Walter Hagen

Golfer

• Born: December 21, 1892
• Birthplace: Rochester, New York
• Died: October 5, 1969
• Place of death: Traverse City, Michigan

Sport: Golf

Early Life

Walter Charles Hagen was born on December 21, 1892, in Rochester, New York. He was the second of five children of blacksmith William Hagen and his wife Louise (Balko) Hagen. As a boy, Walter was interested in baseball as well as golf. Because his father worked in East Rochester auto body shops for only eighteen dollars a week, Walter worked as a caddy at the age of nine. He earned ten cents a round with an occasional five-cent tip.

A natural athlete, Walter spent most of his time after school at the Rochester Country Club, frequenting the pro shop. His eagerness so impressed the club’s golf pro that he made Walter his assistant. Walter mainly fixed golf clubs, but he also taught himself aspects of the game, such as how to grip the clubs for different shots. At the age of twelve, Walter decided that the country club was giving him all the education he needed, so he quit school to spend more time there. To supplement his income, he also worked part-time as a taxidermist, a garage mechanic, and a piano finisher.

The Road to Excellence

In 1913, Walter succeeded his boss, Andy Christie, as club professional. By then, he had learned much about the game from expert club professionals such as Christie and Al Ricketts. He later attributed his sportsmanship to these men. From them he learned not only golf but also the qualities and proper mannerisms and speech of a gentleman. In 1912, Walter entered his first tournament, the Canadian Open. He felt embarrassed to have to ask permission of his country club board of directors for the time off to play. It proved worthwhile, even though he only came in eleventh.

Walter was shorter than 6 feet, but somehow he always looked taller because he walked around a golf course as if he owned it. His confidence seemed unshakable and came from an oversized personality, which eventually gave rise to great achievements. Walter was considered an attractive player to watch—never monotonous, always exciting. He soon developed exceptional skills at putting and at making shots with irons, with few to equal him. He played his best golf on or near the green. Walter was a master at recovering from nearly impossible situations. He often found himself playing out of bunkers, so he became one of the most talented golfers ever at using a nine-iron to extract his ball from bunkers.

All aspects of Walter’s life were exciting. He reveled in his image as a bad boy. Sometimes he had his caddy roll up his tuxedo into a ball, so that when he wore it on the course that morning, he would appear to have arrived from an all-night party. Other times he played in his dancing pumps. Later on, though, he no longer needed to fake his carousing, as he did it in style and in earnest.

The Emerging Champion

In 1914, a wealthy Rochester man sponsored Walter’s entry into the U.S. Open tournament. The night before the tournament, Walter dined on bad lobster and was so ill he thought of dropping out of the game. He felt obligated to his sponsor, however, and played nevertheless. Even though he felt miserable, he managed to score a 68—one of the lowest scores in the history of the Open at the time—and won. Walter was a champion at last, at the age of twenty-one. In 1919, he won the U.S. Open again. Walter turned himself into one of the greatest shot makers in the history of golf. He won the British Open four times, in 1922, 1924, 1928, and 1929. Match play was his strongest suit. When the Professional Golfers’ Association’s (PGA’s) tournaments were match tournaments, he won the PGA Championship five times—four of these wins in succession. Walter never won a U.S. or British Open in which his arch-competitor Bobby Jones played. This irritated Walter; however, only three golfers have ever won more major titles: Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

Continuing the Story

Not only Walter’s talent for golf made him a success but also his attitude toward the game. Whereas other players would throw clubs and get angry when they made poor shots, Walter was not perturbed. He said he always expected to hit about seven bad shots in any round, so he was not bothered by them or by bad luck when it occurred.

Walter’s flamboyant nature, combined with his love of living in style, served his sport well. Golf had long needed a high-profile player to boost its image—Walter was that man. He became a popular hero whom the common man could appreciate. He broke tradition in every way, and broke par as well. He revolutionized golf—then a sport for aristocrats only—not only with his showmanship and flashy clothes but also with his outrageous, nonchalant behavior. People related to him, and golf finally came into its own as a national spectator sport.

As a result, Walter has been called the father of professional golf. Before he came along, professionals were discriminated against by the members of their country clubs. Clubhouses were sanctuaries for members, and professionals were never allowed to set foot in them. Professionals were more like servants who instructed the rich about how to play. Walter changed that. With his wisecracks and antics, his Rolls Royce and color-coordinated golf outfits, he lived in the highest style and soon charmed the English upper class. The Prince of Wales invited him to lunch at the Royal St. George’s clubhouse and indignantly insisted that the club’s class-conscious steward serve him. Clubhouse doors opened to professionals in England and abroad. Walter had triumphed over snobbery for the benefit of all professionals to come after him.

Walter was never beneath cashing in on his fame by endorsing clubs and golf equipment. When he retired, the Wilson Sporting Goods Company named a division after him and hired him to run it. Finally, when poor health caused Walter to quit playing golf entirely, he took up hunting and fishing and became an avid baseball fan. In 1956, his autobiography, The Walter Hagen Story, was published. He died of cancer on October 5, 1969, in Traverse City, Michigan.

Summary

Walter Hagen, one of golf’s best players ever, appeared in more than twenty-five hundred exhibitions, from his first victory at the U.S. Open in 1914 until his retirement in 1929. He made a name for himself internationally by winning the British Open four times. He also played on the first six Ryder Cup teams and claimed five PGA titles, five Western Opens, and one Canadian Open. Walter is credited with popularizing golf through his showmanship.

Bibliography

Barkow, Al. Best of Golf: Best Golfers, Courses, Moments, and More. Lincolnwood, Ill.: Publications International, 2002.

Clavin, Thomas. Sir Walter: The Flamboyant Life of Walter Hagen. London: Aurum, 2006.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Holanda, Raymond. The Golfer of the Decade on the PGA Tour: From Walter Hagen in the 1920’s to Tiger Woods in the 2000’s. New York: iUniverse, 2007.

Lowe, Stephen R. Sir Walter and Mr. Jones: Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, and the Rise of American Golf. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Ann Arbor Media Group, 2004.