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Sunday, March 31, 2013

My Golf Dream

Hello.  I have just been led to start blogging about my dream from childhood of becoming a professional golfer, player, and teacher of the game I have found out that dreams do come true if you have patience, work hard and never give up.  I was told for many years in my childhood that I couldn't do this or that, that I wasn't good enough or smart enough by many different people. I listened to those people and began to believe it for many years,  instead of listening to myself and what God was leading me to do.  People are not always right!


I was five years old when I started learning the game of golf.  You see my dad was playing it quit a bit and bringing home trophies and I thought that was cool.  He watched the game on TV on the weekends after he returned from the golf course or if the weather was not cooperative.  We watched because he controlled the TV even when he was snoring (clearing his throat).  As children we didn't want to watch golf really and while he was clearing his throat we tried to change the channel.  Only to hear, hey I was watching that, turn it back.  We informed dad, your eyes were closed and you were snoring and he would reply, "I wasn't snoring, I was clearing my throat and my eyes were resting not closed."  My dad was a very talented golfer who loved the game and still does.  You see he is 83 years old and still loves and plays the game.  He is still tough to beat.  He told me at end of last year he shot his age which at the time was 82.  Wow, I hope I can do that at his age. 

I started playing with my Mom's clubs, I don't think she played much after I started using them.  I don't think she ever found her clubs again, because I had them all the time.  I started caddying during the summer months in between baseball and football.  I remember caddying for my dad at the local golf club pushing his cart.  Every now and then when the course wasn't busy we were allowed to play a hole or two.  I think I was 8 years old I had my first par on a par 4 golf hole.  My dad was a very patient and talented player in his own right.  When we were young kids we saw his trophies as play things and didn't understand their importance until later.  When I was older in High School I played a lot with my dad and found out that while he was in the military in the 50's he had played with Chi Chi Rodriquez and Gary Player down in Texas.  I also found out that I caddied at the same course my Dad did when he was a child.  That was another wow in my life.  Doing something that both my Dad and I enjoy has given me great memories throughout all my life. 

I have always loved he game.  Watching my Dad play, playing rounds with my Dad, watching Jack Nicklaus on TV.  Caddying in the Hawaiian Open in 1996 in the Pro-Am was delightful and awesome.  Watching Corey Pavin win, following Jack Nicklaus and listening to Andy Bean and Fuzzy Zoeller on the Practice tee with an amateur between them cutting on the amateurs on how they think they don't need to have a practice round for the amateurs and only for the pros because the amateurs always play well and then choke during the actual pro-am.  The amateur was listening to this and then asked the two pro's, " Why do you pick on us amateurs like that?",  Only to hear Fuzzy spout back "because your pay for this abuse".  They all laughed.  Even though I was 26 at the time and in the Military, wow, what a great opportunity that was seeing for the first time in person some of the greats in golf and played on a great course.  Of course now it is called the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Well it is time to get some practice in and spend some time with my fabulous wife.  I will write on how I started getting back to my dream on my next entries.   Take Care.



I will leave with two statements:  One I don't agree with because I enjoy good walks and that is Mark Twain who stated:  "Golf is a good walk ruined".  apparently Mark Twain never understood or played Golf.

The other is:  Walter Hagen stated, "Three bad shots and one good shot is still a 4".

Until next time....