by Alison Rich
It's pretty much a matter of course that the grass is greener on this side of the Trinity, but it seems - especially according to golf pros and others in the know - that the greens are also greener in our patch of the "Plex. Indeed, Fort Worth offers fertile grounds for star strikers who ply their trade on the links, a place where birdies are good, bunkers are bad and eagles are worthy of an extra clink or two at the 19th hole. They do more than just live here. Several have started foundations that benefit children and others, and their local pals play in their fundraising tournaments.
As for why the Fort Worth area and the pros go together, well, hand in golf glove, the Lone Star State offers up some darn good weather (save for such climatic hiccups as the frozen tundra that was the 2011 Super Bowl or the ensuing summer drought that crippled many an outdoor plan while withering green thumbs" gardening dreams). And our mild clime makes trips to the "office" much more of a blessing than a curse for the pros.
That we lack a state income tax means more coin in the winner's purse. Beyond those obvious boons, our central location and proximity to D/FW International Airport slash travel times for the touring elite, meaning fewer hours in transit and more hours to spend with family and on finessing their games.
And while that's all well and good, we got to thinking: There must be more to it. Successful pro golfers have the luxury of living pretty much anywhere on the map. So why, we wondered, do so many of them end up hanging their visors in our fair city? What, exactly, makes life here anything but rough?
Why Here?
Some were born here and others got here as quickly as they could.
J.J. Henry moved here in fall 1993 to start his freshman year at TCU and (no surprise) play for the golf team.
"I was born and raised in Fairfield, Conn., quite a ways from Fort Worth, but I quickly realized how much I loved the city and the people here," he said. "I am proud to call Fort Worth home." His courses of choice: Mira Vista and Colonial.
"My wife, Lee, and I are TCU graduates, and we both agreed that Fort Worth is where we wanted to live. The weather is great, but it's more about the people and the town," Henry said. "There are good schools to raise your kids, fantastic college and professional sports, and just a generally friendly and fun community. With its great reputation, I'm proud to say I call Fort Worth home."
LPGA player Heather Bowie Young turned pro in 1997 and joined the LPGA Tour in 2000. Born in Washington, D.C., she's lived in Fort Worth since August 2002.
"I bought a house in Phoenix at the end of my rookie year in October 2000 because I thought that was the best place for a professional golfer to live," said Young, who played golf at Arizona State before transferring to the University of Texas.
Eighteen months in Phoenix was enough, and she moved to Fort Worth.
"On my off weeks, I wanted to come here more than to go to Phoenix," she said. "I like the town of Fort Worth better than Phoenix, and I like the people better, too. It's like a big hometown. It's friendly, but you still have all the modern conveniences of a big city."
Born and bred right here in Cowtown, PGA champ Mark Brooks is a name known far and wide - although the UT grad is satisfied to stay put in Panther City, thank you very much. He lives on the city's west side, a location that lends itself well to all of Brooks" favorite golfing haunts.
"I would consider Mira Vista, Ridglea and Colonial all my home courses, although I also play and enjoy virtually all our courses at some point," he said.
"I stayed here for family and, honestly, for the weather," Brooks says.
In other cities, he said, finding a course to play can be a big hassle.
"Here, it's pretty much open doors no matter where you go. You become a pseudo honorary member everywhere, which is nice," Brooks said.
And there's that state income tax benefit as well, he said.
Like Brooks, LPGA touring pro Angela Stanford decided to stay home. She avoids the water while at work, but she stays close to it in her off hours at her house by Eagle Mountain Lake.
"The choice to live in Fort Worth was easy for me. First and foremost, my family keeps me in the Fort Worth area. … I grew up in Saginaw, have a hidden gem in Shady Oaks and am 45 minutes from a major international airport," said Stanford, a TCU grad, who grew up playing local public courses. "The weather is great when you need it to be. I enjoy a break in the winter, so I don't need 75 and sunny all the time. I could go on and on about Fort Worth. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
We also find it flattering that TCU alum J.J. Killeen decided to live in the 817 area code, seeing as how he's originally from San Diego. (Don't they have sunny skies, like, 365 days of the year?)
"Since I came to TCU in 2000, I fell in love with Fort Worth. There is a great atmosphere and energy, along with friendly people," said Killeen, who turned pro in 2005. "The quality of golf courses - such as Colonial and Mira Vista - with great tour-level practice facilities helps to improve your game at home. The convenience of D/FW Airport and a mild winter make it a great location."
For big-time ball striker Brandt Jobe, it was a lifestyle decision based initially on ease of travel. He was living in Colorado and found that getting home on Sunday or Monday from the East Coast was eating up a lot of time.
"We decided in about "99 to start a family and have kids, and when we did, we looked for somewhere that was real centrally located. Obviously, DFW, with having the airport and having American as a hub, I could get anywhere in the country in 2 1/2 hours. So that had a lot to do with it," Jobe said.
Then, throw in the Byron Nelson and Colonial tournaments.
"Two events in your backyard was just a bonus on top of everything," Jobe said.
"It's a year-around practice environment for me. I don't have to leave town in the off-season to go work on my game," Jobe said. "So it works out really well for our family."
John Rollins moved to Colleyville from Richmond, Va., in 2005, and maintains memberships at both TPC Las Colinas and Colonial Country Club.
"I thought it would be great to play and practice at the two courses that host PGA tournaments in the area," he said.
Like other pros, he praises the travel connections.
"Being centrally located is great because it is easy to get to tournaments and then home Sunday nights after tournaments if you want to," Rollins said.
But the lifestyle also appeals to him.
"We have a great group of friends here, as well as a great church," Rollins said. "Not to mention, no state [income] tax. That is another big factor. It has been great living here, and I have loved every minute."
Atmosphere was a draw for Rory Sabbatini.
"Fort Worth is very grounded. It feels like home," he told us in a previous article for the magazine. Wife Amy added: "The hospitality of the people in Fort Worth is unmatched. They have an amazing ability to make you feel welcome. Our neighbors have made us feel like family. They're so sweet."
Leonard's Legacy
But there is more to it than that. To get that answer, turn the clock back and take a look at the days of local masters Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and their dear pal and supporter Marvin Leonard (each of whom, as it happens, would be celebrating their 100th birthdays this year). The threads of history these three gentlemen plaited into our collective culture aren't just yarns to spin over a cup of Starbucks or drinks at the club. They're still, we found, very much alive and well.
A hard-working and respected Fort Worth merchant and humanitarian, Marvin Leonard also spent many an hour honing his shots at Glen Garden Country Club (which, incidentally, also turns the big 100 this year).
As fate would have it, that's also where Leonard met a young Ben Hogan, then a caddy. The two became fast friends, forging a lifelong bond. Flash forward to 1934, when consummate entrepreneur Leonard cobbled together 157 acres in Fort Worth to build what would later become Colonial Country Club.
Then jump ahead again to 1941, and what would become the illustrious "Hogan's Alley" - thanks to Leonard's indomitable spirit and keen business acumen - would play host to the 1941 U.S. Open. (And we all know the history of that particular tourney, which morphed into what's now the internationally known Crowne Plaza Invitational.)
Not one to rest on his laurels, Leonard in 1955 snapped up 1,220 acres straddling Westover Hills and built the ritzy and meticulously crafted Shady Oaks. To this day, Shady remains a premier spot for pros to practice and play.
So who better to chat with than Leonard's daughter, Marty, a beloved philanthropist and community supporter - not to mention an accomplished golfer and businesswoman in her own right.
On the Map
"Building Colonial and getting the Open here really put Fort Worth on the map," Marty said, noting as well that having two such high-caliber, legendary golfers like Hogan and Nelson doesn't hurt either.
Thankfully for golfers and the city at large, Marty has helped continue our city's long-standing reputation as a golf hub.
"My father laid the groundwork, and I just carried it on a little bit," she said, modest like her dad. "He was a real pioneer in golf in Fort Worth. His love and interest in the game of golf - his passion, really - led him to do Colonial and the Open."
It also led him in 1936 to start the Fort Worth Junior Golf Championship, with the goal of providing a way for area youth to enjoy the game, regardless of financial ability. The tournament is still going great guns today, under the able leadership of Wendell Conditt, who has directed the event since 1972.
Robert Stennett, executive director of the Ben Hogan Foundation, couldn't agree more about Leonard's pioneering of the sport here.
"Marty's daddy was a great ambassador to the game and a heck of a reason for a lot of things here in Fort Worth," he said. "And we were lucky to have Hogan and Nelson. Probably the genesis of golf in Fort Worth was having two of the three greats - the other being Virginian Sam Snead - from Fort Worth. Hogan and Nelson were iconic, and everyone wanted to be around them because they could do things [in golf] that others couldn't. … That's where it all started."
Kevin Long, executive director of The First Tee of Fort Worth, a youth-focused organization that uses golf as a vehicle to deliver life skills, echoes Stennett.
"What keeps golf in play here is that there's such a history and deep connection to the game. We have stories that resonate," Long said.
But those stories, he says, don't just involve the rich and famous.
"Golf is visible because of Colonial and Shady Oaks and Mr. Leonard, but the majority of golf played in Fort Worth is played in places like Rockwood," he said of the public course on which so many pros and amateurs alike have cut their cleats. "Those people [who play here] are also a big part of the story. We're all connected some way or another. It's all part of the fabric of Fort Worth."
In the late 1990s, a national golf magazine deemed Fort Worth the 's.oul of American golf," recalls Steve Russell, former star player at TCU and today the club-fitting professional at Leonard Golf Links (which is owned and operated by Marty herself, no less). "That's a product of Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and Marvin Leonard and Colonial Country Club being here. And it's still that way. … Golf also is a game where you can have a little challenge with each other and bring out a little Texas swagger."
And when it's all said and done, all that machismo fades away just as quickly as it came, replaced instead with a handshake and a howdy, Russell notes.
While there's much more to Fort Worth than golf, the sport complements our city's unique egalitarian culture, Russell says.
"You've got guys in cowboy boots and guys in alligator shoes playing against each other, and I don't see that other places," Russell said. "If, for instance, you show up at Pecan Valley on a random Thursday afternoon at 4 o"clock and you get paired up with someone, there's a good chance you're going to have a good time."
The myth that golf is only for the well-to-do is just that: a myth.
"One of our central areas of focus at First Tee is that our program - and golf in general - is accessible and affordable to every young person in our community," Long said.
The Colonial Connection
A story about golf in Fort Worth would be incomplete without at least a smidge about the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, set to swing into town this month, its 65th staging. The tournament began in 1946, but the 1949 tournament was cancelled because of the historic flood that swamped much of the city the week before it was to be played.
Tournament manager Dennis Roberson points to a "neat little survey" published recently in Golf Digest Magazine that polled PGA golfers about their favorite courses.
"We were very flattered to see that Colonial came out in fifth place and the four ahead of us were really great courses," Roberson said. "That the players put us in the top five places they like to play is very gratifying and motivating."
"Colonial brings attention and money and good golfers, and I think this whole Metroplex area is sort of a golf mecca whether you play golf or not," Leonard added.
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Bill Thornton agrees.
"The Colonial is one of the great windows through which the world gets to view Fort Worth, so we're very proud of that spotlight that shines on our community," he said.
While the modern-day real estate flanking the Colonial vicinity resembles little of its early-20th century self, Mr. Leonard surely would be pleased to see that the club and the game itself have retained their original air of venerability.
"Golf has maintained its dignity and integrity and is still a "gentleman's game,"" Marty said. "You're your own referee and your own judge. It's a unique sport, and I don't know if there's any other quite like that."
Charity Begins at Home
Besides luring legions of pros and aficionados alike, the Fort Worth golf scene also seems to be a breeding ground for generosity. And no matter if you're a golfing genius or anything but, there's no denying that fact that golf and Cowtown are inextricably linked. And it's a connection from which all of us can profit, golf buffs or not.
"Having golf as a unifying force in Fort Worth allows First Tee to have access to great and committed resources. … The programs we offer in our education center allow us to help build a better citizenry in a positive way, which benefits everyone in the community," Long said.
In a fitting exemplar of our city's generosity, the Ben Hogan Foundation pledged $500,000 for the construction of the First Tee facility, which opened this past December. "Every tenet of our mission was in line when we provided the money for their facility," Stennett said.
Then there's the Henry House Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to generate public awareness and support community-based programs that focus on the health care and well-being of children. The foundation is the brainchild of local pro golfer J.J. Henry.
"The way Fort Worth residents take pride in our city is great - specifically with golf. I appreciate the way people rally around the sport and recognize the history of it within our Fort Worth culture. I see junior golf programs like The First Tee of Fort Worth instilling important golf and life skills in our youth, so I know the sport will stay an important part of our city's culture for years to come," Henry said.
"Fort Worth is an incredibly philanthropic city, and with the thread of golf running through our history and culture, it makes sense that the sport and charitable causes are directly intertwined," said Laura Moses, Henry House Foundation spokeswoman, who stressed that what sets the foundation apart is that it makes donations and promotes tangible projects through its programs to fulfill actual, specific needs.
Henry House debuted its initial project in May 2008 when it hosted the grand opening of a golf-themed teen room in Cook Children's Medical Center. Among other initiatives, during the spring of 2009, Henry House bequeathed $25,000 worth of new therapeutic equipment to the KinderFrogs School in Fort Worth. Beyond that, the foundation worked closely with First Tee and the Ben Hogan Foundation to raise monies to fund the Ben Hogan Learning Center.
Stanford is another who shares her skill and good fortune with the community through charity. The Angela Stanford Foundation supports Texas children and young adults by providing college scholarships for students whose families have been affected by cancer.
Her initial event was a golf tournament called Let Your Light Shine, first held in 2006, to benefit Lena Pope Home and MHMR of Tarrant County. Now, the tournament supports The First Tee of Fort Worth and other local nonprofits.
Heather Young also puts many charity hours in, including involvement with Athletes for Hope, an organization designed to educate, encourage and assist athletes in their efforts to contribute to community and charitable causes.
And if you thought the Colonial was all for sport, think again: During last year's tournament alone, the annual event raised more than $6 million for upward of 100 Tarrant County charities, its main beneficiary being Cook Children's.
Fiscal Fitness
Whether it's during that famed week in May when the Colonial sets up shop or just during a lazy afternoon when a group of golf buddies get together for an informal round or two, the game's influence here is undeniable.
"From an economic standpoint, golf helps us build our community into a sustainable business environment, [provides] economic opportunities and [promotes] job growth," First Tee's Long said. "If you don't play, it's hard to understand because you don't realize the scope of the industry."
The Chamber's Thornton realizes it not only because he plays golf as a hobby but also because he harnesses the power of the game professionally to spur local commercial and residential development. Although there haven't been any formal studies on golf's economic impact in Fort Worth, it definitely comes into play when courting companies and citizens.
"We've got an incredible golf legacy here in North Texas, which goes back to Nelson and Hogan. And that legacy is something we refer to with a great deal of pride. … And then you layer on top of that the quality of life here. Fort Worth is a wholesome place to live and raise a family," Thornton said.
Unsurprisingly, local colleges like TCU, which has graduated its fair share of moneyboard-besting golfers, and Texas Wesleyan harness Fort Worth's allure when drafting players for their teams. And needless to say, a bustling university program injects even more economic zing into local coffers.
"It's the central theme for how we recruit for college teams. You could live anywhere, but there's a different feel here," said Kevin Millikan, head women's golf coach at TWU. The program, a first for TWU, gets off the ground in August, just in time for the 2012-13 school year.
Millikan's colleague, head men's golf coach Bobby Cornett, concurs. "Historically, you always hear around the country that the best players have come from Texas and Oklahoma, but more so from Texas because of Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson," he said.
Ben, Byron and Beyond
Mr. Hogan and Mr. Nelson - still jacketed in reverence and commanding respect after all these years - are as much a part of the game today as they were way back when. And part of what's kept their memory alive is our cadre of local golf devotees and others who regard their remarkable legacy with a mix of pride, deference and awe.
Whether they were born here or got here as fast as they could, our current stock of golfing gurus made the conscious choice to live here.
Young, who moved from Phoenix, is here in part for what she considers her two home courses.
"I play at two," she says. "Shady Oaks and Mira Vista. And I live exactly halfway between the two of them. Depending on the type of course I'm going to play for an upcoming tournament is how I choose which of the two to play."
For the uninitiated, Mira Vista has bermuda greens; Shady Oaks has bent grass greens. As such, Young plays Shady Oaks before West Coast tournaments because they don't have bermuda greens in that part of the country. When she needs to work with bent grass, she swings her clubs at Shady.
The Next Generation
There are new icons in the golf world who carry on the top-flight legacy imprinted by local boys Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and keep the drive alive. That they polish their craft on courses etched into our landscape by one of our own - the enterprising Marvin Leonard - truly hits home the notion that Fort Worth is where the best begins.
"It just turns out that Fort Worth may be the greatest city in the world," Stennett said. "These players could live anywhere, but they choose here."
