When you mention swing music to Don Cherry it could easily mean music to golf by. You see, Don Cherry the singer, is also Don Cherry the golfer. Cherry has not only played to appreciative concert crowds at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, the Desert Inn, Hilton and Tropicana in Las Vegas, he has also played in front of enthusiastic golf crowds at Augusta and St. Andrews.

Don Cherry swings... both on the stage and on the links.

When he was but a young man in his native Wichita, Kansas, Don Cherry knew he had a dilemma. He had a natural singing style that was good enough to turn into a profession. But he also had a golf swing that was good enough for the PGA.

When band leader Jan Garber booked Cherry as his vocalist in 1947, his career as a singer became a reality But even then, he would still enter golf tournaments as an amateur... and win.

His long time friend golfer Tommy Bolt said of Cherry:
“His only problem was that for a long time he couldn’t decide whether he wanted to be a golfer or singer,” said Bolt. “It was a tough choice because he could sing like an angel and play (golf) like the devil. So he tried to crowd both into his life, and did a darned good job at that.”

Given the success he attained with his attention diverted, it is a bit tempting to wonder just how good he would have been at either side of his dual careers had he just concentrated on one or the other.

As a singer, he appeared frequently on such top shows as Ed Sullivan, the Dean Martin Show, Merv Griffin, Hee Haw and the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

His smooth, soulful style of singing earned him the respect of other singers (Vic Damone called him the “singer’s singer”) as well as record companies like Decca and RCA, where he released a string of hits which included “Mona Lisa,” “Thinking of You,” “Band of Gold,” “Vanity,” “Take a Message to Mary” and “Wild Cherry.”

In 1995, he returned to the recording studio for a couple of duo albums... one with Damone (Don Cherry Again) and the other with Willie Nelson (Don Cherry and Willie).

Today, he continues to appear in concert at various Las Vegas hotel/casinos, nightclubs throughout the country and special engagements.

As a golfer, Don Cherry has played both as an amateur and professional. He has shot a score of 60 three times, has 26 holes in one to his credit (as of this writing) and has appeared in the Masters Tournament at Augusta ten times.

In 1955, he was a member of the Walker Cup team at St. Andrews, Scotland which won the title (after the U.S. victory he sang “1 Believe” before 10,000 Scots in what he calls “one of the high points of my life”).

In the 1960 U.S. Open at (appropriately) Cherry Hills, a double bogey on the 17th hole cost him a tie with another amateur, Jack Nicklaus, for second place behind Arnold Palmer. As it was, he finished ninth, in a tie with Ben Hogan and Jerry Barber, four shots behind Palmer. He finished ahead of such impressive names as Sam Snead, Bruce Crampton, Gary Player and Bill Casper.

Cherry was not only known as a good golfer but also as a fierce competitor.

“In one tournament, Cherry started out with 11 clubs and only had four left when he finished,” states Bolt.

At one of the many Bing Crosby Pebble Beach tournaments he participated in, Cherry was overheard grousing about his game by the host.

“What are you groaning about?,” stated Crosby. “You can beat all the singers playing golf and you can beat all the golfers singing.”

And so it continues as Don Cherry can still sing with the best of them...and putt for par more often than not.

The band Locomotion will back Don Cherry as well as perform between and after his sets. They will play from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.