1951 Ryder Cup

[jim_lewis]

I am one of those who regrets that we have so many off-topic threads.  That said, I can not resist reporting on a story in the most recent edition of PineStraw Magazine, which is published monthly in Southern Pines under the leadership of Jim Dodson. This story is by Lee Pace, who has written often about the history of golf in the Sand Hills.

Lee reports on the 1951 Ryder Cup, which was played on Pinehurst #2. His report underscores how the event has evolved from a low-key friendly event played before relatively small crowds and reported on by few golf writers to the mega-event we know today.  About 6000 fans and 30 writers witnessed the 1951 tournament. It was played in early November during the peak season for the Pinehurst Resort. While the great players of the US and Uk played on #2, resort guests were playing on courses #1, #3. and nine holes of #4. Those were the only courses at the Resort at that time and all were more-or-less adjacent to one another. The first matches were played on Friday. They suspended play for Saturday while the participants went to Chapel Hill to see a football game between UNC and Tennessee.

Call me a old-fashioned (which I am), but I think I like the way they used to do it better than today.

There is more, including how most of the US players boycotted the North South Open, which was played on #2 the following week, becauese Mr Tufts would not agree to increase the purse to $10,000.

 The magazine can be found at pinestrawmag.com. They have not posted the latest issue on the website yet.

[Don Dinkmeyer]

Wow, just a flat-out interesting synopsis. So i bring up the website and monkey-see
Can't wait for the full article.

Thank you for posting!

[Chris Buie]

That is a worthy mention Jim.  There were a lot of compelling themes at work during the events of the 1951 Ryder Cup and North South Open - enough to write a small book along the lines of "The Match", actually.  One main theme being the tension between professional and amateur creeds coming to the breaking point.  One of the other themes being the nature of the North South Open.  Dan Jenkins said it was the Masters before the Masters.  Old world elegance of a very high caliber mixed with golf of the highest caliber - and a champions list equal to any tournament.
Like "The Match", there were a lot of sub-stories going on as well.  For instance, world class amateur Dick Chapman played with Sam Snead and beat him by 10 shots one day.  Sam did not take that well at all.  
The Chapmans still live here, by the way.  Dick and Hogan were close friends which is slightly surprising because their backgrounds could not have been more dissimilar.  Their shared passion for the game over rode their differences.  Chapman invented the Chapman form of competition which you lads were talking about using during the GCA tournament in England.  
Yes, it's a pity Richard Tufts decided to end the event.  He ran Pinehurst for decades and was the USGA president.  He was also the main advocate for the amateur creed.  That is his epitaph, in fact - bronzed right there behind the 18th green on #2.  The world that the pros like Hogan inhabited at the time - living hand to mouth - was entirely alien to him.  Tufts is also the guy that crucified Harvie Ward.  I don't mean to make him sound all bad, because he wasn't.  Although the way he handled Harvie's situation was unforgivable, his heightened sense of propriety served the place and the game well in many cases.  



I assume these images belong to the Tufts Archives - so that great place should probably be credited here.

[Mike Hendren]

Historical footnote:  Vols defeat TarHeels 27-0 on their way to the national championship.

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks, gents. Ah - god bless Jimmy Demaret; he brightens my day just looking at him. And btw, why did that terrific look disappear from men's fashion, the shirt collar buttoned right up but without a tie? Hogan looks like a million bucks!

[jim_lewis]

Michael:

I knew that, but there is a limit to how far I will wander off the subject of golf.  

[Bob_Huntley]

Chris,

Back in the early the late sixties and early seventies I got to know Dick Chapman and played with him and the Forty Thieves at Ed Haber's Carmel Valley G and C.C., now called Quail Lodge. Later on, I was his house guest at Ranch Santa Fe.

In think it was in the 1971 Crosby that I was in in four ball with J.C. Snead,  Bruce Crampton and Chapman. Dick was late getting to the tee, slaffed a drive up the first hole, butchered his second and slithered the ball onto the green some thirty feet from the pin. He holed out for a par. This continued on the second hole. J.C. was not amused, thinking he had this for the next three days. I spoke to him and had a five dollar bet that Dick would not lose to him by more than two or three shots. After furtive search of his bag he found some suitable medicine and then lit up the place. I won five dollars.


Bob