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Lunch with a legend
Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle will answer your questions every Thursday during the golf season. Click here to send him a question. What's better than a Ben Hogan story? I never tire of hearing a good one. So thanks to Jack E. Carlisle Jr., originally from Shreveport, La., for sending the following letter in response to a recent item I wrote about playing Shady Oaks, Hogan's old home course, and the publication of a new Hogan book: "At one time the Shreveport Country Club had several members who were non-resident members of Shady Oaks, and I had the pleasure of playing Shady Oaks and visiting with Mr. Hogan. Mr. Hogan played a junior tournament or two in Shreveport; legend has it that he once hitchhiked from Fort Worth to one of these tournaments and was befriended by a local insurance man, which may explain why he was friendly to Shreveporters. Even though he never played with us, he would walk out on the course and visit with us. I will never forget the day he stood on the 10th green with his arms folded, his white Hawk hat in perfect position, and watched me attempt a 30-foot chip shot with my trusty 8-iron. I was about a 2-handicap at the time. Like Paul Harvey, you know the rest of this story: I cold-shanked it and Mr. Hogan quickly walked off the green and back to the clubhouse. "Another unforgettable moment was when my late law partner, Frank Walker, flew the 9th green, hit the cart path, and almost hit Mr. Hogan's window before landing in the petunias about five feet from Mr. Hogan. I said, 'Frank, aren't you going to go pluck that ball out of the flowers and pitch it back on the green with Mr. Hogan watching?' Frank's reply was, 'You must be crazy. I am going BIPSIC [Ball In Pocket Sitting In Cart].' "Once we took our famous Shreveporter, Terry Bradshaw, to meet and have lunch with Mr. Hogan. He and Terry talked about golf, football and fishing for over an hour, and during the lunch Mr. Hogan used pen and paper to make drawings and explanations of the golf swing (this document was later notarized and copied for those at the table). But when Hogan got Bradshaw out of his chair in the middle of the men's grill and started working on the stance and proper arm and hip movement during the swing, I am sure the Shady Oaks members who were present for lunch that day were as shocked as I was. Mr. Hogan questioned Terry in regard to the position of Terry's left toes and foot when he would throw a football. Mr. Hogan stated that if there was one thing he thought he had not done correctly and would change if he had the opportunity was to 'point my left toe more toward the target like a quarterback or anybody throwing a ball.' "You can only imagine the array of duck-hooks and snaps when we hit the course that afternoon and started pointing our toes at the target like Mr. Hogan said he wished he had done. "Four of us were having lunch in the men's grill at Shady Oaks once when I left the table to go to the restroom. When I returned, my chair had been taken by Mr. Hogan. I went to the TV area and sat down rather than return to the table. Later, when I got my chair back, the guys wanted to know why I didn't come back. I reminded them that it was an act of courtesy not to flush the Hawk when he is visiting with your friends. "I consider myself very fortunate to have visited with Mr. Hogan on several occasions, and I had the lunch of a lifetime with the legend. I do hope the legend continues to grow." Thanks, Jack, for sharing a little Hogan with us. Here's some more viewer mail:
I'm curious to know how to become a PGA Tour caddie. Do caddies start at municipal courses and work their way up? Do they even have caddies on minor tours like the Buy.com? Are there schools for caddying? I don't think any of the public courses in my area even use caddies. Is there a caddies union from which pros make their selections or do PGA Tour members have to go out and find their own caddie, holding tryouts to narrow it down? To become a PGA Tour caddie, it's every man (or woman) for himself. There are no formal applications or caddie schools. Motorized carts have all but killed caddying. Some private clubs, such as Pine Valley and Cypress Point, still stress caddies, but most take the cart revenue and run. PGA Tour caddies have their own association but it's hardly a union. If you want to break in, try to get a bag at a Monday qualifier and hope your guy makes the field and keeps you on the bag. Otherwise, badger every guy who shows up in the parking lot early in the week and hope some player is shorthanded. Carry an amateur's bag in the Wednesday pro-am if you have to. You'd have a better chance of breaking in on the Buy.com Tour, where caddies are required, but you'll also make a lot less money.
Mark McCumber was a very successful player in the late '80s and early '90s. Then he seemed to just disappear. What became of him? As recently as '96 McCumber finished 38th on the money list, including a second in the British Open that year. Then he tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder at the end of the season, requiring surgery, and ruptured a disk in his back during his rehabilitation. He lost some feeling in his hands and legs for a while, and at rock bottom two years ago he could barely walk. He's just getting back to playing Tour golf again. He missed the cut last week at the Western Open, his sixth event of the year. He made one cut at Harbour Town and hopes his comeback attempt is finally heading in the right direction. Meanwhile, he has done television commentary and designed golf courses, including the TPC at Heron Bay, the site of the PGA Tour's Honda Classic. Click here to send your golf question to Gary Van Sickle.
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