Richard Hartmann (born c. April 1959) is an American professional golfer. Hartmann turned pro in the early 1980s and tried out for the PGA Tour several times during this era. However, he was unsuccessful and decided to play in Europe. Hartmann played on the European Tour for 10 years and recorded a number of high finishes. However, the general consensus was that he had "mixed success" as his performance was erratic and he failed to win. In 1994, he quit life as a touring professional and started working as a club pro on Long Island. Hartmann also played on the local club pro circuit, the Met PGA, with incredible success, winning every significant tournament, and was generally regarded as one of the "finest club pros" in the country during the era.
Early life
Hartmann was born in Bridgehampton, New York, and grew up in Huntington, New York, on Long Island. His parents were Larry and Dorothy and he has two brothers. In the late 1960s, when Hartmann was still a kid, his family moved from New York to Florida.
Hartmann started playing golf at the age of 14. Hartmann immediately caught "golf fever" and played nearly every day for the next two years. Hartmann attended Hudson High School in Hudson, Florida. However, he eventually stopped attending school during the day, practicing golf exclusively during the mornings and afternoons while taking night classes in an effort to earn his diploma. Hartmann played out of Beacon Woods Golf Club in Bayonet Point, Florida. Early in his career, Hartmann broke the Beacon Woods course record with a 65. In 1976, he won the club championship.
Amateur career
In 1976, Hartmann won his first professional tournaments, the Jimmy Mann County Golf Tournament and the Continental Invitational. During this period, Hartmann started attending Brevard Community College. He attended the school for one year, during the 1977–78 academic year, and "played sparingly" on the golf team. During this era, he was considered one of the "North Suncoast's top amateurs." In June, he played the three-round Pasco Times Men's Amateur Golf Tournament. The event was at his home course and he was considered "the local favorite." In the final round, Hartmann shot a three-under-par 69, the "tournament's low round," to finish solo second, three behind champion Rick Powers. "I think I played about as well as I could today," he said after the round.
Professional career
As of 1980, Hartmann had turned professional. In May, he tried out for the U.S. Open at Bent Tree at Gator Creek. Hartmann shot round of 71 and 75 and qualified by three shots. He was scheduled to compete in sectional qualifying at the Atlanta Athletic Club in June. Hartmann, however, failed to make it through sectional qualifying. During this era, Hartmann was thinking about playing on the European Tour. "I enjoy playing, whether it's on the tour here or in Europe," he told the Tampa Bay Times. "In fact, I would enjoy going to Europe to play. The travel would be great, and the competition there might not be as tough."
In the early 1980s, Hartmann played a number of state opens across the country in an effort to prepare himself for PGA Tour tryouts. In 1982, Hartmann recorded a top ten at the Florida Open. The following year, he again recorded a top ten at the event. In July 1983, he played the New Hampshire Open. Hartmann shot rounds of 69 and 71 to finish joint second, one back of champion Frank Fuhrer. A few months later, in September, Hartmann played the three-round North Dakota Open. Hartmann finished in tie for third, five back of champion Barney Thompson.
In 1983, Hartmann began attempts to qualify for the PGA Tour. In October, he played the Indiana Regional qualifier at the Golf Club of Indiana in Lebanon, Indiana. In his words, he "missed by a bunch." In November, Hartmann decided to play another regional qualifier, the PGA North Florida qualifier, in attempts to make it onto the PGA Tour. In the third round he shot a 66 (−6), the "best round of the day," to move within one of leader Steve Hart. He finished with a 67 to finish at 271 (−17) and earned medalist honors by six shots. He earned the rights to the play the final qualifying school at TPC at Sawgrass later in the month. However, Hartmann was unsuccessful at final qualifying. It was the second time he was unsuccessful at qualifying.