Shell's Wonderful World of Golf Tony Lema vs Peter Alliss
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Tony Lema meets Peter Alliss at the Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda on Shell's Wonderful World of Golf. Lema would perish, along with his wife, Betty, in a plane crash shortly after the filming of this match. The producers asked his mother, Clotilda, if they should broadcast the match and she told them to go ahead as that would be what Tony wanted.
I remember when Dad played this match against Tony Lema, they became very good friends, Dad was devastated when Tony was killed. The greens in Bermuda were very bumpy, which ruined Dad's already fragile confidence, but God, his putting was dreadful. Mind you, he made a lot of money, eventually, on the back of three putting. Tony said your Dad killed me from tee to green. They fought out a great half in the Ryder Cup also. If anybody's interested look up a very brief clip on Vimeo of my grandad Percy Alliss losing the playoff to Walter Hagen for the 1931 Canadian Open Championship
Thanks for the story, Gary! I do a weekly newsletter that documents the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s. It's free and available on Substack. It's called Tour Backspin. I also do a podcast called The Tour Backspin Show. I would love to interview you about your father, and grandfather, sometime. Thanks again for the story.
@@tourbackspin Yes, that'd be OK when I get back to UK, be delighted. Larry.
Gary, had the pleasure of working with your Dad over here for ABC and ESPN. Nothing fancy, just as a "gopher" for him. I have worked with a lot of commentators and he was one of the nicest men I worked with. I hope he would be proud that I made it as a full time commentator here in the US. He gave me a few nice golf tips...the magic triangle and using more hands and arms in my swing, I remember well. Always think of him when I go out to play a round. @gary alliss
@Craig Braddick Dad would be very pleased you became a full time commentator. Those tips he gave you came straight from my Grandad Percy!!! Mind you Percy was the first of all us Allisses, a great player and teacher, way ahead of his time 100 years ago. He taught me once a week back in the late 50s. Looking back I wish he'd never suffered his stroke that left him literally speechless in his last years. Plus, I wonder if I could have been a .ore successful player if I hadn't stopped playing from 13 to 18 yrs old. All the best, Craig. Gary
Your dad, Gary, was the best golf commentator of all time! No one will ever come close to him! The greatest! Great player too!
I really never saw Peter Alliss as a player. I only knew him as a golf commentator. Footage of Tony Lema is just golden.
Thanks for watching, Jeff! If you like PGA TOUR history from this era, check out my FREE Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack or at tourbackspin.com.
I’ll confess I did not realize Peter was a golfer, yet alone an accomplished one.
@@chevy4x466 Thanks for watching. You can learn more about the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s in the Tour Backspin free weekly newsletter. Find it on Substack or sign up at tourbackspin.com.
This is so wonderful. My grandpa & I used to watch this when I was younger, he & my grandmother were avid golfers and we would watch Shell Wonderful World of Golf every time it was on and he would cut me a cigar , talk about golf and drink scotch together. Thanks for the video and great memories!!
Thanks for watching and for the wonderful story. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR, check out the free weekly Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com/
I played the "Lima" course in San Leandro a hundreds of times . It was a shame they changed the name to Monarch Bay. It will always be the Lima to us old timers.
Champagne Tony lives on in San Leandro.
this is my Home course on the Marina. Its a treasure, and we are blessed!
This program was the best golf show ever. Too bad they don't do it today. Look at the condition of this course compared to today's courses. Holy moly. And the speed of the greens is probably like 7 on the Stimp Meter. lol
I'd be surprised if they reached 7, @rheffner3! Loved the Shell shows. Watch for more to be posted from me. If you like history of the PGA TOUR from this era, check out my free Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin". larrybaush.substack.com. I've also written a biography on Tony Lema called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available at Amazon. Thanks for watching!
Learnt my game on sand greens
Great to see this, as I played the course back in 1982. I have two happy memories - a 4 at the iconic 5th. then at the short 7th `i got on the front of the green, stepped back to look at the line of the putt and dropped into the left sided water. The caddy tried to suppress a laugh, but just said" I've never seen that before". He suggested I put on my waterproofs and hand in the trousers at the 9th... and brilliantly they were washed & pressed when I got to the clubhouse at 18. Happy memories of playing there and four other courses that week - Castle Harbour, Port Royal, a 9 holer (forgetten name) and the par 3 Southampton Princess.
Thanks for the great story! If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free weekly newsletter, Tour Backspin on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com/ It's free and comes out every Thursday. Subscribe to both the newsletter and this TH-cam channel for free. Thanks for watching and you story cracked me up.😂
@@tourbackspin Will do. I am a poor golfer and had some pretty high scores on the course, but I got my drive way over the water at the 5th. then chipped up stiff to get a par4 and the short hole plunge was really funny. Will have a look at your Tour Backspin. If you haven't seen the finish to our Scottish Open at the weekend, do check the two second shots by Bob MacIntyre and Rory which were both exceptional in the conditions.
@@Chazthefurr Yes, saw both shots. What a great finish. So looking forward to The Open this week. Take care!
Great footage. Nice to see what a fine ball striker Peter Alliss was. Imagine if he’d had the putting ability of someone like Spieth!
Agree. Did you notice he was using two different putting grips during the match?
@@tourbackspin Man that’s fascinating. Thanks for pointing that out. Also thank you for all of these uploads. I’m obsessed with the show and only just found it
His car registration plate was 'PUT 3' what a legend
Yes, had he been a decent putter, he would have won quite a few majors!
I mean these greens freaking sucked badly. Worse than your local muni. Stimp 7 and bumpy
A lovely programme
Thanks, Stephen! If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 70s, check out my FREE Substack newsletter "Tour Backspin". Subscribe here"larrybaush.substack.com
Gene was so refined. I wish we had Gene these days as a public role model. So sad the loss of Tony.
I couldn't agree more, Kenneth. I felt like Gene was an uncle. Thanks for the comment. If you like this sort of thing, I have a free email newsletter called "Tour Backspin" that tells the stories of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s. Give me your email address and I'll sign you up, or you can sign up at tourbackspin.com or search for Tour Backspin on substack.com. Thanks for viewing!
Agreed, sportsmanship in golf is truly waning ever since the players started getting paid way too much. The honor that was shown in winning but especially losing is clearly absent with many of the best in the game these days.
I golfed at Tony Lema Golf course in San Leandro, CA. LOL
Me too! Fun course. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out the free, weekly Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com
Lema's book Golfer's Gold is a must have. Great look at his career starting up and how the tour operated in the 60s.
I agree, George. I must have read that book a hundred times. Plus, I wrote a book on Tony Lema! It's called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema and it is available on Amazon. Plus, if you like history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter titled "Tour Backspin." Find it at larrybaush.substack.com.
I love watching swwog... I wish they still had it on TV .. love listening to the squire, Gene sarazen.
Me, too! If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, check out my Tour Backspin newsletter. It's free and it's on Substack. Check it out at larrybaush.substack.com. Thanks for watching.
Peter wrote in his autobiography that, following all his yipping, he suspected Tony missed that last putt deliberately, out of sympathy!".
That's a great story! If you like this kind of golf history, I have a FREE weekly newsletter called "Tour Backspin" that covers the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s. You can find it on Substack or at tourbackspin.com. Thanks for the comment.
These films are amazing. Thank you
Thanks Ptrek!
I'm watching this for Peter Alliss!
Did you notice him using two different putting grips? If you like PGA TOUR history, subscribe to my FREE Tour Backspin newsletter. Available at tourbackspin.com or Substack.
Thanks for this gem 😍👍🙏🙏🙏
Thanks for watching, Ramon. If you like this kind of golf history, I do a newsletter called Tour Backspin. It's FREE to sign up or read on Substack or at tourbackspin.com.
Exciting to see some of C.B.’s work on display
Pretty cool, huh? If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR, I do a weekly newsletter called Tour Backspin. You can find it on Substack or at tourbackspin .com
Memories are better than dreams
Great footage, the greens look like today's fairways and the fairways look like modern day rough!
Yeah, it was pretty rough conditions back in the day. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter called Tour Backspin. larrybaush.substack.com. You can also learn more about Tony Lema in my book "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon. Thank for watching.
470 yards par 5, wow
Yes Alan, he certainly did. My Dad met knew or worked with every winner of the Open Championship from 1900 to his death in 2020
I took one look at that first green and thought both players were in the first cut of rough! 😳
Edit: Also, looking at the spectators, I guess this footage is before the days McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell and Domino's became popular.
Yes, those greens were pretty shaggy. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free newsletter, "Tour Backspin," on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com.
Those greens….it’s like a fairway
Yeah, they were pretty shaggy. If you like the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free newsletter, "Tour Backspin," on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com
Greens look really bumpy. Alliss was a terrific commentator. Lema was a great player.
Yeah, course conditions were certainly different that what we expect today. Loved the commentary of Peter. It was fun to watch Tony play. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, I do a free weekly newsletter called Tour Backspin. You can find it on Substack or on tourbackspin.com. Thanks for watching!
@@tourbackspin I remember watching it.
Alliss was a hell of a player too😊
bet they had fun in the bar after the round. those 60's cats knew how to enjoy themselves. RIP both guys.
I agree! It would have been fun to be a fly on the wall when these two went out for the night. If you're into PGA TOUR history from this era, check out my Substack newsletter, Tour Backspin. larrybaush.substack.com/
Peter had one of the best swings in golf around that time
I agree! If he could only putt🙄 If you like this kind of history content from the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter called Tour Backspin. You'll also receive info on The Tour Backspin Show podcast. Find it at larrybaush.substack.com
Those greens look like our modern fairways.
Yeah, that Bermuda grass was not easy to putt on. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out the free weekly Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com/ Thanks for watching!
Hard to believe. I have seen better looking cattle fields than those greens 😄
Yeah, pretty rough. Agronomy has come a long way since then.
@@tourbackspin Superb upload and footage. In the days of full course irrigation, it is no wonder golf relies on brute power so much now. The technology takes most hazards out of play. That cliche about the good old days, certainly holds true here.
Peter had an awful day on the putter though. This match should have been done by the 14th.
@@jamesrobert4106 Did you notice that Peter used two different putting grips that round? Cross handed for shorter putts, conventional for longer putts. If you're into PGA TOUR history from this era, I do a FREE weekly newsletter called Tour Backspin that covers the tour from the 1960s and 1970s. Each week I tell a story from that era that shares some DNA with the tournament being played on the PGA TOUR the same week. Shoot me off your email and I'll sign you up (or you can find it on Substack). It's free, unsubscribe at any time.
Yes they were terrible
Tony Lema was such a natural. I heard him once say he went with what he had that day, LR or RL, but straight was good as well. Those Bermudanese goats did a fine job
Yes, Cindy, he was a natural. If you're into history of the PGA TOUR, check out my free Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin". Read it at larrybaush.substack.com . Thanks for watching!
Those greens remind me of Augusta…. Fairways
That's a good one! If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR during this era, check out Tour Backspin on Substack. It's a free newsletter I do. larrybaush.substack.com
Today's fairways are cut sharper than the greens of yesteryear.
Right? It's amazing what they have done with turf. If you're into this era of golf, check out the FREE Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. Shines a spotlight on the 1960s and 1970s. larrybaush.substack.com/
odd looking greens...looked like a cut lawn and about the same speed...great to watch though...
Yeah, greens back then were very shaggy. Thanks for watching. If you're into history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s subscribe to this channel and check out my FREE weekly newsletter, Tour Backspin, on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com. I also just posted the Lema vs De Vicenzo Shell's Wonderful World of Golf, check it out. Thanks again.
Peter Thomson said that Tony Lema was a marvellous ball striker
You are correct, @jacktattis. Thomson had a lot of respect for Lema's game. If you're into the history of this era, or Tony Lema, check out my book "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon, or my free Substack newsletter, "Tour Backspin." larrybaush.substack.com. Thanks for watching!
@@tourbackspin I started in 1956 just before Thomson won his third British Open in a row. Here in Australia it was R&A rules, small balls, sand greens great times
Imagine a pro these days if they were faced with bumpy greens like these.
Yeah, those greens were brutal. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin" (larrybaush.substack.com) or my book on Tony Lema called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon.
Gary, quick question, did your dad hit with his right hand and arm through impact and steer with his left hand? Cheers
My Dad, extraordinarily, found the game very simple. His Dad Percy, told him he had to get a more orthodox grip when he was about 14 and already a scratch golfer. This he found tough, but persevered. After that he always said to me, " I see the ball flying very straight so I line the club up, get my body and feet parallel. Then in my mind the ball looks like a bullet I just have to smack it on its flat a..e end and it will go where I've aimed. Your hands hang on, your arms swing and the clubface hits the ball. All sounds a bit old fashioned in 2023, but all the body motions, this that and the other won't send the ball anywhere unless your arms swing the club. The gospel according to over 100 years of Allisses!
@@garyalliss500 Thanks for your answer Gary. Good visualization is very important, totally agree. All the best to you.
I get nervous at the thought of trying to hole 5 footers on those mint greens
Yeah, I hear ya. They were pretty rough. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter, "Tour Backspin" at larrybaush.substack.com. If you want to learn more about Tony Lema, my biography of him "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" is available on Amazon. Thanks for watching.
Those greens look rough
Yeah, that Bermuda grass was bumpy. If you're into history of the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s, check out the weekly Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com/
what do they mean when they say one was playing the "small ball" and the other was playing the "large ball" ??
At that time, The R&A rules stipulated a smaller ball than the USGA did. In countries that played under the R&A rules, you could use either. In 1974, the R&A made using the larger ball mandatory in The Open Championship and in 1990 they finally outlawed the smaller ball all together.
Small ball diameter was 1.62 inches, and larger ball that we use today, is 1.68 inches in diameter.
I turned pro in December 1973 and always played the 1.68" ball as a pro, but the ones we could get in UK were awful, went out of shape weren't always to size. It was very difficult and expensive to get hold of Titleist balls from USA. We young pros were delighted when we could get the Australian Slazenger B51 1.68 ball.
50 years ago and a world away from tour golf today.!😉🏌♂️
@@bigknocker2264 There was supposed to be a compromise and 1.64 inches was proposed. The US ball manufacturers threatened litigation and we now have the large ball I liked the small ball . Out here we used B51,Dunlop 65, Spalding Hot Dot and Penfolds The Penfolds were good I believe Gary Player used them out here and won 7 Australian Opens ?????? might be 8
@@tourbackspin I would say the USGA forced the issue .
Peter alliss was the best golfer 🏌️ that has ever lived, he was once quoted to say 🏌️👍
Thanks for watching Sidney! If you like PGA history from this era, I publish a newsletter each week that covers the 1960s and 1970s. You can sign up for it here: www.tourbackspin.com/tour-backspin-newsletter-sign-up/
Not much run on those fairways
Courses back then were not maintained to the standards they are today. Thanks for watching. You can subscribe to the Tour Backspin newsletter for more stories about the PGA Tour during this era at: www.tourbackspin.com/tour-backspin-newsletter-sign-up/
Wish I could have watched Lee Trevino.
Tony did a poor job of hiding his disappointment - £5K in those days would have bought you a nice house
You're right, Crispy, Tony wore his emotions on his sleeve. For more on Tony, check out my biography of him called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon (www.amazon.com/Uncorked-Life-Times-Champagne-Tony/dp/069293104X/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1). I also do a weekly newsletter titled Tour Backspin that you can read for free on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com Thanks for watching!
Here in Sydney back in the 50s 5K pounds would buy you 6 duplexes
Funny, Palmer and Nicklaus constantly made reference to the conditions of some of the courses they had to play on in the early days. By today’s standards, this course is in horrible shape😄
And this was one of the better ones!
Wow…how dry were those greens….shoukd of callled then browns lol
Yeah, they were pretty rough. If you like PGA TOUR history from this time, check out my free Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin". larrybaush.substack.com
Peter Alliss probably was the worst putter in pro golf, if he was half as good putter as his wood and iron play he would have been a great golfer, but he was a great golf commentator. Tony Lema won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He died two years later at age 32 in an aircraft accident near Chicago.
Following the PGA Championship at Firestone in Akron in late July 1966, Lema and his wife Betty chartered an airplane to fly them to an exhibition tournament south of Chicago: the Little Buick Open at Lincolnshire Country Club in Crete, Illinois. The twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza, piloted by Doris Mullen, ran out of fuel and crashed into a water hazard short of the seventh green of the nine-hole golf course at Lansing Sportsman's Club in Lansing (41.5545°N 87.5242°W), about a half mile (0.8 km) northwest of their destination, Lansing Municipal Airport. During the fatal plunge, Mullen swerved left to avoid a group of people standing near the clubhouse. In addition to the Lemas and Mullen, who was a mother of four teenaged children, Dr. George Bard, the copilot and a surgeon, was killed. Bard and Mullen's husband, Wylie, were colleagues as well as owners of the ill-fated plane.
Lema, age 32 and his wife, Betty, age 30, were buried in California.
Anthony David Lema (February 25, 1934 - July 24, 1966) - Peter Alliss (28 February 1931 - 5 December 2020)
Thanks for the great memories boys, see ya soon.
That's a great wrap-up of the plane crash, @djelalhassan7631. I go in depth on it in my book, "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon. You also might want to check out my FREE weekly newsletter on Substack, "Tour Backspin" that covers the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s. larrybaush.substack.com Thanks for watching!
@@tourbackspin Thanks mate, I check out the books.
no fat people at this time
Peter Alliss should have been called Jabba the Putt.
@geoffkeen8389 Ha! That's great. Did you notice that he used two different grips depending on the length of the putt. He sure looked uncomfortable. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s ad 1970s, check out my free Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin" at larrybaush.substack.com. You can also learn more about Tony Lema in my book "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon. Thanks for watching.
tony and his wife and their female pilot who ran out of gas were all killed. can u imagine not putting enough gas in your friggin plane?
Actually, the plane had two gas tanks. The pilot was suppose to switch over to the second tank before landing. She either switched and then switched back or forgot to switch.
@@tourbackspin Goes to show you that most accidents are pilot error, almost 99.99999 percent of the time
@@tourbackspin it surprises me that they died because i don't think the plane had a nose down impact. perhaps Tony hit his head or wasn't buckled in, perhaps in those days they didn't wear seat belts but wow, tony chartered this plane because he had a few extra bucks in his pocket I suppose from the British Open victory over Jack Nickalaus. And how tragic is that, chartering to a local charity event and then somehow dying in the crash that didn't seem that bad. I wonder what the pilot injuries were because I don't see that the cockpit was smashed in. I just don't understand what happened, they should have all survived.
@@harpoon_bakery162 The plane caught fire and all on board were killed. The plane had two gas tanks. The pilot error was not switching from the empty tank to the full tank. The gas in the full tank ignited on impact. www.efootage.com/videos/86699/tony-lema-plane-crash
Those greens look atrocious
Tony Lima died of an aircraft Crash on a golf course imagine the irony
Putting greens are terrible
Yes, by today's standards. Back then, most Bermuda greens were that bad. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, check out my FREE Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin" at larrybaush.substack.com
The faiways today are better than these greens.
Pretty amazing, isn't it? If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR during this era, check out my Substack newsletter called "Tour Backspin" at larrybaush.substack.com. I also have a biography on Tony Lema called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" that is available on Amazon. Thanks for watching!
Greens look awful 😢
Yeah, to the modern eye, they look awful, but back then, they were pretty typical of Bermuda greens. If you're into PGA TOUR history from this era, you should check out the Tour Backspin newsletter. You can sign up for it for free at: www.tourbackspin.com/tour-backspin-newsletter-sign-up/ Thanks for the comment!
Wah men* pilots.😠
to give some perspective they were playing for a purse of about $90,000 in today's money
I know, crazy, right? If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my free newsletter, Tour Backspin on Substack. larrybaush.substack.com and subscribe to this TH-cam channel. Thanks for watching.
Fiat daylight robbery, Inflation is the biggest tax we pay.
Peter allis. Putting was ridiculous
These greens are trash
By today's standards. Back then they weren't so bad. If you're into the history of the PGA TOUR during this era, check out my Substack called "Tour Backspin" (larrybaush.substack.com) I also have a book on Tony Lema called "Uncorked, The Life and Times of Champagne Tony Lema" available on Amazon. Thanks for watching.
Those greens though wtf lol like playing a 5$ dog track
Yeah, they're brutal aren't they? If you're into history of the PGA TOUR in the 1960s and 1970s, check out my Tour Backspin newsletter on Substack. It's free and comes out every thursday. larrybaush.substack.com