In 30 degree weather on December 26, 2012, the "Muny Bulldogs" gathered for their annual post Christmas celebration and putting tournament at Lions Municipal Golf course. This tradition is recent in terms of historical reference, having been in existence for only five years or so but it is attended by some of Austin's most prestigious golfing figures who haunted Muny in their youth. Those figures include Lester Lundell, Randy Petri, Ben Crenshaw, Billy Clagett, Tim Wilson, Mike Allen, Jep Wille, Jay Gannaway, Edwin and Jamie Kizer, Lloyd Morrison, Coach George Hannon and others shown in the photo below. All of these players have had various roles in Austin golf history and have contributed to the game of golf in their own way. Click on the photo to enlarge it and then use the back arrow to return to the story.
As part of this year's celebration, GolfAustin.Org presented Coach Hannon with a framed copy of the scorecard from his December 7th 1950 round with George McCall and Reese Alexander, when Hannon set a new course record for Lions Municipal with a score of 63. That day, the group played their normal $.50 Nassau bet and Hannon won $1.50 for his efforts that day.
For those of you not familiar with some of Austin's golf history, George McCall was one of the better players in Austin during his prime and won the July 4th Match Play Championship at Muny in 1955 and 1958, and the Men's City Championship in 1961. The July 4th Match Play Championship was the precursor to the current Firecracker Open. Reese Alexander was also a player of note during those days. 
In 1950 when Hannon recorded his course record, he was early in his professional career and was working as an assistant professional at Muny under Tom Penick. He went on to become the head professional at Lions before moving to Morris Williams coaching the Longhorns to two national golf championships. He later retired from UT and continued to give private lessons. He still does so on occasion and can be found on the practice tee at Spanish Oaks dispensing his knowledge to players of all levels.
After the presentation to Coach Hannon, the group braved the cold weather for the annual putting contest. The format was two man teams putting aces only for nine holes. After several rounds of matches, the finals came down to Jay Gannaway and Wayne Walker vs Lester Lundell and Ben Crenshaw. Although the lead in the match changed hands twice, Jay Gannaway and Wayne Walker eventuall defeated Lester Lundell and Ben Crenshaw one by virtue of Jay Gannaway's ace on the final hole. Lundell, Crenshaw, Gannaway and Walker appear in the photo below. Congratulations to the winners and all who competed. 
Be sure to Link to the photo album for the 2012 "Muny Bulldogs" reunion. The photo album includes a copy of the Austin Golf Association's August 1958 magazine, photos of all the players who gathered for the occasion, and short movies of various players putting that includes Lundell and Crenshaw. Golfers might want to watch these strokes as they have produced excellent results over the years.
We also strongly encourage you to read a recent magazine article in Golfdom.com about Edwin and Jamie Kizer, who are part of the Roy Kizer family. The Kizer family have been greens keepers in the Austin area for several generations and players have benefited from their expertise in maintaining the golf courses in the area. This article in Golfdom.Com highlighted their history and explained some of the new "old" techniques that Jamie has been pursuing. These techniques involve the use of "Compost Tea" to establish healthy micro organisms in the soil and reduce the use of chemicals in maintaining golf courses. The results are quite impressive and we encourage the reader to take a few minutes to read this article, both for the historical aspects of the Kizer family and for the educational aspects of learning how we could have better golf courses and a healthier environment. Click here to access the magazine and read the story starting on page 19.
