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Ray Billows Sr. is a name that tends to fall between the cracks whenever the topic of the greatest players in Wisconsin golf history is debated. Thanks to the passage of time, Billows is not well-known in his native Wisconsin anymore, despite the official recognition of his immense talent as an inductee into the Wisconsin State Golf Association Hall of Fame in 1967. But Billows, who moved from Racine to New York State as a young man, is nonetheless one of the finest pure amateur players born on Wisconsin soil. And though his name doesn’t easily trip off the tongue in these parts any longer, Billows’ name and accomplishments lie just below the surface in the pantheon of American golf. For example, Billows was back in the news when Trevor Immelman aced the 16th hole at Augusta National GC during the 2005 Masters Tournament. That pushed Billows, who made a hole-in-one on No. 16 during the 1940 Masters – he hit the hole on the fly with an 8-iron and his ball wedged against the flagstick – briefly back into the spotlight. The self-taught Billows assuredly would have realized more fame during his lifetime and beyond had he found a way to win the U.S. Amateur Championship, which eluded him as he suffered three losses in the title match. Billows’ career was also influenced by World War II, and not just by his own military service. He represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup in 1938 and ’49, but he certainly would have made more teams had the biennial competition not been canceled during the war. But while Billows is a relatively anonymous figure in his native state of Wisconsin, he was – and still is – nothing less than an amateur legend in his adopted state of New York, where he was known for strolling the fairways while puffing on his trademark pipe, for playing golf in street shoes and for winning tournaments like crazy. Billows racked up a record seven New York State Amateur Championships between 1935 and ’49, and he added a Metropolitan Amateur Championship in 1948 and a New York State Senior title in 1974.
Wisconsin days
Billows was born in Fond du Lac in 1914 to George and Clara Billows. Clara died when Ray was 12, so he was raised by his father, who eventually moved the family to Racine. Billows attended Washington Park High School with fellow WSGA Hall-of-Famer Wilford Wehrle, and although he never graduated, Billows was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 1975.
According to his daughter Barbara Tilles, who lives in Rye, N.Y., Billows “got into a little bit of trouble in high school. He was kind of a juvenile delinquent, and through golf he became very successful.” As a young man in Racine, Billows apparently preferred the golf course to the schoolhouse. He took up the game at age 16 and played on the high school golf team with Wehrle, but he skipped school often so he could play, caddie or just hunt for lost golf balls at The Racine CC. One of the players he looped for was Edward Henry Wadewitz, president of Western Printing Co. While caddieing for Wadewitz, Billows apparently inquired about a job, using the argument that his golf prowess could be an asset to the company. “My dad was kind of a cocky young guy,” Tilles said. “I think (Wadewitz) saw that in him. He was quite brazen, and he had an attitude this man liked.” Wadewitz hired Billows, and in 1934 Billows moved to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to work out of the Western Printing plant there. Prior to moving east, he won the 1934 Milwaukee District Amateur Championship and finished second to Johnny Revolta at the 1935 Wisconsin State Open, but his accomplishments after moving to New York are what earned Billows a reputation as one of America’s finest players.
The Cinderella Kid
Billows received his initial dose of fame a short time after he moved east, when, in 1935, he won the first of his seven New York State Amateur titles at Winged Foot GC in Mamaroneck, N.Y. But Billows’ play was only part of the story. The tournament was the birth of Billows’ nickname, “The Cinderella Kid,” which later became “Cinderella Man,” given to him by New York Times sportswriter George Trevor. Billows seemed the unlikeliest of champions at the 1935 New York State Amateur when he drove the 60 or so miles from Poughkeepsie to Winged Foot in a dilapidated old Ford Model T. Using the vernacular of the day, the vehicle, purchased by Billows for the tidy sum of $7, was referred to as a “flivver” in various news accounts, a word that essentially means a junker. Of the car’s appearance, Trevor wrote: “Billows’ car is the only one of its kind in America. It’s paintless body ... suggests the rust-sheathed hull of a dry-docked steamer; its fenders are chewed to ribbons; the upholstery has long since burst at every seam.” The Model T was so unsightly that Winged Foot officials at first didn’t allow it or Billows on club property. Short on money, he even slept in the car the first night, until he was offered a room in the clubhouse where he stayed the rest of the week. On the way to winning the title, Billows wore golf spikes and clothes loaned to him by Winged Foot members and employees. Upon returning home, the car was stolen. It was recovered by some members of Dutchess G&CC in Poughkeepsie – the club had accepted Billows as a member just prior to the New York State Amateur, allowing him to enter the event – and after fixing it up they presented it back to Billows along with an honorary membership to the club. So began a long association with Dutchess G&CC, where Billows is well-remembered as a 14-time club champion. Medals from his victories and other memorabilia are on display in the clubhouse, including the golf ball he used to ace the 16th hole in the 1940 Masters. A Dutchess G&CC history – titled “Golf’s Lady of the Hudson,” written by club member Tom Buggy – was compiled in connection with the club’s centennial a few years ago, and Billows is featured prominently. “In the last five years we also built a new bridge over a stream on one of the golf holes and named it the Ray Billows Bridge,” said Buggy. “So there are several ways for members to recognize Ray Billows and what he meant to the club.” Billows was at the top of his game during the World War II period, during which he also served in the Army. However, his stellar golf game paid dividends with a plum assignment. “He was on a train headed somewhere that would possibly have sent him overseas,” said Tilles, repeating a story her father told her. “A general had heard about him and literally got him off the train so he could play golf with him.” Tilles said she believes that is a true story. Either way, Billows certainly did serve during the war at a medical facility near Syracuse, N.Y., where his duty was to lead patients in exercises – and play golf with generals.
U.S. Amateur Quest Among the players Billows bumped heads with in New York amateur competition during the World War II era were 1957 Masters champion Doug Ford and two-time U.S. Amateur champion William Turnesa. Billows and Turnesa engaged in a spirited rivalry, with Billows getting the better of Turnesa on the state level – seven state amateur titles to one – and Turnesa winning the national championship twice, in 1938 and ’48. The latter marked the third of three runner-up finishes for Billows in the national event as he lost to Turnesa at Memphis CC by the score of 2 and 1. Earlier, he lost 2-up to Johnny Goodman in the 1937 final, and he was routed by the score of 7 and 5 by Marvin (Bud) Ward in the 1939 title match. (Billows’ career match record in the U.S. Amateur is an exceptional 42-15.) Though Billows was handed his third bitter loss in the 1948 final, he also earned the respect of golf fans for the classy manner in which he handled it. Immediately after losing to Turnesa, Billows famously commented to a well-wisher: “Well, somebody has to lose, but why does it always have to be me.” Tilles said the U.S. Amateur was the tournament Billows wanted to win the most. “The biggest thrill of my dad’s whole career was playing in the U.S. Amateur, and his biggest disappointment was never winning it,” she said. “He always said that was his biggest disappointment, coming so close and never winning it.” Thanks to those near-misses in the U.S. Amateur and his two Walker Cup appearances (he compiled a 2-2 match record), Billows was recognized as one of America’s great amateur players. He competed in the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open. During his prime, he was known as one of the finest long- iron players in the world, professional or amateur, and as such he was featured in national golf publications of the day. And Billows played with some legendary figures in golf. The Billows family still treasures a check for $2 which Bobby Jones used to pay a golf debt to Billows. (It was common for Jones to pay with a check because he knew that the recipient was unlikely to cash something so valuable as a check from Bobby Jones, and Billows never cashed his.)
Life on the Farm At home, Billows lived the life of a country gentleman, according to his daughter. The family lived on a 1,000-acre farm near Poughkeepsie, and although Billows didn’t actively work the land he enjoyed driving a tractor around the property. Tilles recalls shagging many a golf ball for her dad as he practiced on the farm. Billows eventually moved his father and sister from Wisconsin to New York, where Ray and his father, both widowers, remarried. There are few – if any – Billows relatives in Wisconsin today. Over the years, Billows’ association with Western Printing was profitable for both employer and employee. According to Tilles, there were several years in which the company couldn’t pay the large commissions Billows earned in his position as eastern sales manager, so he was given preferred stock in the company instead. “It was a very good job, and he played with all of his clients,” Tilles said. “He drummed up a lot of business on the golf course. His sales skills were very natural and everyone wanted to play golf with him.” Tilles said Billows continued to play until he was about 80 years old, around the same time he began to withdraw somewhat from his circle of friends. One individual to whom Billows remained close his entire life was Charles Yates, another legendary amateur player Billows had known since they both played on the 1938 Walker Cup team. Tilles pointed out that Billows, even late in his life, soaked up all things related to golf. “He always loved watching golf on TV,” she said. “He thought Tiger Woods was the best ever.” Billows died on April 10, 2000 at the age of 85. He had been admitted to a Poughkeepsie hospital for hip replacement surgery, but when anesthesia was administered prior to the operation his blood pressure suddenly dropped. The surgery was never performed, and Billows passed away two days later.
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