The History of the Jesse Johnson Golf Club

The Legend of Jesse Johnson

The legend of Jesse Johnson has taken on mythical proportions.  Many know about Jesse’s demise, but few know the whole story.

Jesse Johnson lived on a farm near Seattle Washington and needed money for his family.  He was a gifted golfer, so he put on his best suit and set out to play a pro tournament in LA.  He worked his way from Seattle traveling south on Interstate 5, playing in local tournaments and hustling side-games.  When he got to Stockton, he played in a tournament sponsored by the Elks Club – and he won! Nobody could believe he was as good as he was, and a jealous golfer assassinated him because of Jesse’s skill and his insistence on playing by the rules (no bumping, no give-me putts, USGA penalty rules enforced) Jesse’s body was never found, but Walter Bass happened upon his bullet ridden jacket.  There are no witnesses to the murder and unlike the murder of Tupac, Jesse’s murder was never solved. 

Origins of the Club

Walter Bass and Clarence Carter started playing golf in 1988.  At some point, they met Skip Roberts and played together.  Skip brought in Donnell Tucker.  Soon Kenny Wilbon, Greg Page and Roland Hart joined the group. In 1997, the group came up with the idea of having twice-a-month outings and having a perpetual trophy for each outing’s winner.  Early on, the trophy was Jesse’s bullet ridden jacket.  Wilbon, who was a deputy chief for the Stockton Police Department, took the jacket to work one day.  Because Bass had shot it full of holes and dabbed red paint on it, Wilbon’s colleagues thought the jacket was actual evidence in a real case.  Keeping an apparently blood-stained jacket full of bullet holes for two weeks after winning a Jesse outing spooked Donnell, so Skip came up with the idea of awarding a trophy.  What happened to the jacket is unknown. Later, Wilbon brought in Bill Murray, Harry Vernon, James White, and Johnny Jordon.  Greg Page brought in Percy Gayles and Ed Jackson.  Murray brought in Cleveland Brown. The group played twice a month at the Stockton courses - Van Buskirk, Swenson and Micke Grove.  Van Buskirk was the home course.  We used Jesse handicaps (average scores of our Jesse rounds) and played for first, second and third money with additional money given for skins, closest to the pin, low putts and long drive. With the group growing, at the suggestion of Greg Page, Walter and Clarence decided to obtain Associate Club status with the Northern California Golf Association.   To qualify, the club had to expand to at least 20 members and embarked on an informal membership drive which led to the recruitment of Al Scott, Dennis Fegans, Karl Reed, Conrad Grey, Ray Washington, Darryl Ford Ed Jackson, Bob Mack and others. The club became official in 2003 with each Jesse brother obtaining NCGA membership and an official handicap.

The Logo and the Brand

Walter Bass created the logo.  The logo features Jesse wearing his jacket and a red shirt.  The blue lettering above Jesse represents blue skies.  The green lettering underneath Jesse represents pristine fairways and greens. Whenever we played away rounds in uniform, the club left positive impressions because of our dress.  People remarked how sharp we looked.  One member, Ernie Stevens, was so motivated that he went to a tailor and had a pair of plus-fours (golf knickers made famous by the pro golfer Payne Stewart) hand made for him.

The Jesse Johnson Classic and Other Tournaments

Eventually, the competition evolved into what Bass dubbed, “The Jesse Johnson Classic” – a season long tournament with trophies awarded at the end of the season based on performance at the Jesse Johnson biweekly outings throughout the season.  Trophies were awarded for low gross and low net categories, the leading money winner and the most improved player.  One year, a trophy was awarded for “Shot of the Year.” The club had other tournaments as well.  During the Memorial Day weekend, the club staged “The Shootout” (No connection to Jesse Johnson’s demise).  A total of three rounds were played during the weekend, one at each of Stockton’s courses.  The low net winner was awarded money from a buy-in pot, as well as extra Jesse Johnson Classic points.  The buy-in was $100 and the winner won as much as $365. For several years, we held a three-club tournament the day after Thanksgiving.  We played 18 holes with each player selecting only three clubs to play the round.  As usual, money was the prize. Club members once took our wives to Tahoe.  And of course, while there, the club played two rounds.

In 2000, Bass, Carter and Murray travelled to Monterey to watch a practice round at the US Open in advance of Tiger Wood’s historic victory there.  While in the area, they played Pacific Grove and on the way home, San Juan Oaks and Stevenson Ranch, where they were joined by Kenny Wilbon. For several years, the JJGC played another club once a year for “The Brother’s Cup.”  The first matches were against the Micke Fickey Brohams, and the latter matches were against JJGC North, a spin-off club started by brothers in the Sacramento area. In recent years, Jesse Brothers have travelled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to participate in the Annual Ben Watson Memorial Golf Tournament.  We have been motivated to put on our own memorial tournament by the Ben Watson brothers, and hopefully our tournament will grow in the coming years as has their tournament.

We Play by the Rules

Jesse Johnson is a fictional character, made up by Bass and Carter.  However, the legend of Jesse Johnson dictates that competitive golf should be played by the rules.  This was an original tenant of the club advanced by Bass, Carter and the original membership.  While the club has created Rules for Tournament Play, those rules are consistent with the USGA Rules and Model Local Rules. The legend lives on!