Florence tournament honors golf legend’s sons

Golfers who learned the game from pro Grant Bennett won a USGA championship, played on the Walker Cup teams, earned tournament titles on the PGA and LPGA tours and sparkled in junior golf.

He chronicled their successes in scrapbooks chocked full of memories, but a few of those pages yellowed with age contain reports of tournaments more special than others — the Florence Invitationals won by sons David and Gary.

The folks at Florence Country Club keep the old pro’s legacy alive by continuing the Grant Bennett Florence Junior Invitational. The celebration includes saluting former champions, and the Bennett brothers — David in 1961 and Gary in 1966 and 1967 — took their turns in the spotlight this year.

Being honored “is very special to me, especially since this tournament meant so much to Dad,” said David Bennett, 73. “I got tears in my eyes.”

“Being back in Florence brought back a lot of memories,” Gary Bennett, 70, echoed.

Many past champions returned to rub elbows with today’s youngsters who are keeping the state’s junior program among the nation’s best and to reminisce about those halcyon days.

They shared memories of their old coach, who died in 2005, and his firm, demanding — and very effective — teaching style. “Every one he taught was ‘his kid,’ ” Gary Bennett said. “He was proud of them all.”

In keeping with most reunions, stories flowed. Some rang true, others perhaps tinged with hyperbole.

The unfabricated ones included Gary’s telling about the lost ball in the fairway and the bird hunter whose shot from a field adjacent to the course foiled his only attempt to make the PGA Tour, and David recalling the frosty ride home with dad, the coach, after McClenaghan High’s winning streak of 200-plus dual matches ended in extenuating circumstances.

David earned a golf scholarship to USC, followed in his dad’s footsteps and became a club pro. He served multiple Columbia area courses and resides in Blythewood. Gary became the then-powerhouse University of Houston’s first full scholarship golfer, also followed his dad and became a superintendent. He, too, lives in Blythewood and wears two hats — full-time landscaper and part-time superintendent at Windermere.

“In those days, Dad was golf professional, golf course superintendent and the club’s general manager,” Gary said.

David remembers his win in the Florence Junior Invitational; “I beat everybody that year and won seven tournaments,” he said. He also remembers loaning Jack Lewis a putter and “from that day, he got even better” en route to becoming a Wake Forest All-American, Walker Cup player and PGA Tour competitor.

“He still hasn’t returned it,” David said. “I keep asking and he tells me that it’s on the wall at his home.”

Gary suffered a broken leg in an automobile accident his freshman year at Houston and became a forgotten man by the coach. One of his favorite memories is following a transfer and 22 months on crutches, “I won the LSU Invitational with Houston in the field,” he said.

The brothers, the former champions and today’s juniors heard of the upgrades to the facilities for junior golfers at Florence Country Club and the contributions to the program that supports junior golf all over the Pee Dee.

“Dad would be pleased,” David Bennett said.

Indeed, the Florence club’s devotion to junior golf is special — just like the victories sons David and Gary pulled off in the tournament dear to their dad.

Chip shots. Bronson Myers, a Hammond graduate who will attend Elon in the fall, earned medalist honors in U.S. Junior Amateur qualifying at DeBordieu Club. JT Herman (Hilton Head Island) and Austin Mosher (Mt. Pleasant) also claimed spots in the national tourney July 15-20 in Toledo, Ohio. . . . . Jensen Castle, a Gray Collegiate grad bound for the University of Kentucky, advanced to the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur in qualifying at Mt. Vintage. Emma Schimpf (Daniel Island) also got a spot in the national tourney set for July 22-27 in Stevens Point, Wisc. . . . Jeremy Revis and Daniel Ezelle captured the SCGA’s Lefty-Righty Championship at Santee. Mitchell Vance won the lefthander’s title.