George Bayer

{{Infobox golfer

| name = George Bayer

| image = George Bayer 1950.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Bayer in 1950

| fullname =

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|9|15}}

| birth_place = Bremerton, Washington, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|3|16|1925|9|15}}

| death_place = Palm Springs, California, U.S.

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=5}}

| weight = {{convert|230|lb|kg st|abbr=on}}

| sporting_nationality = {{USA}}

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| college = Washington

| yearpro = 1954

| extour = PGA Tour
Champions Tour

| prowins = 6

| pgawins = 4

| otherwins = 1 (regular)
1 (senior)

| majorwins =

| masters = T15: 1965

| usopen = T11: 1964

| open = DNP

| pga = T3: 1962

| wghofid =

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}}

George Bayer (September 15, 1925 – March 16, 2003) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Senior PGA Tour.

Early life

Bayer was born in Bremerton, Washington.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-20-me-bayer20-story.html |title=George Bayer, 77; Noted for Long Drives in Golf |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=March 20, 2003}}

College career

Bayer attended the University of Washington and was a member of the football team from 1946–1949; he played in the 1949 East-West Shrine Game.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/20/sports/george-bayer-77-long-driving-golfer.html |title=George Bayer, 77, Long-Driving Golfer |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 20, 2003 |agency=Associated Press}}

Professional career

After college, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the 20th round (253rd overall). He was released by the Redskins and played for the Brooklyn Brooks and Richmond Arrows of the minor league American Football League in 1950.{{cite web |title=George Bayer passes away |url=http://www.4malamute.com/zb9.html |website=4malamute.com |date=March 22, 2003 |accessdate=November 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205852/http://www.4malamute.com/zb9.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

Bayer did not begin playing golf professionally until he was 29 years old; he started in golf as a caddie at Kitsap Golf and Country Club, which is located between Silverdale, Washington and his hometown of Bremerton.{{cite web |title=Bayer, also ex-Redskins lineman, dies of heart attack |work=ESPN | date=March 19, 2003 |url=https://www.espn.com/classic/obit/s/2003/0319/1526151.html |access-date=January 11, 2008}}

At 6-foot-5-inches tall and 230 pounds, the power that Bayer could generate was astonishing. He was known for booming 300-yard drives. Bayer won four times on the PGA Tour in a four-year period made remarkable by the fact that he played in an era of inconsistently wound balls; and laminated maple or persimmon clubs that were made for players of average height (5'9" tall) and build (160 pounds). His achievements came in an era when golf equipment was simply not available for extremely tall or extremely short people.{{cite web |title=The tall and short of it: It's your swing – not body type – that counts in golf |last=Penner |first=Andrew |publisher=Golf Instruction |url=http://www.golfinstruction.com/features/tall-short-golf-354.htm |accessdate=November 3, 2007}} He also won the par-3 contest at the Masters Tournament in 1963.

Bayer also played on the Senior PGA Tour. His best year on that circuit was 1984, when he finished 21st on the money list with $64,491 in earnings. His last appearance in competitive golf was at the 2002 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf.