Long Island has storied history in golf gambling

Erik Boland

August 2, 2007

Michael Bohn found the contradiction strange.

"I was curious why golfers can bet on their game but Pete Rose gets in trouble," said Bohn, an author from Fairfax, Va. "I started asking about the origin of the practice and found out that not only is it as old as the game, but an integral part of it."

The result of Bohn's curiosity is "Money Golf, 600 Years of Bettin' on Birdies" (Potomac Books, Inc.), a comprehensively reported book that traces the history of gambling in golf and how it developed with the sport. It is a collection of betting anecdotes, some of which Bohn procured with one-on-one interviews with touring professionals and historians, but many that were dug from sources like biographies, autobiographies and newspaper morgues.

Bohn weaves those stories - everything from an in-round long drive bet between Babe Ruth and Babe Didrikson Zaharias to the practice-round gambling of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - into a narrative that acts as a compact history of the game.

So while learning about the origin of the term "divots" - some Scottish townspeople used to roof their houses with strips of sod - a reader at the same time learns that England's King Charles I was informed of the Irish Catholics' rebellion in 1641 while playing a money-match at Leith.

Bohn, a native of Texas, said he encountered a variety of surprises in researching the book, one of them being the role of Long Island in betting.

"It became abundantly clear that the center of gravity at the beginning of golf in America was the New York area," said Bohn, a career naval intelligence officer who worked in both the Nixon and Reagan administrations. "Long Island kept popping up and popping up and popping up."

As most Long Island golfers know, the most famous bet in golf - the Nassau - originated at Nassau Country Club in 1900. It was the invention of member John B. Coles Tappan, who served as the club's "captain" in charge of tournaments, as a way to give matches between players of varying abilities some suspense.

Nassau CC, founded in 1896 , has a colorful past, which includes being where Bobby Jones first tried out his soon-to-be-famous putter, Calamity Jane - a gift from club pro Jim Maiden - in 1923. The club is equally proud of being the birthplace of the ubiquitous bet.

"We're proud that Nassau has made so many contributions to golf, particularly in the last century, and one of those is the Nassau bet, which has taken on a life its own," said Frank Keefe, the club's general manager. "You could go to Japan, get paired up with someone on the first tee and have a translator say, '$2 Nassau,' and there's a good chance the guy knows what you're talking about."

According to the book, Long Island was also the site of one of golf's few betting low-points: the 1955 Calcutta scandal at Deepdale. A Calcutta is prize money pool derived from auctioning off players or teams to the highest bidders in accordance to their handicaps. That year Bill Roberts, a 3-handicapper from Massachusetts, entered himself and partner Bud Helmar, also a 3, with handicaps of 17 and 18, respectively and shot a net 58-57 to win easily.

"As a result, most Calcuttas went underground," Bohn said in a phone interview Monday. "But they're still around."

Bohn stresses in the book that golf and gambling can't be separated. "Betting has always been so closely associated with golf," Bohn said. "It's probably a shining example of how the two can co-exist in a healthy way."

Today's tip

Posturing for success

"Golf posture is critical to swing consistency and efficiency. The tendency for many people is to get too crouched over the ball. Stand tall and straight with a slight knee flex. Feel the weight distributed evenly from heel to toe to guarantee balance. All the muscles are now geared up to work together. Finally, keep your chin up so that your shoulder has room to turn."

Lee Kaiser

PGA Head Professional

Olde Vine Golf Club

Aces

John Giusto, Cherry Creek Links, sixth hole, 168 yards, 5-wood.

Barbara Meyer, North Fork CC, sixth hole, 105 yards, 5-wood.

Tom Holmes Sr., Middle Island CC Dogwood, fifth hole, 144 yards, 7-iron.

Richard A. Meyer, Wheatley Hills, third hole, 170 yards, 8-iron.

Stephen Scicchitano, Smithtown Landing, seventh hole, 125 yards, 9-iron.

John Bishop, Dix Hills Golf Course, seventh hole, 122 yards, 8-iron.

Fred Conway, Rolling Oaks, fifth hole, 129 yards, 7-wood.

Matt Burnett, Sumpwams Creek, sixth hole, 122 yards, 4-wood.

Glenn Richards, Northport VA course, ninth hole, 132 yards, pitching wedge.

Wayne Landau, Colonial Springs Lake Course, third hole, 125 yards, 8-iron.

Oscar Holt III, Engineers, 11th hole, 155 yards, 6-iron.

Kenny Godberson, Pine Ridge Golf Club, 10th hole, 212 yards, 5-wood.

Alan Eagle, Merrick Park Golf Course, eighth hole, 145 yards, 7-iron.

David Fisk, Spring Lake Thunderbird Course, sixth hole, 145 yards, 6-iron.

Lee Amato, Bretton Woods, seventh hole, 187 yards, driver.

Lee Calautti, Douglaston Golf Course, fifth hole, 125 yards, 9-iron.

Danielle Rufrano, Links at Shirley, eighth hole, 112 yards, 9-iron.

Ryan Wieczorek, Sumpwams Creek, fourth hole, 91 yards, 5-iron.

Les Kule, Eisenhower Blue, eighth hole, 114 yards, sand wedge.

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Items should be directed to Erik Boland in the Newsday sports department. Send faxes to his attention at 631-454-6892, call 631-843-2103 or send e-mail to erik.boland@newsday.com.

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