By Bobby Greenwood, PGA. Published by Tee Times Magazine, Winter 2023 issue, pages 16 and 17.
It was interesting to meet such great people during my seven years on the PGA Tour. I will never forget my meeting with Charles “Chick” Evans at the Western Open at Olympia Fields Country Club in Chicago, Illinois. I was amazed at how kind and what a humble man he was.
Evans was the most acclaimed American amateur golfer of his time because he won the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Open in the same year, a feat he achieved in 1916. He was the first person to accomplish this task and only Bobby Jones has done it since.
Evans won the U.S. Amateur again in 1920 and was runner-up three times. Selected to the Walker Cup team in 1922, 1924, and 1928, he competed in a record 50 consecutive U.S. Amateurs in his long career and he was low amateur in 6 U.S. Opens and won a record 8 Western Amateur titles. Evans achieved all of this while carrying only seven hickory-shafted clubs!
In comparing the two great amateur golfers, Bobby Jones and Chick Evans, perhaps we should also compare the golf equipment that each man used.
When Bobby Jones’ personal set of clubs was tested years later, the set was perfectly matched. All except his 8-iron which was slightly off. When informed of these findings, Jones stated, “I never did like that club so much.” He matched his set of golf clubs by feel as there were no swing weight machines available at that time.
In 1971, I played in the U.S. Open at historic Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Down the street from the club was George Izett’s Custom Club Company. One day, before the tournament started, David Graham and I decided to “get away” and visit the old golf club factory. David was an avid club collector and he enjoyed looking for the oil-hardened persimmon head McGregor woods.
I was interested in the Wilson R-90 wedges. When we went in the company, there was George Izett, the old clubmaker himself. He told us that during the 1924 U.S. Amateur, Bobby Jones came into his shop. Bobby was looking for a 4-wood. He gave Mr. Izett his specs and then said, “Make 25 of them.” So, that’s how Jones had matched the 14 golf clubs in his set… trial and error.
Years earlier, Chick Evans had won all his tournaments with 7 hickory-shafted clubs!
Chick Evans played his last rounds of competitive golf in 1968, winning the Illinois Open that year. After his retirement, he continued to attend events as a spectator and converse with the fans and players. I would always look forward to meeting with Chick Evans at the Western Open each year in Chicago, Illinois.
Chick Evans’ legacy involves more than tournament golf. His name is synonymous with the Western Golf Association, and the institution of the Evans Scholars Foundation. This idea was born after Evans won the Open and the Amateur in 1916. Evans said his mother “wouldn’t think of accepting my money unless we could arrange it to be trusted to furnish education for deserving caddies.” He also said his mother “pointed out that the money came from golf and thus should go back into golf. It was all her dream — her idea.”
Rather than turn professional, Evans decided to take the $5,000 offered to him and establish a golf scholarship fund for caddies. The Evans Scholarships was for caddies only. Since its founding, the Evans Scholars Foundation has invested more than $475 million in the college educations of more than 11,556 Alumni.
By the way, when I played the Tour in the 1970s, the Western Open and the Masters were the only two tournaments on Tour where players could only use the caddies supplied by the tournament; you could not bring your own caddy in those two events.
Like Evans, Jones was an amazing playing record who was one of the most influential figures in the history of the sport. He dominated top-level amateur competition, and also competed very successfully against the world’s best professional golfers.
Bobby Jones competed in golf only as an amateur, primarily on a part-time basis, and he qualified for his first U.S. Open at age 18 in 1920. Jones won the Southern Amateur three times: 1917, 1920, and 1922. He represented the United States in the Walker Cup five times and because of health reasons, chose to retire from competition at age 28! He played his last round of golf at East Lake Golf Club, his home course in Atlanta, on August 18, 1948.
As an adult, he hit his stride and won his first U.S. Open in 1923. Jones was the first player to win The Double, both the U.S. and British Open Championships in the same year in 1926. He was the second (and last) to win the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in the same year in 1930, first accomplished in 1916 by Chick Evans.
Bobby Jones is most famous for his unique (pre-Masters) “Grand Slam”, the only player to achieve wins in all four major golf tournaments of his era (the open and amateur championships in both the United States and United Kingdom) in a single calendar year in 1930.
After retiring from competitive golf in 1930, and even in the years leading up to that, Jones had become one of the most famous sports figures in the world and was recognized virtually everywhere he went in public. He is the only sports figure to receive two ticker-tape parades in New York City!
Jones’ four titles in the U.S. Open remain tied for the most ever in that championship, along with Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Willie Anderson. His five titles in the U.S. Amateur are a record. In 2000, Bobby Jones was ranked as the fourth greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine, behind Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead third. In 2009, Bobby Jones was listed at No. 3 all time in a major survey published by Golf Magazine. Jack Nicklaus was No. 1, followed by Tiger Woods, Jones, Hogan, and Snead.
It is very difficult to compare players of another era because the game has changed so much. Here is another thought: what would Jack Nicklaus have done if he had the equipment that Tiger Woods played with? Hmmm.
NOTES: • Chick Evans died on November 6, 1979 at age 89. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. • Bobby Jones was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. • David Graham won the PGA Championship in 1979 and the U.S. Open in 1981. • Bobby Greenwood played on the PGA Tour from 1969 to 1975.
PHOTOS: • Chick Evans with Bobby Greenwood at the 1975 Western Open, Butler National Golf Club, Oak Brook, Illinois. • Bobby Greenwood on the 18th hole during the 1971 Western Open tourney @ Olympia Fields Country Club, PGA Tour, July 15, 1971. Photo by famed photographer, Bob Langer.
When Bobby Greenwood left the PGA Tour in 1975 and came back to Cookeville to be with his children, he got into coaching through the basketball Optimist Club program; the baseball Little League and Babe Ruth programs.
“The biggest reward in coaching is to see my former players grow up to be successful, outstanding citizens… sometimes very surprising! 😊,” said Bobby. “I got a lot of help from my assistant coaches such as Coach Charles and Wes Keith, Stacy Farris, and Lon Marcum. I was also the assistant coach to Marty Cook in baseball and to Becki Holman, who was the head coach of the National Championship Girls Basketball team in 1986.
You would think my first love in sports was golf but not at all, my dream was to become a professional basketball player. That was before I realized at 5’9” tall, I was a dwarf.
The night that happened was when at a Cookeville High School game, I drove in and shot a fade away hook shot that was blocked into the 4th row of the bleachers! On the bus ride back to Cookeville I wondered if I might try golf. But, Cookeville High School did not have a golf team at that time… 1956.
In grammar school, I had played on the Old City school basketball team with the great Glynn Carmack. And in high school, I was point guard on the CHS team with the great Jim Ragland. The next year, I was the leading scorer on Riverside Military Academy basketball team.
I played freshman basketball at Tennessee Tech University where it was an honor when Coach Johnny Oldham asked me to guard the great Kenny Sidwell in practice every day.
Years later, I played Cookeville’s Independent Church League Basketball and was the leading scorer in the City until I broke my wrist in the Jere Whitson gym in 1967.
So, after all is said and done, I think that I should have pursued Pro Baseball… 😊”
COACHING RECORD:
*BASKETBALL 1 Tennessee State Runner-up 2 League Championship 1 Tennessee State Runner-up 1 Tennessee State Championship 1 National Championship
*BASEBALL 3 League Championships: 1 minor league 1 little league 1 Babe Ruth league
*5 years – Baseball Coach *6 years – Basketball Coach
SOURCES/PHOTO CREDITS:
*Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, January 28, 2023.
Bobby Greenwood presenting Aubrey King with Plaque of Recognition from Tennessee Section PGA of America
[EXCERPT from “King of Cumberland County Golf” article by Pauline Sherrer, Crossville-Chronicle publisher, Dec 10, 2011:
“Friends and family of Lake Tansi Golf Pro Aubrey King celebrated his 37-year career last week. King is preparing to retire from his post Dec. 23, 2011.
After nearly four decades of promoting Lake Tansi golf, teaching hundreds of youngsters the art of the game and arguably being one of the leaders in making Cumberland County the Golf Capital of Tennessee, golf pro Aubrey King is retiring.
PGA Tour player and past Tennessee Open Champion Bobby Greenwood presented King with a plaque that read, ‘The Tennessee Section of the PGA of America and its 425 golf professionals in Tennessee are proud to present you with this plaque in recognition of your distinguished career in the golf industry for 37 years and as a gifted teacher who had helped thousands of people be introduced to the great game of golf and who has helped golf pros and ranking amateurs alike.’
Greenwood told the crowd that even though King over the years had won many individual honors playing golf, it was the team events that Aubrey enjoyed the most.
‘The Lake Tansi team was the team to beat in Tennessee section events for several years,’ Greenwood noted.
Greenwood added that in his prime, King was considered the longest hitter in Tennessee, sending a ball 322 yards. On the original Lake Tansi Golf Course, one hole measured 695 yards and was named ‘Trail of Tears.’ Only two players ever reached the green in two shots — one was Doc Goss, legendary East Tennessee golfer and National Long Drive Champion — and the other Aubrey King.
PHOTO CAPTION:
“PGA Tour player and past Tennessee Open Champion Bobby Greenwood presented King a plaque on behalf of the Tennessee Section of the PGA in recognition of King’s distinguished career in the golf industry.”]
Memories: University of North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame 2002
Bobby Greenwood was inducted to the Athletic Hall of Fame on November 2, 2002, at the University of North Texas (formerly North Texas State University) in Denton, Texas. He was inducted with other four inductees, namely: Bill Blakely, Barry Moore, G. A. Moore, and Dee Walker.
[EXCERPT from North Texas Athletics – Mean Green History: “BOBBY GREENWOOD – Greenwood was a three-time letter winner in golf at North Texas from 1961-63, helping lead the Eagles to three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships. As a senior, he led the Eagles to the NCAA championship tournament in 1963, when North Texas placed third. Greenwood received honorable mention All-America honors as a sophomore in 1961 and was a first-team All-America as a junior and senior.” -Source: North Texas Athletics: Mean Green History, http://www.unt.edu/northtexan/archives/f02/hallof.htm%5D
[WRITTEN ON THE PLAQUE: “University of North Texas, Athletic Hall Of Fame – BOBBY GREENWOOD 2002
In the early 1960’s, Bobby Greenwood was instrumental in enhancing North Texas’s stature as a collegiate golf powerhouse when he led the Eagles to three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championships while earning All-American recognition all three years he was on the team.
As a sophomore in 1961, Greenwood won the Southwest Recreation Championship and earned honorable mention All-American honors.
The next year he was named second team All-American and in 1963 as a senior, Greenwood won the Southern Intercollegiate Championship and was named to the NCAA’s first team All-American team.
Since earning a Business Administration degree from North Texas in 1964, Greenwood has enjoyed a lifelong association with the game of golf, including playing as a PGA Tour professional from 1969-1975.
He won more than 150 amateur and pro tournaments during his playing career, including the Rhode Island Open Championship (while he was on the PGA Tour), the Tennessee Open Championship and the Tennessee Senior PGA Championship three times. He served as the Director of Golf at the Sawgrass Country Club in Florida, which hosts The Players Championship, and has been active in golf course designing since 1978.
At the time of his induction, Greenwood was president of the Greenwood-Clifton Golf Design Group in Deltona, Florida.” – Transcribed by Elma Greenwood, Cookeville, Tennessee, October 31, 2003.]
[EXCERPT from Herald-Citizen, Cookeville, TN, December 19, 2002: Greenwood inducted into North Texas Hall of Fame By Buddy Pearson, Herald-Citizen Staff
It’s been almost 40 years since Cookeville golfing legend Bobby Greenwood played golf at the University of North Texas, yet the school located in Denton, Texas, still remembers the impact Greenwood had on the program. In a ceremony held recently at UNT, Greenwood was inducted into the North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame. Greenwood and four other inductees were the 2002 recipients of the University of North Texas Sports Hall of Fame awards and were honored during enshrinement. They each received a plaque and a Hall of Fame ring at the Hall of Fame Breakfast.
“North Texas is a big school and they treated me so nice, giving me the ring and the plaque at the breakfast,” Greenwood said. “North Texas is a great golf school. For me to get voted into the Hall of Fame is humbling. There are other players who should be in it before me, but I’ll take it.
A three-time NCAA All-American, Greenwood is the only First Team NCAA All-America in the school’s history. During his years at North Texas, the Eagles won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Titles.
Greenwood was selected by the NCAA Golf Coaches Association to play in the North-South All-Star matches in his senior year. And, he was also selected to the Prestigious 10-member Texas Cup Team in 1964.
“The greatest thing about it to me was that after 40 years, all my teammates decided to show up for my induction,” Greenwood explained. “I think there was one guy who didn’t show up and nobody knew where he was.”
In his rookie year on the PGA Tour, Greenwood was selected as “Champions Choice” to play in the Colonial Invitational Tournament in Ft. Worth, Texas. Past champions of the Colonial Tournament vote on the rookie to receive a sponsor’s exemption to play.
After spending seven years on the PGA Tour, Greenwood served as Director of Golf at Sawgrass Country Club, home of The Players Championship and most recently Head Professional at Suntree Country Club, a 36-hole Resort and home of the Suncoast Senior Golf Classic.
Greenwood, who currently resides in Cookeville with his wife Elma and daughter Viola, spends his time as a golf-course architect and also gives lessons on a limited basis.
Other than the induction ceremonies, Greenwood doesn’t get back to Denton much to watch any of the Mean Green sports teams, particularly basketball. But he will get a chance to see his alma mater play on Saturday when Tennessee Tech takes on North Texas at 7 p.m. at Eblen Center.
So, who will Greenwood be rooting for?
“I love Tennessee Tech,” Greenwood said. “There’s a different feeling about North Texas and the Missouri Valley Conference. I had a great experience out there and I love Texas people — they are positive and encourage you. I really had a great time there and was successful but Tennessee Tech is my hometown team.”
– Source: Herald-Citizen, December 19, 2002, 3:06 PM CST]
“I am so proud of my wife, Elma, and the relief work that she has done with DonorSee and WAND (Water, Agro-forestry, Nutrition and Development) Foundation.
If you wish, this is a grand opportunity for you to give where all your monies will go directly to the needy projects as she has done for the last 9 years.
“During my seven years playing the PGA Tour (1969-1975), I would usually just pick up someone at the tournament site to be my caddy, usually in the parking lot when I first arrived. My preference was a young college student that was strong and hopefully loved golf.
Back in the 1970s on the PGA Tour, caddies would be required to shag balls on the practice range. This could be a dangerous situation because there were always 30-45 players warming up for their round; sure enough, one day I noticed my caddy staggering around, he was out about 200 yards away. He had been hit!
Sometimes I would get an exceptionally good and knowledgeable caddy.
LARRY ADAMSON and I met at the Robinson Open in Illinois. Larry was a High School teacher and he coached the basketball team. Larry was a great guy and he loved golf. He later worked for the USGA and became their Director of Championships. After I left the Tour, I asked Larry to make an appearance at Suntree Country Club, Melbourne, Florida while I was Director of Golf. I introduced Larry to my membership (36-hole resort with 1,650 members at Suntree). He was very interesting and a huge success.
[EXCERPT from Suntree In Review article: “United States Golf Association official Larry Adamson shared his various experiences working with the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, Senior U.S. Open, and other USGA tournaments during a March 3 ‘cracker barrel’ session in the Cabana Room (at Suntree CC in Melbourne, Florida).
The cracker barrel sessions were started in February by Suntree golf pro Bobby Greenwood and are designed to provide ‘a night of fellowship for members to get together with the pros and enjoy each other’s company,’ Greenwood said.
Greenwood and Adamson are golf buddies and met ‘in 1970 when Larry was a high school basketball coach and teacher. He brought his high school team to caddy at a tournament I was playing in and when they needed an extra caddy, they asked Larry. So, he was assigned to me and that is how we started our friendship,’ Greenwood said.”
-Source: Suntree In Review, by Vicky Valley, Melbourne, FL, March 1990.]
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GEORGE WATERHOUSE was another great caddy as a young boy and he followed the Tour and caddied for me for a couple of months. George later became a famous General Surgeon in Charlotte, North Carolina. I always knew that George would be a great man someday. George was a valued friend and supporter.
TOM McKENZIE caddied for me in the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, California. It’s a good thing I had an excellent caddy here because the conditions were tough to play, high winds, etc. Tom was older and smarter than me and he loved the Lord. He must have been praying because I was in 12th place after three rounds. I was paired with Masters Champ George Archer and British Open Champ Tony Jacklin in the final round. Tom McKenzie was a good friend in my time of need.
[EXCERPT from Tom McKenzie’s personal letter dated February 19, 2020: “I treasure memories of the US Open at Pebble Beach, nearly 48 years ago. I have been involved with Golf and Caddies since 1963. I can truly say that caddying for you at the US Open was my FAVORITE experience of all time. To make the cut, and be a part of the final round of the National Championship with you, a Christian influenced me forever!!!
You mentored me even from this distance and I love you for all the encouragement you continually provide.”]
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JIM BASS was a professional caddy and I think we joined forces in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was a character, very intelligent and a good sense of humor. Jim is now at the world-famous Kiawah Island Club in Kiawah Island, South Carolina. I still hear from these great guys from time to time. When I was inducted into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 2007, several of my closest friends showed up. One was Jim who had driven from South Carolina to Knoxville just to be there. Thanks Jim…
[EXCERPT from Jim Bass’ personal comment on a photo posted via Facebook dated January 10, 2010: “Bobby Greenwood’s induction into Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. The first PGA Tour Player I ever caddied for. Magnolia Classic 1970 Hattiesburg, MS.”]
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In the heat of the battle, you think back in wonder, how did I treat my caddies?
DON ANDERSON was a strong supporter and loyal friend as my caddy in the Tennessee Open. I really liked Don a lot and we had a serious man to man working relationship. I feel he helped me win the Tennessee State Open tournament.
[EXCERPT from Nashville Banner: “The winning team, caddy Don Anderson and player Bobby Greenwood at work in winning the Tennessee Golf Association Open championship at Old Hickory. The two met several years ago at McCabe and Anderson, a brick laborer by trade, has carried for Greenwood in this area ever since. The pair cake-walked to the championship Sunday with a five-under-par 67 and a 54-hole total 208, eight strokes better than the nearest contestant.”
-Source: Nashville Banner, “GREENWOOD, HELPED BY CADDY, EASY WINNER”, May 13, 1968.]
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The late great BOBBY NICHOLS was my first caddy at the Cookeville Country Club when we were both teenagers. I helped Bobby with his game and he and I later played the Tour at the same time in the 1970s. Bobby also won the Tennessee Open and I picked him to play in the first Tennessee Challenge Cup Matches at Old Hickory Country Club in 1968. Bobby Nichols was a kind Christian man… I miss talking golf with him.
FREDDIE NELSON was one of my favorite caddies at the Cookeville Country Club. Freddie was the same sweet, soft-spoken gentleman that he is today as our current Putnam County Trustee. My grandmother, Viola Simrell Greenwood, would always be so happy when Freddie and Bobby Nichols would come home with me to eat some good home cooking at lunch time.
There was one caddy that was most important to the development of my golf game. His name was JERE MAXWELL. Jere was a local boy from Cookeville and we grew up together. Jere had a great sense of humor, and he kept me relaxed so I could play better. He was very loyal and smart and became one of my best friends.
Back in the 1950s and 1960s, Jere and I would hitchhike to tournaments in Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama to play the ‘fried chicken circuit.’ We had great fun.
Jere Maxwell helped me with the most important part of playing competitive tournament golf… the mental game.
I shall look forward to seeing Jere and others in heaven someday soon.
Nowadays, playing golf on the PGA Tour is a team effort. You have a swing coach, a physical trainer, a psychological mind coach, a caddy, and hopefully a good supportive and loving wife. This is a difficult thing to put together… but don’t leave home without it! 🙂
Please let me say THANK YOU to ALL the Caddies that have caddied for me throughout all the years. Wish I had the mind to remember you all.”
Source: *Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, August 20, 2020.
BOBBY GREENWOOD, PGA Former PGA Tour Player Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame PGA of America Life Member
“NCAA College Golf has really grown in the last few decades. But who had the best golf team in the nation in 1963? It was North Texas State University (now University of North Texas) in Denton, Texas. I am truly amazed that several great players would arrive at NTSU and play at the same time, 1963.
NTSU finished 3rd in the NCAA tournament that year so why do I think North Texas was #1?
In 1963, we defeated the NCAA Champion Oklahoma State University six times prior to the season ending NCAA National Championship. In so doing, NTSU won the #2 ranked college tournament, the Southern Intercollegiate in Athens, Georgia. We also won the South-West Recreational in Fort Worth, Texas; the Oklahoma Intercollegiate tournament; the Border Olympics in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; and NTSU was Runner-up in All-American Intercollegiate in Houston, Texas. During this time, NTSU won three consecutive Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships in 1961, 1962 and 1963.
If you add the two victories that year with OSU in the University Team matches, that would total six times we defeated OSU in 1963 when they were the National Champs!
In 1963, NTSU finished 3rd in the NCAA tourney ahead of USC, Georgia, Texas, Wake Forest, Navy and Stanford. And the year before in 1962, NTSU finished in 4th place but finished ahead of teams such as Stanford, Wake Forest, USC and Georgia.
So, how did that happen… How did we lose the NCAA? Well, we didn’t play well that week. I bogeyed the last hole for a 145 total, our #4 player Elgie Seamster shot even par 144 to be low for our team, another player on our team took a disastrous eight on the next to last hole, and… we only lost by four strokes!
Another very important fact: Our very best player on the North Texas team was our team captain, the great Dick Smith from Davenport, Iowa who was killed in a car wreck. I was not even in his class as a player and I was a First Team NCAA All-American selection that year. Dick was a beautiful player with great potential and probably would have been a major tournament winner if he had lived.
We developed wonderful friendships, shared many tough competitions, and created great memories. Thirty-nine years later when I was inducted into the UNT Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, I was surprised when all my fellow teammates showed up for the induction ceremonies. That my teammates would show up was what mattered most to me.”
NOTES:
*NTSU Golf Team Members FRANK LUKE, scratch player and winner of several tournaments in Texas; RIVES McBEE, voted Team Captain after Dick Smith died, winner of over three million dollars on the PGA Champions Tour; BILL GARRETT, the Coral Springs Open Champ, a PGA Tour event; DON WILSON, the NCAA Long Drive Champ and winner of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate, 1963 Honorable Mention NCAA All-American; ELGIE SEAMSTER, who shot even par 144 at the NCAA tournament and winner of numerous amateur events in Texas; and BOBBY GREENWOOD, Southern Intercollegiate Champ, South-West Recreational winner, 4th place Border Olympics golf tourney at Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Runner-up All-American Intercollegiate in Houston, Texas.
*Bobby Greenwood is a 3-time NCAA All-American. He was one of six college golfers in America to be named First Team NCAA All-American in 1963. Greenwood was inducted into the UNT Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.
Sources: *Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, July 26, 2020. *1963 Yucca Yearbook, North Texas State University, Volume LVI
Memories: College Days at Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (now Tennessee Tech University)
From Bobby Greenwood:
“My freshman year at Tennessee Tech University in 1958-1959, formerly called Tennessee Polytechnic Institute (TPI), was exciting and a bit scary at times, to say the least.
My love for basketball was still intact so I walked on the freshman team and played under the great Coach Johnny Oldham.
I also joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and was a member of the TPI’s Rebel Rifles Drill team.
Our golf team won the Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Conference (TIAC) tournament that year and I was Runner-up in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship.
That was the first of my 4 runner-up finishes in college golf conference championships. So, I figured I was ‘first loser’ 4 times!… later to be told by TTU Golf Coach Bobby Nichols that he would always be happy to recruit any player that could finish 2nd four times in the Conference tourney.
As a member of the “T” Club, the initiation week was not much fun. Each freshman was designated an animal to keep with you. Mine was a horse that I rode to school each morning. They shaved our heads and cut a “T” in the top. One morning we were told to catch eggs in our mouth that were to be dropped from the roof of the cafeteria building… We were all given a wooden paddle and told to get 35 signatures before the week’s end. Each name was accompanied by a big lick with a paddle. Blood blisters were common on our backside. I don’t think they do that anymore…
I grew up loving Tennessee Tech and the Golden Eagles; I am so proud of the great University here in my hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee.”
Note:
*Bobby Greenwood was a member of the 1958 Collegiate All-State Golf Team, Tennessee Interscholastic Athletic Conference (TIAC).
*[Transcript: “THE BEST-DRILLED CADET”
“Cadet Pvt. Robert S. Greenwood of Cookeville received Tennessee Polytechnic Institute award as the best-drilled cadet private in the ROTC regiment. President Everett Derryberry made the presentation.
Platform guests, in addition to General Westmoreland, Colonel Thompson, and President Derryberry, were Col. C.A. Holmes Eubanks, PMST; J.M. Henderson, head of the school of engineering at TPI; Mayor Dero Brown; Col. William G. Downs, reserve officers association; Wilbur Shell, General Telephone Company; Miser Richmond, president of the Rotary club; Herman Yeatman, president of the Jaycees; and Hubert Crawford, president of the Lions.” — END. Source: Local newspaper published in Cookeville, Tennessee, c. 1958.]
ARTICLE: “Cookeville has five home-grown Pro golfers” Written by Aaron Keen, Sports Feature’s page 6, c. 1971
This article was written when Bobby Greenwood was in his 3rd year on the PGA Tour.
[EXCERPT from the Article written by Aaron Keen (revised edition): Bobby Greenwood is a touring professional. He has been on the PGA tour for three years and his highest finish as a touring pro has been a tie for fourth in the Los Angeles Open. At one time as an amateur, Greenwood was the sixth ranked golfer in America one year. He won over 75 tourneys as an amateur and Bobby won 13 tournaments one year including six in a row. He was a First Team NCAA All-American his senior year at North Texas State.
PHOTO CAPTION from the article: Cookeville proudly boasts of having five PGA golf professionals. Cookeville may be the only city its size to have five pro golfers. Aaron Keen talks about the five outstanding golfers in IT’S GAME TIME in today’s paper.
The golfers are, from left (correct designation): RAY GENTRY, pro at Little Ocmulgee State Park in McRae, Georgia, BOBBY GREENWOOD, PGA Tour Player, Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame, BOBBY NICHOLS, Ironwood Golf Club pro in Cookeville and former tour member, GILBERT JACKSON, pro at Woodmont Country Club in Nashville, and HUBIE SMITH, former director of the World Open and now club pro at Concord Hotel Golf Club in New York.
All five got their start at Cookeville Golf Club and all five were born and reared in Cookeville. (Photos by Aaron Keen)]
NOTE: By the way, the first golf team at Cookeville Central High School consisted of 4 players in 1956, namely: LOUIS JOHNSON, BOBBY GREENWOOD, LOWELL SMITH, and JIM RAGLAND.
The Cookeville golf team played the Algood High School golf team. The Algood team won the match by one stroke. Algood High School team consisted of BOBBY NICHOLS and 3 other caddies from Algood.
SOURCES/CREDITS: *Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA. May 5, 2022. *Aaron Keen, c. 1971. (Publishing newspaper unknown). posted on Greenwood’s Facebook Page by admin: May 7, 2022
BOBBY GREENWOOD, PGA Former PGA Tour Player Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame PGA of America Life Member
Bobby Greenwood of Tennessee was a 3-time NCAA All-American at the University of North Texas where he led his team to 3 consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
In his freshman year at Tennessee Tech University, Bobby Greenwood led his team to the T.I.A.C. title and he was runner-up in the OVC Championship.
After transferring to North Texas State University in the Missouri Valley Conference his sophomore year, Bobby won the South-West Recreation in Ft. Worth and defeated Jack Nicklaus in the Colonial Invitational in Memphis, only nine months before Jack won the 1962 U.S. Open.
His senior year, Greenwood won the Southern Intercollegiate and was selected as First Team NCAA All-American. That year, Bobby was selected to play on the Texas Cup Team, four years later, he co-founded the Tennessee Cup Team.
Bobby Greenwood was Co-Medalist in the USGA Amateur in 1964 and was a dominant force in Tennessee golf in the ‘60s, he was thrice ranked in the Top 10 amateur golfer in the U.S. by Golf Magazine & Golf Digest.
He won both the Tennessee Open and the Tennessee Amateur Championships as well as four other Tennessee State Championship tournaments.
After a stellar amateur career which included winning over 150 amateur and pro tournaments, Bobby Greenwood turned pro in 1969 and won his card for the PGA Tour, tying Johnny Miller for 3rd place in the qualifying tournament. He played the PGA Tour for 7 years winning the 1970 Rhode Island Open.
Bobby was inducted into the University North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002, the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame in 2007, and he was inducted as a charter member of the Riverside Military Academy Centennial Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 where he set a school record, hitting 10 home runs in baseball and also was the leading scorer on RMA’s basketball team.
In 2010, Bobby was awarded the Distinguished Career Award by the Tennessee PGA retroactively. Greenwood is now a golf course architect out of his hometown, Cookeville, Tennessee.
BOBBY GREENWOOD’S CAREER PROFILE
HALL OF FAME & AWARDS
• Tennessee PGA Distinguished Career Award Golf House of Tennessee, Franklin, TN, 2007.
• Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville, TN, September 5, 2007.
• Riverside Military Academy Centennial Sports Hall of Fame Charter Member, Gainesville, GA, October 13, 2007.
• University of North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame Denton, Texas, Nov. 2, 2002.
• PGA President’s Council Award PGA Merchandise Show, Orlando, Florida, 2005.
• Dick Smith Memorial Award for Outstanding College Golfer North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, 1962.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
• North Texas State University (now University of North Texas-UNT) Denton, Texas, B.A. Business Admin., 1964. • Three-time NCAA All-American
• Member, TPI Rebel Rifles Drill Team • Walk on TPI Freshman Basketball Team under Coach Johnny Oldham, 1958. • Runner-up Finish at Ohio Valley Conference Golf League Championship, 1958. (individual)
• Riverside Military Academy, Gainesville, Georgia, 1957. (Postgraduate) • Received Horton Society (Honor) Award at graduation. • Leading scorer, RMA Basketball Team • Ten Home Runs, RMA Baseball Team • Played #1 on RMA Golf Team
• Cookeville Central High School, Cookeville, Tennessee, 1956. (Graduate)
• Design Coordinator ~ Golden Bear International (Nicklaus Design) North Palm Beach, Florida & New Augusta Golf Club, Ena Japan. 1996-1997 ($22 million project)
• Designed & Supervised Construction, The Fairways on Spencer Creek/Cheekwood Golf Club, Franklin, TN, 1992-1996
• Director of Golf, Sawgrass Country Club, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 1977 and 1978 (Home of Tournament Players Championship, currently THE PLAYERS),
• Host Professional for the first and second Tournament Players Championship (TPC) held at Sawgrass. This included many diverse activities including PGA Tour Media responsibilities and public relations duties. Additional activities at Sawgrass: • TV golf clinics for Channel 17, Jacksonville, Florida • Gator Bowl Executive Committee • Hillier Cup Team – Honored Guest • Instructional Panel, Florida PGA and Jr. Golf Academy
• Director of Golf Operations, Suntree Country Club, Melbourne, FL, 1989-1991 (36-hole resort with 1,650 members; and Home of the Space Coast Classic, Senior PGA Tour event).
• Golf Director ~ Supervised the golf program for Meadow Greens Country Club, Eden, North Carolina, through busy season and hired the new pro for the club.
• Editor-In-Chief & Founder of Tennessee’s First Golf Publication, “The Nifty Knicker”, Church Street, Nashville, TN (1/3 ownership), 1986-1987
• Golf Director, Benchcraft Golf Co., 1921 Church Street, Nashville, TN 1980-1984 (Golf schools, clinics and exhibitions).
• Golf School Coordinator, “Master’s School of Golf”, 1984-1986 (Partnership with Dave Ragan, PGA Ryder Cup Team member, and Jack Wall).
• Golf Course Architect, Greenwood, Tucker & Associates, 1978-1980 Designed and supervised construction of Dorchester Golf Course, Fairfield Glade, TN – Permanent Home of Tennessee Open Championship for 8 years.
• PGA Tour Player, Professional Golfers Association, 1969-1975
GOLF CREDITS
• Life Member, PGA of America
• Tennessee PGA Distinguished Career Award
• Ambassador of Golf, Inaugural Tennessee Senior State Open, 2010-2016
• University of North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame, 2002 • NCAA All-America ~ First Team, 1963. • NCAA All-America ~ Second Team, 1962. • NCAA All-America ~ Honorable Mention, 1961. North Texas State University, Denton, Texas (now University of North Texas).
• 3-Time Runner-up Finishes at Missouri Valley Conference Golf League Championship, North Texas State University, Denton, TX, 1961, 1962, 1963.
• All-American Intercollegiate, hosted by University of Houston, Pine Forest Country Club, Houston, Texas. (Runner-up to Kermit Zarley), 1963. (senior year).
• Colonial Invitational, Colonial Country Club, Memphis, Tennessee. (defeated Jack Nicklaus, 1 up in 19 holes, sudden death playoff, 9 months before Jack won the U.S. Open), 1961. (sophomore year)
• Runner-up Finish at Ohio Valley Conference Golf League Championship, Tennessee Technological University, 1958. (first of four)
• Co-Medalist USGA Amateur, 1964. Canterbury Country Club, Cleveland, Ohio.
• Qualified & played in Four USGA Amateurs.
• Qualified and played in Two U.S. Opens. (made the cut in both)
• Texas Cup Team (Ten-member team), 1964. Defeated Byron Nelson in singles match. (score: 67 to 68)
• Porter Cup Amateur Championships, 1965 & 1966. Finished 5th and 7th respectively. Niagara Falls CC, New York.
• Top 10 Amateurs in U.S. by Golf Magazine, Thrice. Ranked 6th, 8th, and 10th respectively.
• Top 10 Amateurs in U.S. by Golf Digest, 1968. Ranked 7th. His ranked is based on a victory in the Sunnehanna as well as the Tennessee State Open and his finished third in the Southern Amateur.
• Sunnehanna Amateur ~ “Tournament of Champions”, 1965 and 1968. Johnstown, Pennsylvania (Tournament record of 269 set in 1965 and course record of 63 set in 1965).
• Rhode Island Open Champion, 1970 (while on the PGA Tour). Agawam Hunt and Golf Club, Rumford, Rhode Island.
• Tennessee Open Champion, 1968. Old Hickory Country, Club, Hermitage, Tennessee.
• Tennessee Amateur Champion, 1966. Chickasaw Country Club, Memphis, Tennessee.
• Irvin Cobb Open Championship, Paxton Park Country Club, Paducah, Kentucky (Two-time winner).
• “Champions’ Choice” ~ PGA Tour, 1969. Rookie voted by past champions invited to play in the Colonial Invitational (NIT), Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas.
• Qualified to play the PGA Tour at “Q School”. Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, 1969. (Tied Johnny Miller for 3rd).
• PGA Tour Player for 7 years, 1969-1975. Retired after playing for seven years because of physical injuries.
• Course Record: Southern Amateur Championship, 1968. Score: 64 (-8 par), Lost Tree Golf Club, North Palm Beach, Florida (Jack Nicklaus Home Course… later tied by Calvin Peete).
• Played on the Senior PGA Tour (now Champions Tour), 1988-1991.
• Made seventy-two cuts, six Top 10 finishes, and fifteen Top 25s on the PGA Tour. Plus unofficial cuts, finishes and money won; winner of 1970 Rhode Island Open.
CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS
• International Coordinator, Balangiga Without Borders (BWB) – Disaster Relief Volunteers Worldwide (USA, Philippines, Worldwide), 2013-Present • Assisted in raising funds for Relief Efforts in the Philippines during the deadly and devastating Hurricane Haiyan (locally known as Super Typhoon Haiyan), 2013-2019. • Overseen, coordinated, secured and monitored relief operations • Collaborated, coordinated and formed partnerships with International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs)
• Legionnaire, American Legion Post 46, 2016-Present. Post Historian, 2018-Present
• Sons of the Confederate Veterans (SCV), 2019-Present.
• Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), 2017-Present.
• First Families of White County, Tennessee Ancestors were pioneers and the early settlers of the county.
• First Families of Putnam County, Tennessee Ancestors were pioneers and the early settlers of the county.
• Christian Partners, Inc., Board of Directors, Clarksville, TN, 1980-2010.
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) – Upper Cumberland Advisory Board Member, 2006-2015.
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Camps: • Head Golf Clinician, FCA Camp, St. Augustine, Florida, 2006. • Head Golf Clinician, FCA Camp, Sawgrass CC, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 2005. • Head Golf Clinician, FCA Camp, Powell, Wyoming, 2005-2006. • Assistant Golf Director, FCA Camp, Crow Valley Golf Club, Davenport, Iowa.
• International Golf Professional Association ~ Vice-President (1991-1992).
• Boy Scouts of America: • Eagle Scout-1954 • God & Country Award • Silver Award • Arrow Head Award • Commissioner Award • Order of the Arrow Award • National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), Executive Committee Member, Nashville, Tennessee. • Boy Scouts of America ~ Unit Commissioner, Middle Tennessee Council (1999-2009)
• Cookeville Rescue Mission, Board of Directors (1980s-2014)
• Lettermen Association, UNT – Member, Denton, Texas.
• Fellowship of Christian Golfers (Co-Founder & Director).
• Optimists Club, VP & Board of Directors. (Coached Junior Pro Basketball, 1980-1986).
• Gideons International ~Vice-President, Cookeville, TN, 2002-2004.
• First United Methodist Church, Staff Parish ~ Member, 2007-2009.
• First United Methodist Church, Men’s Brotherhood ~ President, 2005-2008. Vice-President (2004-2005).
• First United Methodist Church, Backslider Class ~ President, 2006-2007. Vice- President (2005-2006).
• First United Methodist Church, Church Council ~ Member (2005-Present).
• Mason, Grand Lodge Free & Accepted Masons of Tennessee.
• Shriner, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Al Menah Temple of Nashville, TN.
• United States Army, Honorable Discharged
• United States Air Force, Honorable Discharged
• Vietnam Era Veteran
SCHOOLS AND EXPERIENCE
• PGA Tour Player – seven years.
• PGA Business Schools I & II, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
• Co-Founder of Tennessee Cup Matches (Selected the entire amateur team – 1968).
• Golf Course Architect Consultant ~ Fairfield Glade, Inc. (1969-1972)
• Principal-In-Charge, designed and supervised construction of second 18-hole golf course for Fairfield Glade, Inc., Dorchester Country Club (Home of Tennessee Open Championship).
• Coached Little League Baseball and Babe Ruth Baseball (1979-1984)
• Coached Junior – Pro Basketball (1980-1986) Winner ~ Boys’ State Championship, 1983 Winner ~ Girls’ State Championship & National Championship, 1986
• Golf Architect ~ Designed and supervised construction of Fairways on Spencer Creek/Cheekwood Golf Club, Franklin, Tennessee, 1994-1996.
• Design Coordinator ~ for Jack Nicklaus in Japan, 1996-1997 Golden Bear International, North Palm Beach, Florida & New Augusta Golf Club, Ena, Japan. ($22 million project)
• PGA Hole in One archive at http://www.pga.com (8 holes in one) Port St. Lucie, Florida
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Board of Directors of Fellowship of Christian Athletes for nine years and has taught at several FCA Sports Camps in the capacity of Head Golf Clinician in charge of golf instruction at camps in South Dakota, Florida, Wyoming and Iowa.
• Taught several PGA golf professionals golf lessons as well as several PGA Tour Players. Several amateur students have received college golf scholarships.
• Coached Little League Baseball and Junior Pro Basketball for eight years. • won Boy’s State Championship (1983) • won Girl’s State Championship & NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP (1986) • won 4 league titles (baseball)
• Co-Founder Tennessee Cup Matches 1968
• After graduating from UNT, I was selected to play on the Prestigious 10-man Texas Cup Team in 1964. • Four years later, I brought the Tennessee Challenge Cup matches to Tennessee in 1968 and was asked to select the entire Amateur Team that inaugural year.
• Technical Advisor to the Board of Directors of the Musser International Turfgrass Foundation. • Appointed by the late Fred V. Grau who was instrumental in founding the Musser Foundation in 1969 (my rookie year to play the PGA Tour). • Served with Arnold Palmer for seven years as Technical Advisor to the Board. • Dr. Fred Grau played a major role in the development and release of several grasses including zoysia, U-3 Bermuda grass as well as Merion bluegrass which are used extensively on golf courses. Dr. Grau served as Executive Director of the USGA Green Section. Today, the Foundation has assets of about $700,000.00 and is dedicated to continue supporting the next generation of leaders.
• 1987 – Co-founded Tennessee’s first golf publication “The Nifty Knicker” and served as Editor-in-Chief, one-third owner of this newspaper.
• Benchcraft Golf Company, established in 1980, Church Street, Nashville, TN. • Enjoyed much success with golf instruction, golf clinics, and exhibitions which were held at Opryland Hotel. • Affiliated with South Ocean Beach, Nassau, Bahamas, where I based my International Golf Tours. • “Master’s School of Golf”, partnered with former PGA Ryder Cup Team member Dave Ragan. • The Tennessee schools were based at Sewanee Inn and Golf Course and also used several State Parks for various golf schools in Tennessee and Kentucky.
• Recipient of the Tennessee PGA Distinguished Career Award • Quote on plaque: “recognizes current or former Tennessee PGA Section members who have had outstanding careers as PGA Professionals based on service to his or her club, course or employer, service and leadership to the Association, community service, professional playing record and teaching ability”.
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