‘
Potsy Doss Scramble’ set to tee offBy Don EskinsThe 39th annual Potsy Doss Memorial Golf Scramble is scheduled to tee off on Saturday and Sunday (April 24 & 25) at the Riverside Country Club Golf Course.Seventy, two person teams, in seven different flights are set to compete in Riverside's second oldest tournament. Only the Lee Blohm Tournament surpasses it."It should be a great weekend of golf. It's our first big tournament of the year and being that it follows the Masters we're expecting to see a lot of people out here excited about getting the tournament and a new season of golf underway," said Riverside golf pro Neil Bhakta.But while the Potsy Doss Scramble continues to be one of the oldest and more prestigious tournaments held in the area few of its participants today know much at all about the man for which the tournament is named.So who was Potsy Doss and what did he do to earn such a tribute from one of the Cavern City's most celebrated civic organizations.Doss's daughter Kay has the answer.Who was Potsy Doss?Doss found employment at the IMCC Potash Mines near Carlsbadin 1942. He worked there for thirty-eight years and,as the mine's purchasing agent,retired during the late 70's.Prior to that he was manager of the very popular La Caverna Hotel.A passionate golfer he found relaxation and fellowship at theRiversideCountry Club, won its Club Championship in 1953 and in 1966 and 67 served as President of its Board of Directors.But to Doss' daughter Kay he was much more than all of that."I think more than anything else my dad wassuch a good person. He was a very kind and encouraging man," she said. "And besides all the golf he played at the club heloved just hanging around with the guys.""He was well liked there and seemed to be just as special to them as he was to us," said Doss.Doss did love the game but he also wanted to share it and encouraged others to also get out and play.
"My dad spent a lot of time trying to get others to play golf," said Kay. "He especially encouraged women and children to tee up, something you didn't see a lot of at that time. He just wanted to see everybody playing."Doss' efforts to be inclusive on the golf course wouldn't be forgotten, not by his daughter anyway.Tournament defines Potsy Doss When Doss teed up for a round of golf things looked a lot different in Carlsbad. It was played predominately by men. "Back then most tournaments were just for men," laughed Kay. "They didn't want women out on the course while they were competing."Doss made sure that wouldn't be the case though for a tournament named in honor of her father."When we first began putting the 'Potsy Doss Memorial Scramble' together in 1983 our golf pro, Howie Tucker, asked how we should handle the entrees," she said. "I told him that I knew one thing for sure, my dad would want it to be open to anybody who wanted to play. That included women and children."Including women and children made the Potsy Doss Tournament unique, especially during its early years, with surprising results. "Women and children did show up to play in the tournament. My father would have loved seeing that,"said Kay."His tournament proved to be agreat way to get them out to compete in the game he loved so dearly.""There are so many stories about Carlsbad kids who got their first taste of tournament golf at the 'Potsy Doss Scramble', kids who went on to enjoy the game long afterwards, some who even made a living at it," she said. "Kids like Justin Bubser who went on to become the Head Pro at Tucson National and is now an assistant coach at the University of Arizona, Scott Lieberwirth now the head golf coach at U.T.E.P. and let's not forget Kent Jones who's still playing on the PGA's Senior Champions Tour."Potsy Doss' love of the game did play a huge influence on many people in Carlsbad when it came to playinggolf, and beyond. One in particular-Teeing up with her dad"I started playing golf with my dad when I was eight years old. He said see this pretty green
grass, this is called a fairway. See the bushes and trees over there, that'scalled the rough. Just keep the ball in the middle of the fairway and you'll do just fine," said Kay.Kay, who has carded five hole in ones during her lifetime, listened well to her father's advice.''People ask-don't you ever get tired of hitting the ball down the middle of the fairway," chuckled Doss. "I just tell them that my father always told me that I could keep the game simple if I just kept the ball in the middle of the fairway. It works, unfortunately though I don't hit it very far anymore."From the Potsy Doss Scrambleto her own exploits on the links Kay has accumulated a lifetime of memories built around the world of golf. It's a world for which her father would have been very proud.On Friday night (April23), in the Riverside Country Club Ball Room, Kay will share some of those memories with all those in attendance by displaying eight scrapbooks she's put together filled with thirty-eight years of Potsy Doss Scramble photos and results. "I just love looking through them," she said. "They bring back so many warm and fond memories. There are names and photos of so many people in them, people that in some way have played a part in most all of our lives. I think others feel the same way to as they browse through them." Kay and her brother Dick, who will miss teeing up for this weekend's tournament due to recent foot surgery, have played an active role in all thirty-nine Potsy Doss Scrambles."Not many people get to have their names attached to a golf tournament, especially for so long," said Doss. "This tournament is such a great tribute to our dad and it makes our entire family proud.""During this very special time of the year, when the Riverside Country Club hosts the Potsy Doss Scramble to honor him," she said. "There's no place elsewe'd rather be."Editor note: Coming Soon to the Carlsbad Local-A look at some of the interesting golf memorabilia acquired by Kay Doss during her lifetime. Including photos and autographs of-well let's just say you might be surprised!