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Biography of Walter HagenName: Walter HagenBirth Date: December 21, 1892 Death Date: October 5, 1969 Place of Birth: New York, New York, United States Nationality: American Gender: Male Occupations: golfer Walter Hagen Walter Hagen (1892-1969), often referred to by golf fans as "Sir Walter" or "The Haig," was the first superstar of American golf. Hagen earned his fame by winning tournaments with spectacular recovery shots and unmatched putting ability, skills that made up for his unpredictable tee shots. He is remembered as a master gamesman with an uncanny ability to remain relaxed and make the game of golf fun.Hagen was born in Rochester, New York, on December 21, 1892, into a middle-class family of Dutch descent. His parents were William, a blacksmith for auto shops, and Louise Balko Hagen. As a child Hagen excelled at both golf and baseball. He became the leading baseball pitcher in the district, honing his fastball in his backyard after teaching his sister to catch for him. He was also exposed to golf at an early age, shagging balls at the Country Club of Rochester by the age of …showed first 150 words…
…showed last 150 words…presence. As Sir Walter, Hagen was both golf star and entertainer. Wind concludes, "Great as he was as a golfer, he was even greater as a personality-an artist with a sense of timing so infallible that he could make tying his shoelaces seem more dramatic than the other guy's hole-in-one." Hagen was named a charter member of the PGA Hall of Fame in 1940 and retired the following year. He died in Traverse City, Michigan, on October 5, 1969. Further Reading Hagen, Walter and Margaret Seaton Heck. The Walter Hagen Story by The Haig, Himself. Simon and Schuster, 1956.Rice, Grantland. The Tumult and the Shooting: My Life in Sport. A. S. Barnes and Company, 1954.Wind, Herbert Warren. The Story of American Golf: Its Champions and its Championships. Simon and Schuster, 1956.Golf Magazine, 34 (August 1991): 68-70; 35 (January 1993): 62-64; 39 (December 1997): 48-56."Walter Charles Hagen," Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 8: 1966-1970. American Council of Learned Societies, 1988. http://www.galenet.com (December 21, 2000). |