Forty-five years after claiming the centenary British Open, octogenarian Kel Nagle reminisced about winning the auld claret jug at St Andrews, the thrill of harness racing and life as a teetotaller.
Editor’s note: This interview first appeared in the July 2005 issue of Australian Golf Digest.
Sitting on a fence at Grotto Point in Sydney Harbour National Park, Kel Nagle casts a glance over the imposing entrance to the city of his birth. But the 84-year-old is bemused by the efforts of photographer Chris Elfes to capture his portrait. When asked if he can manage a smile for the camera, Nagle dryly observes, “It’s a tough ask.” Still, a wry grin and chuckle emerge from one of Australia’s most respected golfers.
The PGA of Australia life member has receded from the media spotlight in the 45 years since he won the centenary British Open on The Old Course at St Andrews, the venue for this month’s British Open.
Australian Golf Digest’s senior writer Rohan Clarke spoke with Nagle during three lengthy interviews. A humble man, Nagle warmed to the task of recounting a career in golf that is memorable for its accomplishments, which include a British Open, an Australian Open, two Canada (World) Cups, six Australian PGA titles, seven New South Wales PGAs, seven New Zealand Opens and seven New Zealand PGAs.
But his achievements are better appreciated when you consider that he first played the game at the age of 16, rediscovered it when he was 25 after serving in the Second World War, and reached the height of his powers between his 39th and 45th birthdays when he finally made the progression to an international touring professional. In the early 1970s he laid claim to being the world’s leading golfer over the age of 50.
Friends and colleagues of Nagle’s portray him as a gentleman of the highest order. In the following interview Nagle reflects on some of his highlights and talks about the obstacles he overcame to become one of Australia’s greatest sporting ambassadors.
A late bloomer who was self taught and possessed a rare penchant for hard work, it’s fair to say Kelvin David George Nagle mastered the game in a manner only he could have done.
Kel, you won the centenary British Open at St Andrews in 1960, beating Arnold Palmer by a stroke. What are your memories of that victory?
The first day I shot 69 and [Argentina’s] Roberto de Vicenzo shot 67. And the second day I shot 67 and Roberto shot another 67. Then we were playing together the next day, which was to be 36 holes. Roberto played really well for nine holes, but he missed all of these little short putts. Roberto had 75 and I finished up shooting 71. But just as we got to the 18th green, the heavens opened and it rained like mad. The water just flooded down into the Valley Of Sin [in front of the 18th green] and spewed over the clubhouse steps and filled up all the bunkers.
The morning players [had] already gone out for the afternoon but they brought them all in and we had to wait and play the [final] round the next day. The third round stood but they cancelled the early [scores] of the players that had already gone out. So we all started again fresh for the fourth round.
I’m playing with Roberto and I was pretty comfortable with about four holes to go – I was actually four shots in front of Arnold. He was playing just in front. He birdied 15 and I three-putted, so that made it two. I watched him get 4 at 16 and then I watched him get 4 off the road at 17. Then he was putting out on the 18th and I was on the green at 17 but I had putted down to about eight feet short. And I thought Well, I’ll let Arnold go, and I heard a hell of a roar go up. So I knew he had holed it. It meant that I had to hole this eight footer. And it really never looked like missing. The nervous system was good in those days. And then I had to make 4 at the last. Actually, Donnie Lawrence, from The Age, came rushing up to me. He said, “Do you know what you’ve got to win?” [Laughs]. But anyway, I knew that I had to make 4 at the last. And I pitched it in about three-and-a-half feet, so I didn’t have too much [left].
How far was your approach shot into 18?
I think it was an easy 9-iron. In those days, the ball didn’t go as far. And being wet it probably favoured [me], because you could pitch onto the green and it would stop. But it was magic going up that last hole with all the people lined up either side.
Was it nerve-wracking?
Yeah, you’ve got a job to do. In those days, from 1959 through about 1965, they were my best years and the nervous system was good.
And you had three-and-a-half foot to win the British Open by two strokes?
I had three-and-a-half foot, yeah, to win by two. But I missed it. It lipped out and it went about a foot past. And I just turned around and whacked it in. It went in pretty hard. I saw the replay later on the TV and I could hear Henry Longhurst, the famous old writer, I could hear him in the background saying, “Oh, be careful, be careful.” But I just turned around and knocked it straight in. I didn’t line it up or anything. I didn’t feel like I could miss it. [Laughs.] I probably should have taken a bit more time.
I believe you needed to borrow a jacket from Peter Thomson for the presentation ceremony?
I was staying at Forgans just across from the 18th, there’s a little white building there. And with all the people there, I didn’t have my jacket. And Pete was first on the green to congratulate me. I borrowed his coat to pick up the trophy.
But the funny thing was that we had gone to America before the British Open and we played at Colonial National. We went down to the MacGregor warehouse there and I found this driver that felt pretty good to me. Gees, I ran second at Colonial. Then Peter and I went across to Portmarnock to play in the Canada Cup and we finished third. And he said to me at the time – these were his exact words – he said, “God, you’re playing well. I think you can win the Open.”
I said, “Oh, I’m 100-1.”
And he said, “I know the course pretty well. We’ll practice for two or three days.” And that’s just how it worked out. He was playing in the tournament but apparently he had a bit of confidence that I could win.
It must have given you an enormous boost to know that Peter had faith in you?
Tremendous. Yeah. We’ve been good friends for years through Canada Cup. We won in 1954 and we won again in 1959. We had a couple of thirds. And we’ve been friends ever since.
What are your memories of that victory at Royal Melbourne in 1959? It must have been very special to beat the Yanks [Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff] on home turf?
It was great. There were about 30,000 people there, too. But hot, dusty. [Laughs.] Peter played very well and I was just holding mine together. And I think he finished up playing [Canadian] Stan Leonard in the playoff for the individual. But it was great to win in front of your own people. They were big tournaments in those days – the money side of it wasn’t, we just got an honorarium [to cover] your expenses, hotel accommodation. But more or less you were playing for your country. And playing with a friend, which is better still.
How much golf do you play these days?
I don’t play. I haven’t played since 1992. I had three back operations. I used to get a lot of pain in my legs. I found that I lost my balance a bit – I couldn’t stand there to make a swing. And if I anchored myself so that I could make a swing, then I couldn’t turn enough. So I haven’t played. I go around and watch the boys a bit when the tournaments are on in Sydney. Or some of the senior events, I might go out and have a look. I watch it on the TV. But I’m still interested.
So you still love the game?
Yeah, yeah, it’s a great game. It really came a bit late for me because when I won the Open I was 39. When I lost a playoff for the US Open I was 45. A lot of them have finished these days at the good old age of 45. Then we started playing a few of the senior events in the States. But there again, I was a bit older for the set-up. I’m sort of 60 and they’re 50, so it’s hard to give 10 years away. But I enjoyed travelling around and playing in the tournaments over there.
Was it glamorous to be a professional golfer in the 1960s, travelling the world and so forth?
It was a way of making a living. When I first started out in tournaments, we didn’t play for much money. We used to go around and play for 50, 100 and 200 pound purses. Gradually, it got bigger: The Ampol 1000 [pounds] came up, and then McWilliam’s Wines, 5,000 [pounds]. It wasn’t until the 1960s that prizemoney started to get up a bit. When I won the British Open I got 1,120 pounds, I think. [Todd] Hamilton probably got 700,000 pounds [720,000 pounds in 2004]. Big difference. [Laughs.] But I’m not complaining. I’ve had a good life. I’ve been all around the world, which I couldn’t have done before as a carpenter or whatever. Met a lot of people, made a lot of friends.
If you didn’t pursue golf, what was the likely career path for you?
My dad wanted me to be a carpenter. I started off to be a carpenter but I didn’t really like it. And then I went across to Pymble and did a bit of caddieing at weekends to get a bit of pocket money. And then Mr Tom Pop [Pymble professional, Tom Popplewell] was looking for a junior assistant and he gave me a job in the shop. So I practised hard – he showed me the grip and the stance – I worked away to get it going.
So that was about 1937 when you were 16 years of age. Had you played the game up until then?
No. When I started there I hadn’t played. We used to live at North Turramurra. My dad had 10 acres of land out there, an orchard. Through the depression, he sold it and we went to Dorrigo [near Coffs Harbour] on a dairy farm. We were there for about seven years and then the depression finished and the family came back to Buckra Street at Turramurra. And that’s when I got the job. We didn’t have anything at Dorrigo, we never played up there. But before that, when we were kids, we found an old jigger, like an old approach putter. We put a bush stick in it and we grabbed some golf balls, and we used to hit them up the paddock. But that was all.
I was practising, playing pretty good at the age of about 19. I was due to become a member of the PGA and they closed the membership for a couple of years because there were not enough jobs about. Then the war came along and so I’m in the army at 19. I was four-and-a-half years in the army. I was 24 when I came out.
We were doing national service in camp at Wallgrove [Army Base] and then they called for volunteers for the AIF [Australian Imperial Force]. I was in an anti-tank regiment. I spent about 20-odd months up around Darwin. Then they broke our regiment up because the Japanese were being driven back out of Timor and New Guinea, and they didn’t need any anti-tank. I did a conversion course for artillery – 25 pounders, big babies. Then I did the jungle training school at Canungra in Queensland [on the Gold Coast hinterland].
Jeanie gave birth to twins [Bruce and Lynette] while I was in Morotai [island, east Indonesia] and they gave me compassionate leave. They flew me back to Sydney and we were out at St Ives, waiting to be demobbed [demobilised]. We would go down to the wharves and load the supplies up for the troops that were still away.
Then once we got to 1945, [I went back] to Pymble as the assistant. But I really had to start all over again. At this time I hadn’t played in a tournament and I’m 25. Actually, I played my first tournament at Manly Golf Club and I was still in uniform. I think that was about 1945. But I didn’t play any golf whilst I was in the army.
With five years away from the game, what part of your game suffered the most?
The whole lot. You had to get the feel, the touch. You had to work pretty hard to get that. Jack Dillon wrote, one time, I’d never ever win a four-round tournament.
Why did he say that?
I would have a good round and then I’d have a bad round. Or if I’d get into position I’d shoot a bad round – probably nerves. But I gradually worked out of it. Then when I started winning four-round tournaments, I said to Jack one time, “Remember you wrote in the paper about me not winning a four-round tournament?” [Laughs.] And he said, “Oh, you can be wrong sometimes.” [Laughs.]
What was your breakthrough tournament victory?
The PGA Championship in 1949, the one over in Perth. I beat Teddie Naismith in the final. It used to be matchplay in those days.
You were considered to be a long hitter then. I think they called you ‘The Pymble Crusher’.
Yeah. That’s right. A long hitter, but a bit wild. Then we had a trip to England with Norman von Nida and Peter Thomson and myself and Eric Cremin [in 1951]. We played six tournaments and I only qualified in one, which was the British Open at Portrush that Max Faulkner won. Then we played about four tournaments in America on the way back.
My boss, Mr Pop, he wanted to retire; he was crippled up with rheumatoid arthritis. And Pymble gave me the job as the pro when I came back. So I was there for about four-and-a-half years [1951-1954]. I didn’t go away anywhere, I just played the local set-up. Actually, I went to Montreal with Peter in 1954 and that’s when we won the first Canada Cup.
I left Pymble in 1954 and started to just play the tournaments. I won the McWilliam’s Wines [in 1953]; I beat Roberto de Vicenzo. And that’s more or less how it all started. I gradually won a few tournaments here and there, the PGA championships, the New South Wales championships.
How many tournaments were you playing in Australia back then?
It’s hard to say. Whenever they had anything on we’d shape up. The money wasn’t around in those days. We used to play a lot of 200 pound purses and things like that.
Those 200-pound tournaments, how many rounds were they?
Sometimes they were two, some might have been one. Sometimes it was only a 100-pound tournament early in the piece. It was until Ampol came into it, the Ampol 1000 [pounds], and then that got up to a bit better money.
How many players were in the field back in those days?
There would probably be about 100. A lot of them were club pros, we were all club pros, most of us. Playing a tournament was a bit of a sideline.
I heard an interesting story about yourself and Peter when you went to the MacGregor factory and you both picked up a driver. Can you enlighten me about that?
I got the one we liked. He couldn’t use his. So we were practising one day and I had a comfort stop, and left my driver alone on the side of the thing there. He switched over. When I came back and picked it up, I duck hooked it. He laughed his head off. But he gave me back my own driver. It was one of those Eye-o-matic’s. They looked the same, but for some reason or other we couldn’t really handle his. But we could both hit mine.
So after I wore out the shaft, or the shaft got a bit soft, I got new shafts put in it and new inlays. Then I sent it across to St Andrews; they’ve got it in the museum there. I gave Peter O’Malley my putter the other day to take over to put in there as well.
That’s your bullseye putter, the one you used to win at St Andrews?
The Bullseye, yeah. I got that in 1954.
Where did you pick that up?
We played at Chicago at the Tam O’Shanter [Country Club] and I stayed at a motel and there was a young chap that worked there. His father-in-law owned the motel. And I got friendly with them. His name was Blue. And I wrote to him when I came back home. I said, “Go around to that warehouse and get me two putters, a light one and a heavy one, a bullseye. Send them down to Ken Jackson, a Qantas pilot at San Francisco, and he’ll bring them out for me.”
I picked up the light one and from 1954 until last week (except for maybe a week with a Ping and a week with a Ray Cook) – that was about it. I used it all the time. So I just sent it across to Peter Dawson [secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews].
So are you donating it?
To the museum, yeah.
A couple of years ago, Jack Newton rated the best players through the bag. And he rated you as the best fairway wood player and the best putter. On the putting, tell me about you’re technique. You called it a bit of a ‘pop’ stroke.
I wasn’t always a good putter early in the piece. But when I got the Bullseye I must say that I did it by numbers.
How’s that?
I put the club in front of the ball when I was lining it up. I’d lift it up over the ball, I’d put it down, and then I’d bring it up and go 1, 2, 3, back, pop. And that’s how it felt to me. I did all my shots moving, I was never stationary. I couldn’t stand there and put the club down behind the ball and make a swing. I was on the move all the time, like my feet or my hands, push it out – all of my shots.
So you always had a waggle?
Yeah, always had a waggle. I could never do what they do these days. I think, God, they’re never going to hit it. That’s probably why [my] nervous system’s pretty good for a long time.
What range of putt were you quite comfortable with in those days?
I was pretty good from four feet in. I rolled the ball pretty good to the hole. I’d say I was never a charger. I would never hit the ball in hard. My theory was: Anything long, you roll it up close to the hole and make sure you get the next one. It didn’t always work that way, but that was the theory.
So you were a very good lag putter?
Yeah. You’ve got 14 clubs in the bag. You’ve got 13 clubs for 36 shots and you’ve got one club for 36 shots. Providing you’re hitting your own shots pretty good, if you can get your percentage down, to say, 30 putts, then you’re shooting pretty low scores. Occasionally you would have a day out and you’d get around about 22 putts or 24 putts, or whatever the case may be when you get a really low score.
What was the key to your success with fairway woods?
That’s golfers. Some are really good drivers, some are good long iron players, some are good short-iron players, good bunker players. They excel in different things. I suppose that’s the way I worked at it. With the old 4-wood, I seemed to be able to make a lot of 2s on long par 3s.
In the better years, when I shortened my swing down, I kept the ball in play more. I sacrificed a bit of distance for a bit of accuracy. But if I were playing today I’d work on the long driver because that’s what you’ve got to be able to do these days. You’ve got to be able to drive the ball. They don’t always drive it on the fairway, a lot of them, the way they play. Tiger and these fellows, they hit it out there 320-330 yards. Well, if you’re playing with someone that’s only hitting it 250 yards and you happen to be in the rough, it’s harder to get out of the rough with a 4-iron than what it is playing a 9-iron or a wedge… You’ve got to be able to hit it off the tee. If you can’t get it out there, you’re giving the advantage away.
What was your stock shot, a draw or a fade?
Straight. I could hook it or cut it, but I liked to try and keep it straight.
Tell me about your swing, Kel. You had a very long swing in the early days.
When we went to Britain [in 1951], I didn’t qualify in about five tournaments there. So when I came back, I worked on a three-quarter swing. And that meant I kept the ball in play. In the tournaments out here, we didn’t have the volume of players at the time, so if I could score against the Bolger brothers [Billy and Fred], or Eric Cremin and Norm von Nida, Ossie Pickworth – there was just a bunch of guys there that you had to beat. So that way I was getting into a bit of prizemoney to help keep the family going.
It must have been very prohibitive to travel overseas in those days?
Yeah, we didn’t get any expenses or anything. You had to pay your own way. As against that, the hotels weren’t as expensive and you didn’t have to pay the caddie as much. So it was all relative, really. But they are better off today. A guy can win as much in a week as they pay the President of the United States, all year. [Laughs.] Tennis is the same, isn’t it? Cricket, football, the whole lot, it’s all changed.
I assume your family was back here when you were travelling overseas. Was that difficult?
Yeah. It was tough on Jean and the kids. I was a homeboy, too. Later on, she travelled with me a fair bit. But in those early days, we couldn’t afford it. The kids were going to school.
Were there any great Australian players who could have been successful overseas, but for one reason or another chose not to pursue America or Britain?
In the early days, people like Billy Bolger, Eric Cremin. In their heyday, they would have been able to compete fairly well. Sam Richardson was a beautiful player.
Norman von Nida was probably the start of our fellows going across. Norman went across early in the piece and he lobbed in Britain with about 40 or 50 pounds in his pocket. He was like the trailblazer, really.
Did you have a mentor?
No.
You were self-taught?
Self taught. Mr Pop showed me the grip and the stance and I worked it out for myself. I used to practise a lot with Eric Cremin and Peter [Thomson], of course; we played a lot together. But never had a coach.
Or sports psychologist?
No. [Laughs.] I probably needed one. No, it was all do your own thing.
You came very close to winning the US Open in 1965 at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis. Gary Player beat you in a playoff. Can you talk me through the playoff?
Yeah. It was 18 holes. I started off, I three-putted the first green and Gary made 4. The next hole, Gary holed about a 40-footer and I holed about a 20-footer on top of him. The very next hole he holed about another 40-footer, so that put him two shots in front. I got one back at the fourth. And the fifth hole I hit two women. I hit a lady on the head off the tee. It was a dogleg left and I saw the ball go about 20 feet in the air from the tee. [I] hit it about five or six yards too much to the left. When I got up there, the lady’s unconscious, she’s laying on the ground. They’re fanning her and she’s got blood all through her hair. Joe Dey, who was the [executive director of the US Golf Association] at the time, he said, “Kel, I think you better go ahead and play and then we’ll take her up to the clubhouse.” At the PGA you would never have seen that. But with the USGA, they didn’t take her away.
Did it unsettle you?
Well, I’ve got a 6-iron in there now, and this poor old lady is lying behind the thing there, she’s still unconscious. And I wasn’t tight enough with the left hand and turned it over and got a lady on the leg as well. So I made double bogey and that put Gary three in front. And that’s how it finished. There were a lot of holes where I hit a lot of good shots in, but I missed the putts. He had 71. I had 74.
You hit two female spectators. Did that weigh on your mind?
It upsets you a bit. Yeah. You don’t like hurting people. You get over it. But she came back after – they took her away and put about eight stitches in her head. But I probably got a bit excited about being in the playoff.
Is there anything you would do differently in that playoff?
Hole the putts. [Laughs.] I remember one hole, the ninth hole, and Gary’s way up the back. He’s got about a 40-footer and I’ve got about a 10-footer downhill for birdie. Gary putted by about eight, 10 feet. And I’ve got this putt to pick up a couple of shots. And I just trickled it; it was very quick. God, my ball goes down past Gary’s and it’s my putt first. So I miss and he holes. He picked up a shot on me there, where I looked like getting two shots. There were a couple of holes like that.
His friend, a chap called George Blomberg, he said to me later on, “You know, today in the playoff, you were 15 times inside Gary to the flag.” And he had 71 and I had 74. That’s the way it goes. You win some, lose some.
What was your most comprehensive victory, when you played as good as you could ever play?
Probably the PGA Championship at Metropolitan [in 1968]. It was a good field: Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Thomson. I won by about seven shots, I think, 276 around Metropolitan.
[In 1961] I played pretty well when I won in Hong Kong. I had 62-61. I had 62 playing with Peter in one of the rounds. It had five par 3s on it and I had five 2s. [Laughs.] After the third, I said, “Gees, Peter, I’ve never had three 2s in a row.” [Laughs.] And we got to the next one and I said, “Peter, I’ve never had four 2s.” Then I get to the fifth, the 17th, a 6-iron shot. I said, “Peter, I’ve never had five 2s.” [Laughs.] He’s muttering away there, because he’d gone pretty good, too. And I knocked it in about three feet and made it. So I’ve got a putt on the last for 60. And I three-putted it and shot 62. I think Pete shot 64 or 65. And I won the tournament.
And I had 260 at Woodbrook in Dublin. It was the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake. I shot 64-65 and I was two behind Peter Alliss. Then I had 66-65 in the last two rounds and shot 260. That was probably the lowest scores I had.
How far was the putt you had for 60 in Hong Kong?
About 20 feet. I knocked it back to about three foot by and missed it. [Laughs.] Charged it to get the 60. I don’t charge as a rule, but I needed to putt that one pretty hard.
Is it fair to say your second love is harness racing?
Yeah, I love the harness racing as a sport.
How did you come to be involved with it?
Well, my wife [Jean] used to live next door to Frank Kelloway and he had a horse called Ribands. And I got interested in it through him. I bought a mare and foal. Digger Banning used to [train them] for me early in the piece. Then Digger sold out and went to Cessnock. [Then I linked] up to the Brays – Peter and Arthur Bray – at Temora. They had Adios Victor. And I’ve been friends with the Brays ever since.
How many horses have you owned over the years?
A good few. We haven’t had a lot of success. West St Gailes won about six races. He ran the provincials and won at Bulli and different places. I haven’t been able to get one to win at Harold Park [in Sydney], except I won a Tuesday meeting there with Kaiser Blue. We won nine races with him around the provincials; we won at Bankstown and Penrith. We would love to have won on Friday night at Harold Park, but we haven’t made it. Another mare, Rhythm Miss, she won about five races.
What is the biggest appeal of harness racing for you?
I made a lot of friends around the world with harness racing. I used to go out and have a bit of a jog around myself. It’s a great thrill.
Did you ever race?
No, not in races. But I used to go around on the track with Digger Banning or Peter Bray at Temora.
Was it dangerous?
Well, they looked after me pretty good. The horses that I got on didn’t do too much wrong. But it’s a big thrill sitting up there having a burn. [Laughs.] But then as I got a bit older, if you were to happen to have an accident, then you don’t bounce too good. So I just enjoy watching them go around now.
You were also a keen fisherman.
Yeah, I used to love to fish. It was nice therapy, even if you don’t catch anything, sitting out there on the water in the boat.
Where would you fish?
We used to go all over the place. My wife and I used to go down to Bobbin Head on a Friday, when I had a day off, and boil the billy on the side and catch a few fish. It was a lovely day out. And we used to take the kids away on holidays to Toukley.
We got friendly with the [Rood family] down in Bega… We used to go down every Christmas. We used to go fishing with [my son-in-law, John]’s father, Burt – put a boat in and go out towards Bermagui or down south. But I also liked fishing off the beach with the rods. But these days, with the balance, I haven’t been going.
Back to golf, one of your four children opted to become a professional golfer. Did you encourage Colin to follow in your footsteps?
No, not really. It’s a pretty tough racket. Of course, he’s gone the other way, like on the [club] professional side. [Colin was the head professional at Russley in Christchurch and Kooyonga in Adelaide.] Then he’s moved up to Townsville. The only one that has really taken it on is [my grandson] Jake, that Rob’s son.
What advice did you give him?
Practice. Work hard. Chip and putt. Bunker shots. All of that stuff. You’ve got to work really hard. I told him it’s a pretty tough racket. There are so many [touring professionals] these days that just don’t make it. But if you feel that’s what you want to do, then you’ve got to give yourself the opportunity haven’t you? But you’ve got to work at it. You’ve got to work at anything to make it worthwhile… You’ve got to be able to give a few things away to make sure that you’re doing the practice. Probably a lot of the young fellows would be going out on the town or whatever.
[As a junior assistant] I used to be up there at daylight at Pymble waiting for it to get light – winter or summer. We used to practise before work. I used to start at 8.30am in the shop. In my lunch hour I’d be putting up on the green. Then of a night, after 5 o’clock, when the members finished or vice versa, [assistant pro] Ron Menzies and myself used to tear around and get in as many holes as we could get. And on the day off, we’d play three rounds in the one day.
Fifty-four holes in one day?
Yeah. We’d play 18 in the morning and nine, and then we’d finish on the 10th hole at Pymble. In the old days it used to go up Merryvale Lane there, which is all houses now. But the 10th tee used to be not far from where we lived. So we’d go and have lunch and then we’d play the other 18 and nine. That’s what we did on the day off.
I’m told that when you used to practise before work at Pymble, especially on the colder winter mornings, the ice used to build up on your spikes as you were chomping through the frost.
Yeah, frosty mornings. The ice used to gather on the old spikes. We had a little tee down from the first hole and across to the practice green. And I used to hammer that with about an 8-iron.
Were you ever tempted to sleep in?
No, I was just keen to get going.
And that was one of your best assets; you were prepared to work hard?
Yeah, keen. Even later on, I’d go down to Killara, practice a lot down there. David [Mercer] was the pro at Killara. We’ve been friendly for years.
I’ve asked several people for their thoughts about you and the word ‘gentleman’ is mentioned frequently.
I’m a wild son-of-a-bitch. [Laughs.] I suppose I was a family man. Never being a drinker, I never got into any strife. I never got drunk or anything like that.
Did you ever drink?
No. I never drank. Don’t smoke. I stopped smoking when I was about six years old.
So you would describe yourself as a teetotaller?
Yeah, a teetotaller. Right.
And it helped your golf, not drinking?
Yeah, I never had a headache the next day. But mind you, I didn’t improve any, either. [Laughs.]
Was there a reason why you didn’t drink?
My eldest brother didn’t drink. My other brothers didn’t drink. I think that when I was a little boy, very small, my father used to have a beer. I remember that I had a sip and it was horrible. I’ve got a sweet tooth. I like milkshakes and all that sort of stuff.
I used to go to the pub with the boys and they’d have their beer and I’d have lemonade. I’m not a wowser. If they want to have a drink, that’s OK. Social drinking’s all right, so long as it’s in moderation.
Finally, are you looking forward to this year’s Open at St Andrews?
Watching it? Yeah. I think they’ve altered [The Old Course] and made it a little bit longer. I was listening to Brett Ogle the other night and he said they’ve made it 7,200 [7,279 yards]. I’m a little bit concerned if they get really good weather. With the class of the players, I think they might tear it around a bit. You’ve got a fair amount of fairway but you’ve got to position the shot so that the ball doesn’t run into those deep, little traps. But the distance they’re getting off the tee these days, there will be a lot of very short shots.
The Nagle File
Born: December 21, 1920
Birthplace: Sydney
Residence: Sydney
Family: Children: Robert, Bruce, Lynette, Colin.
Grandchildren: Jake, Timothy, Gavin, Wayne, Alicia, Deborah, Gregory, Belinda.
Great grandchildren: Jack, Emma, Layla, Tilly
Turned professional: 1945
Best finish @ the Majors
Masters: T15 (1965)
US Open: 2nd (1965)
British Open: Won (1960)
PGA Championship: T20 (1965)
Tournament victories: 96
1949: Australian PGA Championship
1950: Western Australian Open
1951: New South Wales Open, ACT Open, North Coast Open, Western Australian Open
1952: New South Wales PGA Championship, North Coast Open, Western Australian Open
1953: New South Wales PGA Championship, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, McWilliam’s Wines Tournament
1954: Canada Cup (partnered Peter Thomson), Australian PGA Championship, ACT Open, North Coast Open, Lakes Open, Riverside and Tasmanian Tyre Services £500 Tournament
1955: New South Wales PGA Championship, North Coast Open
1956: New South Wales PGA Championship
1957: New South Wales Open, Lakes Open, New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship
1958: Australian PGA Championship, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, Lakes Open, New Zealand Open, New Zealand PGA Championship
1959: Canada Cup (partnered Peter Thomson), Australian Open, Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales PGA Championship, Queensland Open, Ampol Tournament (shared with Gary Player)
1960: British Open [Eur], New Zealand PGA Championship, Caltex Tournament [NZ]
1961: French Open [Eur], Swiss Open [Eur], Irish Hospitals Tournament [Eur], Dunlop Tournament [Eur], Hong Kong Open [Asia]
1962: Victorian PGA Championship, Adelaide Advertiser Tournament, New Zealand Open, Bowmaker Tournament [Eur], Carling Tournament [Eur]
1963: Esso Golden Tournament [Eur], Lake Karrinyup Bowl, Wiseman’s Tournament [NZ]
1964: Canadian Open [US], Queensland Open, New Zealand Open, Caltex Tournament [NZ]
1965: Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales PGA Championship, Forest Products Tournament [NZ], BP Tournament (shared with Peter Thomson) [NZ], Bowmaker Tournament [Eur]
1966: West End Tournament (tied), Wills Masters, BP Tournament [NZ], Caltex Tournament (shared with Peter Thomson) [NZ]
1967: Esso Golden Tournament (shared with Peter Thomson) [Eur], Victorian Open, West End Tournament, New Zealand Open
1968: Australian PGA Championship, New South Wales Open, West End Tournament, New Zealand Open, BP Tournament [NZ]
1969: Victorian Open, New Zealand Open, Garden City Classic [NZ], Caltex Tournament [NZ]
1970: NBN-3 Tournament, New Zealand PGA Championship, Otago Charity Classic
1971: New South Wales PGA Championship, Volvo Open [Eur], World Seniors Championship [Sen], Pringle Of Scotland Seniors Championship [Sen]
1972: West End Tournament
1973: New Zealand PGA Championship, Pringle Of Scotland Seniors Championship [Sen]
1974: West End Tournament, New Zealand PGA Championship
1975: South Coast Open, New Zealand PGA Championship, Otago Charity Classic [NZ], PGA Senior Championship [Sen], World Senior Championship [Sen]
1977: Western Australian PGA Championship
Close encounters @ the Majors
Finished runner-up in the 1962 British Open at Troon, six strokes adrift of Arnold Palmer… Opened with a 69 at 1964 Masters to be co-leader with Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Davis Love Jr and Bob Goalby before finishing T21… Lost an 18-hole playoff against Gary Player for the 1965 US Open at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis.
Did you know?
Kel Nagle was the second youngest of seven children [Lancelot, Thelma, Basil, Esme, Neville, Kelvin, Mervyn]. But his only sibling that took up the game was his youngest brother, Mervyn, who was a member at Hawks Nest Golf Club near Port Stephens… While Nagle won his only Australian Open in 1959 at The Australian Golf Club, he was a runner-up on six occasions… Both Kel Nagle and Greg Norman finished runner-up at the Colonial Tournament [Nagle in 1960, Norman in 1993] and went on to win the British Open in the same year… Nagle won his seventh New Zealand PGA Championship in 1975 at the age of 54.
