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Article_PhilHall_Layout 1 18-07-19 5:50 PM Page 2

Phill Hall concentrating
on putting at the
Tamarack in 1984 (left)
and in 2012 (below).

Fabulous Phil

“That loss to North went extra holes,” said Hall. “We tied the first (extra)
hole, and then we went over to eight. I hit my drive a little left and had a
restricted backswing. I couldn’t make a par and Bruce did.”
Some of Hall’s favourite Tamarack memories involve other people, which
is not surprising since “Fabulous Phil” was never one to seek out the
personal spotlight.
One of his favourites involves his son, Rob, also a perennial contender for
the men’s championship. Rob, who now runs Brentwood Village, was playing
fellow Brandonite Rick Gudz in a championship flight match, and eagled the
par-4 16th hole to go one up. “On the 17th tee, Rick’s caddie said ‘We’ll get
it back here’ and then Robbie stepped up and put his tee shot into the hole,”
said Phil. “Two eagles in a row to win the match.”
After Rob’s ball disappeared into the 17th hole cup, “Rick’s caddie said
‘Maybe not.’ “
It was almost inevitable that the two Halls would meet face to face one
year and when it did (Phil couldn’t remember the year), youth won out.
“Yeah, Rob beat me,” said Phil, with a tone of pride.
Oddities? Hall’s seen a few. Like the time Gerry MacKay of Brandon was
in mid-downswing, a split second away from making contact with his ball
when a squirrel zipped in front of MacKay’s ball and became a dead squirrel
in a fatal blink of an eye.
Hall chuckles when talking about the 1984 calcutta, held prior to the
matches, when he went on the auction block and was ‘sold’ for a mere $70.
“Al Hunt got me in the calcutta and I’m sure he was joking later, but he said
‘I didn’t want to buy you … I was just scratching my head’ and they said ‘sold!”
I won him a few dollars, though,” said Hall.
Laughs, a relaxed atmosphere and a chance to renew acquaintances with
friends and family are what makes the Tamarack week so special, said Hall.
“It’s been good times,” he said. “It’s a family event that’s so memorable. For
instance, we have good friends Dave and Betty Ann Mulholland of
Tilsonburg, Ont., share a cabin with us every year.”
Hall will be back in action at the Tamarack this year, competing on his
favourite course as he goes for more silverware. At 77, he’s not as long off
the tee as he used to be, and says he often depends on his hybrids for
second shots into par-4s. But he can still get it done, as evidenced by not
only shooting his age last year, but beating it by four shots in shooting 73
at Shilo. He almost did it again this spring in Shilo, but he bogied his final
four holes to shoot 78.
It’s been the same story forever when it comes to golf and Phil Hall: It’s
never wise to count him out.
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