The Tour Backspin Show: Recent Episodes
Larry Baush
The Tour Backspin Show provides legit researched stories and interviews highlighting the history of the PGA TOUR from the 1960s through the 1970s. Host Larry Baush, author of the Tony Lema biography "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" provides insights on how the PGA TOUR of the 1960s and 1970s helped shaped the current PGA TOUR. For more stories on this time period of the PGA TOUR, subscribe to the FREE weekly email newsletter, Tour Backspin available on Substack or at tourbackspin.com Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/larry-baush/support
The Tour Backspin Show talks with two major champions, Al Geiberger and Dave Stockton. They talk major championships, CBS Golf Classic, Firestone Country Club, the first sub-60 score shot on TOUR, and Spaulding golf equipment. These close friends share some funny stories about each other.
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Dave Stockton had to battle Arnold Palmer and Arnie's Army to win the PGA Championship in 1970 at Southern Hills. Listen to how he did it.
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Bruce Devlin used a trick shot where he hit a ball backwards, between his legs, to help him win the 1969 Byron Nelson Golf Classic. Listen to how he out duels Lee Trevino, Bruce Crampton, Frank Beard and Bob Charles at Preston Trails Golf Club.
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Bob Menne's car crapped out upon his arrival in Charlotte, NC to try and qualify for the Kemper Open. The resulting repair left him with nothing more than gas money to the next stop on tour in his pocket. His wife was cooking hamburgers in their motel room. He qualified for a spot in the Kemper and then went out and won the event and the first-place check for $50,000. A true "from the outhouse to the penthouse" story.
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While researching for the Tony Lema biography called Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema, I interviewed Ken Venturi. Here's a clip from that interview in which he talks about designing his irons, as well as Lema's for the Fernquest & Johnson Golf Company. Venturi also talks about an attempt that Fred Corcoran made to Mark McCormick to setup a match between Lema and Venturi and two, or even all three, of The Big Three. Corcoran was the business manager for Lema and Venturi.
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Tony Lema took his oldest brother, Walter, with him to Mexico for the Mexico Open. The two didn't have a lot of time to spend together when they were young due to the differences in their ages and the fact that Walter went off to the seminary in San Francisco. They made up for lost time in Mexico City as Tony was able to defend his title in the Mexico Open.
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Putting aside their differences concerning the breakaway APG Tour with the tour pros establishing their own tour, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus teamed up to defend their PGA National Team Championship title in 1968. Would the politics of the tour get in the way of securing another title? Listen to how the tournament played out on the latest episode of the Tour Backspin Show.
Tour Backspin provides a well researched story on the DNA of the PGA TOUR event being played in the current week. We go back to the 1960s and 1970s to document the growth of the modern tour. Tour Backspin is emailed, FREE, to subscribers and can be found on Substack or at tourbackspin.com. Sign up today.
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Johnny Miller ignores naked spectators to win the Sea Pines Heritage Golf Classic. It is his fourth victory of the season which is only 12 weeks old.
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The San Antonio Open (The Texas Open) was moved to February for the 1970 PGA TOUR schedule. The result was very cold and wet weather. Ron Cerrudo defeated his fellow Northern Californian for his second tour victory.
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Jerry Magee loses a playoff for the last spot in the U.S. Match Play Championship but captures the lead in the L&M Open. Wait. What? Listen and find out how.
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Jack Nicklaus wins his first title in Florida
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In Episode #1 of The Tour Backspin Show we talk with author John Riley about his biography on Ed "Porky" Oliver titled How He Played The Game.
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