Golf and This Thing of Ours

Recently, I ran across an interesting article about mobsters Al Capone and Sam Giancana's passion for golf. These two Chicago gangsters actually used a nine iron for what it was meant to be used for. Not for nothing but I'm glad I wasn't around to keep score.

Dave Kindred, a contributing writer to Golf Digest wrote:

One dark and steamy Chicago summer night, the telephone rang as Harry Pezzullo watched the fights. Golf pros don't get many late-night pleas from clients. But there was no confusion once Pezzullo heard Sam Giancana's voice. The ganglord said to the pro, "Get your ass down to the club." Money had changed hands that afternoon, most of it leaving Giancana's. He wanted the pro to look at his swing. More than that, he wanted it fixed. Now. "Now?" Pezzullo said. Said Giancana, "Now."

It was getting on to midnight and Harry Pezzullo was in his pajamas. His two sons were asleep. When he told his wife about the call, Mrs. Pezzullo offered sage advice. She said, "Get your ass down there. I don't want 'em coming here." Because Mission Hills had no lighted practice tee, Giancana's boys arranged for their cars' headlights to shine on the boss and the pro. Somebody emptied a gross of new balls onto the ground. Pezzullo looked at Giancana's swing. Made a fix here and there. Rerouted the plane. Fiddled with the grip. The sleight of hand had its drama.

Meanwhile, the golf stories about Al Capone go as follows:

More brazen than wise, Banjo Eyes once accused Capone of cheating. The big guy replied, "On your knees and start praying." He pulled from his golf bag a .45 revolver. Sullivan wrote that only his plea for Banjo Eyes life stayed a fairway execution. Jostled in the golf bag another day, a revolver fired a bullet that tore through Capone's right leg and embedded in the left. A week's stay in the hospital preceded his return to Burnham. "After that," Sullivan wrote, "the boys double-checked to make sure the safety catch was on before they deposited any gun in a golf bag."

With all of this talk about �family� it made me wonder; What would pro-golfers names be if they were gangsters?

The Boss:
Ben Hogan a.k.a �The Godfather� a.k.a "Two Iron Tex"

The Under-Bosses:
Sammy Snead a.k.a uhhhhh��Slammin� Sammy��go figure
Byron Nelson a.k.a �Cut Man�

The Consigliere�s (Advisers):
Jack Nicklaus a.k.a �Nicky Bear�
Arnold Palmer a.k.a �Bay Hill Bang�
Gary Player a.k.a �Lights Out�

The Caporegime�s (Captains):
Greg Norman a.k.a �Shark"...again, go figure.
Fred Couples a.k.a "Boom Boom Copolla"
Payne Stewart a.k.a "St. Stewart" All respect to this man...
Nick Faldo a.k.a "Anchor Man"
Tiger Woods a.k.a "Cablinasian Kid"
John Daly a.k.a "Sloppy Joe"
Sergio Garcia a.k.a "Borriol Bull"
Ernie Els a.k.a " E Double"
Phil Mickelson a.k.a "Lefty Flop"
Vijay Singh a.k.a "Three Finger Fiji"

Now that's a family tournament if I ever saw one...Hit 'em straight and remember: Do the right thing!

Posted in: Al Capone,ben hogan,golf stinks,golfstinks,harry pezzullo,mafia,mob,Sam Giancana,tiger woods