Let Us Not Forget Bing Crosby and His Yearly Clambake

As the PGA Tour descends upon one of the most famous and picturesque venues in all of golf this week for the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am, it is easy to forget about the rich history behind this event.

Before fortune 500 company’s names appeared in the title nearly every tour event; before multi-million dollar purses and the vastly lucrative sponsorship deals tour professionals now enjoy, there was Bing Crosby and his yearly clambake.

Bing Crosby, as we all know, was one of the most popular entertainers of his or any other time.

But Crosby was also an avid golfer and by the early 1930s he began to conceive an idea that would eventually turn into one of the most popular stops on the PGA Tour.

In the early 30’s Crosby came up with the idea of a yearly pro-am for his fellow members at Lakeside Golf Club and a few professionals he could coax into attending the event through his as a larger than life persona.

By 1937, Crosby’s idea of a small-pro am had grown to massive proportions and became known as the Crosby Clambake; an event that was attended by every PGA Tour professional as well as every top entertainer who had even a remote interest in the game of golf.

Hogan, Snead, Nelson, Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, amongst others, all made the Crosby Clambake a fixture on their yearly schedules. 

Rounds at Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Cypress Point were routinely followed by lavish parties at Crosby’s home, all of course free of charge to anyone participating in the event.

Along with his close friend and on-screen partner, Bob Hope, Crosby did as much to popularize the game of golf during the 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. as Hogan, Nicklaus and Palmer.

At a time when the game of golf was perceived by most as game enjoyed solely by the stuffy country club folks, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope showed the world that it was "cool" to play golf.

Crosby and Hope were amongst the most loved and recognizable characters in the country during the 40s, 50s, 60s, etc. and the fact that they openly displayed their love for the game showed the masses that if these crazy funnymen could love the game of golf this much, maybe it wasn’t a sport enjoyed only by ultra-wealthy corporate CEOs.

Not only did Crosby and Hope adore the game of golf, but they were actually quite talented at the game.

Crosby got down to a two handicap while Hope got to a four handicap.

The fact that both Crosby and Hope are both members of the World Golf Hall of Fame is a testament to just how influential these men were to the game of golf during their years of hosting the Crosby Clambake and the Bob Hope Classic.

With the game is now infested with corporate sponsors, massive television contracts and tour professionals that can earn tens of millions of dollars simply by wearing a hat with a Titlist logo on it, it is easy to forget men such as Crosby and Hope and the central role they played in introducing the game of golf to the masses.

Although AT&T now appears in the tournament’s name, for those familiar with the game’s history it will always be known as the Crosby Clambake.