Golf Nut Knievel Is Dead

Daredevil motorcyclist Evel Knievel has died aged 69 following a long battle with the incurable lung disease pulmonary fibrosis.

Famed for his legendary stunt attempts, Knievel entertained millions during the 60’s and 70’s and will be remembered as much for his spectacular crashes as his successes, most notably his bone breaking motorcycle jump over the fountains at Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas in 1968, which put him in a coma for a month.

Golf and gambling played a major part in Knievel’s life, a low handicapper, he would sometimes bet as much as $100,000 on a game. He played hard but fair and had no time for cheaters. Never one to back down from a bet he once pulled a gun on a playing partner who surreptitiously attempted to kick his ball from the rough and on to the fairway.

On occasion he combined both golf and daredevil stunts:

“I'd make a jump on a motorcycle before I'd jump with a golf cart again. In the mid-'70s I played a lot of golf at Rivermont in Alpharetta, Ga. The 17th hole there is a par 3 that's steeply downhill. The path has a series of hairpin turns, and if you ignore them you'll just keep going over a huge ledge. The guys I hung out with down there pointed out that if you gathered enough speed you could go over the cliff and land where the path resumes farther down the hill. For days they dared me to make the jump, and when I came to the hole in a foul mood one afternoon--I wasn't playing well--I just went for it. Halfway down the hill I realized I'd made a mistake. You have no idea how unstable a three-wheel golf cart is when it becomes airborne. By the grace of God I made a perfect three-point landing, but the tires were like basketballs, and the cart bounced like an SOB. When I got the thing stopped down near the green, I immediately got a royal chewing out from my wife. I couldn't blame her. She'd been in the passenger seat the whole time.”

Evel Knievel October 17th 1938 – November 30th 2007

Knievel Website