Friends fondly recall Bangor Muni golf pro Kelly

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Hampden’s John Frawley recalled hearing Austin Kelly refer to the Bangor Municipal Golf Course as his “mistress.”

The man who was the professional and the superintendent at the course from its inception in 1964 until his retirement in 1995 died Friday at the age of 75.

Kelly was a colorful and complex character who made a dramatic impact on the community through his affiliation with the Muni, which now features 18-hole and nine-hole courses.

“He certainly added a lot of zest and color to the local scenery,” said Gov. John Baldacci. “He was the father of golf in Bangor, the innovator. He took me and my brothers around to junior tournaments. He wanted to get more and more young people involved in golf. He was always there for kids.”

Baldacci added that Kelly also had strong feelings for the city of Bangor and said Kelly put the city on the national map when he secured the 1978 United States Public Links Championship. Bangor was the smallest city to ever host the prestigious tournament for the nation’s top amateurs.

“He wanted to call attention to Bangor as well as the golf course,” said Baldacci.

“He was very dedicated to golf but he was also very dedicated to the city of Bangor,” concurred Frawley.

Frawley was the city engineer when Kelly suggested they add a nine-hole course to go with the existing 18-hole course.

“That was his pride and joy. He pushed very hard for another nine. I thought he was crazy. But when we sat down, worked out the numbers and looked at the potential revenue, it looked very good. The city council OK’d it and, as it turned out, it has worked out just as it was predicted. It increased the revenues phenomenally,” said Frawley. “He always said the new nine was the best nine-hole course in the state.”

Former Bangor mayor Dan Tremble said the new nine was dedicated to Kelly three weeks ago. A plaque was placed at the first hole to honor him.

Brian Enman replaced Kelly after working for him as the assistant pro and said the golf course “was his life.

“He’d be there seven days a week. All day, every day,” said Enman, who worked with Kelly for 30 years.

The passion he had for the golf course meant everybody had to adhere to the rules or they would catch an earful from Kelly.

“He had standards and stood by them and he expected everybody else to do the same,” said Billy Lyons, a longtime golf partner and friend of Kelly’s.

“If you didn’t use a cart properly, even if you were his best friend, you caught hell from him,” chuckled Phil Ward, another longtime friend and golf partner.

“He could certainly rub people the wrong way because he cared so much about the course, he sometimes didn’t use the best tact in the world to get his message across,” said Enman.

But Enman said there was another side to him.

“He had a good heart. He may have been a tough taskmaster but, deep down, he was softer than what you saw on the outside,” said Enman. “And he had a great sense of humor. He liked to play jokes on people.”

“He was hard-nosed but gentle at the same time,” agreed Lyons.

“He wasn’t a people person but when he’d let his hair down, you’d have a great time with him,” said Frawley.

Ward said although Kelly was difficult to get close to, he was a “great guy.”

Frawley pointed out that Kelly was a great humanitarian.

“He was always trying to raise money for different charities,” said Frawley. “And he was a great fund-raiser.”

Frawley called Kelly a “very private person who loved to read and was a great student of the French Foreign Legion and European royalty. He was very content to be alone and do his thing but, in a group, you’d have a great time with him.”

Frawley said Kelly has been to France and the Legion headquarters “at least 30 times” and established several friendships.

Enman said Kelly had probably one of the greatest collections of French Foreign Legion insignias in the world.

“When I used to work on the golf carts, he would have me wear these coveralls covered with French Foreign Legion insignias. He enjoyed that,” joked Enman.

Kelly was a native of Groton, Conn., and the son of first-generation Irish immigrants.

He had relatives in Ireland and Frawley recalled Kelly singing “Irish rebellion songs with the mayor of Tagoat, Ireland” in a Tagoat pub one evening.

Kelly began his affiliation with golf as a caddy at the Shennecossett Golf Club in Groton when he was 10. He became an assistant pro four years later and took an assistant pro job in Amarillo, Texas, at age 20. He then moved on to Houston where he was the pro.

He unsuccessfully tried to qualify for two PGA Tournaments, eventually returned to Shennecossett and then moved to Maine and became the pro at the Pinewood Golf Club which is now the Lucerne Country Club. After eight years at Pinewood, he became the first pro and superintendent at the Bangor Muni. Kelly also established indoor facilities so golfers could get in some swings during the winter months.

“He taught me an awful lot,” said Enman.

Kelly read the New York Times daily and Baldacci said he was very knowledgeable when it came to world affairs.

“When I was a congressman and would come home from Washington [and talk politics with Kelly], it was like he had been there,” said Baldacci.

Ward said Kelly “loved animals” and he always had a dog.

After he retired, Lyons said Kelly “really enjoyed his time on the golf course.” Kelly, who was an exceptional golfer, played several times a week, mostly at the course he so loved.

“He was a very good player. He was a terrible putter when he was younger but he found a putter 25 years ago that had a plastic head which was shaped like a saucer. He became a damned good putter with that,” said Ward.

He is survived by his two sons, Kevin and Sean, and his ex-wife Sandra Bryant.

Friends may call from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center Street, Bangor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bangor.