A Life’s Journey Serving Wounded Warriors & Injured Spirits

By Judy Alvarez, PGA, LPGA

My good friend Judy Alvarez just published a book about her efforts in support of teaching golf to the physically challenged. As the introduction in her book explains:

“There are no walls in Judy Alvarez’s office. No windows or ceilings, just fresh air and a bagful of hope and promise. For more than 20 years, Alvarez, a PGA and LPGA Professional, has been the “CEO” of her domain at one of many practice ranges throughout the country where she has met men and women in search of a new chapter in their lives. Golf has been their vehicle, and Alvarez has been the driver. For the first time, comes a narrative that takes you into the environment of teacher-student that extends beyond a traditional “how-to” book. The teaching career of Alvarez moves like the eye of the camera as Judy provides her expertise to the physically-challenged. The stories will provide inspiration to those living with disabilities, their families and golf professionals dedicated to improving their students’ quality of life. Judy Alvarez’s teaching career began with the physically-challenged, and it is because of that unique starting point that we discover how any golf professional can move into unchartered teaching territory. “ If you are looking for an inspiring, motivating, emotional, and uplifting read, please pick up a copy of this book and join Judy Alvarez on her journey.

Another feature unique to the PGA Museum is the Probst Library, which includes more than 6,000 hard-cover books, more than 3,000 handbooks and yearbooks, and some 600 volumes of bound periodicals, including every edition of the PGA Magazine dating back to its origins in 1920. The library is named after Col. R. Otto Probst (1896-1986), an engineer from South Bend, Ind., who began collecting golf periodicals and books in the 1920s. The collection features golf books dating from the 1700s and periodicals from the 1850s covering instruction, art, biography, golf club histories, essays, equipment, fiction, history, humor, poetry, records, reference manuals, travelogues and The Rules of Golf.

Adjoining the Probst Library is a room containing rare books of golf, including the first published Scottish Acts of Parliament of 1566, covering, in retrospect, the reigns of King James I through Mary Queen of Scots. Among the manuscript was the first identifiable reference to golf. In 1457, James II prohibited his subjects playing golf because it prevented training in archery – vital to the defense of the Realm. The Acts were later relaxed in 1501 with the Treaty of Glasgow, and James IV had his own clubs made and began playing the game.

Students were unanimous in their praise of the Museum, and many came away with a new appreciation for the history of the great game of golf.

Tour players should play a 7,600-plus-yard golf course.

Players hitting their tee shots the following distances should play from tees totaling the following lengths for 18 holes:

300 yds — 7,150–7,400 yds
275 yds — 6,700-6,900 yds
250 yds — 6,200-6,400 yds
225 yds — 5,800-6,000 yds
200 yds — 5,200-5,400 yds
175 yds — 4,400-4,600 yds
125 yds — 2,800–3,000 yds
100 yds — 2,100–2,300 yds

Interestingly enough, I started playing hickory shafted golf clubs a few years ago. Once I realized how much difference the wooden shafts made in my yardage (I hit my hickory shafted driver approximately 225 yards), I adjusted my tees to the yardage closest to 6,000 yards. This aligns perfectly with the above chart. When I play modern clubs (which is rarely), I move back to approximately 6,500, also in line with the above chart. This adjustment has made the game much more enjoyable for me, and I suggest you give it a try.

The Senior PGA Championship is one of the major championships in men’s senior golf. It is administered by the Professional Golfers’ Association of America and is recognized as a major championship by both the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour. It was formerly an unofficial money event on the European Seniors Tour, but since 2007 has been an official money event.^[1] Winners gain entry into the same season’s PGA Championship. The winners prior to 1980 are not considered major champions of this event by the Champions Tour.

It was founded in 1937, and the inaugural event was played at Augusta National Golf Club. The lower age limit is 50, which is the standard limit for men’s senior professional golf tournaments. In the past the event has had long spells of playing on a single host course, but currently it is played on a different course each year. Two tournaments were played in 1979 and 1984, and no tournaments were held in 1939, 1943, 1944, 1983, and 1985. The tournament has gone by several different names:

My good friend, Ken Martin, PGA Professional Certified in Instruction and General Management, qualified for the PGA Seniors Championship by finishing fourth last year in the Senior PGA Professional National Championship with scores of 74-69-70-70-283. I will have the chance to caddy for Ken when he tees it up at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky May 26-29. Ken is a full-time teaching professional and tournament player, and he has the unique opportunity of playing in one of golf’s major events. I haven’t caddied in a professional golf tournament since the late 1970’s, and my primary goal is to support Ken and not make any mistakes (as Dustin Johnson’s caddy did). I played in the 1976 British Amateur, losing in the first round to Curtis Strange, so it will be nice to add my caddy experience at the top level of competition to my meager playing experiences. Keep your fingers crossed and wish me the best!