The 1946 Masters was the first one after WWII. There was no tournament from ‘43-‘45. Ben Hogan was the presumptive favorite but Herman Keiser entered already having a pretty solid year. He was runner up in Phoenix to Hogan just a few months earlier. Herman began the week 69-68 which was good for a five shot lead. A 71 on Saturday maintained that lead, however, Ben Hogan shot 69 to jump into second place. The leader is supposed to go off in the last group, but they decided to have Keiser go off in the third to last group, completely disrespecting his position. It was one of several incidents that upset Keiser. They gave him a 13 year old caddy that he had to swap out later in his round. On the eighteenth, Keiser’s approach shot hit the flag, finishing twenty feet away. Alas he would three putt, paving the way for Hogan to secure a playoff with a par, however, Hogan would three putt himself from fifteen feet, cruelly missing a two footer.
Loyal Oaks is a 27 hole golf facility. The original eighteen was designed in 1928 and the third nine was added in 1945. I was able to walk the course one night after work, and I was duly impressed by the topography of the land, the look of the pushed up greens, and the overall beauty of this serene, unadulterated natural setting. The course has a beautiful roll to it with the fairways having interesting tilt to them. Loyal Oaks tops out just over 6,200 from the tips, but it’s par of 70 includes several strong holes that keep scoring to a minimum. Both one and ten are long par fours that go downhill. While they play shorter, six and eighteen climb the opposite direction and play longer. Eight and sixteen are both long par threes with the later a stout 238 yards. Seventeen caught my attention with an almost punchbowl green sitting in a slight dell. If I ever have an afternoon to kill, I might sit at the library and try to find the architect of record. Everything about the place hints at it being noteworthy.
This is the ninth green, a 357 yard par four. Look how it takes advantage of a slight crease in the land. The grass bunkers are beautifully cut into the green with a small ribbon of fairway providing a minuscule entrance. Such features are noteworthy architecture.
The conditioning of the course reminds me of the places I grew up on. The fairway cut and rough look different, but not by much. There’s weeds and crab grass in spots. The greens looked beautiful but they’re carpet like and don’t have the speed one would fear. It simply categorizes itself as user friendly and playable. If this place was anywhere near the conditions of Chippewa (several miles down the road) then I would bet it would be as popular as Akron’s muni Goodpark. As is, the place is totally empty on a gorgeous weekday evening when most are filled with golfers on nine hole leagues. Note the picture above with a hose connected to a sprinkler head like they did it back when I first took up the game. I got the feeling Loyal Oaks is more than happy growing the game. The rate is very modest and their website repeatedly talks about junior golfers. I give it two thumbs up although it has bones to be a solid 5.
Sports Illustrated Herman Keiser interview
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