A golf Q&A with legends Hollis Stacy and Dow Finsterwald

Two legendary golfers were at Manatee County’s Concession Golf Club in early November helping to raise money for Golfers Against Cancer, the charitable arm of the annual Callaghan Tire Charity Golf Tournament.

Anna Maria Island resident Hollis Stacy is in the World Golf Hall of Fame and played in the event.

Dow Finsterwald, who won the 1958 PGA Championship, was present for the tournament, but did not play.

The Bradenton Herald sat down with each separately to ask various questions concerning the state of golf, the LPGA Tour, PGA Tour and the future of the game.

Bradenton Herald: What do you think about the LPGA Tour today compared to when you were playing?

Hollis Stacy: “I think the Tour is making a comeback. Right now, we’re a global tour. I know we had that rough patch in there, 2007-2008, but we’ve recovered. ... It is a world tour now. When I played, we had 34 events domestically. Now there’s, I think, 16 domestically and I think 13 or 15 international. So it’s being marketed as a global tour and I think it’s good. It’s hard to compete. The Korean government, a lot of Asian countries subsidize junior golf.”

BH: Why do you think that is?

HS: “A lot of colleges/state universities give scholarships to the international (players). ... Who wouldn’t want to live here? So the American players have a hard road to hoe. But we do have some great players. Brittany Lang, Cristie Kerr and all that stuff. The Asians, they work harder. They want to be here. I don’t look at them as Asian or American or whatever. I know the players. But I know American sponsors, corporations, they want American players. It’s difficult right now.”

BH: So what needs to happen to turn the corner then?

HS: “It’s a world tour now. I don’t know if it will ever turn. It’s a world tour and we get a lot of money from the Asian sponsors, like broadcasting and stuff like that. ... It’s just going to be like this.”

BH: What does golf need to do to make itself relevant in 2016 and beyond?

HS: “I think Top Golfs are going to be a huge influence in golf. People are going to play nine holes. The country clubs have to adapt. ... They have to be creative as far as getting nine-holers in, as far as having real estate as a village that they can go to the club. Like a condo or senior living or apartment that they can go there.”

BH: How much should golf do to separate equipment between pros and amateurs to speed the game up and help with the cost of playing?

HS: “Golf has gotten expensive and it needs to come down. The prices, who can afford to play a round of golf?”

BH: So how does that happen?

HS: “I agree with the one-ball rule that the players play with one ball like tennis. I think that would make things fair. A lot more fair. And then let amateurs play whatever they want to. But it would make it more fun. ... I think make the courses shorter.”　

Bradenton Herald: How viable is golf in today’s climate, where people have shorter attention spans and don’t want to spend all day at the course?

Dow Finsterwald: “It does appear that way taking too long to play. ... It’s such a wonderful game.”

BH: How do you speed up the game for the regular amateur player, which, in turn, would make golf more enjoyable?

DF: “One, be ready to play when it’s your turn. Two, don’t get too precise about a line on the ball to line up everything. That’s taking time and not helping the speed of the game.”

BH: What do you make of the PGA Tour today with all the young stars like Jordan Spieth, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy?

DF: “We have an abundance of wonderful players now. I don’t think there’s any question about the depth of quality players on the tour now.”

BH: How is what they’re doing different than when you played on the PGA Tour?

DF: “It’s like all sports. You might as well face it. They’re bigger, they’re faster, they’re better coached early on. All sports. They perform better with that and it’s a greater incentive to excel. So that makes them work harder and try to prepare better.”

BH: You played with Arnold Palmer during your career. What’s your fondest memory of him?

DF: “Well, I had the pleasure of playing with him in 1948, April. He was going to Wake Forest and I was going to Ohio University and we played college matches through the Carolinas on what was at that time known as a spring break. We played five different universities there in the Carolinas, of which Wake Forest was one. And I was paired against Arnold. And the first nine holes, he shot 29. And that was my introduction to Arnold Palmer. For the next seven (or) eight years, we remained in touch with one another. He was going to Wake Forest. He went into the Coast Guard and I went into the Air Force. When he came out, I came out of the Air Force about the same time. ... We started about ’55. I was very fortunate to be around him. ... I learned a lot about how to make the right decision, doing the right thing, helped me just being around him and watching how he handled situations and meeting people.”

BH: Is that a disconnect with guys on the PGA Tour nowadays with how much money players are making now compared to the past eras in relation to the regular fan?

DF: “I don’t think I ever saw (Palmer) say no to a request for an autograph and I don’t think I’ve seen an autograph that he signed that you couldn’t read. I think some of the players we have today don’t take quite enough time so people can read their name. ... If it’s a fault, and I’m not sure it is and he had one, it would be that he couldn’t say no. Somebody made a request of him, he tried his darndest to accommodate whatever that request might be.”

BH: So how are you doing health-wise and everything else?

DF: “We were four days apart by age and it’s a great void in my life with him being gone. My health’s stayed relatively good. Could be better, but hey, I am very fortunate and very happy with the cards I’ve been dealt.”

This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "A golf Q&A with legends Hollis Stacy and Dow Finsterwald."