While this long time starter carries a 7-handicap,
golf might have to rank as his second best sport. A dominating
lefty on the hill for the Saugus High baseball team in the early
60s, Jon Eisenhaur was encouraged by the Kansas City Athletics
to accept a scholarship to play Division 1 ball at now defunct
Parsons College in Iowa. At Parsons he was on a powerhouse squad
that sent five players to the major leagues.
“Most of those guys dropped out and signed, but I went
on and got my degree and by the time I graduated I was 21 and
I guess my potential had been shown and they chose not to go
any further with it,” said the 68-year-old Marblehead
resident who was eligible for the MLB’s first ever draft
back in 1965. “I was a ‘good almost’.”
A long time Tedesco member before moving to Arizona, Eisenhaur
inquired about a job as a ranger at Ferncroft upon his return
to the North Shore and after two years “got promoted”
to starter, a post he has capably manned now for the last 15
years. When he’s not on the first tee in Middleton he
can often be found on the golf course where he has notched nine
career aces. In fact, Eisenhauer holds the rare distinction
of notching a hole-in-one on the par-3 eighth at Tedesco as
both a lefty and a righty – a feat that landed him in
the pages of Golf Digest.
We touched base recently with this ambidextrous athlete to see
what it’s like to preside over the first tee at one of
the North Shore’s busiest courses.
Best advice on how to play the first hole?
“Keep it out of the water by hitting it left (laughs).
That’s about all there is to say on that hole.”
Do you allow Mulligans off the first tee?
“Sure we do. Lots of times, even with guests, they will
arrive a little bit rushed because they’re coming up Rt.
95 and what I try to tell them is to relax and take their time
and that there’s no hurry. We want them to have a good
day and a good day does not start by rushing off the first tee.”
What do you like most about being a starter?
“The best part of the job is helping people to have a
good time. It’s a difficult golf course you just want
to try to get them to relax and enjoy their day.”
Brush with greatness?
“Well I have a regret that involves a celebrity. When
they were filming The Perfect Storm (in Gloucester) Mark Wahlberg
came up alone, and he plays left-handed like I do. It was near
the end of my shift and I should have played with him and I
regret not doing that because I think we would have had some
fun. We talked about The Perfect Storm and I told him that I
like the actress Diane Lane and he asked if I wanted to meet
her. I backed down. It would have been nice, but just I choked
the whole thing (laughs).
“And of course we have the athletes, guys like Ray Bourque.
Meeting Ray’s kids and watching them grow up and become
professional that’s been kind of a thrill, along with
great players like George Zolotas who we knew when he was eight
years old. It’s fun to watch those guys grow up and chase
their dreams.”
What’s the biggest change you have noticed at Ferncroft
over the years?
“It used to be a resort course and it became very much
a family course when Affinity Management took over and now we
have a very strong junior program.”
