George Bush and the 2013 Walker Cup Match
The highlight of any amateur golfer's career is to be named to the Walker Cup team to compete in a bi-annual amateur golf match between the United States team and the Great Britain and Ireland team. The 2013 Walker Cup was held at National Golf Links, Southampton on New York's Long Island, September 15-17, 2013. I have attended every Walker Cup Match held in the United States since 1993 and several more in Great Britain.
As the host club of the 1993 Walker Cup, the USGA invites Interlachen CC to send a representative to all Walker Cup events. I have been that representative. It's always exciting and interesting to see some of the greatest amateur golfers in the world do battle. Several PGA Tour players were Walker Cup Team members before turning pro and count the experience as one of the finest in their career. The USGA is gracious and invites past host clubs to Walker Cup dinners and to march in and sit with the team for the opening ceremony.
The Walker Cup draws its name from George Herbert Walker, the President of the USGA in 1920, who donated the Walker Cup trophy in 1921. George Herbert Walker was the grandfather of President George Herbert Walker Bush and great grandfather of President George Walker Bush. George Herbert Walker and his son-in-law Prescott Bush were both former presidents of the USGA. Thus, the involvement with the USGA and golf by the Walker-Bush family is long and deep.
I was rooming with Jim Sorenson for the weekend in a meager hotel room in Southampton. Jim grew up in Bloomington, MN, was a great golfer at TCU and, after winning the 1986 USGA Publinks and being the runner up in the same 1987 tournament, was named to the 1987 Walker Cup team.
Jim had taken the train out to Southampton and I picked him up at the station. "I see your past Walker Cup Team golf event is at Shinnecock tomorrow morning," I said as we drove back to the hotel.
At every Walker Cup tournament all former members from both teams are invited for a reunion. Those in attendance play a golf event and attend a dinner hosted by the USGA the day before the Walker Cup. It's a fraternity of golfers of which we would all like to be a member.
"Perfect, you can drop me in the morning and I will find a ride home after dinner," said Jim. And so it was. I dropped Jim at Shinnecock just after the sun was peeking up out of the eastern sky about 6:45.
"You are not going to believe what happened to me today," Jim said when he got back to the room that night.
"Tell me all about it," I said with anticipation.
Jim then wove this story:
Well, when you dropped me off, I wandered around, found the locker room, and went in. Suddenly I saw a dog and a handler going through the place. It was a bomb sniffing dog!
After watching the dog work for a few minutes, I walked back outside. A guy came up behind me and kind of jokingly said, "Hey, what are ya doin?"
I turned around and it was George Bush! He laughed, put his arm around my shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go get some coffee and take some pictures." We went in, chatted and had a cup of coffee.
Jim continued: We got set up to play a shotgun start event. It was arranged for the President to follow each group for a hole, as he had chosen not to play. He probably figured that it would be more enjoyable to meet and chat with the players than to put his game under a bunch of stress.
The President got to me just as I was finishing the 15th hole. He was riding around from group to group having fun, giving the players grief. I was up first on 16. I was looking at the yardage, throwing up grass to check the wind when he said, "Come on, come on, let's go, while we're young!" He was standing right on top of me! Really giving me the needle!
I said back at him, "Give me a chance, give me a chance and give me some room to breath here!"
I pulled a 6 iron and hit it stiff!
"Ok, pretty good," he said and drove off.
Later at lunch I happened to sit back to back with him. As we were eating, I reached around and gave him a little jab in the side, saying, "I made that putt out there at 16, you know."
"Ah, I knew you could," he said.
With cocktails and dinner complete, Jerry Pate stood and asked if anyone had anything they would like to share with the others on the topic of the night - Your First Time at the Masters. Until the mid 80's, the Masters invited the Walker Cup team. Today just the US Amateur champion, runner up, and US Mid- Amateur champion are invited.
In addition, it was the tradition to pair the amateurs with a past Masters champion, a situation that would test your nerves.
Joe Inman stood and told the story of his first round, paired with Gene Sarazen, in his last year of competing. (Joe was a three time All American at Wake Forest and was on the 1969 Walker Cup team. He went on to have a successful PGA Tour and Champions Tour career.)
Joe said he was as nervous as a cat on the first tee and, with his hand shaking badly, didn't know if he would get the ball on the tee, but finally did. He went through his preshot routine and, just as he was about to swing, bumped the ball off the tee. The second time he was shaking even worse and, after finally getting the ball on the tee, prepared to swing when knocked it off the tee again! Finally, on his third attempt, he made a swing.
The ball blooped over to the right about 75 yards, up next to a tree. He walked down and found the ball and, after some study, hit a low line drive 5 iron that blazed across the fairway and drilled a lady right in the forehead and she went down. Well, he made it through that hole and headed to the second tee thinking he had calmed down.
At the second tee, he set up to hit it down the right side. About this time there were three guys walking with their backs down the left side of the fairway in the rough. Joe hit a screamer that nailed one of the guys, with the ball bounding left down the hill and into the creek. When he got to him, the guy was still down and needed attention. Medical staff was called and on the way out.
He finally got to the third tee. Bob Charles, a left hander, was standing over his ball on the parallel second hole about 100 yards away. Joe swung and hit a low skidding shot that ended up rolling between Charles' legs. Charles was livid, thinking that someone in the crowd had rolled a ball to bother him.
Inman said to his caddie, "I'll take a club, you just walk down the middle of the fairway like I hit a good drive and I'll run over and hit the shot."
By the time he got to the fourth tee the group in front of them was just going to the seventh tee. He was three holes behind after three holes of play!
Joe got it around in just under 80 and was sitting in the scoring tent when he looked over at Mr. Sarazen. Joe told him he was thinking about turning pro and did he have any advice? Sarazen looked at him, thought a minute and said, "I wouldn't advise it because you're too dangerous and there is not enough time in the world!"
"Everybody there was nearly rolling on the floor in laughter," said Jim.
Former US Amateur Champion, Buddy Alexander, stood up next and told of being paired with Jack Nicklaus in 1988. Buddy said, "We got to the first tee where I have never been so nervous. My first Masters, Jack Nicklaus and all. Well, somehow I got it down the middle ok. Jack was up and hit a pull hook into the trees left. As we walked off the first tee, Jack said to me, "That's the worst shot I have ever hit off the first tee." To that I turned to him and responded, "That's ok, Jack, lots of people get nervous when they play with me!"
"It was a great day with the President and terrific dinner," said Jim.
About noon the next day I was walking up the magnificent 18th hole at National Golf Links following a closely contested match with Patrick Rogers and Justin Thomas as partners on the US team. As I approached the clubhouse, which stands about 2/3 of the way to the green, I saw a crowd standing around George Bush. There were formal looking pictures being taken with Laura, Jenna, George and Jenna's new baby. I turned to look as I walked by and who was tucked in behind the group but Jim Sorenson.
I later found out the Walker-Bush family has a family reunion at each Walker Cup held in the United States. There were about 70 family members in attendance that weekend.
"You won't believe this!" Jim said as I approached. "I was standing here all by myself watching play, when a guy walks up behind me and again says, "Hey, what are ya doin?" I turned around and, of course, it's George Bush."
"Just watching," I said to the President.
"Well, I'd like you to meet my wife, Laura," he said.
"Really, he said that?" I asked in amazement.
"Just like that," Jim said. "Come on, you need to get a picture with him."
"No, no, I am not going to stand in a line and have my picture taken with him," I insisted.
"Come on, let's just stand here and see what happens," Jim argued.
I hesitated and noticed that while the President was surrounded by people taking selfies with him, Laura had backed away with no attention being paid to her. "Come on, let's chat with Laura," I said.
"Hi, would you honor me with a picture?" I asked.
"Why certainly!"
Jim took a picture of us as I asked her, "Do you or your kids play golf?"
"No, we're all too busy. He's the only one that has time to play," she said in a humorous, teasing tone, pointing to the President.
Jim then told a joke about how he had heard George's father had gone to his mother, Barbara, telling her if he passed away before her, she was free to remarry, but he did not want the new husband to use his golf clubs. Barbara had replied, "That's no problem, he uses left-handed clubs!"
Laura laughed and laughed, finally saying, "I am speaking in San Diego in two weeks to the Callaway sales people. I'm going to use that joke!" No word if she did or not.
After several minutes the crowd around the President dissipated and Jim said to the President, "This is my friend Cal. Can he get a picture with you?"
"Certainly," said the President as we shook hands.
I had been sitting immediately behind the President as he made remarks at the opening ceremony the evening before. I listened as Jim told me about his day around the President. Then watched and listened to him out in front of the clubhouse. He is a funny, funny guy, laughing and joking most of the time. Laura Bush is a little more reserved, but still friendly and approachable. Even without having been in the White House, they would be fun people to be around. I very much liked both of them.
By coincidence, I saw them on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno a couple of weeks later. He was the same way - funny, friendly and just a good guy, as he presented Jay with a picture he had painted of him.
The 2013 Walker Cup at National Golf Links on Long Island was a great week with the USA winning 15-9 and the Bush family in attendance. I believe it's good for the game to have the President play golf. Many feel that President Eisenhower's love of the game increased popularity of the sport in the '60s. I have heard that President Bush is playing more golf since leaving office. I would love to get a game with him. Being around him was the highlight of the 2013 Walker Cup and added to A Life In Golf.
