New PBA senior Tommy Hudson found himself at a crossroads two years ago in his native Ohio. The 50-year-old former PBA star of the 1970s hadn’t competed on the tour since 1986, and he seemed to have lost his direction in life. Many fans of the pro tour were left asking, "Whatever happened to Tommy Hudson?" and "Where is he now?"
Hudson’s predicament was similar to his tour "baby boomer" colleagues, Dale Eagle, Steve Neff, and Palmer Fallgren, all of whom had the same question to answer: Now that my career is coming to a close on the PBA National Tour, what do I do with myself and how can I contribute to bowling?
Hudson currently is a partner at his Three Amigos Pro Shop at Spanish Springs Lanes in The Villages of Lady Lake, Fla., site of numerous PBA senior tournaments and the tour’s primary sponsor. He figures his pro shop is the perfect springboard for his return to the PBA as a senior because he has a lot of catching up to do with some of his former tour colleagues to be competitive.
"I bowled on the PBA Tour from 1972 to 1986. When I first started, Dale Eagle drilled my balls, and he did the first ball I ever won with in his garage, so Dale and I go back in our friendship 27 years. The difference between his bowling and mine is that he never stopped competing. When I retired in 1986, I opened my own bowling center in Avon Park, Ohio near Cleveland until I decided to close it and start my new life here."
Hudson was serious when he said he was starting over. When he moved to The Villages after leaving Ohio, he met his new wife, who encouraged him not only to run the pro shop, but also to jog, exercise regularly, and eat a healthy diet to get back into competitive shape for the tour.
"My new wife is a vegetarian, so I don’t eat any meat at home, although I haven’t converted completely," Hudson said.
He believes his new lifestyle is indeed conducive to winning on the Senior Tour.
"The guys who win the most are the ones who are in the best shape," he noted. "Dale works out three times a week and jogs regularly. John Hricsina is 61 and lifts weights in his workout, so being in the best shape is a major part of success on the tour."
Hudson, a 10-time winner on the national PBA Tour, tried the Senior Tour for the first time last March and missed the cut in the inaugural Villages Senior World Championship, which Eagle won. Hudson admits he’s got a long way to go.
"I still need to continue my workouts and get into tournament condition, but I’m real pleased with the progress I’m making since I’ve worked on my body. I’ve gotten it harder and thinner, and I figure since I’m 50 now, I have about 12 years left to be a touring pro with the seniors, so conditioning is important."
Hudson was born in Akron, Ohio, home of PBA’s headquarters, and he was influenced early in life to eventually join the tour. He feels bowling at The Villages could become huge if they should become part of or work in conjunction with the new Bowling Headquarters operation if it should move from its current home in Greendale, Wis., to nearby Orlando, about 40 miles down the road from Lady Lake.
"In about three years, The Villages plans to build another bowling alley with tournaments in mind, so we’re hoping for a ‘Disneyland’ of bowling and golf because we plan to sponsor more pro bowling and golf tournaments here."
This new super bowling center at The Villages would rival in size and concept the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.
Hudson notes that he’s not the only PBA senior who lives nearby and promotes The Villages because Pete Couture and John Hricsina also are ambassadors for this progressive retirement community.
"They treat you like a millionaire here, but anybody can live at The Villages," Hudson said. "As the ‘middleman’ retires, he’ll know about this place from the TV exposure from the PBA Senior Tour, which it sponsors. The name of the game here is selling homes, and The Villages is smart to get involved in bowling because as the guys retire from the regular tour, they will want to retire here too and then we can get everybody convinced to come and live at The Villages."
Hudson says the other major factor of being successful on the PBA Senior Tour is having the right equipment, including the bowling balls.
"The reactive resin balls have totally changed the sport. Anybody who has taken off from the tour for several years and has returned needs to learn the game all over again because it’s totally different from what it was 15 years ago. I am learning all of the new characteristics like Steve Neff did. The reactive resin balls have actually enhanced the games of the strokers because they get more pin carry than before. The crankers like Pete Weber are actually getting too much ball reaction at times with the new equipment. Until they learn to adjust, it penalizes them."
Hudson says his favorite ball is the Sledge Hammer, the new and improved line of Hammer reactive resin bowling balls.
"Dale Eagle won the Senior World Championship here with the Sledge Hammer, and Norm Duke has experienced great success with it on the regular tour. The balls react well for me and my style. After Hammer’s shortcomings in the early 90s from staying with their old designs too long, they have made a big comeback."
Hudson hopes to keep hammering away at his goal of becoming a regular winner again—this time on the senior circuit. He wants to be as successful as Eagle and Neff in the TV finals, starting with the Villages Senior Invitational at Spanish Springs Lanes, which showcases his pro shop.
The PBA Senior Tournament of Champions for tour winners and the Senior Invitational, which includes the remaining bowlers on the tour, both will be contested at Spanish Springs Lanes, with the TV finals staged outdoors in the Town Square in the middle of The Villages Oct. 9, with the taped telecast to be aired Oct. 14 for the Invitational and Oct. 21 for the Tournament of Champions. Both events will be seen from 2-3 p.m. on ESPN2.
To sweeten the value of victory in the Tournament of Champions, the winner will receive a new, furnished $100,000 home at The Villages in addition to his paycheck.
Dave Buschman, director of operations for The Villages, says he envisioned having the finals outdoors in the Village Square since he saw the original outdoor finals on the PBA Tour when he was present at Bryant Park in New York City May 1 when Eric Forkel won the first Outdoor Experience.
The Villages outdoor experience promises to be hotter than a New York heat wave since temperatures in central Florida can reach 90 degrees or more in early October, and there’s always the threat of foul weather.
PBA Public Relations Director Dave Schroeder promises to carefully monitor the weather, and no rain checks will be needed because the show will go on, rain or shine.
"We’ll have the finals indoors at Spanish Springs Lanes in the case of bad weather instead of using canopies or tents," said Schroeder.
Syndicated columnist Richard Kolb is a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America.