RIP Chi Chi Rodriguez

[playthrough]

He was instrumental in getting the Champions Tour off the ground. Realized it needed some flair to have a chance.

You could make an argument that the Champions Tour was better than the PGA Tour in the '80s. Back when it wasn't ashamed to simply call itself the "Senior PGA Tour." They played almost 40 events a year and drew crowds and sponsors everywhere. I can still hear Jim Kelly's voice calling it on ESPN.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

I actually would have preferred the hat over the hole or maybe atop the flag for an eagle or better. His toreador bit I find in the modern day a little much.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

Playing on Monday morning. Gonna do a sword dance or two in Chi Chi's honor (assuming I hit any shots good enough to allow it).

 

[ChrisLong]

I actually would have preferred the hat over the hole or maybe atop the flag for an eagle or better. His toreador bit I find in the modern day a little much.

The Golf Digest obit, very well written by former colleague John Strege, said that other players complained about his hat dance. They said his dancing around the hole left spike marks that affected their putts. So he stopped the dance and started doing the sword thing a distance away from the hole. That made sense. The story said Chi Chi regarded the hole as the bull and after conquering the bull, he had to wipe off the sword and put it back in the scabbard.

 

[User 149557]

I forgot to add that as a small child I thought he owned the chain of Mexican restaurants , Chi-Chi’s, where for your birthday they made you stand on a chair with a giant sombrero as the employees sang while you ate authentic Mexican fare like seafood enchiladas smothered in mozzarella cheese.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I forgot to add that as a small child I thought he owned the chain of Mexican restaurants , Chi-Chi’s, where for your birthday they made you stand on a chair with a giant sombrero as the employees sang while you ate authentic Mexican fare like seafood enchiladas smothered in mozzarella cheese.

Man you must have been one dumb kid to think that.

Like I was.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Thanks for posting that article @BitterYoungMatador2! It was a great read. Especially loved the part about him wanting to make the world a better place for kids because he was too poor to be a kid.

There was a story somewhere out there where he said that his family was so poor growing up that he didn't get shoes until he was 15. Maybe it was part of a comedy and/or self-deprecating routine. He also joked that he was so small that he started in golf as a ball marker and also joked that Jack Nicklaus was a legend in his spare time.

While I don't necessarily condone hot dogs, I question if those who thought Chi Chi's supposedly antics were really harmful. Maybe they did bring him some attention, but given that so many on the Tour are kind of colorless, was it really that harmful?

UNCGrad's story doesn't surprise me in the least. In the '80s, Senior Tour tournaments were always more interesting when he was in contention. So he did a sword dance on the greens following a birdie? If he's messing up his playing partners, OK, have at it. I strongly suspect Chi Chi was smarter and more considerate than that.

RIP to a true original who will be missed and Thank You.

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

I forgot to add that as a small child I thought he owned the chain of Mexican restaurants , Chi-Chi’s, where for your birthday they made you stand on a chair with a giant sombrero as the employees sang while you ate authentic Mexican fare like seafood enchiladas smothered in mozzarella cheese.

Chi-Chi's was owned by former Green Bay Packer Max McGee.

 

[User 149557]

Chi-Chi's was owned by former Green Bay Packer Max McGee.

I found that out later. I’m glad if it wasn’t Chi Chi Rodriguez, it was at least owned by someone else who sounded like he came out of a children’s book.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

The Chi Chi's lunch buffet back in the day was glorious. Shame those damn green onions did the place in.

 

[Slacker]

I worked at a Chi-Chi's for a while back when it was so popular. Their inside goal, told to us worker drones, was to get everyone seated, fed and out the door – to turn over every table for the next seating – in 30 minutes or so.

It worked pretty well, too. And the kitchen was an amazing example of production-line meal prep.