AGTD Experience: Day 1 of the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida!

27Some fun pics from Day 1 at the 2019 PGA Show! Morning of Forum Stage presentations. Afternoon of wandering the floor seeking storylines of this historic PGA of America event! All told I found 16 storylines to be posted in separate posts. One of the best PGA Shows in my last twelve years! Enjoy the pics! (Andy Reistetter; 1/27/19; Facebook Post with 40 Pics).

New PGA of America Suzy Whaley Kickoffs the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando!

1Storyline No. 1 of 16: Suzy Whaley, PGA/LPGA and now President of the PGA of America! Historic in one sense and heartfelt, soulful, & dynamic in all senses; long live our sport of golf—from leader to leader and generation to generation! 66th PGA Show; 29,000 PGA Members; more than 1,000 Brands, and 40,000 attendees—let’s celebrate golf!   (Andy Reistetter; 1/27/19, Facebook Post with 4 Pics & 1 Video)

CLICK here for historic opening of the 2019 PGA Show by PGA President Suzy Whaley

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2019 PGA Show Opens with a Red Carpet for PGA HOPE’s Veterans!

24Storyline No. 2 of 16: Opening Ceremony of the 66th PGA Show… Red Carpet… for dignitaries? NO, for our veterans and those in PGA HOPE supporting them! We salute you Ken Juhn, Judy Alvarez, Joseph Garrido, Jack Wiseman, Chris Nowak, and Laura Miller! Well Done President Whaley and the PGA of America! (Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 24 Pics; 1/27/19)

See more in these pictures:

 

WGHOF Class of 2019: Kirk Bell, Goosen, Payne, Stephenson, & Walters!

WGHOF Class of 2019. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

WGHOF Class of 2019. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

World Golf Hall of Fame Introduces Peggy Kirk Bell, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson and Dennis Walters as the Class of 2019

Inductees to be enshrined into the World Golf Hall of Fame on June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach the week of the men’s U.S. Open Championship 2019.

AUGUSTINE, Fla. (October 10, 2018) Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson, Dennis Walters and the late Peggy Kirk Bell will officially join the ranks of the World Golf Hall of Fame as the Class of 2019.

These five new members will be enshrined at the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Monday, June 10, 2019 in Pebble Beach the week of the men’s U.S. Open Championship. The ceremony will take place at the Sunset Center in Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA.

Following is a brief bio on each new inductee:

Peggy Kirk Bell, United States

Lifetime Achievement Category

Peggy Kirk Bell. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

Peggy Kirk Bell. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

Margaret Anne “Peggy” Kirk Bell took up the game as a teenager, making a name for herself as an amateur star. She went on to become a charter member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association in 1950 after winning the 1949 Titleholders Championship and participating on the winning 1950 Curtis Cup team. She received the PGA of America’s First Lady of Golf Award in 2007 and was an avid supporter of the game as a top 100 golf instructor, becoming the first woman selected into Golf Magazine’s World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame.

Retief Goosen, South Africa

Male Competitor Category

Retief Goosen. Photo Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty Images.

Retief Goosen. Photo Credit: Stacy Revere/Getty Images.

Known affectionately as “The Goose,” Retief Goosen sat within the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 10 for more than 250 weeks from 2001 through 2007. His 33 worldwide wins include two U.S. Open Championships in 2001 – the same year he was named European Tour Player of the Year – and 2004. Goosen led the European Tour Order of Merit in 2001 and 2002. He also played in six consecutive Presidents Cups from 2000 to 2011 as part of the International Team.

Billy Payne, United States

Lifetime Achievement Category

Billy Payne. Photo Credit: Fred Vuich /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images).

Billy Payne. Photo Credit: Fred Vuich /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images).

During his 11 years as Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club from 2006 to 2017, William Porter “Billy” Payne oversaw a number of significant achievements including the introduction of female members into the club’s membership. He originated the Drive, Chip & Putt National Championship with the USGA and PGA of America and established the Asia-Pacific Amateur and Latin America Amateur tournaments, each offering guaranteed Masters’ spots to the winners. Named the GWAA’s William D. Richardson Award recipient, Payne also received the Olympic Order after serving as president and CEO of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games from 1992 to ‘96. Continuing his legacy and involvement with the Olympics, Payne was a key figure in the successful return of golf to the 2016 Games.

Jan Stephenson, Australia

Female Competitor Category

Jan Stephenson. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

Jan Stephenson. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

In her first season on the LPGA Tour in 1974, Jan Stephenson was named LPGA’s Rookie of the Year. She went on to lead an impressive career with 20 professional victories, including 16 on the LPGA Tour. She is a three-time Major Champion with wins at the 1981 du Maurier, 1982 LPGA Championship and the 1983 U.S. Women’s Open. Her impact on the game extends outside of her play as one of the founders of the Women’s Senior Golf Tour. She is involved with golf course design and has made many charitable contributions including being an honorary chair of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Stephenson was also honored with the Order of Australia Medal in 2018 for her contributions to the game of golf.

Dennis Walters, United States

Lifetime Achievement Category

Dennis Walters. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

Dennis Walters. Photo Credit: WGHOF.

Dennis Walters is an elite golfer who was paralyzed from the waist-down at the age of 24 following a golf cart accident. He has since dedicated his career to sharing life lessons and inspiring fans and disabled golfers of all ages through golf clinics and special performances at more than 3,000 worldwide appearances. Former spokesperson and national ambassador for The First Tee, his message is to always continue hoping and dreaming. He is one of only 11 honorary lifetime members of the PGA of America. Walters was also honored with the 1978 Ben Hogan Award and was a 2018 recipient of the USGA’s Bob Jones Award.

These five Inductees will bring the total number of World Golf Hall of Fame Members to 160.

“The 2019 Induction Class is one of the most well-rounded groups we’ve had to date,” said Jack Peter, President of the World Golf Hall of Fame. “It is our honor and privilege to welcome Peggy Kirk Bell, Retief Goosen, Billy Payne, Jan Stephenson and Dennis Walters to the World Golf Hall of Fame family. We are excited to begin working with them as we gear up for the Induction Ceremony in Pebble Beach this June.”

The Class of 2019 was elected by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Commission, which debated a group of 15 finalists. The Inductees each passed the required 75 percent voting threshold – approval by at least 12 of the 16 members.

The Selection Commission was Co-Chaired by Hall of Fame Members Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam and included the members of the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors and a mix of institutional and at-large seats.

The finalists were vetted by the Hall of Fame’s Selection Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee vetted every candidate that met the qualifications of the Hall of Fame’s four Induction categories.

About the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum

The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum celebrates golf and preserves the legacies of those who have made it great. The Hall of Fame & Museum, located at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida, serves as a steward of the game through engaging, interactive storytelling and exhibitions featuring artifacts, works of art, audio, video and photography significant to the history of golf and its members. The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution and is allied with 26 national and international golf organizations, including The European Tour, LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA. To learn more about the World Golf Hall of Fame or to lend support, visit www.WorldGolfHallofFame.org.

Editor’s Note: Prior WGHOF Announcement on October 2nd, 2018 identified 15 Finalists for the Class of 2019. Six (in bold) were chosen, nine were not chosen, as WGHOF Inductees:

Lifetime Achievement: Peggy Kirk Bell, Billy Payne, and Dennis Walters.

Female Competitor: Susie Berning, Beverly Hanson, Sandra Palmer, Dottie Pepper, and Jan Stephenson.

Veterans: Jim Ferrier, Catherine Lacoste, and Calvin Peete.

Male Competitor: Retief Goosen, Graham Marsh, Corey Pavin, and Hal Sutton.

WGHOF Members:

Twenty (20) WGHOF Members Inducted through the Veterans Category: Tommy Bolt, Jack Burke, Jr., Donna Caponi, Sir Bob Charles, Leo Diegel, Doug Ford, Hubert Green, Marlene Bauer Hagge, Jock Hutchison, Kel Nagle, Christy O’Connor, Sr., Willie Park, Jr., Willie Park, Sr., Henry Picard, Judy Rankin, Allan Robertson, Denny Shute, Hollis Stacy, and Marlene Stewart Streit.

Twenty-eight (28) WGHOF Members Inducted through the Lifetime Achievement Category: Peter Alliss, Judy Bell, Deane Beman, Sir Michael Bonallack, George H.W. Bush, Joe Carr, Frank Chirkinian, Neil Coles, Bernard Darwin, Pete Dye, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Hisako “Chako” Higuchi, John Jacobs, Dan Jenkins, Henry Longhurst, Charles Blair Macdonald, Alister MacKenzie, Mark McCormack, Harvey Penick, Ken Schofield, Carol Semple Thompson, Charlie Sifford, Marilynn Smith, Karsten Solheim, A.W. Tillinghast, Ken Venturi, and Herbert Warren Wind.

One hundred and fifty-five (155) WGHOF Members by Country (United Kingdom and 16 Countries):

ARGENTINA (1):              Roberto De Vicenzo

AUSTRALIA (6):                David Graham • Kel Nagle • Greg Norman • Peter Thomson • Walter Travis • Karrie Webb

CANADA (2):                    Charles Blair Macdonald • Marlene Stewart Streit

FIJI (1):                              Vijay Singh

GERMANY (1):                 Bernhard Langer

IRELAND (2):                    Joe Carr • Christy O’Connor

JAPAN (4):                        Isao Aoki • Hisako “Chako” Higuchi • Ayako Okamoto • Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki

MEXICO (1):                     Lorena Ochoa Reyes

NEW ZEALAND (1):         Sir Bob Charles

NORWAY (1):                   Karsten Solheim

SOUTH AFRICA (3)          Ernie Els • Bobby Locke • Gary Player

SOUTH KOREA (1):          Se Ri Pak

SPAIN (2):                         Seve Ballesteros • José María Olazábal

SWEDEN (1):                    Annika Sorenstam

UNITED KINGDOM (35):              Peter Alliss • Willie Anderson • Tommy Armour • John Ball • Jim Barnes • Sir Michael Bonallack • James Braid • Dorothy Campbell • Neil Coles • Harry Cooper • Sir Henry Cotton • Bernard Darwin • Dame Laura Davies • Sir Nick Faldo • Harold Hilton • Jock Hutchison • Bob Hope • Tony Jacklin • John Jacobs • Robert Trent Jones, Sr. • Henry Longhurst • Sandy Lyle • Alister MacKenzie • Colin Montgomerie • Tom Morris, Jr. • Tom Morris, Sr. • Willie Park, Jr. • Willie Park, Sr. • Allan Robertson • Donald Ross • Ken Schofield • J.H. Taylor • Harry Vardon • Joyce Wethered • Ian Woosnam

UNITED STATES (92):     Amy Alcott • Judy Bell • Deane Beman • Patty Berg • Tommy Bolt • Julius Boros • Pat Bradley • Jack Burke, Jr. • President George H.W. Bush • William C. Campbell • Donna Caponi •

JoAnne Carner • Billy Casper • Frank Chirkinian • Fred Corcoran • Fred Couples • Ben Crenshaw • Bing

Crosby • Beth Daniel • Leo Diegel • Jimmy Demaret • Joseph C. Dey • Pete Dye • President Dwight D.

Eisenhower • Chick Evans • Raymond Floyd • Doug Ford • Herb Graffis • Hubert Green • Ralph Guldahl

  • Walter Hagen • Marlene Hagge • Bob Harlow • Sandra Haynie • Ben Hogan • Juli Inkster • Hale Irwin
  • Betty Jameson • Dan Jenkins • Bobby Jones • Betsy King • Tom Kite • Lawson Little • Gene Littler • Nancy Lopez • Davis Love III • Meg Mallon • Lloyd Mangrum • Carol Mann • Mark McCormack • Phil Mickelson • Cary Middlecoff • Johnny Miller • Byron Nelson • Larry Nelson • Jack Nicklaus • Mark O’Meara • Francis Ouimet • Arnold Palmer • Harvey Penick • Henry Picard • Judy Rankin • Betsy Rawls • Clifford Roberts • Chi Rodriguez • Paul Runyan • Gene Sarazen • Carol Semple Thompson • Patty Sheehan •Dinah Shore • Denny Shute • Charlie Sifford • Horton Smith • Marilynn Smith • Sam Snead • Hollis Stacy • Payne Stewart • Curtis Strange • Louise Suggs • A.W. Tillinghast • Jerry Travers • Lee Trevino • Richard Tufts • Glenna Collette Vare • Ken Venturi • Lanny Wadkins • Tom Watson • Kathy Whitworth • Herbert Warren Wind • Craig Wood • Mickey Wright • Babe Zaharias

ZIMBABWE (1): Nick Price

Book Review: Arnold Palmer; Homespun Stories of The King by Chris Rodell

Arnold Palmer COVERIt’s not every day that a friend of yours writes a book. Nor is it every day that the subject of the book that your friend wrote is someone who you have admired all your life and that your father had admired since his childhood.

Arnold Palmer; Homespun Stories of The King by my friend Chris Rodell!

I have to tell the story of how I met Chris Rodell because it leads to the story of how I met Arnold Palmer which leads to my wholehearted and immense recommendation that you purchase and read this new book which has been published with the full blessing and support of the Palmer family. Hard to believe that it has been over two years since Mr. Palmer’s passing on September 25th, 2016.

Golfing and Finding your True South in Mississippi

Andy & Chris

Me in the knickers and Chris in Latrobe…

Way back in 2012, Chris and I met on a golf travel writers’ fam trip to Mississippi. A ‘fam’ trip is a ‘familiarization’ trip whereby golf travel writers, in this case, were invited to come to Mississippi to be educated, to experience, and to write about golfing in Mississippi. While I do remember becoming familiar with golf in Mississippi, I especially remember meeting Chris!

Chris at the time had written a book called Use All The Crayons and had a blog called Eight Days to Amish. The crayon book was about transforming one’s life, using all the crayons, and contained five-hundred tips on doing so. I am still not sure what the blog is about but it is interesting!

So anyone that knows anything about me and what I have just told you about Chris would quickly surmise that we would become friends and indeed we did!

Mr. Palmer, It was an Honor to Meet You!

Andy & Mr. Palmer

Me and The King!

Fast forward three or four years and staying in touch, Chris invited me to stop by Latrobe and meet Arnold Palmer. Which, of course, if you know anything about me, I did! If meeting Chris was a transformative experience, and it was, then after meeting Mr. Palmer one could say I was over-transformed to the outer reaches of tranquility and serenity. Truly a life course-altering experience!

So the upshot here is that I met Chris Rodell and then I met Mr. Palmer because Chris was a friend of Mr. Palmer. How can you meet Mr. Palmer?

Sadly you cannot meet Mr. Palmer as I did, but by reading this book—Arnold Palmer; Homespun Stories of the King—you can indeed meet Mr. Palmer in a way that even most folks that have met him can meet him in a way they never did before—even more up-close and personal!

The author Chris Rodell with Mr. Palmer and Mr. Palmer's right-hand guy (even though Chris is between them!) Doc Giffin.

The author Chris Rodell with Mr. Palmer and Mr. Palmer’s right-hand guy (even though Chris is between them!) Doc Giffin.

As a freelance writer living next door to the great Arnold Palmer in his lifelong hometown of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Chris was the go-to-guy for golf publications and non-golf publications, when it came to getting a story on Mr. Palmer. This book comes from more than 100 interviews that Chris conducted with The King. Plus, living in Latrobe and raising a family in Latrobe he knows Latrobe which means he knew Arnold Palmer like Arnold Palmer knew himself.

“Which do you remember more clearly: your first ace or your first kiss?”

Enough said, intimate conversations make intimate books! Chris is an insightful and talented writer and this is a great book for the golfer and non-golfer alike!

It is Americana same as apple pie and yes, crayons too! Maybe even Eight Days to Amish too!

Enjoy meeting Mr. Palmer and say hello for me too!

#BeLikeFrank: Ponte Vedra’s Boy Wonder Frank Rubino Shoots His Age!!!

With Frank at the 'old' JAX Beach Muni in September 2017...

With Frank at the ‘old’ JAX Beach Muni in September 2017…

Be like Frank!!!

I want to be like my friend Frank Rubino!

At age 92, today he shot a 91!

But more importantly, Frank is a great guy… warm & friendly, and FUNNY! I am thinking he will be shooting in the 90s well into his 100s!

God Bless Frank, a one-of-a-kind, but the right kind of unique spirit! TROML Baby! #BeLikeFrank

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 1 Pic; 9-22-18)

 

Boy Wonder Frank Rubino shoots 91 at age 92 in September 2018!

Boy Wonder & Birdie Machine Frank Rubino shoots 91 at age 92 in September 2018!

Great round of golf & fellowship with my golfing & YMCA buddy Frank Rubino & his two buddies Pat & Keith.

All together they have 78 years more life experience than me, so I watched & listened closely.

Frank was the first guy I played golf with when I came here 10 years ago. Love the JAX Beach Muni design and it is in pretty good shape. Can’t beat the $10.33 walking 18-hole rate for Super Seniors 65 and older!

What a day! TROML Baby!

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 30 Pics; 9-6-17)

Pics from our round of golf at the “old” JAX Beach Muni in September 2017:

 

 

2018 PGA Show: The Full Monty!!!

1The 2018 PGA Show; before, after, and during was over the top!

Wednesday Morning Day One of 2018 PGA Show!   (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 1/24/18)

Wednesday Day One afternoon is turning into evening… three parties, I mean receptions, I mean business meetings! Gathering even more ideas for Ely Park GC. Media wise met some really, really creative people & saw some old friends! TROML Baby!    (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 1/24/18)

34WOW, what a day! Day Two of the PGA Show was a huge success… privileged to sit in on Bill Hughes highly motivational, highly inspirational education seminar on building high performance teams (good timing or what?)…. to placing my first apparel order utilizing the Ely park GC legacy logo (independent of lease outcome, I am celebrating a bid well done!)… to connecting with the amazing Paula Mullins Worster who connected me with the Amazing Thailand Travel Group… and in between the Women of Golf… Award Winning Ann Liguori… Coach Lou Holtz et al… a fashion show… Tiger golfing again on TV… and seeing lots of friends! TROML Baby!!!   (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 1/25/18)

120WOW, third, and FINAL Day of the PGA Show is in the books! Besides getting my media work done I was able to place some merchandise orders for Ely Park GC with the new legacy logo! Hoping to be awarded the lease and either way we will be celebrating Ely’s 100th Birthday in 15 years in 2033! Never too early to start planning! Bought hats, shirts, T-Shirts with St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and Ely Park GC Binghamton, NY on the back (cracks me up, I love it), flags, martini tees, two-sided poker chip with both ‘Youth For Golf’ and the Legacy logos, bag tags…. and crystal for the club champions, ladies & men’s, three flights! It is going to be FUN to be a member at Ely Park this year! Even more FUN if I get to be the new management! Bring on the bling for the ladies! Elegant Ely dining nights…. oh yeah back to the PGA Show…. it’s done, finished! Onward to the Innisbrook, A Salamander Golf & Spa Resort for a GTWA weekend! It was a GREAT show this year! TROML Baby!   (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 1/26/18)

Celebrating another great PGA Show with SJ, my friend for life!    (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 1/26/18)

2018 PGA Show: Folds of Honor at the House of Blues…

Folds of Honor… very inspirational what they do for the families of our fallen heroes… please play Patriotic Golf Day to support this great cause!   (Facebook Post with 30 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 1/24/18)

2018 PGA Show: Tour Edge Outing at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club!

21Day One of the PGA Show was really Monday at the over the top TOUR Edge outing at Lake Nona Golf & CC! BEST golf outing of Andy’s life! TROML Baby!

 

Chuck Will of the CBS Golf Team Passes at Age 91 after a Legendary Career!

Frank Chirkinian (left) with Chuck Will.   Photo Credit: Golf.com

Frank Chirkinian (left) with Chuck Will. Photo Credit: Golf.com

Chuck Will… I never met the man, as he retired ten years before I came looking for work with CBS Sports on the PGA TOUR, but I feel like I have through the people he and Frank Chirkinian hired and developed over many years. From the stories I have heard, I think Michael Bamberger aced his eulogy for the man behind the scenes. With gratitude to Michael for doing so and to Mr. Chuck Will for all that he did to bring golf into the lives of millions around the world!

By Michael Bamberger, Posted on Golf.com on Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Strange, powerful forces — in this case the PGA Tour and CBS Sports — had to work in tandem to produce a person as spectacular and unique as Chuck Will, who died in his home outside Philadelphia, some hours after the Eagles’ victory over the New York Giants Sunday afternoon on FOX. Will’s TV was tuned to it, but only because there was no golf to watch on CBS. He was 91.

Chuck Will had various official titles over his decades with the only network for which he worked, but his main role in his adult life was as the alter ego to Frank Chirkinian, another son of Philadelphia and the man who all but invented golf on TV. If you like the Masters on CBS, you are admiring Chirkinian’s work and the legacy of it. Only some would know that it was Chuck Will who got the broadcast out of the CBS production truck and into your living room. He did it with a force of personality the likes of which will never be seen again. Ask anyone who knew him.

All through golf, or at least in a certain segment of it, there were tributes in the wake of the news, some public, most otherwise. Will’s caustic humor and immense insight into people left an indelible mark on all who knew him. If you happened to see Jim Nantz, flying home after working the Steelers-Patriots game in Pittsburgh, you would have seen a man raining tears. But also from scores of other CBS golf people, active and retired, he hired, inspired and befriended over the years, including spotters, cameramen, producers, statisticians, announcers, electricians, gofers, boom operators and the rest.

The people Will hired and knew in the game came from every walk of life. He had a particular soft spot for down-on-their-luck caddies and he could see in the game’s stars — Nicklaus, Palmer, Floyd, Faldo, Woods — both their foibles and their inherent greatness. Will was as clear-eyed as a man could be. That’s why Chirkinian depended on him so. Will hired and groomed the man who eventually took over Chirkinian’s role, Lance Barrow.

Last year, Will, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, shared some insights into two golf icons, Chirkinian and Palmer. He said, “Arnold was built for the camera. He was flamboyant. He walked off that tee and he was striding. He was leading and he was going to win again. But they needed somebody to put that camera on the guy’s face and know exactly how long to leave it there, and that guy was the little Armenian.”

David Feherty never did a 'Feherty' on Chuck Will that I know of... Photo Credit: David Cannon/Getty Images

David Feherty never did a ‘Feherty’ on Chuck Will that I know of… Photo Credit: David Cannon/Getty Images

Will had a nickname for every person he knew, and that was what he called Chirkinian. He called Earl Woods “The Colonel,” Clifford Roberts “The Old Man,” and Gene Sarazen “Squire.” (Not “The Squire.” Other people used that.) Over the years, and later aided and abetted by David Feherty, Will developed a whole bit, rooted in reality, about the different types of “a–holes” that populated the PGA Tour. He was profane but his vocabulary was precise and his grammar was perfect.

Chirkinian’s domain was the art of the golf broadcast, the storytelling that is at the heart of any live sporting event. (The two men also produced U.S. Open tennis for CBS for years.) The mechanics of it all fell to Will. His own father was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and Will inherited the ability to roll with whatever came, to expect the unexpected. (Bad weather, golf balls hit into odd places, slow play, boring leaders, blowout winners.) He was a TV natural, even if his training for it had been as a cardboard-box salesman.

Chuck enlisted in the Navy at age 17, during World War II, and served on the USS San Juan in the South Pacific.

He earned seven battle stars. He knew a world far more demanding than anything the PGA Tour or its broadcasts could ever require. With the lights on, he was cool, even if the tournament unfolding before him was not complying. When the Army-Navy game was played in Philadelphia on Dec. 14, the CBS broadcasters had a nice shout-out to Will, while remembering his father, too. Twenty years into retirement, he was not remotely forgotten.

Charles Edward Will, a trim and dapper man, came up in a different time. He got by on his wits, his wit, his storytelling, his candor. He knew what he was: a high-class Philadelphia golf bum who had found a home in the Directors Guild of America. He could play, and he competed in one U.S. Amateur. He once shot 65 in a Philadelphia tournament. The local golf writer wanted to write up Will and his subpar round. Will said, “Talk to somebody else.” He had taken a slide from work.

It was Chirkinian who got Will to stop drinking and it was Will who could tell Chirkinian what was really happening on Tour, even when the boss didn’t want to hear it. Likely nobody knew more about the Tour’s underbelly than Chuck Will, because so many of the caddies were indebted to him — literally — and they told him about the life on Tour as it existed beyond the reach of the CBS cameras. How exactly that informed and improved the network’s coverage is impossible to say. But it did.

Anticipating the final chapter of his life, Will once said, “I’ve instructed Kathleen, my beautiful bride who remains 29 years younger than I, to buy a first-class ticket to San Francisco, carrying my remains in a box or urn. I want her to get in a car, drive south to the Seal Rock lookout, to that little parking spot there and, with Cypress Point right behind her, distribute me into the Pacific, with the barking seals.”

Seal Rock is up the road up the beach from Pebble Beach, and Pebble was one of Will’s favorite Tour stops, along with Augusta, Hilton Head, Colonial, Hawaii, Westchester, Doral — and every other place the travel department of CBS Sports sent him. In a sense, but only that, Will’s life on tour was limited. From a swivel chair in a trailer in another TV compound, with a phone in one ear and his tinted glasses on his nose, Chuck Will had his eyes on every player, caddie, wife, official, groupie, sponsor and equipment guy on Tour, whether he could see them or not. There is no device that can measure such unique vision. But anybody who knew Chuck Will knew that he had it.