A Buffet of Trivia

As a lifelong sports fan, I have always been fascinated with "the story behind the story"; strange oddities, fascinating facts, quotable quotes and strange trivia that make you stop and think, "Should I actually believe what I just read?"

So with that in mind, I have tried to cross reference with at least two sources the following collection of weird golf stories and other assorted facts, quotes and trivia.

Story Number One:

Let's insert you and a friend in the story to envision what actually happened one day on a golf course located on Nassau Island in the Bahamas. (I could not track down the year this happened, but that won't detract from the near-death experience you are going to encounter.)

You and your buddy pack your clubs, wave to your families as they head to the beach, and then you catch a hotel shuttle to the Paradise Island Golf Course.

What could be better than a round of golf, warm ocean breezes, great scenery, cold beverages and an African lion chasing you down the fairway!?

Story Number Two:

All your life, you have wanted to be a professional golfer. You worked hard to get your tour card and now have the opportunity to play in tournaments around the world, however your name isn't atop the leader board at the 1972 Singapore Open, but it almost makes the obituary column the next day.

Story Number Three:

You are a future hall of famer, promoting golf around the world. Your name alone demands respect from the gallery during an exhibition round of golf, but your trademark hat leads to a strange encounter in a greenside bunker which ends in a serious injury to your hand.

See "the rest of these (golf) stories" later in this article.

Who Said That?

Number one: "Golf is a game where the aim it is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for that purpose." (Hint: He helped Britain win WWII.)

Number Two: "Golf is a game that is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated." (Hint: He had his own army.)

Number Three: "If you are caught on a golf course during a thunderstorm and you are afraid of lightning; hold up a one-iron. Not even God can hit a one-iron." (Hint: He loved Tex- Mex food.)

See "Who Said That" later in this article.

Oddities and Trivia:

Number One: 75 % of all golfers admit to praying on the course.

Number Two: The Masters Tournament committee prohibits TV announcers from mentioning prize money.

Number Three: Eddie Lowery is the only caddie to have appeared on a U.S. postage stamp. (He was the lifelong friend and caddie for amateur golfer Francis Ouimet during the 1913 U.S. Open, when Ouimet defeated British Champions Harry Vardon and Ted Ray.)

The Rest of the (Golf) Stories:

Story Number One:

Richard Blackman and his playing partner William Smith were on the 16th hole of the Paradise Island Golf Course in Nassau, Bahamas, when an escaped circus lion chased them down the fairway. They had to run for their lives, but the story had a happy ending: The lion was recaptured and the friends escaped without a scratch.

Story Number Two:

The winner of the 1972 Singapore Open was Japanese golfer Takaaki Kono. But little-known golfer James Stewart also made headlines when a 10 foot cobra wrapped around his ball on the fairway, thinking it was an egg. Stewart killed it with an iron.

Story Number Three:

During an exhibition round on a South American good will golf tour, Sam Snead was playing a shot from a greenside bunker, when a pet ostrich spotted his trademark straw hat and attacked him. The ostrich bit him on the hand while he was trying to protect his face. He had to leave the course due to an injury and couldn't play again for two weeks.

Who Said That?

Winston Churchill    2.  Arnold Palmer    3.  Lee Trevino

19th Hole Record Holders:

The first woman to have recorded an official hole-in-one was Mrs. Winnie Driver in 1942, at the Balgowla Golf Club in Australia.

The longest hole-in-one ever recorded was by Bob Mitera, in 1965, while playing on a course in Nebraska. He hit a 447 yard tee shot from a tee box atop Miracle Hill.

Pro Golfer Mancil Davis holds the world record for the most official holes-in-one with 51. He has scored a hole-in-one with every club in his bag except his putter, sand wedge and pitching wedge. Check out MancilDavis.com.