I’ve got a special spot in my heart for Tommy Armour. Not just because he won the Canadian Open 3 times but because I’ve got a soft spot for underdogs and the overlooked and "The Iron Master" was probably the most underappreciated player of his era. While Tommy was winning all those Canadian Opens along with the 1927 US Open and the 1930 PGA Championship and the 1931 British Open Championship nobody seemd to notice because in those days the amateur circuit got all the attention and respect (Hey the pro’s weren’t even allowed in the clubhouses!) and a kid named Bobby Jones was writing a new history of his own. The Silver Scot also won all of these tournaments with a steel plate in his head, another in his arm and with sight in only one eye due to injuries sustained in WWI. And you thought your handicap was a bitch?
Armour was also a brilliant and dedicated teacher and his classic book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time
is one of the finest instructional texts ever written. I will do a review of that book in an upcoming blog. How could you not love a golf book where Chapter 1 is called “Why This Book Is as Short and Simple as It Is”?
From the Tommy Armour Golf site:
During golf’s golden age, a flash of silver appeared from across the sea: Tommy Armour, the Silver Scot. While he gained renown as a world-class raconteur, drinker, and gambler with an eye for the ladies, Tommy Armour was also a wounded and decorated veteran of World War I. He was a master bridge player. A concert-level violinist. A best-selling author. And, in his later years, the most respected—and expensive—golf instructor of his day.
Ultimately, Tommy Armour was a champion. And his 25 PGA victories—including three Majors—have earned him a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Career Highlights:
1920 Winner: French Amateur
1927 Winner: U.S. Open
1929 Winner: Western Open
1930 Winner: PGA Championship
1931 Winner: British Open
Winner of 3 Canadian Opens
Armour was also a brilliant and dedicated teacher and his classic book How to Play Your Best Golf All the Time
is one of the finest instructional texts ever written. I will do a review of that book in an upcoming blog. How could you not love a golf book where Chapter 1 is called “Why This Book Is as Short and Simple as It Is”?
From the Tommy Armour Golf site:
During golf’s golden age, a flash of silver appeared from across the sea: Tommy Armour, the Silver Scot. While he gained renown as a world-class raconteur, drinker, and gambler with an eye for the ladies, Tommy Armour was also a wounded and decorated veteran of World War I. He was a master bridge player. A concert-level violinist. A best-selling author. And, in his later years, the most respected—and expensive—golf instructor of his day.
Ultimately, Tommy Armour was a champion. And his 25 PGA victories—including three Majors—have earned him a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Career Highlights:
1920 Winner: French Amateur
1927 Winner: U.S. Open
1929 Winner: Western Open
1930 Winner: PGA Championship
1931 Winner: British Open
Winner of 3 Canadian Opens
For more information on Tommy Armour and his brilliant and somewhat overlooked career check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Armour
There is also some great info at the World Golf Hall of Fame: http://www.wgv.com/hof/member.php?member=1018
1 comment:
Always felt he got a slightly bum rap. He had all the three majors availble in his day. That equals a Career Grand Slam, but he is never mentioned together with Hogan, Player, Sarazen, Nicklaus and Woods. But he couldn't play the Masters it hadn't begun.
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