The Lost Art of Letter Writing by Terry Moore
Recently, I read Selected Letters of John Updike. Okay, maybe I didn't read every page; I scanned quite a few. You see, it's a big book: 912 pages and containing approximately 700 letters. I was attracted to it because of my admiration for Updike, one of our finest American writers. Updike was also a favorite because he was a golfer and a sometime contributor to Golf Digest. Culled from a collection of over 25,000 (!) letters, the book traces Updike's remarkable career as a gifted novelist, poet, and critic. Amazingly, he never used email. All of his letters were typed or handwritten.
Incidentally, I found only one notable mention of golf, which fascinated Updike as a player and observer. In a letter to his son, he commented on his game and chipping.
Writing hard copy letters is certainly a lost art. Even handwritten thank-you notes are becoming increasingly rare, though they are still much appreciated.
It got me thinking about some of my past letters, particularly those related to my golf and writing career, which began in the Pre-Internet Age. These are a few of my favorites.
Watson and Moore
In February 1983, I wrote a letter to former President Gerald R. Ford at his office in Rancho Mirage, CA. In it, I presented President Ford with a lifetime subscription to Michigan Golfer and requested the opportunity to interview him about golf. As someone well known for always responding to constituent mail when he served as the Congressman for Grand Rapids, the President promptly replied in a handwritten note on his stationery, congratulating me on the publication and adding, "I will be happy to talk to you about golf, which is a wonderful game. (And yes, that summer I had an exclusive interview with Ford at his summer home in Beaver Creek, CO. That interview ended up as a long Q&A for our cover story to end our first publishing year.
In April 1983, I wrote a letter to Tom Watson's agent in Kansas City, MO, requesting a one-on-one interview with Watson at the Memorial Tournament in Columbus the following month. Knowing that Watson also was going to be the headliner at the one-day Grand Rapids Charity Golf Classic in late June, I figured I had a good chance. And it worked. Joined by Michigan Golfer writer Tom Cleary, we had a one-hour interview with Watson at the player's lounge at Muirfield Village. We asked Watson some offbeat and intriguing questions, which he enjoyed, and the resulting cover story helped put Michigan Golfer on the map.
In January 1984, I wrote a letter to the Masters Tournament requesting credentials to cover that year's Masters. I included copies of the publication and a most helpful recommendation from Jack Berry, the respected golf writer for the Detroit News. Fortunately, the Masters accepted my application, and I've covered the Masters ever since, except for the Covid years.
In March 1984, I wrote a letter to Herbert Warren Wind, the famed golf writer for The New Yorker, requesting to interview him during the Masters. He politely declined but welcomed my company at Augusta. I followed up the next month, had a delightful chat, and started a small friendship with the kind-hearted writer.
In March 1988, I wrote a letter to Maurice Flitcroft, the unemployed crane operator in England who was infamous for shooting a score of 121 in an Open Championship qualifier in '76, setting a record and becoming a folk hero to many. I invited him and his wife to Grand Rapids, all expenses paid, to play in a one-day tournament named in his honor at Blythefield CC. That letter and his appearance in Grand Rapids served as the basis for the acclaimed 2022 movie, The Phantom of the Open.
In January 1989, I wrote a letter to the President of Aldila Shaft Co., an advertiser in Michigan Golfer, and asked whether one of its advisory members, teacher Hank Haney, would make an appearance and give clinics at my first West Michigan Golf Show in March. He said yes and sponsored Haney, Mark O'Meara's teacher at the time, to be at the Show. That inaugural Show was a success and became a regular wintertime feature in Grand Rapids for 37 years.
In the summer of 1989, I wrote a letter to the Secretary (the GM) of Royal Birkdale GC in England, where Tom Watson won the Open Championship in '83. I requested not only to play the storied course but to hire one of the club's best caddies. When I arrived at the club, I was warmly welcomed and then introduced to my caddie, Alfie Fyles, who was Watson's caddie for all five of his Open titles.
In the fall of 1989, I wrote a letter to CBS golf commentator Ben Wright and asked if he would be a paid after-dinner speaker at the inaugural Michigan Golf Summit, which I chaired. Wright agreed, came to the Summit, and gave an entertaining speech. The next day, when driving him to the airport, I gave Ben his appearance check. In his unmistakable British accent, he said, "Oh, Terry, fast money, fast friends!"
In the spring of '92, I wrote Doc Giffin, then Arnold Palmer's personal assistant, and asked whether it might be possible for Palmer to pose for a photo for Michigan Golfer's 10th Anniversary issue. Doc couldn't guarantee it, but he recommended our photographer follow Palmer as he played in the practice round at the Grand Rapids Senior Open at the Highlands. Todd DeHaven, our fearless lensman, caught up with Palmer between holes, politely asked him to hold a past issue of Michigan Golfer (which featured him on the cover), and snapped a memorable cover photo.
In January 1999, I called and later wrote a letter to Sallie Watson, the mother of Tom Watson, asking if she might loan me some family photos taken during the family's decades-long visits to Walloon Lake in northern Michigan. Sallie was so gracious, and the photos she sent were amazing, capturing many scenes of the Watson family days at Walloon Lake, including one of ten-year-old Tom with his father holding a catch of game birds. The photos, combined with Jack Berry's text, served as a great cover story.
By the late '90s, I became a regular emailer and, unlike Updike, abandoned the typewritten letter except for thank-you notes, letters of congratulations, and credit card disputes.
And unlike Updike, my thin volume of letters couldn't even serve as a door stop.
In Praise of Golf Commissioners by Terry Moore
Golf Commissioner: Someone who takes on the responsibility of making advance tee times usually for multiple groups.
Sorry, Jay Monahan and Greg Norman, past Commissioners of the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, respectively: this column is not about you. Instead, it’s about the unsung golf commissioners who diligently book tee times for their lucky golf cronies every week.
Over the years, I've been fortunate to be a member of several such golf groups.
The first group was at Ada's Egypt Valley CC in the late '90s and Bill Willis, a friendly and well-organized member, used to book weekend times for a group of us. It was all done via email, and recipients had to reply promptly to secure a spot. To save time at the course, Bill introduced the idea of a "virtual ball toss," where he would randomly select players for assigned tee times. Once, Bill confided in me that he'd get private emails from players pleading with him to be paired with or not paired with certain players. It's not always easy being a Commish.
Incidentally, another alumnus from that group, Gregg DeWitt, is now the commissioner at a club in Naples, FL. Possessed with both tact and good humor, Gregg is ideally suited to the task. He describes his role thus: "I see my job as protecting the social contract. I run three games a week during the season, and my focus is always on keeping the games competitive, fresh, and, most importantly, inclusive." And he does so with flying colors. He smartly delegates the actual pairings and the betting game to the pro shop. Why? "Interpersonal politics kill camaraderie, and I avoid it at all costs."
The commissioner at The Meadows at GVSU in Allendale is Bob Bernott, who sets up tee times three mornings a week all season. A member since 2002, Bernott began arranging tee times two years later for a small group of fellow members. Now that list of invitees has grown to over 30. Members just show up and Bob sends them off without any fuss or instruction. He embraces the KISS principle—Keep It Simple Stupid!
Asked about his motivation, Bob said, "I enjoy playing golf as much now as I did when I first started playing 64 years ago in 1961. Playing with friends who also enjoy the game drives me."
More recently, after passing a lax vetting process, I became a regular weekend warrior at Kaufman GC in Wyoming. Thanks to Johnny Lewis, I don't have to worry about reserving a hotly pursued early tee time. Fifteen days before every Saturday and Sunday in the golf season, Lewis religiously books two tee times via Kaufman's online portal. And I mean 15 days prior starting at midnight! And he's been booking tee times since the '90s. "When I was younger, it wasn't an issue staying up late to book times," said Johnny, an owner of a windshield repair and replacement company. "Today, I have to set an alarm to wake up and do it."
In the beginning, Johnny also booked tee times and did pairings, like Willis. "But it became too much and I asked Bill Raymond to help out." So every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Raymond sends out a group text surveying everyone about their weekend golf plans. At the course, cards are drawn to see who plays with whom, although there are considerations for walkers and carts playing separately. Usually, there's a modest "skins" game as well as a match between groups.
Asked why he does it, Johnny said: "Like others, I know the joys of teeing off early. There's nothing better than having the course wide open in front of us with greens freshly mowed. And just like our guys, I'm passionate about the game."
Upping the ante on being a commissioner is Hiro O'Neill, a longtime player and season pass holder at Kaufman. Born in Japan, O'Neill came to the U.S in 1977 and ended up in Detroit where he eventually became a UAW member at General Motors (GM). While being laid off from GM and working at a Japanese restaurant, O'Neill was invited to take up golf and play with his co-workers. One of them even gave him a set of golf clubs. Before long, and with the help of a golf instruction book he purchased during one trip back to Japan, he was hopelessly hooked."Before then, I thought it was a silly game—hitting a ball and finally getting it into the hole."
After transferring to Grand Rapids and ultimately retiring from a GM plant in Wyoming, O'Neill became a "commissioner" at Kaufman in 2009. "At that time, there were only five other players," recalled O'Neill. Today, at least 16 guys want to play. What O'Neill does is quite remarkable: he makes daily tee times, Monday through Friday, beginning 15 days prior to each day. In other words, five "midnight rendezvous" per week! And depending on the season, the times fall between 8:30 am and 9:30 am. Once at the course, O'Neill pulls cards to pair players with times. One of the usual games is a modest "50 cents" skins, hotly contested as if they were FEDEX points.
As with Willis, DeWitt, Bernott, Lewis and Raymond, O'Neill does it gladly and without complaint. He sums it up simply: "The guys are all good sports and I know how important early tee times are. To me, they're the greatest bunch of guys."
On the last note, too many skins may have gone to Hiro's head.
Gregg DeWitt
Bob Bernott
Johnny Lewis
Hiro O’Neill
The Class of 2025 of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame by Greg Johnson
BIG RAPIDS – Michael Harris, a championship winner at the junior, collegiate and professional golf levels, John Lindert, a PGA golf professional whose dedicated service to the game includes being elected President of the PGA of America, and the late Roger Ostrander, a respected rules official from local to international levels, are members of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF).
The threesome was inducted Sunday at Ferris State University’s Katke Golf Club, home of the Ken Janke Sr. Golf Learning Center that houses the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF). The 2025 class brings the number of inductees to 143.
In addition, the MGHOF presented just its seventh Special Award in history to Loretta Larkin of Dexter, who has served as the administrator for the MGHOF for 29 years.
“We had a wonderful celebration of a threesome that reflects the best of Michigan golf in playing ability, national leadership and dedication to the rules, and presenting Loretta Larkin a Special Award for the special things she does, helped to make it a perfect day,” Greg Johnson, MGHOF committee chairman, said.
Harris, 47, formerly of Troy and currently residing in Brookfield, Wis., started winning championships at the junior golf level, twice winning the Michigan Junior Amateur Championship. As an amateur he won the GAM Championship, the Horton Smith Invitational Championship, was the runner-up to Flint’s John Lindholm in the Michigan Amateur Championship in 1997, won the Northeast Amateur, played in two U.S. Amateurs and was a standout at the University of Michigan, winning eight tournaments, including the 1999 Big Ten Conference individual title. As a professional he was the Canadian Tour Order of Merit Winner in 2005, won the 2005 Michigan Open and five times returned home from tour golf to win the Michigan PGA Tournament of Champions at Boyne Mountain. He also played in the U.S. Open twice, in 2000 and 2006 before injuries ended his competitive golf career.
Lindert, 68, a Grand Ledge resident and the head golf professional at Country Club of Lansing, moved to Michigan in 1993 to become the head golf professional at Spring Lake Country Club where he served until becoming the head professional at Country Club of Lansing in 2002. He has filled multiple leadership roles for the Michigan PGA, including serving as a chapter and section president, worked actively with the First Tee of Mid-Michigan, and since 2006 has served in various roles with the PGA of America. He was elected president of the PGA in 2022 becoming just the third Michigan PGA member to ever serve in that position. He also became the first PGA of America member in history to serve as a Board of Control appointee, district director and president. He has won multiple service awards, including Michigan Golf Professional of the Year and the Michigan PGA Player Development Award and is a member of the Michigan PGA Hall of Fame.
Ostrander, known best in golf as Dr. O, died of cancer in 2015 at the age of 74, but not before a career as an oral surgeon in Grand Rapids, and then a second career as a rules official, most often volunteering his time. He softened the hard-line of the rules of golf with an approachable, outgoing personality and served as a rules official for over two decades. As a Golf Association of Michigan Governor and Chairman of the Championship Committee he worked at multiple Michigan Amateur Championships as well as championships for all age groups and genders, worked for the Michigan PGA Section at their top championships, including the Michigan Open, and went on to serve the USGA officiating at six U.S. Opens, nine U.S. Senior Opens and 14 U.S. Amateurs while also being on the USGA Mid-Amateur Championship Committee for 18 years. He enjoyed helping young golfers, especially aspiring PGA professionals when he conducted PGA Playing Ability Tests for the Professional Golf Management students at Ferris State University. His grandson Matthew is now a student in the PGM program and accepted the hall of fame plaque on his grandfather’s behalf Sunday.
Larkin, 62, has served as the administrator of the MGHOF since 1996. She manages and maintains financial records, the non-profit status of the hall of fame, the nominating and voting procedures, organization and management of the induction ceremonies, creation of the annual program publication, coordinating and cataloging of the memorabilia collection and all communication to current members and committee members. She currently also works as director of organizational and human resources for the Golf Association of Michigan.
The MGHOF is a heralded collection of portraits, plaques, and memorabilia that currently commemorates 143 members, including Walter Hagen, Chuck Kocsis and Dave Hill, and more current notables Dan Pohl, Meg Mallon and Kelly Robbins.
The MGHOF is administered by the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Committee, which has been funded since 1996 through the non-profit Michigan Golf Foundation (501(c)(3)) and includes 16 people representing a cross-section of the state’s golf associations as well as golf media. The MGHOF committee conducts an annual election to recognize the achievements of competitive Michigan golfers, but also the accomplishments of individuals who have contributed to the game. For more information and to learn about the current members of the Hall of Fame, visit mghof.org
A 2025 class photo, from left, Special Award winner Loretta Larkin, Michael Harris, Matthew Ostrander with the plaque of his late grandfather, and John Lindert.
Top Ten Michigan Golf Stories for 2025 by Terry Moore
In a modest contribution to the 2025 golf season, here are my Top Michigan Golf Stories of the Year. In chronological order:
The Golf Association of Michigan (GAM) reached a milestone in May by welcoming over 100,000 members. Ignited by the pandemic five years ago, golf has continued its strong growth and attraction across demographics. In particular, daily fee, USGA Club and junior golfers have swelled in numbers over the last few years.
In June, veteran Carlota Ciganda birdied the final two holes to win the Meijer LPGA Classic for her first LPGA Tour victory in more than 8 1/2 years, while Lexi Thompson had two late bogeys to spoil her bid to end a long drought of her own.
At Midland's Dow Championship in June, Jin Hee Im holed in an 8-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to team with fellow South Korean Somi Lee to win the title. Lexi Thompson and Meghan Khang finished runner-up.
At the Rocket Classic in late June, 20-year-old South African Aldrich Potgieter earned his first PGA TOUR title at the Rocket Classic, holing an 18-foot birdie on the fifth playoff hole to best Max Greyserman. After the tournament, host Detroit GC promptly began its $16 million renovation to its Donald Ross layout which will be completed in time for the 2027 event.
In June, Michigan hosted three consecutive stops for the Epson Tour, qualifying tour of the LPGA Tour, in Battle Creek, Harbor Springs, and Harris. Victors respectively were: Samatha Wagner at the Firekeepers Casino Hotel Championship; Riley Smith at the Great Lakes Championship at the Highlands; and Melanie Smith at Island Resort Championship.
At the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills in August, Stewart Cink successfully defended his title for his second PGA TOUR Champions victory of the year, beating Ernie Els with a par on the first hole of a playoff. Cink opened with a 62 and shot a 71 on Friday to enter the final round a stroke behind Els.
Scheduled opposite the Ally Challenge, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton each birdied the second playoff hole to outduel Crushers GC’s Bryson DeChambeau and Paul Casey for the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s. Incidentally, Tony Paul of The Detroit News observed larger galleries at LIV Golf than at the Rocket Classic.
Solid closing rounds at American Dunes in September produced two clear champions at the Folds of Honor Collegiate in Grand Haven: Texas A&M claimed the women’s team title while Alabama took the men’s competition. Kentucky’s Anastasia Hekkonen went wire-to-wire for the women’s medal, and Alabama’s William Jennings captured the men’s individual crown. All rounds were on Golf Channel.
In September, Scott Hebert of Traverse City Golf & Country Club won the Michigan PGA Match Play Championship for the third time, and thereby set a record for the most major championship wins in Michigan Section PGA history. It was a record 18th Michigan Section major title for Hebert. In addition to his three Match Play wins, Hebert counts eight Michigan PGA Professional Championship titles, six Michigan Open Championship titles and a Tournament of Champions win.
In October, Mike Harris, a championship winner at the junior, collegiate and professional golf levels, John Lindert, a PGA golf professional whose dedicated service to the game includes being elected President of the PGA of America, and the late Roger Ostrander, a respected rules official respected rules official, became members of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame (MGHOF.) Also, MGHOF presented just its seventh Special Award in history to Loretta Larkin of Dexter, who has served as the administrator for the MGHOF for 29 years.