Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 6 Episode 7 With Bill Roland
in Archives, Blog, Podcasts by Jeff Waters

Talking Golf With The Golf Guy-Season 6 Episode 7 With Bill Roland

Bill Roland was a young man in Akron, Ohio, following his golfing hero, Tony Lema on the back nine of the 1966 PGA Championship at Firestone County Club, when a chance encounter with the golfing legend led to a lifelong fascination of the Major Championship winner and budding superstar, resulting in Roland’s researching and publishing a definite work on Lema after his untimely death the next day in a plane crash on an obscure and backwoods Ohio golf course.

That book, “Champagne Tony Lema: Triumph to Tragedy.” available on Amazon and Google at www.tonylema.com sadly became the last siren to a man and athlete that many saw unmistakable and achievable greatness.

Winner of the 1964 Open Championship contested on The Old Course at Saint Andrew’s, besting Jack Nicklaus by five shots, Lema had checked all the boxes for golf Superstardom.

Ryder Cup, Rookie of the Year, Leading Money Winner, sustained and constant winner on the PGA Tour, endorsements, and a best-selling book “Golfers Gold” published in 1963.

All gone, taken with his untimely and tragic death at 32 years old.

It was left to Roland to sustain his memory and chronicle his deeds.

Which he did with his definitive work on the life and times of Tony Lema released in 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Lema’s 1964 Open Championship, at Saint Andrew’s.

Bill Roland graduated from St. Louis University in 1969 and then earned a Communication Degree from the University of Utah when he embarked on his career in Golf Journalism.

Editing Golf Travelers Magazine and enjoying a long association with Golf Card, Bill has produced a constant presence in Sports Publishing with Roland Golf Services and is a Member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

On the eve of the 2021 PGA Championship, contested on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, The Golf Guy, PGA Master Professional Jeff Waters, caught up with Bill to discuss the abbreviated life and times of a golf superstar that very few people now recall or appreciate for the virtuosity and brilliance of his truncated genius on the golf course and a glass of champagne in his hand,

Please listen here.

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Jeff Waters, MBA, is a PGA Master Professional and the President/CEO of Rocky Mountain Golf Enterprises, a Utah-licensed and registered corporation that uses golf as a marketing tool. With over fifty years of experience in the golf industry, Jeff has worn many hats in diverse roles, including as a player, teacher, Head Professional, administrator, and small business owner. Jeff's extensive background includes ten years as a competitive player, ten years as a Head Golf Professional, overseeing the entire golf course operation, three years as the Director of Player Development for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, managing, directing, and supervising multiple golf course programs, and over thirty years as a golf coach and instructor at Rocky Mountain Golf Academy, teaching the game. His elite professional status as a fully trained and certified PGA Master Professional highlights his commitment to the sport. This prestigious designation is merited by a small and exclusive group of Golf Professionals worldwide. This wealth of experience in both the sport and business of golf has established Jeff as a highly skilled and knowledgeable expert and one of America's most qualified and accomplished Golf Professionals. In addition to his practical experience, Jeff has a robust academic background, including a BS in Political Science from the University of Utah, graduate studies in Economics and Commercial Recreation, at that school, and a Master's in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He has also taught undergraduate courses at the University of Utah's College of Health and served as an adjunct professor at Granite Peaks Community School. As a well-known media personality, Jeff's versatility in the golf industry is evident through his work as a celebrated broadcast journalist and radio host. He has traveled extensively nationwide, announcing major sporting events at arenas, ballparks, stadiums, and golf courses for national media outlets and syndicated on the Rocky Mountain Golf Radio Network. A member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Jeff regularly contributes editorial pieces to national print publications and has authored multiple books, essays, and short stories. His work has appeared in numerous domestic and regional periodicals and magazines, such as Utah Golf News, Rocky Mountain Golfer, Golf Today, Utah Fairways, Jackson Hole Golf News, and Utah Golf Magazine. He has also contributed to blogs, podcasts, internet forums, and his website at www.jeffgolfguy.com. Jeff's unwavering dedication and service to the golf industry continue to inspire others, underscoring his deep commitment and affection for the sport, business, and recreation of golf.