Tommy Bolt RIP
September 3rd 2008 15:43
One of the true characters of the game, 1958 U.S. Open champion Tommy Bolt died at the age of 92.
There are probably a 100 Tommy Bolt stories worth telling, but this one is from a 1999 Golf Digest involving Tommy and my favorite golf writer: Dan Jenkins
There was the time back in the 1950s when he threw a club during the Colonial National Invitation, which was what that rather elite tournament in Fort Worth used to be called before it got kidnapped by corporate sponsors. I saw him do it at the 15th hole, and as the TV announcer once said, I see very well as far as my eyes are concerned.
Tommy wasn't contending that year, but he was usually worth a feature. So I wrote it for the paper, and mentioned the club taking flight at the 15th, and when I ran into him that next day on the putting green, he was hot:
"Son, you ever write about Sam Snead throwin' a club?" he said.
"Excuse me?"
"You ever write about Ben Hogan throwin' clubs?"
"No, I've never seen . . ."
"But you write about Old Tom throwin' clubs."
"Well, I was there yesterday, and . . ."
"And you said I threw a 4-iron at a fence. You said I hit a bad drive and had to try a punch shot with a 4-iron out from under some trees, and it didn't work out so good."
"Yeah, that's kind of . . ."
"You said I threw the 4-iron at the fence and broke it in half."
"That's pretty much . . ."
"Son, you better learn to get your facts straight if you're gonna keep on writin' about Old Tom and this game of golf."
"Tom, other people saw it. You hauled off and slung that 4-iron right at the fence, and the shaft snapped in two, and your caddie picked up the clubhead and the grip and stuck 'em in the bag. What did I get wrong?"
"It was a 5-iron
There are probably a 100 Tommy Bolt stories worth telling, but this one is from a 1999 Golf Digest involving Tommy and my favorite golf writer: Dan Jenkins
There was the time back in the 1950s when he threw a club during the Colonial National Invitation, which was what that rather elite tournament in Fort Worth used to be called before it got kidnapped by corporate sponsors. I saw him do it at the 15th hole, and as the TV announcer once said, I see very well as far as my eyes are concerned.
Tommy wasn't contending that year, but he was usually worth a feature. So I wrote it for the paper, and mentioned the club taking flight at the 15th, and when I ran into him that next day on the putting green, he was hot:
"Son, you ever write about Sam Snead throwin' a club?" he said.
"Excuse me?"
"You ever write about Ben Hogan throwin' clubs?"
"No, I've never seen . . ."
"But you write about Old Tom throwin' clubs."
"Well, I was there yesterday, and . . ."
"And you said I threw a 4-iron at a fence. You said I hit a bad drive and had to try a punch shot with a 4-iron out from under some trees, and it didn't work out so good."
"Yeah, that's kind of . . ."
"You said I threw the 4-iron at the fence and broke it in half."
"That's pretty much . . ."
"Son, you better learn to get your facts straight if you're gonna keep on writin' about Old Tom and this game of golf."
"Tom, other people saw it. You hauled off and slung that 4-iron right at the fence, and the shaft snapped in two, and your caddie picked up the clubhead and the grip and stuck 'em in the bag. What did I get wrong?"
"It was a 5-iron
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