Marty Raab, Golf Pro Who Liked To Share The Culture Of His Sport

Martin Joseph Raab, a golf professional and manager of Bellevue Municipal Golf Course for 29 years, lived his game.

He wore golf clothing and shoes everywhere, even to the beach.

And he could pinpoint a golf problem in a heartbeat, offering a solution both simple and sensible.

"I was having trouble with my swing and he asked what was the problem," said K.C. Anderson, head pro at Bellevue Municipal. "I told him I was hitting balls everywhere. He pointed to the head of the club and said, `Swing this.' Then he pointed to my hands and said, `Relax these.' It was so simple and it worked."

Marty Raab, whose forte was hitting out of sand traps, died Thursday (March 12) of a heart attack. He was 66.

Born and reared in Frankfurt, Germany, where his father was a golf pro, Marty, whose family asked The Times to refer to him as "Marty" and not as Mr. Raab, considered golf a gentleman's game, not a competition or an excuse for flashy trappings.

"He never did understand sports as business in the United States," said his wife of 42 years, Patty Raab of Redmond. "He didn't even use a golf cart. I bought him a golf cart one Christmas, and he took it to the course and sold it. It broke my heart until I came to understand how he really felt about golf."

His feelings included wanting to share the culture of golf.

A player since age 6, and a pro since age 17 after an apprenticeship learning to make clubs and build courses, Marty Raab encouraged teens to hang around the course for work or play. Steeped in golf etiquette, he believed that golf teaches people manners as well as respect for themselves and others, his wife said.

He wanted all students to enjoy the game and each other rather than to play intensely and competitively.

Marty Raab moved to the U.S. in 1954 to teach golf at a military base in North Carolina, then at a country club in Harrisburg, Pa. He joined the Air Force that year to establish his citizenship, and was stationed at McChord Air Force Base, where he won several base tournaments.

In 1958 he became the golf pro at Seattle's Sand Point Country Club. From 1961 to 1968 he was the pro at Bellevue's Village Greens. In 1969 he became the first pro of Bellevue Municipal. He retired last year.

Other survivors include his children Anneliese Raab and Angela Raab of Friday Harbor, and Debbie and Karin Raab of Redmond; siblings Manfred Raab and Anneliese Jager of Germany; and one grandchild.

Funeral Mass is at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Holy Family Catholic Church, 7355 120th Ave. N.E., Kirkland.

Remembrances may go to Medic One c/o Evergreen Hospital Medical Center, 12040 N.E. 128th St., Kirkland, WA 98034; or to O'Dea High School Athletic Dept., 802 Terry Ave., Seattle, WA 98104.