Val Spangler, TOFG, was introduced to caddying at the age of ten. He caddied for 7 years culminating in a “loop” around the Inverness CC in the 1957 US Open. His experience at the Tecumseh CC was valuable in many, many ways. He earned (and saved) enough income in the summers to provide spending money for the following school year. The 18 to 36 holes a day he caddied kept him in good shape for sports (Captain or co-captain of his varsity football, basketball and golf teams as well as Most Valuable Senior Athlete). He also won an Evans Scholar Foundation caddy scholarship paying tuition and room at the University of Michigan. He became an outstanding high school golfer. Most importantly were the personal and people skills he developed caddying for the good people of Tecumseh and its vicinity. One can learn a lot about golf and golfers in 7 years. Some of that knowledge will be shared by TOFG as well as some of the stories he gained along the way.

The highlight of Val’s junior golf career came at the 1956 Hearst State Junior Championship played on the North Course at Oakland Hills in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Val shot 143 for 36 holes on the then semi-private course. The course was redesigned by Robert Trent Jones and reestablished as a second private course for the Oakland Hills members at the beginning of the 1969 season. The key to his victory came in the words, “Think positively and you’ll do positively.” provided to him by the then Tecumseh Country Club women’s club champion, Pauline Moore. As the sidebar article indicates, Val found himself uttering those words to himself at key points in his two rounds. The most memorable instance was when he had a tight, side-hill lie for a shot to a small green sitting at the top of a hill. Definitely a time for positive thinking and it paid off. Some might consider his final putt to be more dramatic - a 20 foot downhill sidehill putt on a fairly slick green. But that was one of those magical moments when the tournament is on the line and you see the line and know the speed necessary to keep the putt online. Positive thinking helps but you have to see the line. Magical!

Although perhaps a less impressive win was when Val won the club championship at theTecumseh Country Club in 1967 when Mike Hill was the club professional. A high school teacher and coach at the time, Val was fortunate that the club had a policy of a reduced golf membership for local teachers. Winning the club championship on your home course after caddying there for seven years was also very satisfying. Playing to a scratch handicap at time, for the 36 hole final Val was 5 under par to win 5 and 4 over Jim Wilson, a good friend and fine player. (The photo was a posed publicity shot for the local paper.)

Side note: Later that fall, Mike Hill got sponsored and qualified for the PGA tour - the beginning of a long and outstanding career (3 PGA Tour wins and 18 wins on the Champions Tour). Hooray for the old guys!

Today, at age 69, TOFG plays once a week at best and gets most of his enjoyment from creating golf related websites and blogs. Like many senior golfers, he deals with the challenges of an aging (beat up old jock) body but still is able to outdrive and sometimes outscore his much younger playing companions. His best score since rupturing a tendon in his left wrist four years ago is a 74 at his home course, Shoreline Golf Links, from the white tees. Attempting to reestablish a handicap, he is playing to about a 10. First goal is to get the handicap into single digits. Fantasy goal is to shoot my age - can that get any easier as you get older?

My senior hero is Gary Player. However, as you can see from my photo, Gary has done a tad bit better job of staying in shape. Working on that as well. I’ll keep you posted …

- - Val Spangler, TOFG