GALLERY

CURTIS WAGNER

FAIRWAY FLYER

FLAT CREEK COUNTRY CLUB PEACHTREE CITY, GEORGIA

IT’S A GIVEN WITH BOTH GOLF AND FLYING— YOU HAVE TO HAVE A STEADY HAND AND BE COMMITTED TO DOING IT RIGHT.”

Curtis Wagner’s introduction to golf began in the caddie shack. A looper at age 12, Curtis learned the game (and earned 75 cents a round) while working and hanging out at Lake Lure Golf Course in North Carolina.

By 17 he played well enough to win the Western North Carolina Junior Jaycee Golf Tournament. He then went on to compete at North Carolina State and in the Air Force. And to hear him tell it, life has been about three major passions ever since: family, flying and golf.

“It’s a given with both golf and flying—you have to have a steady hand and be committed to doing it right, ” says Curtis, now a retired Delta pilot who has many former piloting colleagues among the two or three golf groups he joins weekly. “The large pilot population in town combined with our fly schedules allowed for plenty of golf,” he says. “We used to call Peachtree City ‘Base Housing South.’”

His golfing resume is about a zillion tournaments deep, with highlights that include two U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs, five U.S. Senior Opens, five U.S. Senior Amateurs, 10 British Amateurs, 10 British Senior Amateurs, one British Senior Open, two Azaleas, two Senior Azaleas and two Senior Masters—plus winning the Delta Men’s Open a record 12 times. And though Curtis’ wife, Nell, doesn’t play, she’s kept him great company as he traveled the world competing from Papua, New Guinea to Bombay, India and many fairways in between.

Though his heart belongs to The Old Course at St Andrews, it’s clear his great memories are all over: “The first golf course I played in the U.K. was Royal Troon. It was 1963 or ’64. While flying in the U.S. Air Force, I had a layover at Prestwick, Scotland. A phone call to the captain of Royal Troon Golf Club set me up with a tee time and a gracious welcome to the club. He felt really bad about charging me a pound and a half for the green fee, and after my round of golf he drove me back to the airport.”

During his 32-year career with Delta, Curtis almost always had his trusty Pings in the cockpit. “One time we had a 30-hour layover in San Diego. I slept at the hotel, got to Torrey Pines by 8 a.m., played the North Course in the morning, the South Course after lunch, then went back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep. The next day, I flew my scheduled trip back to Atlanta.”

These days Curtis flies his own airplane, a Mooney M20E, still with his trusty Pings. And he especially enjoys playing with the Society of Seniors, an organization that boasts the finest senior amateur golfers in the world.

“Beyond commitment, golf has taught me the value of day-to-day life, staying physically fit, mentally alert and allowed me to enjoy the camaraderie of friends in beautiful surroundings,” he says, pausing to enjoy his own summation. “You can’t ask for more than that.” l