$50 in 1961 would be the equivalent of $343 in 2007 and $20 in 1961 would be the equivalent of $137 in 2007 adjusted for inflation (the inflation calculator only goes up to 2007).
Thanks for the post and it made me think how those days of huge tips are gone because of how currency and credit cards work.
You made more that day than I did in a whole month delivering and collecting (and trying to collect again) the IJ.
I did though, work jobs where I would get a tip like you did. It made me feel like a million bucks.
Since so much today is plastic, People are less likely to write in an amount equal to that, then people were just to whip it out and hand it to you.
It's strange. When I watch Breakfast at Tiffany's and Audrey Hepburn says her dates give her "$50. for the powder room", that is easily like $800. today.
Yet, that would never happen today. Enjoy the memory, and you deserved it.
In the early 1960's, Peacock gap hosted a celebrity golf tournament. Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball, Dennis James, and many others attended. I was only 12 and caddied for Forrest Tucker, a prominent actor who later starred in F Troop. Also in my foursome was John Raitt, a Broadway star and father of Bonnie, Ron Cerrudo, a golf pro from San Jose State, and Ralph Harris, the TV announcer for Big Time Wrestling from Kezar Pavillion. There was liquor served on every tee and by the end of the day Forrest was feeling no pain. He tipped me $20 which was HUGE for a kid in 1961. To this day I think he wanted to give me $5 but couldn't focus on the bills in his wallet. I earned it though as he had the largest golf bag I had ever seen. It reminded me of Rodney Dangerfield's bag in Caddyshack. People said they saw it going down the fairway but they couldn't see me in front of it!
When Peacock Gap opened, they had ambitious plans. Billy Casper was paid to represent the club on the PGA tour and he would show up once in awhile and put on a demonstration. I remember people saying he would hit his #4 wood over the driving range fence. Rod Laver represented the club as the tennis pro. The tennis courts were located down and to the left from the current 10th tee. Great memories!
