Garden City GC marks the 100th Travis tourney

Long before Arnold Palmer and long, long before Tiger Woods, there was Walter J. Travis. He never had the smile, Q rating or portfolio of Palmer or Woods. But in his own way and his own time, early in golf history, Travis did exactly what the other two have done.

"He made golf popular in the United States," said Gil McNally, the former pro and current member at Garden City Golf Club, which is preparing to celebrate the former amateur golfer and amateur golf itself with the 100th Walter J. Travis Invitational.

Travis was what tournament chairman Pat Fogarty calls golf's Renaissance Man because he was a champion, course designer, equipment pioneer, golf journalist and general ambassador for the game. Travis was a member of Garden City Golf Club (as well as architect of the neighboring Garden City Country Club and Cherry Valley Country Club) and won the invitational the first eight years it was held, long before it was renamed in his honor in 1927.

He also was a three-time U.S. Amateur champion (tied with Woods for third place all time). He came close on his home course in 1908 but failed to get out of a bunker on No. 18, a bunker that he had designed. Travis' win in 1901 was the first by anyone with a rubber-core ball, a development that would influence the way clubs were made for decades. Among the courses he designed are Westchester Country Club and Canoe Brook in New Jersey, site of sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open this year.

A naturalized American citizen from Australia, Travis didn't take up golf until he was 35. That didn't stop him from becoming editor and publisher of American Golfer, or being one of the first to work on golf handicaps and rules of the game.

His successors at the men's club on Stewart Avenue believe his greatest contribution, though, was winning the British Amateur in 1904. Amateur golf back then was in some ways more prestigious than pro golf, so it was worth the three weeks it took Travis to get there. Word of his triumph got back home and spread in a hurry.

"The British Isles had had a hold on golf. He was the one who made us competitive," McNally said. "After that, golf over here just took off."

The Travis Invitational is designed to honor and preserve his passion for golf. The flavor is the same as it was in the pre-automobile days when the golfers arrived by train: Only amateurs are allowed. Every participant must be recommended by a member, then is treated like a member during the tournament. "Great guys, good golf," Fogarty said, summarizing the theme.

Garden City Golf Club members volunteer to do small chores during tournament week. They serve as greeters outside the front door or scorekeepers on the course. They all love to watch. When there is a playoff at the stroke-play qualifying round, it goes from the first to second to 18th holes so the members can see the whole thing.

In Travis' day, it was known as the Garden City Invitation Golf Tournament. The New York Times reported on May 4, 1902 that Travis shot 81 in the morning round of a 6 and 5 36-hole final against John Moller of Apawamis. The tournament was not held during World Wars I and II and a few years in the late 1950s. Future pros Gary Koch, George Burns III and David Eger have won it. This year's field will include golfers from 18 states as well as Canada and Ireland.

No. 100 will be a special occasion. Former club president John Betz Jr., a member since 1950 who has seen 60 Travis Invitationals, will hit the ceremonial first shot Friday. The flag at each hole will have a logo marking the 100th year. There will be a former champions dinner, to which other special guests will be invited.

But there won't be too much pomp. Travis never was one for flourishes or self-promotion.

"We're just going to continue to do the things we usually do," Fogarty said. "I think that's the beauty of it. We don't want to deviate from the model."