Walter Hagen

Lore & Background

Born in Rochester, New York, Hagen came from a working-class family of German descent. His parents were William and Louisa (Boelke) Hagen. His father worked as a millwright and blacksmith in Rochester's railroad-car shops. Walter was the second of William and Louisa's five children and the only son. Hagen developed his golf game at the Country Club of Rochester, beginning as a caddie, and earned money to help support his family from pre-teen age. He earned ten cents per round and was occasionally tipped another five cents. Hagen played golf at every chance he got; caddie access to the course was limited to off-peak times, as it was elsewhere in the U.S. during that era. Hagen, with assistance from head professional Alfred Ricketts, gradually improved his golf skill to the stage where he was an expert player by his mid-teens, and was then hired by the club to give lessons to club members and to work in the pro shop.

In Their Own Story

The wind off the lake at Bandon was cutting, the kind that turns a par five into a gauntlet. Hagen stood over his driver, the crowd hushed behind the rope, and he did what he always did first: he talked. "Ladies and gentlemen," he boomed, his voice carrying over the gull cries, "this is the shot that'll either put me in the clubhouse for dinner or in the ocean for a swim. I do hope you'll enjoy the swim. It's free."

He swung. The ball screamed down the fairway, a white thread stitching the grey sky to the green. A murmur. A gasp. The ball stopped three feet from the pin. Hagen turned, raised one hand, and winked at the gallery as if they'd all just been let in on a private joke. His caddie, quiet as ever, simply nodded and handed him the next club. That was the ritual. That was the show. And the crowd, God bless them, never wanted it to end.

Reader's Guide

Hagen made his top-class professional debut at age 19 at the 1912 Canadian Open, placing 11th. He followed up with a surprise 4th place showing at the 1913 U.S. Open at Brookline. He vowed to play in the 1914 U.S. Open and 'win it,' and he did exactly that. Hagen was also very skilled at baseball, primarily as a pitcher and shortstop. He canceled a 1914 tryout for the Philadelphia Phillies in order to play in a golf tournament. Later that week, Hagen was the U.S. Open Champion. Hagen was a key figure in the development of professional golf. He emerged in an era when the division between amateurs and professionals was often stark. Golf professionals were not allowed to partake of the facilities of the clubhouse, and were not allowed to enter the clubhouse by the front door. On one occasion, at the 1920 Open in Deal, Kent, Hagen hired a Pierce-Arrow car to serve as his private dressing room, because he was refused entrance to the clubhouse dressing room. On another occasion, he refused to enter a clubhouse to claim his prize because he had earlier been denied entrance. At the 1914 Midlothian Open he brazenly entered the clubhouse then mingled with the rich members, which permanently opened the doors. The 1920 U.S. Open in Toledo marked a turning point; the players, encouraged by Hagen, donated a large grandfather clock to the host Inverness Club, in appreciation of the club allowing access for the professionals to their clubhouse during the tournament. Hagen represented the Country Club of Rochester early in his professional competitive career. Beginning in 1918, Walter Hagen served as the first club professional at Oakland Hills Country Club, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He worked for Oakland Hills until 1919, and then became the first touring professional unaffiliated with a club. In 1924, Hagen was president and co-owner of the Bear Creek Golf and Country Club associated with Jack Taylor's Pasadena-On-The-Gulf development in St. Petersburg, Florida. Due to influence from the public, the name was changed to the Boca Ciega Golf and Country Club and ultimately the Pasadena Yacht and Country Club. Hagen was a dashing and assertive character who raised the status of professional golfers and improved their earnings. Throughout his career, he played hundreds of exhibition matches. Hagen was also widely known for his dashing wardrobe while playing. Hagen also mad

Did You Know?

• Hagen won the U.S. Open twice: in 1914 and 1919.
• He won The Open Championship four times: 1922, 1924, 1928, and 1929.
• Hagen won the PGA Championship five times: 1921, 1924, 1925, 1926, and 1927.
• He was the first native-born American to win The Open Championship, in 1922.
• Hagen captained the United States in the first six Ryder Cups and played on the first five U.S. teams.