To watch a professional golf tournament today, you’d think that the spectators were just ordinary folks and the players were royalty. They are admired and paid very well for having a spectacular grasp of the game, while mere mortals watch, clap and appreciate their skills.
This wasn’t always the case. There was a time, about a century ago and before, when those with great golfing skills, the ones who won tournaments, were admired for their skills on the course but treated like second-class citizens off it. It took a change of thinking, and probably some princely intervention, to change all of that.
The popularity of golf boomed in the roaring ’20s, thanks mostly to a booming economy that allowed a larger middle class to have more leisure time. Adding to the excitement for the game, and therefore golf’s popularity in America, was a trio of golfers known as the Three Musketeers — Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen.
Bobby Jones was the dominant golfer from 1923 to 1930, but he was an amateur, and was regarded as a gentleman as such.
Gene Sarazen, who had changed his name from Eugene Saraceni because he thought it sounded like a violinist, was the best “little man” playing golf in the ’20s. He won the 1922 U.S. Open when he was only 22. He turned professional after that and won the PGA title that year. He then brashly challenged and defeated Hagen, who had won the 1922 British Open, to a one-on-one match for the unofficial championship of the world.
That event had to be great publicity for the sport of golf. Sarazen became the first golfer to win all four major professional titles: the U.S. Open (1922), The British Open (1932), the American PGA (1922, ’23, and ’33) and the Masters (1935). Hagen was the third member of the Three Musketeers and its most flamboyant. He won the British Open four times, the U.S. Open twice and the PGA five times.
“The Haig,” as Hagen was known, was recognized for his stylish attire on the links and his boldness on and off the course. He was vocal about allowing all professionals to play in all of the major tournaments; he hated the time-honored tradition that gentlemen only played for the love of sport rather than pay.
Pros who played golf for money were looked down upon in those days. They were considered servants; craftsmen who crafted golf clubs in the pro shops, gave lessons, and were gamblers on the course (for the most part). They did not mix with the gentry — that is, until Walter Hagen changed all that.
The three British Opens made all the difference. In one, Hagen was told he had to eat his meals in the pro shop with the other hired hands. The next day, in typical flamboyant style, The Haig rented a chauffeured limousine to drive him to the front of the pro shop, where he sat in regal splendor in the back of the car while a footman served him an elaborate luncheon with the appropriate wine for each course.
At another Open, when he was made to dress in the pro shop instead of the club locker room, he again hired a chauffeured limo, where he changed into his tailored clothes in the back of the car while parked in front of the pro shop.
These were attention getters, but would not have done anything if it had not been for the Prince of Wales. The prince, who later became King Edward VIII, invited Walter Hagen to have lunch in the clubhouse at an English course. Some club attendants whispered to the prince that Hagen, as a golf pro, was not allowed in the clubhouse. The prince loudly replied that if Hagen left, he would too. And that was how the social distinction between pros and amateurs was erased.
• Quote of the Day: “Hagen was indisputably a genius. He must have been to have hit so many bad shots while winning so much and so often … He made golf look difficult, and because most golfers find the game difficult they were able to identify with Hagen.” — Golf historian Mark H. McCormack.
THWGA events
The Terre Haute Women’s Golf Association has announced their schedule of events for the summer of 2009:
• May 30: Two-person Combo Tournament, Rea Park with THWGA organizational meeting to follow.
• June 27-28: Two-person Ringer Tournament, Hulman Links
• July 24-27: 70th Annual City Match Play Tournament, Hulman Links
• August 22: Partner Scramble, Rea Park
Jennifer Myers can be reached by e-mail at
jfmyers@xsthe.net.
On & Off the Course
The Haig changed golf off the course
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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