Jim Dent

This is Jim Dent. He won 12 times on the Champions Tour and four on the PGA Tour.

I was randomly paired up with him last Friday at Augusta Municipal, where the street’s named after him.

He plays faster than anyone I’ve seen, and the reason why is fascinating.

Born and raised in Augusta, Jim grew up in the Sand Hills neighborhood—a low-income area that borders Augusta Country Club.

With the South still segregated, he and his friends would sneak over the fence to play as many holes at the country club before getting caught.

Jim caddied at the country club and Augusta National, as he wasn’t allowed to play either because of the color of his skin. He used his big, athletic frame to land a football scholarship to the local HBCU, Paine College.

He left the team after a year to pursue golf.

He told me he turned pro in ‘66—only nine years after the Tour desegregated—and found it extremely difficult to get starts. Jim finally made it in ‘70, winning four times.

He found the most success on the Champions Tour, winning 12 times, and often with his son James caddying.

After the round, I met James in the pro shop where he serves as the head pro, his desk a few feet away from a shrine to his dad.

I told how his dad played so fast that I could hardly get a picture of him hitting a shot. He said he’s always been that way, and then told me why.

It was from all those times as kids sneaking onto Augusta Country Club, where taking time over the ball was an unattainable luxury.

That stuck with him his entire career, and even today as the ball was in the air mere seconds after his tee penetrated the dirt.

Jim doesn’t need to hurry anymore, now allowed on any course of his choosing. But the Augusta legend has returned home to the muni, playing the Friday skins game with the Sand Hills boys.

And if you’re fortunate enough to play with him, just be ready to hit when it’s your turn.