Golf pros who helped you along the way

[Tommy Williamsen]

      When I was a young teen (1961-1964) my Dad was stationed at Fort Meade, MD. Fort Meade had two golf courses and a head pro named Carl Rasnic. Carl was a throwback. He played with members, had free daily clinics for kids, and worked sunup to sundown. He’d talk to us kids about life, school, and golf. He knew everyone’s name and game and made every visitor feel cherished. Folks would wander into the golf shop with complaints about their game. He’d take them out to practice tee and give them a few hints. Most summer days he had some kind of competition for us kids. In the winter we would putt in the pro shop and take practice swings with the new clubs that he displayed. One summer day I broke a club in anger. Carl banned me from the course for two weeks. “Golfers and gentlemen do not behave that way.”

I left for college and seminary in 1964 and didn’t return until I graduated in 1972. Carl had left Ft. Meade to build his dream course. He hired RTJ and built the first nine holes. He worked every day. I gave him my day off and ran the shop so he could be at home with his dear wife. Around 1980 his course went belly-up. It broke his heart. He took a job at a club on Md’s Eastern Shore. I’d go once a week and we would play at his club. We kept in touch until his death in the middle 1990’s.

There is an old saying, “When the pupil is ready the teacher will come.” Carl was just the person I needed when I needed it most. Thanks, Carl you were a great teacher and friend. Every player should be so lucky to have a pro like you.

In 1992 Carl was inducted into the Middle Atlantic PGA Hall of Fame.

https://mapga.com/team-members/rasnic-carl-1992/

I’m not the only one who had a mentor/pro. Who was yours?
 

[Mike_Trenham]

A bit of a story on PGA Professionals.  Most give Walter Hagen credit for the golf professionals being allowed into clubhouses.  But actually it was the respect the members of Inverness had for their own golf professional that opened those doors!

[Tim Gavrich]

Jim Tennant. He ran summer golf camps at Westwoods Golf Course in Farmington, CT, an executive course with nice practice facilities. He'd break the group up into three ,and we'd rotate between the range, chipping and putting. Hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch. Popsicles toward the end of the day. Special guest speakers like Karl Ravech, Emilee Klein, Carin Koch, Suzy Whaley. We'd play the loop of 16-17-18 (all par 3s) to end the day. How could a kid not fall in love with the game?


Also: Ken Doyle, a Connecticut institution and longtime pro/DoG at Hop Meadow CC.

[Tom_Doak]

I got my first job at High Pointe when the pro at Grand Traverse Resort, Doug Grove, called Fred Muller at Crystal Downs to ask if he had any idea of a good young designer to recommend to a developer he knew.  And Fred responded “Yeah, he was just here.”


Ken Macpherson at Walton Heath put my car in his garage for a couple of months during my year overseas, so I could go home for the holidays ... and left his own car in the driveway.



But there were many others, too!  Everywhere I traveled in my twenties, whether I’d written in advance or just stopped in unannounced, club professionals were generous in letting me go out and walk around their courses, and chat with me afterwards.  Many also encouraged me to come back again whenever I could:  Mike Muller at NGLA, Bill Kittleman at Merion, and Jim Langley at Cypress Point all treated me like the son of their favorite member.


And last but not least, Ben Crenshaw was happy to let me walk with him in practice rounds before tournaments, discussing the course and getting to see some of the greatest players up close.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Pete Consoli at Springdale GC in Princeton, NJ.


I was a caddy there in the mid-70's and he was the caddy master. A prolific ball striker and PGA tour wash-out, Pete had the game but just not the temperment. Since I played so much hockey as a "lefty", I naturally started playing golf from the left side.


Every Monday, since we were not members, I would play on "caddy day". Was on the range one day and noticed that Pete was watching me. He walked over...


"Mackenzie, what the F are you doing?"
"Uh...hitting balls..."
"Youre an idiot, get over here."


He hands me a right-handed 7 iron he was carrying.


"Here", he said, "Hit this."
"uh, Pete, It's a righty club."
"Well arent you observant today."


He then gives me 3 pointers on grip, posture and stance.


"There you go. Play from the right side now."


Pete went on to become head pro at Springdale (William Flynn) and honorary member.


I'm a righty and a loosely "competitive amateur" player at a +1 today.


Thanks, Pete.


A follow-on to this anecdote was that Pete and his assistant (a Scot from St. Andrews whose name I forget  - Bill Crane, help please...?) gave me a set of right handed clubs and charged me $5/week until I paid them off.


A 1-3-4 wood set up if Dunlop Maxfli woods.
Full set of MacGregor Ben Hogan irons.

[James Brown]

3 great ones.


Dan Houchens, a new PGA and All American wrestler and then coach at the University of New Mexico in 1993 taught a golf class when I was a sophomore and that’s how I learned the game in college.  25 years later I still do some of his drills. 


Steve Ziff, teaching pro at the Penn State Golf Courses in 1999 was the first guy I paid for a lesson.  I was a poor grad student and he comped me after the first lesson and taught me how to get my body into the shots under pressure.  Won a club championship there and became a real golfer.


Steve Bosdosh is my coach now and for the past 4 seasons.  A true genius of the game and a top 100 guy.   Has taught me the true core of the game and given what I need to learn the game for myself.  We see each other once a month in season.  He’s why I hit it further and better at 44 than at 24. 

[Tommy Williamsen]

Steve Bosdosh is my coach now and for the past 4 seasons.  A true genius of the game and a top 100 guy.   Has taught me the true core of the game and given what I need to learn the game for myself.  We see each other once a month in season.  He’s why I hit it further and better at 44 than at 24.

Steve was at Four Streams when I was a member. He helped a lot of people. He has an excellent reputation. I heard he left.