Chuck Kocsis
Michigan’s greatest amateur talks about the Masters’ “peewee golf greens,” the Crow’s Nest, not playing with Nicklaus, being paired with brash Toski and more.
Taking liberties with the excellent book “Forever Scratch” by the late golf writer Vartan Kupelian about Chuck Kocsis, I’ve reconstructed a conversation with the famed Michigan amateur about his memories of playing in the Masters. Kocsis, recognized by the Golf Association of Michigan as its ‘Player of the 20th Century’ in 2003, is often compared to iconic amateurs Bobby Jones and Chick Evans. He played in 11 Masters, the most by far for any Michigan amateur. —Terry Moore
What are your earliest memories of playing in the Masters?
Kocsis: I have many fond memories of Augusta National when Bob Jones was its host and Clifford Roberts was the master of ceremonies. Upstairs in the informal cozy little locker room there were no lockers, only a wall closet to hang your jacket. Small tilting drawers under a leather-topped bench were to store your shoes.The center of the room was comfortably arranged with tables, chairs and lounge sofa. It was commonplace to see and hear Sam Snead or Jimmy Demaret entertaining four or five players with stories about the day’s play, good or bad.
Any special stories about Bobby Jones?
Kocsis: Bobby was very nice to me, regularly inviting me to dinner at the club during the tournament. At one of those dinners, Bobby gave me a Calamity Jane putter, one of the originals (the type he made famous using).The next day I told my caddie about the gift and he told me Bobby gave him a putter, as well. He didn’t play golf so he offered it to me. He wouldn’t take payment so I paid him doubled for caddying.
Where did you stay during the Masters?
Kocsis: I regularly stayed in the Crow’s Nest, the small dormer above the locker room set aside for amateurs. At other times, I rented a room at the local YMCA and even rented a private home. One year after a practice round with Clifford Roberts and Ed Eisenhower, the president’s brother, Ed invited to me to share his double room at the club. But he moved out the third night without telling me. I always wondered whether my snoring was responsible. He never would admit it. His only answer was he thought I would sleep better.
What was your assessment of Augusta National?
Kocsis: I agree with Lee Trevino that the golf course is a big hitters paradise—wide fairways, no rough (until recently, and then not much at all to speak of), and big greens. The only thing that makes it difficult is what I call the peewee golf greens. If it were not for the extreme terrain on the greens and lightning speeds, they would shoot 64 every round. The long hitters are always favored because you can put more spin on the ball with an 8-iron, 9-iron, or pitching wedge than you can with a 5-iron or 6-iron. The tee shots favor the big hitters because on many holes the ability to carry over a hill is a bonus.
You must’ve been paired with a host of famous golfers during the Masters?
Kocsis: I played in the Masters through the era of Horton Smith, Snead, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. I played with them all, if not in the tournament then in practice rounds. All except Nicklaus. When Jack came to the Masters as an amateur he stayed in the Crows’s Nest with the rest of the amateurs. We played bridge in the evening—Jack, Deane Beman, Billy Jo Patton and Bill Campbell.
One night during the card game, Patton said to me, “Are you playing with us tomorrow?” I asked who and he said, “Jack, Deane and me.”
I said, “No, it’s not fun playing with you and Jack. I don’t enjoy being outdriven 50 to 70 yards.” So I never played with Jack, but I did offer to caddie for him as recently as the National Open at Oakland Hills in 1996. (Note: In ’96, Kocsis was 83 years old!)
Did you ever have a bad pairing at the Masters?
Kocsis: I never had a bad pairing at the Masters. I have always said no one had better or more enjoyable pairings than me at the Masters. Every year, I played with an international player. They sometimes couldn’t speak our language but it was fun. I played with Henry Cotton, who was England’s Walter Hagen and Nicklaus rolled into one; Gary Player from South Africa; and Australia’s Norm Von Nida, among others.
You have a revealing story about being paired with Bob Toski.
Kocsis: In the 1952 Masters, Toski was on the first tee paired with me with the gallery all around. Toski made a remark that the committee did a poor job with the pairings and he, Toski, should be playing with Snead, Nelson or one of the players of that order. He couldn’t understand being paired with an amateur. He even said amateurs shouldn’t be allowed in the tournament. Upon hearing this one of my Detroit friends called over Toski and talked to him. I didn’t hear the conversation but I learned later that my friend bet Toski $600 ($7,000 in today’s money!) I would beat him that day. And I did. In fact, he made another bet with Toski later in the tournament when we weren’t paired together. I won again after being the low amateur.
Talk more about that tournament.
Kocsis: The key was my play over the last two rounds. On the weekend, there strong winds and just awful weather. I beat the field in those two rounds, going 71-73. I shot 75-78-71-73—297 earning the Silver-Gold Cup as the Low Amateur. Sam Snead shot 70-67-77-72—286 and earned $4,000.
Was the Masters always a special place, as it is now?
Kocsis: It was to me. Several times I told myself I wouldn’t accept another invitation to the Masters, but that would only deprive me personally of all the nice things at the tournament besides golf. The mystique and atmosphere of the place, the people you meet, the surroundings—all unmatched at any event I have ever attended. The people and galleries are always courteous and appreciative of the players far and away above any sporting event you will ever see. It’s probably because they are themselves golfers and appreciate the game and its etiquette.
Note: Again, my thanks and appreciation for the use of these largely verbatim conversations taken from Vartan Kupelian’s “Forever Scratch; Chuck Kocsis–An Amateur for the Ages” published by Ann Arbor Media Group in 2007. Kupelian was the long time-golf writer for the Detroit News. Like Kocsis, Kupelian was a member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. He died in 2020. Chuck Kocsis passed away in 2006. He was 93. More about Kocsis may be found at www.mghof.org
