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Senior Class
Old Hickory, Теnn, was a factory town. Judy Eller was a factory kid. The factory was DuPont. When the golf pro at the local DuPont-owned course retired, the company asked her dad, Harold Eller, who had learned the game caddieing at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan, to leave his factory job and become the pro. He was about 40 at the time and for the next 34 years his daughter is hard pressed to remember a day when he wasn’t working on the course. Legend has it that Judy took her first steps on the putting green. The distance from home to her dad’s shop was three fairways. She played her first city tournament at age 9 and her competitive soul emerged. “After I was beat, 5 and 4,1 said, ‘Can’t we just play a few more holes?’”
That was 1949. Fast forward 12 years and this young Tennesseean had waltzed through a dance card of rather large victories. Two-time U.S. Girls’ Junior champion (1957,1958), national collegiate champion, seven time Tennessee Women’s Amateur champion. She played on the U.S. Curtis Cup team in 1960 and then the golf resume starts to fade. Marriage, motherhood, four kids — life took over and the clubs collected rust in a garage.
It is 24 years before she decides to play again. Most of her game returns, certainly the competitive thirst. Then, by a delicious twist of fate, she winds up using her one year of college eligibility to compete on the women’s team at Barry University, a Division II school in Miami Shores, Fla So that now, at 61, Street, a grandmother of six, is apparently the oldest competitor in NCAA history.
There are a few other things you should know about Judy Eller Street. She speaks with a wonderful Tennessee lilt. She knows practically everyone in the world and they all like her. She still wears funky hats on the course. She still has a lyrical swing. She’s still fun and optimistic as all get out. She bakes the world’s best banana bread. Blythe Danner would play her in the movie. Here, from the pages of her diary and a series of interviews, is the rest of her story.
September 1: Another new beginning …I can’t believe that I am acl11ally getting the opportunity to compete on a team at the collegiate level. Even though I won the national intercollegiate golf championship for the University of Miami in the ’50s, we did not have a team, like the players of today. I was offered a scholarship to play [for Barry] from a friend of a friend of mine.
In 1958, Street drove to Miami in her grandfather’s coughing 1950 Chrysler. There were three other
girls on the team. She jokes that the coach found them by putting an ad in the paper asking if anyone had clubs. The team had no uniforms and no formal practices. They played one tournament, in Jamaica with the men’s team. Street was the only one to play in the AIAW Championships (this was back before the NCAA held such events for women). The LPGA Tour had 26 events worth $200,000 in prize money. Term papers were written on manual typewriters.
September 3:1 must say i was a little apprehensive going to meet the girls on the team, who are all at least 10 years younger than my youngest daughter. After our meeting, Renee [Trudeau], an incoming freshman, asked me to do an interview for her speech class. I mentioned playing against my good friend JoAnne Camri in the Intercollegiate finals, and she ha d no idea who JoAnne was.
I realized how old I really am.
As a college freshman in’59 Eller was the AIAW champion and as a sophomore she was runner up to her great friend and LPGA star-to-be, JoAnne Gunderson Carner (who she fondly refers to as “Gundy”)- Eller played on the Curtis Cup team in L960 with Judy Bell (who she fondly refers to as “Ding-Dong”) and Carner. She also became engaged (after four dates) to Gordon Street, a 23-year-old Tennesseean who worked in the family foundry business. She was a physical education major and didn’t see a career in it. She jokingly refers to her decision to leave and get married as opting for her M-R-S. degree. She says that she never really considered turning pro; she thought it was a rough life.
September 6: I finished the physical with all the other student athletes. In as pleased when tlndoctoi said I was in excellent shape, [didn't tell her that ivlti it Iliad decided to take this big step back into the world ofcollege athletics, [started woiking out with a trainer at 5:30 a.m. three duys a week and lost 20 pounds. IHas filling out a physical health form and it asked и hen [ had last ovulated. I wrote 23 ytais ago.
Now Street drives a shining white Volvo S-8. She's the only woman on the Barry team not on scholarship (she turned it down). Each golfer gets five or six shirts, four pair of shorts, a sweater, shoes, gloves, balls, a rain suit and a $20 per day allowance for meals when on the road. Under NCAA rules, they re allowed to practice 20 hours a week, which translates to three or four sessions. She's traded her Walter Hagen True Temper irons for Top Flite blades, her Hagen persimmon woods for Orlimar metal woods. She hits her irons about the same, but she's much longer (her drives fly 220-240 yards) off the tee. She replaced her old Bull's-Eye putter. Her putting, which used to be a strength, has become a sore spot. This year the LPGA has 34 events, with an average purse of $1.19 million.
September 7: We had to fill out a time management sheet for out academic advisor, Miss Miller. I realized I have no time to eat dinner Mon.-Tues.-Wed.-Thurs!!! My day starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 11:30 p.m. during the week. Sat. and Sun. is for housework and cocktails in the evening. Do you guess I am the first student-athlete who has put a cocktail hour in the time management program?
A senior moment: I missed the team meeting yesterday, I failed to put it on my calendar. I told Coach Write that I guess I have incurred a two-stroke penalty. I'11 make up for my forgetfulness by working on my game hard this week. I have always been motivated by a prize or something that I want- Hie first year [ won the women's state tournament, I had coveted a large leather blue and black golf bag in my dad's shop. He said if I won the state I could have it. Well, that was all I needed. Now Iam motivated to help win the Division II title.
Growing up, Street played golf in spring, summer and fall and basketball in winter. At Dupont Grammar School she helped carry the team to a 55-game winning streak. She was the 5-foot-8M star of Dupont High girls' team, averaging 28 points a game. With her at the post, Dupont took districts or regionals every year except the one when she sprained her ankle in the penultimate game. She had a right hook, a left hook and a sweet jumper. But her swing was even sweeter.
September 8: Played two rounds with JoAnne [Carner] in preparation for my first practice round with the team .. One goal I have set for myself is to try and be a good role model, I played with Noel [Bishop] and Renee. My practice warm up was good, then it was all downhill. I bogeyed the first hole after a tight su ing off the tee but—positive No. 1 — I got up and down from the bunker. Noel 5, Judy, 6, Renee 7. Hole No. 2, short in the fringe, chili-dip my chip shot, chip close and miss a short putt — nervous stroke! …At the last hole, a short par 3, I hit into the bunker on the right I hit a good bunker shot and finally made a putt to finish with par! Noel 40, Renee 42, Judy 44. I finish in the middle of the pack, with the worst round I’ve had all week.
My short-term goal for this week is to shoot 41 or better.
Senior moment No. 2: I mentioned that I was a little nervous about practice. Well, it seems that when I left the house at 11 a.m. I forgot to close the garage door. Positive No. 2—No one came in and walked off with anything.
Street and Carner have been friends since their teens when Carner, a Washington state native, spent her summers with the Ellers so she could compete in eastern events. Carner was a bridesmaid at Street’s wedding and remembers visiting her old friend while she was on tour. “[Husband] Don and I had a travel trailer and the first time we were passing through I said, ‘Have you got room?’ and Judy just started laughing. Then 1 got there and saw this mansion. Her garage apartment was as big as a house.”
Carner was the person Street called in 1994 to help her resurrect her game. The motivation was a phone call from Judy Bell, who invited Street to play in The Saucer, a match for ex-Curtis Cup players held before the actual event, that was taking place that year in Chattanooga.
Street says that when she plays golf with Car-ner, it still feels like summer in Old Hickory. They are the same, they have just got a few more wrinkles and pounds. Street started to play events again, tying for 27th at the 1994 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.
Golf re-emerged in Street’s life as her marriage began falling apart. Eventually, she moved out of her Chattanooga manse and into an apartment in Palm Beach and then the Fort Lauderdale home she lives in today. Jan Allen, a friend and women’s basketball coach at Barry, mentioned Street’s potential eligibility to Coach White at a school sports banquet.
September 12: I am playing today with Noel, Renee and Kara [Hutton]. Noel knows how to score, is a good scrambler and probably the No 1 player on the team. Renee, a freshman, has a good swing and will be very strong by the time she is a senior or before her senior year.
Kara, a senior from Michigan, is also a solid player. The Division II finals will beplayed [near her hometown] and l am telling the girls that WE will be there. I need to work on concentration. [I got] an e-mail from the coach and he said I had gained some respect from the kids. They are all so nice I hope I can push them to
be their best. I know I wouldn’t want to be beaten by a 60-plus lady.
“When I heard about Judy’s eligibility, I thought it would be a great opportunity for us,” says Barry coach Roger White. “I sent the team an e-mail over the summer telling them that she would be on our team and that she was a fine player.”
The Barry team’s schedule for the spring and fall seasons I consists of nine tournaments. Street plays mostly in the third or fourth spot. She travels with the team in the van. She bunks with teammates on the road. She was given the option to use a pull cart due to knee problems and passed on it, though she admits that her appreciation for caddies has increased.
September 23: My first official day as a team member, playing in my first collegiate tournament since 1959. I met E the team at school at 9:00 so wе could go for a practice round and have teampictures taken. As гие are iixilking to the course I pass a gentlemen who asked me if I have my team ready! After pictures, гие go to Denny’s for my first team vi ml. It was a revelation to know Icould only spend $6 for breakfast. This is afar cry from $20 breakfasts at the Ritz. I will have to say that the oatmeal with raisins, bnnm sugar, bananas was ample plus tu о pieces of bread! After practice the team went to Subway, but I opted to go home. For her first tournament, Street bakes some banana bread for the team. She was exhausted because she had trouble sleeping. She had a nightmare about not being able to get to the tee on time. In her dream, she couldn’t find the tee and her grandchildren were there riding a runaway horse.
September 24: Kara, the captain, designates the outfits we will wear. I love not having to make that decision. This is the first time I have ridden in the van.
I am a little nervous. Only had to go to the bathroom twice before teeing off’. … The best thing I did was hit a good drive off the first tee and manage to par it. Hit a good drive on No. 2 just in the fringe. Miss my putt for bogey. Par next couple of holes by getting up and tit к гн I’mfeeling pretty good but then the wheels begin to come off. Missed a short putt for par and my confidence is shot. A horrendous day putting: 35 putts. Shot 82
“She has so much golfing experience,” says Trudeau, who is from Truckee, Calif. “We trust her. We want her advice.” Trudeau also strategically mentions that she thinks Street’s banana bread helps her play better. “She’s taught us to be kind to everyone. She never gives up. She’s showed us to be encouraging to our competitors because in golf you’re only competing against the course.”
Carner is not surprised at Street’s ability to get on so well with the team. “Judy’s fun and she’s up on everything from movies to food to architecture. She’s always been a kid at heart. And here she is at 61, still being one of the kids.”
October 5: Surprise get together for Kara’s 21st birthday in Rogers office and then practice at Miami Shores. I have a chance to go early to ptractice and hit three large buckets of bolls. Roger and I chat about team dynamics—glad I’m not 20. I made a putt from off the green to win a post-season beer from Roger and Kara, who is legal now.
“She’s done nothing but help our team,” says White. “She’s always steady and when she putts well she shoots in the 70s. The girls feel comfortable around her. They get to hear about her past experiences. She goes the extra mile.”
October 18: I spent most of the day working on my music research paper and wading Forrest Gump for my Liteinture and Film class. Only seven more weeks, two research papers and two essays to go… My admiration far the studentath lete continues to mount. I don’t think I have stayed focused on my goal of shooting 80 or better. I have found it hard to concentrate on my studies and golf. I even cried because I though 11 did poorly on an exam. Never did that, at U of M! Now a liberal arts major, Street is mostly taking courses she says she would never have been interested in 40 years ago; 20th Century Romantic Music, History of Photography, Literature and Film, Philosophy. She loves them all except Philosophy, which she didn’t like 40 years ago and still dislikes. She managed to overcome her biggest fear: writing her first paper. It was about the evolution of women in country music and she got a B+. Her critique of the movie Pocahontas rated an A.
November 13: Tournament, with Lynn University. To my an azement, I hit the ball longer than my fellow competitors, sometimes I was 25 yards longer off the tee — working out with my trainer has really paid off. I wasted too many shots putting. I was surprised that I was not tired playing 36 holes and carrying my bag. The last time I played 36 holes was 35 yeais ago and I had a caddie.
The team finished behind Lynn, a higher-ranked Div. II college that day. At the end of the fall season, Barry’s record is 20-11 and Street’s game isn t quite where she would like it to be.
March 22: We are playing a practice round at, Miromar, the n icest course we have played all year. At about the third orfourth hole a TV cameraman appears. I have never had so much publicity, leant say that it isn’t exciting but what little I have had. I can’t imagine what it must be I like for people like Tiger Woods. The price one pays for stardom. And I am not a star, just a 61-year-old lady who can carry a golf bag and и rite a term paper. Oh, a fitst: I received a senior discount at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner last night. The kids were not hesitant to lemindmeofit. At a practice, a story on Street in Golf Digest circulates. The title phrase “Granny’s Got Game” has freshman Ellen Dow, from Ashland, Ore., shaking her head “They keep saving that, the grandma thing,” she says. “But I just think of her as another player.” It’s true: when the girls play or practice or chat about life, Judy is right there. Adds Dow, “She appears to be a grandmother on the outside: the gray hair. But on the inside, she’s hip-per than any of us. She acts younger than most 20-year-olds.” As the spring’s key events roll by, Street contributes con sistently to the team’s success. Her steady 79-79-83 at the Ryder event is the second low score for the team, which bests Division II rivals Lynn and Rollins. At the Sunshine State Conference Championships in mid-April, Street shoots 83-80 to tie for 13th and the Bucs finish third, their best ever.
April 21: As I think about, the season so far, I can t believe how quickly it’s passed. In a few weeks this whole experience will be over. What a great year it’s been. Nothing changes. Time flies when you’re having fun.
In May, Barry earned its first trip to the NCAA Division II Championships when Street shot a 77 (the second-best score of the day and after a first-round 91) in the South Regional.
Watching the oldest competitor in NCAA history walk off with her teammates, the view from behind is a timeless shot. A group of women strolling down a green carpet with banyan trees, bouganvillea and sky framing the picture. The red and black Barry University bags on their backs clunk with each step. Judy Eller Street’s gray hair is not visible she s just another one of the girls, the tall one in the floppy hat.
