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Walter Travis remains an honored name in golf

Mark Herrmann

May 18, 2008

This is the 100th anniversary of a bunker shot that didn't make it out of the bunker. It is a tribute to the great golf figure and Long Islander Walter Travis that people still remember the 1908 U.S. Amateur at Garden City Golf Club. The deep, difficult and controversial bunker that Travis built alongside the 18th green trapped one poor fellow and cost him the semifinal match.

Too bad the fellow was Travis himself.

That just makes it an even greater tribute to the golf Renaissance man, who was so good as a designer that he stymied Travis the golfer, a three-time U.S. Amateur champion.

He was a pioneer not only in bunkering and course design, but also in equipment, course ratings, handicapping and golf journalism. "And he still is under the radar," said Patrick Fogarty, a member at the Garden City Golf Club and chairman of the Travis Memorial, which concludes at the club today.

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Aside from being one of the most prominent amateur events in the country, with contestants from Ireland and 26 states this year, it is an annual reminder of what a towering presence Travis was and what a beacon for American golf Long Island is.

"He wanted to instill here in America all the elements of the game that was so popular in Scotland and the United Kingdom," said Fogarty, noting that Travis was the first American to win the British Amateur, an achievement that helped popularize the game in the United States in 1904.

Travis' legacy could use a friendly pat on the back this year especially. One of the greatest of the courses he designed, the West at Westchester Country Club, was knocked off the PGA Tour circuit after a 40-year run. There have been many stories about club and tour politics clashing, but you can bet your last penny the event still would be there if the course was a favorite of one particular golfer. Alas, Tiger Woods is said to not like the place.

That is unfair to Travis. His memory deserves better. He ought to be remembered for his passion and innovation, for winning the 1900 U.S. Amateur (then the biggest tournament going on this side of the ocean) by chipping the ball into the hole through six inches of water.

A tip of the cap for the way he reshaped the Garden City Golf Club - eliminating the eyesore bunkers that stretched horizontally across fairways - and made the layout still relevant today. Same for the Garden City Country Club, which he designed.

This very page owes a debt to Travis. One hundred years ago, he founded American Golfer magazine, granddaddy to Golf Digest, Golf and tons of other publications - and one that he ran until he turned it over to Grantland Rice in 1920.

All of his contributions were honored in 1927, when the Garden City Golf Club renamed its 25-year-old Spring Invitational in his honor. It has been the Travis ever since, and always will be.

Pair of aces

Sharon Leavitt reports that she had a hole-in-one at the Greens at Half Hollow in Melville last week, which is nice (as are all the aces we list on Thursdays). What's different about hers is that it was her second. And that she took up the game only three years ago, at 62. And, she said, "I'm about a 40-handicap."

Eastern Long Island Executives golf outing will be at Baiting Hollow Club, Monday, June 9 at 1 p.m. Call 631-209-0070 or visit www.elieroundtable.org ... Contractors for Kids third annual golf outing will be June 9 at Stonebridge Golf Links, Smithtown. Shotgun start at 10 a.m. follows deluxe breakfast, and barbecue lunch goes on during play. Call 1-888-208-KIDS or visit www.contractorsforkids.org.

Sunday tip

"How do the greatest players keep their concentration with so many things like titles, television and money to distract them? One characteristic you will find is a consistent and dependable routine. When players get nervous or begin to struggle, they have a safety zone that is comfortable. The zone lies within the confines of their routine.

"The routine is like an automatic pilot, in that once you begin it, you put yourself in a place you have been many times before. Develop your own routine. Practice it and make it comfortable for you. If you find it difficult, ask your PGA professional and they will help you."

- Bob Rittberger, PGA head pro, Garden City Golf Club