Over the past decade, Bill Burt has become a Boston media insider through his memorable appearances on Sportsradio WEEI. Whether engaging in debate, or willingly serving as Glenn Ordway’s whipping boy, Burt shrewdly developed an immensely popular style and personae. Still, the executive sports editor of the Eagle-Tribune considers himself a writer and storyteller first. For nearly three decades at the Tribune, the 49 year-old Burt has chronicled everything from Little League tournaments to Super Bowls, and golf has been front and center from the start.
“I grew up in the projects in the Germantown section of Quincy, and was the oldest of seven kids, six of whom were boys,” explains Burt, a 1979 Quincy High school graduate. “My dad golfed a lot as a kid growing up in Lynn at Gannon Golf Course. I started playing as a boy, using his old clubs. I was the only kid in my neighborhood who knew anything about the sport.” From these humble beginnings sprouted Burt’s lingering love of the links. He relates, “I played at Ponkapoag Golf Course in Canton. They had two municipal courses designed by Donald Ross! I also played and caddied at Furnace Brook Golf Club in West Quincy. I would take the bus to Quincy Center, and then walk, with my bag, two miles to Furnace Book. That’s how much I loved it. And remember, I was always alone. None of my close buddies knew or cared anything about golf.”
Burt’s family also pursued golf, with clearly differing results. “My dad stinks, though he thinks he’s good,” jokes the 1983 Merrimack College grad. “My brother Keith is a golf pro in Plantation, FL. He’s 44 and I believe he will give the Champions Tour a shot when he turns 50. Two of my other brothers are about a 10 and a 7 handicap. I am about 13. I just hate practicing, which means I’ll never get better.” Among Burt’s favorite courses are the obvious and obscure. “I’ve played Pebble Beach five times,” says Burt, a friend of course CEO and co-owner Bill Perocchi. “Cypress, near Pebble Beach, has a par 3, 16th hole, one cliff to another. It is breathtaking. I also love Renaissance Golf Club in Haverhill. When the greens are fast, Andover Country Club is one of the best around, but my favorite greens are at Doral. Turner Hill feels like it’s been around for 100 years, and Sankaty Head Golf Club is a classic ocean course on Nantucket.”
Fittingly, Burt’s most memorable round had a family flavor to it. He explains, “On my honeymoon, the first round I played after I was married was at Scottsdale Country Club. I shot a two-over par 74. It was 100 degrees and all of the pressure of the wedding was over. I had never been more relaxed. The next day, I shot a 78. It’s been downhill from there. It must be marriage!” Golf provided Burt with a unique career moment. He explains, “One of my top five favorite experiences in sports was watching Jack Nicklaus go on one of his runs at the 2001 U.S. Senior Open at Salem Country Club. The gallery grew at every hole, and he kept making big shots. I got chills following him. I did a story on Jack before that tournament and about a month after tournament, his wife Barbara sent me a note saying it brought her to tears. I still have that note.”
Like his own roots in Quincy, golf is a running theme in the current Burt household. “I met my wife through golf,” relates Burt, a North Andover resident. “My brother Chris was paired up with my wife, Mary, and her dad twenty years ago at Hickory Hill (Methuen). When Chris got home, he said, ‘Bill, I played golf with this woman who would be perfect for you.’ Well, I trusted my brother, got a hold of her, and the rest is history. “My son Maxwell is going to be a sophomore at St. John’s Prep and he’s just started to beat me, which is tough to accept. He’s a pretty good athlete and has become obsessed with golf. It is the ultimate competitive sport in that you don’t have to play against someone to be competitive. In golf, the foe is really yourself. As you can see, the game is a big part of my life.”
Syndicated columnist John Molori writes for numerous publications and
appears regularly on AM 1110 WCCM. Email John at MoloriMedia@aol.com
About John Molori
Columnist John Molori writes for numerous publications and appears regularly on several radio stations.
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