Greenwood received TPGA Distinguished Career Award Feb. 28

 Published by Fairfield Glade VISTA, March 14th, 2010

The Tennessee Section PGA unveiled the new Distinguished Career Award (DCA) Display at Golf House Tennessee February 28.  The Distinguished Career Award 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.  The Distinguished Career Award acknowledges Tennessee PGA Professionals as vital and significant contributors to the game of golf.    The renovated hallway now recognizes twenty eight PGA Professionals including names such as Cary Middlecoff, Lou Graham, Mason Rudolph, Joe Campbell, Gibby Gilbert and Loren Roberts.

Joining that elite list of former PGA Tour players is Cookeville’s own, Bobby Greenwood. 

 

Photo Caption: Tennessee PGA President Hunt Gilliland (left) presents the Distinguished Career Award to former PGA Tour Player Bobby Greenwood.

 Greenwood was introduced to golf at Cookeville Country Club at the age of twelve.  After earning a three-time NCAA All-American career at North Texas State University, Greenwood was noted as one of the best amateurs in the country during the 1960’s. He was twice ranked in the Top 10 Amateur golfers in Americ

a by Golf Magazine.  Greenwood won the 1966 Tennessee State Amateur and the 1968 Tennessee State Open, and played the PGA Tour from 1969 to 1975 carding six top 10s and fifteen top 25s, while also winning the 1970 Rhode Island Open while on the Tour.  He played in two US Opens, two USGA Amateurs, eight Tennessee Cup Match Teams, three Senior Tenn

essee PGA titles and currently is the President of his own golf course architectural firm in Cookeville. Bobby designed and supervised construction of our Dorchester Golf Course in 1977. Greenwood is also a member of the University of North Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame and Riverside Military Centennial All-Sports Hall of Fame.

Greenwood was one of fifteen past and current recipients who were on hand for this special unveiling in Franklin, Tennessee in front of their fellow Tennessee PGA Professionals and special guests.

See a future edition of the VISTA for an upcoming special event featuring an appearance by Bobby Greenwood.

Source: FairfieldGladeVista.com

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Greenwood to be inducted into Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame

Published by Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, TN, February 27, 2007

Golf at Dorchester with the great Bobby Greenwood

 

 This article was written by Brad McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated July 25, 2006.

Golf at Dorchester with the great Bobby Greenwood 

 “God, if you don’t help me I might make a fool of myself” these were the words uttered by Dorchester’s course designer Bobby Greenwood. When the crew would leave every evening about 4:30 pm, Bobby would get down on his knees in the dirt and talk with God.  Did the Lord answer Bobby’s plea for help? After a history of 29 years, Dorchester has proven to be Fairfield Glade’s most popular course to play by return tourist. This was Greenwood’s first of many courses he’d ever design.

   It was a very hot afternoon, Bobby showed up at the VISTA office before lunch to meet and greet the staff. Bobby entered with a big smile on his face, you could feel the joy radiating from him. VISTA writer, Robbi Weaver asked him, “Bobby, what is your warm up routine?” Bobby replied, “I put the clubs on the cart, go to the tee box, wiggle my shoulders and hips, say a prayer, and hit the ball.” “You don’t go to the range and hit balls?” With a smile Bobby said, “Robbi, you don’t need to warm up a Rolls Royce.” 

 VISTA Publisher, Jon Weaver, VISTA Resident Photographer, Ron Peplowski, and I were very thrilled and honored to play alongside Mr. Greenwood. It was a bit unnerving, just imagine playing a course for the first time with the person that designed it.  Bobby has an interesting personality. He has an equal mixture humility and confidence. It is just an extreme pleasure to be around Bobby. And, especially during a round of golf!

   We arrived at the clubhouse afternoon, it was rather hot. Everyone greeted one another with warm smiles and kind words. After the starter informed us of the cart path only holes, she directed us to the snack bar to pick up some complimentary glasses of ice water. While waiting to tee off on #1, Bobby pointed out that he had caught an 8 lb. bass in the pond just beyond the front of the #1 tee.

   I took my first shot on this luxurious course, my errant tee shot collided with the water skipping across and settling on the fairway. I turned to the group and making light of the situation said, “I’d rather be lucky than good any day.” Bobby chuckled and said, “You know, I never won a tournament that I didn’t feel lucky while playing.” Bobby stepped up to the box, lined up his shot and with a seemingly effortless swing sent one sailing, straight as an arrow, down the center of the fairway. We stood there in amazement watching this beautiful tee shot disappear over the hill, down the middle. As we stood on the fairway, Bobby recalled the reason for two tiered green. The large rock beneath the surface dictated the need. This approach shot would be the first and only time Bobby would land in a bunker all day.

   We got back in the cart and went to #2 tee box, it doglegs left. Bobby told us the shot to take was left over the trees, after some thought, Bobby said he wanted, just for fun, to draw it just around the trees. The ball traveled thru the air just how he had described and after hooking for 60 yards landed again in perfect position dead center, the ball landed just inside 100 yards from the green. Driving around the cart path Bobby pointed out the placement of the red and yellow tees. He was proud of the ladies tee which eliminated much of the dogleg for the ladies… more fun to play for the ladies.

   On the next hole, the par-3 #3, Bobby proceeded to tell this story; He pointed to the single tree that flanks the green in the front.  “That tree had a dozer blade pressed against it and the operator was ready to the trunk ready to push it down. I yelled to the operator, ‘Whoa! HEY! What are you doing? Do you see that yellow tape around the trunk of this tree? That means leave it alone.’ The saw operator looked back at me puzzled and said, ‘But it’s right in front of the green…’ I replied at 150 yards, `We need this tree. It’s important, it adds to the challenge of the hole. You could put the pin behind that tree, and make the golfer draw it around.’ It’s stories like this that made this such a special day.

  As we approached the par-4 #6, we waited for the group in front of us to finish up the hole, Bobby told us that this was the first green he had designed. He had said the he probably  went a little over the top designing it. The berms around the back are really large and the green is huge, when he finished it was shaped like a heart. He put the large mound in middle because he had said that it was “interesting.” We spent a few minutes taking the large mound head on. With pin placement in mind, putting on this hole could frustrate even the best golfers.

   As we approached the green on #7, Bobby pointed out that the green was shaped like an hour glass. There is a reason for that too, in his original design Bobby had two trees placed one on each side of the green. The trees were strategically placed in the indentions of the hourglass shape. However, the two trees suffered the same fate as many other trees on a golf course, they died and had to be removed. Perhaps additional watering and fertilizer killed the two pine trees. Bobby also added another dimension of difficulty to this green, between the two trees there is a depression between both sides of the hourglass. With his approach shot Bobby stuck one within two feet of the pin for an easy birdie. “That felt like something from the past. I’m having delusions of grandeur!” Bobby chuckled.

  As Ron was preparing to tee off on #8, Bobby, being the cut-up he is, grabbed the camera and snapped a few pictures of Ron. “I know you being a photographer, never get a  picture taken of yourself. So now it’s your turn,” Bobby busted out.

   As we rounded the turn we stopped in the snack bar to re-fill ice cups and refreshen ourselves. By the way, please let me remind everyone to drink plenty of water during these hot summer months when working or playing outside.

  As we sat around and enjoyed the cool beverages and a few snacks, Jon asked Bobby why he had a Wyoming hat. Bobby replied, “I bought this hat when I traveled there to speak at an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) camp. I was asked to speak to a group about my experiences, it was indeed a great pleasure for me.” Bobby has many stories to tell, I look forward to more of these conversations with such a golf legend.

  The back nine proved much more relaxing and picturesque. The par 3, #13, has great view of the green 150 yards below you. There is also a small stream just beyond the green. When I asked Bobby is there anything that he would change about the way he designed this course, he responded with this, “There is one thing, I would have put the tee for #13 on lot adjacent to the current one. The new tee would be on the lot located to the left of its current spot. And, I would love to build a new green 160 yards down the valley to the right, the end result would be a similar tee shot dropping 100 feet to the valley where the green would be guarded on the right with the slope of the (mountain) and the stream guarding the left side. Don’t you think that would be a tremendous golf hole?”

  The next very noteworthy hole is the par 5, #14, if you have read about Bobby in the previous edition of the VISTA you may have read about this tee box. This is the hole where Bobby had to convince the “powers that be” to buy one more acre of land after already purchasing 14,500 acres. The view from this tee box is phenomenal, no matter which one you play from you should ride to the blues just to check out the view.  Also while deciding on the routing plan for the back nine, Bobby was walking through the thick woods, the fairways were not cleared yet, and he kept hearing water running, after some search he finally wandered back in the timber to discover a lovely waterfall that fronts the right of this interesting #14 green.

  With the help of God, Bobby has designed the course with you the golfer in mind… player friendly perhaps? Even the cart path routes were placed with much thought and planning… again, for the enjoyment and convenience of the players.    

Bobby played very well all day. When asked how much he has played this year, Bobby had said that this was probably his fifth round of the year. His game never showed any signs of weakness.  He was very patient with me being a novice golfer. I am very appreciative of that, he had nothing but kind words for each of us all day. I can’t express my gratitude to this man for his inspiration, and the example he sets for all of us on and off the course.

PGA Pro Bobby Greenwood Reminisces About his Career

This article was written by Rick McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated July 4, 2006.

PGA Pro Bobby Greenwood reminisces about his career

Bobby Greenwood’s PGA Tour Career lasted for 7 years 1969-1975, and in 1970 he was making quite a name for Fairfield Glade. Bobby qualified for the PGA Tour at Q-school at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in 1969, tying Johnny Miller for 3rd place, in that same year Fairfield Communities, Inc. purchased the land for Fairfield Glade. Greenwood, a resident of Cookeville, represented the Glade on the PGA Tour from 1970 to 1975.

“The first tournament of the year was the Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open,” Bobby said. “For three days I was the 54-hole leader.”  I shot rounds of 69, 69, and 66 and had 3-stroke lead with 18 holes to play.

“The Glade really got their money’s worth, because for three days Glen Campbell was on TV talking about this rookie from Fairfield Glade, TN,” said Bobby. “For several weeks after that, Fairfield got calls from all over the country saying, ‘I didn’t know Fairfield Glade had a touring pro.'” 

In 1969, Bobby’s rookie year, he was the “Champions Choice” recipient. This was an award voted on by past champions and included an invitation to play in the Colonial Invitational (NIT). While on the PGA Tour, Bobby played in five major championships, but there is one experience in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach that he will never forget. Bobby recalls “I was in 15th place going into the final round in 1972, this year Jack [Nicklaus] won the tournament, in the third round I shot an even-par-72 and was feeling pretty good about the way I was playing in the tournament. I remember, if I had stayed in 15th place, I would have qualified for the Masters the next year and been back at the U.S. Open again.”

“A yacht race was scheduled at that same time, but had to be cancelled because of high winds,” Bobby said. “I never will forget, the wind was blowing 30 miles an hour and I was playing at the wrong time of the day. My playing partners that day were U.S. Open Champ Tony Jacklin from England and Masters Champ George Archer.  Jacklin shot 87 and Archer shot 84. As a result, I shot the highest round that I ever shot in a tournament. It’s tough to handle an 86 when you’ve shot 61, 63, and 64 at various other tournaments.” 

Bobby’s last professional win, among his amazing 150 pro and amateur wins, was the 1972 Rhode Island Open. He is also a former Tennessee Open and Tennessee Amateur champion. Although he led several PGA tour events his 7-year Tour career, Bobby could not pull off the wins. He sums it up this way… “To lead a PGA Tour event for one day is quite an accomplishment. To lead for 36 holes is very difficult.  And, to have a lead for 3 days is even harder.  But, to lead for 4 days… well not many can do it; I know I was never able to do it.”

The Hogan Connection

This article was written by Bobby Greenwood and Rick McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated May 23, 2006.

The Hogan Connection

A couple of weeks ago, the PGA Tour stopped at Fort Worth, Texas for the Colonial National Invitational.  This is one of the favorite golf courses on the Tour.  And, this tournament is very special to me. 

When I was in school at North Texas State University I would hitchhike from Denton to Fort Worth in order to go to Shady Oaks CC and watch Ben Hogan practice.  Hogan would go out on the course to #13 fairway to hit practice balls with his caddy. I would stand off perhaps a hundred yards and lean up against a tree.  I did this many times, but each time I would move a little closer.  After several trips, I got within thirty or forty yards.  Hogan would hit a bag of balls, stop and smoke a cigarette, and look over at me.  We would nod at each, but that was it.  One day Hogan was going to hit some bunker shots and he asked me to get in his cart and ride over to the practice bunker.  This was my introduction to the great Ben Hogan.

In Greenwood’s first year as a PGA Tour player he was selected as the Champion’s Choice to play in the Colonial Invitational at Fort Worth.  “The Champion’s Choice is a rookie that they think is going to be a great player”, Greenwood said, “I guess I’m the only Champion’s Choice rookie that never became one of the great ones.”

After college I went to the PGA Tour Qualifying School, tying Johnny Miller for 3^rd place and played for seven years, 1969 through 1975.

One year, 1971, “I’m on the first tee at the Westchester Golf Classic at Rye, NY with Hal Underwood”, Greenwood added. “We’re getting ready to play a practice round and Ben Hogan comes up and asks to join us.  That was the last tournament he ever played in on the PGA Tour.  He told me the shafts in my woods were too limber and he let me hit his driver on the eighteenth hole.  The next week I received a set of woods in the mail from Ben Hogan.”  This was a surprise because we didn’t talk to much during the round… he was a man of few words… he mostly just said, “your away.” 

The Nicklaus Connection

This article was written by Rick McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated May 16, 2006.

Bobby Greenwood PGA: The Nicklaus Connection 

            Former PGA Tour Player Bobby Greenwood has numerous stories to tell about his golf career and in addition to sharing them with his wife Elma and his seven-year-old daughter Viola, he had the opportunity to share them with this Glade Vista reporter. One of his most noted stories is beating Jack Nicklaus in a match-play tournament in a sudden death playoff.

            On the putting green in front of the clubhouse at the Augusta National golf course in April ’61, Bobby Jones leaned toward a microphone used during presentation ceremonies at the conclusion of the Masters Tournament.

            “Jack Nicklaus”, Jones began, “is the most promising young golfer in the country. He will win this tournament and many other major championships before he’s through”. Jones then presented Nicklaus his award as low amateur in the Masters which was won by Gary Player after Arnold Palmer’s bladed sand shot at the 72nd hole.

            In June that same year, the husky Nicklaus was low amateur in the National Open, finishing three strokes back of the winner, professional Gene Little, with a total of 284 shots.

             Then in the first round of the Memphis Colonial Invitation, Nicklaus rammed home a 30-foot putt for a birdie on the 17th hole. The birdie putt put him 1-up and sighs of “That’s it” whispered through the gallery. But the one man most involved, Cookeville/Fairfield Glade’s own Bobby Greenwood, didn’t hear the whispers, or if he did, they only made him more determined.

             Minutes after Nicklaus had made his birdie, Greenwood smashed a 245-yard three-wood shot five feet from the pin on the par 5 finishing hole. He made the side-hill, breaking putt for an eagle 3 and forced the match into sudden death. On the first extra hole, Greenwood hit his second shot, a  7 iron 4″ from the cut for anotherr birdie, and Nicklaus was sidelined in his bid to repeat as Colonial champion. It was the last time Nicklaus lost as an amateur, and to top that, Bobby was to enter his Sophomore year at North Texas State University.

             Nicklaus was so stunned by his defeat to Bobby that he wrote about it in his books, “My 55 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score” and “My Story”.

             “When I beat Nicklaus, I didn’t have any idea what I had done,” said Bobby. “He hadn’t been beaten in three years and he won the U.S. Open nine months later.”

             Bobby’s relationship with the “Golden Bear” didn’t end with this encounter, as he traveled to several PGA Tournaments to watch Nicklaus compete. “He (Nicklaus) would spot me in the gallery and have a double take almost every time, and made you think ‘there’s that guy that beat me again’,” Bobby recalled.

             He (Bobby) who was also a golf course architect had heard about Nicklaus’ plans to build a golf course in Crossville named “Bear Trace”. Bobby then preceded to drive up from Cookeville in order to renew his relationship with Nicklaus and offer his services.

             In the above picture, Bobby, Nicklaus, and Chief Designer, Jim Fike were in the bed of a pick-up truck overlooking the building of “The Bear Trace Golf Course”. Bobby recalls, “The green we were looking at was too high and needed to be cut down so that it would be playable, but instead of challenging Nicklaus’ design intelligence by suggesting that it was ‘too high’,” Bobby asked, “Is there rock under that green,” because at that time Bobby he didn’t work for Golden Bear Design Company. At the suggestion of Bobby, the green was lowered and the end result Nicklaus hired Bobby to design golf courses over seas.

            As mentioned in an earlier article, Bobby and Elma was able to meet each other face to face as he was in Japan designing a 22-million-dollar golf course for Nicklaus. Elma and Bobby got to know each other by writing through a Christian Singles International Filipino connection. While working in Japan, Bobby had to leave the country occasionally in order to keep his work visa and he would travel, as you guessed it, to the Philippines to meet Elma.

             “I got to know her and her family while I was in the Philippines for three months,” Bobby recalled. “I came back home and realized I was in the same miserable, lonely existence once again. So, I just called her and asked ‘Will you marry me?’ and she said, ‘Yes,’ and we immediately started making plans for her to come to America, and we married in 1998.”

            “It took nine months to get her here, and she had three months to decide if she was going to marry me or not,” Bobby said. “It only took her one month instead.”

            “This was the best thing that could have happened to me as a result of my relationship with Jack Nicklaus,” says Bobby.

            “I am a happy man today… thanks again Jack.”

The Sunnehanna Experience

 This article was written by Rick McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated April 25,2006.

Bobby Greenwood PGA: “The Sunnehanna Experience”   

            “He was a fan-favorite back then and very popular with the people in the pro shop as well as the people in the community,” said Mike Mastovich, a sports writer for The Tribune Democrat in Johnstown, Pa. “The word of his legacy spread, when Bobby Greenwood was here I was but two years old, but people told me about him and you just kind of root for the guy even though I didn’t see him play.”

           Bobby had such an impact on the tournament that his remarkable story not only appears in the new book, but Mastovich wrote about it again in an article previewing the 2004 Sunnehanna Amateur “Tournament of  Champions”.

            And now, I will tell you the rest of the story.

           After graduation from college, Bobby was making quite a name for himself as an amateur golfer. But, according to the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur tournament in Johnstown Pa., but, that early in his career he didn’t meet the criteria to play in the Tournament of Champions.

                    “I remember when I was a young golfer I wanted to play in the top amateur tournaments to try to learn more about how to play the game and one day get on the (PGA) Tour.” Bobby explained. “I would write these tournaments and ask what were the qualifications for an invitation to play in their tournament. I got a letter back from Sunnehanna, a very nice polite letter, that said in order to qualify for the Sunnehanna Amateur “Tournament of Champions”, I had to be a state amateur or state open champion, and when I completed the necessary qualifications, to get back in touch with them.”

                    After Bobby found out what it took to earn an invitation to Sunnehanna, and motivated by the disappointment of the letter he had received, he set out to accomplish what it took to earn an invitation. Finally, in 1965, Sunnehanna sent Bobby an official invitation to play in the Amateur Tournament of Champions after he had won the Tennessee Open tournament by eight strokes that same year. The 8-stroke margin of victory is still a tournament record today!

                     “The club was beautiful and quaint – the golf course was beautiful. It was just a wonderful experience for a country boy from Tennessee.” Bobby recalls of the Sunnehanna experience.

           The trip to the tournament wasn’t all that good to start out with. There was a baggage mix-up on the plane ride to
Pennsylvania and Bobby wound up losing his golf clubs and clothes.

            “Since I don’t have my clubs, what’s the use in practicing,” Bobby recalled. “I had been practicing with a vengeance getting ready for the tournament anyway, so I sat around the pool for two days catching up on a little rest and relaxation.”

            When the start of the tournament rolled around, Bobby was still without his clothes or clubs. So, he borrowed woods from a club member, a set of irons from the head professional and a putter from the course superintendent.

             “I went out the first round and shot a 70 (par) with borrowed clubs which gave me a lot confidence, because I thought, if I can play this well with borrowed clubs, I should do pretty good when I get my own clubs.”

            Early in the second round, Bobby was one-under par when his clubs arrived. He kept the putter but switched back to his old clubs and went on to card a course-record 7-under-par 63. From there he went on to win the 1965 Sunnehanna Amateur with a tournament-record 269. His round two 63 is still the course record and his 269 total held on until 1992.

          Bobby’s legacy at Sunnehanna didn’t stop there. He returned to Johnstown in 1968 and won the tournament a second time before turning professional. A two time winner of a tournament that has been held annually since 1954 may not carry that much merit to most folks, but to those affiliated with Sunnehanna it does. Only a handful of golfers have won the tournament more than once with a list of champions that includes; Howard Twitty (1970), Ben Crenshaw (1973), Jay Siegel (1976, 1978,1988), John Cook (1977, 1979), Bobby Clampett (1980), Brad Faxon (1982), Scott Verplank (1984, 1985) and Allen Doyle (1989, 1990, 1992, 1994). Those who played and didn’t win at Sunnehanna include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Fred Couples.

Now…..and Then

This article was written by Rick McNeal of Glade Vista, Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, dated April 11, 2006.

The Legacy of Golf Pro Bobby Greenwood, PGA

             In the upcoming weeks the Glade Vista will have the privilege of bringing you a series of articles about golf legend, Bobby Greenwood PGA. “When he was at the top of his game, he was the best ball-striker I had ever seen,” said Bobby Nichols, Club Pro Ironwood Golf Course. “He was so far ahead of any other golfers from around here. He had all the shots and he was good under pressure. This new generation doesn’t know who Bobby Greenwood was,” said Nichols. “I wish the younger golf fans could have seen him play, and I hope that in some way he will be remembered as the best golfer in this area.”

            Even though Bobby has amassed numerous honors and accolades, has set several course records, and has played with the best of the best, he’s still Bobby to anyone that knows him. He’s a very humble Christian man, who is also a great husband and father.

            He lives in Cookeville now with his family and enjoys a very happy, laid back lifestyle. Instead of enduring the grueling life of a Tour Player, he now enjoys spending time with his wife Elma and 7 year old daughter Viola. The way Bobby and Elma met each other was quite a story, to say the least. They began writing through a Christian Singles International Filipino connection. While working in Japan, Bobby had to leave the country occasionally in order to keep his work visa and he would travel, as you guessed it, to the Philippines to meet Elma.

            “I got to know her and her family while I was in the Philippines for two months,” Bobby recalled. “I came back home and realized I was in the same miserable, lonely existence once again. So, I just called her and  asked ‘Will you marry me?’ and she said, ‘Yes,’ and we immediately started making plans for her to come home with me, and we married in 1998.”

            Bobby graduated in 1957 from Riverside Military Academy,Gainesville, GA, and received the Horton Society Honor) Award at graduation. He began his college career at Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN, where he was runner-up in the OVC Conference Championship his freshman year. He  then went on the enroll at University of North Texas (formerly North Texas State University), in 1961, where he was a dominant force in college golf. He was a three-time NCAA all-American and the only First Team All-American in the school’s history. He led the Eagles to three consecutive Titles and was also selected to the prestigious 10-member Texas Cup Team in 1964 where he defeated well known golfer Byron Nelson in the singles match. He also was runner-up three consecutive years (Sophomore, Junior, Senior year) in the Missouri Valley Conference while at North Texas. He graduated in 1964 with a degree in Business Administration. According to an article in the 1963 school paper, Bobby was selected as the third All- American in school history. From the beginning North Texas Coach Herb Ferrill labeled Greenwood as “one of the best golfers I’ve ever seen.” Labeled a “perfectionist” by Coach Ferrill, Bobby continued to work on the basic fundamentals of his golf game, as he has since he began playing at the age of twelve at the Cookeville Country Club.

             While Bobby was in college he was making quite a name for himself on the amateur circuit as well. He was Co-Medalist U.S.G.A Amateur, 1964 – Canterbury Country Club, Cleveland, Ohio; Tennessee Cup Team, 1968, 1976, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1999, 2000; Twice ranked in Top 10 Amateurs in U.S. by Golf Magazine, ranked sixth and eighth respectively;  Top 10 Amateurs in U.S. by Golf Digest, 1968, Rank – seventh, (his ranking is based on victories in the Sunnehanna Tournament of Champions as well as the Tennessee State Open and his third place finish in the Southern Amateur); Tennessee Amateur Champion, 1966; Sunnehanna Amateur ~ Tournament of Champions, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, 1965 & 1968, (Bobby set tournament record of 269 total,  and current course record of 63 in second round in 1965); Tennessee Open Champion, 1968; Rhode Island Open Champion, 1970.

      Bobby turned pro in 1969 and there are several stories about the various tournaments in which he played. The upcoming articles will include the different courses, as well as the well known golf pros that Bobby has been matched with throughout his career.