A piece of local golf lore

TYRONE - Few people may know that nearly a hundred years ago a golf course opened just east of Tyrone.

This USGA-member course thrived for several decades before shutting down near the end of World War II.

Beginning in 1910, the Tyrone Golf Club opened in what was known as the Tyrone Athletic Park. This tract of land located in East Tyrone was developed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as a recreational park for employees and local residents and included a golf course, ball field, swimming pool, tennis courts and running track.

The golf course was built originally as an 18-hole course, but railroad officials quickly learned that maintaining a golfing links required quite a bit of manpower. After only a couple of years, half of the course was abandoned and the Tyrone Golf Club became a nine-hole course.

Railroad officials continued running the course for more than a decade, but, in the mid- 1920s, decided to hand over its operation as well as those of other parts of the park to the city of Tyrone and its local business owners.

Hearing this story for the first time was very interesting, but hearing it from a few local men who actually worked at this course beginning in the late 1920s is quite a treat. Altoona resident Ed DelBaggio, 91, and his brother Ben DelBaggio, Sr., 87, of Tyrone began caddying at the nine-hole layout more than seven decades ago.

Ed DelBaggio, the oldest of 11 children, was the first to venture onto the Tyrone course. He started working there in 1926.

"It was a really beautiful course," he said. "They always kept it well manicured."

While sharing his memories of the course, Ed DelBaggio told of how the old-timers used to "tee up" their golf ball.

"When I first started caddying, every tee box had a bucket of water and a bucket of sand. Golfers would grab a handful of sand and get it wet. They would use this to make a little sand mound on the ground - to put the ball on."

By the time Ben Sr. was old enough to caddy, wooden tees had become popular. In the early 1930s he joined his older brothers at the club.

"There was a rule that you had to be 12 years old. I was 11, but I kept showing up until they [let] me work," he said.

Other brothers followed in this large family that included nine boys and two girls. Ben DelBaggio Sr.'s eyes lit up as he described each of the holes in amazing detail.

"No. 1 was a par 5 - 525 yards long," he said. "At 210 yards out, there was a row of oak trees that crossed the middle of the fairway. You had to make sure your drive went through the trees."

Without a scorecard in front of them, the brothers recalled the exact yardage that each hole played.

"No. 7 was a downhill par 5 - 515 yards," said Ben DelBaggio Sr. "And No. 4 green had a 4- foot hump right in the middle. If you didn't hit it hard enough, the ball would come right back at you."

As caddies, the brothers were able to play the course on Monday mornings.

"We were allowed to play between 8 a.m. and noon," Ed DelBaggio said. "We were also given permission to use the members' clubs - much different than today."

During this time, the only other courses in Blair County were Park Hills in Altoona and Blairmont in Hollidaysburg.

Ben Sr. recalled an exhibition match that was arranged in 1938 by Blairmont member Dr. Fred Miller. It included Masters champion Henry Picard, head pro Walter Work, Tyrone businessman Bud Wilson and Miller.

"Picard was a tall man, like Sam Snead," Ed DelBaggio said. "There was a big crowd following the group, and Picard shot a 66."

Ben Sr. was in the gallery for that match, but he remembers well the day he caddied for Work when the head pro shot his own 66. Work's playing partner for the day was Tyrone native Fred Waring.

"He was a fine golfer himself," Ben Sr. said "Waring shot a 72 and was very friendly. I got a $5 tip from him."

The brothers caddied through their teen years, and Ed DelBaggio was even hired as the club head pro in 1939. After working a year, for $30 per month - he quit to take a job at the railroad. He would later be Sinking Valley's first head pro in the early 1960s.

Ben Sr. remained to caddy for a few years until he left to serve in World War II. When he returned, the younger DelBaggio worked in the trucking, railroad and lumber industries before retiring.

He also became an accomplished golfer, winning Sinking Valley's club championship in 1964 and '65. His three sons, Ben Jr., Leonard and Patsy, became local standout golfers, too.

With the outbreak of WWII, the Tyrone Golf Club started falling into disrepair. Tyrone resident, Joe Scordo, 79, began caddying in 1941.

"When I first started, the course was well kept," Scordo said. "By the mid-40s, though, they couldn't keep it going. The war was in full force, and there weren't enough resources."

By 1945, the golf course and other facilities were shut down. The area was later converted into what is now the Tyrone Industrial Park.

Driving along Adams Avenue today instead of a golf course you will see several businesses that have sprouted up such as Dixon Tool & Die, Gardners Candies and the Albemerle Corporation.

The Chicago Rivet Factory is located in the middle of what used to be the old 7th fairway.

Looking at the area while listening to Ed and Ben DelBaggio Sr. describe what used to be, one can almost picture the fairways and greens that once filled this landscape.

Before leaving, Ben Sr. showed an amazing hand-drawn map from his recollections of the Tyrone Golf Club - a true treasure along with the wonderful memories that he and his brother shared of this old course.