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| 1951 Independence Country club, Independence, Kansas | |
North
West East
South
I somehow managed on the Timeline to skip the Independence years and my father's time as a golf pro, club manager, and professional bowler. As a child from age's three to five, these years were very formative for me. Finding this aerial view lifted my heart and brought joyous memories.
The facts are few but the stories are full.
My parents were in their mid-thirties when I was born in Arcadia, California in 1947, and a long ways from their Kansas roots in Wichita. In those short years in the late forties both of my grandfather's died in Wichita leaving behind two grandmas. My parents made the decision to move back to Kansas and be closer to home. Although my mother always told me that the one earthquake that knocked her baby daughter off the bed was enough for her to decide that Kansas and its tornadoes were where the family needed to be, not California.
1952 The Independence Daily Reporter
A golf demonstration was given by Johnie Stapp, professional golfer and manager at the Independence Country club, at Friday's weekly noon meeting of the Rotary club at the Booth hotel.
The genial golf teacher climbed to the top of the table with a variety of clubs and showed an appreciative and attentive audience the proper grip, stance, direction and swing to be employed on the links. He pointed out that one of the greatest weaknesses of the average golfers was in the grip and to get out of the duffer class it was necessary to first develop a good and correct golf grip.
Bernard Locke was in charge of the program and President Watt McBrayer, presided. Bud Holliday, Coffeyville and Clarence Oakes were visiting Rotarians at the meeting.
By 1950 we moved to the small square house, shown above to the right of the water tower and hidden by the trees. Behind and to the right of the house was the working barn for all equipment. The bowling alley was the long building on the West side, and the golf shop was the building south of the bowling alley.
The clubhouse on the North was magnificent from a child's point of view. The dance floor hosted many a Saturday night dance party. I was never privy to those dances, however, I did spend time in the large kitchen at the back. The staff, mostly black women were the kindest and happiest people I could ever meet.
The clubhouse was my first memory of snowmen made of huge rolls of snow with a carrot nose and eyes made out of coal. At Christmas and Easter the clubhouse was decorated by women members of the club, staff, and my mother. Icicles hung from the tree inside and tree outside, lights sparkled during the night.
The Easter bunny not only came to the country club for all of the boys and girls, but he even came into our house. He was larger than life and brought a basket of eggs. I think they were for my new baby sister, Jonya Lea, who had been born December 11, 1951.
The man who played a large roll in my life was Alex. He was shorter and rounder than my father and could smile larger and laugh louder than anyone I had ever met. His skin was dark which meant nothing to me, as the caddies who played out back of our house and by the golf shop were both black and white boys.
Alex must have been dad's right hand man. When I wanted to learn how to bowl, at age 3-4, Alex set up the bowling alley so that my small body could roll a ball a few yards down the lane. The smell of the bowling alley, cigarette smoke and chalk powder, has stayed with me all of my life. When I went to Catholic school at age five, Alex often took me to school in the mornings. I was so proud to ride in his brown car.
Mother taught me that rolling thunder in the storms was really "the potato man in the clouds is pushing and dropping cart loads of potatoes to the ground." As proof one day, we drove by a downtown grocery store and outside in a bin were fresh potatoes, arriving after a terrible storm the night before. Proof enough for this four year old. The grocery store was owned by Vivian Vance's father. She is better known as Ethel Mertz on the I Love Lucy Show. Mother thought that was very special. Even as an adult, I often hear those potatoes pounding the skies and ground as the potato man drops them from above.
The golf course was very busy. One day an ambulance swerved into the big drive way and drove onto the golf course. I was terrified because I knew that no one was allowed to drive a car on the golf course. What I didn't know was that a man had a heart-attack on the course and the ambulance came to save his life. Sadly, he died that day on the golf course and I can remember someone saying that was a great way to die. In these later years of my life, I have thought about that moment and believe that he was a lucky man.
The golf course was only nine holes. The large green to the east of the clubhouse was part of my playground. I was allowed to putt but never to run on the green. A golf club in my hand was how I tramped around the lands. Even though the picture looks flat, the land rolled. Behind our house the hill rolled gently down to a stream of water that fed the lake off to the right of the practice green.
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| 1952 August 9 |
1952 The Independence Daily Reporter
(Winners of the kids golf tournament at Independence Country club under the supervision of Miller Harmon on the left, and Johnie Stapp on the right are: four year old Letty Stapp in the Pee-Wee division, daughter of professional golfer, Johnie Stapp; Kay Cowan in the 8-12 year old girls division, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rex Cowan; Tony Johnson, winner of the boys 8-12 division: and Joe McNeil who won the over 12 division. There were 17 entries in the tourney which climaxed six-weeks of lesson given to the kiddies free at the ICC. Miller Harmon, city recreational director, organized the golf clinic, and Johnie Stapp donated his time to give them lessons. The youngsters were given theater passes by Billy Wagner, Booth Theater, as prizes and also golf balls. The older set received golf merchandise at the club.)
I learned to ride a two-wheeled bicycle behind our house. Dad pushed me off and away I went down the hill. Like my daughter in the 1970's I crashed, busted my knees and jumped back on the blue bicycle.
My parent's best friends were Paul and Hazel Woods and their two daughters Paula and Barbara. Their daughters were our evening and often daytime babysitters in the summer. Mother helped dad in the bowling alley and kept the books for the club.
I learned about friendship from the Woods' family. Into the late 1970's I stayed in touch with the girls and their parents. Paul and Hazel moved to Ponca City with Sinclair oil. My daughter and I visited them one weekend. Hazel played the piano and could cook better than my mother. Hazel baked homemade brownies and put them by my side on the piano bench, so I wouldn't forget them on the drive home to Norman, Oklahoma. We played duets on the piano that late evening and she showed Katy how to play. Half way home to Norman, we realized that we had left our delicious brownies. I never saw the Woods family again. Nor did I ever iron our sheets and underwear and Hazel tried to teach me!
But I digress...
My father, Johnie Stapp, loved the game of golf. It had saved his life when he was a youngster with burned arms and he wanted to give others the same opportunity. Here is a glimpse of his desire to share the game of golf. His years in Wichita can be read by clicking on this link Johnie Stapp, the Wichita Years.
In 1952 the golfers from
Independence Country club and the Elks Club were often in inter club
matches with Coffeyville, Pittsburg, and Miami, Oklahoma. The ICC had an
ace golfer whom dad proudly took to many local and state golf
tournaments. His name was Dave Dennis.
1952 The Independence Daily Reporter
Professional golfer, Loddie Kemper visited ICC and played an exhibition round of golf. Pictured above is: Stew Stuart, Dave Dennis, Johnie Stapp, and Loddie Kemper.
1953 The Independence Daily Repoter Women's Professional Golfer, Betty MacKinnon, will be featured in a clinic and 9-hole match Sunday afternoon at the ICC. The clinic and exhibition will be open to the public without charge, Johnie Stapp, pro-manager announced.
Stapp said the free golf clinic which will be conducted by Miss MacKinnon begin at 1:00. Following the clinic, Miss MacKinnon will play a 9-hole round with Mrs. G.C. McClain, Mrs. Joe Moss, and Mrs. Earl Allison.
The Texas golfer teamed with Sam Snead to win medalist honors with a 64 in the 1952 Orlando, Florida two-ball tournament, and has finished in the top 10 in a number of tournaments across the nation.
*Notice the 3,175 yardage on this nine hole course. Men and women played the same tees, perhaps a touch up front of the men, but they par changed depending on length. Betty MacKinnon's 40 was only one over par.
1953 June 28 Independence Daily Reporter
Kids Golf Program Gets Underway.
The kid's golf program being sponsored by the Independence CC, the Elks Club, and the Civic Center began Friday morning with more than 25 youngsters of all ages taking part in the initial session. The Friday session was held at the Elks CC. Johnie Stapp, PGA from Independence Country club show the youngsters how to properly hold a golf club.
In the spring of 1954 my father took a position as golf professional in Miami, Oklahoma. We moved leaving behind precious memories of my times playing in sand piles behind our home; learning how to crack black walnuts by driving over them with a car and then gathering them up to piece by piece to dig out the walnut meat; discovering that snakes really do eat golf balls; loving our country club dog; and learning not to ever sit on a pop bottle, even if the big boys can sit on one, because the red juice at the bottom of the empty bottle might just have a bumble bee down there and bumble bees sting right through clothing and hurt little girls pride.
For other stories about golf history please look through the archive column on the right and click on the various years.
For other personal stories that I write please click on this link to read the stories of Literally Letty
Sincerely, Letty Stapp Watt
