The Publisher’s Page
An interview with golf legend Ken Venturi

By Edward F. Pazdur, Publisher

Ken Venturi shares some undisclosed personal and unpublished private events. Here’s a scoop about his new life in California’s desert.

Venturi discloses how he met “my Kathleen,”...his private battle with cancer...his adventures with CBS-TV producer Frank Chirkinian...his devotion to Jim Nantz...and why he doesn’t like today’s TV golf tournament coverage.

Rancho Mirage, California: It’s been over two years since Ken Venturi retired and ended the greatest, longest running, team in sports with Jim Nantz, who even today remains Venturi’s closest friend and confidant.

Nantz continues as a sports anchor for CBS-TV and remains active in the whirlwind of daily excitement, stress, travel and glamour tantamount in televised professional sports worldwide.

Venturi, on the other hand, has decided to hop off that express train for a suddenly tranquil lifestyle in the Palm Springs, California area. He traded his 18th hole tower for a lifestyle enveloped by some of America’s greatest private golf clubs, golf courses, restaurants, entertainment, celebrities, and casual dress codes.

Sounds good. But, I wanted to see personally how he was bearing up under his new, serene lifestyle. So I thought up an excuse to visit and phoned Ken. We set a date, between tours to promote his book, Getting Up & Down, and I drove up from Newport Beach, a two-hour drive one way.

Kathleen and Ken Venturi about to leave in their custom golf car.

I was warmly greeted by Ken and his lovely wife Kathleen. They were casually and comfortably dressed and looked great.

We met in his study, and as you might expect, it was tastefully decorated, comfortable and adorned with historic and important memorabilia.

We no sooner sat down than I blurted out: “Ken, how the hell are you? Do you miss....” My question stopped when Kathleen walked in with some refreshments and joined us. She struck me as a composed, beautiful, and poised lady. Perfect for Ken.

The world of golf was unaware that Venturi was suffering from prostate cancer when he served as Captain of America’s team at the 2000 Presidents Cup, hosted by Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. He confided his illness only to his son and Jim Nantz on the condition they keep it confidential.

The U.S. Cup team won 21-1/2 to 10-1/2. “That’s just 32 points total,” boasted Venturi, “and it still stands until they change it.”

After the Presidents Cup, Venturi started commuting between his home in Florida and California for cancer treatments. These excursions between both coasts created a media buzz that he planned to retire.

The fact is, he was planning his retirement and extended the date until his last telecast on June 2, 2002 in deference to the wishes of CBS-TV and Jim Nantz.

A New Lease On Life Named Kathleen

Little did he know fate had already cast a new lease on his life about 17 months earlier, on January 17, 2001 to be more specific, the day he met Kathleen.

After retiring in June of 2002, Venturi sold his home in Marco Island, Florida, and moved to Rancho Mirage, California, where he was taking weekly prostate cancer treatments. He started his cancer treatment program of eight consecutive weeks, five days per week, on January 14, 2001. He had to drive to Loma Linda, a one-hour drive up and a one-hour drive back, every weekday for his program.”I met my Kathleen after I had taken my fourth treatment,” said Venturi.

He was seated at his desk, leaned forward a bit, smiled affectionately at Kathleen, and said, “She rode with me for my next 35 treatments, every day except weekends. And now I’m 100 percent cured. I’ve changed my priorities and I’ve changed my health.

“You know, Ed, if I hadn’t had prostate cancer, I wouldn’t have come back to Palm Springs for treatment, and I would never have met my Kathleen,” his voice became more subtle and softer. “I’ll always remember a quote from Jack Whitaker when he introduced me to a dinner audience at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. He said, ‘Fate has a way of bending a twig and fashioning a man to his better instincts.’”

Ken Venturi idolized Byron Nelson and credits him as one of his key mentors.

“And so far, Ken, every setback you’ve suffered in your life, something good came of it.”

“Yes.”

“How did you meet Kathleen?”

“It was right after my fourth treatment. A friend asked if I would like to go to a restaurant for a cocktail and a relaxing dinner. I said no because I was tired. He insisted, so rather than argue, I said OK. We went to a place called Biga’s where Kathleen was helping a friend hostess. I looked at her and thought, ‘Wow, this is one good-looking lady.

“I mentioned that to the owner and he asked if I wanted to meet her. I thought about it for less than one second, and said I sure would. He introduced us. I asked her to dance and we danced.”

“He’s a very good dancer,” teased Kathleen.

Venturi laughed appreciatively and continued, “We wanted to know each other better and had brunch on the following Sunday. We talked and talked and I told her I had returned to Palm Springs from my home in Marco Island, Florida, for some treatments. Needless to say, I was delighted when she asked if I would like some company on my trips to Loma Linda.

“She rode with me for the next 35 trips. We played Sinatra tapes, talked about our backgrounds, where we were, what we did, how we had tragically lost our spouses, and had unwittingly bonded,” reminisced Venturi. “Fate does have a way of bending a twig,” he sighed.

“I had to return to Florida after my treatments were completed, and we talked often over the phone,” mused Venturi.

“Every single night,” reminded Kathleen.

Ken Venturi Who?

While George Bush (No. 41) and Venturi play golf, Kathleen and former First Lady Barbara Bush socialize.

“Kathleen,” I asked, “when you were introduced to Ken, was it exciting to meet such a celebrity?”

Ken interrupted her answer and quickly added, “She really didn’t know who I was.” He was amused and I think a little disappointed.

Kathleen, also amused, explained that she was never a golfer, that no one in her family was a golfer, and she had never watched golf on television. “But,” she said, “his name was kind of familiar.

“When he asked me to dance,” said Kathleen, “I knew immediately it was going to be enjoyable. He could really dance. And I called him ‘Mr. Rhythm.’ I just looked at him and saw those beautiful, twinkling blue eyes, that gorgeous silver hair, those great big dimples, and thought that was one magnificent combination.”

“Can I quote you?”

“Sure, I don’t care. It came from my heart.”

“When were you attracted to him?”

“It began with that first date and our 35 trips to Loma Linda. It was an hour there and an hour back, every day, and then every weekend. We were completely alone without anyone to interfere in our conversations. No television, radio, no cell phones—nothing.

Former President Ronald Reagan and Ken Venturi; Venturi in a less formal setting with former President George Bush (No. 41).

“We felt a strong bond after his last treatment. I kept a daily record of his treatments and when I wrote the last entry, we both suddenly realized it was our last time together. We looked at each other and tears started to come down our cheeks. He had to return to Florida, 3,000 miles away, and might never come back.

“Fortunately,” she said happily, “Ken did come back and we got married.”

“When did you become aware you had a great personality and a golf legend on hand?”

“Ed, I fell in love with the man, I mean who he is and not who everyone thinks he is. I didn’t fall in love with Ken Venturi the golfer or the CBS-TV golf analyst. I wish people could know how compassionate my husband is for unfortunate people.

“He has raised millions of dollars for charities, for guiding eyes [dogs for the blind] and the stuttering foundation for children.

“He’s a man with a lot of pride and integrity,” sighed Kathleen.

Chirkinian, The Ayatollah, Was Tough But Right

The presentation of televised golf on all networks has peaked since the departure of Frank Chirkinian from CBS-TV in 1996 and the retirement of Ken Venturi in 2002.

Chirkinian is best known for 38 consecutive Masters telecasts on CBS-TV and for his ingenious innovations for televising the PGA Tour, the Olympics, and Triple Crown horse racing that has made him the world’s preeminent director-producer of televised sports.

It was Chirkinian who initiated the universally used scoring system of listing a player’s score by over and under par now used worldwide. He also initiated videotaping and editing to condense playing time on TV. He employed blimps and the use of cranes to elevate TV cameras for better coverage.

There have been no fresh ideas to add to golf’s televised excitement since Chirkinian left CBS-TV in 1996.

Ken Venturi, PGA Tour superstar, who was afflicted with a stuttering disability and couldn’t talk at 13, was hired by Chirkinian in 1968 to be his golf analyst. Venturi is best known for his heroic win of the 1964 U.S. Open at the Congressional Country Club and for his 35-year career as America’s most distinguished and cherished golf analyst. When Chirkinian hired Jim Nantz to work with Venturi, they became the longest running (17 years) and the most prominent team in sports.

Pondering a strategy at the 2000 Presidents Cup are Team Captain Ken Venturi and Davis Love III.

“Well, I picked the perfect time to retire after 35 years with CBS-TV,” Venturi said confidently in that famous monotone voice. “I also picked the perfect place for our last telecast on June 2, 2002 at the Kemper in Washington, D.C. I picked it out of friendship with the Kemper people and because it’s where I won the Open and the Presidents Cup.

“It was wonderful,” he recalled. “They even gave me a tremendous party at Burning Tree in Bethesda. Jimmy Nantz was the emcee.”

“Since retiring,” I asked, “don’t you long for the action? The traveling? The telecasts? What do you miss the most?“

“I miss Jimmy Nantz most of all. Kathleen and I named one of our guest rooms after him and we’ve got pictures of Jimmy and his family in there. I also miss Frank Chirkinian, our producer.”

No Fresh Excitement Without Chirkinian

“I’ve met Frank Chirkinian at the Bel Air Country Club a few times,” I said, “but I’ve never seen him at work. He, too, has a long and illustrious career at CBS as an executive producer. He produced an unbelievable 38 consecutive Masters. Did he really rule with an iron hand? Was he dictatorial?”

Ken seemed amused and said, “Chirkinian loved to be called Ayatollah...he was tough...but more importantly, he was right!

“Frank is a very kind person,” said Venturi. “He’s a real connoisseur of wine and that added to the pleasure of having dinner with him. He hired me in 1968; he taught me the nuances.

“I’ll never forget the first day on the job,” he reminisced, “I asked Frank what to say and he snapped: ‘If I’ve got to tell you what to say, you’re in the wrong business and get the hell out! You can say anything you want, but remember you’re doing television. It’s not what you say; it’s what you don’t say. You don’t say the obvious, like the ball went in the hole. Everybody saw it!’

“I’ll always be indebted to him,” sighed Venturi.

Complete Opposite of Johnny Miller

“I don’t think he taught you compassion,” I added. “If you didn’t have something decent to say about a player, you chose to say nothing. You didn’t criticize a player for hitting a bad shot. Fans liked you because you were a complete opposite of Johnny Miller.”
“Yes,” replied Venturi, “but the press liked him because he was controversial. He called a bad shot a dumb shot. I would not criticize the player. Everybody saw he hit a bad shot, not a dumb shot as if he had done it intentionally.

“I would say, ‘Oh, Oh,... look what he’s faced with. He’s got the ball behind the bunker and no green to work with. He’s looking at a bogey and would love to have that shot over again.’

“I’ve suggested to Lanny Wadkins, who replaced me, to treat every player on the fairway the same way he would like to have them treat him,” stated Venturi.

“I Don’t Mean To Be Rude...But,”

Venturi gets a little riled when he is asked about today’s TV coverage. “Television has changed,” he groused, “and I don’t like what I see. Now, I don’t mean to be rude.”

“What don’t you like about it?”

“There is too much talking over shots,” he said, “they don’t let the game play. Chirkinian would kill you if you talked over his shots...oh, man,” warned Venturi.

“And you have said as much to Jimmy,” said Kathleen. “You both worked so well together.”

“Jimmy and I knew how to work with Chirkinian,” said Venturi. “I remember when Mark O’Meara won the Masters. He was getting ready to get over his putt and Jimmy asked what I thought. I said he knows very well if he makes this putt, he’s the Masters champion. To quote Henry Longhurst, I said, ‘There’s nothing more to do now than just watch,’ And right then, Chirkinian’s voice boomed through the earphone, ‘and if anyone opens his mouth right now, I’ll kill ‘em!‘”

“And,” Kathleen quickly added, “that’s what they all miss, that’s what Ken misses.”

Use The Mute Button

“Well then, Ken,” I asked, “what do you do while you’re watching TV and they talk over a putt or an important shot?”

He looked gloomy and said: “I use the mute button.”

"You can say anything you want, Ken, but remember, it's television. It's not what you say, it's what you don't say." - Frank Chirknian

“Use the what?”

“The TV remote control’s mute button,” repeated Venturi.

OK, like I’m supposed to know.

“Ken, our readers feel I know you because Executive Golfer has followed your career for over three decades. They ask me about you—‘What is he doing?’ ‘What’s happening to him?’ ‘Is he OK?’—like I should know. Everybody wants you to be happy...So, OK Ken, how in-the-heck are you?”

He laughed appreciatively and said: “The world knows my background. The world knows my record. And, the world knows a lot about me,” he said. “But that’s B-K, before Kathleen. I’m very happy.”

“Can’t you tell?” smiled Kathleen.

“Ed,” said Kathleen, “when he gets up every morning, he says he loves his home and that he’s in a perfect place.

“We belong to three great golf clubs; Morningside, Thunderbird, and the Springs, all less than a mile away. He rides his cart to the clubs and never has to take his car out of the garage.

“It’s all just wonderful,” said Kathleen in a state of deep reflection.

“Everyday when we ride to one of the clubs, with no traffic, a warm day, a deep blue sky and scenic mountains—he looks at me fondly, smiles, and says—‘Isn’t this beautiful?’”

"I always look forward to hearing Kenny speak. He brings together what great golf is all about." - Leslie Moonves, CBS, President & CEO

Venturi nodded his approval. “I’m very happy with my life at this point in time. Maybe I’ve had more than my share of misfortunes. You know, the stuttering; losing Beau, my former wife, to cancer; not winning the Masters; having my golf career cut short after losing the use of my hands in 1965; and prostate cancer.

“Do I still have faith, after all of that? The answer is yes. Because He [God] has blessed me with Beau and a happy marriage for 26 years before cancer ended her life. He blessed me with Jim Nantz, Frank Chirkinian, a memorable U.S. Open win, and a great, though limited, PGA Tour career.

“Now, best of all, He has blessed me with my Kathleen,” said Venturi, smiling at me. “If I could choose to be anybody in the world, I would choose me!”

To contact Ken Venturi, please write to him c/o Executive Golfer, 2171 Campus Dr., Suite 330, Irvine, California 92612.