Robert “Spike” Baker discovered golf while working as a caddie during the Great Depression in northeast Denver. Practicing in the vacant lot behind his parents’ home at 41st and Cook St. with a rag-tag collection of clubs handed down to him, Spike taught himself the skills needed to compete.
Spike caddied at the Park Hill Golf Course for 25 to 50 cents a day, and because of his determination and tenacity, he was able to move up the ranks quickly.
Baker won the CGA Stroke Play Championship in 1957. He qualified for the U.S. Senior Amateur Championship three times and was a semi-finalist in 1981. The World Senior Championship, conducted annually at the Broadmoor Golf Club, included a field of 300 highly competitive senior golfers representing nearly 30 countries. Spike won the World Seniors in 1982 and 1984.
From 1943 through 1959, he held various positions, including president, in the Fort Collins Golf Association. Baker shared in the responsibility for the construction of Fort Collins Country Club. In addition, he served as president of his home club and on its board of directors. He was a Governor Emeritus of the Colorado Golf Association before passing away in the spring of 2010.
