ARMCHAIR GOLF Roundtable: Sam Snead, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson

(Editor’s note: In honor of Sam Snead, whose longtime golf home was The Greenbrier, site of this week’s Greenbrier Classic, I bring you the following from the ARMCHAIR GOLF archives.)

These are real quotes and comments. The questions are made up. Welcome to the ARMCHAIR GOLF roundtable.

At the roundtable:
Sam Snead – 82 PGA Tour wins, 7 majors
Ben Hogan – 64 PGA Tour wins, 9 majors
Byron Nelson – 52 PGA Tour wins, 5 majors

Q: Gentlemen, welcome. Ben, let’s start with you. After all the rounds and practice sessions, tell us something you have learned about this game.

BEN HOGAN: Golf is not a game of good shots. It’s a game of bad shots.

Q: Byron, how about you? What about the game comes to mind?

BYRON NELSON: Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it.

Q: Sam?

SAM SNEAD: Playing golf is like eating.

Q: Eating?

SAM SNEAD: It’s something that has to come naturally.

Q: Ben, it didn’t come naturally for you. You constantly worked at your game.

BEN HOGAN: Very few times in my life I laid off two to three days. It seemed like it took me a month to three months to get back those three days when I took a rest. It’s a tough situation. I had to practice all the time.

Q: Byron, were you a natural like Sam or did you have to work hard on your swing?

SAM SNEAD: When I swing at a golf ball right, my mind is blank and my body is loose as a goose.

Q: Uh, thanks, Sam. Byron, any swing secret?

BYRON NELSON: Swing the club as though you were driving 60 miles an hour on the freeway. Not too fast, but not deathly slow. Once in a while, if the risk isn’t great, you can push your swing to 70, but never go faster than that.

Q: Ben, it’s well known that putting was not your favorite part of the game.

BEN HOGAN: There shouldn’t be any cups, just flagsticks. And then the man who hit the most fairways and greens and got the closest to the pins would be the tournament winner.

Q: Sam, are you with Ben on this?

SAM SNEAD: I shot a wild elephant in Africa thirty yards from me, and it didn’t hit the ground until it was right at my feet. I wasn’t a bit scared. But a four-foot putt scares me to death.

Q: How about you, Byron?

BYRON NELSON: Putting affects the nerves more than anything. I would actually get nauseated over three-footers.

Q: You all had humble beginnings. Talk about that.

SAM SNEAD: People think growing up in the hills was a handicap I had to overcome. In a lot of ways it gave me an advantage that has lasted me to this day. Just like with that stick, I’d have to overcompensate for just about everything.

Q: Anybody else?

LEE TREVINO: My family was so poor they couldn’t afford any kids. The lady next door had me.

Q: Lee? I didn’t see you come in. Any final thoughts, gentlemen?

SAM SNEAD: The only reason I ever played golf in the first place was so I could afford to hunt and fish.

BYRON NELSON: I tried to give my best to golf.

BEN HOGAN: Don’t ever get old.

LEE TREVINO: The older I get, the better I used to be!

Q: Thanks to all of you.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Source: The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations, published by Skyhorse Publishing.)

Life After 59 Not So Hot for Goydos and Appleby

PAUL GOYDOS FIRED A PGA Tour record-tying 59 at the John Deere Classic in July. He went on to finish second to Steve Stricker. Stuart Appleby matched Goydos a few weeks later with a final-round 59 that earned Appleby a victory at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic.

Their games have cooled off considerably since, especially Goydos’.

“I haven’t even made a cut,” Paul told reporters last week at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Goydos went on to break the MC slump in Boston, finishing 70th, after missing cuts at the British Open, Greenbrier Classic and PGA Championship.

Appleby said he’s happy with the way he’s playing, even though he hasn’t broken 70 since the 59, a streak of 16 rounds. It surprised him to learn that. On the plus side, Stuart hasn’t missed a cut since winning the Greenbrier. On the minus side, he hasn’t finished higher than 50th.

“I just haven’t been able to get the magic with the putter,” the Aussie said. “I can’t get to that point where I’m tipping my cap.”

Is there a 59 curse?

Must be. Appleby can’t make a putt and Goydos is out of the playoffs. Payback from the golf gods. Trust me, you don’t want to get on their wrong side.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Alex Barth/Flickr)

Stuart Appleby Shoots 59 and Loses His Shirt

STUART APPLEBY MAY NOT make it into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a player. With nine PGA Tour wins and no majors, Appleby currently falls short of the numbers that have put other players in the Hall.

But after shooting a PGA Tour record-tying 59 on August 1 at the Greenbrier Classic, a final round that also earned the Aussie a victory in the inaugural event, Stuart’s attire is on display at the museum in St. Augustine, Florida. Items include a purple Cutter & Buck shirt, black pants and a white Callaway visor.

Journeyman Paul Goydos, who shot his 59 at the John Deere Classic 23 days before Appleby, did Stuart one better. In addition to contributing his hat, shirt and pants to the Hall, Paul donated his Titleist golf ball. (Maybe Appleby is keeping his 59 ball for his own trophy case. I wouldn’t blame him at all.)

Bobby Wyatt, an 18-year-old University of Alabama signee, has also donated gear after his 57 at the Alabama Boys State Junior Championship in late July. On display are Wyatt’s pink Ralph Lauren shirt, his Titleist hat, FootJoy glove and Titleist Pro V1 golf ball.

Even if you can’t play your way into the Hall, Appleby, Goydos and Wyatt have demonstrated how you can play your equipment and clothing into the shrine. But you’ll have to go low. Real low.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Daren Eilert/Flickr)

Why David Duval’s 59 Is My Favorite

IT MUST BE SOMETHING they’re spraying on golf courses, because 59s, a once-rare score (for 18 holes), are spreading like kudzu. And their even-rarer cousins—the 58 and 57—are also popping up from Asia to Alabama. What gives?

I thought I would take inventory of the 59s before they start appearing every week at some pro or amateur event. It’s getting ridiculous, and I’m not sure that anyone can care much longer. There were only three in 33 years on the PGA Tour. Now there have been two in a month. (Sorry, 59, but you’re just not that special anymore. You were much more exciting when you were so elusive. I’m afraid it’s nearly over.)

(Photo: David Duval and Davis Love / Camflan, Flickr)


The Original 59
Al Geiberger, Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, 1977
Al Geiberger was the first, and for years was called Mr. 59. Al shot it with ancient wooden and steel clubs in 102-degree heat. He went on to win the tournament, too. After losing the lead to Gary Player, he shot 32 on his final nine to win by three. Al’s 59 rates high in my book.

The “Easy” 59
Chip Beck, Las Vegas Invitational, 1991
Some have said Chip Beck’s 59 was tainted because it was on a new course in perfect condition and therefore “easy.” (Easy or not—and I’d say not—Beck got a million-dollar bonus.) What I remember is that Chip finished off his 59 on the 9th hole because he started on 10. That’s not his fault, but it doesn’t win “cool” points with me. Another thing I remember from seeing a clip is that there was no one there. That’s sort of like making a hole-in-one when you’re playing by yourself.

The Fist-Pump 59
David Duval, Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, 1999
I like Geiberger’s because his was the first, but David Duval’s 59 is the Rembrandt among the bunch as far as I’m concerned. Duval came from seven back to win the tournament. And he eagled the final hole. Eagle. Can you imagine telling people that for the rest of your life? “Yeah, I needed to eagle the last for 59. Got it.” Another thing: Who knew Duval had a fist pump in him? The guy looked like he went to fist-pump school. Apparently he was saving it for something really special. Mr. Shades was jacked up when that putt dropped. I also remember David bringing out the fist pump at the Ryder Cup. And I believe he once fist-pumped at a Waffle House after polishing off a double order of hash browns, but I’m less certain about that.

The Unlucky 59
Paul Goydos, John Deere Classic, 2010
Paul Goydos shot the first 59 in 11 years, a sparkling 13-under effort, including birdies on the last three holes. And then a month later Stuart Appleby rolls in his 59 on top of Goydos’. That’s why I call it the unlucky 59. It’s like rolling out your vintage 1953 Corvette at auction and 10 minutes later there’s another one.

The James Bond 59
Stuart Appleby, Greenbrier Classic, 2010
I saw the last several holes of Stuart Appleby’s 59 at the Greenbrier and I can tell you this: he seemed totally unimpressed. Appleby was James Bond. Cool and collected in his purple Cutter & Buck polo, Stuart flagged his approach shots and rolled in birdie putts like it was 2008 and he still had his tour card. He cut out Jeff Overton’s heart, won the tournament and barely cracked a smile. When Appleby strolled off the 18th green, it was like he was saying, “Applaud if you must. I’m not sure which was harder, shooting a 59 or lacing up my golf shoes.” The name’s Bond, James Bond. Agent 59.

Here’s what I’ve noticed: four of the five 59s have been shot at “Classics.” The next “Classic” on the PGA Tour schedule is in October, the Viking Classic in Mississippi. Just remember you heard it here.

−The Armchair Golfer

Sam Snead: ‘No Man Scared Me on the Golf Course’

IT SEEMS ONLY RIGHT to mention Samuel Jackson Snead during the inaugural Greenbrier Classic because The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, was Snead’s golfing playground. I half expected Sam to return to Earth to fill out the 156-man field after Steve Marino’s last-minute withdrawal on Thursday with back spasms.

There will never be another year in golf like 1912. That was the year Snead was born. And Byron Nelson. And Ben Hogan. Three of the greatest ever came along in the span of six months and between them won 197 times on the PGA Tour. Snead was the most productive winner but won two fewer majors than Hogan. Sam’s greatest disappointment in golf was never winning the U.S. Open. He came in second on four occasions.

The following Snead comments are from his 2002 My Shot feature in Golf Digest:

People always said I had a natural swing. They thought I wasn’t a hard worker. But when I was young, I’d play and practice all day, then practice more at night by my car’s headlights.

Could I have whipped Tiger Woods? Hell, yes. In my prime I could do anything with a golf ball I wanted. No man scared me on the golf course.

I detest the fact that I endorsed cigarettes years ago; I didn’t even smoke. Lucky Strikes, Viceroys, Chesterfields, Granger Pipe tobacco—I endorsed them all. At The Greenbrier they had those ads on the walls as decoration. I made them take them all down.

I have a reputation for being tight with money, and I guess it’s accurate. But I can’t help it. The biggest Christmas I had as a kid was when I found 15 cents and a pair of socks under my breakfast plate. Poverty will make you respect money.

When Ben Hogan died, I said it felt like I’d lost a brother. Some people didn’t understand that, because Ben and I never socialized and rarely talked. But we were like brothers, because we both made the other guy better.

Snead’s longevity was legendary. Sam won his first of 82 PGA Tour events in 1937 and his last in 1965. He was also pretty efficient on his home turf, winning the West Virginia Open 17 times, his first in 1936 and 17th in 1973, a span of 37 years. Wow.

Sam Snead at The Greenbrier: A historical photo gallery

−The Armchair Golfer

Kenny Perry, Friend of Coal Miners

I’VE NEVER MET KENNY PERRY, so my impressions of him are from a distance. But I think of Kenny as a good guy, or a “good ol’ boy” as he might be referred to in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and around Franklin, his current residence in the Bluegrass State. I just don’t get the feeling that Perry has a false bone in his body, which is endearing but has also irked folks at times.

James Kenneth Perry can play golf with the best players in the world. Otherwise he comes across as a pretty regular fella and family man, the kind of guy that has worked behind the counter at his Country Creek Golf Course without customers knowing it. I became a bigger Kenny Perry fan when he stuck to his schedule in 2008 and made the U.S. Ryder Cup team. He didn’t attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open. He didn’t enter the British Open. He did take serious heat.

So this week’s story about Perry is no surprise to me. Kenny will donate $2,000 for every birdie he makes at the inaugural Greenbrier Classic later this summer to the 29 families that lost loved ones in the recent West Virginia mining disaster.

“Kenny is from Kentucky, not far away,” said Greenbrier Resort chairman Jim Justice at Roanoke.com, “and he certainly knows the miners, how dedicated they are and what immense work they do. It’s a great gesture on Kenny’s part and we’re very proud to be a part of that.”

Hope your putter’s hot, Kenny.

−The Armchair Golfer

Related:
What to Do If You’re Kenny Perry’d
Stunner: R&A Moves British Open to Milwaukee

(Image: ben_lei/Flickr)