The Best Player Who's Been Forgotten....

[Forged4ever]

Ok, I wanna tell ya a little story. First, my three fave old timers are Sam, for obvious reasons, Tommy Armour, who I've written about, and this man. I know that most of you younger Guys, if any, have no frickin idea who he is, and probably more of you older guys than would like to admit. That's ok, because at the '98 Masters, Lord Byron took a walk around the practice green and asked three young, Augustinian first timer Pros if they knew who this man was. He drew blank looks and three "No's." This Man was a Warior, a Patriot, a REAL Bad A**, and a Hall of Fame Player.

 

The Man of whom I am speaking is Lloyd Mangrum.

 

All of the personality traits that are attributed to Ben?

 

Multiply them by 2-3 and you have Lloyd Mangrum.

 

Lloyd Mangrum laughed, literally LAUGHED, at the reputation that 'lil Ben had built up through the years, and when asked about it, all Mr. Hogan would say is, "Mr Mangrum"(Yes, he referred to him as "Mr" until Mr. Mangrum instructed him that he could call him Lloyd, and according to Sam Snead, Mr. Hogan was the only the second peer accorded that "honor," lol) is entitled to his opinion." Where Mr. Hogan would take a passive aggressive shot and sometimes not so passive a shot at Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and any other Pros brought up by the press, he never once made such a comment directed at or about Lloyd Mangrum.

 

You see, Lloyd Mangrum was the Real Deal.

 

While Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and many other Pros used their classification as a "Golf Pro" to claim a cushy Pro's position at a base stateside to play with and instruct a bunch of staff generals, Lloyd Mangrum refused, THREE times, the offer to stay stateside. He enlisted. He enlisted to kill Nazis. He was going to Europe to fight in the War.

 

Mr. Mangrum landed and crawled face buried in the sand up Omaha beach as(You Young Guys might wanna read up on that whole battle-Had that it gone the way it "should have," as the oddsmakers, if they laid odds down would have capped it, it's safe to say that this world and this very country would be a very different place today. I'll leave it at that 😉 ) part of the D-Day Invasion force. His two closest friends to his left and right were cut to ribbons by machine gun fire and the water/waves washed the one to his left on top of him and he could feel and hear the bullets ripping through his dead Friend and he laid motionless, swallowing and spitting out bloody seawater till the fire subsided. 

 

As a part of the 9th Division of Patton's Third Army, as forward reconnaissance, Mangrum would fight on and then participate in the almost as bloody Battle of the Bulge, where racing along in a jeep after spotting a Nazi movement, the jeep flipped after a bomb shell, obviously with Mr. Mangrum's name on it landed about 25-30' into the woods to their left. His arm broken in two places and his shoulder basically shattered, the doc told him that if he could raise his arm when the cast was removed he "would be ok." They wanted to send him to the rear and Mangrum went ballistic, screaming that he had one arm and he could still fire a weapon. Amazingly(or more likely desperation), they left him with his platoon.

 

Mr. Mangrum later stated, "Not even the thrill of winning the US Open matched the day that cast came off and I found that I could lift my arm. Could you imagine a Pro with a swing like a hockey player?"

 

Shortly there after, in one of the many brutal fire fights that took place as the Battle of he Bulge wore down, as the Americans were encountering Nazis fighting to the death, a platoon member was cut down by sniper fire. As the soldier lay out in the open bleeding and screaming in agony, Mr. Mangrum, seemingly without thinking and definitely without hesitating, zig/zagged to him, threw him in a fire men's carry and ran back to his line.

 

He was hit in the knee by a sniper bullet and he fell forward where US troops grabbed both men and drug them to safety. His platoon member survived. According to one observer, he could only surmise that the brief respite in sniper fire was because the sniper was as stunned as the Americans by Mr. Mangrum's actions. Again, he refused to leave the front and was back with his platoon, limping, within 10 days. When Lloyd Mangrum stepped off of the ship in NY Harbour after the war, there was one other Soldier from his original platoon that made it home alive. The 19yo young Man that he had pulled from the sniper fire. I just have a feeling that Lloyd Mangrum did not want to return home as the sole survivor of his platoon and it was worth dyin for to make sure that that didn't happen.

 

When later asked about his heroic actions, Mr. Mangrum, who detested interviews much, much more than Mr. Hogan, finally said he had done nothing any other troop would not do for a fallen comrade. Yet, as not a single man made a move to save their downed comrade, clearly he had. Lloyd Mangrum summed up his attitude with his last comment on the war, "I went to war to defend America, kill Nazis and help win a war, in that order. I was not coming home until that was done, or I died tryin."

 

For his service, Mr. Mangrum was awarded 2 Silver Stars, 2 Bronze Stars, 4 Battle Stars and 2 Purple Hearts which he said in one of his rare moments of levity, that he received them for tripping and falling running out the back doors at two Parisian whore houses as MP's came through the front, lol.

 

I just wanted to give you a little back ground about Lloyd Mangrum the Man & Warrior and why I often chuckle to myself, and sometimes I can't help but speak or post my dismay when others speak of the Hogans, Tigers and even Jack about their "intensity" and their ability to "intimidate." I understand that it's relative and I played a sport for 17 years that was a tad more physical and I faced potentially more intimidating fellas across from me than some country clubber swingin a golf club, regardless of ability level or reputation, LMAO, though to me, It's sorta like when athletes, and I had teammates and coaches do it, and that is refer to a sport or game as "war," going back to college, and I have never let it pass, even by coaches, that no, we are not at war and we sure the hell weren't Warriors, nor are Professional athletes. It's a joke when a clown refers to himself or his teammates as "warriors" 😉

 

When asked about the pressure of facing a 3' putt to beat Hogan, Nelson or Snead, without cracking a smile and lowering his voice, Mr. Mangrum responded, "Facing a 3' putt to beat Hogan is not pressure. Closing 3' on an enemy soldier who has a pistol trained on you while you have nothing before he pulls that trigger is pressure. This? This is a game," and he turned and walked away. Ya think He and a lot of Guys faced things that never made the papers?

 

He also said of the perils of the 3' putt:

 

"I don't suppose that any of the Pro or Amateur golfers who were Combat Soldiers, Marines, or Navy Sailors will ever look at a 3' putt as one of the really bad troubles in life."

 

So while Ben & Sam were teaching staff generals how to get out of the sand, Mr. Mangrum was crawling through the sand, just trying to get to the green grass still breathing.

 

Now a little about Lloyd Mangrum the Hall of Fame Player-

 

Lloyd Mangrum was from Trenton, Texas, born on August 1, 1914. No doubt coming out of the same state, at approximately the same time as Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Jimmy Demaret hurt Lloyd Mangrum from a visibility stand point. He turned Professional at the age of 15 and working under his Bro, who had a Head Pro's position and himself was no slouch as a Player as he would finish 4th in the 1935 US Open.

 

Prior to enlisting, Mr. Mangrum and to support his shot at the Tour, he supported himself by working as a taxi driver, he sang in clubs and on off nights worked as a bouncer and also as a body guard for the rich and famous along with caddying during the days. This last job obviously helped him immeasurably in his later on-course conquests.

 

Though he never took a lesson, he copied the different games of the greats of the day. For putting, and this is the part of his game where Lloyd was decades ahead if his peers, he copied Horton Smith. He studied and copied every single movement, every muscle twitch. For a short game, it was Johnny Revolta. For the full swing, he copied the greatest swing of ALL time, yep, lol, Sam's, who he also would befriend and Sam Snead really was his closest and ONLY confidant on Tour. When I say copied, and I know Ams think that they've "copied" a Player's swing( 😉 ), however he copied the head twich that Snead had and the way his eyes darted and focused on a point 18" in front of the ball where he wanted his club head to pass over.

 

Said Mangrum, "a golf swing is a mimicking proposition, always. Maybe you don't look like you're copying someone, BUT IN YOUR MIND YOU HAVE A MENTAL PICTURE OF YOUR SWING AND THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING."

 

He copied well-

 

Starting in 1936, with a 6th place finish in the S California Open, which had all of the Big Dogs in it, he was on his way. That finish inspired him to try a full 1937 schedule. He struggled, finishing the season in St. Paul, MN at the St Paul Open, 2000 miles from home with a ten dollar bill to his name, in his pocket. He bummed a ride back to California with the Tour radio announcer, Scotty Chisholm, who himself had twelve more dollars in his pocket than Mangrum. So together, they drove back almost non-stop, to save buying food, and they split a pack of crackers, that was it for food. They hit the curb in front of Mangrum's modest home with $1.90 between em and the needle on "E." Chisholm had to borrow money to put gas in his car to get home.

 

Undeterred, Mangrum hustled money from the local well heeled, wealthy idiots that littered courses then as they do now. These games suited Mangrum's personality as he was a risk taker and they higher the stakes, the better he performed, whether on the course, in a bar, or on the battle field.

 

Along with his personality, He possessed Movie Star good looks and supplemented his income with hair product ads for Vitalis and as a movie double for Clark Gable. His pencil thin mustache became a staple that he caried for the rest of his life.

 

Yet, what became his trademark, and what he was most known for was the cigarette dangling from his lips. Where as Hogan and others would drop the cig to the ground when they swung, Lloyd's never left his lips, ever, lol.

 

When a lady noted his chain smoking and commented that "Athletes shouldn't smoke," Mangrum took an extra long drag, looked up from a practice swing with an ice cold stare and replied, "Lady, I ain't no athlete, I'm a golfer," and blew a puff of smoke in her direction.

 

By 1940, Mangrum had proved himself to be a pretty good Player, that year shooting a 64 in the Masters, which stood as low score at Augusta till Nick Price bested it by one, 46 years later. Augusta fit his game, as from 1947-1956 he would notch 10 straight top-8 finishes at Augusta. He would also tie for 1st in that year's US Open, though he lost the 18 hole play-off to Tommy Armour student, Lawson Little. Later that year he would get his first Tour Victory, the Thomasville Open in Georgia.

 

Then, Lloyd Mangrum put his career on hold to "Go kill some Nazis."

 

Upon his return, he picked up where he left off, winning the 1946 US Open in his first year back on Tour at Canterbury Country Club in Cleveland, OH. Aftter 72 holes, Mangrum was tied with Vic Ghezzi and Byron Nelson. The first 18 hole play-off in the morning, all three men shot 72s. As they teed it up that afternoon for the second 18 hole play-off, rain started to fall. Then thunder started to clap like bomb shells in adjoining fairways. The fans deserted the fairways. First one rules official went in, then the second.

 

It was a few die hard fans and the three men who played on. Then lightning started flashing. Back then they did not call play for thunder and lightning. You played it down and out till you were finished. Two reporters who continued to follow the Players said that while Ghezzi looked fearful, Nelson was mortified, constantly looking skyward.

 

Standing on the the 13th tee, trailing Nelson by 2 and Ghezzi by 3 strokes, the rain almost doubled in intensity according to the reporter and a thunder clap boomed above them, causing Nelson to jump and drop his driver and Ghezzi to duck, from what, who knows.

 

Mangrum did not flinch.

 

He looked skyward and smiled.

 

Was it at his Buds, who he felt were always "up there looking out for me down here."

 

Who knows.

 

But one thing is fact!

 

Lloyd Mangrum marched those 6 holes like he had marched so many times before in a far off land, and instead of killin Nazis, he laid waste to Ghezzi and Nelson, birdying 3 of the last 6 holes, cooly lighting one last cigarette, taking one last drag, and sinking one last putt, a 7'er, to take the US Open Trophy, and his place amongst the Greats of the Game. He had carded another even par 72, beating his FC's by a stroke each.

 

Said two-time Amateur Champ Bud Ward, "it was the most incredible display of courage that I have ever witnessed. He never once flinched. He never once ducked under a tree for shelter as the others did. He marched right down the middle of the fairway, after each deafening thunder clap, he would look skyward and smile. I can't explain what lets a man laugh in the face of such danger."

 

Paleeeze 😉

 

As Mr. Mangrum would say later about the round, "Sure, it wasn't the best day for a round of golf, but it beat the hell out of where I was a year before."

 

Indeed it did.

 

Mr. Mangrum would get the name from Sam Snead of "Mr. Icicle," though I don't think that does him nearly the justice due him.

 

In my book, "Bad A**" works a lot better-

 

Mr Mangrum would notch 42 Professional victories, 35 of them on Tour. He was the Tour's leading money winner in 1951 and the Vardon Trophy winner in 1951 & '53. He played on 4 Ryder Cup teams(1947, '49, '51 & 1953, the last where he was also a Playing Captain. His RC record was 6-2-0 and 3-1 in singles. Lloyd Mangrum stands at #12 on the all time Tour Victory list and was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.

 

Due to a bad heart, Lloyd Mangrum retired much earlier than he should have.

 

And he left us far too soon, passing at the young age of 59yo.

 

However, like he fought in war, like he played the game, is the same way he tackled his health problems.

 

He suffered 11 heart attacks and was still here.

 

It took a dozen to stop Lloyd Mangrum.

 

One last story-

 

Following the war, Magnum and Snead were having dinner at a restaurant when Magnum accidently tripped a Man who was walking by. He apologized and helped the man up, though the man kept yelling and put his finger in Magnum's chest. Magnum took one last drag from his cigarette, put it in the one ashtray, and picking up the one in front of Snead smashed it in the man's face, crushing his nose and splattering blood all over himself and Snead's food. The man dropped like a rock. Magnum dropped a ten on the table, looked to Snead and said, "C'mon, there's a joint down the street, I'm buyin," and out they went.

 

It was only after Magnum had passed that Snead said, "Some of us weren't sure Lloyd was quite right mentally because of what he went through in the war, and I grew up around some bad men, but there is no one on this earth I'd rather have by my side in a golf match or a fight for my life than Lloyd Mangrum."

 

And you're gonna tell me about some guy who plays SEAL?

 

Thanks for reading 🙂

 

As Always,

 

Fairways & Greens My Friends 🙂

Richard

 

 

Edited November 14, 2020 by Forged4ever

[MadGolfer76]

Richard, I kid you not...when I read the thread title, I was already thinking Mangrum before I clicked in.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='MadGolfer76' timestamp='1415046490' post='10392199']
Richard, I kid you not...when I read the thread title, I was already thinking Mangrum before I clicked in.
[/quote]You I would expect to know him.

You're different

Have a good afternoon Bro

My Best,
Richard

[Blade Junkie]

You should re-post this in the classic forum.

Super stuff!

[mdgboxx]

Never, ever would have known.

Thnx Richard,

Got any more of those?

Although this is hard to beat!

[GLF4EVR]

Richard thank you very much for the story. I think I have heard the name before. It seems like long ago when reading some stuff about Snead.

I especially love it because I have worked at the VA for the last 23 years. Its the patients is why I stay here. I spent 7+ years in regular hospitals & no way would I want to go back. Your story just gives me another reason to give them the respect they deserve. Once again thanks for sharing it. Really helps make a bad Monday better.

[ZAP]

I had to think for a few minutes before I clicked into this thread. Honestly he was not on my list. Great story! Why is it we don't hear these types of things?
(I am pretty sure I know the answer)

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='mdgboxx' timestamp='1415048937' post='10392377']
Never, ever would have known.

Thnx Richard,

Got any more of those?

Although this is hard to beat!
[/quote]HaHa, I've got a few

My next is gonna be about an Amateur that I had the privilege of playing a round with. Well, actually he made his name as an Am, though he later turned Pro and was one when we played. Incredible Player, Incredible Life, Incredible Man.

I don't wanna say too much to give it away, though it's safe to say that he had one of the 3-4 most storied Am careers.

Well, thanks for reading Bro, and I hope that you and the Mrs. are well.

You're in my thoughts & Prayers

My Best,
Richard

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='GLF4EVR' timestamp='1415050675' post='10392531']
Richard thank you very much for the story. I think I have heard the name before. It seems like long ago when reading some stuff about Snead.

I especially love it because I have worked at the VA for the last 23 years. Its the patients is why I stay here. I spent 7+ years in regular hospitals & no way would I want to go back. Your story just gives me another reason to give them the respect they deserve. Once again thanks for sharing it. Really helps make a bad Monday better.
[/quote]Thank You for the kind words G, as I'm glad Mr. Mangrum made a "meh" Monday a little brighter, lol

He was indeed a Special Man, as are every Man & Lady that serves and sacrifices for us!

As cold and gruff as he could be, and to a man, Sam, Mr. Nelson and all of the Pros that new them both said that he made Mr. Hogan look like an outgoing extrovert, lol.

However whenever he knew of Veterans in the gallery he would make it a point to walk over, shake their hands and thank them for THEIR service and ask how they were doing. He did not shake a lot of FC's hands, though he always extended his hand to a Veteran.

Just as Mr. Hogan's Father's suicide greatly influenced him and shaped his personality and the prism through which he looked at life, so too did Mr. Mangrum's experiences in the War shape him and his..

I just think that the least that we can do is to tell all of these Mens' and Ladies' stories, because their impact on the game that we play was immense, and I firmly believe that a society or group that does not honor, celebrate and pass on it's history is doomed to be, at the very least, a society or group of idiots.

There is more to this game than swing speeds, spin rates and the BST section

Well, thanks again for reading it and taking the time to post.

That means a lot to me

Have a nice autumn and a Blessed Holiday Season My Friend

My Best,
Richard

[FSCMatt]

Love it!! I enjoyed every sentence of this! Thanks so much for the read.

[shanksfornuthin]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1415046332' post='10392187']
Mr. Mangrum landed and crawled face buried in the sand up Omaha beach as(You Young Guys might wanna read up on that whole battle-Had that it gone the way it "should have," as the oddsmakers, if they laid odds down would have capped it, it's safe to say that this world and this very country would be a very different place today. I'll leave it at that )


[/quote]

Just say it Richard - we'd all be speaking German right now. As much as we all have golf in common and worship some players, these guys are heroes and many of us don't even know it - or why. Great post.

[Mitchell]

Richard,
Heard that Byron Nelson asked that same question to a group of young pros years ago on another occasion (apparently he liked to do that, educate the youngsters) and out of a group of very esteemed players, one player spoke up right away and said, "of course, the man was a HERO, and could play golf as well". The player who answered was fittingly, Larry Nelson.

[RSinSG]

Thanks. That was a good read, and that was a great generation of heros.

[marmooskapaul]

Silly me....I was thinking Lee Janzen. Two time US Open champ....lol
Paul

[Qqq123xx]

Great stuff and story per usual Richard.

[stagalog]

Eye opening post - thanks for sharing!

[PGArox]

Great stuff, Richard! Thanks a bunch.

[mdgboxx]

[quote name='Forged4ever' timestamp='1415066795' post='10393705']
[quote name='mdgboxx' timestamp='1415048937' post='10392377']
Never, ever would have known.

Thnx Richard,

Got any more of those?

Although this is hard to beat!
[/quote]HaHa, I've got a few

My next is gonna be about an Amateur that I had the privilege of playing a round with. Well, actually he made his name as an Am, though he later turned Pro and was one when we played. Incredible Player, Incredible Life, Incredible Man.

I don't wanna say too much to give it away, though it's safe to say that he had one of the 3-4 most storied Am careers.

Well, thanks for reading Bro, and I hope that you and the Mrs. are well.

You're in my thoughts & Prayers

My Best,
Richard
[/quote]

Hi Richard,

I googled our man on wikipedia. If I looked up all of the information on Lloyd Mangrum, it would take a week to go through it all...Giving your thread that much more value.

Again,
Thank you for the thread.

[mosesgolf]

I love reading about the greats from the past. I recall someone saying there was no one tougher than Lloyd Mangrum. Cool name to boot.

[playa]

[quote name='marmooskapaul' timestamp='1415071163' post='10394035']
Silly me....I was thinking Lee Janzen. Two time US Open champ....lol
Paul
[/quote]
I was hoping it wasn't another Anthony Kim thread.

[ptjn1201]

I figured it was Mangrum or Cooper -- two guys who are all but forgotten nowadays. Thanks for the history.

[billh17]

great story about one of the truly greats

[cdnrockies]

Great post Richard. The timing is poignant and I'm sure intentional. Well done.

[cardoustie]

Great writing RPII, thanks for sharing. He sounds like a guy I'd like to have a cocktail or two with

I'm 47 and I knew of Lloyd but didn't realize he was a war hero

PS I like his wingtips

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='cdnrockies' timestamp='1415116990' post='10395637']
Great post Richard. The timing is poignant and I'm sure intentional. Well done.
[/quote]Thank You

I hope that You had a nice season!!

My Best,
Richard

[Pingfitz]

Super post Richard, as an older guy, I had heard of him as a player but not of his war history, Thanks.

[middie8]

Great information. Thanks.

[lumberman2462]

GolfWrx Should Certify Lloyd Mangrum as: Permanent Bad@%$.

[playa]

I just read that he died at 59. Seems unfair that a guy lke that goes so young. I guess al that smoking the OP mentioned wasn't so 'cool' in the end.

[Forged4ever]

[quote name='playa' timestamp='1415138404' post='10397497']
I just read that he died at 59. Seems unfair that a guy lke that goes so young. I guess al that smoking the OP mentioned wasn't so 'cool' in the end.
[/quote]Yea, he also had a congenital bad ticker, from probably his Father's side cuz his Dad and Grandfather passed from heart failure/heart attack, however the smoking definitely didn't help, though a lot of the Old Timers chained.

What I found amazing were 11 heart attacks cuz obviously, they didn't have the procedures, therapies or meds back then that are available today.

He was flat out, one tough Son of a B****!!

Thanks for postin P!!

Have a nice evening

My Best,
Richard