Wednesday, April 24, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
The practice green, the driving range, even the golf course itself was all but abandoned.
With the biggest names on the Senior Tour entertaining at a private function at Shadow Creek, the TPC at Summerlin had its pockets of desolation Tuesday. Yet for those tending to their games at the site of the Las Vegas Senior Classic that opens Friday, the casual atmosphere allowed for an even greater give-and-take with impulsive fans.
That meant players like Bruce Summerhays, a former head coach at Stanford University, were besieged by onlookers in need of a golf tip or in pursuit of a remedy for a swing flaw.
Somehow, despite the intrusions and despite the redundancy of the questions, Summerhays seemed to welcome the attention. There's still a lot of teaching left in the ex-coach and he didn't mind sharing his expertise.
"I actually love the interaction with the fans," he said. "You've got to be a little bit of a showoff to be out here. If I can help someone or demonstrate a shot for them, that's wonderful."
It's as if he knew his role and enjoyed the comfort level of a day in which informality outdistanced a more serious approach to the sport.
"One thing I like to do on the range is have someone ask to see a specific shot," Summerhays said. "To be able to call your shot is important for a professional golfer. Each of us wants to be able to tell anyone who's watching, 'Tell me what you want and I'll do it.' It's a wonderful feeling to be able to do it, or even see it. Whether it's me or another guy, it's nice to see somebody who has hit a lot of golf balls and can do it well. At times it's unbelievable."
With no apparent limit to his agreeableness, Summerhays demonstrated the proper hip turn for an acquaintance and gave in-depth responses to another man who had a virtual litany of swing-specific questions.
(Here's a tip-of-the-day gleaned from his remarks: Amateurs have a tendency to utilize too wide of a stance. Another: Look at some specific marking on the ball, not just the ball itself, all the way through your swing.)
The man knows the game inside out and has proven it many times over, most recently last year when he finished his rookie season on the Senior Tour ranked 13th in money won with $729,021. Fourteen top-10 finishes in 36 starts advanced him from the "unknown" to the "known" category in a hurry, as far as the typical fan is concerned.
"The amount of success I had surprised me," Summerhays said. "I thought I'd be successful, but it went far beyond my expectations. When you do well and get on a roll, you can really get it going -- and that's what happened to me."
While he's still looking for his first Senior Tour victory, the 52-year-old resident of Utah had three second-place finishes last year, plus a third and two fourths. This season hasn't been quite as profitable just yet, as he's ranked No. 46 on the current money list with $62,253 heading into this weekend's tournament at Summerlin.
"I'm hitting it better each week and it's just a matter of time before I win one," he said. "This course here, I've played about eight times in practice situations. If you're putting well, it seems like you can win."
Summerhays has won tournaments at the club and regional level, but never on one of the major pro tours. He played only sparingly on the PGA Tour -- his best finish was third at the 1974 Bing Crosby Pro-Am -- and he didn't pursue a tour card after failing to qualify (by four strokes) in the 1968 Q-School.
"At the time, I decided I could get what I wanted out of golf and life without being on the PGA Tour," he recalled. "I knew I could play and I competed occasionally, so I was satisfied."
A collegiate All-American at the University of Utah, Summerhays returned to a campus setting in 1978 for a season as head golf coach at Stanford. But he relinquished that prestigious job to move his family back to Utah.
The Senior Tour was launched in 1980 and Summerhays had the game for it when he became eligible in 1994.
"What a shot in the arm for all of us," he said. "Who knew the Senior Tour would come along? Who knew it would be so much fun?"
He knows, knows firsthand as a matter of fact, and that may explain his pleasant disposition even on a day his better-known peers were basking in adulation at Shadow Creek.
"Oh well," Summerhays said without sounding slighted. "I'm just a guy tagging along on this tour. Maybe someday they'll have me out there but that doesn't seem important right now."
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