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1970-1979:Winds of Change, Don Allen, Women's Senior Amateur Moves to Adirondacks, Anne Coupe - An Extraordinary Life

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Winds of Change

Terry Diehl’s victory in 1969 was the last NYSGA Men’s State Amateur Championship conducted in match play. In 1970, the format changed to 72 holes of stroke play, with 144 players cut to 70 at the end of 36 holes. 

The change from match play to stroke play for championship events like this was common throughout the country. Notably, stroke play was what viewers saw on their televisions every week and, increasingly, their concept of how to determine the best golfer. More pertinently to New York, the adjustment was made largely to accommodate the requests from host clubs and their members for a more compact format that would not tie up weekends. 

On the revenue side, the format change encouraged higher player aspirations and tournament entries.

The qualities lost in the move — for example, the intimacy of a smaller field and the nuances of match play — were more than offset with a growth in players, revenue and the good will of host clubs.

Jeff Sluman of Rochester was the 1978 NYS Men's Amateur Champion and later went on to win 1988 PGA Championship.

Don Allen

However, one thing did not change as a result of the Men’s State Amateur format. The same Don Allen who won three times in match play in the first half of the 1960s proved his mastery of golf with three wins in stroke play in 1970, ’72 and ’73.

A self-effacing insurance executive and lifelong Rochester resident, Allen proved to be a national treasure. In addition to his six men’s State Amateur titles, Allen represented the U.S. on two Walker Cup teams (1965, ’67), played in the Masters three times (1965, ’66, ’67) and competed in 23 U.S. Amateurs.

Statewide, Allen won the NYSGA Mid-Amateur Championship in 1985 and 1987. In 1994, 1996, and 1997, Allen won the NYSGA Men’s Senior Amateur Championship. His competitive display over almost 40 years of amateur golf is without peer in New York. In his induction into the NYSGA Hall of Fame in 2012, Allen was also named “NYSGA Golfer Of The Century.”

Don Allen of Rochester was dubbed "NYSGA Golfer of the Century" for his accomplishments, six NYS Men's Amateur, two NYS Men's Mid-Am and three NYS Men's Senior victories.

Women’s Senior Amateur Move to Adirondacks

Taking up the northern quarter of the state’s square mileage, New York’s Adirondack region boasts inordinate opportunities for excellent golf in its few months of warm weather. The NYSGA recognized and embraced this concept wholeheartedly, conducting each Women’s Senior Championship of the decade within the region at either the Whiteface Club or the Lake Placid Club in the Olympic town of Lake Placid. 

In fact, the event was held in Lake Placid from 1969 to 1979. In the 70 years of the Women’s Senior Amateur, the Lake Placid Club has hosted the event four times and The Whiteface Club a whopping 14 times. 

The ’70s encampment at these clubs was good for the event, with champions emerging from outside the region — one with a particular flair. Future NYSGA Hall of Famer Jean Trainor from Rochester continued an unmatched dominance in senior golf, winning seven of her nine Senior Women’s Amateurs (1968-69, '71, '76-78, '81-83) at the Lake Placid venues.

Jean Trainor of Rochester won the NYS Women's Senior title nine times and an ex-trophy was eventually retired to her home club, CC of Rochester.

Anne Coupe – an Extraordinary Life

Eventual four-time winner of the NYS Women’s Senior Amateur (1965, ‘68, ‘73, and ‘74), Anne,  had expressed that she “. . .  hated golf and had always played tennis . . . I would never take up the game.” But, in response to a bet proposed by her husband during a cocktail party at the Country Club of Rochester, she tried the game, liked what she saw and decided to see how good she could get. After just a few years of learning the game, Coupe won her first tournament, the 1965 Women’s Senior.

Her late-in-life success at golf turned out to be just one amazing story in Coupe’s amazing life, most of which centered on her athletic exploits.  These included being a part of national level competition in curling, but only after setting collegiate records in swimming, playing varsity tennis and winning state golf titles.

Coupe also served in a few different roles on the NYSGA committee, bringing to bear the perspective of a multisport athlete. She was a chairperson for both the Women’s Am and Girls’ Junior in the 1970’s-80s until Betty Deeley took over the reins. The NYS Women’s Senior Amateur Trophy is named “The Anne Coupe Memorial Trophy” in honor of her many contributions to golf and society.

Anne Coupe of Rochester won four NYS Women's Senior titles and the current trophy is named after her.

Familiar Faces:

• Continuing a strong Empire State showing in the USGA Junior Girls Amateur, Cathy Morse and Mary Lawrence finished runner up in consecutive years, 1972 and ’73.

• Joey Sindelar, a future PGA Tour star, was 13 years old when he won the 1971 NYS Boys’ Sub-Junior Amateur Championship at Seven Oaks.

• Seven-time NYSGA Men’s Amateur champ Ray Billows captured his final NYSGA event at the 1974 Men’s Senior Amateur Championship at Grossinger’s, his eighth and final NYSGA title in an amazing career. 

• Jeff Sluman, the 1988 PGA champion, captured the NYSGA State Amateur at Jamestown’s Moon Brook. Four shots back heading into the final round, a 20-year-old Sluman posted a 68 to win by three.

• East Aurora’s Mark Balen won the 1973 Boys’ Junior at Soaring Eagles GC, and then the 1979 Men’s Amateur at Drumlins East. 

Joey Sindelar of Horseheads after winning 1971 NYS Boys' Sub-Junior and Ray Billows of Poughkeepsie, after claiming the 1974 NYS Men's Senior.