Chalas follows his passion

Love of golf leads him to new career: teaching pro

When it was time to make his debut as a professional, Bruce Chalas headed not to the first tee in search of money, but to the practice tee to find his passion.

For so many years he had embraced the game of golf while scripting one of the more distinguished playing careers on the local amateur front. But now, he had found another way to quench his thirst for the game.

He would teach.

"I woke up one morning in early March, a cold day, and the golf season was approaching," said Chalas. "I looked in the mirror. I said, 'You're 57 years old. What do you like to do?' "

The answer was simple.

"I like golf, and I like to teach," said Chalas. "So I decided I was going to teach golf."

And with that, his longtime career in sales as an independent manufacturer's representative was over. Over, too, were all those amateur tourna ments that had been at the heart of his competitive spirit for many years. But in no way was his love affair with golf over. Instead, there was a new beginning at Fresh Pond Golf Course in Cambridge, where Chalas joined head professional Bob Carey's staff.

To Chalas, Fresh Pond's popular nine holes represent the backbone of golf, for it is a public course that doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is.

"There's no dining room, no clubhouse, no pool, no tennis courts. There's only one reason to be here and that's golf," said Chalas, whose familiarity with Carey and Fresh Pond went back to his days as the head golf coach at MIT.

The team would practice at Fresh Pond, and Chalas loved the no-frills, pure-golf, blue-collar landscape. In so many ways it brought him back to those days at Ponkapoag GC in Canton, where Chalas and many young golfers of his era learned to love the game and the thrill of competition.

"At Fresh Pond, there are 300 golfers a day, every day. The first tee time is 5:34 a.m.," said Chalas, "and if you were to get there at that hour, I'm sure the starter would get you out sometime around 7:30."

In other words, the line forms early at Fresh Pond and it stays healthy throughout the day at the first-come, first-served facility.

Said Chalas: "There is no recession at Fresh Pond."

Making a change

The résumé includes some sterling accomplishments, including MGA Four-Ball Championships alongside fellow Thorny Lea Golf Club member Steve Tasho in 1988 and 1994, but arguably the highlight remains that 1980 US Open appearance.

Chalas made it through local and sectional qualifying that year to tee it up at Baltusrol. While it was Jack Nicklaus who went home with his fourth and final US Open trophy that year, the Millis native took away a memory for life.

"In all, I played in 14 USGA tournaments," said Chalas, who in addition to that US Open played in five US Amateurs, six US Mid-Amateurs, a US Senior Amateur, and the US Amateur Public Links Championship at Stow Acres Country Club. "I'm happy about that."

But that pleasure is now translated in another fashion, whether it be a 4-year-old on the practice tee or an 80-year-old. Chalas doesn't care. He only asks his students: "What goals do you have?" and if they answer that they want to learn how to hit a golf ball, well, they've come to the right place. They're beginners, more than likely, and that suits Chalas just fine. In a way, he's a beginner, too.

"Bringing a new person into the game is much easier than teaching Greg Chalas [Bruce's college-age son and a near-scratch player] because he's already got a mind-set of what he wants to do," said Bruce Chalas, who tackles three simple steps with most of his novice golfers - the grip, the alignment, the posture. "If I can get those three points across, we're off to a good start."

His pro career got off to a good start, too. After making his decision, Chalas broke the news to his wife of 33 years, Lorraine. Then he told his daughter in New York and his son, who was in Florida at Stetson University at the time.

And their response?

"My wife kind of looked at me and said, 'OK.' My kids said, 'Why didn't you do it sooner?' "

It was their way of telling their father that his passion for golf had shined through, that he had never made any secret about his love for the game. Bruce Chalas draws a line all the way back to those days when he hung around the pro shop at Glen Ellen CC in his hometown of Millis and a pro by the name of Charlie Sheppard took a liking to him.

"It was 1963 and I was 12 years old," said Chalas. "But he was probably one of the biggest influences in my life."

Chalas remembers Sheppard telling him that golf would provide plenty of joy, but he had to be willing to share the game and give something back. Sheppard was right about the joy and when he talks to his students at Fresh Pond, Chalas knows he's carrying through with the other half of the old pro's vision.

"I am teaching a lot of people who are new to the game and I like that part of it," said Chalas, whose customers at Fresh Pond range from children to Harvard professors. "It's the crossroads of golf life and it's an intriguing place. The people come from all walks of life, but the common thread is they're there for golf, they all change their shoes in the parking lot, and they all eagerly go to the tee."

By the book

In another time, Chalas was passionate about the competition and determined to make himself a better golfer. He took lessons from Jim Flick, Jack Grout, and Peter Kostis - renowned, each and every one - and locally Chalas sought advice from two of the best in the business, Tom Cavicchi and Shawn Hester. "They're all so good at teaching," said Chalas, though he concedes that the foundation for all he believes in rests in a simple book written more than 50 years ago, "Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf."

"I refer to that book all the time," said Chalas. "I was just reading it again today."

He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the competition, which is why he'll still seek out some tournaments - against the professionals, of course - but he's committed to this new route in life. Chalas even has the business cards with all the pertinent information, though his carries a saying at the bottom: "Your golf clubs are your friends."

People ask him about that all the time.

"I tell them your golf clubs will bring you to where you want to go, to be with who you want to be with, and to do what you want to do."

Consider that part of the lesson.