Spring. A time of birth and renewal. As you reflect on your golf story, who was it that introduced you to the game? Each of us has someone. An older brother. An uncle. A neighbor. A college roommate. A grandparent. And of course, for many, good old mom or dad!
As a member of the Colorado Golf Association, for you, the game of golf is more than a passing fancy. You are dedicated enough to join a club, or to see value in tracking your progress through the USGA GHIN system. Most likely, golf is something you do with others. It provides you with a social outlet that connects you to a community of like-minded people who have similar emotional ties to the sport.
Early in my marriage, my wife asked me if I ever get tired of talking about golf. When people learned I worked in the golf industry there was almost always someone who wanted to learn more, share their golf story and, in general, commune about this common denominator. After reflecting on her question I answered honesty…no, I don’t get tired of talking about golf. I feel that way now more than ever. Never has there been a more important need for agreement. In a world that can’t agree on much of anything, golf provides a safe-haven of common experience. And a common experience that centers around joy, aspiration and togetherness, rather than negativity, division and judgement.
So, in the spirit of spring, and the time of rebirth, we would like to hear your golf “birth” story. Who introduced you to the game? Where were you? What were the circumstances? Was it love at first “flight” or did it take time to warm up to the challenges the game presented?
If you have read my musings in the past you are familiar with my golf birth story. I was visiting my grandparents and stumbled across an old nine-iron in the garage. After several failed attempts to get the plastic whiffle ball airborne, my grandfather showed me the interlocking grip. It made all the difference. With my hands closer together, the club was able to hinge, and the when club head met the ball, it was magic. The “whoosh” of that wiffle ball taking flight lingers in my mind to this day. I was hooked.
So, for me, “The One” is my grandfather—Harry Mate. The owner of Brooklyn Auto Parts who played golf on his only day off—every Sunday at Riis Park Golf Course in Rockaway, New York.
Thank you Papa Harry for the gift of golf.