Dave Hill left his mark indiscriminately around the professional golf circuit.
He paid for it, too. There were times when cleanup crews after a tournament would find evidence that Hill had played there.
“I left a lot of putters around the country in two pieces,” said Hill, recalling his days as a playing pro. “If you broke a club, it would cost you a lot of money. I got into a whole bunch of trouble, and I paid a whole bunch of fines.”
What he described were the well-known temper tantrums that were part of his game. But there was another side to Hill’s game that suggested prowess, resulting in 23 professional victories, including six on the Champions Tour.
From his home in Michigan, the 71-year-old Hill added some insight to what he’d do if he were in the U.S. Senior Open field that is playing at The Broadmoor Golf Club this week in Colorado Springs.
“If anybody is smart enough, they’ll get a caddie who knows that course,” Hill said. “Golf is a lot different at that altitude than at sea level. You can’t spin the ball and move it like you can at lower elevation.”
During his career, Hill played The Broadmoor’s courses four or five times, and he calls the setting “awesome,” with the storied Broadmoor Hotel as a backdrop.
“I always enjoyed getting up on one of the holes and looking back on the hotel and the mountains,” Hill said.
Hill’s expertise at playing at altitude came from his years as head pro at Hiwan Golf Club in the foothills between Denver and Evergreen.
“It was a new course when I went up there in 1963,” Hill said. “It took a few years for me to figure out the course, but once I knew it, I had a two- to four-shot edge a day. I could take a 4-iron out and play nine holes. The Broadmoor is a lot different than that.”
Hill came to Colorado in 1960 under the sponsorship of George Kolowith, who also operated the Denver Chicago Truckers, a basketball team that played in the National Industrial Basketball League.
From 1961 to 1976, Hill won 13 times on the PGA Tour, including two victories in the Memphis Open Invitational and two in the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. His best year on the tour was 1969, when he won three tournaments: the Memphis Open Invitational, the Buick Open Invitational and the IVB-Philadelphia Golf Classic. He also captured the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average for the year.
“Memphis always treated me good,” Hill said. “It seemed as if my game came around that time of the year. It would stick for three or four months, but I never could consistently hold it at that same level all year. I went through a spell with my driver where I couldn’t put the ball in a 120-acre field. I never could putt at Oakmont or Oakland Hills in Detroit.”
Hill also won the Colorado Open four times. His six victories on the Champions Tour ranged from 1987 to 1989. While playing on the PGA Tour, Hill was a member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 1969, 1973 and 1977.
“I quit in 2002,” Hill said. “The old body wouldn’t go anymore. All those years of playing, smoking and drinking will catch up with you. I always was a free spirit. Good or bad, I didn’t give a dang what people thought about what I did. I think I was good for the game.”
Hill rated Jack Nicklaus as the best player he played against, but he rates Tiger Woods as the best player ever from watching him on television.
“In my day, I would have liked to have given it a go against Tiger,” Hill said. “He’s the best player any of us will see in our lifetime, and he’s the best player our grandchildren will see in their lifetime. He’s what you call perfect from one end to the other, and Lord have mercy, he can putt.”
Hill’s attention has turned to farming. He helps his brother, Mike, mow alfalfa fields, easily driving the tractor within the boundaries.
Hill bio
Born: May 20, 1937, in Jackson, Mich.
High school: St. Mary’s, Jackson, Mich.
Family: Daughter Laura, sons David and Robert (deceased).
Hobby: Hunting with a muzzleloader.
Wish: Winning a major tournament. Putting on fast greens was his downfall.
