The idea for compiling the History of each Chapter was born at the 2003 National hosted by Del Val at Hilton Head, South Carolina. The host club President, Gil Spriggs, asked Mel Blackwell, Secretary of the DC Chapter, to provide a history of how Pro Duffers got started. After delivering the history as told to him by one of the founding members, Sewell Horad, a lively discussion ensued for several weeks thereafter, calling for a complete history of all Chapters. It was agreed that this was a noble idea and an idea whose time had come. Mel Blackwell offered to compile the History if all of the Chapters would submit their history, and the project was underway. After several months and great work by all of the authors, the story is told from the eyes and lips of each chapter. Added is the history of how the National Organization was formed as told by Dr. Milton Bernard, former National President and DC Chapter President, the Constitution, and by-laws, a description of National events, and a future vision of Pro Duffers by National President Thomas H. Sweeney, Jr.

 

Origins of Pro Duffers

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About fifty years ago, in the late fifties, a group of golfers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known as the "Del Val" golf club, contacted several of their former Howard University classmates who lived in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area and expressed an interest in engaging in some friendly golf matches—area against the area. This very intriguing idea caught the fancy of nine D.C. golfers who decided to form a golfing group, with a name.

The original group included Mark Brown, Otho Ferguson, Sewell Horad, William Hyde, Hugh Jackson, Mordecai Johnson, Leon Wills, William "Bus" Lofton, and John "Buster" Rector. Sewell Horad was chosen as leader (President) of the group. Even though they had not decided on a name, their purpose was well-defined—BEAT DEL VAL. Competitive spirit ran high, but early encounters were not too successful.

Several months after the first encounter with the Del Val group, Robert Smith (a cousin of Bus Lofton's) and Sewell Horad met a fellow golfer at Norwest Park Golf Club who identified himself as a "professional duffer." The next time the D.C. group met, they proposed the name "Pro-Duffers" as a suitable title. The idea was accepted unanimously, and the group became the PRO-DUFFERS GOLF CLUB.

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Growth and Expansion

 

It soon became obvious to the PRO-DUFFERS that to match the size and skill of the Del Val Club, they would have to expand their membership. Their first act was to recruit all the golfers who were members of the "WHAT GOOD ARE WE SOCIAL CLUB." Even with the increased membership, their success in defeating the Del Val Club did not change drastically. So the search began for some more skillful golfers. The next person to join the club was Booker Kent, who was sponsored by Bob Smith and Bus Lofton after observing Booker's game at the East Potomac Golf Course and being impressed with his ability to play.

The largest single increase in the Pro-Duffers membership took place about a year later when a group of physicians, dentists, and other professionals who played golf primarily at Langston Golf Course agreed to join the club. This group, headed by St. Elmo Crawford, included Thad Mumford, Joe Murray, Bus Yancy, Joe D. Saunders, and others. Through the years, they continued to increase the membership to the point where they found it necessary to declare a moratorium on new members.

During the early years, even with increased membership, all meetings were held in members' homes voluntarily. It was during a meeting at Horad's home that "Joe D." Saunders introduced his friend and houseguest Foster Kidd from Dallas, Texas. Kidd was so impressed with the group that he asked permission to form a group in Dallas, to be known as the Pro-Duffers Southwest. His idea met with great success in Dallas. Soon after that, a small group of golfers in Memphis, Tennessee, learned about the Pro Duffers in Washington and the expansion in Dallas and asked permission to form a group called the Pro-Duffers Memphis. C.C. Jones headed the Memphis group. Several years ago, Calvin D. Banks (who had been Secretary in Washington) moved to California. Soon after he settled there, Cal asked and was granted permission to form a group of golfers in that area to be known as the Pro-Duffers West. This brought the count to four Chapters. The Pro-Duffers West Chapter never got off the ground and eventually faded into the sunset. However, other Chapters sprang up and blossomed into strong and viable groups, including Little Rock, Atlanta, Houston, Del Val, and Northern Virginia.

 

National Beginnings

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In Washington, there was a loose organization of golfers called the Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday groups. On any of these days, one would simply show up and be assured of a game that involved wagers based purely on stroke play. On any given day, approximately 16 to 24 guys participated in the groups.

Most but not all were Pro-Duffers of Washington. Our group traveled every February to places like Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, and finally settled in Freeport, Bahamas. One year, Foster Kidd from Dallas attended our stag February event and fell in love with the camaraderie and plain good fun enjoyed by all. He then brought along his two-man team partner Dan Evans and a slew of good fellows from Dallas, including Ike Iglehart and Howard Aldridge. Annual grudge matches were played, and much love was exhibited by all.

From this fellowship was born the idea of a Pro-Duffers Club in Dallas, and by association, Memphis. Initially, a group in California was headed by Calvin Banks, the former esteemed secretary of our chapter, who asked for and received permission to use our name and logo, much the same as Dallas and Memphis. Foster Kidd petitioned our club, and Joe D. Saunders and Milton Bernard carried the ball in Washington to formally establish a national Pro-Duffers Club.

The first meeting was in Las Vegas at the Dunes Hotel, with representatives from Washington, Dallas, California, and Memphis. This meeting was to hammer outlines for the formation of our national organization, and a constitution was formulated after much hashing and rehashing. Lemuel Osbourne, Foster Kidd, Dan Evans, C.C. Jones, John (Joe D.) Saunders, Eugene Sills, Roosevelt Bush, and many others put together a constitution that allowed chapter autonomy while maintaining national unity.

At this meeting, Milton Bernard was voted in as the first National President and Foster Kidd as the Vice President. Joe "D" Saunders was the Tournament Director, and Sewell Horad was the Treasurer. It was agreed that the Presidency would rotate from Chapter to Chapter, allowing each to contribute to the leadership of the club. Over the years, leaders like Leon Griffin, Lemuel Osbourne, Dan Evans, Larry Brown, Bill Cochran, and Tom Sweeney have carried the mantle well.

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The Evolution of the National Spring Fling

 

At one of the National meetings, Lem Osbourne suggested hosting events in local jurisdictions, leading to the National Spring Fling. Memphis already had their Spring Fling, making it easy to expand into a national event. This was designed to be a more casual and affordable gathering compared to the fall convention, allowing members to bond over golf and social activities. Over the years, it has evolved into a major event.

 

The Pro-Duffers Emblem

 

The emblem that represents the Pro-Duffers was designed by Sharon Condon, the significant other of DC Duffer William Carr (deceased). Her creative efforts are appreciated by all.

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This is a synopsis of our Genesis and the foundation upon which Pro Duffers continues to thrive.

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Mel Blackwell

Past National President

Washington Chapter