Jim Dent grew up on a caddie in Augusta, Georgia, eventually working in the Masters and honed his game on a municipal court known as the "Patch." He continues to be one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour and one of the top black golfers of his generation.

Dent died Friday the week before his birthday at the age of 85, and his grandson posted on Facebook. The PGA Tour said on its website that Dent announced plans to design a 3-shot course on the patch for a stroke the next day.

“What I learned about playing golf may have made me a lifetime,” Dent told a story in his 2012 story. You have to tell the truth. You have to work hard. You can't pick it up today, instead of violating the rules next week, you have to come back. You have to hand in yourself. ”

Dent worked so hard during the game that he participated in some United Golfers Association Championships, a league dedicated to black players, moved to California and took classes from former U.S. Open champion Johnny Goodman.

He finally won the PGA Travel Card through Qualified School in 1970, and although he never won the Tour, he maintained a schedule of at least 22 tournaments over the next 16 years. His best result was in the 1972 Walt Disney World Open Invitational, when he entered the final round with two strokes. Nicklaus shot 64 and won nine points.

Dent won the Michelob-Chattanooga Gold Cup Classic in 1983, a tournament player series that won the game for those who are not completely exempted - the Tour was the all-around tour of the year, not most of the courts qualified on Monday.

Dent never met any qualification criteria for playing in the Masters, but he advanced in eight of his 11 Grand Slams – six in the PGA Championship and five at the U.S. Open.

He is known for his huge length, and Dent won the first World Long Distance Championship in 1974.

After he was 50, he won 12 times in the PGA Tour Championship. Al Geiberger said that after Dent shot 64 and won his first championship game, “Jim Dent should be banned because he can play.”

"A lot of people will remember Jim Dent's hit, and he did," said PGA Tour champion Miller Brady. "However, his long-term success, especially on our tour, proves that Jim is not only beyond the tee."

The fourth of six children, Dent, lost his parents at the age of 12 and was raised by his aunt, Mary Benton. She objected to him having his feet on the patch and told him, "If you learn the kid, you will learn how to gambling."

"Kids think they are the smartest people in the world," Dent said in the USGA story. "The second thing, what to do when I learned how to shoot dice and punch cards when I was a kid. She was dead."

He works at Augusta Country Club, and Dent recalls how caddies are willing to cut ice crackgrass from vegetables, how they can play. His players who won for the Augusta National include Bob Goalby and Bob Rosburg.

Augusta pays tribute to the road “Jim Dent Way” in 2020. Two years later, Dent was inducted into the Caddy Hall of Fame.

His son Jim Dent Jr. is now the person in charge of the patch.

Augusta National is supporting the work of architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling to upgrade municipal curriculum. It will include a longer conditional course and features a new short play area and clubhouse. Woods is designing a PAR-3 course called "Patch Loop" to honor the Augusta National Caddy who played there.