Michigan Golf History: 1961-1970
By Art McCafferty

The 1960s proved to be a transitional decade for golf in America, the biggest reason being the emergence of The King, Arnold Palmer. Long live The King. The popularity of Arnold, who according to his biographer, James Dodson, “played the game like a bar room brawl,” brought the game from the country club to the common person. Arnie’s Army on the golf course, and the other divisions watching him in front of first a black-and-white and then a color TV, were responsible for the serious boom in golf. Courses in this country increased one per day during the decade, going from 6,300 to 10,000. The growth of golf has continued; today we have 25,000 courses in 80 countries, with 50 million people playing.

Palmer, some scribes say, saved the British Open with his dramatic Royal Birkdale win in 1961. The 1960’s also saw, Bob Charles, Champagne Tony Lema, Peter Thomson, Jack Nicklaus (twice) and Gary Player become part of the British Open lore. However, Great Britain continued to be completely overwhelmed in the game it invented, as the United States beat its best five times in the Ryder Cup during the 1960’s, the closest match being a tie at Royal Birkdale in 1969.

At home, the U.S. Open was won by Gene Littler at our own Oakland Hills in 1961. During the decade, a who’s who of golf stepped up and claimed the Open, with Jack Nicklaus winning twice, and Ken Venturi, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Orville Moody, Tony Jacklin and Julius Boros each winning once. Palmer, who had won in dramatic fashion at Cherry Hill in 1960, finished second on three different occasions.

Those grabbing PGA victories in the 1960’s were Jerry Barber, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Nichols, Dave Marr, Al Geiberger, Don January, Julius Boros, Ray Floyd and Dave Stockton.

In the Masters, the names of those who won are still revered today, with Nicklaus winning it thrice, Palmer twice and Brewer, Goalby, Geiberger, Archer and Casper each grabbing one green jacket.

The U.S. Women’s Open was won twice by Mickey Wright, twice by Donna Caponi followed by single victories for Carol Mann, Murie Lindstrom, Mary Mills, Sandra Suzich, and Susie Berning winning her first of three and Catherine Lacoste of France.

The “Caucasian Clause” was removed from the PGA constitution in 1961, thus opening up the organization to minorities. This change led to two 1960’s victories for Charlie Sifford, at the Hartford Open in 1967 and the Los Angelus Open in 1969. Pete Brown won the Negro National Open in 1961 and 1962 and then later won on the PGA tour in the 1970’s with victories at the Waco Turner and the Andy Williams San Diego Open. In the 1960’s, Lee Elder battled Jack Nicklaus in a playoff at the American Golf Classic only to lose on the fifth extra hole. He had won 18 of 22 United Golfers Association tournaments the year before he went on the tour. He was to win six years later at Monsanto and ultimately achieved additional fame as the first African American to play at the Masters. In the 1960s Detroit’s own Calvin Peete picked up his first club at the ripe old age of 23. He will, of course, be heard from later.

In 1970, a group of contractors got together to form Golf Course Builders Association of America.

In Michigan, the Michigan PGA Championship was won twice by Dick Bury, now a fixture at Carl’s Golfland. Mike Souchak, Gene Bone and Brien Charter also were victors during the 1960’s. The Michigan Open Championship featured wins by John Barnum, Gene Bone (twice), Mike Souchak, Walter Burkemo and John Molenda. The Michigan Amateur was won twice by Melvin (Bud) Stevens and once each by Glenn Johnson, Mike Andonian, Douglas Hankey, Robert Meyer, William Newcomb, Lynn Janson, Peter Green and Dennis Vass.

During the decade, the team of W. Bruce and Jerry Matthews continued to pump out the courses by designing and building approximately 30 courses.

Harley Hodges was also hard at work designing five Michigan courses. And William Newcomb, would continue his amateur play all the way to the Masters and finally, collaborate with Pete Dye as they began their careers as golf course architect .

Probably the biggest story of the decade in golf course design was the building of the Heather course at Boyne Highlands. Signing Robert Trent Jones, Sr. to design a course in northern Michigan was one of many great ideas that came from Everett Kircher, certainly one of Michigan’s most famous entrepreneurs.

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