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Colorado PGA Legend Finsterwald Turns 90 Years Young This Month

By Judy Malone

Have you ever experienced the awe of being in the presence of greatness? Just being in the same room as greatness inspires people to new levels of the possible. This is the feeling that surrounds Dow Finsterwald, PGA Life Member.

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Turning 90 years old this month, greatness isn’t the only thing Finsterwald has in surplus. He also has more stories from his years in golf than are possible to share. But being the gentleman that he is, the only person who feels the brunt of his stories is himself, which, according to him, means “You can get away with a whole lot more.”

Colorado PGA News

Colorado PGA Legend Finsterwald Turns 90 Years Young This Month

We in the Colorado Section remember Finsterwald for the nearly 30 years he served as the Director of Golf at The Broadmoor, but before that, he was a professional golfer. Best known for winning the 1958 PGA Championship, he won 11 Tour titles between 1955 and 1963, played on four Ryder Cup Teams and served as the non-playing captain for the 1977 U.S. Ryder Cup Team. He was known for his superb short game and was considered one of the most consistent players on the Tour in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The Broadmoor, to honor Finsterwald’s commitment and dedication to the industry and to the Resort, renamed the Arnold Palmer Room to the Dow Finsterwald Room. There is also a hallway at the Broadmoor Golf Club filled with his memorabilia that was dedicated in 2018.

Finsterwald and Arnold Palmer were close personal friends. “When Arnold visited the Broadmoor, he never denied anyone a request – reasonable or unreasonable. It was just his nature to be accommodating and I think that led to him getting the contract to build the South Course here,” said Finsterwald. “I tell that story because if you do the right thing, you never know when it’s going to come back to you ten-fold.” He is also a firm believer in saying “Thank You for things in the past, not to gain footing for things in the future.”

Another of Finsterwald’s favorite memories was the time he was asked by University of Colorado head football coach Eddie Crowder to take a look at Hale Irwin and evaluate if he might have a future in tournament golf. If so, he would release him from playing football at CU. Finsterwald told Crowder, “I can’t see what’s in his heart and I can’t see what’s in his head, but he has every chance in the world to be a good golfer.” Irwin went on to win three U.S. Opens.

Finsterwald served twice as an officer of the Colorado Section. “Being a member of the Colorado Section meant something,” he remembers. “It wasn’t a walk in the park to be a member so if I could help enhance the status of another member, I was happy to do so.”

When asked what in his career he is most proud of, he quickly responded, “I feel very good about following my father into the Ohio University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was in the first class and I was inducted in 1969.”

The life-advice Finsterwald would give others is, “If you can’t tell the truth, don’t say anything.” On-the-course he would say, “Don’t brood over the last shot, be preparing to play the next shot.”

As lunch at The Broadmoor concluded, Finsterwald turned to Eddie Ainsworth, Colorado Section Executive Director/CEO, and asked, “Do you want to play a few holes? My clubs are in a cart out there.” How great that at 90 years young, he is still looking for excuses to get out on the course and swing a club.

The next time you have the opportunity to visit with Mr. Finsterwald, wish him a Happy 90th Birthday. And if you want to do something special, he has a weakness for white chocolate M&Ms and Nutter Butter cookies.

It is Finsterwald’s intent to attend the Fall Membership Meeting on October 14, 2019, at Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club.

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The SUMMIT

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