Early this morning I learned that Peter had passed away, 89 years young, and as I lay in blanket bay my thoughts went back to how lucky I have been to be alive to be entertained by some of the greats, Peter right among them.
Many American shows like Johnny Carson the Dean Martin Roasts, Bob Hope Specials and all the beloved sitcoms of the time, like I Love Lucy, Hogan Heroes and so many more were daily joys growing up.
Back to Peter, and Britain. On my summer trips with mother back to visit Scotland I would listen to Peter and Alex Hayes do the Open on BBC, then Dan Maskell from his little booth at Center Court doing Wimbledon. They along with Bill McLaren doing rugby, Murray Walker with F1 and Richie Benaud doing cricket were simply irreplaceable, the very best, and I was lucky enough to be entertained and informed by them all. Bill McLaren for example once described Scotland's fullback Andy Irvine's ability to punt the ball enormous length's as "having a kick like a niggly mule".. priceless.
Peter was a master storyteller, and if you've never seen his 2012 induction into the Golf World Hall of Fame, google it on YouTube, you're in for a real treat.
He painted pictures with his words while broadcasting golf. His sardonic sense of wit and humour has served him well. He had many great one liners to express his disgust like " Oh he's here, nurse bring me the chloroform " upon hearing a spectators "get in the hole!"
Think of all the great Open championships of your life. "The Duel in the Sun" with Jack and Tom at Turnberry in 1975, "Seve at St Andrew's" in 1984, "Tiger winning by 8 at St Andrew's" in 2000, It was Peter often with Alex, leading us, informing, entertaining, thrilling us through them all.
He was never caught up in all the exact numbers of today's crews.. " this putt for birdie is from 96 feet, 3 inches, he's made 60 feet of putts so far today" in Peter's parlance would be " he's miles away from the hole, over the bumps and hollows and around the corner, his faithful caddie stands holding the flag to give him some idea of the distance"...
His Dad Percy was a golf pro, at first in Berlin in the 30's where Peter was born in 1931, then back in England. Peter quit school at 15 with not many academic credentials, but as a scratch golfer and a school boy champion. He began to work with his father, and turned pro when he was 16.
He won 20 championships, played in 8 Ryder Cups and 10 World Championships in the 50's and 60's, and significantly was asked by the BBC to do some TV analysis during the Open in 1961, the start of a budding career. He was the best British golfer in the 60's, but says he never made more that 30,000 pounds combined.
When he quit playing in the 70's he soon found a home in the studio where he became a legend right up until his passing yesterday, his last broadcast from his home in Hindhead, Surrey was on last month's Masters. Next year was to have been his 60th in broadcasting.
I often turn down the sound on TV golf broadcasts today, especially over here, I find them intolerable, much of that because I was spoiled by Peter, commercial free on the BBC for all those years, and of course when he was hired by ABC up until 2010, although he was never the lead man there. He also did work for the Australian Broadcast Company, the CBC here in Canada and ESPN. He also wrote 20 books, and had several TV shows including the wildly popular "A Round with Alliss."
He also turned down an OBE, it was below a man of his stature, saying he would have enjoyed the sounds of a knighthood much better. He was ever so scornful of "Sir" Nick Faldo especially when the aforementioned had the gall to put it on his golf bag.
Peter was brought up to be right wing, very proper, and that rankled some throughout his years. Please and thankyou, take your hat off in the house, don't be wasteful, get up from your chair when a women enters the room were all part of his DNA.
He also believed golfers from his fathers era were superior to the modern generation. "They played with balls that weren't round and went no where, clubs without space age shafts, greens that weren't cut, bunkers that weren't raked, in the same wind and rain and still shot 72, 73 and 74 on championship courses that were only 300 yards shorter"
Now he's gone, survived by Jackie his wife and their six children, and sorely missed by millions of us who were alive to have the privilege to listen to him cover the game he knew and loved, so masterfully.
RIP Peter...
Bryan Angus
