Golf Course for the first time , made some coffee and then greeted the customers as they came through the door to enjoy their day at “ The Muni .” What I didn ’ t realize then was that those initial customers would be the first of nearly one million that would come through the doors in the next 38 years . This July , I greeted my last customers as PGA General Manager of Gilroy Golf Course . So much has changed in that time both to the golf course and to the game of golf itself .

In 1985 , metal woods were just becoming an option for the regular golfer . The Callaway Big Bertha was still over five years away from being launched and Tiger Woods was only nine years old . Curtis Strange was the leading money winner for the season , winning $ 542,000 for the entire year . If you miss-hit a Titlesist golf ball , you ’ d cut it in half , exposing the rubber bands under the cover . Golf balls were only available in white , tees were only wood and one length , and you had to change metal golf spikes on a regular basis . Steel shafts and wood heads were on 90 % of the drivers during this time and you sent your woods out regularly to get the heads “ refinished ” so they would look like new . The average driving distance on the PGA tour then was just over 250 yards . Compare that to the nearly 300 yards of today . The professional golfer ’ s physical fitness coupled with huge titanium heads and graphite shafts that are adjustable have led to this huge increase in distance .

In 1985 at Gilroy Golf Course , we operated out of our one room clubhouse that was built in the 1920 ’ s . We used a broomstick wrapped in paper to light our propane heater and with a good push you could make the exterior walls move . There were no restrooms inside , so when it rained you got wet when you went outside to the “ facilities .” We took no starting times and there was no “ GolfNow ” service . To tabulate your handicap , you wrote your score down on a ledger that we mailed into the NCGA monthly . They would send back a paper card with your updated handicap .

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My main goal when I started was to make the game accessible to all who wanted to play ; that wasn ’ t the case when I was a junior golfer growing up on this course and I wanted that to change . After being turned away from playing for being a junior , I said to myself if I ever became the golf pro here , I would make changes . So , years down the road , I encouraged beginners , I encouraged juniors , women and anyone who wanted to learn this game to come out and do so . Golf was starting to become more accessible to the everyday and recreational golfer . You didn ' t need to join a country club to play .

The growth of Silicon Valley also brought lots of new faces and new golfers to Gilroy . We started evening golf leagues and large junior golf camps . Gilroy High School had some better than average golf teams due largely to its accessibility to play . The people that frequented the course were true family and represented what was good about the town of Gilroy and the game of golf . Some of those early customers have come and gone but the customers of today are just as much in love with our “ 11-hole gem ” of a golf course as their predecessors .

I took my first golf lesson in the summer of 1966 from then PGA Professional Vern Brown and have had a love affair with the golf course ever since . Playing countless rounds with my friends and learning how to treat people by playing with adults is a life lesson that I try to pass on to young golfers of today . You can tell a lot about a person by playing a round of golf with them : How they react to the adversity of good or bad breaks , how they treat the golf course , respect the game and their fellow playing partners .

So as I move “ back to the future ” by continuing my management of Gavilan Golf Course I look forward to seeing you all at the “ other ” course when you ’ re not playing at Gilroy . It has been a remarkable 38-year journey thanks to all of you who have visited me at Gilroy golf Course either as customers , students , or friends . If you enjoy what you are doing for a living , you ’ ll never “ work ” a day in your life !

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