A Tribute to Tom Weiskopf

we celebrate the life and legacy of Tom Weiscoff. Born in nineteen forty two in Massillon, Ohio, Wiskoff was the oldest of three kids. His father, a railroad worker, and his mother, Eva, both played golf. Weiskoff grew up in awe of Sam Snead and in the shadow of Jack Nicholas at Ohio State and on the PGA tour, so it's no wonder he had a lauded swing and game, nicknamed the Towering Inferno for his height six ft three

inches and a bit of a temper. In his younger years, Weiskoff considered a fashion east had three careers in and around the game of golf, winner of sixteen PGA Tour events, one Open Championship in nineteen seventy three atroon he finished second and four Masters, was part of two winning Ryder Cup teams, and won a Senior US Open in beating

Jack Nicholas at Congressional. In addition to playing golf, Wiskoff, who battled alcoholism and was sober since two thousand, was also an analyst, calling the action at both the Masters for CBS and later the Open Championship for ABC and ESPN.

And on my ranking of former players turned architects, Weiskoff, who was credited with seventy course designs, redesigns, or renovations, is second to Ben Crenshaw, who we heard off the top of this podcast diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Weiskoff died on August at the age of seventy nine at his home in Big Sky, Montana, where he lived with

his second wife, Lori. Today we're going to hear from a pair of journalists and a pair of contemporaries on Tom Weiskoff, the man, the player, the analyst, and the architect. Michael Bamberger, who wrote a tribute to Tom Weiscoff, for the Firepit Collective dot com offers his thoughts throughout this podcast. Guy Yoakum, who spent thirty years writing for Golf Digestors Here Ben Crench continues to offer his thoughtful perspective on

Weisskoff's life and career. Dave Stockton, who like Weiskoff, has a passion for hunting and fishing, agreed to offer his thoughts, and we hear from Tom Weiskoff, who I interviewed in May of I couldn't be telling these stories without our sponsors, so before we get started, I want to thank links Soul for their support. The lifestyle brand that I've worn exclusively for ten years, on and off the course, in and out of the water is the product of my

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and beginners, and I suggested for Buddy's trips. Looking for something different, download the part points app now and go make par We start this tribute to Tom Weiscoff with Michael Bamberger. What do we need to know about Tom Weisscoff, the man, the husband, the father, the grandfather. You know he was He married a woman who was a far bigger celebrity than he at the time of the marriage.

His wife, Jennie Ruth was her name. Then she was Miss Minnesota when they married, and part of her gig at Miss as Miss Minnesota was handing out invitations to a pro am tournament in St. Paul's or whatever might have been, something along those lines. And uh, and they had a long successful marriage. Um. You know, marriages many many are I don't know the number half of all marriages and the divorce. But this marriage went for thirty

three years and buried two wonderful children. Tragically, Tom's son died last year. UM. Eric Wiskoff, Eric Thomas Wiskoff, who loved music and love golf and and live large, but you know, had had issues in his life as Tom did. Many people who followed Tom's life would know that he quit drinking in two thousand and without getting into I'm not qualified to get into it, and I would in

this format anyhow. But Eric had had had his own similar kind of issues and and tragically they caught up with him and and and claimed his life has long before that. His his his first marriage broke up and he remarried. But he has the surviving daughter, Heidi, with whom I spoke this morning for for two hours, and she was or a remarkable person, really bright and really articulate.

And one of the things I mentioned her was that one of my favorite stories ever wrote was about Nan Nicholas had Jack had four sons and one daughter, and the daughter Nan Nicholas and Big Jack. They had one trip every year, and that was to go to the Open. That was the British Open, and that was their week together. And that sort of opened up a door for Heidi to talk about the many many uh E lab were at fishing trips that big macho tall Tom Weiscoff and

his daughter went on to Alaska. She's talking about Kodiak bears and you know all these different trouts and rainbow trouts and steel heads and arctic charred, all these things you see him menus like. She doesn't know him as a menu item. She knows him as a fish in your hands, and they would cook it up right there. So they had a very rich life together. Tom clearly loved both these children. Life is for all of us has all sorts of curveballs in trauma, and I'm sure

they had their share, maybe more. But the underlying love he had for his children and i'm sure for his for his first wife as well, really carried the day. And you know, we of course think of Tom Weiscoff the golfer. But with his son Eric, uh they shared hunting like he shared fishing with with Heidi, and they went all over the world. You know, this is not my thing, but this is not about me, you know,

big game hunting, uh uh. And with Heidi it was fishing, and they went all over all over the world, maybe in all over the world, below over the country, and all over Alaska especially. He grew up, you know, working class at best, and made money and enjoyed spending it, but was but not in a crazy way, actually in a in a conservative ways as high to as describe it. One thing that we were really almost laughing about where

this fascination for fancy dressing came from. You would never guess that this guy's profile, but would would lend itself to like really caring, Like Jack ever cared Arnold. I don't think every cared Trevino. I don't think ever cared. Watson definitely didn't carry is one of the worst dresses ever.

But Wi Scoff really cared. And one of the amusing things that Heidi said was that when you know, his thing on tour was three weeks on, one week off, and they played hard from February to October, like really the end of September, and then he took October, November, December, and January. He basically took off and hunted and fished.

So when he was going to go on the road for three weeks, she said she had he had an enormous wardrobe room whatever you might call it, with you know, one of those mirrors like you see at the tailor with the three sides, and the whole floor would be carvered with rejects before he would decide what. So, you know, my Christen hers, how did he get so interested in purple and how did he get so interested in clothes? And he's like, I don't know, but he did love purple,

and he did love clothes. Who knows. One of their things from Heidi that was really interesting was that they were letter writers, like whoever writes letters anymore? But they they handwrote letters to another Eric and Heidi and the mom and the dad. And there's a treasure trovial letters and actually Heidi shared one with me, which I'm going to write about later for those who are who are

interested in it. But you know that also a state amount of value system from Yester from another area really And here's Guy Yoakum, my former colleague get Golf Digest who spent a lot of time with Tom Weiscoff over the years. For Yoakum my shot on Wiscoff in a Golf Digest in two thousand two. Wiskoff said his favorite actor was Clayton Moore, the man who played the Lone Ranger and so on Wiskoff's horse in Paradise, Arizona. We had photographer Chip Simon's posed Tom as the Lone Ranger

horse hat and mask. Wiscoff very willingly played along. Here's Guy Yoakum, reflecting on his friend. On a personal level, he was he was noticed a towering inferno, terrible Tom. He was known as temperamental and having a short temper and all that, and there was some of that, but you know, you look back, he never got suspended. He never did anything that really, uh caused a ruckus or where he really raised hell or through tantrums or that type of thing. But he he kind of he had

a certain world view. He had a certain set of principles, the way that he thought the golf and life should be conducted. And it's something or something. If there was a policy that he didn't like, if there was a person that he didn't care for for his behavior or a breach of etiquette, I mean, he would he would he would go nuts. I mean he just could. He would just he would raise hell. And you didn't want to be on the wrong side of wise comp he was. Uh So he was that. But but you know, he

had he had a lot of friends. He helped a lot of people. You know, not everybody knows about this, but he secretly helped a lot of old friends. He's like one of the most loyal, loyal people to have loyal friends, you could have, and he expressed he had one friend, UH boy, his name. I always remembered his name because he was there for a couple of interviews I did with him, and his name was Dudley Merkel. There's a euphonious appellation for you. But he would he

would talk about what an incredible uh friend that Tom was. Like. One year there was a caddy Tom's caddy at the Masters for many years, a guy named Leroy Schultz was in sort of a bad way and he needed help financially, and he he called Tom. And you know, he only worked for Tom maybe two or three times a year, but he knew Tom was somebody that he could turn to in his an hour of need, and he just dropped a call. It was hard for him to do that, and Tom came to his rescue and I mean built

him up. Tom would never tell this, uh tell these kinds of stories on himself, but he was He was just a good person. I think after he had a bad drinking problem. Self confessed bad drinking problem. Uh for most of his career. He always said that he God gave him all the tools and he kind of threw them away. He thought that he should have won a half full of agents and could have won three times as many tournaments that he did, but he said he

pissed it away, you know. And uh, but there was redemption in that story because I mean, he had been sober when he passed. Uh, he had been sober for twenty years, and he really, he really was on a course for self improvement. He did improve himself. And UM,

I think the game has really lost somebody special. I mean, if you want to go to YouTube and watch some of those masters and watch some of those u US opens and just things on Tom wisecoffin and uh and and look at that gorgeous golf swing again and know that the man uh making those wings was a gorgeous person on the inside too. On to Ben Crenshaw, let's start with Tom Weiscoff, the player. I you know, I wrote a little just like a three sentence deal yesterday

for I sent it to my manager, Scottie Sayers. I said, if anybody wants to uh to read this, and it was basically this, Matt, and he said, I said, we've missed, uh, we've lost a great friend h and a great golfer. Uh. And I said that I had such high esteem for him. Matt. I can remember when I was sixteen years old, I went to Houston and watched him play at Champions Golf

Club in Houston. I was sixteen, and I was so I just followed him around like a puppy dog, and I was just he had this golf swing that was ah his posture. I think it was the best posture I've ever seen about any golfer. He he always was very tall and straight and he I asked him about that. I said, I said, Tom, you're I said, you always walk so tall and you sit sometimes. He said, my mother always told me to sit up straight. And I mean it was a paramount part of his golfpeling. He was.

He just had this golf swing that was so powerful and so high, and but he could hit golf shots. Uh. The long driver of course, and a beautiful iron flayer. Back to Bamburger. I came of golf age when Tom White scope was at the height of his powers mid seventies. So tall, so slender, narrow hip, wide shoulders, beautiful dresser, pring, old kashmere sweaters, argyle, purple yellow brown. He wasn't like

who would think yellow and brown works. But Tom White Scoff made it work so handsome, great teeth, great smile, and endured so much pain on the golf course, and we were in pain for him because there were so many year mrs. Of course, there was the great triumph of the seventy three Open Championship at Shroon. So I was always run to Tom Wiscoff. You know, it's hard to think of someone with that physique as being the underdog. With that swing, this guy's the underdog. But he was

the underdog. So I just gravitated to Tom Wiskoff as they did Lee, Rovino and others. Of course, the gravity, said Watson Nicholas too. I was an equal opportunity gravitate tour, but Wiskoff was near the very top. And and and believe me, I'm not alone. I would say literally millions of others would Fel would say the same. Here's Dave Stockton, who, along with Tom Wiskoff, is thought to have a resume worthy of the World Golf Hall of Fame, which we'll

get to a little later. We kind of came up sixty seven, was kind of He was champions choice of Colonial in sixty six and I got it in sixty seven and it was a dog fight obviously when I won there in sixty seven. Uh, he got the advantage of playing with Hogan last day, which didn't exactly work out for him, but uh, you know I mean through that, I mean, there's made some funny things. I mean, the all the rational crap he got for not playing the Ryder Cup when he had the sheep hunt planned that

I understood completely well why he was sheep punting. I mean, it's hard to get it, and he was going for it, and uh, you know the feeling I got. I think, you know some of the stories, one of the really neat ones, uh to come to mind, But one where he got me and and he had divine help was the year that Nancy got died when we were playing park City and Tom had to have Nancy on his shoulders.

When Tom makes it to like a twenty five ft on seventeen and then makes it like a thirty five or forty ft on eighteen to get in a playoff with me and then probably makes another long putt, I know, good for a fact, he never made three long putts in a row, I don't think, but I mean he did it for Bert, and that's Tom. Tom is a very deep person. When you mentioned Bert Yancy earlier, I mean, I don't know much about him. What was the reference there that you felt like Yancey was was helping him.

Yancy and and Tom are good friends, very very good friends. And where Yancy. You know, he's the only one that built the greens of Augusta, you know, and just he went, he was he really got deep into it, you know. Just to clarify, Bert Yancey was so committed to winning the Masters. The West Point captain of the United States Military Academy's golf team once built clay models of the

greens at Augusta National. Back to Stockton, he had some issues and I think Tom kind of relayed a lot to him, saw himself in different things, and but he and he and he and Tom are good friends. And I think it was Thursday that Yancy passed away when we're playing up there, and like I said, I mean, Tom was really distraught and we talked about it during the round and he says, yeah, I'm playing this, I'm playing this for Bert, And I said, you go for it.

I mean, that's that's great. And the end, I mean it was it was meant to be I'm sitting there going, there's no way Tom can put this good. There's no way he's draining these things because Yancey could put And so I just figured I was two on one. It wasn't really fair. But like you say, I've lost so many playoffs, you kind of lose track of it. Back to Gyokum and I say, Tom Wiskoff, what do you say, Um, well, we've lost We've lost a unique guy. Uh. He's a

special guy. It's a person you immediately think he should be remembered. But unfortunately, you know, I think there's a whole generation that they don't really have a Tom Weiskoff to remember he was. He was kind of gone off the scene, certainly as as a player before before young people had gotten a chance to see him. You know, we have evidence. I would break it down this way. If you're over the age of say, you'll remember sixty. You'll remember Tom Wiskoff as a player, and what a

player he was. I mean he Uh, he's fabulous, underrated. He had the most gorgeous swing. Uh, it's as good as it gets. And it was unusual in a way that you know a lot of golf swings they may not be technically perfect. But when you put them in motion and watched them in film, the rhythm other swings is so good that it makes kind of an unorthodox swing look beautiful. Um with Tom it but it's kind of just the opposite. And he's the only guy can

think of that way. Like, Uh, if you look at these photographs, the swing sequence of his positions and the mechanics of that golf swing, it's just a set piece of perfection. You just can't you can't uh make or draw a skullf swing better that better than that. I mean, I don't think he was the logo of the PGA towards logo that when we've seen him, but he very well could have been. And you could have chosen any one of ten positions in his swing and it was

just the stuff of dreams. But but his he but when you saw him swing, his tempo was it was an up tempo swing. It was kind of a quick swing. We we tend to be drawn to kind of drowsy beautiful swings. But for a great, big, tall guy, he his swing was quite brisk and up tempo. Uh. But so, I mean it could look better and still photographs than a can in motion but in in In any case, it was a beautiful swing and his accomplishments were exceptionally.

He won I think fifteen times, he got his major. Uh. In some ways he was a case of what might of what could have been, because he he finished second in the Master's four times, and each one was more heartbreak then the last. Uh. He told me that he has lost in necklace at the seventy five Masters, where Jack ran in that long patit at sixteen that famous bear tracks. But he said that that did him in uh psychologically, that he never quite came back from that emotionally.

Weiskoff actually won sixteen times and again won the Open at Troon in nineteen seventy three. But for more on the seventy five Masters, here's Weiskoff on Golf Channel's Morning Drive being interviewed by my former colleagues there, Gary Williams and Damon heck Well. Thomas, surely didn't take you a long time to adapt to Augusta Nastal. He just showed your record the seven top tens, four runner up finishes

at Augusta National. When you reflect on nineteen seventy five, that magnificent Masters, that incredible duel involving Johnny Miller and Jack Nicholas. What do you remember the most well? I, you know, I go back to the last nine holes and basically I mishit my my second shot. I pulled it. It was a poorly played shot at whole number eleven. It actually hit on the green about three or four feet into the green, but uh, the contour of the slope next to the pond took it down into the water.

I did get it up and down for a bogey. So that was a great jump start right there, because that is a very uh tough place to try to get it, get the ball up and down when you have to drop it behind the pond, pitch over the pond to that back left pin placement, which it was that particular day. Then I mishit my t shot at sixteen, and the game of golf is a game of missus, and uh, I went right to my putter. I was on the front of the green and I had to

put across the slope. I had a very unusual situation on that green that if I hit it real hard, hard and play way right of the pin, I was gonna give myself probably a six to ten foot put at best and I just miss hit my putt. I think I looked up a little bit. I was a little bit anxious. I was feeling the pressure. So there's three shots right there in nine holes, and that was the difference. Other than that, you know, it was a very exciting uh Masters for all three of us. Obviously,

Johnny played fantastic. He got off to a very poor start, and then I got back into contention and had had his chances also, But you know, Jack is just Jack. You know, if there's anybody that's gonna make a put like he did at six to be him, you know, because he just never makes mistakes, and he made the fewer that particular day. And consequently John and I finished second. Tell you talk about Jack Nicholas, who had such great

reverence for him. Was it hard to get past that knowing he was the best player in the game or was that easy? No? I think that that's a very good question. You know, any time you were you had a chance to beat him, you know, it was monumental for whoever it was, because he was the best. He didn't beat himself. He was the smartest player out there, a terrific decision maker, you know, he had a great competitor,

great concentration power. He could pop a chipping, pitching he was so so, but he didn't have to because he didn't hit many chips or pitches unless they were on the par fives, you know, when he was up around the green and two. But basically, you know, that puts the pressure you want to beat somebody like that, he's the best that ever played the game, and that it puts pressure on you. But that's the excitement of playing the game of golf, putting yourself in a position to

beat the best. And uh, you know I didn't that particular day, but I had some other chances where I came through a various other places. But you know, it just adds to the whole um spectrum of the day is you're just watching him ahead of you all day. You're watching him, really, you know, play almost bogey free golf. He was down the fairway on all the holes, he was on the green, you know, if he missed the green,

he was on the right side all the time. You know, so he just knew that he wasn't gonna beat himself. And I think that that that in himself, uh makes the day just that much more exciting, but it also makes it much more pressureful. Everyone I spoke to talked about the fact that weis Coff lived in the shadow of Jack Nicholas. We start with Bamberger Well. A huge thing was the shared background German sons of Ohio who

went to Ohio State. I think any uh, you know, if there was a Brandell Shambilie of that era, everyone would have said that Weiskoff was the better swinger. Um, Wiskoff is mechanically perfect, uh uh, so it looked like Wiskoff should be Nicholas. One of the things that happened in that era was that out of season football writers would cover golf and like they were bored, so they were looking to stir things up. So they sort of turned Tom and Jack into a thing more than it

really was. But it kind of was the thing because of Ohio and Jack was always extremely gracious about Wiskoff. But Weiskoff, by his own admission, I think it took him years to really be able to come to this realization. For all his great, great skills, uh, he didn't have the pay, he didn't have the plan, and he didn't have He had the shots, but he didn't have that mental fortitude of sticking it out for seventies goals that

the Nicholas had. So it was it was it looked like a mismatch in Tom's favor, but it was actually a mismatch in Jack's favor because as we know, golf is, you know, the six inches between the years. At the end of the day, they decided a lot. Here's yoakum on the Jack factor. It mu it really did. He felt that weight of a lot of it was expectation. You could look at that golf swing and I mean immediately people thought he would he would just set the

world utterly on fire. And then uh, you know, uh he he would be Nicholas's equal, really and uh he actually most of the contemporaries will tell you he hit it better than Nicholas did. He was wise. Coop almost kind of stood alone in his class as a as a ball striker. And uh but as he told me, you know, you can't forget that this phrase. I never did. He said, but trying to beat Nicholas was like trying

to drain the Pacific Ocean with the teacup. And he said, there was just this oppressive sense of pressure and it was Jack's persona and oh Jack netflick Netlas a tough cookie. And uh, he just knew the given time, Nicholas, he gave you this look, he said standard on the first take a look of doubt. Nicholas would look at you, kind of look down his nose at you and just glare right through you and say, you know, just insinuate you're gonna make mistakes. And you know what, I'm not

going to make mistakes. And he said, just that the nervousness, the tension of wise God would say, I can't screw, I can't make mistakes, which you know, invariably he would make a mistake and it would just be a time, a tiny mistake, and Wise Coff would know when that moment was when he made that mistake, and it scarreded. Uh, it just it was hard for him to recover from it.

And and uh and who knows if if some of that didn't lead to kind of to some of the more of the personal issues he had and what should have been the prime of his career. But that he was great Nicholas, Uh speaks very speaks very highly at Wise Cooff as a person. He liked him personally. Uh like him as an high regard of him for him as a player too. So back to Stockton, we all know that he was under jack shadow, you know, going to be the next Nicholas and all that had obviously

had a beautiful swing. And but he and I we we had humor between us. I mean one year at the Masters, I think it was seventy three, might have been seventy two, but I believe it was seventy three that he and I and Norvill Moody were in a playoff for the on the Part three course at Augustin. Yes, and you know you got an eighty yard hall of

you know how many thousands of people standing around. I turned to Thomas said, Tom, hey, t you know this is this is terrible to get nervous before the tournament starts, you know, the day before. And he goes, you're looking at right now? He goes, you're nervous, and I felt okay. So he ends up drawing. He hit first, right. He ain't one of the best shanks that I've ever seen. I meant, it didn't you come close to any of the people. Forget the green, forget the people. I mean

it went straight right. So he watched by me I said, Tom, that was a hell of a shot for not being nervous. Huh. And it was just, you know, we'd go back and forth. I think one of my better story. And again, we played the TPC up in in Blaine in Minnesota, and we're playing the Legends portion of the Champions Tour and and I'm playing, I'm playing with with he and we're gonna play with Johnny Miller I'd played with the year before.

And we're staying on the green and I explained to him, you know, we're gonna Miller will be telling us what shots to hit because he's commentator and that's what he does. And and Tom Turnmey says, what do you do? What do you teach people? When you teach him putting? And I go, well, everybody's different. We don't teach the same because our job is to make him comfortable. What are you Are you talking about somebody else? Are you talking

about you? And he kind of goes well, uh uh me, And I go, I've been waiting to tell you this for forty years. You know, you know, you stick your your overlapping fingers straight down and you get long fingers, stick it down on your left hand like it's gonna help you keep it going to the hall, but in reality it makes it stop. And he says, what do you mean? So I showed him and he's I said, I just want you overlap your little finger with that.

I don't want that left finger stuck way down. Well, I said, you're gonna put first when we get out there, because this is the best ball between the three of us. Whoever, whoever, whoever teach shot was the best, which is gonna be wise Coffs and whoever second was the best with might be Miller or or wise coff And I said, I'll put last. All that. Miller put in the middle and Tom made eleven birdies and he missed one. Of all

the putt he had, he only missed one battle. He missed a couple others, but all the others looked like they were going in for eleven. That was a lot of eighteen holes. And he's just we got through and the county we tug and he shake hands and he goes, why didn't you tell me that forty years ago? I said, well, Tom, because I remember you were a superstar striking the golf ball,

and I couldn't find mine. I didn't see you off for me any advice I said, if you'd asked me, I would have helped you, because I helped anybody I could. For more on weiss Cooff's highlights, we go back to Crenshaw. But I'll never forget that nineteen seventy three season, Matt Wow. I mean eight victories. Uh. I think it started with the the I VB Tournament in White Marsh. White Marsh is one of the great courses of short course that

you had to threaten the needle on. He won there, of course, that was when he won at Troon in nineteen seventy three. But what a season he had there. Uh, you know, it showed people the showcase of his talent um. It shows you what he was expected to do and what he could do. So Wiskoff gets his major. He had five top fives in the US Open, with a second place finish in nineteen seventy six. He had five top tens in PGA Championships and again the four second

places in the Masters. Wiscoff joined the CBS team covering the Masters in one as well as the stretch from For more on Weiskoff, the TV analyst, we go back to gayokum, what a game. So if you're six year over, you will and you can carry in your mind's i of that golf game and that swing and what he did. That's what you'll remember. But if you're fifty and over, you may remember him as a TV broadcaster and he was one of a kind there. He had this incredible

blend of bluntness, honesty, really smart, original takes something. He was able to put himself in the heads of the golfers that he was commentating about, and he really it was a journey. He was so perceptive, so smart, and he had gone through so much himself. He was just so good. Uh, great sense of timing, pretty good elocution,

nice voice to hear. Michael Bamberger. I would say what Wiscoff brought to the Masters is exactly what Venturi brought to the Masters, and what Johnny Miller could have brought to the Masters is that that element of unrequited love. And Faldo who really did the Masters very well, and I don't think they got enough credit for it. Of course he didn't have it. Greg Norman would have had it,

which is like it means so much to you. You were so close to get in the jacket or is Johnny Miller would say, but you know, I should get a green est for all my uh, for all my near all my near missus. But I think that you know, Wise Scoff I talked to about Augusta a lot with Wise Scuff over the years. I think he felt the golf course very deeply. Of course his you know, he became a renowned golf course architect later in his life, So I think he felt the course. I think he

felt the weight of the history. And I think the most significant thing like Ventury, and it would have been the same for for Norman had he ever had a chance to do it. Uh and Johnny Miller. But but White Scoff did, and of course Ventury did. Was they know what it's like to be in the thick of it and uh and that gets conveyed and everything they say, And they know how hard that you know, if you missed that that green un sixteen, they know how hard, how precise you have to be with that pitch shot.

You know, it's not really a ship typically it's off in a pitch and uh and the lie and the grass and the different grasses and the pressure and what it would mean to have the jacket. Uh. He he knew that and and and he conveyed that plus great technical understanding of the demand. So you know, I can't tell you chapter in verse. I just know I love listen Wi Scoff at the Masters, and he was close to Churkkenny and Chicknyan was the genius behind the coverage

of the Masters. And uh uh and that added a lot to it. I think it. Maybe I picked up on that later. I talked to Wi Scoff about it, but his comfort Chrickinny and Cherkennyan's comfort with him added a lot to it. You know, just to go off on a quick tangent there, but it might be interesting to some people. One of the things I used to

say about Mark McCormick. Mark McCormick, for those who don't know, was the founder by m J and you represented Gary Player and Jack Nicholas and a Palmer at the height of their powers. And he was a good, you know, scratch golfer, maybe seventy five shooter, but he was in awe of them, um. And he brought that awe to his sales, uh when he was selling the Big Three. And I think chur Kenyan was in awe Venturian Wi scoff for their golf skill and uh and he sort of let them go on ways that he would into

more quote regular professional announcer. And I think that that contributed to the coverage as well. Wiskoff was on the call with Jim Nance when Jack Nicholas won the six Masters. Nicholas came to the sixteenth tea at seven under, part having gone five under in holes nine through fifteen. Jack Nicholas knowing he must continue the charge. He has to figure that Bias Starros will make at least birdie back

at fifteen. If anyone has ever owned this whole, it would be Jack Nicholas when he won his first Green jacket back in ninette. He did it with a birdie here at sixteen. And of course, who can forget Tom Wisekoff. What is going through Jack's mind right now? He has not experienced this kind of a streak in a long time. If I knew the way he thought, I would have won this tournament. No, seriously, he is just gonna fire

this right at the pin. He's gonna think, Jack, this is time right now, make the swing that you are capable of making. Stayed down accelerate through the ball, make a good golf swing. Your destiny is right here. Really, it's right at it. Oh my back on the te he really has no idea just how close he is. Well, you know what the flag stick right over the bunker, Jim. A lot of people don't realize the fact that Jack

really doesn't see that. Well, he probably has no idea really how close that ball is on the rain, anybody else could see the ball. Blame me from that team, Tom, That shot was within two inches of going into the cup beyond the master's. Wiskoff also contributed to ESPNS coverage of the Open, but on the back nine of his life he did his best work in the dirt, with at least sevent courses that he either designed, redesigned, or renovated. Weisskoff the architect might be just as impressive as he

was as a player. He built a third of his courses with Jay Morrish, who left the Nicholas design team to partner with Weiskoff. Some notable courses in the Wiskoff portfolio include loch Loman in Scotland, Double Eagle in Ohio, Koula in Kawaiti, TPC Scottsdale, both Pinnacle and Monument at Truon North in Arizona, c d A National Reserve in Idaho, Tory North in San Diego, and one of my favorites, Forest Dunes in Ross Coummon, Michigan. For more on White's

coffee architect we start with Ben Crenshaw. I just said that we are all missing and a great friend, a great player, and a great architect we had. I had so many wonderful moments talking golf architecture with Tom and he would give you the time. He loved golf architecture and he was damned good at it. Um. But I'm just we're just thinking about Lorie at this time. You know, we hated that people suffer like that, with a cancer like that. Um, but we're very very sorry. But man,

we we we. He was a It was tremendously talented golfer and fascinating to talk to. Always had a great time talking to Tom. Isn't it ironic that here was this powerful long player. But what really, uh really got him to thinking was was the intricacies of and I'm telling you what I think that he, above anybody else, really put forward the the popular aspects of the short part four. Like you said, I mean, that's seventeenth hole at Scottsdale is just one of the great holes I've

ever seen. To watch everybody try to attack that hole in their own way. Anybody can play that whole math. You know, it's a short for but it's fraught with a little danger um and it's it's it combines the heroic shot but also combines the the the what you think you can do with that t shot or how cunningly you want to play it? Uh, And it combines a lot of great finesse. But I think we we talked about the twelfth hold at St. Andrew Is so much.

He loved that hole, and so do I. It's a I mean, it's a hole that you stand up on the tea and you see the flag waving in the distance. You can't see the bunkers out there in the in the middle, and you you kind of say to yourself, when I played this whole the last time I played, I played over to the right. No, I think I played it over to the left. It's one of those whole three. You just start scratching your head whatever wind you have, and then that green is just one of

the great greens of the world. It's got that plateau in the middle that runs across the green, and and you know they put the pin right on top of that table, and you just go, well, I do I need to play it back or just maybe maybe go ahead and try to drive it if you have a falling breeze. So I think that he he grabbed a hold of people's attention in a way that that reflecting his architecture, in the way that he thought about the game.

You know, loch Loman is always going to be the course where a lot of people think about what his talents were. He absolutely poured his heart and soul into that course, spent a lot of time there in Scotland at Loch Loman. You know, he would show us the pictures of when he started working there. He said, man, this is the most beautiful site you've ever seen. I can't believe I'm building this course and it came out great. It's a it's a nice staple on the European tour.

Loch Loman, the private course, hosted the Scottish Open from two thousand one through two thousand ten. Waiscoff told me, like so many other great architects before and after him. That he borrowed specific strategic and design concepts from the old course in St. Andrew's. For more, here's Guy Yoakum. So if you're fifth year over your member TIV now, if you're an if you're younger than fifty, and the thing that's gonna last will be really enduring forever will

be his career as an architect. And I mean his Uh those golf course but they're all they're also special, they're all good. It's uh, I've never met a golfer who was not a wise cop fan. I mean he he was innovative, he was daring, he kind of uh, he was the first accind he put a drivable par four on every golf course that he that he built. He was an innovator. I mean he didn't think twice about making a split fairway. He would kind of let his imagination go wild. He um, not in a crazy way.

But he was creative. He was he was invented. He was kind of a man for the times. You know. He he built courses that were adapted to the modern player. Uh. He did him with all golfers in mind. I mean, when you're a Chopp or a guy on vacation. You can enjoy his golf courses. Uh They're they're good tests, I think for for experienced and better players. Uh So, I think that the way we're always going to know

Tom now On will be his golf course. They'll continue to give to all of us in the golfing world. Here's more from Michael Bamberg. After I told him Weiskoff was responsible for seventy courses. That's really neat that that number is staggering. That because he was not a factory as a golf course architect, and he came to it late. So to have built seventy five courses, and as as his daughter Heidi was telling me earlier today and still working on golf course design really pretty much right through

the end um is extraordinary. One of the things that strikes me about the number, and I would have never even gotten guests close to that number, is you gotta be damn good to get seventy five jobs. In other words, he wasn't Arnold Palmer, he wasn't Jack Nicholas in terms of name recognition, because people would join those clubs just to get to the cocktail party with Big Jack or the King. But you know, Wi Scoff had definitely had charisma,

but he wasn't a name like those guys were. So the fact that seventy people hired him or you know that that's something that he built some courses tells you that one he built really good courses, and that too, he was really good at his job. In other words, he got it in, you know, at the price he said he was going to get in for. And the three of that who was really good at personal relationships.

Uh So that's a very telling thing. And I'm glad glad you brought that up, and I'm glad that I'm glad that you have that perspective on on Tom the designer, because that's a very significant thing. And that's one of the reasons why I happened to Beyond. I'll probably get kicked off in pretty soon here, but for the last few years I've been on the World Golf Hall of Fame. I don't know what they call it. It's it's the final committee that votes who gets into, who gets out,

and who who doesn't get in. And I've been pushing for for for Wi Scoff, and they've got their categories and it's complicated, and I try not to look at it that way. I try to look like, what in this particular case, what is the impact of the man in golf? And there's you know, it's coverage of the Masters, the incredible playing career, the error in which she played, and then as you as you're as we're discussing now

golf courses. So when you talk about a golfing life, this guy belongs in the World Golf Hall of Fame because of the golfing life and the architecture is a big significant part of it. And there's our segue to the snubbing by the World Golf Hall of Fame again. Sixt PGA Tour wins, one major and one Senior US Open. That puts him on the line of debate. Fred Couple's fifteen wins and one major. He's in Colin Montgomery, no

tour wins or major's. He's in. Marion Hollands, a pioneer who helped the development opposit, Tampo and Augusta National just went in as a contributor. Tom Weisskoff for his body of contributions as a player analyst, and our contect deserves to be in. Here's more from Bamberger. We don't want to make this about the World Golf Hall of Fame their selection process, but I think they've made it too complicated.

Um to some degree, they not to some degree, they do have a white man American, white male American problem. They're trying to make it more of a World Golf Hall of Fame and represent women more and people of color more. And I think that's great and totally appropriate.

But you know, in Stockton, you can make a great case for Stockton, and people want to make a his or this person that person, but I don't know who you If you could just simplify the process and say, is this guy a Hall of Famer however you might define it, there's there's too much emphasis on what is actually the criteria rather than here's the impact the person had on the game. Uh And look, this guy played in the in my opinion, you know, the greatest ever

era of certainly American golf. Uh and was a core member of it. And then have these other major contributions to the game him. He clearly belongs in my opinion. Ben Crnshaw's perspective, the idea that he's not in the Hall of Fame to me is is bonkers. I just wonder if you also feel the same. It's an oversight. It's an oversight to this point, and I think that it's a uh, no question oversight of someone who really meant something to the game and and to the players.

I mean, we were fascinated by his comments. He was so candid and you know, if he believed in something, he'd say it. Uh. I'm not saying controversial, but probably one of the most controversial things that Tom ever did was laying out during the Ryder Cup that year that he was on the team and he said, you know what, I'm gonna go hunting. And he got a little he

got some flak for that. That was unbelievable. Uh, But hunting was a great, great part of his life, as you know, you know, he he talked about that so much, you know, not only in Montana but northern Arizona, and uh, it was a great, great part of his life. Dave Stockton won ten PGA Tour events, two p g A championships, was part of two winning Writer Cup teams, and captained the famous ninety one team that won a Kiowa Plus.

Stockton has had a prolific career helping thousands of people with their putting, most notably Phil Nicholson, Rory McElroy, Matt Coucher, Francesco Molinari, and Anika, who after Stockton worked with her, won seventeen times in the next two seasons. And Dave Stockton is also not in. My feeling is that it golf in the Hall of Fame like Cheese, She's in the Hall of fame, and rightly so because the humanitarian that he was. It wasn't all the golf, but I

think Tom definitely should be. I know he's only won one major, uh i'll, i'll, and I think he's the courses he's created and what it what it stood for,

I think that counts. It's just like all the corporate stuff I've done and all the people I've helped by the teaching is equivalent of kind of what he did with the course because and the only reason I didn't get into courses is I wanted to be able to spend more time uh, hunting and fishing, and I'm you know, I'm perfectionists in some regards, and so consequently, um, I like the idea that I could do corporatealities and be around people and help him and the teaching has been

a real bonus. Um, I will dispute when you said I want ten. I'm still ticked off that I won eleven tournaments. One was the Hague and Hague with Lorie Hammer out of Florida at La Costa, and the PGA eighteen years later took it away from me. And it's the same format they're now playing it at New Orleans. So I still haven't figured that out. But they told me they took some away from a lot of other people. But UM, I don't know. I yeah, I would love

to be honored and I love to see Tom honored. Uh, but again, I don't know how much how much good it does after you're gone when they would have been fun, if it had been fun, if he had been conducted five years ago or something, when he was in good shape and everything, and you said he's rounded out, he's mellowed out. He he really appreciated his place in the game of golf. And it wasn't just about the wins.

It was about all the rest. And uh, it's kind of it's sad, but I mean it's you know, if it if it's meant to be later on, But again I feel sorry he's not here to enjoy something that he should have been a part of. Here's Guy Yoko on a final assessment of Weiss Cooff, the player, analyst, and architect. By any sensible criteria, he should be in the World Golf Hall of Fame on any one of those three counts. The board, the broadcasting, maybe borderline. Uh

he wasn't. His career wasn't that long, and broadcasting it was on his terms. They beg they loved to have him there. He just kind of grew bored with it and stepped away. But I know it's an oversight. Uh boy stalked into Oh my gosh, it's it's almost criminal that they're not there. But it'll happen now, you know, these things that tend to happened postumously. But it's too

bad he didn't see it. I don't think things like that, accolades, awards, uh money, those things were not really important to Tom wise Coff. It's I know, it's hard to imagine with the values most of us carry around today, but that guy, all he wanted were his friends. Uh, he wanted he loved his family, he loved his son Eric. He had remained friendly with his his his wife Jeannie law long after they split up. Um, he kind of just had

a sense for what was important. And uh, um, it's just it's it's ways we've not only loved, we've kind of lost a relic of a bygone era in terms of values and culture and the feeling we should all have for for other people and and and especially in our love for the game of golf. You know that that find us together. Like I said before, I had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time with

Tom Wiskoff. One story I did for the Golf Channel was on the renovation of the North Course at Tory Pines, a municipal that gets over eighty thou rounds per year. And one thing that stuck with me was Weiskoff's knowledge and understanding of the avid amateur, in other words, his customer. This was where you won your first professional event. This was the first event held at Tory Pines eight. It was called the Andy Williams San Diego Open. This meant a little bit more to you because of the site.

You don't have chances like this, man, I mean, this is uh everything you could ask for in a site. Sheer beauty, gentle, moderate changes of elevation throughout all eighteen holes, a reputation that's unparalleled. I've always been driven by the fact that twenty five million golfers in the United States do not break ninety half of the percent. Don't break

a hundred eight and a half percent. You know, break ninety, but don't break eighty and one half of one percent, which is a hundred thirty five thousand, undred fifty thousand people, assuming they played by the rules, can break eighty. It's a hard game. The last time I spoke to Tom was in May of I was doing a story and podcast on how Lou Thompson, a trucker from Arkansas, purchased for students. Lori wise Coff helped me set up a

zoom with Tom. Here's a big portion of what we discussed that day, as it wasn't just about fort dudents. All right to have a good meeting. There he is, there, I am where exactly arguments do? I Scoff. We are in Big Sky, Montana, at the Yellowstone Club where we live. Shortly after the zoom pleasantries, I went fishing for design details of for students. The only way this place works is because forest students. The golf course is as good

to me as I don't. I put it in my top ten public courses in the country, and I've played a lot of public course and I don't think I'm overselling. Well, you're very kind, Matt. You know, it's an exceptional piece of property. It's a combination of Rowley Sandy Dunes, which is entirely mostly on the back nine itself, and then the front nine some water, natural water ponds, wetlands and meenters through the pines and the deciduous maples, oaks, that

kind of thing. So it's a striking contrast, especially in the fall. How did you come across for students, Well, I worked for previous developer out of Scottsdale. We did the rim up in Pason, Montana, I mean Arizona, and he had a philosophy of a golf course community, private, exclusive club. And the thing that really only works against Forest Dunes is the fact that it's pretty remote. You know,

it's pretty hard to get to. But you're pulling from a tremendous population resource when you consider Cleveland, Detroit, Michigan, and then the Upper Peninsula, which has a tremendous reputation for sports, and uh, that was the original concept. Did you feel like when you left there you had done something special? Well, I felt that, Um, you never know until after the fact and people play it and you get feedback and uh from the members, guests and who

whoever goes there. It was initially a private, exclusive experience. And maybe that's what the downfall was. You know, there wasn't enough transition into that area from the standpoint of need to play golf. Um, but a tremendous piece of property. Man, you're I've said this forever. You're only as good as your piece of property and the ownership commitment behind that.

So he marketed heavily. Uh. He spent top dollar in the specifications that were put into the golf course, and we had the freedom to route the golf holes on that property. I think it was about five acres if I remember correctly, and uh, we can put it. We're best suited for the golf holes and the golf experience to start with. That doesn't happen usually when you have a residential component, because the residential component usually drives the property.

You know the result, the end result, but for for the most part is pretty much a core golf course experience. I don't know what's been developed since then, you know, it's been a long time since I've been back. But that combination of the front nine contrasting against the back nine, which is really a doony uh sand do kind of apple orchard uh open feeling is probably the real uniqueness of that piece of property, and we tried to simplify

the strategic aspect of it. It's not heavily bunker but it has uh that old style of bunkering, you know, kind of jagged rough look. And then the by hole was there was a natural place to put that in there. Uh. That's a concept that I stole from Scotland. It was a shorthoul to be played, a playoff hole somewhere around the eighteenth green to settle all ties and bets. So it actually works after the ninth hole and actually after

the eighteenth hole as well. So it had all the things that I wanted to absolutely have done if I could do it and was allowed to do it. And consequently, you know, people uh really enjoy it. I get a lot of calm comments uh and compliments from that particular golf course, So that makes me happy. That's all I'm looking for. I had enough controversy as a player, Matt, so I don't need anymore. Yeah, this was j Morrish wasn't involved in this one, correct, This was just you

right now. That was just me Jay and I did together, and this was right after we parted ways. And I just had a great guy, Dave Porter I worked with previously. He was he represented a contracting group that we used before and off we went. But I spend an awful lot of time there because I really enjoyed it. You know, the Ossabo River a very famous river, great fishing river, and uh, just beautiful country. The superintendent told me that in two thousand and five, if they got twenty people

playing the golf course, that was big day. I mean they had you know, had his staff like guys, people on property. I think you get to twenty players, that was a big day on the saturday. I was there just this saturday. You know, they've added the reversible routing by Tom Doak, and they just added a ten whole part three course and they got a putting course and they've had it add another hundred eighty rooms for lodging, and they've got about twelve fourteen houses but he's only

selling those very selectively. Off the golf course. They had three hundred and sixty seven golfers on Saturday at four students. Wow, that's terrific. That is unbelievable. What time did they start? Six thirty? They had six thirty, They go to ten o'clock PM. It was wall to wall people. I mean, this is in the middle of the COVID and all

the craziness. I mean, what what what do you think about? Like, think about how all of a sudden people are going to get to see and play for students, Like you know, I would the fan from the beginning, and I've always promoted it for all that and I've never had anybody complained. But what do you think about like going from twenty people to three six seven isn't that cool? Well? That

shows you how the game is growing mad. I really think, uh, this virus if there's a positive about it From the standpoint of a support, I mean a sport gaming the momentum,

it's certainly golf because of the the self distancing. You know, when you're playing and you're still uh communicating, you know, you're still socially involved, and it's really I really think This game is really gonna grow because of the tour, Because even though they don't have spectators the first couple of three weeks, you know, you can still watching on television. It's still exciting, and these young players are so good at what they do. I think golf will grow because

of this virus. It gave us a chance to do something in tough times. So more people are realizing family time, space, time off the phone time, outdoor time, healthy activity time. People are coming to the game of golf right now as we speak, no doubt. And the younger generation, the beginners, the young kids because of their mom and dads that played this game and because they're a family that are

out there together. And we have more we have more short courses two times, like, I think we're ready for this this wave because we've made you know, we got top golf and got short courses, Part three courses, putting courses, Like, I think we're actually ready for them now. I think, I hope. No. I'm doing two Part three's one at the Yellowstone Club and one of Spanish Peaks this year next So I'm happy about that. That's how I learned that play the game. Man. I grew up in Cleveland

on an eighteen hole Part three golf course. It had one on each nine. They had one short four. You know, it was maybe two hundred sixty yards. That was a long part for you know, for a beginner. But the Part three's are in the game there. They're the starting point for the game. It's where you learn how to grip the club, but a chip pitched the ball, hit short shots. That's what the game of golf is. It's it's controlling your your your shot with the distance requirement. Yeah,

it's a beautiful thing. And you uh, you know, I think this is I think you built arguably the greatest Part three in America at Olympic Club. I mean of all the things you've ever done. Do you get more positive feedback on the Part three course and anything else? Probably because anybody and everybody can play it. You know.

I did another really nice Part three up at uh let me take Lahattin up out of outside of Tahoe at just outside of Reno, and then the Olympic Club and then just finished one a double eagle in Columbus, Ohio last year. So there's a demand. The only problem is it's trying to find five or thirty acres for that that facility. You know a lot of people don't have that, especially the old courses. But I just think

it's a great way to play this game. Play the where the where the grandparents can play with the grandsons and daughters, and even anybody can play those type of holes. You know, everybody has a chance on a short type of requirement, Tom, I could. I would love to, you know, I would love to get more still worries from you because I'm so cute. I've always been a big fan, you know that. But you've also like, I'm doing one

on Jack Nicholas catching that pound Marlin in Australia. Uh and I guess there was a bunch of tour players on the boat and he end up winning that Australian Open. But that'll be that's another story that I got that bank that will start off season two. But I mean, you know, just stories like that, I would love to get some, you know, I know you've You've lived an interesting life and there's so many you know, I love hearing your story, So at some point I love to

circle back with you on on so much more. Well, anytime, anytime, you know, hunting, fishing, the outdoors. You know, we're a great part of my life. That's how I released my my tension or my my tour. Uh, just get away from a deal. It was always usually in September through December. I was somewhere outdoors doing something. You know. Yeah, yeah, do you remember Jack catching that fish? Did you? Were

you around it? All? Heard about it? You heard about it, and he and I went on some neat hunting trips together and fishing trips. Uh. He's quite a fisherman. He's he can really throw a fly, he can double hall, he can do it all. You know, that's I think of the one either hunting or fishing. I think Jack would always sho shot, choose fishing. You think he's as good of a fisherman as he is a golfer. He's pretty good. Uh no, yeah, he's the record book of golf.

You know there there Uh what you think of fifty three times? As you well know, Matt, he finished either the third second or first eighteen first, nineteen seconds and what fifteen thirds? So that tells me somewhere on Saturday or Sunday he had the lead or was close to the lead to win again. You know. So that's a record that's to me that separates him a little bit

from Tiger. Tiger very very impressive, great player, had an unbelievable dominating career, just like Jack, but still not fifty three times finishing third, second, or first and major championships. And he did it without trying to catch a guy named Jack Nicholas. You know, there's something to be said about that. Tiger has always had somebody or something to catch. Jack did it catching trying to catch any That was just self starting. Yeah, well that was That's that's what

his mojo was. That's what his motivation was. You know how many major championships he prepared himself for major championship golf. The tour events were just preparation, that's all it was, you know. And he put the time into it too, you know, hard worker, very very uh prepared when he came to play. Yeah, well you're a gem, Tom, Thank you so much. I hope we can cross pass soon. UM. I don't know when or where that could ever be. But but I started my own production company. I I'm

still telling stories about architecture and travel and UH. And this podcast is just good stories about the game of golf and UH and you know, I did Bill and Ben building uh Shan Hills and what that meant to be to the world of golf. I did the building abandoned Dunes with all the voices that that were a part of that, including David Kidd and Mike Kaiser. So I'm really trying to pick off these these meaningful moments in history and put them down from an with an

audio experience. So I I'll ping, I'll ping you and Lori back in the near future, and I look forward to catching up soon. Matt, thank you so kind for your support, your your good words about some of the things I've done. I appreciate that. You know, Uh, I didn't do it all myself. You're you know, no one has all the answers. I had good people working for me, I I. We had great contractors, but most importantly we had tremendous pieces of property. And like I said, not

to be redone. You're only as good as your piece of property. That for students is one of those special, unique pieces of property. Anyone could have done a good golf course there. Believe well, you did it. I'm a big fan of that course, but many others and uh and always will be so thanks keep up all the great work and uh, stay safe out there, Tom. And thanks thank Lori again for for helping set this up. And I'll be back with you soon. I'm sure you're

You're great for the game, Matt. We we appreciate you. Loved listening and watching your videos. One last question I forgot. We call this podcast the fire Pit because it's the kind of stories you would tell or listen to around a fire pit. Do you have a favorite fire pit? Well, anywhere outside away from civilization, you know, out you know, maybe even close to a tent or a motor home. You know, just someplace where no one else is just

watching the stars, you know. Uh, sunsets, those kind of things. Sunsets mean a lot to me. Sons, a good sunset, it's kind of your fire pit. Yep, that's it. Thank you so much, Mr Wiit couple talk soon, alright, man, have a great one. Good luck to you, Okay, take care. I'm gonna miss Tom Wiskoff and being able to have those types of conversations and listening in on that level of reflection. For some final thoughts, go back to our

panel of perspectives. We start with Dave Stockton. It was just a special part for me to be a friend of Thoma's. And you know, we we we never we didn't live near each other's, we never got together that much, but we always had a good time when we played. And uh, I was always watching him, just because I thought that'd be illegal to be able to hit the golf ball that good. And it did puzzle me that he never, you know, and that puzzled me that he

couldn't figure out the putting. And that day with he and Johnny Miller there in Minnesota, that meant so much to me, just to see his face slide up punt after putt after putt was going in. And uh, it was a special time. Michael Bamber he was one of my go to you guys if there was some funky, weird thing going on in golf, you know. Uh, and I wanted a you know, a real golfers uh understanding

of it. I called up Tom Tom wise goff and on the record, off the record, in between uh, whether it was Dustin Johnson, uh, two thousand and sixteen at at Oakmont, and uh, you know, I remember why it's very clearly saying here it is from the player's perspective. Here it is in the U s J's perspective. You know, they're both right, but I'm going with Dustin Johnson, you know, because it was player to player at the end of the day. UH for him always. UM. But I feel

the exact same way. I feel privileged to have about to know him. I think I first interviewed him, you know, I saw him really in his prime. I don't think I ever really interviewed hiuntil maybe the early nineties, but he was definitely one of my go to guys and uh um and yeah, he will be greatly missed, and as we would say of of not too many people, there will never be another like uh to wear all these different hats and wear him so well, there won't

be another time. My scoff, Ben Crenshaw, I wonder do you think he leaves this world feeling appreciated and respected where where he sits in the game, and feel like his contributions are appreciated the way they should be. I know that I know that people have have remembrances of him, of an outstanding player, very thoughtful player. Uh. I think that I know that it bothered him when people say

he was an underachiever, because he was so good. But he had a wonderful career, not only in golf but adding something to golfers lives that people enjoy playing his golf courses and and his philosophies and insights. And I think of one word about when I think of Tom Wiskoff,

and it's majestic. What a swing. Hopefully, Matt, you know this little piece, along with other pieces that you're doing about time, will give people, uh an indication and an insight about what we saw was a very special friend and a great great man. And finally, Tom was an old world guy, uh in the sense he was kind of this old school man's man kind of guy. Uh. He's just a real high testostrom guys sort of. He loved he loved these you know, we loved hunting, fishing,

loved being outdoors. He loved being in bars talking with with other guys who had big four ms like he did. And uh, he he just had this certain sensibility that we don't see much of. He came out of a middle class uh family. You know, his dad was a career like a railroad worker, and his dad had personal problems. It was in a way like you think that a guy like Wiscott might have been some golden boy, you know, things given to him, and but it wasn't quite like that.

He was really he was self made in a lot of ways. And uh, you know what he became it it came through his own sweat and toil, you know. So I always think I always think of Tom Wisecoff, U just finally and almost a hollowed ways, a really really special guy. He The last part of that old world thing was I never knew he got sick again. I didn't know that he had relapsed and that this the pancreatic could huld come back as it so often did. He thought he was good, but he got sick again

back in April. And it wasn't like this was front page news. You know why because I don't think Wiscoff wanted it to be front page news. He was a stoic, old time tough guy, you know. And uh. One one final take that he gave me was like he remember him saying he dreaded the thought of an open casket funeral. He thought that they were morbid and terrible. And he said, man, when when I'm gone, don't please close the casket. Don't look at me that way, So uh, just one of

those funny things you remember about people. We lost a great golfer, we got lost a great commentator, we lost a great architect, and we lost a great person. Yeah, sure did, Maddie. Thanks for reaching out to me. I mean, I've I've enjoyed this uh trip to the memory bank about him, and it's good to see you too. Got another log on the fire we here is give the Time