Gold on the Green

Texarkanan Chuck Gardner is the top senior amateur golfer in Texas
By Louie Avery

photo courtesy of the texas golf association.

Sports-minded individuals would probably love to say they have walked in 68-year-old champion golfer Chuck Gardner’s shoes. Fans, we’re talking steel cleats and soft spikes.

A 1973 graduate of Texas High, Chuck grew up in Wake Village, Texas, dreaming of playing Major League Baseball like many other youngsters in Texarkana. He came closer than most. He watched the New York Yankees and their superstar Mickey Mantle on television every week and listened to the St. Louis Cardinals on the radio.

“I thought it was the coolest thing to watch those guys on TV,” reminisced Chuck. “My first memory was playing pee wee ball. There was no t-ball or coach-pitch in those days. I was six years old and pitching.”

Looking back, Chuck said that he didn’t really learn a lot about baseball those first seasons. Once he reached Little League, things got serious. The manager and assistants stressed fundamentals and winning.

Kenny Gardner, Chuck’s father, supported from the bleachers, while other fathers might have duties on the field. The elder Gardner was less of an athlete and more of an outdoorsman. Busy working two jobs, he was educated on the game at work by the late George Dobson.

Chuck’s mom, Pat, on the other hand, was a baseball fan. She was often overheard encouraging Chuck to take his time at the plate.

Chuck was a gifted athlete, but he was not blessed with size and strength. With a wooden bat in hand, the 145-pounder never hit a home run in high school. On the other hand, his glove and defensive play would eventually earn him a scholarship to John Brown University, where he played for legendary coach Wally Moon. Also an all-district basketball player at Texas High, coaches from Ouachita Baptist University and Southern State (now Southern Arkansas) University wanted Chuck for his ball-handling and shooting skills. Chuck picked John Brown because Moon had mapped out a route for him to the pros.

“Coach Moon told me there were things I could work on to make the next level,” Chuck said. “One of those things was to get stronger, which I did. I actually became a pretty good hitter in college with the aluminum bats. I even hit a couple of home runs and batted .425 my junior year.”

After that baseball season, Chuck was drafted in the 13th round by the Houston Astros. A New York Mets scout had compared the Astros’ prize to the Mets’ veteran Bud Harrelson. Reaching double-A ball in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ organization at San Antonio was to be Gardner’s Waterloo. Once again, his performances at the plate with a wooden bat let him down.

The handwriting was on the dugout wall, and he asked to be traded. It seemed nobody was interested, and he asked to be released.

That was a terrible day for Chuck. After baseball, he was asking himself, “What can I do now?”

He tried working in insurance and didn’t like it. He went to work for the Texarkana Gazette and later Cooper Tire. It was the latter job that sent him to Austin, where he was employed for 16 years as a sales rep.

While in Austin, Chuck’s 13-year marriage ended, and he discovered solace and success playing golf in the Texas Amateur Golf Association. It was his debut as a serious amateur player.

“It took me a year or so, but playing golf came natural for me because of my hand-eye coordination,” said Chuck. “I was the Texas Amateur of the Year in 2002, having won the mid-amateur match play.” That same year, he placed second in the mid-amateur stroke play and fourth in the Texas State Amateur.

Over two decades later, Chuck is still a strong competitor. In fact, in 2022, he won his first individual state championship in his career playing with the Texas Golf Association. And last year, he was named the Texas Super Senior Amateur Player of the Year.

photo courtesy of the texas golf association.

Chuck now lives in Texarkana. His 38-year-old son, Patrick, still resides in Austin and is planning a trip to Texarkana to play golf with his father, for whom golf remains a passion, although his life is now focused on his beautiful lady, Cathy.

“Cathy is the love of my life,” Chuck said. “I’m a lucky man. A mutual friend got us together. It’s sort of ironic. She was a cheerleader at Arkansas High but didn’t read the sports pages and didn’t know me. She would work the crossword puzzles, which were on the back of the sports pages. Cathy is my biggest supporter on the golf course.”

So, what’s next? Chuck hopes to qualify later this year for the U.S Senior Amateur.