“Perhaps one of the reasons Travers was so successful as a match player was a cold, inscrutable personality that probably contributed to an intimidation factor. According to the World Golf Hall of Fame, Chick Evans once called Travers ‘the coldest, hardest golfer I ever knew,’ and his teacher Alex Smith referred to him as ‘the greatest competitor I have ever known.’
“For the last 10 years of his life, Travers worked as an aircraft engine inspector for the Pratt & Whitney aviation company. He also taught golf to his fellow employees.”
This is a great article on the greatest amateur golfer no one seems to remember—Jerry Travers. I’m not a golfer and am certainly not a student of the game, but I know enough to know that the name Bobby Jones is usually the answer to any trivia question relating to great amateur golfers. I had never heard of Jerry Travers until I found an old hammock rope support on eBay and researched the patent marking (his family made a fortune in ropes and hammocks). I bought that support for a few bucks and learned some interesting history in the process.
I’m hoping I have the chance to answer “Jerry Travers!” in response to a trivia question someday, knowing I’ll likely be wrong.
