Henry Picard

Henry Picard was a professional golfer who was famously called “the Hershey Hurricane” by the press. To his friends, though, Picard was simply known as “Pick”. Picard was born on April 30, 1906 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Like some other golf greats, he started out as a golf caddy in his teen years, later turning into a brilliant golf pro and golf mentor, obviously a significant figure in golf history.

His impressive list of achievements include twenty-six (26) tour victories, two (2) major championships, the 1938 Masters and the 1939 PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as well as the PGA of America Hall of Fame; he earned the 1939 top spot in the PGA Tour money rank; and he became part of the United States Ryder Cup Team in 1935 and 1937.

Picard’s greatest achievement though, was his valuable relationships with his golfing peers. Sam Snead and Ben Hogan highly respected him for his insight and for his generosity. Snead, who was an ace golfer himself, credited Picard for urging him to go pro. He would never have considered professional golf if not for Picard. Hogan, another golf legend, credited Picard for saving him several times from his financial troubles. Picard bankrolled him during Hogan’s financially constrained phase. When Picard won the 1938 Masters title, he vacated his job at the Hershey Country Club and successfully recommended Hogan as the replacement. As a tribute, Hogan dedicated his book, “Ben Hogan’s Power Golf” to Picard. Another golfing great, Beth Daniel, was privileged to come under the tutelage and influence of Picard when he worked as a golf instructor at the Country Club of Charleston.

Picard played golf well until his 80s, even when he retired at age 67 in 1973. He died in 1997, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame nine years later, in year 2006.