November 17, 2005

Dr. Gary Nelson Talks About His Trip to the Golf Hall of Fame

Nov. 17, 2005

WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME November 15, 2005

In 1987 I invited the leaders of the private golf clubs that were designed by Dr. Alister MacKenzie to a casual two-day get together at Meadow Club in Marin County. This grew quickly into the Alister MacKenzie Society, which has become the premiere society of its type in the world.

Within three years of its inception, the society had an executive director, a year later it was incorporated with a board of directors, and just six years after its birth it established scholarships in the form of the Lido prize. I became the society's first president, and still sit on the board of directors.

The MacKenzie Society is now world wide, with Royal Melbourne in Australia, Titirangi in New Zealand, Alwoodley in England, Lahinch in Ireland, St Charles in Canada, the Jockey Club in Argentina, and Crystal Downs in Michigan, joining the California Clubs of Cypress Point, Valley Club, Pasatiempo, Green Hills and Meadow Club.

This year the Society had the ultimate complement as the good doctor was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Florida. I was invited along with Mr. Raymund Haddock, MacKenzie's step grandson, and the board members of the society to represent MacKenzie who passed away in 1934. Ben Crenshaw, as a member of the Hall of Fame and the MacKenzie Society introduced MacKenzie to the gathering.

There were two dinners with the inductees and other Hall of Fame members, private viewings of the MacKenzie exhibit, cocktail parties, and lots of opportunities to say hello to old friends.

I was amazed that Tony Jacklin, who I had played with in a US Senior Open at Canterbury Golf Club a few years ago, remembered me. Tony was a lot friendlier at this gathering than he was when I was competing against him. It was nice to talk to him and introduce him to the director from Alwoodley.

Judy Bell, who is a past president of USGA, was also present and we reminisced about the US Opens where I worked on the rules committees for her. I could now tell her how afraid I was that I might have actually had to make a ruling. I also got to meet Louise Suggs and tell her that I had played with one of her three woods well into adulthood. I took lots of heat for playing with that club, but it was a sweet piece of persimmon and saved me many a stroke.

Along with all the other stuff, I was able to fit in two rounds of golf and show USF?s colors in Florida. Several people there had heard of the resurgence of our golf program. Who knows, we might even get a player out of Florida in the future as I went out of my way to make contacts at several of the Golf Academies that double as High Schools in that area. Dr. MacKenzie would have been proud, as he was a shameful self-promoter.

Still, after our last tournament of Fall, with only one day off before flying to Florida, I'm real happy to be back at USF and preparing for the Spring schedule. I'm also happy that the USF men's team has playing privileges at the Meadow Club, one of Dr. MacKenzie's top rated designs.