Being that the Crisman family is the closest thing to royalty Selma has yet produced, at least as far as the game of golf is concerned, it is only fitting that Lewie Crisman should have penned the city’s first history of golf.

Lewie is the youngest of William Otey Crisman’s five children. His brother Otey Jr. is enshrined in the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame for his golfing exploits.

But while Otey Jr. may have been the most famous of the Crisman clan, all were enthusiastic followers of the game. Glenn, the oldest, won the Southern Amateur title in 1925 at the tender age of 19, the state amateur three times and dominated play at the Selma Country Club for decades.

During his lifetime Otey Jr. won four Southeastern PGA titles and competed in several PGA national tournaments. But he is perhaps best remembered for the mullet-head putter that bears his name. At the height of its popularity, 29 of the 81 PGA players at the Masters were putting with handcrafted Otey Crisman putters.

Otey Jr. is also remembered for his legendary fits of temper on the links. Prior to becoming a lay minister in his later years and demonstrating some measure of restraint, he had been known for sending a steady stream of broken clubs sailing into the nearby Alabama River back when Riverside Country Club was still open.

Sister Frances and Brother Jimmie never seriously pursued the game. But that did not quash the rumor that Otey Sr., an avid player, had named his children so that their initials spelled &uot;GOLF.&uot;

Lewie himself was an Alabama State Amateur champion and regularly bested just about all comers at the Selma Country Club during the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Aunt Bessie Welch, Selma’s pioneer woman golfer, once observed, &uot;Bobby Jones had the prettiest golf swing I ever saw. Lewie Crisman had the second prettiest swing I ever saw.&uot;

(The Selma Country Club’s annual ladies tournament is named in honor of Bessie Welch, who was known for her graceful swing. Her tee shots tended to be short and sweet, down the middle. Crisman recalls that a term often used by the men of the times in describing a similar tee shot was, &uot;That’s a Miss Bessie.&uot; In contrast to the more earthy Otey Jr., her strongest oath following a wayward shot was a refined &uot;shucks.&uot;

Miss Bessie never married. Asked why, she once replied, &uot;Some colors are hard to match.&uot;)

Otey Sr. was for years the city engineer for Selma, and maintained his offices in the Hotel Albert. Lewie and Jimmie got their start as professional surveyors pulling the chain and carrying the rod for their father.

Lewie later designed a number of golf courses, including Selma’s own Ocmulgee.

As a boy growing up in West Selma, Lewie often caddied on the old Riverside course, located on what is now the site of Riverside Park. &uot;I was a caddy from about the age of 7 or 8,&uot; he recalls. &uot;Back then, most players only had four or five wooden shafted, mis-matched clubs. The clubs all had names back then &045;&045; brassie, spoon, mashie. Now they all go by numbers.&uot;

Caddies were paid 15 cents for nine holes, 35 cents for 18. &uot;You supplemented that by getting out early in the morning and scrounging for lost balls, cleaning them up and selling them for a dime,&uot; Crisman says.

In retrospect, he adds, the biggest payoff may have been the chance to simply spend an afternoon in the presence of great men.

It was another time, another place and Crisman is not unmindful that the book views his childhood recollections through the lens of an old man looking back on his youth. But it was good, and with his book he has tried to show what made it that way. It was a time when &uot;there was a cow in every backyard, when almost everyone had a garden and some chickens, and you felt safe letting your children go outside.&uot;

A time, he says when &uot;your neighbors looked after your children as well as their own.&uot;

Aware that &uot;not many people in east Tennessee&uot; are waiting to learn about grass roots golf in Selma, Crisman is planning to publish his book by subscription. The first limited run will begin as soon as he enlists a suitable number of subscribers.

Anyone interested in subscribing a copy of the book may contact Crisman at (334) 244-0397.