Video: 92-Yr-Old Golfer Visits Bermuda

[Updated] One of America’s most renowned amateur golfers and a highly-decorated Second World War veteran, 92-year-old Harreld Kirkpatrick has been travelling to Bermuda for decades and is currently on the island for the Mid Ocean Golf Club’s Men’s Invitational Tournament.

Saying he “loves Bermuda”, Kentucky native Mr. Kirkpatrick said he has been coming here for approximately 40 years, and in his younger years used to travel to Bermuda five times a year for various golf tournaments. He said he has not been coming as frequently in later years since he isn’t as active as he once was.

Mr. Kirkpatrick  has played in all the major tournaments — Masters, US Open, British Open, US Amateur Championship and the British Amateur Championship — open to an amateur.

He has participated in numerous Bermuda tournaments over the years, has won over 100 golf tournaments during his competitive amateur golf career, including the 1953 and 1954 Kentucky Amateur Championships.

He qualified for the 1951 British Senior Amateur Championship and the 1955 British Open Championship, and also served as president of the Kentucky Golf Association in 1959.

Asked how her started out playing golf, Mr Kirkpatrick said, “During the Depression … back in 1932, I caddied for a quarter for 18 holes.”

“But with that quarter I could go to the movies for a dime, Coca-Cola was a nickel, popcorn was a nickel. Last time I went to the movies, my wife wanted to buy a box of popcorn —  it was $4. I would not buy it, she called me a cheapskate.”

Interview with Golfer And D-Day Veteran Mr. Kirkpatrick:

Speaking on his military service, Mr Kirkpatrick said, “I enlisted in the Navy in 1942, and served until 1946. I was lucky, everytime I got hit some other people got killed, but I was lucky. Everybody says how fortunate I am to have five Purple Hearts.”

Arriving in Bermuda on the eve of Remembrance Day — Veterans Day in the US — Mr. Kirkpatrick recalled how he participated in one of the most epic military actions of the Second World War: Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

In recent years the Normandy invasion was depicted in the Oscar-winning movie “Saving Private Ryan” and the HBO TV mini-series “Band Of Brothers.”

“I was in Normandy for the [June 6, 1944 D-Day landings], I got wounded twice,” said Mr. Kirkpatrick. “Once when my ship was sunk, and then when I got onshore they hit me again with machine guns. They gave me the Final Rites on the beach, but they did not know I was tough. So, I am happy to be here, and love Bermuda.”

Rare Colour Footage Of The D-Day Landings In France

He speaks about his worst memory in life as seeing someone’s head “blown off” during the war. But he speaks also about some of his fondest reminiscences — including playing against such golf greats as Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus. He went on to mention Bermuda’s own pro golfer Kim Swan, who he called “a great friend all these years”.

Mr. Kirkpatrick talked about playing golf with comedy legend Bob Hope in the 1950s. He said Mr. Hope invited him to Hollywood, and upon returning to Kentucky being a “country boy” he said people asked him the difference between Kentucky and Hollywood, to which Mr. Kirkpatrick replied, “They take off their clothes just like we do — they just take them off more often.”

Update Nov.11: Mr. Kirkpatrick attended today’s Remembrance Day Parade on Front Street, and is pictured below with Kim Swan:

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