Golf’s Wisecracking Ambassadors

BOB AND BING. HOPE AND CROSBY. Their names go together like ham and eggs, though when paired on screen and in public, they were equally hammy. Leslie Townes “Bob” Hope and Harry Lillis “Bing” Crosby were inextricably linked through show business — and golf.

The most popular entertainers of their era were complete golf fanatics, teeing it up and swatting range balls at every opportunity. Arguably, they had no equals in boosting golf’s popularity in the middle of the 20th century, except perhaps for Arnold Palmer or President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Given their deep Southern California connections and lasting legacies, Hope and Crosby deservedly earned their spots in the SoCal Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

Before, during and after World War II, Hope and Crosby topped charts, box offices, ratings and gallery sizes, individually and collectively. Their reach on radio, TV, in the movies and through many hundreds of public appearances was staggering. America and the rest of the world loved Bob and Bing and in turn, the boys gave back to their fans, with golf often the vehicle and the beneficiary.

TWO FOR THE ROAD

Born mere weeks apart in May 1903, Hope and Crosby were both successful showmen before they relocated to Los Angeles. Crosby joined the Lakeside GC of Hollywood in the early 1930s and lowered his handicap to 2. Improbably, given the demands on his time, he would win five club championships in the 1930s and ’40s.

Crosby also competed in the 1940 and ’41 U.S. Amateurs and the 1950 British Amateur. All this took place while he was busy recording the best-selling single of all time in 1941, “White Christmas,” and appearing in more than 70 motion pictures, winning the Best Actor Oscar for the 1944 film,
Going My Way.

Bob Hope arrived in Hollywood in 1937 and soon joined Lakeside. That remained his home course for the next 65 years, sharing duties later on with his desert retreat, Eldorado CC in Indian Wells. Hope sported a 6 handicap in his prime and had gotten it down to a 4 when he teed it up at the 1951 British Amateur. He and Bing became the fastest of friends, leading to appearances on each other’s radio shows, a slew of successful “Road” movies and countless golf games and charity exhibition matches where stakes and needling ran high.

Teeing it up with kings, presidents and generals, Hope was hailed as “America’s most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the world” when presented with the Congressional Gold Medal from President Kennedy in 1962. Notably, he ventured overseas to entertain American and allied troops during World War II and well beyond with 50 years of USO shows, bringing a touch of home and normalcy to grim environments. On stage, a golf club was Hope’s prop of choice.

EXCEPTIONAL TOURNAMENTS

Hope and Crosby continue to influence fans of modern professional golf, having founded PGA Tour events long ago that remain staples of the modern West Coast Swing. In fact, the tournaments — The American Express and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, as they’re known today —were informally called “the Hope” and “the Crosby” for decades.

Crosby went first. His tournament began in 1937 at Rancho Santa Fe GC, near the Del Mar Racetrack, where Bing was an early investor. The inaugural tourney survived heavy rain and crowned Sam Snead its first champion. When Crosby presented Snead with the winner’s check of $500, Snead responded, “If you don’t mind, Mr. Crosby, I’d rather have cash.”

“The most popular entertainers of their era were complete golf fanatics, teeing it up and swatting range balls at every opportunity.”

After the 1942 edition, “the Crosby Clambake” went on hiatus due to World War II. When it resumed in 1947, Bing had disposed of his interests in San Diego County and moved the proceedings up the coast to the Monterey Peninsula.

Hope’s soiree started in 1960 and was graced with the entertainer’s name in 1965, when it became the Bob Hope Desert Classic. Arnold Palmer won the first edition, and he would eventually triumph five times. Always held in the Coachella Valley, the Desert Classic (now The American Express) has utilized 13 different courses, including the final-round venue for 2025, the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta.

The format was switched from five rounds to four in 2012, but invariably, the ultimate goal has been charitable contributions. Since its inception, the tournament has donated more than $66 million dollars to approximately 100 non profit organizations in the Coachella Valley area.

Hope always chided Crosby for making competitors walk at his event, even when the weather turned wild. Crosby acknowledged from day one the use of carts by amateurs in Hope’s event, cracking, “Hope draws an older crowd for his little party.”

Between the chips and quips, the needling and the mutual admiration, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby became true golf heroes by continuously shining a positive spotlight on their favorite sport.