I am an honorary member of the New York Historical Society. I have given lectures to the Historical Society as a guest speaker on multiple occasions. I love all history as the past allows you to see the future. But the history I love the most is the colorful history of the game of golf.
As a PGA professional of 35 years, I have studied the methods of the masters. Along the way, I enjoyed the history of the Professional Golfers Association of America. The history of the PGA’s role in American golf includes the most colorful characters in not just athletics, but in every facet of American life.
You have the history makers such as Francis Ouimet, who was an eighteen-year-old amateur playing in the US Open held at Brookline in 1913. Francis found himself in a playoff for America’s Open against Ted Ray and Harry Vardon. It was the old David and Goliath story brought to life on the fairways of Brookline. This young amateur defeated the giants and went on to win the 1913 US Open. In 1913 there were 400,000 golfers in America. Ten years later, there were 10 million golfers in America. Thank you, Francis.
Another amateur made history in 1929. In this historic year, the young amateur Bobby Jones went on to win all four major events in the world of golf, winning the British Amateur, the US Amateur, the US Open, an the British Open all in the same year. He won as an amateur!
American history has always reflected in the great accomplishments found on the PGA Tour. Colorful characters including Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Jimmy DeMaret, Byron Nelson, all the way up to Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, became household names. All of them great golfers and all a part of the PGA’s history.
But I want to talk about the ones you don’t hear about that added to the alor of the PGA Tour. I’d like to tell you a story about Ivan Gantz as it was told to me from the famous Don January. Don January was play golf on the sixth hole at a Westchester Country Club. The sixth and seventh holes ran parallel to one another, but from the sixth tee, you could not see the seventh fairway as there were maple trees obstructing the view. Don hooked his ball into the seventh fairway from the sixth tee. When he got to his ball, Ivan Gantz was standing right next to it and his whole forehead was busted open with blood streaming down his face. Don, being a rookie on the tour, was horrified from what he had done. He ran up to Ivan Gantz, and he said to him, “Mr. Gantz, I couldn’t see from the sixth tee to yell ‘Fore’ to warn you of my misguided shot!” Now understand this, Ivan Gantz was one of the toughest, meanest Russians you would ever meet. Ivan said to Don, “First of all, who in the hell are you, and what in the hell are you talking about?” Don replied, “My ball hit you in the forehead and you are bleeding all over the place. I’m sorry!” “Well you little asshole,” Ivan snaps back. “Your ball didn’t hit me in the head. I missed a four foot putt on the sixth green and hit myself in the head with my putter. You didn’t do anything. Now, get the hell out of here.” Ivan Gantz was known to dive head first into a trap from an elevated green. He would hit himself so hard in the shins he couldn’t walk. He was a mad Russian.
One last story for today is that of Edward Stewart “Porky” Oliver. Porky played during the Hogan years and those two were good friends. It was said that Porky would start out on the range drinking beer and by the time he finished his eighteenth hole, he had consumed a whole case. As he finished his round, he went into the Club House and started drinking liquor. As luck would have it, in strolled Ben Hogan, who never touched a drop of alcohol while playing. That day, Porky, being really drunk, gave Hogan the nickname that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Before Porky hit the floor from over imbibing, he yelled out to Hogan, “Here comes the Hawk!.”
The stories of the countless PGA famous players all became part of our great golf history, a history we can not forget.
In closing, I would like to say, I will dedicate the rest of my time as a PGA Golf Professional to Women’s Golf in America because they are the last pure connection to the sport that I have and I promise you, I will do all I can to make the Women’s PGA Tour, Women’s College Golf, and Women’s Amateur Golf my top priority.
The Blue Whale Exercise Program 