THE WAY THEY WERE ... APRIL, 1954

A flashback to the April 1954 issue of the “Golf Monthly” magazine – when it cost only one shilling and sixpence (7 ½ p in today’s currency). Double click on the image if you want to increase its size.

The cover caption says:

POWERFUL PERSONALITIES.
President Eisenhower, the American leader, has chosen golf as his recreation and pastime. Golf is honoured and his interest in it is further encouraging the game in America. “Ike” is pictured here with Ben Hogan (left) and Frank Leahy when at the Tamarisk Golf Club, Palm Springs.

Who Frank Leahy was and why he should be in such august company, goodness knows. If you know the answer, E-mail colin@scottishgolfview.com
It is a funny looking picture when you think about it. What is “Ike” doing with his hat for instance … and why does Frank Leahy think it is not funny at all?
No prizes, but if you can think of a humorous caption, we’ll publish it.

No wonder Ben Hogan’s laughing. The previous season (1953) he had won the US Masters, the US Open and the Open at Carnoustie.
Hogan was to win nine majors in all, three of them before the car crash that almost killed him and six after it.
It was said of Ben that he would practise and practise - and keep practising even when he became tired, so that he would know how tiredness would affect his game during a competitive round.
Colin Farquharson

ANY COMMENTS? E-mail them to colin@scottishgolfview.com

FIRST REPLY FROM ACE GOLF PHOTOGRAPHER TOM WARD:

"I'm pretty sure Frank Leahy was an American football coach."

Colin Farquharson writes:
Spot on, Tom. I've put the Google search on Frank Leahy and got the whole rundown on him. Born 1907. Died 1973. Played as tackle in very successful Notre Dame University grid-iron team under Knute Rockne, one of the legendary American football coaches. Frank Leahy later returned to become the Notre Dame head coach, abandoned the Knute Rockne style of tactics and led the team to six undefeated seasons, five national championships and a run of 39 games without defeat in the late 1940s.
In January, 1954 Leahy left the Notre Dame post after an internal rift with the newly appointed president of the university.
Which would explain why Frank is not smiling on the cover of "Golf Monthly" in April 1954. Firstly, he must still have been suffering withdrawal symptoms from his college coaching job. And he was obviously nervous about playing golf with Ben Hogan and President Eisenhower. Well, wouldn't you have been if American football was your forte?