
Just sitting there and listening to Mr. Jim Ferree was quite an honor and privilege. Definitely one of golf's grandest gentlemen!
Born near Pinehurst, North Carolina he came to golf almost by birthright. Jim's father Purvis, was the long-time pro at Winston-Salem's Old Town Golf Club, a historic Perry Maxwell design. As life will do with birthrights, the reality of The Depression and World War II intervened into Jim's life. A career in golf wasn't really his choice but presented itself and he seized the opportunity with good play winning his first and only PGA TOUR event in 1958—the Vancouver Open. The yips came and seized his competitive career and then went with the long putter. a.k.a. as the broomstick. Mr. Ferree endured to become one of the early champions of the Champions Tour and won twice out there as it transitioned from its inception as the Senior Tour.
On and off the tour circuit there were club pro jobs in the summer in Pittsburgh and in Savannah in the winter which putt him in close proximity to the advent of Hilton Head Island and the Long Cove Golf Club. He was there before the beginning, making trips up to Indianapolis (in the winter mind you) convincing Pete Dye to take the Long Cove Club design job and walking the course with him as it emerged from the beautiful and pristine Low Country. The lists of names of the Director of Golf and Head Golf Professional are short at clubs like Long Cove Club and Jim Ferree and his wife Karen are on those lists respectively.
CLICK here for Part 2 of 2 of the Video Interview with Jim Ferree at Long Cove Club.
In the second half of the interview, Mr. Ferree continues to share stories of his inspirational life and golf career. Then it turns to something near and dear to his and the club's heart—junior golf and passing the thrill and legacy of golf on to the younger generation not just here in the Low Country but around the world in places like Scotland Mr. Ferree and the Long Cove Club are giving back to the game they love in terms of support of the First Tee of Hilton Head and by hosting the Morcott Cup an annual cultural exchange and golfing competition between youth here and in there where golf began.
It was an inspiring morning at the Long Cove Club interviewing Mr. Jim Ferree in his own room. I feel my transition to the Low Country is now complete with years of admiration for the tidal saltmarsh views now accentuated with insight into the heart and life of Jim Ferree—indeed Golf's Finest Southern Gen
tleman at Heart and In Deeds...