With the reading on his odometer as proof, Dale Douglass could be the road warrior of professional golf.
He already says he has spent most of his life on the road playing golf. Records compiled by the PGA show that Douglass has 592 stops on the PGA Tour’s Champions Tour. If he can stretch the count to 604, he would break Miller Barber’s record of 603 appearances on the senior tour.
In other words, the 71-year-old Douglass hasn’t spent a lot of time without a golf club in his hands.
“I’m cutting back a little,” Douglass said from his winter home in the Phoenix area. “I’m hopeful of playing about 11 events this year.”
Douglass is forgoing a chance to play in the British Senior Open (July 24-27) in order to enter the U.S. Senior Open, which is the following week at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
From his combined 44 years on the PGA and Champions tours, Douglass has found golf to be rewarding. His 17 professional victories, including three on the PGA Tour, have produced earnings of about $7 million. He also was a member of the 1969 Ryder Cup team.
During a 10-month period in 1969-70, Douglass was one of the hottest players on the tour. He won the Azalea Open Invitational and the Kemper Open at the end of the 1969 season, then won the Phoenix Open early in 1970.
His three quick victories six years after permanently turning pro might be topped only by his 1986 run on the Champions Tour. Douglass won four times that year, including the U.S. Senior Open.
“Anytime you win, it’s pretty nice,” Douglass said. “Winning three times on the PGA Tour was especially nice. But maybe my biggest credit is winning the U.S. Senior Open.”
It took some work and dedication to get from the victory in Phoenix on the PGA Tour in 1970 to his big year in 1986 on the Champions Tour.
A whiplash injury suffered in an auto accident on the old West Sixth Avenue viaduct in Denver almost ended Douglass’ days of playing anything other than recreational golf.
“The whiplash seemed to affect my game, and there was a lull in my career,” Douglass said. “I was doing my best, but I’m also fortunate the senior tour came along.”
Maybe his most unusual experience while on the course occurred on his way to winning the Azalea Open. While going from the 17th green to the 18th tee, the golfers had to walk through a small cemetery. Douglass remembered an inscription on one of the headstones: “As you are, I once was; as I am, you will be, prepare thyself to follow me.”
Douglass maintained his connection to Colorado that began during his high school days in Fort Morgan and continued through his time at the University of Colorado. After leaving CU, he became an associate of Gene Root for two years at Lakewood Country Club before turning his attention to a pro career.
Douglass’ father, Hal Douglass, was a golf pro in Fort Morgan before joining the pro staff at The Broadmoor, where he served for 18 years.
While on the tour, Dale Douglass competed against the likes of Barber, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Douglass has met Tiger Woods but hasn’t played against him, and played The International in its early days. Douglass and his wife, Joyce, have sponsored a golf tournament in Fort Morgan for 20 years.
No matter how many times he plays or whether he breaks Barber’s record, Douglass knows he followed the right path through Fort Morgan, CU and the pro tours.
“I have only great feelings about golf and the tour,” Douglass said. “It’s a wonderful sport and a privilege to play.”
Douglass bio
Born: March 5, 1936, in Wewoka, Okla.
High School: Fort Morgan, 1952-54
College: University of Colorado, 1954-59
Family: Wife, Joyce
Projects: Play Scottish golf courses of Muirfield and Royal Troon.
