Gene Littler

[Jackfan]

Sad loss of a true gentleman with one of the greatest swings of all time. RIP

[IsaacK]

I was at the Surf and Turf driving range in Del Mar, CA about 15 years ago.

I kept on hearing these shots behind me that had a POP that I knew came from a very good player.

I looked behind me, and there was this very slight old guy, and I couldn't believe he was making these sounds hitting the ball.

I kept on watching him for a while. He didn't seem to be swinging very hard at in, but he still made this amazing sound hitting these kind of crappy range balls.

After a while, saw "Gene Littler" on this bag.

I ended up watching him finish his bucket, then slowly approached him, introduced myself, and we had a short but nice conversation.

He was such a gentleman. There were probably 30 other golfers on the range, and none of them realized there was a legend hitting with them.

 

I saw him later at the range at Torrey watching the tour guys hit. He seemed to remember me, came up to me and said hello. That was so cool.

 

So sorry to hear about his passing. I agree, a true gentleman and one of the greatest golfers to come out of San Diego, along with Paul Runyan, Mickey Wright, Craig Stadler, Phil Rodgers, Scott Simpson, Christy Erb, Chris Riley, Charley Hoffman, and that Phil guy.

 

Isaac

[Richard 77]

Gene Littler was a male breast cancer survivor. I remember him from the says he was on tour. He always seemed to be an nice man.

[deetsal]

Remember him being referred to as "Gene the Machine".

[mocokid]

I was at the Surf and Turf driving range in Del Mar, CA about 15 years ago.

I kept on hearing these shots behind me that had a POP that I knew came from a very good player.

I looked behind me, and there was this very slight old guy, and I couldn't believe he was making these sounds hitting the ball.

I kept on watching him for a while. He didn't seem to be swinging very hard at in, but he still made this amazing sound hitting these kind of crappy range balls.

After a while, saw "Gene Littler" on this bag.

I ended up watching him finish his bucket, then slowly approached him, introduced myself, and we had a short but nice conversation.

He was such a gentleman. There were probably 30 other golfers on the range, and none of them realized there was a legend hitting with them.

 

I saw him later at the range at Torrey watching the tour guys hit. He seemed to remember me, came up to me and said hello. That was so cool.

 

So sorry to hear about his passing. I agree, a true gentleman and one of the greatest golfers to come out of San Diego, along with Paul Runyan, Mickey Wright, Craig Stadler, Phil Rodgers, Scott Simpson, Christy Erb, Chris Riley, Charley Hoffman, and that Phil guy.

 

Isaac

 

RIP, I thought Billy Casper came from SD area?

[wkuo3]

I was at the Surf and Turf driving range in Del Mar, CA about 15 years ago.

I kept on hearing these shots behind me that had a POP that I knew came from a very good player.

I looked behind me, and there was this very slight old guy, and I couldn't believe he was making these sounds hitting the ball.

I kept on watching him for a while. He didn't seem to be swinging very hard at in, but he still made this amazing sound hitting these kind of crappy range balls.

After a while, saw "Gene Littler" on this bag.

I ended up watching him finish his bucket, then slowly approached him, introduced myself, and we had a short but nice conversation.

He was such a gentleman. There were probably 30 other golfers on the range, and none of them realized there was a legend hitting with them.

 

I saw him later at the range at Torrey watching the tour guys hit. He seemed to remember me, came up to me and said hello. That was so cool.

 

So sorry to hear about his passing. I agree, a true gentleman and one of the greatest golfers to come out of San Diego, along with Paul Runyan, Mickey Wright, Craig Stadler, Phil Rodgers, Scott Simpson, Christy Erb, Chris Riley, Charley Hoffman, and that Phil guy.

 

Isaac

 

RIP, I thought Billy Casper came from SD area?

 

Yes he did.

Liked him a lot but not so much of his strange diet at one time.

I'm still looking for his book at the second hand adore, The Big Three and I, only seen it one time but did not get it because it was paper back, I'd like to get hard cover if I could since I'll keep them for a long time Not much reading these days, eyes are getting bad, Doc. said surgery soon. What else is new.

[Ironmaster Oddities]

The Years ago, there was a comic strip in the newspapers titled “Mac Divot” . The man who wrote the script once said he modeled the main character, Sandy MacDivot after Gene Littler. The theme was kind of lessons or golf tips in a very brief story line.

 

[Kliczdc]

The Gene Littler Spalding Syncro-Dyned irons and matching woods from 1958-59 and the 1960 are some great clubs. I currently have a set of the 1958-59 irons and love them. Does anyone here own a set of Spalding Littler 1960 irons? Try to find a set of those in "stiff"........good luck.

[mocokid]

Just watched 69-70 Masters on YouTube, great stuff!! You'd never believe how scruffy ANGC looked before all the green dye.

[rex235]

 

The American Cancer Society ad in Golf World was simple, and straightforward- "I had cancer, and lived." signed Gene Littler

Littler had been diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes back in 1972.

If memory serves me-

Gene Littler won the 1961 US Open at Oakland Hills.

In 2011, a friend of mine showed me an actual 1961 US Open program his father got when he attended. It showed Palmer was then playing out of Miami, FL

At the time I told him there were at least 5 signatures- 4 US Open Champions and one participant, he should try to obtain -

Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Billy Casper, Gene Littler, and Errie Ball, who was to turn 100 that year.

Then, PGA Member Errie Ball was the lone person who played in the Inaugural 1934 Augusta National Invitation Tournament- before it became The Masters.

Eight years later, only Nicklaus remains.

RIP, "Gene the Machine"