Jerry Anderson

Steve Virgen

The essence of Jerry Anderson can be summed up in one statement.

“Golf has been my life,” Anderson said Saturday morning, while at

work at the Newport Beach Country Club.

Yes, ever since Anderson was 13 he has been passionate about golf.

To this day, he smiles and speaks of the game as it is his child or

best friend.

He is the president and chief operating officer of Newport Beach

Country Club. He loves his job and he thoroughly enjoyed his time the

past week, while the club hosted the Toshiba Senior Classic.

“There is not a day I dreaded going to work,” Anderson said. “It’s

really fun. You’re working in a place where people are coming to have

fun. I’m here to provide a service to them, for them to have fun.

It’s a great feeling to be involved.”

Anderson looks back on his time at Newport Beach, which began 18

years ago, with great fondness. In a candid interview, Anderson, 67,

said he plans to work two more years and then he will most likely

retire. Until then he will continue to enjoy his job.

In two weeks he is planning to take three months off and travel

across the nation with his wife, Barbara. The Andersons, who were

high school sweethearts at John Muir High in Pasadena, have been

married for 43 years. They will travel in their motor home and Jerry

plans to play at golf courses along the way.

“I had a dream to take a trip across the United States and play

some of the great golf courses I have not been able to play,” he

said.

The trip is sure to enrich his love for golf and keep him in tune

with the sport that has been special for him since he was 13. That’s

when he encountered golf for the first time.

Anderson was born in Minnesota, but at 3 he had pneumonia and

doctors told his parents to move to warmer climate. They chose the

San Gabriel Valley area of California.

When Anderson was 13, his family lived across the street from the

Altadena Golf Course. He worked there, starting at the driving range

and eventually became a teacher when he was 18.

Later when he was 21, he taught for two years at Griffith Park

Golf Course and had to stop fulfill his duties in the Army reserve.

Eventually, he became a pro.

“I played in the Los Angeles Open and in several Southern

California PGA tournaments,” Anderson said. “I won a couple of

things. I had two sons and I was fairly young. I tried to play for

many years. It wasn’t going to happen as quick as I needed it to

happen while raising two kids.”

While playing golf humbled him in regard to professional status,

Anderson enjoyed teaching from the start. When he arrived at Newport

Beach Country Club 18 years ago, he started as the director of golf

operations.

“It’s really fun to help somebody and see them get excited about

the game,” Anderson said. “It’s fun. It makes you feel good.

“Sometimes it’s frustrating,” he continued. “Sometimes you get

some people and their goals are way beyond what they’re capable of

going. And, maybe their goals are well beyond what they’re willing to

put into it to do something well. Most people want instant

gratification or instant success. That doesn’t happen in sports. In

golf you have to work hard at it. You have to have to honest goals.

If you’re going to achieve whatever level, you have to do the things

necessary to reach that goal.”