Julius Richardson took up golf as a young soldier and it quickly became an obsession. But it wasn’t until his retirement at 65 that he made the game his full-time occupation, becoming one of the country’s top golf teachers.
Mr. Richardson, 86, died Wednesday, Sept. 26, in his Logan Square home of complications from throat cancer, said his daughter, Julieanna.
After becoming a full-time golf teacher in 1986, Mr. Richardson for many years held court at Willow Glen golf course, on the grounds of Great Lakes Naval Station. For the last few years, he offered lessons at Pine Meadow Golf Club in Mundelein. He was the author of his book “Better Golf.”
In the winters, Mr. Richardson headed south to teach at courses in Nevada, Texas and Florida.
His students were of all ages, and he coached the swings of local notables, including Chicago Cubs great Ernie Banks and former Chicago Bulls center Bill Cartwright.
In 2003, Mr. Richardson made Golf magazine’s list of 100 top teachers in the U.S.
He based his instruction on a series of positions and exercises, which were blended into a smooth and balanced swing, said Dennis Johnsen, club manager and pro at Pine Meadow.
“Balance, he concentrated on balance,” Johnsen said.
His golfing philosophy was laid out in a 2005 book, “Better Golf, A Skill Building Approach.”
“He started on putting, which I agree with, and worked through chipping, irons and driving,” said Frank Jemsek, whose family company runs Pine Meadow, Cog Hill and other golf courses in the Chicago area. “He was very easy to follow; there was never any doubt about what he was trying to say.”
Jemsek thought he had all the teachers he needed at Pine Meadow when Mr. Richardson was recommended to him a few years ago. But after they met, Jemsek was impressed enough to welcome him to his course.
In addition to his teaching skills, Mr. Richardson cut a dashing figure, impeccably turned out in a golf shirt always buttoned to the top and a stylish cap.
“He looked like he stepped out of GQ,” Jemsek said.
Mr. Richardson grew up in Pennsylvania, where he boxed and played baseball. He joined the Army’s 10th Calvary and picked up the game while on leave. He won a number of Army tournaments and taught the game for his last five years before retirement in 1960 as a staff sergeant.
As an African-American, he could not join the PGA, which had a whites-only rule until 1961. While he continued to hone his game on weekends, for the next 26 years he raised his family and worked in a laboratory in Newark, Ohio, and as an insurance agent in Columbus, Ohio, before retiring and moving to Chicago in 1986, his daughter said.
His teaching prowess was widely recognized. In 1995 he was recognized for a lifetime of excellence in teaching by the United States Golf Teachers Association. In 2006, he was named to the African American Golfers Hall of Fame.
If he wasn’t playing or teaching golf, he was reading about it or watching it on TV, his daughter said.
“He really studied the [golf] swing and broke it down,” his daughter said. “He’d always say, ‘Are you going to beat the ball, or is the ball going to beat you?'”
Mr. Richardson is also survived by his wife, Margaret; daughters, Rose Marie Fields, Sabrina Poole, Gail Arnold and Kimberly Simmons; and three grandchildren.
Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, in Unity Funeral Parlors, 4114 S. Michigan Ave. A one-hour viewing will precede a 10 a.m. service on Saturday at Pine Meadow Golf Club, 1 Pine Meadow Lane, Mundelein.
