Sir Walter: Walter Hagen and the Invention of Professional Golf
Tom Clavin
Simon & Schuster.
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020
ISBN 0743204867 $26.00 370 pages
He ushered the game of golf into the modern era, was the first American golfer to top $1 million in career prize money, and battled with amateur Bobby Jones on numerous golf courses throughout his playing days.
Biographer Tom Clavin writes, “Hagen was the player most responsible for creating the occupation of professional golfer during the 1920s. Crucial to the explosive growth of golf in America during that decade, from 1923 to 1930 the Haig played in twenty-one professional major tournaments, winning seven … During the rapid rise of golf in the Roaring Twenties, it was Hagen who carried the gold torch week after week and year after year, especially in the high profile events.”
Before Hagen came along golf was considered a gentleman’s game played at posh country clubs. Taking home the trophy from tournaments like the U.S. Open or British Open brought amateur golfers prestige but no money.
Professionals who did earn their livelihood on the course were generally looked down upon and considered just a notch above caddies. This caste system between amateurs and pros began to break down in the 1920s, and the flamboyant and talented Hagen was the first “pro” to transcend the “pro” stigma.
Beginning as a caddie for ten cents an hour when he was eight years old, Hagen became the head pro at the Rochester (NY) Country Club when he was nineteen. He seriously considered becoming a professional baseball player but all that changed in 1914 when he won the U.S. Open.
The “Babe Ruth” of golf, Hagen captured the public’s attention not only because of his skill on the links but because of the life he led away from the golf course. He hobnobbed with Charlie Chaplin, Al Jolson, Warren G. Harding and the Prince of Wales. His playing partners for recreational golf included Hollywood notables like Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire, and Bing Crosby.
Although his personal life made occasional headlines just like his athletic exploits, Walter Hagen’s enduring legacy is to the game he loved so dearly. A charter member of the PGA, Hagen was proud of all he accomplished and how he raised the professional status of the game.
“I think Walter Hagen contributed more to golf than any player today or ever,” noted former golf professional Gene Sarazen. “He took the game all over the world. He popularized it here and everywhere. Walter was at the head of the class…. Walter should not be forgotten.”
Sports writer Tom Clavin agrees with Sarazen, hence this entertaining account of Hagen’s life. Drawing on interviews, press reports, and the memories of those who knew Sir Walter, Clavin brings the great and beloved golfer to life.
A key component of the Hagen story is his battle with amateur Bobby Jones. Clavin contrasts the personal and athletic styles of both these golfers who shaped the game during the Golden Age of Sport.