Tweet
Saw this on the Joplin Paper's web site:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/columns/l...176001629.html
Clair Goodwin: Dahms still man on the move
By Clair Goodwin
Chip Shots
Art Dahms is a man on the go. At age 74, he plays golf regularly and well, as his 5 to 7 handicap and multiple Oklahoma seniors team championships attest. And on many weekends during the spring, summer and fall, he can be found playing big-time softball with players his age and younger in tournaments ranging from Denver, Dallas, Tulsa, Atlanta to Chicago.
Dahms is a self-taught golfer. He also is what I call a “grinder” nonpareil. He may not hit lots of greens, but he has a superb short game that makes up for any loss of distance on his drives over the years. And he is a spectacular putter. Indeed, I would rate him among the best I’ve ever seen, particularly from 10 to 12 feet. I’ve never seen him miss a putt that I thought he should make and I’ve seen him frequently make rollercoaster putts that seemed impossible.
Dahms, who enjoyed careers as an engineer, corporate executive and financial adviser, didn’t take up golf until his senior year in college in 1960 when he had to take a summer course in freshman chemistry to get his engineering degree at South Dakota State University in Brookings. There was a golf course nearby and Art decided to give it a try. The dean even loaned him some old clubs.
Not only did Dahms play, but he practiced long and hard. Within weeks, he was shooting in the 70s. He would routinely hit golf balls each day, and often could be found chipping 50 balls into a bucket from 15 or 20 yards away.
Thus began a long, lasting love affair with the game.
Dahms went to work in Chicago for Northern Illinois Gas Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of NICOR, and served in various positions in construction, engineering and finance before being selected with three others to start an oil company in Denver.
“That was exciting,” he said. “We ended up with 161 employees and spent about $200 million every year. I would make $25 million deals over the phone with other oil companies. We worked 65 hours a week, but we never worried about the time.”
Eventually, oil and gas prices dipped in the late 1970s through the early 1980s and the oil subsidiary folded. Dahms then became a successful financial advisor. Three years ago, Art and his wife, Florence, moved to Loma Linda Country Club from Ada, Okla., and he became a regular in the Joplin golf scene.
Sports have always played a role in Dahms’ life. As a youngster, he loved football. He used to run home from high school every night to milk the cows on the family farm in Redwood Falls, Minn., and then rush back to football practice. He played halfback. After serving in the Navy, Art checked out a football uniform at South Dakota State and started out as the eighth-string halfback. By year’s end, he was the backup to the starter. One of his vivid football memories was South Dakota State leading Kansas State, which was a much larger school, by a touchdown only to lose 62-14. . . .
Although he doesn’t practice as much as in the past, Art gets out about five times a week with his buddies at Loma Linda or in area tournaments. He especially enjoys scrambles that raise money for charities. In fact, he was a member of the team that shot 17-under to win the recent Children’s Miracle Network Tournament of Miracles, sponsored by Quapaw Casino, at Loma Linda. . . . (Read more)
Go State!
http://www.joplinglobe.com/columns/l...176001629.html
Clair Goodwin: Dahms still man on the move
By Clair Goodwin
Chip Shots
Art Dahms is a man on the go. At age 74, he plays golf regularly and well, as his 5 to 7 handicap and multiple Oklahoma seniors team championships attest. And on many weekends during the spring, summer and fall, he can be found playing big-time softball with players his age and younger in tournaments ranging from Denver, Dallas, Tulsa, Atlanta to Chicago.
Dahms is a self-taught golfer. He also is what I call a “grinder” nonpareil. He may not hit lots of greens, but he has a superb short game that makes up for any loss of distance on his drives over the years. And he is a spectacular putter. Indeed, I would rate him among the best I’ve ever seen, particularly from 10 to 12 feet. I’ve never seen him miss a putt that I thought he should make and I’ve seen him frequently make rollercoaster putts that seemed impossible.
Dahms, who enjoyed careers as an engineer, corporate executive and financial adviser, didn’t take up golf until his senior year in college in 1960 when he had to take a summer course in freshman chemistry to get his engineering degree at South Dakota State University in Brookings. There was a golf course nearby and Art decided to give it a try. The dean even loaned him some old clubs.
Not only did Dahms play, but he practiced long and hard. Within weeks, he was shooting in the 70s. He would routinely hit golf balls each day, and often could be found chipping 50 balls into a bucket from 15 or 20 yards away.
Thus began a long, lasting love affair with the game.
Dahms went to work in Chicago for Northern Illinois Gas Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of NICOR, and served in various positions in construction, engineering and finance before being selected with three others to start an oil company in Denver.
“That was exciting,” he said. “We ended up with 161 employees and spent about $200 million every year. I would make $25 million deals over the phone with other oil companies. We worked 65 hours a week, but we never worried about the time.”
Eventually, oil and gas prices dipped in the late 1970s through the early 1980s and the oil subsidiary folded. Dahms then became a successful financial advisor. Three years ago, Art and his wife, Florence, moved to Loma Linda Country Club from Ada, Okla., and he became a regular in the Joplin golf scene.
Sports have always played a role in Dahms’ life. As a youngster, he loved football. He used to run home from high school every night to milk the cows on the family farm in Redwood Falls, Minn., and then rush back to football practice. He played halfback. After serving in the Navy, Art checked out a football uniform at South Dakota State and started out as the eighth-string halfback. By year’s end, he was the backup to the starter. One of his vivid football memories was South Dakota State leading Kansas State, which was a much larger school, by a touchdown only to lose 62-14. . . .
Although he doesn’t practice as much as in the past, Art gets out about five times a week with his buddies at Loma Linda or in area tournaments. He especially enjoys scrambles that raise money for charities. In fact, he was a member of the team that shot 17-under to win the recent Children’s Miracle Network Tournament of Miracles, sponsored by Quapaw Casino, at Loma Linda. . . . (Read more)
Go State!