Ed Hasenbuhler USGTF Level II Member Lewisville, NC JUST DON'T GIVE UP

Ed Hasenbuhler was not raised in a golfing family. He was first introduced to the game as a caddie at Cumberland (Md.) Country Club at the age of 13. He would carry double in the mornings and the afternoons, six days a week. With tips and fees, that would net him about $250 per week in 1955 (not bad for then).

He caddied for his father, who had just started playing golf that year. He only caddied once for his dad before he was invited to be a playing partner, which molded a long-lasting friendship that complemented the father-son relationship. At that time, duties as a caddie also included "picking the range." And, quite often, he and his other caddie friends had driving contests on the range, hitting whatever club was available, right- or left-handed.


Apparently, Carroll Boggs, the head club professional, spotted some well-hidden talents and offered Ed free lessons. The lessons would continue to be free, "as long as Ed did exactly as Mr. Boggs instructed." Those two years of lessons served as a foundation that not only molded Ed's game, but also instilled a desire to play the game as a gentleman and teach his talents to others.

By his 18th birthday, Ed had a scratch handicap and had won the Maplehurst Country Club Junior Championship. As a bonus, Mr. Boggs entrusted Ed with the responsibility of mentoring his two sons, Larry and Terry Boggs, who eventually pursued careers as golf professionals.

After high school, a football scholarship took Ed to West Virginia University. Unfortunately, due to an injury, Ed never saw any game experience as a football player, but was permitted to continue his athletic career as a member of the WVU varsity golf team. Summers brought many amateur tournaments, often with the opportunity to play against local amateur stars such as Donny Hammond (now a PGA tour veteran) and Jay Sigel (current Champions Tour member).

After a stint as an engineer for a major tire manufacturer, where he won their corporate golf championship six times in seven years, he became a college professor at Allegheny College of Maryland. During his stay at the college, he taught computer science and was an assistant baseball coach for a team that was nationally ranked for five consecutive years. During his tenure at the college, Ed won several club championships, as well as some state and regional tournaments. His uncle, John Patton (a golf professional in Vermont), often encouraged Ed to relocate to Vermont in order to pursue a full-time career in golf.

However, on several occasions, Ed has had his golf career sidetracked. In 1989, he was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his neck, which was surgically removed, and then treated with chemotherapy and radiation. Ed lost over 40 pounds during that year and was physically unable to compete at the game he loved.

During that idle year, employment with a major bank moved him to North Carolina, and, having only practiced hitting balls into a net and practiced putting on the living room carpet, he entered the Yadkinville (NC) Country Club Invitational. The competitive juices were stirred once again with an opening round of 78 and a top ten finish. In March of 2004, however, another setback occurred when Ed suffered a stroke that resulted in paralysis of his left hand and left leg. This interruption required much physical therapy and reconstruction of a golf swing from scratch, and also now required him to wear glasses to play golf.

Ed had already planned to attend the June USGTF certification class at Canaan Valley, W. Va. , but he could not even grip the golf club by June. At that point, he set his sights on participating in a certification before the end of the calendar year, which led him to Mill Cove Golf Club in Jacksonville,Fla.

Currently, Ed is planning on retiring from banking to continue dabbling in his pre-owned automobile dealership, which he started in 1998, and also plans to join the staff at Skyland Lakes Golf Club and Resort in Fancy Gap, Virginia as a golf teaching professional. Hopefully, a nearby high school may need a golf coach, which might provide him with the chance to be a positive influence on some young golfers, as did his own early mentor.

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