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]
MEMORIES OF THE 1990 BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP Article by: Bobby Greenwood, PGA Published by: Tee Times Paper Summer 2022 issue, pages 16 and 17.
The 150th British Open Championship will be played this week (July 14-17, 2022) at the famed St. Andrews Golf Club in Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom. This brought back memories as I traveled to Scotland 32 years ago to qualify for the Open in 1990 at St. Andrews… the home of golf.
Elma found these Florida Today newspaper articles…
[EXCERPT from Florida Today, “Greenwood aims for British Open” by Paul Enriquez, Sunday, July 15, 1990 (revised edition):
Bobby Greenwood is a realist.
The Suntree Country Club golf professional left this week for Prestwick, Scotland, on a transatlantic journey which he hopes will produce a spot in the British Open.
“The odds are I am going to be unsuccessful at this,” Greenwood said this week. “I know golf. I have been around and I know that the odds aren’t too good in my favor.” At least, it will be a nice vacation in Europe.
“I put it in perspective,” Greenwood said. “I consider this a highlight in the twilight of a mediocre career.”
Greenwood, the former PGA Tour veteran, has been the Suntree Director of Golf for nearly a year. Occasionally, he will compete in a Senior PGA Tour event or complete a couple of rounds at Suntree.
“My Suntree members love to talk to me and say ‘Hey, go win it for us,’ which is very nice,” says the soft-spoken Tennessee native. “I have had some success on the Tour, but realistically, it will be tough to qualify.”
Greenwood, who played the Tour in the 1970s, attempts to qualify in a 36-hole tournament beginning Monday. The top 20 finishers are expected to advance to the British Open, scheduled for July 19-22 at famed St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland.
While not overly optimistic, Greenwood said his golf game could be well-suited for the notoriously wet, windy days in Scotland. “I went to North Texas State during college, so I know how to play the wind,” Greenwood said. “I also had some pretty good success in the rain. I am a mudder. So maybe there is a faint hope.”
They apparently think so… “I had one member come up the other day and show me a golf magazine article by Tom Watson on how he plays the bump-and-run (a common golf shot in Europe). They are really excited about this and, in turn, they are getting me excited about it at the same time.”
Greenwood, who has never played in a European tournament, plans to play several historic golf courses such as St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Turnberry and Glen Eagle. So, this trip is more than a chance to qualify for the British Open. But don’t tell that to Greenwood’s faithful fans.
“They have really been so supportive,” Greenwood said. “It makes me wish that I practiced a little more to prepare.”
– Source: Florida Today, “Greenwood aims for British Open,” by Paul Enriquez, Sunday, July 15, 1990]
——————————————————
[EXCERPT from “Florida Today” Local Digest column – “Greenwood shoots 70 in qualifier” Monday, July 16, 1990:
“Suntree Country Club golf pro Bobby Greenwood shot 70 Sunday as he attempts to earn a berth in this week’s British Open.
Greenwood, 51, posted his 2-under-par score, which included two chip-ins, during the first round of the 36-hole qualifying event.
If Greenwood finishes among the leaders after today’s second round, he advances to the Open beginning on Thursday at St. Andrews Golf Club in Scotland.”
– Source: Florida Today, Local Digest column: “Greenwood shoots 70 in qualifier,” Monday, July 16, 1990.]
——————————————————
I shot 73 in the second round for a 143 total and missed by 2 strokes.
The following tribute below reminded me of how I was able to go to Scotland… please read on:
[TRIBUTE: In Loving Memory of SHIRLEY JOHNSON and the BRITISH OPEN
One day, she came in the pro shop and said, “Bobby, you should play in the British Open. It would be a great experience for you.”
I was the golf pro at the 36-hole resort, Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida in the early 1990s. That is where I met Shirley Johnson. When I first came to Melbourne, Shirley graciously allowed me to live in her beautiful house for a couple of months until I moved into an apartment.
I gave Shirley golf lessons and we played nine holes together on several occasions. Sometimes she would call the pro shop and invite me to come to her house for lunch. She said I needed a break from work. Her advice that she gave to me was always most valuable.
I came to know Mrs. Johnson as one of the finest women that I have ever known. She was indeed a kind, thoughtful and generous lady. And, she was a world traveler.
Sure enough, Shirley took me to Scotland to play in the British Open in 1990 at St. Andrews. I must say, it was the greatest trip of my life. We played several of the famous golf courses and we even stayed in the luxurious St. Andrews Hotel! All expenses paid by Shirley. Naturally, she would not let me pay for a thing.
When I got home, I found $300 – worth of travelers check in my suitcase. I called Shirley and she said: “great… just keep it”.
While I was the golf pro at Suntree in Melbourne, Shirley and I would go to the Orlando Magic basketball games. She was an Arena Club member and we would eat at the great buffet before each game. She was a great sport. So much fun to be with.
In 2007, when I was inducted into the Tennessee PGA Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, much to my great surprise, Shirley and Thad showed up! What a great friend she was to me.
There are so many great things that I could tell you about this amazing woman. I’m sure her daughter, Sharon, knows how special she was. Shirley told me many good stories about several of her family.
Because of this lady, heaven seems sweeter to me. I shall look forward to seeing her once again. I know she will be there. By the mercy of God so will I. I hope to see you all there.
– Tribute written by Bobby Greenwood, June 10, 2019.]
——————————————————
In 2005, my friend Buddy Pearson, the managing editor of our local newspaper, Herald-Citizen at that time, interviewed me for a sports article he was writing… Here’s an example of what he asked about my adventure in Scotland…
[British Open Facts – for Buddy Pearson of Herald-Citizen, July 11, 2005:
“You traveled to Scotland in 1990 to play in the British Open at St. Andrews. You had left the PGA Tour and were the Head Pro at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida at this time.
Q: What makes St. Andrews such a great golf course?
A: Woods picked St. Andrews over Pebble Beach as his favorite place to win a major!
Q: You played both golf courses in a major, which do you prefer?
A: I prefer Pebble Beach because of its beauty and because it is a more fair test of golf.”
-Source: Draft note from Bobby Greenwood’s personal collection dated July 11, 2005.]
——————————————————
SOURCES/CREDITS:
• Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA.
• Florida Today, “Greenwood aims for British Open,” by Paul Enriquez, Sunday, July 15, 1990.
• Florida Today, Local Digest column – “Greenwood shoots 70 in qualifier” Monday, July 16, 1990
ARTICLE: “One of Tennessee’s Finest” Remembering Bobby Nichols, PGA By: Bobby Greenwood, PGA Published by: Tee Times Paper Spring 2022 issue, pages 16 and 17.
Tennessee golf has produced many great players throughout our state’s history. Players like Memphis’ Cary Middlecoff, Clarksville’s Mason Rudolph, Nashville’s Lou Graham, Chattanooga’s Gibby Gilbert, and Knoxville’s Joe Campbell… just to name a few back in my era.
There are different levels of greatness that most people are not aware of. For instance, I am not on the same level as these five players. Why? …because some were former Ryder Cup players or have won major titles and some are World Golf Hall of Fame members.
The Tennessee Golf Foundation will induct two great players into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame on February 8th of this year 2022. They are the 2003 PGA Champion Shaun Micheel and former PGA Tour winner David Gossett who had a stellar amateur career that included NCAA First Team All-American in college, and he also won the 1999 U.S. Amateur. Both men are indeed worthy of the honor of being Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame members.
However, there are many other truly great golfers from Tennessee; both pro and in the amateur ranks, just perhaps like me, not on that elite level of excellence.
Cookeville’s Bobby Nichols was indeed one of the notable players, and more importantly, a wonderful man that everyone seemed to love. Let me share a page I wrote back in 2008 for a book to be written about my dear friend, Bobby Nichols.
REMEMBERING BOBBY NICHOLS, PGA
By Bobby Greenwood in Bermuda, October 2008
When I was asked, six months ago, by Buddy Pearson to write something for his book about my dear friend Bobby Nichols, I thought it would be easy. But I just could not seem to do it… my heart was heavy every time that my thoughts went to my best buddy and the realization that he was gone.
So… as I write this, I am in Bermuda at the Grand Slam of Golf, and the Mid Ocean Golf Club is a beautiful place. This morning, as I watched Retief Goosen, Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington and Trevor Immelman hit practice shots, it reminded me of a time Bobby Nichols and I drove to Nashville to watch Arnold Palmer and Gary Player play an exhibition at the Richland Golf and Country Club. Bobby and I always were students of the game and we have shared many hours of practice and study in an effort to try to become better golfers ourselves. We have travelled many miles together in our quest to improve. Perhaps this is why I have finally chosen this time to attempt to write something for Buddy Pearson’s book.
Bobby Nichols would be surprised, delighted and maybe even a little embarrassed by this book; for he was someone who was by nature shy and yet he loved encouraging people. He tried hard to live his life so he wouldn’t ever let anyone down.
As a young boy, Bobby caddied for me at the Cookeville Country Club and we became the best of friends. Later, our mutual love for basketball brought us even closer together. We played church league basketball together… we played hard and fast. After I broke my wrist in one game; I warned Bobby that due to poor refereeing the games had become too rough and for him to be careful. He promised that he would. But try as he may, his competitive spirit drove him to be a leader on the church league basketball team. And within 2-3 weeks, Bobby injured his knee that required surgery in Nashville. I stayed with him at night in the hospital.
Many years later, after Bobby became ill, the last two weeks of his life was precious… and also terrible. Again, he asked me to stay with him every night in his home and also in the hospital. During those pain-filled midnight hours, I learned a lot. We rededicated our life to the Lord, confessed our sins one to another and prayed many sincere prayers together.
In an effort to explain what Bobby Nichols meant to me… just let me say, I now have no one in Cookeville who can talk about the deeper truths of playing competitive golf tournaments… even the PGA Tour. Bob won many tournaments in his playing career including the Tennessee Open, the Met Open, Tennessee Player of the Year, etc. One night as we sat together in his living room, Bobby said, “I would give up all my tournament wins if only the pain will go away.” That really put things in perspective for me… once again.
So, there are many reasons why Bobby Nichols was honored by the Tennessee PGA Section with the Tennessee Cup Matches MVP named the “Bobby Nichols Most Valuable Player Award”. He has also been selected by the TN PGA Section to Captain the Pro team of the TN Cup matches on four different occasions! Bobby was a giving and caring Christian man. He never ceased to amaze people with his kindness and generosity. With his devout Christian faith, Bobby exhibited a sense of humility that is rarely seen in the world of sports.
Not many people know that Bobby Nichols was a giver. He shared with me many secrets of his benevolent nature. And we would discuss how some people would try to cheat or con Bobby. With his Godly wisdom, he would say, “The Bible says, ‘Suffer yourself to be defrauded’… Just don’t let yourself be guilty of cheating anyone.”
When his mom was in the Cookeville nursing home for several years, Bobby would prepare vegetable juice with his blender at his home and take it to his mom every day! I tried to help Bobby as best I could in his time of need, but, needless to say, I was not nearly as good a nurse as he was.
I know Elaine, Kim and I and others wish we could have done more; but I can only say that we did the best that we knew to do. I was so proud to see how his friends loved Bobby Nichols.
I was proud of the TN PGA for showing up in force for Bobby’s funeral in Cookeville. All of the officers of the PGA were there as many of Bobby’s fellow PGA professionals. Bobby touched countless people in the community, the golf industry and the community was brought together by the shared love and sorrow.
The Bible says, “Rejoice at death and cry at birth.” I know and understand that is true but, I have never met anyone that got the hang of it. Nevertheless, I truly believe that Bobby Nichols is with God and I have to be happy for him… I miss him. He died like a champion and I was able to tell him that on his deathbed. The Bible says: “Godly wisdom brings sorrow.” I miss Bobby very much… I am sad here in Bermuda.
ABOUT BOBBY NICHOLS (May 4, 1941 – March 16, 2008):
Born in Algood, Tennessee, Bobby Nichols grew up as a caddie at the Cookeville Country Club and would go on to be a four-year letterwinner on the Tennessee Tech University men’s golf team (1959-’63), including being the team captain his senior season. After winning the 1991 Tennessee Open, Bobby Nichols made a profound impact on the golfing community during his lifetime.
While junior golf was always a priority for Nichols, so was coaching the golf teams at his alma mater. A 32-year veteran with Tech athletics, Nichols was inducted into Tech’s Hall of Fame in 1990. After a battle with cancer, Nichols died at the age of 66 on March 16, 2008. In 2011, he was officially inducted into the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.
“Thanks be to God for putting a great man, like Bobby Nichols, in my life. Looking forward to playing another round of golf with you in heaven.” – Bobby Greenwood, PGA, November 23, 2017.
MEMORIES: “It’s Different with Ben Hogan” By Bobby Greenwood, PGA. Published by Tee Times Paper, November-December 2021 issue, pages 16 and 17.
During my seven years on Tour, I was fortunate to play golf with some of the icons of the game. Great players such as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Cary Middlecoff, Lee Trevino, Chi-Chi Rodriguez, Byron Nelson and oh yes… Jack Nicklaus.
But I must say, it was quite different when I played with Ben Hogan at the Westchester Country Club in Rhy, New York. By most accounts, Ben Hogan was the best golfer of his era and still stands as one of the greatest of all time. But I could also see why Hogan is widely acknowledged as arguably the greatest ball striker golf has ever known!
In Scotland, Hogan was known as “The Wee Ice Man”, or, in some versions, “Wee Ice Mon,” a moniker earned during his famous British Open victory at Carnoustie in 1953. It is a reference to his steely and seemingly nerveless demeanor. Hogan rarely spoke during competition; we didn’t talk too much during our round. He was a man of few words. He mostly just said “your away.”
Like so many others, I was in awe of the Wee Iceman, the Hawk, yes, Bantam Ben was indeed special… a true icon. At 5 ft. 8½ in. tall and 145 lbs., he also was a very long hitter!
I first came in contact with Ben Hogan while I was playing college golf at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. I would hitch a ride from Denton to Ft. Worth just to see Hogan practice at his home course Shady Oaks Country Club.
I would stay perhaps fifty yards away and lean up against a tree. Each day 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 at me. We would nod at each other, but that was about it. I did this several times and one day, he actually asked/told me to ride in his cart and ride over to the practice bunker. That was my first introduction to Hogan.
Let me tell you why I became so interested in learning from Ben Hogan and why is he considered one of the greatest players in the history of the game. During Hogan’s prime years of 1938 through 1959, he won 63 professional golf tournaments despite his career being interrupted by World War II and a near-fatal car accident. Incidentally… these were the first 21 years of my life.
One year while I was at college, the Colonial National Invitational came to Ft. Worth and I decided to hitchhike to Ft. Worth and watch the tournament. I arrived late afternoon, spent the night in the bus station (that’s another story). The next morning, I arrived at Colonial Country Club very early… I walked in with the caddies and volunteers. Happened to pick up a large Marshal Hat and was able to walk down the middle of the fairway with Hogan and Mike Souchak for 18 holes! Looking back, it is amazing what a young boy will do in order to learn the game of golf. Much too dangerous in this day and age.
I later went to qualifying school and tied Johnny Miller for third place, earning a spot on the PGA Tour in 1969. We were playing for only 8 cards that year!
In my first year as a tour player, I was selected as the “Champions’ Choice” to play the Colonial National Invitational at Fort Worth. The Colonial Country Club was known as Hogan’s Alley because Ben Hogan had won 5 times at Colonial. The “Champions’ Choice” is the rookie they think is going to be a great player. I guess I’m the only Champions’ Choice that never won a major. I wish Ben had given me a lesson instead of a set of woods…
In 1971, our paths crossed once again. I’m on the first tee at the Westchester Golf Classic in Rye, New York with Hal Underwood. We’re getting ready to play a practice round and Ben Hogan walks up and asks to join us. That was the last tournament Hogan ever played in on the PGA Tour.
Ben said that the shafts in my woods were too limber and he told me to hit his driver off the 18th tee. As I addressed the ball, I could see that he was motioning to the large crowd that was following that I would hit his driver to the right. Naturally, trying to hit a good shot, I adjusted my grip and hit a drive down the middle with his x-stiff driver. The next week I received a set of woods in the mail from Ben Hogan… (Apex 5 shafts run through, cord grips with a large string on the underside) just like his personal clubs.
The word got out and my fellow PGA Tour players started showing up wanting to hit Ben’s clubs. I lost the driver and 3-wood to the players and I later sent the 4-wood to Carl Lohren who loved Hogan as much as I did.
Ben Hogan is one of only five players to have won all four majors: the Masters Tournament, The British Open Championship (despite only playing once), the U.S. Open, and the PGA Championship. The other four are Nicklaus, Woods, Player, and Gene Sarazen. Jack Nicklaus once said: “Hogan is easily the best that I have ever seen hit shots.”
Consider this: in 1945, Hogan set a PGA record for a 72-hole event at the Portland Open Invitational by shooting 27-under-par. And in 1946, he won 13 PGA Tour events and he won 10 in 1948!
The following year, driving home to Fort Worth after a Monday playoff loss at the 1949 Phoenix Open, Hogan and his wife Valerie survived a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus.
This accident left Hogan, age 36, with a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collar bone, a left ankle fracture, a chipped rib, and near-fatal blood clots: he would suffer lifelong circulation problems and other physical limitations. His doctors said he might never walk again, let alone play golf competitively. He left the El Paso hospital two months after the accident, and returned to Fort Worth by train.
It is important to know that the majority of his putting problems developed after his 1949 car accident, which nearly blinded his left eye and impaired his depth perception.
Let’s compare golfing’s greatest triumvirate, namely Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead. These three men had strong character traits and when we played; I found each to have unusual determination and focus. They too were great competitors along with being gifted athletes.
I met an aging Nelson at the 1963 Texas Cup Team Matches in Dallas. I was picked to play on the prestigious 10-player Texas Cup team where the top 10 amateurs play against 10 PGA Tour pros from Texas.
This was my senior year at North Texas State, as a First Team NCAA All-American, I was selected to take on Nelson, who was the captain of the professional team. At 51 years old, Nelson was way past his prime, but here is the man who holds the record for winning 11 consecutive tournaments on the PGA Tour. However today, at 83 years of age, I can look back and see that 51 is not that old. Nelson shot a 68 that day! I made a birdie on the last hole to beat Byron 1-up. That evening we went to Byron Nelson’s ranch in Roanoke, Texas for a lavish buffet, presentation of prizes and speeches from several Texas dignitaries and the PGA Tour pros.
I must say, Byron Nelson, even at 51, was the most intense player I have ever played against! No wonder he won 11 tournaments in a row.
I also played a match against Snead. I, at the age of 53, was coming off a win at the Tennessee Senior PGA Championship and a fourth-place showing in the Senior PGA National Championship at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. We faced each other in an exhibition match at the Sam Snead Pro Celebrity tournament in Nashville. I thought my chances were pretty good against an aging Snead who was 79 at the time. Turns out, I was wrong. Sam was indeed a physical specimen. He had a lot of fire and a temper to go with it. He reminded me of the great Tommy Bolt.
Sam drove it better than me, hit better iron shots, his chipping was excellent and he was even a better putter than me. He beat me 2-and-1. It was like Sam, the old thoroughbred racing against a young mule. I told him “Sam, I’ll try you again when you are 90.”
Snead, Nelson and Hogan combined for 198 wins on the PGA Tour, including 21 major championships… but only one had charisma.
NOTES: Ben Hogan’s early years were very difficult. He dropped out of Central High School during the final semester of his senior year to turn pro at the age of 17. Ben landed a low paying club job in 1930; met Valerie Fox in Sunday school in 1932; and they married in 1935.
According to his PGA Tour profile, Hogan earned just $332,516 in official PGA events, however, a 2021 study concluded that Hogan’s tournament performances could have earned him $91.8M if he had played in the modern era.
Sources: *Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA. *Pearce, Gene. The History of Tennessee Golf: 1894-2001. Hillsboro Press, 2002. Page 272. *Wikipedia. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Hogan>
posted at Greenwood’s facebook page by admin: December 19, 2021
Article: MEMORIES & MYSTERIES… 45 Holes-in-One! By Bobby Greenwood, PGA Published by: Tee Times Paper, October 2021, pages 16 and 17.
Scoring a hole-in-one is one of the biggest thrills in golf. Even seasoned Tour players get excited when they make an ace. It’s also a rare feat that requires just 3 things: a lot of luck, perfect line and great distance control. Do that and you will have hit a great shot, probably close enough for a gimmie. But if it goes in… lucky shot.
While I was playing the PGA Tour back in the 1970s, the hole-in-one world record holder was the 1959 Masters Champion, ART WALL, JR., who was credited with making 45 holes-in-one!
Needless to say, I was a great admirer of this great player.
Art Wall won fourteen titles on the PGA Tour, including four in 1959! That year he was chosen as the PGA Player of the Year, and also won the money title and Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average. His most notable achievement was his victory in 1959 at the Masters. In the final round, he birdied five of his last six holes to shoot a 66 and overtake Cary Middlecoff and defending champion Arnold Palmer. At that time, for Art Wall, winning the Masters meant a first prize of $15,000, among other incalculable benefits; his 1959 total was then $33,000, the most a professional golfer had ever won at this point in the year. He was a member of three United States Ryder Cup teams: 1957, 1959 and 1961. – Sources: wikipedia and vault.si.com.
Well, let me tell you a story about me and Art Wall who is the “King of Aces”, and you decide…
Art and I were paired together during the last round of the Philadelphia Golf Classic which was played at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. I was a fan of the great Art Wall and he knew that I was honored to play with him. My being a student of the game my whole life, I thought I would do a test to see if there could be some kind of a knack to making a hole-in-one. After all… how can anyone make 45 holes-in-one? Art was a fine, honest man and all of his fellow Tour players never doubted that he did it. I just wanted to try to learn and study how he was able to do such a feat. So, I decided to carefully do this during our round together that day.
The 12th hole at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club was a 193-yard par-3 with good visibility, a good place for my test. Therefore, I started a friendly exchange with him starting on the first nine. As we would play, I would say things like, “Say Art, how many holes-in-one have you made?”… and later, “Wow, that is amazing!”… several holes later… “No one has come close to 45 holes-in-one!”, etc., etc.
Then thinking about the par-3, 12th hole coming close as we made the turn, I jokingly said, ‘No really Art, how many holes-in-one have you really made?’ Art knew that I was a young pro that liked him very much and he never got mad. I was getting Art ready for the 12th hole. Finally, as we stepped on the 12th tee, Art had the honor. I timed it just perfectly so as not to bother his shot… just as he teed up his ball, I said, “Art… if you made 45, show me one here.” He stepped back behind the ball, took a breath, walked up to the ball, took his stance… nothing looked different up to this point… except perhaps a little more focused.
This is the amazing part… his well-struck 3-iron shot never left the pin, right on line, hit the green, bounced and rolled toward the flag (I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!), I thought it was going in until the screams from the crowd turned into a dull moan. His ball lipped out and stopped 3 inches from the hole! What had just happened? I’m not sure… This mild-mannered man tipped his cap to the adoring gallery as we walked on the green.
Think about it… Can a human being have a gift or talent to do amazing things? After seeing what I saw, I’m surprised he didn’t make more than 45 holes-in-one. With more luck Art would have made #46 that day!
So… what about Nicklaus and Palmer? Let’s compare…
According to PGA Tour record-keepers, Nicklaus has made 20 holes-in-one overall (including all his practice and friendly rounds). Arnold Palmer had 19 holes-in-one across all settings. Other totals (among all rounds played, including friendly and practice rounds) are 19 aces for Gary Player and 18 for Tiger Woods. And again… Art Wall made 45!
In my 41 years of playing competitive golf, I have made 8 lucky shots but at 83 years of age I don’t remember much about each one. There are four however, that stand out to me. The first one when I was 17, playing in a junior tourney in Clarksville, Tennessee with Walton Smith. The great Mason Rudolph was standing beside the 2nd green (8 iron, 143 yards).
Then, the ace during the Tennessee State Amateur Qualifying round in Memphis propelled me to win the Medalist honors that year (5-iron, 175 yards).
There was one I made on the fly at Cookeville Country Club 3rd hole (pitching wedge, 95 yards). No witnesses…
My last hole-in-one is always one to remember because my wife and daughter got to see me do it (RMA Alumni golf tournament, Gainesville, GA, 5 iron, 182 yards). But, the one I remember most was the near miss by Art Wall that I witnessed at Whitemarsh CC…
—————————————————————————
NOTE: BOBBY GREENWOOD’S 8 HOLES-IN-ONE
[A] 8 iron (143 yards) – Clarksville Country Club, Hole #2 playing with Walton Smith and witnessed by Mason Rudolph *Bobby was 17 years old, July 28, 1955
[B] Wedge (100 yards) – Cookeville Country Club, Hole #3 September 10, 1957
[C] Wedge (95 yards) – Cookeville Country Club, Hole #3 (went in on the fly), September 17, 1958
[D] 5 iron (175 yards) – Sparta Country Club September 19, 1959
[E] 5 iron (175 yards) – Memphis Country Club during the Tennessee State Amateur, June 15, 1961
[F] 7 iron (150 yards) – Cookeville Country Club, Hole #3 August 15, 1963
[G] 5 iron (177 yards) – Bakersfield Country Club, Hole #16 while on the PGA Tour Bakersfield, California, September 12, 1971
[H] 5 iron (182 yards) – Emerald Pointe Golf Club, Hole #15 during the Riverside Military Academy’s Alumni golf tournament Gainesville, Georgia, October 2006 Witnesses: Elma and Viola Greenwood, Frank McKay *Bobby was 68 years old
Published by: Tee Times Paper, August 2021, pages 15 and 16.
MEMORIES: MEETING BILLY GRAHAM in 1969 and The FIVE FUNDAMENTALS of GOLF
From Bobby Greenwood, PGA:
It was 1969 and my first year on the PGA Tour. Playing in the Pro-Am, Billy Graham had made a hole-in-one! He had just finished his round and I met him as I was walking to the practice range. I said, “Hey Billy, did you take unfair advantage when you made that hole-in-one?” He laughed and seemed to enjoy my reference to God’s help.
Rev. Billy Graham is considered to be one of the most popular and famous men of the 20th century. He was playing in the Pro-Am at the 1969 Atlanta Golf Classic and during the tournament week, he was to speak to the PGA Tour players. Here he was… the great Billy Graham… here to speak to the 150 PGA Tour players. Usually he speaks to 50,000 or 100,000 people that pack football stadiums. As I walked into the large banquet room at the Atlanta Country Club, there were seated about a dozen golfers and their wives and Billy Graham. It was probably the smallest group he had spoken to.
Almost immediately, you could sense that this man truly loved God and had a deep appreciation for what God had done for him. Ben Hogan wrote what many believe to be the Bible of golf instruction. The name of the book was “The Five Fundamentals of Golf.” Billy Graham that night told us his five fundamentals of faith. I have often wished that everyone could have heard him that night.
Here is part of what Rev. Billy Graham said to us:
“The professional golfers have become super-stars and champions at the most enjoyable, the most frustrating, the most exasperating, the most humiliating game in the world.
Some people think that golf is mentioned in the Bible, because probably the best golf course in Israel is in Caesarea where Apostle Paul spent at least two years, and because it may have been in Caesarea that he wrote, ‘I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course!’
Fundamental #1 – THE PROPER STANCE
In a more serious vein, I would like to list a few of the problems that I have faced as an amateur golfer and apply them to our lives, and to the world in which we live. First, there is the question of a proper stance; it is as varied as golfers are.
And I am convinced that in many areas of life today, we are going to have to take a stance – a stand for what we believe in; otherwise the world we know may disappear in our generation.
I have been at some of the tournaments, and I have watched the pros give it all they’ve got. I have watched men go out after a hard, grueling tournament round and practice until night, if they thought they did not do well that day. There is a dedication to golf. It is that way with Christ.
Fundamental #2 – THE GRIP
Second, there is the problem of the proper grip. I know there are many different kinds of grips. I was cross-handed in golf for many years and switched over, but after today, the way I putted, I’m thinking about switching back! The question I’d like to ask you is, “Do you have a grip on your life?” I know that most of you have a controlled backswing, but is there a control down inside?
Fundamental #3 – INSIDE OUT
A third problem I face in golf is the problem of hitting the ball from the inside out. More than one pro has told me that somehow, I have to get that club on the inside of the line of flight.
We all have minds and bodies, and we develop them and try to keep them fit. But each of us also has a spirit, and many people totally neglect it. The result is that they search for something all their lives; they reach the pinnacle of their profession but they are still restless. Some people turn to alcohol.
When I came to Christ, I didn’t have any emotion at all. I didn’t shed a tear. I had no feeling except that I was scared; but I knew that something had happened down inside, and it changed the direction of my life and brought about a peace I wouldn’t trade for anything else in the world.
Fundamental #4 – EYE ON THE BALL
The fourth problem I face in golf is keeping my eye on the ball and keeping your head in the game. That is a rule of every sport, whether it’s baseball, football, hockey, tennis or golf. The New Testament speaks of “looking unto Jesus, the author and finished of our faith.”
The head of a London mental institution has said, “Half of my patients would be released if they could know they were forgiven.”
Fundamental #5 – FOLLOWING THROUGH
A fifth problem I have in golf is following through. That is true in following Christ as well. Golfers play by rules. The Christians also lives by rules. Some rules in golf seem unfair to us amateurs; but if we break them, we have to pay the penalty.
God has laid down some rules in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. They may seem rough, but they were made for our benefit. God says if we live by them, you will find fulfillment and hope and relaxation and serenity even though the world crumbles around you.
Many great athletes are showing that it can be done, and they are out golfing, playing football and baseball, but living the Gospel.
My prayer is that sometime, somewhere, many golf professionals and their wives will receive Christ and find a new dimension to living.
You can tune in and plug in to God, and when you do, you will come to know the greatest Pro of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
NOTE:
From the time Billy Graham’s ministry began in 1947, Graham conducted more than 400 crusades in 185 countries and territories on six continents. Graham’s popular appeal was the result of his extraordinary charisma, his forceful preaching, and his simple, homespun message: anyone who repents of sins and accepts Jesus Christ will be saved.
SOURCES:
*The Dispatch, “The Five Fundamentals of Golf” by Billy Graham, submitted by Bobby Greenwood, Sunday, January 17, 1993, page 10.
*Wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graham
*Britannica.com/print/articles/240708
*BillyGraham.org
*Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA, September 11, 2020.
Published by: Tee Times Paper, July 2021, pages 16 and 20.
“Perhaps there are some players who have dreams of playing on the Senior PGA Tour. Like myself, after playing seven years on the regular PGA Tour, and after turning 50 years old of age I too tried to qualify for the Senior Tour three times. I made it to the last stage of qualifying by finishing 4th in the National Senior PGA Championship in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The final stage was held in Palm Springs, California where the weather changed and it snowed! Needless to say, I missed qualifying there. I did play some Senior events but only a couple on the Champions Tour.
The first Senior Tour event that I played was the Space Coast Senior Classic at Suntree Country Club in Florida. At half way point (27 holes), I was 9-under par and tied for the lead with Miller Barber! But my vision of grandeur vanished fast after I bogeyed 10 and double bogeyed 11. One good thing that came out of playing there was that I was later hired as their head golf pro at Suntree Country Club, a beautiful 36-hole Resort Course in Melbourne, Florida.
Once at the Senior PGA Championship, I was playing a practice round with Arnold Palmer and he asked me why I was not on the Senior Tour. I told him that I had tried three times to qualify and had failed. His advice to me was to come out for Monday qualifying and win a 54-hole tournament. That would be easier than going through 2 stages of qualifying tournaments at 72 holes each… That’s how Arnold Palmer thinks.
He and I were playing in a twosome and I took the opportunity to ask him. ‘Arnie, are you a Christian?’ He said, ‘Bobby, I have been asked ten thousand questions in my life but no one ever asked me that. Yes, I am a Christian but not a very good one.’ I said, ‘Well, none of us are.’
So, let’s see what it takes for you to play on the Champions Tour today. Because of having smaller fields (78 golfers), there are generally no “cuts” between any of the rounds. The first 60 places in the field are filled as follows: · The top 30 players of the previous year’s PGA Tour Champions money list. · Up to 30 players who are in the top 70 of the all-time combined PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions money list.
This leaves 18 places: · Among the 18 spots… up to 5 spots for sponsor’s exemptions. · Up to 4 spots for Monday qualifiers, this was my only hope, also subject to reduction or elimination. Usually, 75 to 100 players going for 4 spots!
I know it sounds very difficult to qualify… and it is; but it is worth it to try if you still have a game at age 50. By the way, in 2006, the Champions Tour Division Board voted to allow players the option to use golf carts during most events on the tour.
To give you an idea of how lucrative it can be, the top career money winner on the PGA Champions Tour is Bernard Langer who has won over 30 million dollars! Yes, there is big money in Big time tournament golf. Phil Mickelson after turning 50, became eligible for the PGA Tour Champions circuit during 2020 and won 2 of his 3 starts. Mickelson now has won combined career total of $92,876,195.00 as of the end of the 2020 season.
The Champions Golf Tour is highly competitive and rather exclusive to say the least. To qualify, you need to be at least 50 years of age. You also must apply online and pay a fee of $3,000.00. With the application, you will need two letters of reference from a Class A PGA Pro or Champions Tour Member; I could do that for you. You are also required to show copy of your birth certificate, and playing results from two tournaments held in the last year.
An Amateur who finishes among the top 30 at the Qualifying school tourney must then forfeit their status as an amateur to play in the final stage of the PGA Tour Champions Qualifier. When you are in the top 12 of the qualifying stage, the top 5 will be fully exempt, and the next 7 will be reserves.
When you are travelling and playing on the PGA Tour, you will need to be financially responsible for all your expenses.
After winning your Player’s Card, you will be required to show the PGA Tour organization proof of financial stability. Most players will have a financial backer when they start. When I went to Q school (qualifying tournament) in 1969, I too needed a financial backer.
My first backer was Rudolph Light, a medical doctor who was married to the ex-wife of American Billionaire, Jean Paul Getty! (Mr. Light would give one million dollars a year to Vanderbilt Hospital and the Light Eye Clinic is named in his honor.) Their winter home was at Lost Tree Village, Florida, Jack Nicklaus’ home course. Lost Tree Country Club is where I played in the Southern Amateur Championship and set the course record of 64 in one round.
Mr. Light died in 1970. My second backer was Buck Halperin of Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Halperin owned the Chicago Light Company. He was a Star Class Sailor and winner of Olympic Bronze Medal and Pan American Games Gold Medalist. He was also an NFL football quarterback, one of Chicago’s most-decorated World War II heroes. Navy Cross, etc. He too was a great man.
My third backer was Jimmy Greenwood, an excellent amateur golfer who played in the 1964 Texas Cup Matches in Dallas, Texas where I shot 67 and defeated Byron Nelson in the singles matches 1-up.
There’s no telling how many middle-aged amateur golfers have watched a Champions Tour event and wondered if they have what it takes to be the next big money winner. You will never know unless you try… good luck!”
NOTE: *Bobby Greenwood played on the regular PGA Tour from 1969 to 1975; and on the Champions PGA Tour from 1988-1993.
SOURCES: *Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA, April 25, 2021. *Internet searches: Wikipedia, Rookie Road, etc. *2020 PGA Tour Champions Regulations and Player Handbook *Photo collage credits: GreenwoodPGA.net
Published by: Tee Times Paper, June 2021, page 16.
“In 1989, I had qualified to play the USGA Senior Open Championship which was being held in Ligonier, Pennsylvania at the beautiful Laurel Valley Golf Club. This was just a few miles from Arnold Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe Pennsylvania. I always got into town early for any major event that I played in. I was able to play practice rounds with Arnie on his home golf course. This was a thrill for me as Arnie gave me tips on how to play the course. Arnold Palmer was a very easy person to talk to. He was so down to earth and enjoyable to play with. During one practice round, I asked, ‘Arnie, are you a Christian?’ He smiled and said, ‘Bobby, I have been asked ten thousand questions in my life but no one has ever asked me that… Yes, I am a Christian but not a very good one.’ I replied, ‘None of us are. According to the Bible, God said there is none good, no not one.’
When the tournament started, after every round on the 18th hole and after I had signed my card, I would see and greet Larry Adamson at the scorer’s tent. It is always good to see a friendly face in the crowd. I first met Larry when he caddied for me on the PGA Tour back in 1975. But here he was, now a big shot official with the United States Golf Association!
The following is an excerpt from Larry’s book…
[EXCERPT from the book: “Just Some Thoughts, Reflections from the Back Nine” by Larry Adamson:
“HERE COMES…
One of my favorite memories at the United States Senior Open Championship involves
Arnold Palmer and a reference to him and his father, Deke Palmer.
In 1989, I was working at the United States Senior Open Championship. It was the last day of the event, and I was out on the course running what I am sure was my usual “gofer” duties. My duties on that day found me near the eighteenth fairway as Palmer had just teed off the eighteenth tee and was making his way up the fairway. The eighteenth was a beautiful hole (a par five, 550 yards long with water guarding the front of the green). As you approach the green, the hole has an amphitheater type arrangement that makes it possible to accommodate large numbers of people. The crowd could sit and easily see the players coming up the fairway and watch their play on this hole. I walked ahead of Palmer and his group and stopped and stood on this amphitheater-like hill. As you can imagine, the crowd was huge.
As I stood there waiting for Palmer to get nearer to the green, I observed many elderly folks just sitting, talking and visiting with one another. Many were unaware of the drives the players had hit on this hole. As I got closer to the ropes and the folks sitting on the side of the hill, I could hear much of their conversation. Most were engaged in light-hearted conversation as they enjoyed the warmth of the day. When Palmer came into sight, I saw one of the older gentlemen who had been sitting in the group rise to his feet and he said, ‘Hey, here comes Deke’s boy.’ No, not here comes Arnold Palmer, or here comes Arnie, but here comes ‘Deke’s boy.’ It was evident that the folks sitting in the group on this hillside knew Deke Palmer well and understood the reference.
For me that was a special moment to hear one of the most famous athletes ever, referred to not by his name but by who his father was. He was ‘Deke’s boy’.”
– Source: “Just Some Thoughts, Reflections from the Back Nine”, by Larry Adamson, 2017, page 46.]
———————–
Yes, a great father-son moment for Larry to witness. I too had fun on that hole as my son, Bo (Robert III), was caddying for me at this Senior USGA major tournament in 1989 at Laurel Valley. On the eighteenth hole, if you can hit a long tee shot and land in the fairway, you might be able to reach the green in two and putt for an eagle… if you are brave enough to carry the water.
The tournament started on Thursday. After a good tee shot on 18, the last hole of the first round, I was standing in the middle of the fairway with my caddy, Bo. When I pulled the head cover off my 3-wood, unexpectedly, the crowd started cheering because they wanted to see a pro try to go for the green. A long and dangerous shot over the water.
In the second round on 18, after I checked my lie in the fairway, I told my son Bo to give me the 3-wood. And again, the crowd cheered!
On Saturday, in the third round after I had hit another good drive on 18, Bo looked at my lie and said, ‘Go for it, Dad!’ I guess he wanted to hear the loud encouraging cheers from the gallery as they cheered for his daddy.
But in the final round, just as we stepped on the tee and before I had even hit my tee shot, Bo said, ‘Let’s go for it, Dad.’ It did my heart good to see the excitement in my son’s eyes as he watched me play. One of the many memories that a father has with his son.”
NOTES:
*Bobby Greenwood, Contestant
10th U.S. Senior Open Championship
Laurel Valley Golf Club
Ligonier, Pennsylvania
June 29 – July 2, 1989
*Caddie – son, Bo Greenwood.
*Bobby Greenwood and Arnold Palmer played practice round together that week.
*Greenwood played the regular PGA Tour from 1969-1975 and the
Senior/Champions PGA Tour from 1988-1991.
SOURCES/REFERENCES:
*Book: “Just Some Thoughts, Reflections from the Back Nine”, by Larry Adamson, 2017, p. 46.
*Personal recollections of Bobby Greenwood, PGA, November 28, 2020.
*Photo collage: GreenwoodPGA.net, Larry Adamson, 10th U.S. Senior Open brochure.
posted @ Greenwood’s Facebook Page: November 28, 2020
ARTICLE: “The day he took down the Golden Bear” Published by: Tee Times Paper, May 2021, page 12.
Tee Times Paper Editor’s Note: Bobby Greenwood wasn’t expected to be much more than first-round fodder for an up-and-coming youngster out of Columbus, Ohio at the 1961 Colonial Amateur Invitational. Although a good player in his own right at North Texas State University, Greenwood, who played out of Sparta Country Club in east Tennessee, was relatively unknown outside the region. That all changed after his first-round match in Memphis that day. Here’s the story from that day in Greenwood’s own words.
THE GREENWOOD – NICKLAUS MATCH
From Bobby Greenwood, PGA:
“I just heard from the ‘Godfather of Tennessee Golf’ Dick Horton asking for information about the Jack Nicklaus match. Well, here goes…
The Colonial Amateur Invitational event in Memphis, Tennessee was ranked as one of the best amateur tournaments in the U.S. back in the 1950s and 1960s. Back then, the Southern hospitality shown to contestants drew all the best Amateurs in the country to Memphis. Even the 2-time U.S. Amateur Champ Jack Nicklaus came to defend his title and I was chosen by the tournament committee to be his first victim. As a student of the game, I knew a lot about the current NCAA Champ. He was the longest hitter in the game, very strong at 5’ 10½” tall and 215 lbs. He wore Footjoy shoes, grey slacks, black alligator belt, white Munsingwear shirt, a baseball-type hat, and he played a Titleist 5 golf ball. Jack was the #1 ranked Amateur in the nation and I was scared.
[EXCERPT: “They followed Nicklaus’ amateur career as he captured the 1959 and 1961 National Amateur titles. Last year he scored a near clean sweep of amateur events. He lost to Bobby Greenwood, a North Texas State player, in the Colonial Invitational at Memphis, but won every other tourney he entered, the Western, National Intercollegiate, two Walker Cup matches, and the U.S. Amateur.” – by Fred Mendrell, The Hutchinson News Herald, “SportAngles”, c. 1962.]
————————
So, I did what most people do when they are afraid… I prayed! My prayer went like this: ‘Why does the great Jack Nicklaus get to come to my home State of Tennessee from Ohio and beat me 6 and 5 or 8 and 7! Dear God, I am one year older than him, I have hit more practice balls than him, I am not robbing any banks. Please Lord, have mercy on me… help me to play my game with some courage so I won’t be so embarrassed when I lose.’ I also thought, ‘OK he may beat me 6 and 5 but he won’t do it with his favorite ball.’ The next morning, much to my chagrin, there he was on the first tee, he looked great, we spoke and then he asked me what ball was I playing. I said Titleist and then he said, ‘what number’ and I said #5. ‘Do you have any other numbers?’ I said, ‘Let me look… no, that’s all I have…’ Is that wrong?… I don’t think so. He looked very determined, he was scary, so I decided not to watch him too much. It seemed to be working because I was only two down through 8 holes. He was playing beautiful golf. Best that I have ever seen. I won #9 and made the turn only one down to the great Jack Nicklaus! It was a moral victory for me. I felt some better. Perhaps he would not beat me so bad after all. To make a long, long story somewhat shorter, I was one down playing the long par-five 16th hole. We both hit our 2nd shots in the sand bunker guarding the green but I got up and down for a birdie to win the hole. Even going to the 17th hole, I’m in the mental zone… Wow! I think I can win! But wait, Nicklaus knocks in his 30-foot putt to go back one up with one to play.
[EXCERPT from Fairfield Glade Vista: “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, Nicklaus can’t lose now, Greenwood is beaten,” 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. (Yes, I heard them as I walked through the crowd.)
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 cup for another 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 junior 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’.” – Source: Glade Vista, “The Nicklaus Connection”, by Rick McNeal, Fairfield Glade, TN, May 16, 2006.]
————————
[EXCERPT from Jack Nicklaus Book: “My only match-play loss of 1961 was due, mainly, to a stubborn disregard of percentages. In the first round of last year’s Colonial Amateur Invitational in Memphis, I was leading Bobby Greenwood of North Texas State 1-up with three holes to play…I was lucky to get a 5, but still lost the hole to Greenwood’s birdie. As a result, when I won the 17th, it merely put me 1 up again instead of closing out the match 2 and 1. When Greenwood eagled the 18th and birdied the first extra hole I was beaten. The golfing moral is clear: when your opponent is in trouble and you’ve got a lead with only a couple of holes to play, don’t get greedy. You may go hungry instead.”- Source: “My 55 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score” by Jack Nicklaus, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 1962]
————————
[EXCERPT from Glade Vista: “When I beat Nicklaus, I didn’t have any idea what I had done,” said Bobby. “He hadn’t been beaten in two 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 I guess he was thinking, ‘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
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 I guess he was thinking, ‘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”.
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. The end result was Nicklaus hired Bobby to design golf courses overseas.” (Btw, that’s how I met my wife in the Philippines.) -Source: Glade Vista, “The Nicklaus Connection”, by Rick McNeal, Fairfield Glade, TN, May 16, 2006.]
————————
The last hole at the old Colonial Country Club was a 545-yard par five. Jack has the honor and hits first, another high beautiful fade. Then I hit one of my best drives 300 yards! I was thinking, I have just outdriven the long hitting Jack Nicklaus on the last hole, in front of this large gallery. We topped the hill and sure enough one ball was 320 yards… It was Jack’s. I hit my 3-wood 2nd shot on the green, five feet from the hole for a chance for an eagle. Jack hits a 1-iron over the green chips back ten feet and sure enough, he makes it. Now I need to make the eagle putt to tie. I read the putt and I decided that it will break five inches! So, I pray some more… ‘Dear Lord, I will always remember how I stroke this putt. I’m not asking for it to go in, please just give me courage to make a good stroke.’ I did and now we go to the sudden death playoff.
[EXCERPT from Memphis Press Scimitar: “Greenwood spent exactly three minutes surveying the situation then dropped in (the curling eagle putt to square the match. Then on to the sudden death playoff.)”-Source: Memphis Press-Scimitar, by Buck P. Patton, Saturday, August 19, 1961.]
————————
My 2nd shot with a 7-iron stopped four inches short of the hole. It was perhaps the best shot that I have ever hit under the conditions. From a bare lie, I hit a draw into a left to right wind four inches from the hole.
[EXCERPT from AP: MEMPHIS — “…a pressure-packed match that went to a sudden death playoff. Bobby Greenwood, 22, (playing out of Sparta Country Club) Tenn., a relative unknown, upset the big favorite from Columbus, Ohio, 1-up, in 19 holes with a tremendous surge of sub-par golf.”-Source: Associated Press, “Jack Nicklaus Upset in Colonial Amateur”, c. 1961.]
————————
Looking back, I might have to agree. Jack and I were even through 16 holes, Jack makes birdie on 17th and 18th holes and loses the match. I made birdie on 16th, three on 17th, eagle-3 on 18th and birdie-3 on 19th hole. 4-3-3-3 = 4-under par the last 4 holes. Jack was a gracious loser; he even wrote about our match in his book. Then, nine months later, he won the U.S. Open Championship. When I returned home after Richard Crawford beat me in the finals, people would ask me, ‘how good is Jack Nicklaus?’ My answer was, ‘he will win a major.’ I wish I had said he will win more majors than anyone in history. Then I would have been a prophet… I’m sure some were thinking, ‘If you beat him, he can’t be too good.’
[EXCERPT from Glade Vista: “‘Jack Nicklaus’, Bobby 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 a low amateur in the National Open, finishing three strokes back of the winner, professional Gene Littler, with a total of 284 shots.”-Source: Glade Vista, “The Nicklaus Connection”, by Rick McNeal, Fairfield Glade, TN, May 16, 2006.]
[EXCERPT from Herald-Citizen: “With a list of golfing accomplishments that is longer than a John Daly drive, some of Greenwood’s more memorable golfing escapades can be found in:
‘My 55 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score’ by Jack Nicklaus;
‘My Story’ by Jack Nicklaus;
‘Southern Golf Association: The First Hundred Years’ by Gene Pearce;
‘The History of Tennessee Golf’ by Gene Pearce; and, most recently,
‘The History of Sunnehanna Country Club and the Sunnehanna Amateur’ by John Yerger III.
These books started happening. I have five books that have been written with me in there,” said Greenwood. “It makes you look back and say, ‘Why didn’t I have more confidence?’ When you don’t know all that you’ve done.”
-Source: Herald-Citizen, “Greenwood’s Legacy Chronicled”, by Buddy Pearson, Cookeville, TN, July 24, 2004.]
————————
[EXCERPT: “… in the 1960s there was no better amateur player in Tennessee and he was one of the best amateurs in America. During the 1960s, he earned All-America honors at North Texas University and was ranked among the national’s Top 10 amateurs by Golf Magazine twice.” ~ Gene Pearce, page 270. “Greenwood wins over 100 tournaments in Tennessee before he turns pro and plays seven years on the PGA Tour.” -Source: “The History of Tennessee Golf: 1894-2001″ by Gene Pearce, Hillsboro Press, Franklin, TN, 2002, pages 10, 21-22, 28, 77, 174, 199, 257-58, 270-73, 284-85, 308-9, 330, 347-48, 352, 375, 381, 399-401, 21, 271.]
————————
[EXCERPT from Herald-Citizen: “Greenwood has done plenty to establish a legacy among the nation’s golfing community.” – Buddy Pearson, Herald-Citizen, “Greenwood’s Legacy Chronicled”, Cookeville, TN, July 24, 2004.]
————————
[NOTES from Bobby Greenwood IN BOOKS – I. EXCERPT:
“When Greenwood eagled the 18th and birdied the first extra hole I was beaten.” ~ Jack Nicklaus- Source: “My 55 Ways to Lower Your Golf Score” by Jack Nicklaus, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY,1964, page 104. (The great Jack Nicklaus writes about his last defeat as an amateur. Match played in Memphis nine months before he won his first U.S. Open.) II. The famous match in the Colonial Amateur; Greenwood made eagle on 18 to get even and made birdie on the first hole of sudden
These books started happening. I have five books that have been written with me in there,” said Greenwood. “It makes you look back and say, ‘Why didn’t I have more confidence?’ When you don’t know all that you’ve done.”-Source: Herald-Citizen, “Greenwood’s Legacy Chronicled”, by Buddy Pearson, Cookeville, TN, July 24, 2004.]
————————
[EXCERPT: “… in the 1960s there was no better amateur player in Tennessee and he was one of the best amateurs in America. During the 1960s, he earned All-America honors at North Texas University and was ranked among the national’s Top 10 amateursby Golf Magazine twice.” ~ Gene Pearce, page 270.”Greenwood wins over 100 tournaments in Tennessee before he turns pro and plays seven years on the PGA Tour.” -Source: “The History of Tennessee Golf: 1894-2001″ by Gene Pearce, Hillsboro Press, Franklin, TN, 2002, pages 10, 21-22, 28, 77, 174, 199, 257-58, 270-73, 284-85, 308-9, 330, 347-48, 352, 375, 381, 399-401, 21, 271.]
————————
[EXCERPT from Herald-Citizen: “Greenwood has done plenty to establish a legacy among the nation’s golfing community.” – Buddy Pearson, Herald-Citizen, “Greenwood’s Legacy Chronicled”, Cookeville, TN, July 24, 2004.]
————————
Let me finish by quoting a paragraph from my daughter’s school thesis about my friend Jack Nicklaus.
[EXCERPT: “More importantly, Jack Nicklaus is a fine man with high morals. I know this because my father competed against him head-to-head in a famous match in Memphis. Dad said he was a great man and a fine gentleman. With all those great qualities, Jack is also a wonderful husband to wife, Barbara, a great dad to his children and all his family loves him dearly. Without a doubt, Jack Nicklaus is the total package… a true golfing icon (Nicklaus, 1968).”-Source: Viola Greenwood’s School Thesis titled: “Jack Nicklaus: A Golf Icon and American Author”, Cookeville, TN, 2016. Book Reference: Nicklaus, Jack. “Take a Tip from Me”. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1968. Print.]
————————
OK… there you go Dick; I hope you enjoyed reading the rest of the story.”
NOTE: In the finals, Bobby Greenwood finished Runner-up to Richard Crawford who was First Team NCAA All-American from University of Houston in 1961. Greenwood returned to North Texas State University (now University of North Texas) in Denton, Texas for his junior year after being named NCAA-All American Honorable Mention in 1961. He was named to the Second Team in 1962 and First Team NCAA All-American in 1963. Greenwood was ranked 4 times in the Top 10 Amateurs in the U.S. in the 1960s.
————————————————-
BOBBY GREENWOOD, PGA Former PGA Tour Player Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame PGA of America Life Member
ARTICLE: “Memories of a first trip to the Masters”
By: Bobby Greenwood, PGA
Published by: Tee Times Paper, April 2021, page 16.
It’s every youngsters’ dream, when they start playing golf, to play on the PGA Tour. And, of course, that means to play in the Masters, the greatest golf tourney in the world.
For the girls, like my daughter, Viola, it was to play the LPGA Tour and jump into the pond after winning the ANA tournament at Palm Springs.
Yes, that was my dream also. I was going to win the Masters; however, one must be invited to play and after seven years on the Tour, much to my chagrin, I never played well enough to earn an invitation.
I was a youngster when my dear childhood friend asked me to go to the Masters with him. Walter Carlen’s father was the Chevrolet dealer in Cookeville and Benton had offered his son, Walter, a new Chevy to drive to Augusta, Georgia to see the Masters. I was so excited!
My friend, Walter Whitson Carlen is a great man and he was blessed with a wonderful humorous spirit. It was to become a trip of a lifetime for me.
So, here we were, two country boys from Tennessee arriving at Magnolia Lane to enter the hallowed grounds of the Augusta National Golf Course. The only problem was, we didn’t have a ticket… So, we drove down a street into a residential area that bordered the course, parked the car and jumped over the fence.
Pinkerton men were everywhere! I had never seen so many security people checking tickets. We were ducking around and hiding from them and it was no fun. Just then as we walked past the beautiful clubhouse, a man walked out with all kinds of Press passes. My friend Walt looked at me and said, “the Putnam County Herald needs to cover the Masters. You stay here.” He went in the clubhouse, met Clifford Roberts and came out with all kinds of Press credentials.
We found the Press tent… free food all week for the Press and we parked in the private Press parking lot every day.
What a glorious week for two young golfers from Cookeville. In the final round, Art Wall put on one of the most dazzling displays of golf ever seen at Augusta National Golf Club to win the Masters by one stroke over Cary Middlecoff and Arnold Palmer by two. His final round included five birdies in the last six holes, including the 11-foot putt to win on the final hole. It was so exciting! Walt and I ran along in the gallery and watched in amazement.
After making pars at Nos. 11 and 12, his birdie streak began. He two-putted Nos. 13 and 15 for birdies, and ran in a 20-foot putt at the 14th. After a par at the 16th, he then made another birdie at the 17th from 15 feet.
Coming to the final hole, Art Wall knew he was one ahead of Palmer and tied with Middlecoff. Art’s 8-iron approach at No. 18 left him an 11-foot putt for birdie which he made for the win and $15,000. By the way, the Masters Champ in 2020 got more than two million dollars!
After the tournament, as we walked past the 9th green on our way to our car, Walt said, “We need to have a souvenir from the Masters.” He got under the ropes and took the flag pole from the 9th green! I was walking behind him as he walked briskly toward the Press parking lot. I thought, wow, perhaps he is going to make it! But just then Walt started to run… not a good idea.
By the time I got to the car, Walt was nowhere to be found. Then I heard his voice coming from underneath the car!!! I couldn’t believe it… “Is the coast clear?” Walt came up from under the car and started jamming the flagpole into the new Chevrolet. Perhaps Benton wouldn’t notice the rips in the headliner when we got home.
Like I said, it was a wonderful experience for the two young fellows from Tennessee. For anyone that has ever been to the Masters tournament I’m sure that they too have personal memories that will last a lifetime.
Thank you, Walter Whitson Carlen, for taking me to the Masters in 1959.
Note: Bobby’s daughter, Viola, the 2016 AAU National Champ, has not been able to play golf for the last five years because of injuries.
Bobby Greenwood is a former PGA Tour Player and a member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. www.GreenwoodPGA.net
GreenwoodPGA.net BLOG 
You must be logged in to post a comment.