Forty ….. 40 years … seems like yesterday that Randy Breaden, Phil Brumbaugh, my brother-in-law Ernie Larger and myself set off on our first golf trip. It was to Myrtle Beach. Now, 40 years later, the only changes made have been some personnel and the locations.
People often ask me why I love golf so much. I always say that it is because it is the hardest sport to master of them all. If your club face is off one degree at impact, you miss your target by 10 yards. That is tough! Golf is also relaxing for me because, honestly, the score is irrelevant.
I had a caddy in Scotland tell me once, after watching some American players getting mad about their play, that the score was not important. “Laddy,” he said, “Today, with the wind a howlin’ and the sleet comin’ in, par might be 80, but when she’s calm, and fair, par may be 72 …… just enjoy the walk and have fun!” A very smart man indeed, and I have listened to that advice. I like golf because of the course, the weather, and most of all the camaraderie with my buddies! That is by far the best.
This years trip was threatened by rain every day, but God blessed us every day, and we dodged it all. We got rained on for about 10 minutes one day, and that was it. But, it didn’t matter, we were playing golf, laughing at each other, having fun, and enjoying the friendships. We had some really good courses, Chariot Run and Champions Pointe, to name two in Indiana, that were special. But if you played them yourself, they would be special, but not that special. Special is the people you are with, and that is what I love the most.
The 3 guys I went with, Randy, Dale Ary, and Greg White, are really fun and we have the same interests: Golf, good food, good Bourbon, and Cigars! What could get better than that! Ask almost any golfer, and they will probably tell you the same thing: it’s the people you play the game with that make it three to four hours of joy. Dale and I are retired, so we play whenever we can, and we both are horrible to each other, but we abuse each other because we are having so much fun, and we play for fun.
Hell, if we were any good, we’d be playing on Sundays for big money! Golf is to be taken lightly, unless it is your living. It is the hardest game to play, requires your full attention, and it can be expensive if you just have to have the latest, greatest equipment …… which you do not need!
Golf is a social game, and I am the luckiest guy on the planet to have played with so many good friends, laughed till I cried, talked about sports, and enjoyed some of the great venues in the world. I am lucky that at some point, many moons ago, I decided to try this silly game. I had no idea that it would be my go-to sport my whole life. I am lucky, and I know it!
That’s the way I see it…….from the sidelines
