If you watch a game, it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf.
- Bob Hope

Given the great criticism leveled at a previous rendering of two of the top entertainers of the 20th Century, perhaps the current posting will serve as an artist's response to just criticism.

If there's one thing Bing and Bob are remembered for almost as much as their singing (Bing) and comedy (Bob), it's their golf. Reports are that Bing was the better of the two and one popular informational publication mentioned that Bing was no "hacker like Bob Hope". After all, Bing had a 2 handicap and even played in two national amateur tournaments.

However, designating Bob Hope as a hacker given that he had a 4 handicap seems a bit harsh. In fact, Bob himself played in the 1951 British Amateur at Royal Porthcawl Golf Course in Wales. However, he did lose his first match and so he was out of the running.

Bob's wife, Dolores, also played to a low handicap and she even once beat Bob in a match - 78 strokes to Bob's 79. As far as Bing goes, 75 is not only a score that he could often achieve, it was also the number of dues-paying club memberships he held.

Although Bing's handicap was low he wasn't quite up to par (no joke intended) to another amateur named Bobby Jones. It was Bobby who from 1923 to 1930 won four US Open Championships and three Open Championships in England. However, in all tournaments except two his final score was above par. The exceptions were the 1930 US Open at the Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minnesota, where he finished 1 under after three days and the 1927 Open Championship at St. Andrews Scotland where he ended up -7 for the tournament. Based on these tournaments Bobby comes out with a 0.6 handicap.

Although Bing may not have been another Bobby, it is Bing who is often credited with inventing the Pro-Am golf tournaments. In a Pro-Am, a touring pro plays on a team of amateurs. Usually it's one professional to three or four amateurs. The main exception to the 3-4:1 amateur:pro ratio is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. At this tournament each professional is paired with one amateur.

In a Pro-Am, the amateurs are allowed to adjust their scores based on their handicaps with the team score being the lowest combined score. If during the game a particular player cannot improve the team's score for the hole, the player will usually "pick up" and not bother to complete the hole.

Bing started what was called the Bing Crosby Clambake Tournament at Pebble Beach in 1937 (which Sam Snead won). Also called the Bing Crosby National Pro-Amateur, this is the tournament that became the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Although it's understandable that the sponsors like to be included in the title, it does seem like they should put Bing's name in somewhere.

One article mentioned the earliest Pro-Am is the Masters Tournament that was first played in 1933. That, though, is not correct as the Masters is not a Pro-Am. Instead it is an open tournament. That is, the tournament is open to both professional and amateur players. Everyone competes on an equal footing and no amateur scores are handicapped. You get what you shoot.

Pro-Ams are not part of the official professional tours and are often held to benefit some charity. In principle having a high handicap is no, well, no handicap, and "ham and egging" the score (as one professional called it) can lead to particularly low scores for the team. For instance, writer George Plimpton played in the 1966 Crosby Tournament, and with his 18 handicap, if he averaged par on each hole, they would count as birdies. If a player with a high handicap happens to have a particularly good day, the team can wind up as the leader. Unfortunately in the Crosby, George played well-over par and picked up a lot.

In the Pro-Ams, professionals are also allowed to compete on their individual score to make the "cut", a pre-designated number of players with the lowest scores who go on to the final day's play. So even if the team doesn't qualify for the final day's play, professionals may make the cut based on their individual score. In the early years of the Crosby Pro-Am, a team with the professional and the amateur could make the cut but nowadays only the pro's play the final two rounds.

Although open tournaments have strict qualifications for entry, in the pro-ams most of the slots are by invitation and the amateurs are often selected from celebrities who have developed golfing prowess. As the applications far exceed the available places, the few remaining slots for both amateurs and pros are decided by a qualifying round.

As a comedian Bob was well-known for his one-liners, and many of his zingers were about golf. But other jokes could be more involved. Also some of them were daring even after standards of propriety loosened up after the 1960's. He later quipped that he was now able to tell jokes in front of an audience that he used to tell backstage.

Naturally Bob and Bing would sometimes play golf together and Bob told the story of the time he and Bing were out on a course in the American West. As they reached the 18th hole Bob hit into the rough. As he was looking for his ball, he came across a rattlesnake that struck and bit him. As to where the snake bit him, Bob called said it was right on his "happy meat".

Bing ran up and asked what happened. Bob told him to find a doctor and say a rattlesnake had bitten him on his happy meat.

Bing found a doctor - this was a golf course after all - and he said his friend had been bitten by a rattlesnake.

Well, the doctor said, Bing had to get a knife and make a small cut across the bite. Then Bing will have to suck the poison out.

"Remember," the doctor said, "If you don't do that, he'll die!"

Bing ran back as fast as he could and found Bob still laying on the ground.

"Did you find a doctor?" Bob asked.

Bing said he had.

"What did he say?" Bob asked.

Bing looked down at Bob.

"He said you're going to die."¹

Sometimes Bob's best jokes were accidental. In 1951, he appeared on The Bing Crosby Show for Chesterfield on radio. That the show had the name of its sponsor was lamentably all too common.

At the end of the skit Bing and Bob ended up by singing their version of "Sweet Violets". But in the preliminary banter, Bob mentioned that he had been making the western film Son of Paleface with Jane Russell and Roy Rogers. Like Roy he going to start a new line of Bob Hope clothes

"There's room, there's room," Bing said, which got a good laugh.

Bob started to complain.

"I checked this script just half an hour ago," he griped, "and I'd sworn I didn't leave you a laugh."

"'There's room'," Bob said. "What kind of a punchline is that?"

"That's not even funny," he added. "Your brother Everett [Bing's oldest brother and business manager] must have a clique in the audience."

"He is. He's out there," Bing said. "He's with a large group from the Finlandia Band. A very steamy group."

"Yes, that's what I smelled, huh?" Bob cracked. "I thought a track team went through here.

"But getting back to the Bob Hope Line of clothes," Bob continued, "I wish you all kinds of luck, but please don't expect me to buy any of them."

"That's my line," Bing said.

That got the biggest laugh of the show.

References and Further Reading

"A Golfing Life: Bob Hope (1903 - 2003), Sports Illustrated, August 4, 2003.

"How it All Began: Bing Crosby and the Pro-Am at Pebble Beach", Neal Hotelling, Carmel Magazine, Winter 2023/2024, December 5, 2023.

"Among Revelations in New Book: Bing Crosby Had A LOT of Golf Club Memberships", Alex Myers, Golf Digest, April 28, 2016.

"ATT Pebble Beach Pro-Am began as the Crosby Clambake", Jim Davis, Golf Heritage, February 19, 2021.

The Bogey Man, George Plimpton, Harper and Row, 1968.

"Bob Hope Quotes: Inspirational And Funny Words From The Legendary Comedian", Quote Sanity, June 30, 2025.

"The History of Golf", Ben Johnson, Historic UK, December 28, 2016.

"Bob Hope Live Appearance", Minneapolis State Fair, at Falcon Heights, Minnesota, August 31, 1978.

"Snakebite", The Mayo Clinic.