Questions and Answers with Kansas City Native John Garrity of Sports Illustrated

              John Garrity, born and raised in Kansas City, has supplied a passel of championship writing about golf in his time at Sports Illustrated.  John visited Swope Memorial Golf Course on Media Day on June 27 and showed a ‘little bit of game’ himself. 

In his time on the golf beat, he has covered a large number of events, nationally and internationally.  He has played a fair share of courses around the world as well. In fact, he won’t be able to attend the WAPL because of his assignment at the British Open at St. Andrew’s. Directly after the championship, he will spend a week playing golf and fishing in Ireland with his older brother.

However, he was kind enough to share a few minutes with us about Swope, where he caddied as a teenager.

Q:  How long did you caddie at Swope?

A:  I caddied at Swope a few times when I was a teenager, probably in the 1960 to 1964 period.

Q:  What do you know about the history of the course?

A:   The course was then known as Swope No. 1, to distinguish it from the less-taxing Swope No. 2 on the other side of the park. While never in country-club-type shape -- it was a ‘muni’, after all -- it was respected by good players and served as a venue for city and regional tournaments like the old Heart of America and the Kansas City Medal and Match Play events. (Amateur golf was still a big deal, since the PGA wasn't rich enough yet to support many touring pros.)

Q:  Any memories of caddieing?

A:  I caddied for my older brother Tom in a couple of tournaments at Swope. I remember hot summer afternoons, giant oak trees and elms, baked-out fairways that gave long drives a big forward kick, and plenty of steep hills. I was usually gassed by the time I walked up the 18th fairway. The greens were -- and still are -- steeply banked, and woe to the golfer who overshot his target.

Q:  Any other stories about the course?

A:    The parks department deemed Swope No. 1 too difficult for mid-to-high handicappers, so they filled in most of Tilllinghast's strategically-placed bunkers in a mistaken notion that this would increase business and speed up play. Instead, it slowed down play, as the bunkers were no longer there to stop wayward shots from bouncing into the woods. The challenge of the holes remained, but the place took on a scruffy appearance.

Q:  But things turned around, right?

A:  Some years ago (late 1980s), the city reversed itself and decided to restore Swope Memorial to its former glory. And, judging from my experience playing on media day, they have certainly achieved that. The greens were smoother and faster than any I saw as a youngster. The zoysia (championship) tees were immaculate. And, I was really pleased to see all the Tillinghast bunkers restored; they are visually appealing and force the golfer to think his way around the course, which is what the designer had in mind. It's still an old-fashioned course with blind tee shots, tilted fairways and crowned greens, but it's been made contemporary through the improved conditioning and thoughtful setup. I guess that makes it a "classic."

Q: Any last comments?

A:  Probably some of my reaction is sentiment -- the nostalgia factor -- but I was thrilled to see the old course looking so good. Thanks for sharing it with me.