remember the celebs who sponsored PGA Tour events?

[mocokid]

over at Tour Talk section and folks excited (?) about the FedEx Memphis WGC (Who Gives a Crap) run by the $ouless bureaucrats for the sake of the FedEx (Cup ZZZzzz) execs. Anyway, some thoughtful responder simply wrote: "Marlo Thomas is 81". Probably confused many looking for Xander's or Bryson's Draft King odds. Me, I thought back to a simpler (?) time when celebs fronted PGA stops, so I composed this list (without Wiki), here goes:

Inverrary Classic J Gleason

Palm Springs Hope

Pebble Bing

LA Glen Campbell

Memphis D Thomas

SD Andy Williams

Hartford Sammy Davis Jr.

Tuscon/Phoenix: Dean M. / Joe G.

LPGA Mission Hills Dinah Shore

LPGA Toledo Jamie Farr

Quad Cities: Ed McMahon

LPGA Nashville "Sara Lee"

So who am I missing??

 

[smashdn]

Back in the day touring pros were seen as only a slight step above grifters, shyster lawyers and hucksters. The celebrities of the day probably fit right in with the colorful characters on tour.

[Bigarch]

Always liked the Jamie Farr Toledo tournament on the LPGA tour because he was never a really big star. But here is a good list for you from the mens tours: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2008/10/13/celebrityhosts.html

[cardoustie]

The old Dean Martin roasts are a riot, Don Rickles was a character

[Steele47]

Looked at that list. Totally forgot about Joe Garagiola's name attached to the Tucson tournament albeit short-lived.

[mocokid]

Joe g of course, who else am I missing?

[smashdn]

If Sara Lee counts that was the sponsor for the LPGA in Nashville for a few years.

[SteveNZ]

LPGA obviously, but Dinah Shore.

[mocokid]

YEs, thanks, what LPGA tourney did Jamie farr host? or did he

[BIG STU]

> @smashdn said:

> If Sara Lee counts that was the sponsor for the LPGA in Nashville for a few years.

 

I do not know if Sara Lee was a real person---- I know that company was into bakery goods and textiles. They had the best Coffee cake in the world----- On the textile end they were into ladies fashion

[smashdn]

I don't think she is. But at any rate nobody does it like Sara Lee.

[BC33]

The John Deere Classic was the Ed McMahon Quad Cities Open from 75-79 I believe.

[mocokid]

E> @BC33 said:

> The John Deere Classic was the Ed McMahon Quad Cities Open from 75-79 I believe.

 

Excellent, thanks.

[NRJyzr]

> @"BIG STU" said:

> > @smashdn said:

> > If Sara Lee counts that was the sponsor for the LPGA in Nashville for a few years.

>

> I do not know if Sara Lee was a real person---- I know that company was into bakery goods and textiles. They had the best Coffee cake in the world----- On the textile end they were into ladies fashion

 

> @smashdn said:

> I don't think she is. But at any rate nobody does it like Sara Lee.

 

 

Sara Lee is a real person, but was the daughter of a man who owned a bakery chain, the Kitchens of Sara Lee. He decided to name the bakeries after his daughter.

 

In the 50s, they were acquired by a corporation. Said corp made the move to the Sara Lee Corporation name in 1985.

 

So sayeth the intarwebs

[BIG STU]

I worked as a driver briefly for a trucking company. Sara Lee on the textile end was one of their largest customers. ( I was not on that account) anyhow they used to haul out of the Piedmont area of NC where all the hosiery mills were. Then Sara Lee started importing hosiery out of Mexico. The trucking company ran teams out of Eagle Pass Texas which is sorta south central Texas up to a warehouse in Winston Salem NC. That warehouse itself was a former textile mill that was stripped of it's looms and spinning frames and was one big empty building. You can guess where the machinery went. Like Smash said no body does it like Sara Lee

[dbdors]

> @mocokid said:

> YEs, thanks, what LPGA tourney did Jamie farr host? or did he

What is now the Marathon Classic, just outside Toledo in Sylvania

[NRJyzr]

> @"BIG STU" said:

> I worked as a driver briefly for a trucking company. Sara Lee on the textile end was one of their largest customers. ( I was not on that account) anyhow they used to haul out of the Piedmont area of NC where all the hosiery mills were. Then Sara Lee started importing hosiery out of Mexico. The trucking company ran teams out of Eagle Pass Texas which is sorta south central Texas up to a warehouse in Winston Salem NC. That warehouse itself was a former textile mill that was stripped of it's looms and spinning frames and was one big empty building. You can guess where the machinery went. Like Smash said no body does it like Sara Lee

 

The new American Way, Stu. The CEOs need that thirteenth Bentley in the garage at the summer estate, and the stockholders need to get those extra dimes of dividends.

[mocokid]

> @dbdors said:

> > @mocokid said:

> > YEs, thanks, what LPGA tourney did Jamie farr host? or did he

> What is now the Marathon Classic, just outside Toledo in Sylvania

 

THanks for all of the updates guys.

[smashdn]

> @"BIG STU" said:

> I worked as a driver briefly for a trucking company. Sara Lee on the textile end was one of their largest customers. ( I was not on that account) anyhow they used to haul out of the Piedmont area of NC where all the hosiery mills were. Then Sara Lee started importing hosiery out of Mexico. The trucking company ran teams out of Eagle Pass Texas which is sorta south central Texas up to a warehouse in Winston Salem NC. That warehouse itself was a former textile mill that was stripped of it's looms and spinning frames and was one big empty building. You can guess where the machinery went. Like Smash said no body does it like Sara Lee

 

Speaking of NC and long-standing industries pulling out of there, my wife was the assistant manager at a furniture store when the furniture business was in the process of moving everything into China. Most everything that had for a long time been coming from NC was shifting. Old Dominion freight and several other freight companies had a good deal of their business tied up in the furniture freight business. The world furniture market is in High Point. It has drastically shrunk too. Shifted around and fractured. Markets are now in Tupelo and Las Vegas.

[BIG STU]

> @smashdn said:

> > @"BIG STU" said:

> > I worked as a driver briefly for a trucking company. Sara Lee on the textile end was one of their largest customers. ( I was not on that account) anyhow they used to haul out of the Piedmont area of NC where all the hosiery mills were. Then Sara Lee started importing hosiery out of Mexico. The trucking company ran teams out of Eagle Pass Texas which is sorta south central Texas up to a warehouse in Winston Salem NC. That warehouse itself was a former textile mill that was stripped of it's looms and spinning frames and was one big empty building. You can guess where the machinery went. Like Smash said no body does it like Sara Lee

>

> Speaking of NC and long-standing industries pulling out of there, my wife was the assistant manager at a furniture store when the furniture business was in the process of moving everything into China. Most everything that had for a long time been coming from NC was shifting. Old Dominion freight and several other freight companies had a good deal of their business tied up in the furniture freight business. The world furniture market is in High Point. It has drastically shrunk too. Shifted around and fractured. Markets are now in Tupelo and Las Vegas.

 

Old Dominion Trucking is doing well and has gotten big. I guess they learned quickly how to diversify. A guy I used to work with way back in the day is the Terminal Manager in Florence SC. Yep there used to be a bunch of "stick hauling companies" out of the Triad

[miamistomp]

Old thread but as a South Florida guy wanted to mention The Jackie Gleason Inverrary Classic I think it is the Honda now

 

[Yuck]

What about the BC open? I know it was a comic strip, but it’s characters were minor Celebs. A couple of the Characters (F.B & C.C) had to be renamed to conform to “ modern sensibilities”.

[mocokid]

Thanks, had the inverrary in the original post. And away we go!!!

[miamistomp]

missed it under the top sentence, sorry

How about the   frank Sinatra Invitational- ? only ran one year

 

Only remember that one because I had read something about wins by Monday qualifiers

Frank Beard won after qualifying on Monday ( pre ZZ Topp ...) ;)

[mocokid]

Great, never knew ole blue eyes sponsored a tourney.

[miamistomp]

Gatlin Brothers Southwest Golf Classic

[Gsea]

Think I better dust this weekend lol

[mocokid]

2 thumbs up for the FS golf ball. a real rarity.

[Richard 77]

Doug Sanders hosted a celebrity tournament in Houston. Had a lot of famous people there. I was in the pro shop/clubs house when a thunderstorm hit and they all congregated there. Met a bunch of them, Fred Mc Murray, Jimmy Dean, Alan Hale , Lesley neilson, Robert Stack , Gene Barry, . Just a few I remember but all very cordial. Doug Sanders

was the peacock of the tour with totally coordinated clothes. Shoes and gloves dyed to match slacks, sweaters, shirts. He loved the ladies and they loved him

They said his swing was so short he could swing in a phone booth. Tour was totally different then