Columbia golf pro has special connection with Florida course that was in spotlight
For most golfers, the charity tournament last weekend provided the first look at the ultra-exclusive Seminole Golf Club course in Juno Beach, Florida.
For Columbia teaching professional Robin All, the made-for-TV match that featured Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff “brought back a lot of memories.”
All, now 80 and still sharing his knowledge to another generation of students, served on the Seminole staff under Hall of Famer Henry Picard for two winters, 1961 and ’62. The experiences at the course adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean, he said, “never grow old.”
He recalls the lessons learned from Picard, watching Ben Hogan’s annual preparation for the Masters, the friendliness for the wealthy membership — “Old money,” he said — and club member Chris Dunphy, who lobbied to have the tees placed where his drives would carry the fairway bunkers. He even remembers “the place on 28th Avenue in West Palm Beach” where he lived those two winters.
All told a tale involving Dunphy and relished the memory. Dunphy’s group needed a fourth member and called on the assistant pro. “I naturally got paired with the weaker player” for wagering purposes, All said.
The match reached the 16th hole with All and his partner on the verge of an upset. “Mr. Dunphy came up to me riding in one of the first electric carts I had seen and asked, ‘Where will you be working next winter?’” All said and laughed. “The implication was, ‘You had better lose,’ but we didn’t.”
Famed architect Donald Ross designed Seminole in 1929, but the course today is not the same one All remembers. The Bill Coore-Ben Crenshaw design team renovated the layout in 2017.
“Seminole has been a secret” to most of the golf world, All said. The membership included DuPonts and Kennedys, and members would play for large sums in a Calcutta pool. But last weekend’s match and the 2021 Walker Cup matches scheduled to be played there illustrate a change in philosophy.
“Everything changes,” All said. “It’s like the way the (top level) pros play now. The emphasis is completely on power, and they’re so strong the rough doesn’t bother them that much. Back in my day, we played for fairways and greens. (Jack) Nicklaus, maybe Ray Floyd and Mike Souchak were the only really long hitters.”
His days at Seminole included watching Hogan, of course. What fledgling professional could not relish the opportunity to witness a master honing his craft? Sam Snead came, too, and so did Tommy Armour.
Indeed, All had an opportunity to join Hogan’s equipment company and turned down the offer. “Big mistake,” he says now, “but I wanted to play” on the Tour.
He didn’t make the Tour and instead made teaching the game his life. He has been a Class A PGA of America professional for more than 50 years and still relishes a student making strides in solving the game.
“I’m teaching the grandchildren of people I taught a long time ago,” he said. “Maybe the emphasis on power is different, and certainly the equipment is better. There’s technology in teaching now; we played more by feel. The (top) players are more physically fit, too, but the fundamentals are still the same.”
Want to see Hogan’s swing? Ask All. He remembers — from watching and learning during those winters almost 60 years ago.
Chip shots. USC’s high-powered women’s team continues to reap post-season honors with four players saluted by the Southeastern Conference. Lois Kaye Go received the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year award for women’s golfers for the second straight year, thanks to outstanding performances on the course and a 4.0 GPA in finance and accounting. Pauline Roussin-Bouchard earned first-team SEC honors and a place on the league’s all-freshman team. Ana Pelaez was named to the all-SEC second team, and freshman Smith Knaffle received a spot on the community service team. ... Columbia native and USC graduate Mark Elam has joined the South Carolina Junior Golf Association as tournament coordinator. ... Registration has opened for the 37th annual PlayGolfMyrtleBeach.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. The world’s largest tournament, with a field of 3,000, is set for Aug. 31-Sept. 4 at Grand Strand courses. Go online to www.myrtlebeachworldamateur.com for information.