After a 35-year run as ASGCA Executive Secretary, Paul Fullmer has more than a few stories (besides those he shared in Presidents I Have Known). A career in golf, with wife Sandra at his side, Fullmer is still sharing his experiences, most recently with San Diego Union-Tribune golf writer Tod Leonard.
Leonard writes:
As a couple, the Fullmers became acquaintances of virtually all of the designers of modern golf courses in the country and formed close bonds with many.
“It became a love affair,” Paul Fullmer said. “I could have lost my shirt because I put so much time into it. But we had so many dear friends that I couldn’t divorce myself from it.”
The relationships with the architects were the best part.
“You go from ego to ego to ego with the presidents,” Paul said. “But there were a lot of terrific guys.”
Paul Fullmer began with the organization when there were a handful of architects doing many courses. As time wore on and projects multiplied, players such as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer began applying their signatures to properties.
At the 46th ASGCA meeting in 1992, Paul Fullmer was selected for the Ross Award. A record 80 members attended the dinner, and, as the only non-golfer to receive the honor, he knew he had to sprinkle in some humor in his speech.
He got more than he bargained for when Seay and another notable designer, Bob Graves, pulled off an old trick and attached spoons to their noses as he spoke.
Famous or not, Fullmer said, “They were all screwballs.”
The complete San Diego Union-Tribune article can be found here.