Just For Fun
75th Anniversary of The Great Golf Marathon of 1938 and Golf’s Strangest Bet
Take one amateur golfer with an ego the size of Texas, add a huge sum of money and an impossible time table, and what do you get? Perhaps golf;s strangest bet of all time.
King of Clubs: The Great Golf Marathon of 1938, is a the true story of a Chicago stockbroker named Smith Ferebee who bet $20,000 in Virginia land and cash, which eventually rose to $100,000 ($1.6 million today) that he could play 600 holes of golf over 4 consecutive days in 8 different cities, starting in Los Angeles and ending in New York.
Here’s the kicker, there were no golf carts in those days, meaning Ferebee would have to walk or run about 200 miles in order to complete all 600 holes in time. Even more amazing, Ferebee was certainly no pro. In fact, this enthusiastic stockbroker carried anywhere between a 10 and a 15 handicap. Oh, and did we mention that to win the bet Ferebee had to break 100 in every round he played?
The marathon took place in 1938 from Sept. 25th to the 28th, and included stops at Lakeside in Burbank and Encanto in Phoenix on 9/25; Blue Hills in Kansas City and Norwood Hills in St. Louis on 9/26; Tuckaway in Milwaukee and Olympia Fields in Chicago on 9-27; and North Hills in Philadelphia and finally Salisbury CC (now Eisenhower Red) in New York on the 28th.
Author Jim Ducibella intended for his readers to understand that this gutsy stockbroker wasn’t just hopping from course to course in one State; he was playing his way across the entire country! It wasn’t easy, as you’ll learn from the story, and Ducibella certainly leaves you on the edge of your seat as he provides a course-by-course overview detailing the many obstacles that Ferebee encountered. From bad weather to physical ailments taking their toll, Ferebee struggled to shoot under 100 in each round or face losing the bet (and a ton of money). Throughout the challenge Ferebee had to always tee up his own ball, remove it from the hole, and maintain his stamina to shoot below the target score.
So did he win the bet?
Wouldn’t you like to know…but we’re not going to be the spoiler. You can pick up Ducibella’s book “King of Clubs: The Great Golf Marathon of 1938” on Amazon or if you’re as impatient as we are you can download the Kindle version immediately.
About the Author:
Jim Ducibella is the author of King of Clubs: The Great Golf Marathon of 1938. Ducibella’s book has received outstanding reviews from Augusta.com and other major media sources.
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