Decorated North Branch golfers reunite to celebrate a lifetime of fairway friendships

North Branch varsity golfers from 1964-66. From left: Mike Nelson, Dennis Johnson, Jon McKusick, Doug Nelson, Steve Johnson and Skip Lieser. Not pictured: Tom Britz, Tom Nelson and Steve Satterstrom. They met this summer at the North Branch Golf Course, some 50 years since all six last swing clubs together under the sun. In the mid-1960s, they became legends of the links, helping North Branch win three consecutive high school state championships from 1964-66. Such team greatness hasn't been repeated in the town, a 45-minute drive north of the Twin Cities but considered remote six decades ago. It's a wonder it happened then, what with no official golf coach or local club professional to guide the youngsters and no driving range to hone their skills. "I never had a lesson before I started playing college golf at Mew Mexico," said Steve Satterstrom, a key member of the first two title teams. "When I got to college, the coach watched me and said, 'Now you've got to learn to swing a golf club.' We probably had bad grips and whatever. But we just learned to play, to hit the shots that were required." Satterstrom and the Johnson brothers, Denny and Steve, made up North Branch's talented threesome in 1964 and 1965. "We had three guys that could all play," Satterstrom said. "We were competitive and we could get the ball from A to B." Steady play thrice made North Branch the class of the single-class state tournament. The first North Branch state title came by just three shots. The second, however, featured all three golfers place among the top-four finishers. They led North Branch to victory by a remarkable 23 strokes. "After we won in 1965, my dad said, 'Did those darn farm kids win again?'" Satterstrom said. The graduation of Satterstrom meant an open spot and the chance to play with the dominant Johnson brothers. Steve Johnson placed second overall in 1965 and Denny tied for fourth. Football players in the fall, basketball players in the winter and spring participants in baseball and golf, both were renowned for their overall athletic prowess. "The Johnsons had a tremendous ability to think and compete and they never gave up in any sport," said Doug Nelson, a three-year varsity golfer who played at St. Cloud State. "If they missed a green, their short game worked. They had the ability to make something good happen." Their father, Jim Johnson, instilled competitiveness and preparation in his sons – and their teammates. "In 1964, we wouldn't have won it without him," said Denny, who later played at St. Cloud State. "School got out about a week before state championship and dad drove us to Minneapolis to play on the course. He said, 'Your job is to go the course every day and prepare.' " The state championship was played on the course known today as the Les Bolstad Golf Course. Steve Johnson, a favorite to win in 1966 after taking second the season before, almost missed the trip. Johnson sat tied for third and final team spot with North Branch junior Skip Lieser after 18 holes at the district tournament. Lieser started the round hoping to replace Satterstrom. Now he faced a sudden death playoff with Johnson. Both reached the first hole green at Forest Hills Golf Course on their second shots. Lieser's putt attempt from about 15 feet didn't find the hole. Johnson, positioned about two feet from the pin, sank his putt. "Like really good golfers do, he turned it around," said Lieser, who went onto play at what was then called the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul. "I figured, 'Well, that's the way it was supposed to be anyway.'" As he walked back to the club house, Lieser heard some adults questioning whether he let Johnson win. Lieser gave them an incredulous look. Johnson went onto win the individual state championship, seven strokes ahead of younger brother Denny. The brothers and Doug Nelson made North Branch a dynasty. Steve Johnson went onto play for the Gophers. He won the Minnesota State Amateur Championship in 1975 while still playing Town Team baseball. And he coached high school golf for a combined 31 years at Rush City, Blaine and Champlin Park. "I would tell my players a lot about golf course management," Johnson said. "Every swing doesn't have to be the same. I don't consider myself ever having a classic golf swing. I was more of a grinder." North Branch built its golf dynasty before Interstate 35, back when Highway 61 was the major thoroughfare between the town and the Twin Cities. Johnson said he remembers "a billboard on Highway 61 that said something like, 'Welcome to North Branch, home of the state champions, 1964-66.'" Six of the nine varsity players returned to their home course in late July of this year, trading shots and memories. Those recollections included little tokens of a bygone era, such as the Johnson's four-digit home phone number (223W) or the little wooden drop box nailed to a tree on the first hole, asking golfers to pay for their round on honor system. They had played in various combinations for fun or in tournaments through the years. Getting a larger contingent together this summer just felt like the thing to do. They broke into a pair of threesomes and played nine holes. Scores weren't kept because the men were too busy talking. And while no monetary bets were made, the long-time friends reveled in reflecting on rich memories made. "Golf," Nelson said, "has been good to all of us."