Bob Hope-Sports

 

 

Hope was an avid golfer. He was introduced to the game in the 1930s.  He eventually played to a four handicap. His love for the game, and the humor he could find in it, made him a much sought-after foursome member. He once remarked that President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave up golf for painting – "fewer strokes, you know."

 

Throughout his career, a golf club became an integral prop for Hope during the stand-up segments of his television specials and USO Shows.

 

In 1978, Hope putted against a then two-year-old Tiger Woods in a television appearance with James Stewart on “The Mike Douglas Show”.

 

The Bob Hope Classic was founded in 1960. It was the only FedEx Cup tournament that took place over five rounds. It was reduced to the standard four rounds. The tournament made history in 1995, when Hope teed up for the opening round in a foursome that included Presidents Gerald R. Ford, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton – the only time ever that three presidents participated in a golf foursome.

 

Hope would frequently use his television specials to promote the annual College Football All-America Team. The team members would enter the stage one by one and introduce themselves. Hope would then give a one-liner about the player or his school. Hope would often don a football uniform for these presentations.

Hope bought a small stake in the Cleveland Indians in 1946 and owned it for most of the rest of his life. In 1993, he sang "Thanks for the Memory" after the Indians' last game at Cleveland Stadium. Hope also bought a share of the Los Angeles Rams football team in 1947 with Bing Crosby and sold it in 1962.