50 Years a Pro – a salute to
by Maria Goddard
38
Curley Romero
Curley Romero is the first in Gulf
State section to be a PGA professional for
50 years. In addition to winning several
competitions, at one point, he and his wife
Joyce ran three golf courses.
For the people that know Curley, this
comes as no surprise. Over the years, Curley
became known in Southwest Louisiana as
the most venerated golfer.
“There was never a golfer in our area
that is more respected and loved than
Curley Romero,” said Perry Segura,
longtime friend and owner of Squirrel Run
Golf Club of New Iberia, Louisiana. “He
was the most respected by all classes of
golfers and was sort of a legend as far as
golf is concerned in our area. He was truly
a professional.”
On a hot August 5, 1935, Alexander and
Eunice B. Romero of Lafayette opened
up the stork’s white cloth bundle to find a
small, but strong Curley Romero inside.
Curley first started as a caddy at eight
years old at the start of summer at the
Municipal Golf Course in Lafayette. It was
around this time he started wrapping his
fingers around the golf club himself and
getting a feel for the sport.
His last few years in high school were
spent working in the pro shop at the
Municipal Golf Course in Lafayette,
Louisiana for Leonard