Golf Stories
Golf Stories
Lake Sunapee Country Club, Massachusetts (1975)
While Bruce was growing up in Florida with his mother and his maternal grandparents, his maternal aunt and uncle had remained in Massachusetts. Having lost his father at an age too young to even remember him, Bruce found a father figure in his Uncle Bob, and visited their home in Framingham many times over the years.
The summers before and after his freshman year of college, Bruce worked as a phys-ed camp counselor at The Rivers School Day Camp on Nonesuch Pond, coaching kids in tennis, softball, sailing, canoeing, and other games.
Bruce's Uncle Bob was an avid golfer. Though Bob lived in Framingham at the time, he also had a vacation cabin in New Hampshire, where Bruce spent many summer weekends with his uncle, playing golf at the Lake Sunapee Country Club, near New London.
Bruce's Uncle Bob always wanted to play in the first group of the day. One day when they arrived at the country club, the head pro at the time (Norm Burns) told Bob and Bruce to "go join Gene" at the first tee.
The 17-year old Bruce had no idea who Gene was, but Uncle Bob did.
Bruce's thoughts on the experience:
"Uncle Bob was very deferential to Gene, so I figured that our game partner must be a well known player.
Gene was wearing his trademark plus fours. I was in awe of his play. He was a straight hitter, and still very serious about the game at his age - 73 or 74 that year.
On the 18th, I holed a 5-iron for eagle to finish the round with a score of 71, beating Gene by a shot.
It was not until after the round that my Uncle Bob told me who Gene was and what he had accomplished in his career. I had no idea who I was playing with until that moment."
Bradenton Country Club, Florida (1979)
When Bruce was 22 years old, he was "the cart guy" at the Bradenton Country Club. On a Monday when the Brandenton club was closed, the head pro and assistant pro of the club invited Bruce to play two games with them at different locations in Orlando in a single day.
The assistant pro arranged for a morning game at Disney World.
The head pro of Bradenton had previously been the head pro at Arnold Palmer's Latrobe Country Club in Pennsylvania. He called the famed golfer directly to arrange an afternoon game at Bay Hill Country Club, Arnold's club in Orlando.
When Bruce and the pros arrived at the first tee, Arnold was already there to greet them and watch them start the game. Bruce recalls, "I didn't know whether to sh*t or wind my watch!"
Arnold watched Bruce tee off, and gave him a thumbs-up.
In that moment, a simple but fond memory was created for a 22 year old who had not yet turned pro himself.