The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1952-01-24
Jimmy Nichols;
Single Armed
Golfer PLAY
Exhibition Golfer Will
Play Picked Key West
FOursOme I'm Match
Thurs. At Country Club

IHurs' Al COuntry CItIb
Jimmy Nichols, nationally ia
nous one armed golfer will be
in Key West to play an ,exhibi-
ton match with a picked Key
West toursome on Tuesday, jan
uary 18th, at the Key West Golf
Club, Joe Lopez announced to-
day. Scheduled to leave the first
tee at 200 pm, the match will
be free to the public. Selected to
play with the colorful Nichols
are City Champion Norton Har-
ris, Key West Golf Club Cham
pion Harry knight, and Gene
Witzel, local Navy titleholder. A
shotmaking exhibition will Ere
cede the match.
Nichols, along with other great
golfing personalities such as
Bobby Jones, Jimmy Thompson.
Lawson Little, Marlene Bauer,
and Marilynn Smith form the
nucleous of A. G. Spalding's ia
nous staff of golf consultants.
Back in 1929, Jimmy Nichols,
who then lived in Fort Worth,
Texas had two good arms, an
automobile tire business, a poul-
try farm and a considerable sum
of money in the bank. Then one
day his automobile and a rail-
road engine made sudden and
violent contact, and when
Nichols left the hospital some
six months later he was minus
his right arm, his automobile tire
business had been wrecked by
the depression. his poultry farm
had gone to pot and the bank
where he had stored his money
had closed. Who said handicap?
And besides this triple calamity
of loss of arm, business and
fortune Nichols admitted that he
also LOST his nerve and his mind.
Then enc day a friend on
of the Fort Worth newspapers
dragged him out TO the golf
course. Now Nichols, who was
then "a years old. had never
played the game. Some clubs
were near at hand as he sat on
the bench at the first tee. and
he become curious. took one Of
the sticks in his left hand and
undertook to knock a ball
down the course. Now mind
you. Nichols before his acci-
dent was right.handed. He had
picked up a left-handed club.
Somehow the game got hold
Of him and he began 10 prac-
tice. There does seem TO be
something about this game OF
golf that enters mans veins
like a fever. Anyway. Nichols
began to take new interest in
life.
In his first practice game he
made a score of 2l2 for nine
holes. while in Fort Lauderdale
in February l949 he shot the
Fort Lauderdale course in Sc for
10 holes. That's only 8 under
par) He could not seem to get
anywhere with that left-handed
club and driving the ball from
his left side. One day he tried a
right-handed club and shifted
that left hand over to his right
side and drove the ball just as a
.iright.handed golfer with two
good arms would drive. 1t work
ed better and before long he was
out to break 100 on the ID hole
course. He broke the 100, then
80 and then 30.
Nichols battled on with that
right.hand club in his good lett
hand until he broke into the
lower 7os. Then. without money
and too proud to borrow from
his Fort Worth friends. he start
ed to give exhibitions across the
country. AT this point. he Stress
ed the fact that he had much
help and encouragement from
the pro golfers along the way.
II was a hard climb. and mostly
uphill. Sometimes he missed a
meal; more than once he slept IN
a barn or park. And then, tinai-
" as is often the case with a
game guy, he reached his goal.
He tied up with the Spalding
people and then it was that ne
began to eat regularly and sleep
in q bed,
Jimmy Nichols. formerly
Highlander. who lost his risn.
arm. took a risht.hand soii
club in his left hand and sue
ceeded in shooting the course
in 70. Talk about piraciss.
Talk about moving mountains
This Texans spirit overcame
the weakness of the flesh and
accomplished this inersdiDie
feat. Jimmy has been constant
~ astonishing the huge saiie.y
of fans that follow him WAN
his remarkable shots.
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