TERRE HAUTE — Leo Bach and George Amies will be honored at the conclusion of today’s WTHI News 10 Terre Haute Men’s City Golf Championship by being inducted into Terre Haute Golf Association’s Hall of Fame. Both men have made indelible marks on the Terre Haute golf scene.
Leo Bach began his golfing experiences as a 12-year-old caddy at the Country Club of Terre Haute. Later he was a member of Honey Creek High School’s golf team.
As a player, Leo was medalist in a popular city event, the WAAC scramble; when he shot a three-under-par 69. Later he captained a team that won the scramble portion of the WAAC in a sudden death playoff. Also included in Bach’s resume are three first-flight victories in the Lawrenceville (Ill.) Amateur.
Bach has competed in the championship flight in the city tournament, and he has placed second in the Terre Haute Seniors’ Tourney. He has participated in four interclub matches, playing for Rea Park twice and Hulman Links twice.
Among Leo’s low scores are: 66 at Brazil’s Forest Park, 67 at Rea Park and 70 at Hulman Links. He has also scored seven holes-in-one which underscores his mastery of the iron game.
Bach’s administrative credits include spending seven years as a member of the board of the Terre Haute Golf Association which culminated in his presidency of that organization. Additionally, he served as president of the Rea Park Men’s Club for two years and vice president for three.
Leo is married to the former Barbara Martin. He is the father of four children, Laura, John, David and Michael.
Leo Bach’s service to Terre Haute golf through the years has certainly been appreciated by the many Terre Haute golfers he has served.
George Amies first became interested in golf at the age of 10. It wasn’t long before he was caddying at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia, one of the world’s most renowned golf courses. Since he lived in a house adjacent to the course, he received limited playing privileges there.
George’s father was a member of the Diplomatic Corps and at the age of 13 Amies found himself living in Terre Haute and attending McLean Junior High School. Shortly thereafter, it was back to Australia until he was 23 at which time he returned to the United States with dual citizenships.
Amies shot his first par round at the Sundringham course at the age of 14. He would later win multiple club championships on that same course.
Winning his age group, state championship at the age of 15 landed George in an episode of Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf that featured a match between Peter Thompson and Gary Player. Gene Sarazen, the moderator of the show, is depicted giving Amies a lesson as part of the television production.
Amies was also a prolific miler along with his golfing accomplishments. He was the winner of the prestigious Duke of Edinburg Award for Athletic Achievement in a competition that numbered 10,000 entrants, thereby becoming the first Australian so honored, and at one time Amies held eight course records in Australia.
George Amies is a former, two-time Rea Park Men’s Club Champion. He has been a member of “feature foursomes” in past city tournaments, and he has several top ten finishes as well as a third place showing to his credit. Along the way he has made two holes-in-one. His lowest score is a 62 on the Brighton Golf Club in Melbourne.
Always a keen student of the game and always agreeable to help others with their swing flaws, George was a natural as the Indiana State University golf coach, a position he held from 1975 until 1980, when the school dropped the golf program.
Amies coached several outstanding players along the way, including Ossie Moore who would later win the Australian Open, Darin Cole who would transfer to Mississippi when the Indiana State golf program evaporated and take fourth in the NCAA golf finals, and Rick Fernandes who went out to Des Moines (Ia.) at Waconda Golf Club and won the Missouri Valley Conference title. Rick also qualified and participated in the NCAA Tournament. Fernandes was awarded Honorable Mention All-American honors at the conclusion of his collegiate career. He has a plaque that bears not only his name, but also the names of the other players who received All-American designations that year. They are: Payne Stewart, Fred Couples, Corey Pavin, Bob Tway, Mark O’Meara, John Cook and Joey Sindelar, all of who have gone on to outstanding professional careers.
Another golfer George assisted was Cathy Harbin, a multiple winner of the Terre Haute Women’s Golf Tournament. Cathy is now director of golf at The World Golf Hall of Fame located at St. Augustine (Fla.). George has definitely been instrumental in benefiting others when it comes to achieving their potentials as they play this great game of golf. He would like to be remembered as someone who played by the rules and set an example for younger kids who later became those with good careers. George is the father of two children, Evan, a graduate of DePauw University and Kristin, a junior at DePauw.
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Ask Dusty Jovanovich what his scorecard totaled after he recorded three bogies and just two pars and the answer would be 62 after you add in the 13 birdies he fired in the opening round of his recent win in the Spaghetti Open at Matthews Park in Clinton, and that’s not even the lowest score he has shot there. Dusty makes the game look simpler than it is!
n Tip of the week — If you’re going to build a good golf swing, strive for a straight line from your neck to the base of your spine. This is important in making a correct shoulder turn. “Slumping” at address will cause problems. All the touring pros are careful in assuming this fundamental position.
Keep your head down and your shoestrings tied. We’ll be back.
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