Kel Nagle
The 1964 St. Paul Open was again at Keller Golf Course. The previous summer, at the age of 14, I was ready for a PGA tour event, the St Paul Open. I worked hard to sell tickets to that event, allowing me to caddie, picking Bill Casper, who withdrew. In 1964 I was a year older and for a tour addicted caddie, I was again ready for the PGA tour.
There was a ticket selling contest for caddies to determine an order for picking players in the tournament. It was not until the mid '70s that tour players had caddies that worked for them on a regular basis. Thus, in 1964 every player had a ticket selling caddie.
Living all the way across the metro in Wayzata, there were no other caddies from my club, the Wayzata Country Club, willing to sell tickets and make the drive to Keller Golf Course. So, I had no competitors in my ticket selling market.
In 1963 I was 10th in ticket sales. Bill Casper, the 2nd leading money winner in 1962 was the biggest name in the field. When the selection process got to me he was still available. Rumor had it that he might withdraw. It should have been a big clue that something was up when he was still on the board at # 10, but nothing was official and I picked him.
When he withdrew I was given the bag of a local assistant pro, Bobby Tomlinson, who was as awe struck as I and badly missed the cut. Maybe it was fate, as Bill Casper was reportedly a tough guy to caddie for. At 14 years old I may have been a serious liability for someone trying to make a living on the PGA tour.
In 1964, with a loyal group of ticket buyers from 1963 and a few more calls, I hoped to be one of the top ticket sellers and get an early pick of the players.
The St Paul Open always struggled to get a top field. For many years the purse was lower than most other events. That situation had been corrected by an increase to $50,000, but the field still lacked the top names of Palmer, Nicklaus, Tony Lema and Billy Casper. Keller Golf Course, while a wonderful public course, was not one of the courses that great players stood in line to play. At 6,150 yards it was short, did not require great shotmaking and always ended up as a putting contest. Thus, great players had no advantage over a hot putting "no name."
The big day for choosing players came on Monday of the tournament at Keller Golf Course. The protocol was to turn in your money and wait to see the results. Many kids sold just 1 ticket, probably to their parents, which was enough to get a bag but not a top player. I sold 65. No small task at $20 per ticket.
"And in 3rd place, Cal Simmons," hollered out Angus Mars, head of the caddies for the St. Paul Jr. Chamber of Commerce, the tournament sponsor. It was a difficult task to pick your player. Who was playing well? Who would play well at Keller GC? Who were the reportedly good guys to caddie for?
"I'll take Kel Nagle," I responded.
"Kel Nagle? Who is Kel Nagle?", stammered the kid standing next to me. Maybe no one else knew who Kel Nagle was, but a golf junkie like me did. In 1960 he won the British Open at St. Andrews by beating Arnold Palmer, making a birdie at the #17 Road Hole. A 43 year old Australian, Nagle finished in the top 10 of the British Open 7 times in the 60's. He won the New Zealand Open an astounding 7 times. And two weeks before he won the Canadian Open. He was playing well.
He was known as a very straight hitter with the "best short game out there", Gary Player was reported to have said. He was a real sleeper at the St Paul Open. In an age with no internet, televised tournaments, or up to date weekly golf magazines, an international player like Kel Nagle flew under the radar in St Paul, MN. Kel Nagle won at least 1 high level professional tournament every year from 1949-1975, including a 2nd place finish in the 1965 US Open. Kel Nagle was a great player.
He arrived on Monday afternoon with his wife. "Mr. Nagle, I will be your caddie, Cal Simmons."
"Well, Cal, nice to meet you. This is my wife Jean", he returned. Jean was a caring, warm and kept me in Hershey bars all week.
There were few players on tour at age 43. With the smaller purses of the day, it was the rare player who could make enough money to stay near the top of the money list year after year. Kel Nagle did.
Both he and and Jean looked older than their age. The sun had taken a toll on them. However, he looked fit, and at 5'10" was a dapper though not stylish dresser, typically wearing a cardigan sweater and hat, not cap. She was not a flashy woman, like many of the players were married to or were with. She was a very nice person married to a very nice guy.
It was one of those meetings you immediately knew they were both wonderful people. Always with a smile, he did nothing during the week to change that impression. He was friendly, somewhat subdued, and engaging. He was one of those people with whom you wished you could have a lasting relationship.
"Ok mate, let's go practice a bit," he said in his Aussie accent. The practice area was a wide, narrow tee used only during the tournament. It was inconveniently placed on the far side of the dog leg 1st hole. With no carts to move players and caddies down and back, time management was imperative during the tournament.
All players traveled with a shag bag of balls. The shagger (caddie), would dump the balls then run out and set up on the practice fairway to retrieve. There might be 20 players hitting balls to 20 shaggers.
"I'll just start with some wedges and wave you back when I change clubs," he said. Working through the set, pretty soon he was hitting drivers. I would move a little to the left and pick up a ball he had hit, then a little to the right. No problem.
Shagging always had danger written on the next bad shot, coming from someone hitting from the tee. Not only did you have to watch your player's shot, you needed to have one eye on the other players hitting a similar club into your area. In addition, you needed to be on high alert for the other shaggers that might be in danger of being hit by your players ball. OSHA probably would not allow shagging on tour today.
It was a great day for caddies when tournaments followed the lead of the Masters by providing practice balls for the competitors.
"Mate, I just picked up a new set of fairway woods with head covers," Kel said to me the next day. "I want you to make sure you clean the face of the woods before you put the head cover back on. No worries, just clean 'em up before putting it back in the bag."
And they were beautiful. Persimmon MacGregor. Blond in color with white paint in the grooves that was perfect. Leather grips. "I want you to make certain that you clean these fairway woods before you put the head cover back on," he instructed me a second time.
Wednesday was the Pro-Am. Amateurs pay a lot of money for a chance to play with the pros. Kel Nagle was the perfect professional partner. "Do you mind if I make a suggestion on your game?" Kel volunteered to an amateur partner. Just a little tip from Kel that helped his partners game. Kel's team did not win, but it was a fun day and they would all return for next year's event.
Thursday's first round was a bit of a struggle. The St Paul Open at Keller was always a putting contest. But even for a great putter like Kel, some days it just doesn't work. 72 was not a good score at Keller, 6 shots behind local pro John Cook. But, even during a frustrating round without making a putt, he was the perfect gentleman.
"Let's hit some putts, shall we," Kel said following the round and we headed for the practice putting green. I was hoping to see some of Gary Player's prediction that Kel, "had the best short game out here." It wasn't to be.
Even with Keller's greens being relatively flat, his putting was not much better Friday. He shot a second round 70 for 142, easily making the cut of 147. "No worries, we'll be better on the weekend," he said, heading to the practice green to again work on his putting.
As we strolled down the long 10th hole on Saturday, Kel asked for his 3 wood. Out of the bag, off with the head cover, passing it over, I double checked the yardage, stepped off earlier in the week. "It's 260 to the middle," I said.
Kel took the club. "What's this?" Showing me the head of the club. I was devastated. The only thing he had asked me to do was clean the fairway woods before putting the head cover on. I had messed up.
How could this have happened? Had I forgotten to clean it up after he hit balls to warm up before the round? Was I going to be responsible for staining the beautiful white paint in the grooves of the club? A complete rookie mistake.
I was speechless and embarrassed, but he said no more. I thought I was a great caddie at a big tournament but hadn't even followed simple directions. All I could do was clean the club and encourage him to hit a good shot. He did.
It was a round where momentum could not be sustained. He played with a balky putter the entire week. A respectable but unspectacular 69. All the while he maintained his composure and pleasant demeanor. Nothing can turn a player's attitude like poor putting. He stayed positive and friendly through it all.
It was the same story on Sunday. Kel could not keep the momentum through the round, shooting 69 for a total of 229, good for 27th place. He finished 9 shots behind tour rookie Chuck Courtney, who achieved his only tour win. Kel's share of the purse was $227. The entire week was a lesson in good ball striking, but the importance of good putting. If he had putted well who knows what he might have done.
"You're a good man, I've enjoyed having you on my bag this week, Cal. I'm sorry that I could not have putted better for you," Kel said as he gave me $100, some golf balls and gloves.
He actually gave me a lot more. As with other fine gentlemen I have known on the golf course, he showed me self control when things don't go as planned, a cheerful attitude, kind words and respect to all.
Upon hearing of Kel's death in early 2015, I wrote a letter to the editor of "Golf World" stating what a wonderful experience it was for me to be with him. It was printed along with others talking of this outstanding ambassador for the game.
Kel Nagle is among the finest gentlemen that I have been around in professional golf. The week I spent with him was a highlight in A Life In Golf.
