Bill Campbell Loved His Golf Fast And Firm

Michael Bamberger with what figures to be the first of many fine remembrances of amateur golfing great Bill Campbell.

Campbell died last week.

Bill was the captain of the 1955 U.S. Walker Cup team that defeated, handily, the GBI team at the Old Course. He loved Scotland and golf as it is played in Scotland. He was of the firm and fast and brown tradition. People talk about it all the time, but not enough people are really committed to it.

Bill was lanky and strong, good at many sports, and he told me about the long-drive contests that used to be held annually at the Masters, before the advent of the Par 3 Tournament in 1960. It was a way of drawing -- yes -- paying customers. In '51, Campbell won the contest. His winning poke was 328 yards, three longer than Sam Snead's. (See the benefits of firm and fast?) Snead was 11 years older than Campbell and the two West Virginians knew each other well.

"How'd you do that?" Snead asked.

"Easy, Sam," Campbell said, "I used one of your drivers." Campbell's driver had come out of the one of Snead's bags at the Greenbrier.

Snead said, "I want it back!"