George Bahto, an inspiration and hero to so many of us, is quite sick.
He has chosen to receive only palliative therapy. While your first instinct might be to call him, a flood of calls would be exhausting. With the consent of George's wife and his four daughters, this thread will allow us to send our best wishes to George and his family as he fights on. It is meant to be a great place to share your favorite ‘Uncle George’ stories. The only things George talks about more than NGLA are his daughters Georgiana, Debbie, Pam and Danielle. When asked to pick his favorite hole at NGLA, he once responded, 'I can't - it's like picking a favorite daughter!'
Down Under in 1999, I began communicating with this larger than life dry cleaner from New Jersey within 30 days of starting GolfClubAtlas.com. His treatise on ‘The Legend of the Knoll’ was the first package that this web site generated when he mailed it to me half way around the globe. Like many of you, I have spent a number of happy hours in his company. That’s easy to do because he is such a positive, engaging force who readily shares his thoughts and research. Be it at Yale, Yeamans or Old Macdonald, I have struggled to keep up with George's boundless energy. All the sunset photos in the Old Macdonald profile were taken with his assistance as we carted around the course amid perfect late afternoon light three days before the course officially opened. On that day in 2010 he was so pleased and so grateful to Mike Keiser for being included in such a meaningful way. This octogenarian was the proverbial kid in a candy store that afternoon exhibiting what he always did – an infectious and unbridled energy for life. Witnessing so many of CBM's principles so sympathetically translated into the Oregon coastal landscape was a dream come true for him - and in turn for us.
I have never seen a second career like George’s. This “curtain call” enriched all students of golf architecture and The Evangelist of Golf immortalizes his contributions to our favorite pastime. If only we could all be so lucky! It was a great thing that Sleepy Hollow did when they awarded him an honorary membership. A class act from a class club for a world-class guy. Of course, none of this hardly even matters to his family; they know him most importantly as a great husband and father. And we can all add to that, great friend.
GBGB, God Bless George Bahto.
Best,