At the age of 80, and after 40 years playing in Chicago, Jim Drury retired from polo; he'll still continue to be involved in the sport as President of Oak Brook Polo Club.
At the young age of 80, James Drury decided to put an end to his career as a polo player. He was still fit, he claims, but needed to give back some time to his family after 40 Summers fully committed to polo. His farewell was as unforgettable as it can get, playing at his beloved Oak Brook Polo Club in an international match against England to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club. Oak Brook won 7-6 after an epic comeback in the last chukker. James Drury’s bond to polo will continue as he is the Managing Director of Oak Brook Polo Club in Chicago, one of the most traditional and emblematic polo clubs in America. A club he helped to revive after some mismanagements nearly took it to bankruptcy.
“One key to marketing polo is to treat spectators as guests”
A former football, basketball and baseball player, Jim Drury is an athlete who discovered polo in his late 30s and has been tightly linked to the sport since then. “I’ve been playing polo as an amateur in Chicago for 40 years. It was a new athletic activity I took up 40 years ago after practicing three sports in high school: baseball, basketball and football. In college I played baseball for Notre Dame,” Mr. Drury told CLICKPOLO. “When I was in my mid 30s I was looking for a new sport. I didn’t like golf that much, I missed the athleticism. A friend of mine started playing polo and invited me. I loved the sport right away. I learned how to ride better, bought two horses and hired a professional to improve my skills. Me and my friend then thought of having our own team and joined two professionals, Dick and John Coone and built an 8-goal team. Then I made my own 12-goal team and a 16-goal team. That was my entry to the high level. Polo has always kept me very young and incredibly fit.”
-How did you become managing director of the Oak Brook Polo Club?
"I was probably the only patron not owning a polo field. By 2016, the village of Oak Brook was running the club, but they were struggling and losing money every year. So I was introduced to Dan O’Leary and agreed to take over the club and help it become financially responsible. Six years laters, the club has 1,000 visitors every Sunday, like in the old days. The problem was that it was not being run like a business. We lowered the ticket price and raised the cost to give the spectator a different experience. Oak Brook has become very successful. This is where the U.S. Polo Open was played from 1946 to 1978. Oak Brook won the U.S. Open six times during that time. There’s tremendous history here, we brought it back. For the 100th Anniversary celebrations, the Butler family came back. The children of Bo Butler came back for the final match."
-How did you revitalize the club?
"Polo is an under marketed sport. It needs to be run in like a business. In the old times pros would come to the announcers table formally dressed in navy blue blazers, white shirts and black ties, and then go back and change. One thing we did was to start that tradition again. It’s a way of showing respect. We don’t treat people who come as spectators. They are our guests. One key to marketing polo is to treat spectators as guests and ensure they have a wonderful time. Not just play and go home. Now, players walk the entire circumference of the field and thank each of the spectators for coming, we take pictures. It may take half an hour, but it will market our sport, it will make people more involved in the sport. Personalized involvement at the club. If you are not doing this, you’re losing out. People should leave the club and say “We had a wonderful time.” The experience of your life. Nobody engages people as intimately as we have. That makes a difference.
It’s only been two weeks. I will miss it. I’m still very fit, I could still play. But it has been 40 Summers fully committed to polo, except for rare occasions when I took a week off. I owe it to my family. I’ve been very lucky, I’ve only broken 16 ribs playing polo and that one time I lost consciousness for 10 minutes. I’m lucky to be healthy and fit, very lucky." -What was the match against England like? "It was a terrific match. Great Britain was ahead at the end of the first chukker, at the end of the second chukker, and at the end of the third chukker. We entered the last chukker down 6-4 and we came back to win 7-6. It was a tremendous match. I knew it was my final match, so I wouldn’t give up easily. Luckily our pros Horacio Onetto and Tommy Collingwood came out very motivated at the last chukker and reverted the score with 50 seconds to go. We all wore black bands to honor Queen Elizabeth, both National Anthems were played before the match. It was very moving. British players told me they had never heard both National Anthems played back-to-back. "
“Polo is an under marketed sport. It needs to be run in like a business"
-What are your best memories as a polo player?
"Lifting a cup with my teammates –the one I relinquish the most is the Butler International Cup.
Seating in our tent before the game, planning the strategies at halftime. We had a wonderful team this year. Lifting the trophy last Sunday, after being behind the whole game, knowing it was my final match…. that was special, too. I had a horse last year that got kicked and had its leg broken in two places. Many would have put the horse down, but I told my vet John Coone to save him, even though it would be very expensive. He went through rehabilitation, started playing some lower goal practices and got him to play on Sunday. Twoey won Best Playing Pony. That was one of the most incredible moments."
-What does polo mean to you? "Polo is, in my opinion, the most wonderful sport in the world. The athletic partnership between man and animal cannot be attained in any other equine sport. We are thinking together. I feel one with that horse. A subtle movement is enough for the horse to know what you mean. There’s nothing like it. The beauty, the excitement of a polo match… It’s the most magical sport and I have the privilege to have discovered it. It’s the best kept secret."
Oak Brook Polo Club: A centenary tradition that is as alive as ever
Every Sunday, before the games start, the Oak Brook Team's players, neatly dressed in their classic navy blue blazers and black ties, walk the entire circumference of the field to share a moment with the attendees. They thank people for coming, chat for a while, take photos with them or sign a ball. It can take half an hour, or even more. It does not matter if this delays the game. It is part of the tradition at the Oak Brook Polo Club. A centenary tradition that is inherent to the spirit of the club. It is what has revitalized the club and keeps it alive.
Located in the namesake village west of Chicago, Illinois, the Oak Brook Polo Club was founded in 1922 by Paul Butler, and it has since become centerpiece for polo in America. It gathers a large portion of the rich legacy of the sport, as it was home of the U.S. Open between 1954 and 1978, for example. The likes of King Charles, Cecil Smith and the Maharaja and Maharanee of Jaipur have played on their majestic fields, as well as Lord Cowdray, Major Ronald Ferguson, Lord Patrick Beresford, Spencer Tracy, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, Will Rogers, Gov. Kerner, King Hussein, among others.
The property was acquired by Frank Osgood Butler, who ran a prosperous paper business built by his father Julius Wales Butler, and was used for cattle. FO, as he was known, played polo with his cowboys on the infield of the racetrack. It became such a passion for him that he built the first polo ground in the Chicago area. His son Paul Butler inherited the tradition and love for polo and, in 1922, he founded the Oak Brook Polo Club and built four more polo grounds and more stables with stalls for about 60 horses. In its splendor, the club gathered 13 polo grounds, stables for 400 horses and a horse showground.
Oak Brook was successful for many decades, entertaining a wide group of guests and players. Eventually, private family issues resulted in relinquishing control of the property from the Butler family to the Village of Oak Brook. Polo unfortunately took a back seat as housing developments and the popularity of golf and other recreational activities took precedence. In 2015, the Oak Brook Polo Club privatized polo operations with the help of Jim Drury, President of Oak Brook Polo Club.
Together with Dan O’Leary, Drury has restored the path of glory Oak Brook Polo Club had largely enjoyed. Hundreds of people visit the club on Sundays in Summer to share a unique experience. Located just 15 miles west of Chicago, many of their guests are from the Chicago area. “We want this experience to be available to all,” said O’Leary, “It is great for families, we have new food trucks at the field this year, and children under 13 get in for free.” Oak Brook has also lowered ticket prices to meet the industry average. Now anyone can experience the history and fun of Oak Brook without paying a large ticket price There are activities between chukkers and the experience goes on way after the game ends. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the club, Oak Brook played against an English Team. The local team won 7-6 thanks to an extraordinary comeback in the last chukker. It was Jim Drury’s last game, as he decided to call off his career as a polo player at the young age of 80. The match drew over 1,000 spectators to watch the historic match-up which celebrated its own anniversary of 50 years since Oak Brook Polo helped re-institute the Coronation Cup and international polo back to the country. Oak Brook Polo Club’s rebirth has revitalized polo in the Chicago area. The centenary club is in good health. Keeping the traditions alive has been one of their basis
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