|
                         
|
It's Now Babe, Big George At Zaharias Golfby Tom Edrington (Tampa Tribune, 5/14/76)The old warrior rose from his wheelchair. With a little help from therapist Jim Thedford and nurse Bonnie Hettinger, he walked. He walked down the incline in front of his house--then back up again. Then he sat and rested. The old warrior is George Zaharias. He called his walk "a miracle." He remembers too well the heart attack that struck hard through his giant body two years ago. He remembers well how "it knocked me clear across the room, I smashed my left arm into the wall." While George sat and rested, Bobby Stricklin had a chance to present him with a surprise. Stricklin is director of golf operations at Babe Zaharias Golf Club, the club once owned by Big George and the magnificent Babe. Stricklin presented George the new scorecard that will be used at the North Tampa course. The artistic rendition of Big George and The Babe was captured with all the skill and talent of the pen of Lamar Sparkman. Big George looked at the card. His deep voice cracked--then tears flowed from his eyes. "It's beautiful, absolutely beautiful," he sighed. "That Sparkman is wonderful -- tell him I said so. The Babe would have loved this," he said, as a few more tears trickled. The scorecard reveals a new setup for the Babe Zaharias course. There are still two nines. However, one is appropriately named "The Babe" while the other is named "Big George." What is the front nine is now "The Babe." What is the back nine is now "Big George." "I'm happy that they named the back nine after me," George declared. "Those were the last nine holes that the Babe played. I remember she once made a hole in one at what is now 17. It was about 200 yards then. She hit a pretty three-iron shot for that ace." Thinking of the course brought out more memories from Big George. Again, he wept. "I planted many of those trees out there with my own hands. Now they've grown tall. It's a wonderful thing. I'm glad they've spent some money to fix it up even more. She'd love it--Babe would love it. She used to tell me, 'you tight old guy--go ahead and spend a dollar." I did. I put $100,000 into that course the first year we owned it. Now I'm glad it's looking good." Par for the new setup is 70. The 16th, previously a par five, is now a toughie of a 453-yard par four, the seventh hole on Big George. The lake between the first and the ninth hole on The Babe side has been widened. The first fairway has been raised. Many mounds have been added to holes on the front side, holes two and four. Traps are being put in on three to tighten the landing area on that short par four. Best news is a bridge being added to the par three eighth hole. It's no longer necessary to walk all the way around the lake. "And that's something they really needed," George observed. The ninth hole on the back side of Big George has been changed from tough to tougher. There's now a big lake to the left, mounds down the right. It's tight and long and should prove an excellent finishing hole. But perhaps the most coveted part of the new layout will be that marvelous scorecard. It should prove a nifty collectors item. George looked at it and remembered the drawings of himself and the Babe. "That was taken of me at the 1948 Masters," George recalled, his heart attack of two years ago not dulling his keen memory. "I was wearing that white gabardine suit and hat--it was sharp. That picture of the Babe was from Westchester when she was playing a tournament there." When Stricklin told Big George that some 70,000 persons had played at The Babe last year, it brought a smile to the old warrior's face. "That's wonderful, just wonderful," said George. "Tell them all I said thanks."
|
|
|
|
Our
Forest Hills.Info 
