Like many boys of his generation, Santa Rosa resident Jack Luceti was introduced to the game of golf by working as a caddie. Jack grew up in San Francisco and started caddying at Harding Park and Lake Merced Golf Course when he was 11 years old. Jack received a couple of cut down clubs from the pro and taught himself the basics. It was an instant love affair between Jack and the game of golf.
At the age of 15, Lake Merced head pro Pat Mahoney saw something in Jack’s game and gave him a free weekly lesson for one year. It was during those Wednesday afternoons that Jack transformed himself from a good to an outstanding golfer.
I’m writing about Jack because at the age of 80 he is defying Father Time and is still playing great golf. A few months ago Jack played Windsor Golf Club with my dad and two other friends. Jack proceeded to shoot a 3-under-par 69. Shooting a 69 at any age is outstanding but to do it as an octogenarian defies belief.
I’ve been lucky enough to play golf with Jack about 20 times and he plays a simple yet effective game – he has a short backswing with a powerful downswing. He hits fairways, greens and is a streaky putter. At 5’ 8” and 135 pounds Jack isn’t physically imposing. But he is relentless in his pre-shot preparation. He doesn’t swing until he’s absolutely ready. Jack’s a sweetheart of a guy too. He will offer instructional tips if you ask him and he always shares a bag of carrots for his foursome on the back nine at Oakmont West.
I recently interviewed Jack and learned he attended Riordan High School and San Jose State University (where he’s in both athletic halls of fame). After dental school he worked as a dentist for 40 years before ultimately retiring to Oakmont in Santa Rosa with his lovely wife Linda. When he played for San Jose State there was no glamorous airplane travel to fly the team around. While having good golf clubs was important for collegiate golfers in the 1950’s, it was more important to have a reliable car to get you through California, Oregon and other Western States. One of Luceti’s most memorable accomplishments was being the runner-up in the 1959 NCAA golf championships in Eugene, Oregon.
As a scratch golfer Jack played rounds with San Francisco golf icons Ken Venturi and Johnny Miller. Jack joined the legendary Olympic Club at age 27 and proceeded to have an amateur career there that few, if any, have attained. Olympic Club is known for having more outstanding amateur golfers than virtually any club in Northern California. Olympic has also hosted the United States Open multiple times. To win the Club Championship there once would be an honor. To win it twice would make one’s amateur career.
Jack won the Club Championship at Olympic Club seven, yes seven times.
He was a monster at match play because he was relentless in his consistency. If his competitor made a bogey they would likely lose the hole. Jack won his last club championship at age 54 and ultimately moved the majority of his golf game to Sonoma County when he retired from dentistry in 2003.
A great accomplishment for any golfer is to shoot one’s age for 18 holes. Jack first shot his age when he was 68 and when I asked him how many times he shot his age he told me humbly that he stopped counting after 100 times. He has six career holes in one and his greatest round of golf was a 65 at Olympic Club in his 40’s. One of Jack’s favorite golfers of all time is the late Texan Byron Nelson as much for his golfing skills as for his kindness and his dedication to his family and farming when he retired from golf relatively early.
The best golfing tip Jack Luceti gives people is “to swing with rhythm and tempo.”
Now at the age of 80 Jack has no inclination of slowing down. He plays 100 rounds per year – primarily at Oakmont but also at Windsor Golf Club and Bennett Valley. Jack enjoys playing Windsor because no two holes are the same. Some courses simply have holes going back and forth in straight lines – Windsor offers curves, doglegs and just enough elevation change to keep you on your toes.
So if you’re ever joining a group on the first tee and a kind, dapper-looking gentleman introduces himself to you as Jack Luceti make sure you pay attention. You’ll get to play with a kind golfing tactician and you’ll learn a few things along the way.
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