golf course. When I was born in 1929, as you know, that was the depression, so the golf course was manned by my father and two guys, they worked for my dad and they took me with them everywhere they went. And it was fun. And of course, Pat was a guy who had infantile paralysis when he was born, a year after he was born, so his upper body was very strong, he chinned himself with a straight bar and could do either arm ten or fifteen times, and he did it every day, his upper body was very strong. And I did that too. <br />
<br />
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<br />
CR: Most people who have gone on to get the fame and fortune like you, did don’t comeback to their hometown, but you do and you will to the day that you die. <br />
<br />
AP: You’re right and I will, I love it. <br />
<br />
CR: I think you said, “You’re hometown is not where you are from, it is who you are.” Your father was here, you were here. When did you know you could play the game well? <br />
<br />
AP: That’s another thing about my father. He made me very conscious of the fact I wasn’t very good and I had to prove to him that I was good. And that hung with me, and I always wanted to play golf with him and show him. He said Never, Never tell anyone how good you are. Show them! <br />
<br />
CR: Every man wants to prove himself and say, dad, did I do okay? <br />
<br />
AP: When I won the amateur he came from here to Detroit, to see me play the final round and I just barely won, and beat out Bob Sweeney. I was national amateur champion. I was 24 years old. My father was there, and I couldn’t wait to see him, and my mother. I went up and was waiting for all the accolades, and my mom was teary and happy and my dad looked at me and said, “Well, boy, you did good,” and that was it.<br />
<br />
CR: You said after that, that was the greatest triumph in your life. <br />
<br />
AP: It was the one that was most important. <br />
<br />
CR: Most important, because it got your dad’s approval. Why Wake Forest? <br />
<br />
AP: Well, again my father, you’re going to get tired of hearing about my father.<br />
<br />
CR: It defines who you are.<br />
<br />
AP: Well I worked for dad on the grounds and I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college, and he said, well, you figure it out. He said I will pay for your college but you’re going to go to St. Vincent. St. Vincent College right here. That’s about as much as I can afford, you work here, right here at home. I said, what if I can get somewhere else? And he said if I can get there, that’s your call. <br />
<br />
So I played high school golf, I played amateur golf and I started getting officers. The offers started coming in. I was playing pretty good, won amateur tournaments as a junior, and the whole thing. I was playing in the national juniors in Los Angles, with a buddy of mine who was from Washington DC. His name was Marvin “Bud” Worsham, and his brother was Lew, the pro at Oakmont who won the Open in ’47. <br />
<br />
That was the year we graduated. We were out there playing in the juniors. And he said, Ernie, where you going to go to college? And I said I was looking at a couple, I had some officers, I had feelers from Penn State and Pitt, and Miami, and I like the Miami because I could play golf all winter. <br />
<br />
He said, “Hey, if I get you a scholarship will you go with me?” <br />
<br />
And I said, where? <br />
<br />
And he said Wake Forest.<br />
<br />
I said, where’s that? <br />
<br />
He said it’s in North Carolina. <br />
<br />
And I said, that’s great, you can play golf all year. <br />
<br />
He said if I contact them and they give you a scholarship, will you go? <br />
<br />
I said, “You bet.”<br />
<br />
The athletic director was a guy named Jim Weaver. Did you ever hear that name? You should, as he’s the guy who founded the Atlantic Coast Conference. <br />
<br />
CR: Exactly. And I grew up as you know some 30 miles from Wake Forest. <br />
<br />
You should have because he founded the Atlantic Coast Conference.<br />
<br />
AP: Well Jim Weaver, I had no idea who it was. I didn’t even know where Wake Forest was. I came home from that tournament, played another one and then got on a bus and went on a bus to Wake Forest. I’ll never Jim Weaver became one of the best friends I ever had. He was athletic director, golf coach, he did the whole thing. And that’s how I ended up at Wake Forest. <br />
<br />
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CR: So you were there, and Bud Worsham was there, and Jim Flick was there too, was he not?<br />
<br />
AP: He and I roomed together after the accident. Bud got killed in an automobile accident our senior year and my roommate then became Jim Flick. <br />
<br />
CR: Bud’s death had a big impact on you. <br />
<br />
AP: Terrible. (Pause, choking up) He was…..(pause)….he was like a brother. We did everything, we played golf against each other, we did everything you could do… and when he got killed, it was for me about as bad as you could get. I finished the semester and I couldn’t stand it, so I decided I had to do something else, and get my mind cleared up, so joined the Coast Guard. And spent three years in the Coast Guard after that. <br />
<br />
CR: So you got out of the Coast Guard and you were ready to be a golfer? <br />
<br />
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AP: Yea. What the Coast Guard did for me in three years was as much as what Wake Forest did for me as a school. It matured me and allowed me grow up. When I went back to Wake Forest for my final year I knew then that things were better. Meaning I knew I could handle myself. <br />
<br />
CR: More mature.<br />
<br />
AP: Exactly. I enjoyed it. I went back after school, after my senior year I went back to Cleveland to work there for the summer and that’s when things started happening, the amateur and so. <br />
<br />
CR: What was it about the charge that so electrified people and made them feel that you connected to them more than anything else? <br />
<br />
AP: I’m not sure that I answer that but the thing – I was scared that I was going to lose, and I didn’t want to lose. It wasn’t so much I was going to win, anytime I got close I felt I had to win, and couldn’t lose, I couldn’t let that happen to me. And it worked, it worked for me. A lot of tournaments that I can remember I made a few bad shots and I was afraid I would lose the tournament and it seemed to work, the putts seemed to go in. Just the Desire. <br />
<br />
CR: The run – 58-62, you swing?<br />
<br />
AP: I had a system, and the system worked. It lasted, it was better later - 62 or 63. I suppose that I have a psychological feeling about things – and if I have something that I need to accomplish and I accomplish it, I let down after that, and that happened to me in golf. But I played better golf from oh, 65-75, from the standpoint of hitting the golf ball, and getting it where I wanted to, and doing what I wanted to better than those years I won all those events.<br />
<br />
CR: You didn’t win a major between 65 and 75 – but you were playing better golf? <br />
<br />
AP: That’s what I mean.<br />
<br />
CR: Take me to the 1960 US Open.<br />
<br />
AP: Well, the Open in 1960 I was playing good. Cherry Hills, I had been to Cherry Hills to practice and then I went up there and I practiced, and for 64 holes I hit the ball on the green and two putted, and hit the green and two putted, and if I missed the green I got a bogie.<br />
<br />
AP: And I’ll never forget. You heard the story? About Bob Drum? <br />
<br />
CR: Yes.<br />
<br />
AP: My friend from Pittsburgh. A Friend of Bob Gibson. I was in the locker room and getting ready to play the second round. I ran into Drum and was munching on a hamburger. I looked at Bob, and we always kidded with each other. I said you know, I was so upset, I was playing good, and nothing is happening. And I said Bob, what do you think, and this was real serious, and I said, what do you think if I could hit a 65 this afternoon. And he looked at me and totally insulted me and said “you can’t do anything.” I didn’t finish the hamburger and went out and hit a few drives and then they called me. <br />
<br />
CR: And you kept the driver in your hands. <br />
<br />
AP: Now I will tell you something you might known or might not know, but that driver was a Hogan driver. I was with Wilson sporting goods and we were talking, and Ben gave me two drivers and that was one of them. Of course I doctored them. And I went to the tee and took the driver and I drove it on the green.<br />
<br />
CR: On the green, a par four 3oo some yards, <br />
<br />
AP: 336 yards. And two putted for a birdie. Almost three putted I was so excited. That got me going. <br />
<br />
I was walking down the eighth hole and I knew things were happening, and I knew people were talking and the crowd was getting bigger, and who was coming down the middle of the fairway? Bob Drum. <br />
<br />
I said, “what the hell are you doing here?” <br />
<br />
And he said “You’re playing pretty good.” I wouldn’t even talk to him. I ignored him and walked past him, and what did I do? I bogied the hole. I shot out of a sand trap and missed the put. But then shot a 30 on the nine. And that’s what I needed. <br />
<br />
CR: And won the US Open. <br />
<br />
AP: Won by two.<br />
<br />
CR: Do you remember the great shots or the bad ones, where you were doing good and then boggied the final hole?<br />
<br />
AP: I remember ones I lost. I remember the ones I won, but I remember the ones I lost, something that I will never forget. Did it ruin me or hurt my career? It taught me about life, how to take the bad with the good. And yes they hurt, they really hurt, but when I reflect on it now, and I look back, it taught me something – it taught me how to live, how to be a better guy, not let defeat be the end of my life. And I am thankful for that, and I would never felt good if I hadn’t experienced losing, because losing is part of your life. And it something that if I could teach people to understand that I think it could help them a lot. <br />
<br />
CR: When you think about the army that followed you, did that help? Did it give you <br />
something nobody else had on the course. <br />
<br />
AP: Of course. The fans, I loved them. My mother would be in the gallery, just to give you an example. I would look right at my mother and not remember. <br />
<br />
CR: When did you first see and play with Jack Nicholas.<br />
<br />
AP: Well, I’m considerably older than Jack. <br />
<br />
CR: Ten years maybe?<br />
<br />
AP: Eleven. First time I met Jack I had heard about his golf and prowess – I was playing in the Ohio amateur I think, and this was even before I turned pro, and then Cal Festerwald had an exhibition out in Ohio and asked me to come and play with Jack and Howard Sanderson, and I went, and met Jack for the first time. We hit it off immediately, and we became friends. But we competed, and Charlie, that was about so many years ago I don’t even remember now, but we have played against each other and we are still friends, and he’s one of the best friends that I have. He’s a guy,- we don’t spend a lot of time together, but if I felt like I needed something and he was the guy I needed to talk to I would go see him. <br />
<br />
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CR: They say that the rivalry is part of the magic of what made modern golf - you, Jack Nicholas and television made modern golf. <br />
<br />
AP: I don’t know. I hope so. I hope that it helped. I think about television, I think about Ike, I think about Jack, I think about Hogan, and how that influenced me a little bit, and the people that had an affect on my life. And certainly the relationship with Jack was a good one, but it was competitive. And it still is today. <br />
<br />
CR: How is it competitive today? <br />
<br />
AP: We do business. <br />
<br />
CR: Oh, yea. He builds courses, you build courses. <br />
<br />
AP: We build golf courses. We don’t disagree a great deal. When it comes to something good, we agree. If we have something to do as a team, we do it. <br />
<br />
CR: Did the competition make you better? <br />
<br />
AP: I think so. I know it helped me, having Jack playing the way he did. <br />
<br />
CR: You had the competition. The challenge made you better. <br />
<br />
AP: Exactly. And the fact that he was so determined. He had a personality that was good for what he did. He shut everything off and could concentrate. Of all the time I’ve known him, all our lives for the most part, I never seen him waver on the golf course. The only time that ever happened that I recall, we tried to beat each other. Sometimes when we started trying to beat each other, and it happened this way, there were occasions that when we were playing somebody else would come along and beat both of us.<br />
<br />
CR: 18 majors. Does, his record make him the best golfer of all time? <br />
<br />
AP: Until somebody shows me a better game, it makes him the best. <br />
<br />
CR: Do you believe Tiger will break his record? <br />
<br />
AP: No. But I shouldn’t say that. I think Tiger is as close to it as anyone has ever been. <br />
<br />
CR: Jack has 18, Tiger has 14 you have 7. In between there’s three or four others. <br />
<br />
AP Yea, and Tiger still has a shot at it, but…<br />
<br />
CR: You’ve got to believe don’t you, that if somebody has a game as good as he has, you can recapture it? <br />
<br />
AP: No. <br />
<br />
CR: Why not? <br />
<br />
AP: I’m not sure about that. <b>You know, once you, once you vary, then you lose that – thing that you were talking about earlier. What is it? Sometimes it’s hard to put in place. What is it? I’m not sure I know. I’m not sure Jack knows. I know what he did, and I know how good he was. But to have him describe to you or to anyone, what was that thing that you grab? I know that his concentration was so good, that he could play, and play the way it was, but I’ve seen it wander, even with Nicholas, as good as he was. And now when you have a disturbance in your life that’s major, can you get it back? Can you get that thing that you can’t put your finger on, and get hold of it and choke it and keep it. Boy that’s a tough deal. That’s something you see it in every sport –I’ve seen it golf, in baseball players, football players. I seen them so good, and then all of a sudden something happens. It could be a psychological thing, like you say, well, “I’ve done it,” and then that’s it. Then you say, “I want to do it again,” but it isn’t there, you can’t find it, you can’t grasp it. You can’t hold on to it. </b><br />
<br />
CR: Some call that an X factor. <br />
<br />
AP: Exactly.<br />
<br />
CR: You don’t know what it is. You can’t define it, but you know when it’s there. <br />
AP: Yep. <br />
<br />
CR: You had it. Jack had it. <br />
<br />
AP: A lot of people. Hogan. Nelson. <br />
<br />
CR: Byron Nelson had it. <br />
<br />
AP: Yes. <br />
<br />
CR: Sam Snead? <br />
<br />
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AP: Sam Snead was probably a little further from what we are talking about, and had an ability that was more natural than anybody that I knew in golf. Snead was as close to a natural player as anything that ever happened. But you know, now here’s a guy like you say I never won the PGA, well Snead never won the Open. My goodness, if anybody, if you think about it, anybody that should have won the Open was Snead, but didn’t. And why? That X factor.<br />
<br />
CR: But you kept that, that thing about winning in you to this very day. You have it, feel it. In business. <br />
<br />
AP: It’s a drive, it’s a thing that you feel like when I go to bed at night I go to sleep. <br />
<br />
CR: I never met a winner who had a work ethic. Not somebody who says I have so much talent that naturally I won. <br />
<br />
You work at it. <br />
<br />
AP: That’s it. I talk to golfers, I talk to my grand kids about their game, and tell them to develop a system, Now, when they’re young. And if they develop that system, it will be the crutch they need to be good. To know that system and make it work for you, know what it is and make it work. <br />
<br />
CR: Tell me what a system is? <br />
<br />
AR: <b>It could be anything. It could be so many things. It all has to do with doing it day in and day out. When you get into competition and get under pressure, and get over that ball and are looking at it, and know you have to hit it, it is having that system to depend on to get that ball to where you want it to be. </b><br />
<br />
CR: You said you didn’t have the perfect swing but was your swing, something you could depend on. <br />
<br />
CR: It was your system. DNA. <br />
<br />
AP: It was just fun. As my father said, “Hit it, go get it and hit it again.”Or when there’s two trees there in front of you and there’s an opening to the pin between them, you go through them. I had to. <br />
<br />
CR: Sometimes you lose some tournaments you should win and you win some you should lose.<br />
<br />
AP: That is very true. I’d like to think I won more than I lost. <br />
<br />
CR: Your most painful loss? <br />
<br />
AP: Gee, I can think of a lot of them, but I suppose San Francisco, the Open, with the lead that I had.<br />
<br />
CR: How big was the lead? <br />
<br />
AP: Seven shots, going into the back nine, nine holes to play. <br />
<br />
CR: You were ahead by seven strokes ahead with nine holes to play? <br />
<br />
AP: Yep. <br />
<br />
CR: How tough is it about not having won the PGA? <br />
<br />
AP: Well, I make excuses for that. I finished second a number of times. And I played good a couple of times and felt I should have won the PGA. And it hurts, the fact that I didn’t win, and I suppose there is some x factor that says why you didn’t win. My excuses are that I have won the Australian, I won the British, all PGA championships, but I haven’t won the PGA championship. <br />
<br />
CR: ….Because of the style and drama you brought to the game, and you brought new fans to the game, and that’s your legacy…. <br />
<br />
AP: I hope I’ve done some of the things that you say I’ve done. The game is so fantastic, and people who get into it love it so much...I’d be pleased with that. There’s no game like it. You go out there and tee it up on the first tee, and it’s you, the golf ball and the golf course. And there you go. And if you can handle it, go at it, and do it good. But what other game - there’s always someone else in the other games, a guy hitting the ball to you, or you throwing the ball somewhere, something else, there’s other people involved in it, but in golf you are the person that’s doing it. <br />
<br />
CR: You’re playing yourself and the course. <br />
<br />
AP: That’s it. And it can’t change. That’s the way it is. <br />
<br />
CR: Gary Player and others have said all of us should all give you a percentage of our earnings because without you there would be no television contracts and without you it wouldn’t be as good for anyone. <br />
<br />
AP: The truth is that it is such a great game and for me to be a part of it. Like the<br />
Golf Association, and when I played right here in the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, and the USGA, what those people - whether you like them or dislike them, what they have done is so great, play the game, the history of the game. Those things are so important to me. People. You talk about the galleries, the people that have inspired me to do what I’ve done and the pleasures of my life – my wife Winnie, my kids, my wife now, what they have helped me do what I wanted to do is so important, and I am so grateful for that, and I could thank people who have helped me, and the fact that I have had a big success. <br />
<br />
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Mark McCormick – we haven’t talked about him too much, but he was great for me. We had differences. But he was good for me because he taught me about business and the world. Doc Gibbons. Te people I am associated with in my life and business, what they did for me mentally is something that I could never thank them enough.<br />
<br />
CR: Thank you. <br />
<br />
AP: I tell you what, I don’t play golf much anymore, but you find the time, come here and we’ll try Latrobe Country Club. <br />
<br />
Thank You.<br />
<br />
[Any corrections to this transcript should be sent to Billkelly3@gmail.com]William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-78158332304543226752011-10-09T23:35:00.001-07:002011-10-10T19:04:47.488-07:00"Are you ready for some golf?" - foursome w/ Hitler & Netanyahu<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IDX3NTjveLOC41hwpfBv6gq1TJYxysg4PlnKH71cCX7N8ZbHmZn_8L9fNw-YhRFyqGYFNYEjU87exP2u7OMfNPt3LQEA6jXpXMNC-kBZJlHha_Mjdd5ISXZoYusKzcX2cZ2Uu0X_ia4y/s1600/01125110_Par_4584_ImageFile1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="232" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5IDX3NTjveLOC41hwpfBv6gq1TJYxysg4PlnKH71cCX7N8ZbHmZn_8L9fNw-YhRFyqGYFNYEjU87exP2u7OMfNPt3LQEA6jXpXMNC-kBZJlHha_Mjdd5ISXZoYusKzcX2cZ2Uu0X_ia4y/s400/01125110_Par_4584_ImageFile1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
President Obama plays golf with Speaker of the House Boehner <br />
<br />
When Hank Williams, Jr. was dropped from ESPN from opening Monday Night Football by yelling the lead-in to the game, "are you ready for some football?" he called attention to the golf games between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. <br />
<br />
Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends, Williams said this summer's golf summit between Obama and Boehner was "one of the biggest political mistakes ever." <br />
<br />
Then Williams went on to make one of the biggest personal mistakes in his career by saying, "It would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli leader) Benjamin Netanyhu." <br />
<br />
Asked to explain, Williams elaborated by saying Obama and Vice President Joe Biden "are the enemy." <br />
<br />
Williams later issued a statement saying that his comment about Obama and Boehner playing golf this summer was "simply trying to show how stupid it seemed to me -- how ludicrous that pairing was." Williams says Boehner and Obama "are polar opposites and it made no sense. They don't see eye-to-eye and never will."<br />
<br />
Williams said he is thinking about running as a Republican in 2012 for the U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee.<br />
<br />
Now Whoopie Goldberg has come to his defense, which is like Cynthia McKinney sticking by Gadhafi. As suggested, maybe Hank should run for president with Whoopie on the ticket as Veep? <br />
<br />
Meanwhile, he's written a song dedicated to FOX News and ESPN, which should be released this week. <br />
<br />
Probably, the best thing Hank Williams, Jr. could do for himself at this point is take up golf and go play a round with Willie. <br />
<br />
- BillKelly3@gmail.com <br />
<br />
<b><br />
Hank Williams Jr. wrote a new song about Fox News and ESPN</b><br />
By Chris Chase<br />
<br />
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Hank-Williams-Jr-wrote-a-new-song-about-Fox-New?urn=nfl-wp9130<br />
<br />
Are you ready for some vengeance, vapid lyricism and strained rhyming patterns?<br />
<br />
Hank Williams Jr. is releasing a new song entitled "I'll Keep My ...," in which he calls out ESPN and Fox News after his remarks about President Barack Obama and Adolf Hitler on "Fox and Friends" led to his dismissal from the "Monday Night Football" theme song after 23 years.<br />
<br />
The country music singer wrote the song on Friday and is scheduled to release it late Monday or early Tuesday. In its third verse, he takes issue with how Fox took his words out of context: "So Fox 'n Friends wanna put me down/Ask for my opinion/Twist it all around."<br />
<br />
If it didn't mean having to listen to Hank Williams Jr. speak about anything other than music or Alabama football, I'd be interested to hear how he thinks Fox twisted his opinion. After all, there are only so many ways to take the quote: "It'd be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."<br />
Williams calls the U.S. the "United Socialist States of America" earlier in the song. He finishes the third verse with a subtlety you'd expect from the man who wrote "Why Can't We All Just Get a Long Neck?" The song ends with the suggestive jab, "Well two can play that gotcha game you'll see."<br />
<br />
During an appearance on "The View" last week, Williams found a measure of support from Whoopi Goldberg. This led to him suggesting a possible Whoopi/Hank presidential ticket in the future. Let's pray that this theoretical campaign would never take them to the golf course. That would be like ... never mind.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
Before this happened, </b><br />
http://conservativebyte.com/2011/06/golf-with-bam-a-flub-for-boehner/<br />
Conservative Byte wrote:<br />
<br />
I think one of the problems with Boehner playing — and I understand the lure. Boehner loves to play golf. I myself have played golf with Boehner. Boehner is a six handicap, six or seven. He’s a good golfer. I’m sure he would never admit this, but I’m sure that Boehner in part relished the opportunity to go out there and just shellac Obama on the golf course. But aside from that: The President calls you and says, “Let’s go play golf,” and you’re the Speaker of the House, it’s tough to say no because then the media is gonna rake you over the coals.<br />
<br />
“Refusing to be civil! Refusing to get together with the president and solve the nation’s problems,” as though that’s gonna happen on the golf course. But I think it’s just a matter of respect, too. The President calls you to go play golf, you do it. Two problems: One is now you can’t criticize Obama for playing golf, ’cause Boehner did it, too. So if we start making jokes — this 13 weekends in a row he’s played golf! — the retort is, “Well, so did Boehner.” But the thing to me is, we’ve got people losing their jobs left and right. People’s homes are underwater. We have dire economic circumstances. We have wars in four different places around the globe.<br />
<br />
If these guys are going to get together, do it in a place and under the auspices of actually working on these problems, rather than photo-ops playing golf, trying to show that everybody can get along — which only helps Obama. Showing that everybody can get along, that’s another premise they put forth that we somehow think we have to respond to, that people “not getting along” is our fault and our problem because of the way we are. This is the guy, Obama, who refused to meet with Boehner or any other Republican leader for the first year, maybe even longer. If you’re gonna get together, get together and read the Riot Act to this guy over what his policies are doing to the country. Now, maybe that happened on the golf course; I don’t know. <br />
<br />
Well, I know. The golf course is really not the place for that would happen, but you don’t know. I have no idea. What I… (interruption) It wouldn’t happen. Obama is not gonna invite me to play golf. It’s already been floated. Outside my auspices, against my wishes the second time. Somebody already tried to make it happen. (interruption) Yeah, and it’s that… (sigh) Gosh. (interruption) No. I’m not concerned about that, but if I… (interruption) No. No. No further. I’m not gonna lock my… (interruption) No. I don’t know what I would… (interruption) I’m not gonna respond to a hypothetical with another hypothetical answer. Snerdley’s badgering me here on the IFB. I know what you want. You want me to go say, “Go pound sand, Mr. Obama! I wouldn’t dare waste my time.” <br />
<br />
That’s what you want. (chuckling) Everybody wants me to go do their dirty workWilliam Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-82544804757837116472011-09-22T10:02:00.000-07:002011-09-22T10:02:41.693-07:00US Loses Walker Cup at Aberdeen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7VIvDiR5YomawViTphG86SLpz3WqQR8tRvKqSw8cGqTuKHsy5LauyeOPtvkW5rqNSuQ9b1I6A50-3mxQNZoBR8NBNfSGtnmW5_7uMwD63Xmh4OIXmV2wCo-QE21BkoLV-x9xDUXayB2Q/s1600/walker_cup_595x335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD7VIvDiR5YomawViTphG86SLpz3WqQR8tRvKqSw8cGqTuKHsy5LauyeOPtvkW5rqNSuQ9b1I6A50-3mxQNZoBR8NBNfSGtnmW5_7uMwD63Xmh4OIXmV2wCo-QE21BkoLV-x9xDUXayB2Q/s400/walker_cup_595x335.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Did anyone notice that the Walker Cup was played for and lost to the UK and Ireland? It attracted little media attention in the USA, but should. <br />
<br />
The amateur version of the Ryder Cup national team competition, the Walker and Ryder Cups grew out of the early animosity between American and British and Scottish golfers in the early years of international competition. <br />
<br />
When Walter Travis, an American citizen born in Australia, who had won the US Amateur at the Atlantic City Country Club, won the British Amateur, he refused to return to defend his title because of what he considered shabby treatment. John McDermott, the first native born American to win the US Open(1911-12) and ACCC professional didn't fare much better. <br />
<br />
McDermott helped inflame the nationalist tone of the competition in 1913 when he declared, after soundly defeating Harry Vardon, Ted Ray and Wilfred Reid at Shawnee that the foreigners wouldn't take the US Open trophy home with them, and they didn't, thanks to amateur caddy Francis Ouimet at Brookline. <br />
<br />
But it took Walter Hagen to set the record straight when he refused to compete in tournaments at clubs that refused to allow golf professionals in the clubhouse, thus liberating the pros from their pro shop station. <br />
<br />
Clarance Hackney, another Atlantic City Country Club professional who succeeded McDermott in 1914 and remained pro until he died in 1940, was one of the Americans to compete with Hagen in the first pre-Ryder Cup team events that were held between the Americans and the UK. <br />
<br />
While Philadelphia department store owner John Wannamaker put the Ryder Cup into formal competition, it was George Herbert Walker - grandfather of the first President Bush who the Walker Cup is named after, for his leadership of the US Golf Association. <br />
<br />
The Walker Cup was played for once in South Jersey, at Pine Valley, and this year's event was held at Aberdeen, Scotland, where James "Jolly Jim" Fraser lived before immigrating to America to be a golf professional. <br />
<br />
Aberdeen has a long history of golf, and the town Fraser was from is called Fraserburg, where there is a golf club that is the fifth oldest club in Scotland and the seventh oldest in the world. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
NEWS REPORTS OF THIS YEAR'S EVENT: <br />
<br />
Britain and Ireland won the Walker Cup for the first time since 2003, holding off the U.S. in the afternoon singles for a 14-12 victory on Sunday at Aberdeen, Scotland.<br />
<br />
Britain and Ireland took an insurmountable lead when 17-year-old Welshman Rhys Pugh beat U.S. Amateur champion Kelly Kraft, 2 and 1, and Steven Brown halved with Blayne Barber. Paul Cutler than halved with American Patrick Cantlay in the final match of the biennial event between leading amateur players.<br />
<br />
The U.S. leads the series, 34-8-1.<br />
<br />
Walker Cup is tough act to follow<br />
<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/iaincarter/2011/09/great_britain_and_irelands_stu.html<br />
<br />
A stunning Walker Cup marked the start of a series of team matchplay tournaments that will add spice to the golfing calendar following the culmination of the major season.<br />
<br />
The Seve Trophy pits the pros of Great Britain and Ireland against Continental Europe this week. Then it is the turn of Europe's professional women to try to overcome the United States in the Solheim Cup.<br />
<br />
Pitching an individual sport like golf into a team environment has magical consequences as numerous Ryder Cups have proven and as the Walker Cup dramatically illustrated again atRoyal Aberdeen. GB&I's brilliant 14-12 success gave them victory in the competition for the first time in eight years.<br />
<br />
How Alison Nicholas will want to emulate Nigel Edwards as she tries to inspire her European team to Solheim Cup success. It would be a victory that would be just as unexpected as the one celebrated by Edwards and co in Scotland.<br />
<br />
If Nicholas is successful, it would also mean that the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Solheim Cup all reside on this side of the Atlantic.<br />
<br />
Edwards led his young team magnificently against an American side that boasted supposedly the world's best amateur players. The chances of a home win were written off in almost every quarter bar the GB&I team room.<br />
<br />
"Did I expect to be sat here winning? Yes, absolutely," Edwards said. "I had had a quiet look at the things people had said and written but I told the boys from the outset that they did not need worry about anyone else.<br />
<br />
"All they needed to do was focus on themselves. They are very special and proved that this week. They did a great credit for themselves, their families and their countries."<br />
<br />
Edwards led his team with a quiet confidence that gave him an inspiring authority. The Welshman's handling of the foursomes pairings was exemplary, with GB&I losing only one of the eight matches. It was perfect captaincy - and a similar level of leadership can be expected from Paul McGinley when he steers Britain in their defence of the Seve Trophy this week.<br />
<br />
This event will not have the same intensity or resonance of the tournaments that sandwich it but it will give us another opportunity to measure McGinley as a potential Ryder Cup captain.<br />
<br />
The Irishman was brilliant two years ago and his intelligence and passion for team golf will come to the fore even though the Seve Trophy pales in significance compared with the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Solheim Cup.<br />
<br />
Much will be made of the absence of big names like Rory McIlroy, Martin Kaymer andSergio Garcia from this week's match but the fact that players skip the Seve Trophy tells you all you need to know about its true significance.<br />
<br />
Should the stay-aways have made more effort to play in the year of the death of the man after whom the trophy is named? Perhaps, but it could be argued this match is a rather artificial memorial to Seve Ballesteros.<br />
<br />
Yes, he was at the heart of its inception and it is his name on the trophy but he meant much more to the European game than this contest. It does not capture the imagination of the fans in the way his golf did or other team events do and, in all honesty, never will.<br />
<br />
There are many other ways the game can honour the late Ballesteros and those not present in Versailles this week should not be regarded as snubbing his memory.<br />
<br />
Indeed, many of them honour it by the standard of their play around the golfing world. No one did more than Ballesteros to demonstrate that there should be no ceiling on European players' ambitions.<br />
<br />
This is well worth remembering at a time when the continent provides the top three in the world rankings - Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and McIlroy. Of those, only Westwood is competing in the Seve Trophy.<br />
<br />
And while on the subject of team golf, it would be remiss not mention the PGA Cup this week. Great Britain and Ireland's club professionals are bidding to beat their American counterparts on US soil for the first time when they play in California.William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-83538566087074210662011-09-05T09:02:00.000-07:002011-09-05T09:57:02.101-07:00The Ultimate Foursome - Vardon, Ray, Fraser and Hagen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q0TkxXg3WMHxL7quVR9UGmHHN6Q3yrC7IE1kWbwpVZTAmamPNApAJnVHVvTMHDChT0CJ0BVyjr8KFZcwFaHzur1PnhQ7w_QPCWX4ngXaUVRX0xgC90IJ0CtsplKn-uE61LJjXwY6rGkt/s1600/IMG_0005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="367" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2Q0TkxXg3WMHxL7quVR9UGmHHN6Q3yrC7IE1kWbwpVZTAmamPNApAJnVHVvTMHDChT0CJ0BVyjr8KFZcwFaHzur1PnhQ7w_QPCWX4ngXaUVRX0xgC90IJ0CtsplKn-uE61LJjXwY6rGkt/s400/IMG_0005.jpg" /></a></div><br />
In the fall of 1921 Harry Vardon and Ted Ray played an exhibition match against James Fraser and Walter Hagen at Pottstown, Pennsylvania. <br />
<br />
Fraser, from Fraserburg, Scotland, was the Seaview Country Club (NJ) professional, whose ten year old son Leo would caddie for him that day. Leo would go on to become the Seaview pro, the owner of the Atlantic City Country Club and an important PGA administrator. <br />
<br />
Harry Vardon and Ray Ted, both from the English channel Island of Jersey, were among the first UK professionals to take golf on the road and physically promote the game. <br />
<br />
Walter Hagen, the obstinate Yank, would become known as the "great emancipator" for giving the golf professional the status of gentlemen and thus permitted in the club house, from where they were previously regarded as employees. Hagen was the first touring golfer to earn a million dollars. <br />
<br />
Vardon, Ray and Hagen won 16 US and British Opens among them. <br />
<br />
Ted Ray won the 1912 US Open and 1920 British Open, while Harry Vardon, said to be the greatest ever, won the 1900 US Open and the 1896,1898,1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914 British Opens. Walter Hagen, who would be the first successful touring pro, won the 1914 and 1919 US Opens and 1922, 1924, 1925, 1926 and 1927 British Opens. <br />
<br />
James "Jolly Jim" Fraser had played in some early Open tournaments and while primarily a club professional, he was no slough, as Fraser and Hagen won the match with Vardon and Ray, said to be one of only two exhibitions they lost on that tour. <br />
<br />
Vardon made three tours of America, playing an exhibition at the Atlantic City Country Club in 1900, and in 1913 was accompanied by Ray and Wilfrid Reid. All three played in the famous Shawnee Tournament and "The Greatest Game" at the U.S. Open at Brookline. Two years later Wilfrid Reid would assume Fraser's job as pro at Seaview when Fraser would be killed in a traffic accident. Reid would also lay out the original Lakeside course at the Olympia Club in San Francisco where the 2012 US Open will played. <br />
<br />
The 1921 tournament at Pottstown was played over a course that was part of Hill School, but a few years before this match was played the Brookside Golf Club was formed by the citiens of Pottstown and today it remains a very respectable club rich, with history. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-33405028153114759812011-09-04T09:20:00.000-07:002011-09-04T10:27:58.657-07:00Old Sandbox at the First Tee - ACCC<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4aQAoKdfOIVDZ4MYj3ZctYnQahvndQC_Ugw_VCbxiXVZWeDADsAwZArIHjX2xkdW4G_hcMg1tMRimxi82N0E57OrkHePzltZlZX4ZM0xnnE-a-zHBMGlMwtZHjmPXbDXHXlJEvgtIrKy/s1600/IMG_0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="349" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4aQAoKdfOIVDZ4MYj3ZctYnQahvndQC_Ugw_VCbxiXVZWeDADsAwZArIHjX2xkdW4G_hcMg1tMRimxi82N0E57OrkHePzltZlZX4ZM0xnnE-a-zHBMGlMwtZHjmPXbDXHXlJEvgtIrKy/s400/IMG_0001.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Sand box at the old first tee at the Atlantic City Country Club <br />
<br />
Before a black New Jersey dentist invented the wood golf tee, golf balls were placed on small pinches of sand before they were driven with the first shot. <br />
<br />
1911-12 US Open Champion John McDermott continued to use pinches of sand even after the golf tee became popular. <br />
<br />
The modern tee <br />
<br />
An early tee designer who gets a lot of attention today in websites and the popular press is Dr. George Grant, the first black graduate of Harvard's dental school. His version of the tee, patented in 1899, consisted of a vertical rubber tube attached at its base to a carrot-shaped piece of wood. It was not the first-ever golf tee as is often claimed, and in fact did not differ much from the earlier pegs that similarly combined a flexible ball rest and a rigid ground anchor.<br />
<br />
Since Grant did not sell or promote his handiwork, it went unnoticed by the golfing public.<br />
<br />
George Franklin Grant (September 15, 1846 – August 21, 1910) was the firstAfrican American professor at Harvard. He was also a Boston dentist, and an inventor of a wooden golf tee.<br />
<br />
He was born on September 15, 1846 in Oswego, New York to Phillis Pitt and Tudor Elandor Grant.<br />
<br />
He attended the Bordentown School for high school.<br />
<br />
He entered the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 1868, and graduated in 1870. He then took a position in the department of Mechanical Dentistry in 1871, making him the Harvard University's first African-American faculty member, where he served for 19 years. Grant is also famous for his invention of the oblate palate, which is a prosthetic device he developed for the treatment of the cleft palate. He was a founding member and later the president of the Harvard Odontological Society and was a member of the Harvard Dental Alumni Association. Grant was elected president of the Alumni Association in 1881. He died on August 21, 1910 at his vacation home in Chester, New Hampshire of liver disease.<br />
<br />
George Franklin Grant, 1847-1910". Harvard. Retrieved 2007-05-24. "Dr. George Franklin Grant (1847-1910) of Oswego, New York, received a degree from the Harvard Dental School in 1870 and then joined the faculty as an authority on mechanical dentistry. He was the first African-American faculty member at the university and remembered today for his invention and patenting of the golf tee."<br />
<br />
New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-21. "He was born on September 15, 1846 in the small town of Oswego, New York, and he was one of seven children born to Phillis Pitt and Tudor Elandor Grant."<br />
The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2007-06-21. "George Franklin Grant is the only one of Tudor E. Grant's four children who left much of a historical trail, but it's an intriguing one, notably for an invention used by millions of golfers. Born in 1847 in Oswego to Tudor and Phillis Pitt Grant, he was educated in Oswego but apparently left home at age 15 after an argument with his father over his taste in clothes. He went to work for an Oswego dentist named S.A. Smith, toiling in a laboratory for five years, according to a Boston Public Library document."<br />
<br />
Taylor, Erica. "Little-Known Black History Fact: The Bordentown School", BlackAmericaWeb.com, May 13, 2010. Accessed June 6, 2010.<br />
<br />
McDaniel, Pete (2000). "Birth of the tee: The story behind the man who gave the ball the perfect setup - George Franklin Grant, inventor". Bnet. Retrieved 2007-05-24. "Grant was born in 1846 in Oswego, N.Y. Unlike many modern-day heroes, his contribution to the game was through ingenuity and resourcefulness rather than playing ability. Grant received a patent for the golf tee in 1899. His was the blueprint for today's wooden and plastic tees. He owned the first patent, but it took almost a century to receive recognition for his invention."<br />
<br />
http://www33.brinkster.com/iiiii/inventions/tee.asp<br />
<br />
While the turn of the 19th-20th century saw many tee inventions of various forms and materials, none of these novelties grew popular enough to threaten the centuries-old tradition of the sand tee. That situation began to change in the early 1920s, when New Jersey dentist William Lowell patented and sold a tee that would eventually become standard: the familiar one-piece wooden peg with a funnel-shaped head. The "Reddy Tee," as Lowell called it, was easy and cheap to mass produce, but most important to its success was Lowell's aggressive marketing campaign, which included hiring golf great Walter Hagen to show off the tees while touring.<br />
<br />
Because of the Reddy Tee's unprecedented acceptance at both the professional and amateur levels, Lowell was for some time assumed to have been the inventor of the golf tee. More recently it has become fashionable, especially during Black History Month, to give George Grant the credit. Few people are aware of the tees preceding both Grant's and Lowell's, and as of this writing, scant reference to them can be found elsewhere on the Web. For a reasonably complete history, find the bookSingular History of the Golf Tee by Irwin R. Valenta (Greensboro, N.C. : I.R. Valenta, c1995).<br />
<br />
William Lowell, Sr. (1863 – June 24, 1954) was a dentist, and an inventor of a wooden golf tee.[1] <br />
William Lowell was born in Hoboken, New Jersey and lived in Maplewood, New Jersey and had a son, William Lowell, Jr. (1897-1976).[2] He first made 5,000 tees, that were stained green, but he soon changed to red, to make them more distinctive and named them "Reddy Tees". In 1922 Walter Hagenand Joe Kirkwood used his tees during their exhibitions. The Reddy Tee was patented on May 13, 1925, but in 1922 he signed a deal with the A.G. SpaldingCompany, for 24 dozen. By 1925 he was selling $100,000 worth of tees and they were being made of celluloid. By 1926 copycat versions were on the market, and he spent much of his time and money fighting patent infringement.<br />
<br />
He died at Orange Memorial Hospital in East Orange, New Jersey on June 24, 1954 at the age of 91.<br />
U.S. Patent 1,670,627 golf tee filed December 7, 1925<br />
U.S. Patent 1,650,141 golf tee filed August 26, 1925<br />
U.S. Patent 1,569,765 gold putter filed November 13, 1925<br />
<br />
Birth: 1863<br />
Hoboken<br />
Hudson County<br />
New Jersey, USA<br />
Death: Jun. 24, 1954<br />
<br />
William Lowell, Sr. (1863 – June 24, 1954) was a dentist, and an inventor of a wooden golf tee.<br />
<br />
William Lowell was born in Hoboken, New Jersey and lived in Maplewood, New Jersey and had a son, William Lowell, Jr. (1897-1976). He first made 5,000 tees, that were stained green, but he soon changed to red, to make them more distinctive and named them "Reddy Tees". In 1922 Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood used his tees during their exhibitions. The Reddy Tee was patented on May 13, 1925, but in 1922 he signed a deal with the A.G. Spalding Company, for 24 dozen. By 1925 he was selling $100,000 worth of tees and they were being made of celluloid. By 1926 copycat versions were on the market, and he spent much of his time and money fighting patent infringement. He died in East Orange, New Jersey in 1954 at the age of 91.<br />
<br />
Burial:<br />
Saint Peter's Cemetery <br />
Jersey City<br />
Hudson County<br />
New Jersey, USA<br />
Created by: Richard Arthur Norton (1...<br />
Record added: Nov 23, 2010 <br />
Find A Grave Memorial# 62081702<br />
<br />
McDaniel, Pete (2000). "Birth of the tee: The story behind the man who gave the ball the perfect setup - George Franklin Grant, inventor". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2007-05-24. "Ten years later, the messy, wet sand tee was still in vogue when Dr. William Lowell, a Maplewood, N.J., dentist, made the late-in-life discovery that golf possessed certain therapeutic advantages. ..."<br />
<br />
New York Times. May 14, 1976. Retrieved 2007-05-24. "William Lowell Jr., a former manufacturer of golf tees and an industrial packaging specialist, died Wednesday at Muhlenberg Hospital,Plainfield, New Jersey He was 78 years old and lived in Fanwood, New Jersey"<br />
<br />
New York Times. June 25, 1954. Retrieved 2010-11-24. "Dr. William Lowell, designer of the Reddy Golf Tee, which came into universal use in the sport, died yesterday at Orange Memorial Hospital after a short ..."William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-4881166092891522722011-09-02T05:46:00.000-07:002011-10-09T23:12:55.185-07:00Don January Recalls origin of PGA Tour in Atlantic City<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVUSsrfWUxxOnjIqdEelBGtzoxPCdpc3rFaAV6hbuDqlKufQvAHvvMKV2VbE97EEtIwiGIAxhBTo0RjYn8i-aRz59qGq8ofa1pcuWXm_pRvggUo3UhXUH_dnMnpOo7NBml0Tvyt7_IcYT/s1600/january_storytop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRVUSsrfWUxxOnjIqdEelBGtzoxPCdpc3rFaAV6hbuDqlKufQvAHvvMKV2VbE97EEtIwiGIAxhBTo0RjYn8i-aRz59qGq8ofa1pcuWXm_pRvggUo3UhXUH_dnMnpOo7NBml0Tvyt7_IcYT/s400/january_storytop.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Stan Badz/PGA TOUR<br />
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Don January laughs during the 2001 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.<br />
Jun. 22, 2010 | http://www.pgatour.com/2010/s/06/21/30th-anniversary/index.html<br />
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By Vartan Kupelian, PGATOUR.COM Contributor<br />
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The memories of that first Senior Tour event have dimmed for Don January.<br />
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What hasn't faded during the intervening three decades is how much fun it was, from putting together the building blocks of something that would grow and flourish to making the key swings and putts down the stretch.<br />
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The 30th anniversary of the first Senior Tour event in Atlantic City, won by January, is Tuesday (June 22).<br />
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"That's a few years ago," said January, who won the first title. "No doubt about it, it has changed."<br />
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The Senior Tour was conceived in 1980 by a gang of six. It began with four events and purses totaling $475,000. Today, the circuit for golfers over age 50 has grown to 26 official events offering $51.5 million in official prize money. The average purse is just under $2 million.<br />
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Renamed the Champions Tour in 2002, its mission statement is to provide a competitive environment for those who are ready to embark on the next phase of their professional careers. The phrase "competitive environment" is the operative term. That's not how it was in 1980.<br />
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"Julie (Boros) put it best," January said. "He said, 'I don't care where we play or how much we play for - just get me out of the house."<br />
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January, Boros, Bob Goalby, Sam Snead, Dan Sykes and Gardner Dickinson were the shakers behind the movement.<br />
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Goalby vividly remembers elements of the January, 1980, meeting at Jacksonville International Airport that led to the first Senior Tour event. PGA TOUR <br />
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Commissioner Deane Beman was there.<br />
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The goal was a casual 10-event circuit.<br />
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"I don't think Deane thought there was any chance of doing much," Goalby said. "Money spent on senior golf wouldn't make the regular tour guys too happy.<br />
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"Julius was a slow-talking guy, easy-going, never in a hurry. He made that great comment. He had a bunch of kids and grandkids at home, he kind of liked the tour, the quiet life. Back home, there were 10 people in the house."<br />
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Goalby, Mike Souchak and January played together in the last round at Atlantic City. On the first hole, a par 5, Goalby reached the green in two shots and had a 12-foot eagle putt. He got it halfway to the hole.<br />
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"I hadn't played in a while," Goalby said. "It was embarrassing but I made the putt for birdie."<br />
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It isn't difficult for Goalby to prioritize the reasons why the Senior Tour succeeded. It was about playing in places that hadn't seen professional golf and embraced the idea and the men they knew from a distance but never before had an opportunity to see in person.<br />
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But a bigger reason, in Goalby's opinion, was the effort that was put into it by the golfers.<br />
"Snead was our catalyst," Goalby said. "He played in every tournament the first three, four years, went to every clinic, did everything he could for us. We had three, four parties a week and all the players went to the pro-am draw.<br />
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"We had been put out to pasture and we knew the only way to make it work was to help sell it."<br />
And sell they did.<br />
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"It took off because we paid the price," said Goalby, who served 16 years on the Senior Tour board. "Snead said it was more fun than anything he had done in his life. It was very exciting and a lot of fun. A lot of us had to quit the regular tour when we were 40, couldn't afford to hang on like you can today when you make $12,000 a week at the bottom.<br />
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"It was a chance for us to keep playing and we were hungry, it was a chance to compete. I remember Billy Caspersaying he was happy to show people we were better people the second time around."<br />
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Brian Henning came aboard in 1981 as administrator of the Senior Tour.<br />
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"My job was to go out and find sponsors to put up $125,000 and that's basically what I did," said Henning, who spent 22 years in the role. "Our goal was to get about 10 events to get the senior players in those days out of the house for a couple of weeks every year and that was basically it.<br />
"Suddenly, everything just went wild."<br />
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The wildfire spread word of mouth. The deal was too good to pass up.<br />
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"I was able to go into cities and guarantee 50 of the best senior players in America, the world if you like, who would play in the pro-am," Henning said. "Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Bob Goalby, Arnold Palmer. We entertained them at their parties and they had a lot of fun. Word spread. Next thing I was getting calls from all over the country."<br />
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In 1983, Henning's title was changed to Vice President/Senior Tour Field Operations and eventually Vice President/Competitions. He retired in 2001.<br />
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Goalby has fond recollections of Henning.<br />
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"He was very instrumental," Goalby said. "He did a great job for us. He was the front man, did a lot of PR for us. He was very good."<br />
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Some components of the Senior Tour that Goalby, January and the others envisioned no doubt were whimsical.<br />
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"More or less, it was a reunion for us," said January, whose 22 victories is tied for sixth most all-time with Chi Chi Rodriguez. "We figured there might be a market out there for us, why not take a shot at it.<br />
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"We were trying to give back to the sponsor a little better deal than they had been getting and corporate America embraced us. I had a ball. It was a lot of work but we didn't mind doing that.<br />
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"None of us realized it would come to what it did. We always thought we had a good product but none of us had any idea it would get this big."William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1179823268482798081.post-2457475468611330942011-09-02T05:39:00.001-07:002011-10-13T18:25:12.631-07:00Interview w/Archie Struthers - OC-SP Greate Bay Golf Course<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_seBhKvxl2Ln0E6KnajQTiAvbhTaTVJM1M5KA_dcOD7OVFnDxoftM3fN8wZYUxLq6Q2d2lwQng2_8gLkCPhyphenhyphenL29GVcZH79QO-QBgo9Gr4k8C-sTOAy22frevapx-iaqJyizRq8V9-l9O/s1600/untitled+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="252" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_seBhKvxl2Ln0E6KnajQTiAvbhTaTVJM1M5KA_dcOD7OVFnDxoftM3fN8wZYUxLq6Q2d2lwQng2_8gLkCPhyphenhyphenL29GVcZH79QO-QBgo9Gr4k8C-sTOAy22frevapx-iaqJyizRq8V9-l9O/s400/untitled+2.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Ocean City - Somers Point Golf Club <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzdwdSah0xCojyohCc4QAGZKtOkQo8A5A9YdQS-JfKhbdY2wlVg0QpzXtlr_SpkS4qXDNkUdFouMKWaGkMbjHMNLaU6WiJuu-Pj88T0DAlLZm4GMIEsH-mL4pS_oisEnLbSBqtSp_PVk5/s1600/gulf+club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="263" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzdwdSah0xCojyohCc4QAGZKtOkQo8A5A9YdQS-JfKhbdY2wlVg0QpzXtlr_SpkS4qXDNkUdFouMKWaGkMbjHMNLaU6WiJuu-Pj88T0DAlLZm4GMIEsH-mL4pS_oisEnLbSBqtSp_PVk5/s400/gulf+club.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Old Clubhouse at Ocean City-Somers Point Golf Club - Now Greate Bay <br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAztpWn3xrMmWCgB0_1bzL4JXNFKZcNTSrgWt9Wa9BjOBFWDoeGTQ1gy_cwiG4MTUr8ZOZLVilPrAo9z2lwKGvB9ejXxG9C9XG_Ldv5irQQTLOF_LmvSSjRlKR5jCh43LyoVsFO3dLYPI/s1600/archie.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAztpWn3xrMmWCgB0_1bzL4JXNFKZcNTSrgWt9Wa9BjOBFWDoeGTQ1gy_cwiG4MTUr8ZOZLVilPrAo9z2lwKGvB9ejXxG9C9XG_Ldv5irQQTLOF_LmvSSjRlKR5jCh43LyoVsFO3dLYPI/s400/archie.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638795636355471682" /></a> <br />
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Archie Struthers - April 2001 <br />
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Just back from Augusta the day the Masters tournament began, Archie Struthers is exuberant, full of energy, like a kid on Christmas. Certainly not your typical golf club president, Archie is excited about golf, the game he loves, and he has some things to be excited about. He’s taking his golf club, Greate Bay in Somers Point, private, while at the same time preparing to open a new and exciting course – Twisted Dune, which has his signature all over it. <br />
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Born in Brooklyn, New York, Archie Struthers moved to South Jersey with his family as a child, and began to caddy when he was eleven years old at Woodcrest Golf course in Cherry Hill, where he worked for Tim DeBaufre, now a pro at Greate Bay. After attending Cherry Hill H.S. and the University of Maryland, he went to graduate school, he says, “to kind of prolong my childhood, because I loved coming down the shore so much.” <br />
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Before joining a group on the back nine, Archie took me for a ride around to see Twisted Dune and talked casually about what he’s doing at Great Bay and his thoughts on the future of golf at the Jersey Shore. <br />
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Kelly: You were a golf pro for awhile. <br />
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Struthers: I was a golf pro for two years. I was in graduate school when I decided to turn pro. I thought I could be a good player and I found out I couldn’t, for whatever reasons. I went down to Florida and was playing pretty good. Then I started to take lessons and started playing worse. I retired because I couldn’t hit it straight. But that may have been a blessing in disguise because these guys are so good, they are such great players. I still have the occasional good round. I’ll break 70 once a year. I’ll break 80, and then I’ll go on the other side as well. <br />
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Kelly: You worked at Pine Valley for awhile, what was that like? <br />
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Struthers: Pine Valley is a unique place because you’re exposed to some of the great minds in golf every day there, on a regular basis. All the members are from all over the country, not all famous guys. Like the guy from Iowa, who’s just a nice guy, whose good to spend three days with and listen to his philosophies on golf. Mostly it’s all about golf, and a little bit about life. So I think it’s a great learning experience there for anyone, especially when you’re caddying there, because you get to interface with people so directly. It’s not like, “Hey, how are you? Good to see you. Goodbye.” <br />
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Now sometimes, I feel that I can’t spend much time with the people here at Greate Bay, as I like because I’m running in too many directions. Hopefully that will change, as I get more employees, and people working here, you don’t need me as much, even though I keep trying to do it. I think we have a great opportunity here to have some fun and be comfortable. As much as Atlantic City had all that tradition, it was a really comfortable place. You came in there and find all different things going on, and lots of action, local events and people from all walks of life. I’m not saying we can emulate that, but imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and we don’t want to be an exact replica, and we can’t be. But there’s a lot of things that were good and we have a lot of things here that were good to start, and we’re trying to tie it all together and make it a nice club. And I think going private is a big part of that. <br />
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Kelly: How did you get from Woodcrest to Pine Valley to Greate Bay? <br />
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When I was 27 I went into the real estate business. I have to thank Gene Gatti for the opportunity here. There’s a man who made a deal based on wanting to do something good, not only for the community, but for me, for me to have a chance to do something I love. It wasn’t about the money for him, although we did have to make a good business deal because he’s smart. <br />
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He’s just a great guy. I was down his home in Florida this winter and played golf. He breaks his age four or five times a year, and if he could putt better he’d do it more often. He won’t use a long putter and I think he should, but he’s too much of a purist. He’s a very private guy, comes back here every summer and plays with his regular guys. <br />
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Kelly: What’s the philosophy of taking Greate Bay private? <br />
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Struthers: I still fell that given our location and our ability to prepare good food, have parties and fun, and we have a good golf course. We have a great core of members, some were here when we took over and a lot of them are expatriates from Atlantic City, and a lot of people now from Ocean City. They never realized that this was right in their backyard, and they just didn’t know about it. I think in the long run we have an opportunity to do something kind of unique here, because of our location as much as anything. <br />
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Kelly: Atlantic City gave you an influx of members? <br />
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Struthers: At the time we had a tremendous influx of members, but we really weren’t ready to take care of them in the style that a lot of them were accustomed to. Thy had a 100 years of preparation over there in running a private club and people that did it for a long, long time, an we were very good at it. Although we did our best, we just weren’t ready to deal with that situation as well as I would have liked. Because our intentions were always good, we kept a core of wonderful golf members who knew that it wasn’t quite what they waned, but knew there was an effort, and there was potential. And now I think we’re beginning to realize some of that potential, finally. <br />
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Kelly: The clubhouse is open to the public and has a liquor license and the Pub & Grill has good food and prices. <br />
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Struthers: One thing about having a great facility is we can have some really special events at Greate Bay. We’re going to do Wednesday night barbeque gab and golf sessions. I can bring in four or five guys – golf pros, and we hope to get 50 or 75 members to come out for that, and some will just come out to eat. But those guys can teach and talk and tell stories. We have a lot of things planned. Another night we’re going to have a party – a Midsummer’s Night Dream, out in the parking lot with tents. We’re going to have some big bands come in and do a lot of social things. <br />
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You have to come to the Greate Bay Pub & Grill. It’s not a stuffy place. It would be pretty hard for me to be too stuffy. It’s just not my MO. Once in awhile I have to put on a suit and tie and go out with my wife to a fundraiser in Atlantic City or someplace, but my wife is much better at that than I am. <br />
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Kelly: How will going private affect other things, like the course? <br />
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Struthers: I think it’s obvious we’ll have less play than before. It will never be a place that won’t be active. It won’t be anywhere near the level we’ve seen in the last five years, but we are continually improving the course. Superintendent Steve Lane is the head supervisor here at Greate Bay and he helped build Twisted Dune. He’s from North Jersey originally, from a family of superintendents. His father Charlie has also been helping us this winter, and his brother is a superintendent up at Hackensack. It’s a pretty good golf family. Steve was an assistant at Galloway when they built it, and he had two course he ran in Hawaii. He’s an great worker and a really good guy, but it’s hard to get two words out of him if you don’t know him because he’s very quiet. I think he’s made tremendous improvements in the golf course. <br />
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Kelly: You have the new Twisted Dune in Egg Harbor Township opening soon, you’ve had this dream and the vision and now you’re making it a reality, what’s that going to be like? <br />
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Struthers: I think Twisted Dune will be operationally simple. It’s going to be pretty much just golf. It’s a links type course, unique. We hope it’s going to be less commercialized, come in and have fun, but not play slow! Because I hate that. But come in and hang around awhile. It will have a small clubhouse, almost like the Greate Bay Pub & Grill, same motif, memorabilia, golf stuff on the walls, and hopefully we’ll get all the famous guys in the area, Stan Dudas, Gene Gatti, Tim Debaufree, Billy Care, and have them hanging out there occasionally and bring in some color and add some character to the place, because that’s important. That’s what I’m thinking. <br />
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Kelly: Who will be the pro there? <br />
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Struthers: It seems we have a million pros working here. We have Don Archer at Hamilton Trails, while here we have Tim DeBaufre, Tom McCarthy, John Appleget, Mike Carson. Mike will be the pro here at Greate Bay, though they all kind of interchange and work together. We have a tremendous amount of experience and talent on that staff. John Appleget is one of our better players and teachers around. Timmy Debaufre is a pretty legendary figure in golf. Tom McCarthy was at Pine Valley, Boneta Bay, Potesta Conch,…we have the best team of pros in the business. There’s also some new assistant pros, Marc Cerniglia and Chris Foster. <br />
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Kelly: So you have a lot going, the nine holes at Hamilton Trails, opening Twisted Dune and taking Greate Bay private? <br />
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Struthers: It’s interesting for us, because in a lot of ways we have to promote our business, we have to get over the hump and make sure we get enough members for Greate Bay. There’s a fine line between promoting too much and not promoting enough. If it seems like you’re selling everybody, it’s like, “Gee, how private are they?” <br />
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Kelly: How many members are you looking for? <br />
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Struthers: I don’t have a number in mind. What’s good now is the way our memberships are breaking down. It’s almost splitting down the middle between full members and weekday members. We have a lot of retired people and locals who either work on the weekends around here or don’t want to play on the weekends because they’re here year ‘round. <br />
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So if you would have a club where you have 250 full members and 250 weekend members, I mean 250 full members is a very exclusive, private club. So I think that’s a way we can keep our revenues up and dues prices down., because we can offer that weekday and full member plans. The prices vary from $100 to $3500, which is for full members with all the bells and whistles, lockers and stuff. And with the way golf prices are going up, I mean if you’re a member and use the club a lot, at some point it starts to get fairly reasonable. <br />
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Kelly: You’re young and seem to support the idea of young people playing golf. <br />
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Struthers: Not being an altruist, because we have a nice business and we do well, but golf course are a good thing for the community. It’s somewhere the kids can come and play. We have more kids now than ever, and they’re great players. We have both Mainland and Ocean City play here now. Ocean City’s been here a long time, and now that Larry Silk works here, he asked if Mainland could play here and we said absolutely. It’s going to be interesting to see, and I don’t want to get into trouble because I live in Ocean City, but Mainland has a awful strong team this year and it will be hard to beat them. But in golf you never know what’s going to happen. That’s a pretty good rivalry – Mainland and Ocean City, and now it’s extending beyond the football field to the golf course, which I think is fun. And I like the support we get from the high schools, hosting their banquets and events. We like to support the kids. <br />
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<br />
And that’s another point about our club memberships that most people don’t realize. If you’re a member at Greate Bay, your kids play for free as long as they’re a student and until they’re out of college. You can’t put a price tag on that. <br />
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You come out at 4 o’clock in the afternoon with your ten, eleven, twelve year old, and play five or six holes, whatever their attention span allows. You walk around with them, and spend some quality time together, and I think that’s something we can’t stress enough of. I think we have more young people play here at Greate Bay than any other club in the area, and it’s growing. The kids play on their own. We have twenty to thirty young guys and girls playing regularly. Usually you seem them lugging their bags and playing late in the afternoon. That’s great for us. <br />
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Kelly: What do you think is the future of golf at the Jersey Shore. <br />
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Struthers: I would say that in the last couple of years the prices got real high real quick, but there’s more competition, so its not like shooting ducks in a pond like it seemed to be. I still think the amount of people that live in the Delaware Valley certainly love to come to the Jersey Shore. Atlantic City is growing slowly, but it’s still continues to grow. The Airport is trying, Borgata is coming, MGM looks like they’re coming. I mean we have 9-10 golf courses close to Atlantic City, while there’s 75 to 90 in Vegas. I see a tremendous opportunity for those golf courses to really become very good at what they do. I’m going to temper that with the fact that I don’t think the state is going to allow them to build too many more, based on water restrictions, though I think that golf courses are much better for the community than housing projects. So in some ways golf courses should be given a break for creating open space, and I wish they’d give us a little tax break. <br />
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I think it’s good for a community to have a golf course. I think it certainly benefits Somers Point and I think Twisted Dune will benefit Egg Habor Township. <br />
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[Interview with Archie Struthers, first published in Golfers Tee Times, April-May 2001]William Kellyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06891936236810260349noreply@blogger.com0