Cleveland golf course setting for many cherished memories

On Father’s Day 1974, it was too cold to play golf in Logansport. So my dad and I bypassed our normal Sunday afternoon round at the Rolling Hills Par 3 and watched Hale Irwin outlast the field in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.

Roll the clock ahead several years to the golf shop at the Phil Harris Golf Course in Linton. I am standing behind the counter trying to balance customer service with golf on television, something pros do on occasion. The image of Tom Watson chipping in at the 17th hole at Pebble Beach to beat Jack Nicklaus and win the 1981 U.S. Open still appears vividly.
Now it’s 1984 at The Masters, and I am standing by the greenside bunker on the ninth hole at Augusta National Golf Club. A young and rising star named Ben Crenshaw holes his sand shot on the way to winning his first green jacket.
And now, some 25 years later, these same guys still captivate crowds at the Senior PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland.
The Senior PGA Championship was born in 1937, and the first two events were conducted at Augusta National.
This year, Canterbury Golf Club joins Oak Hill Country Club of Rochester, N.Y., as the only layouts in the country to have hosted all five of the rotating U.S. men’s premier golf championships — the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA, the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Senior Open.
Designed by Herbert Strong and opened for play in 1921, Canterbury has been recognized by Golf Digest as one of the top 100 courses in America. The club has hosted 13 significant or major championships including Nicklaus winning the 1973 PGA Championship to earn his 14th major, breaking the record held by the legendary Bobby Jones.
One unique aspect of Canterbury is that it is only 650 yards from the clubhouse to the farthest point of the golf course. This cozy, little venue has deep rough and perfect fairways. As the weekend approaches, the fairways will become hard and fast, making it difficult for players to keep the ball out of the rough.
I had the privilege of playing in Tuesday’s pro-am, and I can attest first hand that these Canterbury greens might be the fastest and most treacherous that I ever have encountered. The greens are firm, which makes it
nearly impossible to keep the ball below the hole.
Kerry Haigh, PGA managing director of championships, said, “I would rather stare down a rattlesnake than a 2-foot downhill putt at Canterbury.”
Ian Woosnam was my touring professional in the pro-am. The Wales native is best known as the 1991 Masters champion. He was the captain of the 2006 European squad that won the Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland. Woosnam was a member of eight Ryder Cup teams and always has been known as a tough, feisty competitor.
As I expected, “Woosie” was absolutely charming. He exhibited the quintessential pro-am demeanor, spending the entire day offering tips and anecdotes to my team, which consisted of two Pepsi officials and Dave Marr III from the Golf Channel.
Tuesday was Woosnam’s first ever trip around Canterbury. I was impressed with how he was able to get his work done and still make the day special for the team. This is the essence of a pro-am. The pro helps his players with their games, tells a few stories and leaves memories of a lifetime. Woosie lived up to our expectations.
Marr comes from great stock. He jokes that he was a mistake at birth: “I received my mom’s talent and my dad’s disposition.”
Marr’s father was the legendary Dave Marr II, the 1965 PGA champion, captain of the 1981 Ryder Cup team and the velvety voice of ABC golf telecasts. He also worked for NBC and the BBC.
In my professional career, I have been fortunate to be around many of golf’s all-time greats, Sam Snead and Byron Nelson, to name a few. No one made a bigger impression on me than the elder Marr. He always was classy, satirically funny and carried an unforgettable presence about him.
Sadly, his announcing buddy, Bob Rosburg, the 1959 PGA champion, died this week after a fall in California.
The younger Marr has become a staple of the Golf Channel. Spending the day with him at Canterbury was a reunion of the oddest sorts for me. It was our first meeting, but it rekindled many heartwarming stories about his dad.
The pro-am ended way too soon for my liking because I wasn’t tired of hearing more Marr tales.
“My dad was paired with Arnold Palmer in the alternate shot competition on the first day of the Ryder Cup. Dad was really nervous on the first tee, and it never went away. He didn’t play well. He and Arnie got beat 6-and-4,” Marr remembered.
“They were having lunch, and Byron Nelson, who was the captain, came to the table and asked Arnold who he wanted as a partner in the afternoon. Arnold pointed at my dad and said, ‘I have my partner right here.’ My dad never lost another match in that Ryder Cup. Arnold’s faith in him was the difference.”
Here at Canterbury, there are 113 players representing 33 states. There are 32 international players representing 14 countries.
The field consists of 23 majors champions, who have combined to win 42 major championships including five U.S. Opens; nine Senior PGA Championships; seven PGA Championships; seven British Opens and 10 Masters.
There are 11 U.S. and European Ryder Cup captains as well as eight members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Experts call it the strongest field in the history of senior golf.
And I am pretty sure that Dave Marr II is looking down on this Senior PGA Championship, and with that wry Texas cackle he says, “Well, Rossie, this is some pretty good stuff, huh? And, you know that kid of mine, he definitely got my voice and his mom’s golf swing!”
Well, Dave, your son is a 6 at Shinnecock.
Ted Bishop is director of golf for The Legends of Indiana Golf Course in Franklin and secretary for PGA of America.

Photo Caption: On Father’s Day 1974, it was too cold to play golf in Logansport. So my dad and I bypassed our normal Sunday afternoon round at the Rolling Hills Par 3 and watched Hale Irwin outlast the field in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Roll the clock ahead several years to the golf shop at the Phil Harris Golf Course in Linton. I am standing behind the counter trying to balance customer service with golf on television, something pros do on occasion. The image of Tom Watson chipping in at the 17th hole at Pebble Beach to beat Jack Nicklaus and win the 1981 U.S. Open still appears vividly.