Johnny Revolta

John F. Revolta (April 5, 1911 – March 3, 1991) was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s, 1940s, and early 1950s. He won a major title, the 1935 PGA Championship, and had 18 career wins on tour.

Johnny Revolta
Personal information
Full name	John F. Revolta
Born	(1911-04-05)April 5, 1911 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	March 3, 1991(1991-03-03) (aged 79) Palm Springs, California
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Lorene Revolta
Children	1 son, 2 daughters
Career
College	None
Turned professional	1929
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour
Professional wins	29
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	18
Other	11
Best results in major championships (wins: 1)
Masters Tournament	13th/T13: 1935, 1937, 1952
PGA Championship	Won: 1935
U.S. Open	T8: 1934
The Open Championship	T32: 1937
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour leading money winner 1935

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Revolta's family relocated to Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1923 when he was twelve.[1] He learned the game as a caddie at the public course in Oshkosh and won the state caddie championship at age 14.[2] Like most professional golfers of his generation, Revolta started out as a club professional. He worked at Swan Lake Country Club in Portage in 1930, Chippewa Elks Golf Club in 1931, Riverside Country Club in Menominee, Michigan 1932–1933, and Tripoli Country Club in Milwaukee from 1934–1936. He won the Wisconsin State Open four times in a six-year period; he was not eligible for two years while working in Michigan.[3] Revolta was a member of the PGA Tour from 1935–1952.[4]

Revolta's best year as a tour pro was 1935, when he won five tournaments and led the PGA Tour's money list. He defeated Tommy Armour 5 & 4 in the PGA Championship held at Twin Hills Golf & Country Club and also won the Western Open, the era's "fifth major." He also played in the Ryder Cup in 1935 and 1937.

Revolta was known as the "Iron Master" because of his outstanding short game. Regarding his bunker play in particular, short game master Paul Runyan said Revolta "led the class [of outstanding bunker players] by a big margin. His skill from sand simply left me aghast." His instruction book, Johnny Revolta's Short Cuts to Better Golf, first published in 1949, is still in print today.

Revolta was the head professional at Evanston Golf Club in Skokie, Illinois, from 1935 to 1966, and continued to teach there during summers into the late 1980s. He died in Palm Springs, California in 1991, a month shy of his 80th birthday.[2]