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    Golf in the Ozarks
    Golf in the Ozarks
    Golf in the Ozarks
    Ebook209 pages1 hour

    Golf in the Ozarks

    By Monte McNew

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    About this ebook

    In the early 1900s, southwest Missouri, also known as the Ozarks, quickly became a golfer s retreat. Professionals such as Walter Hagen and the legendary gambler Titanic Thompson toured the area and tested their skills against locals Horton Smith, Ky Laffoon, and others. Over the years, tour professionals including Hale Irwin, Payne Stewart, and Cathy Reynolds developed their games on the Ozark fairways. Today southwest Missouri can proudly claim the winners of five U.S. Opens, three Masters, one PGA Championship, and well over 100 professional tournaments. Golf in the Ozarks will take readers on a tour of everything golf in the region, from course and player histories to local tournaments.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMay 24, 2006
    ISBN9781439616789
    Golf in the Ozarks
    Author

    Monte McNew

    Monte McNew grew up in southwest Missouri, where he developed his love of golf on the beautiful courses of the Ozarks. His interest in the historic tournament known as the Horton Smith Cup between Joplin and Springfield intrigued him enough to want to find out more about this great game�s history. As a member of the Golf Collector�s Society, McNew shares everything he has learned with readers in Golf in the Ozarks.

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      Book preview

      Golf in the Ozarks - Monte McNew

      end.

      INTRODUCTION

      Golf in the Ozarks began in the early 1900s, with Dr. Tom Talbot as one of the golfing pioneers in the region. During the peak of his golfing career, Talbot was listed as one of the top ten amateur golfers in the United States. The first golf courses in southwest Missouri were located in Springfield, with the most notable being the Springfield Country Club and the Glenstone golf course. In 1907, the Springfield District Golf Association, led by Talbot as president, developed the first local tournament, the Springfield City Amateur. The inaugural tournament was held at the Springfield Country Club and was won by Felix Blackwell.

      In 1911, golf in the Ozarks spread to nearby Joplin with the development of the first local course, Oak Hill Country Club. The course had legendary head professionals including two-time Masters winner Horton Smith and Ed Dudley, who later became the head professional at Augusta National Golf Club. In 1920, Joplin developed the region’s next golf course, named Schifferdecker Golf Course. This soon became the location of one of the oldest tournaments in the region, the Tri-State Amateur, later known as the Ozark Amateur. The inaugural Tri-State Amateur tournament was won by Charles Martin. Other winners of this prestigious tournament include Masters winner Herman Keiser and senior tour professional Jim Hatfield. The expansion of golf courses continued in Springfield with the addition of Hickory Hills Country Club in 1926.

      The Ozarks quickly produced golfers that would be known at the game’s highest level. Among early professionals were Horton Smith, Ky Laffoon, Leonard Dodson, and Herman Keiser. From the 1920s to 1940s, it was common for professional golfers to tour the country and play in exhibition matches. Southwest Missouri developed a reputation throughout the golfing community as one of the premier areas for golfers to find competition, including big money games geared to gamblers.

      Many accomplished golfers, such as Walter Hagen, Harry Cooper, Lawson Little, and Joe Kirkwood, would make stops in Joplin and Springfield for exhibition matches, while legendary gambler Titanic Thompson often toured the area to play, commonly leaving with less than he came with. As the popularity of golf grew in the Ozarks, so did the number of courses. By the mid 1970s, the number of area courses grew to over 25, including Honey Creek Golf Course in Aurora, Carthage Municipal Golf Course, and Grandview Golf Course. In the 1970s, golfers including Payne Stewart and Cathy Reynolds began a second generation of elite golfers from the Ozarks.

      This panoramic photograph was taken at the 1929 All Ozarks Amateur Golf Tournament held at Hickory Hills Country Club in Springfield, Missouri. The photograph depicts many of the founders of golf in the Ozark region. Among those photographed are

      Tom Talbot, Norman Hinds, Tom Woodruff, John Ferguson, and Dick Farrington. The first clubhouse at Hickory Hills can be seen in the background. The club opened in 1926 on the east side of Springfield.

      Horton Smith was the first golfer from the Ozarks to succeed on a national level. By winning the inaugural Masters tournament in 1934 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, Horton Smith will forever have a place in golf history. This picture, by legendary golf coach Alex Morrison, shows Horton in his recognizable finish position.

      (Courtesy of Photos From the Fairway.)

      1

      The JOPLIN Ghost

      Horton Smith was born on May 22, 1908, in Springfield, Missouri. Horton’s parents, Perry and Ann, had a farm seven miles from town. Horton was the second of two boys. While Horton and his older brother, Renshaw Ren Smith, were growing up, they helped on the family farm. The Smiths’ would eventually move to a farm closer to Springfield, giving Horton the opportunity to be introduced to the game of golf, with Springfield Country Club only a half-mile from the family farm. To make extra money, Horton, beginning at the age of 11, would caddie for the members of Springfield Country Club. Horton would be paid 25¢ for carrying a member’s bag for nine holes. After a year of caddying part-time, Horton began to caddie regularly and played as often as possible. Every day after school, Horton would throw his clubs on his bike and head to the course.

      The Smith family would eventually join the Springfield Country Club, which gave Horton the ability to play every morning before school and caddie in the afternoon. Recognizing Horton’s skill and potential, head pro Neil Crose put Horton under his wing. When Horton was 13 years old, he finished second to older brother Ren in the Junior Club Championship. The following year, at the age of 14, Horton would finally win the Junior Championship at the club.

      In 1923, Horton would get the opportunity of a lifetime for a young golfer. At the age of 15, Horton and his brother, Ren, caddied for Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood in an exhibition match in Joplin. At the end of the match, Hagen gave Smith some balls and ready tees. This was the first time Horton had seen wooden tees, as players at the time would typically use wet sand to tee up their ball. Horton would maintain a relationship with Walter for many years. The same year, Horton won both the Springfield Country Club and Springfield City Championship at the young age of 15. Also in 1923, Horton set the Club’s course record at 58, by shooting a 26 on the front nine holes that carried a par of 31 and shooting a 32 on the back nine with a par of 35. After high school, Horton spent some time in college at the State Teachers’ College in Springfield. While in college, Horton could not deny his dream of becoming a golf professional, and, against his father’s wishes, Horton dropped out of college and began working as an assistant professional at Springfield County Club, where he would quickly work to become the caddie master and assistant to Neil Crose.

      In 1927, Horton was offered and accepted the position of club pro in Sedalia, Missouri. In the same year, he was invited to also become the head pro at both the golf course in California, Missouri, and the Jefferson City Country Club in Jefferson City, Missouri. Each week, Horton would spend

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