Billy Martindale

Billy Martindale was born in Jacksonville, Texas, on 10 September 1938, the son of Margaret (nee Pruitt) and William Everett Martindale. His younger sister is the actress Margo Martindale.

As a boy he was a champion skeet shooter. He finished second at the National Junior Skeet Championship in 1947, won the title in 1948 and won it again in 1950. At the 1948 nationals in Houston he set a sub-juniors world record by breaking 96 of 100 targets.

He took up golf at Jacksonville Country Club, eventually setting aside his 20-gauge shotgun and taking lessons in nearby Tyler. In 1956 he led Jacksonville High School to the state golf championship, won the Texas State Junior Amateur and finished fourth at the Jaycee Junior tournament in Fargo, North Dakota. He was also an All-State quarterback and graduated from high school in 1957.

Martindale signed to play golf at Southern Methodist University but transferred to Texas A&M University in the middle of his freshman year. He captained the Aggies, was an NCAA All-American in his junior and senior years, and helped the team to sixth and fifth place finishes at the national championships before graduating in 1961. He then served in the Army as a second lieutenant at Fort Benning, Georgia, winning the Columbus City Golf Championship and finishing second at the 1963 Army Golf Championship.

After a partial season in 1963 he played the PGA Tour full time from 1964 to 1968 and was named Sophomore of the Year in 1965. He was the clubhouse leader at the 1965 Greater New Orleans Open until Dick Mayer chipped in for birdie to win by one stroke over him and Bruce Devlin, shot a closing 63 at the 1965 Sahara Invitational, and was runner-up to Bobby Verwey at the 1965 Almaden Open. In 1966 he tied for third at the Thunderbird Classic after leading through 54 holes, and tied for 15th at the PGA Championship, his best major finish. Across five seasons he recorded three second places, five thirds and 35 top 25 finishes.

After the 1968 season he formed JanMart Enterprises with Don January. Until 1979 the pair developed some 23 golf courses, mostly in Texas, including Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. He also coached the SMU golf team, leading the Mustangs to eighth place at the 1972 NCAA Championship and tenth in 1973. Later he worked in oil and gas exploration, real estate and ranching, including breeding white-tailed deer, and continued to design and redesign courses.

Martindale was married to Sharon Martindale. They had a daughter, Molly Barns, and a son, Mart. His sister Margo Martindale won three Primetime Emmy Awards for her acting. He had four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was known on tour for his horn-rimmed glasses.

Billy Martindale died on 4 November 2026, aged 88, from complications of a lung disease. His death was announced by the PGA Tour on 9 November 2026.

Martindale is remembered as one of the Texas golfers who bridged playing and building the game. His short PGA Tour career was full of near misses, and his record final round at the 1965 Sahara Invitational stood as the best closing score of that season. Through JanMart Enterprises and his later design work he shaped more than 20 courses, and as SMU coach he guided the Mustangs to two top ten national finishes.