Leave it to a lawyer to try and play them all

From Golf Digest – November 1983

Although the article discusses Thompson’s playing the 100 best courses in the U.S., it presages his journey to play the top 100 in the world and gives some insight into the man.

Leave it to a lawyer to try and play them all

Most people don’t play 100 different courses in a lifetime, let alone the 100 best in America. Bud (Oliver) Thompson has done it, what’s more so has his wife . . . well almost.

Earlier this year Thompson, and his wife Phyllis rounded up his two daughters and headed for a Hawaiian vacation. Only it wasn’t an ordinary vacation. Its purpose was to enable Bud and Phyllis to play Princeville, the only Hawaiian course among America’s 100 Greatest, as ranked by Golf Digest. Why Princeville? Because it was number 100 in Thompson’s quest to play the 100 Greatest. And astonishingly, it was no. 94 for Phyllis. 

Thompson, a Cleveland attorney, is counsel for the Northern Ohio section of the PGA, the local Golf Courses Superintendent’s association and the Western Golf Association of America. In addition to his normal duties, he has taught at PGA business schools and has written two business publications for the PGA. These connections—and the fact that he flies his own plane—have provided Thompson relatively easy access to the nation’s great courses. But what about Phyllis? 

They learned the game together about 25 years ago, and they always travel together, sometimes playing half a dozen courses in the matter of four or five days. Of the six courses on the 100 Greatest she has not played, these are courses Bud played years ago, before either of them ever thought about playing all 100. Since they became serious about the project, Phyllis has missed only Oak Tree, Bob O’Link and Butler National. And with good reason. Those three don’t allow women to play.

Thompson, a 16 handicapper at Acacia Country Club (Phyllis is a 19) plays about 60 rounds a year. He’s already played the three courses that have been added to the 100 Greatest this year—Long Cove, Tournament Players Club and Wild Dunes—and now is turning his attention to the best courses in Canada.

The only other person to play the 100 Greatest is William Power, also an attorney, from Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He completed the 1973 listing, and has remained current with all the courses added since then. 

Inasmuch as only Thompson and Power have played all the courses since Golf Digest began its rankings in 1966, it’s apparent that theirs is an impressive achievement. But there are those who think Phyllis’ achievement is even more impressive.

- Ross Goodner