By Terry Moore
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of one of Dave Hill’s PGA Tour victories in Memphis, Tenn. The Jackson native won 13 PGA Tour titles in all, but four of them (’67, ’69, ’70 and ’73) occurred in the city now known as the home of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational.
Although he never won a major golf trophy, Dave Hill is widely recognized as one of Michigan’s greatest players. In fact, late in his career, he said, “I was probably three shots a week from winning a major.”
Golf – Dave Hill (left) and Mike Hill.
Hill came closest in 1970 when he finished seven shots behind Tony Jacklin at the U.S. Open at Hazeltine in Chaska, Minn. But Hill’s runner-up finish was overshadowed by his controversial remarks about the course earlier in the week. When asked what the course lacked, the always candid Hill said, “Only 80 acres of corn and a few cows to be a good farm.”
And Dave Hill knew a thing or two about cows and farming. James David Hill was born in 1937 and was raised on a small dairy farm in Jackson. Dave’s dad George also ran a machine shop but he took his sons to a nearby golf course to practice.
Later Dave became a caddie. For the local Jackson newspaper, he recalled that at age 11 he played in his first golf tournament and shot 101. He soon blossomed into a fine player and went on to play collegiately at the University of Detroit.
Turning pro in 1958, Hill won the 1959 Michigan Open. Two years later, he won his first PGA Tour title in Tucson in a playoff against Tommy Bolt and Bud Sullivan. Later that year, he claimed his second title at the Denver Open with a 21-under four round performance. Winning by six shots, Hill was seen as one of best and brightest stars on the Tour.
He also became widely known as a consummate shotmaker and ball-striker. Hill once told golf writer Tom Cleary, “I felt like I had more shots in my bag than 90% of anybody that played out there. A little old lady 90 years old can putt—I want to see her hit a high cut with a 2-iron.”
In 1969, Hill won the Vardon Trophy for the lowest stroke average on the PGA Tour. He is only one of two Michigan players (the other being Dan Pohl) to have won this coveted recognition. Besides being a member of three Ryder Cup teams, Hill was proud of his consistency during his PGA Tour career. For sixteen straight years (1960-1976) he finished in the Top 60 annual money winners on Tour.
Hill went on to further glory on the Senior Tour, now known as the PGA Tour Champions. He won six times on the “golden mulligan” circuit, the last coming in 1989.
Although Hill is sometimes associated with remarks about Hazeltine, later in his distinguished career he reflected on them.
“I put up with a lot of heat from that but hell, I said it so I gotta live with it.” Then he added, “They should have waited another 5-6 years for it to mature. That course was very young.” And after visiting a revamped Hazeltine in 1991, he described it as “a fun and demanding golf course.”
A softer side of Hill was exposed when asked in the ‘80s about his late father. “I would die tomorrow if they let me see him for just 15 minutes today.” George passed away before Dave and his younger brother Mike had their greatest successes on the golf course.
Dave Hill’s golf legacy must be seen in the success of the Jackson community. Ed Mitchell, a Jackson native and founder of the Mitchell Golf Company, was quoted upon learning of Hill’s passing in 2011 saying, “From my perspective, he inspired a lot of people to take up the game.”
Certainly, included in this group is Dave’s brother Mike, who won three times on the PGA Tour and 18 times on the Champions Tour. In two seasons on the Champions Tour, Mike won five times and he was the second player to earn a $1 million in a season in 1991. Four times he teamed up with good friend Lee Trevino to win the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. But his closest friend and ally was Dave. “If I’m having a problem, I’ll always go to Davey first,” Mike said to golf writer Steve Hershey.
Another Jackson native following in the Hills’ footsteps is Elaine Crosby, like them, a member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame. Although she didn’t start playing golf until age 20, she quickly made up for the late start. After winning the Michigan Women’s Amateur in 1981 she turned pro and won on the satellite circuit now known as the Symetra Tour. In her 15-year LPGA career, Crosby won twice and had top ten finishes in two majors. She won Michigan Women’s Open titles in 2001 and 2002 and is a frequent competitor on the Legends Tour.
And today Brian Stuard, another home-grown talent, is continuing the Jackson legacy on golf’s premier circuits. Stuard won the 2016 Zurich Classic, the first Michigander to win a PGA Tour title in 21 years. He’s firmly staked out his place on the PGA Tour with over $8 million in earnings overall and over $1 million thus far in 2019.
But the person who first put Jackson golf on the map was Dave Hill, a fierce competitor and Hogan-esque shotmaker who told it like he saw it.
And if you ever see someone hit a high cut with a 2-iron, think of Dave Hill.
A member of the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame and the Golf Writers Association of America, Terry Moore lives in Grand Rapids.
