Southern California's No. 1 Source for Golf
STROKE OF THE DAY |
"Golf is a game whose aim it is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose." |
-Winston Churchill |
SITE
SEARCH
GOLF
CALENDAR
People
|
||||
|
My father is the reason I play golf. He didn’t teach me the game. In fact, I never saw him hit a single shot. But it’s because of him that I play. Roy Tracy was just 42 when he died of a heart attack. Because I was only 10 at the time, I have few memories of him. But one is indelibly etched, and it happened every week. I can still see my father cleaning his clubs after his weekly crack-of-dawn Sunday tee time. His love of the game was so evident, even to a snot-nosed kid peering out his bedroom window watching him clean his forged Ben Hogan blades. I pray I get to play golf with my son because I know there aren’t any guarantees in life. Timmy was born when I was 52, so I’m not wasting any time. He’s 4 now and on his third plastic golf club. For his next birthday, I’m getting him a real set of junior clubs. He might get them sooner if I can get him to understand the concept of “widening his stance.” For this Father’s Day column, I called a few golf friends for their recollections of dear old dad. THE BARBERS: Tom Barber, son of Jerry Barber, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 1961 PGA Championship, has been running the pro shop at Griffith Park since his dad was granted the franchise in 1965. Now Tom’s three sons are PGA pros. Tom’s favorite memory of his dad came after a brief pause. “I was on the bag when Dad beat Mac Hunter for the SCPGA Club Championship in 1959,” Tom said, starting a story that flowed as rhythmically as his dad’s swing. “At the end of the first 18 of the 36-hole final, Dad was 3-up. But by the time they reached the 23rd hole, they were even. Dad was not happy, but instead of getting mad, he just bore down and hit a perfect drive. As we were walking down the fairway, Dad muttered out loud — not to me, not really to anyone other than himself — ‘Mac Hunter will not beat me today.’ Mac Hunter didn’t.” On that day, Tom learned a valuable lesson about resolve. THE PAVINS: Fletcher, Matt and Corey Pavin were raised on the game. Fletcher, 50, has been a Titleist sales rep for as long as I’ve known him. Matt, 52, was perhaps the best player as a kid, but it was Corey, 47, who became most famous. Golf for the three began when the family joined Los Posas Country Club in Camarillo. Fletcher, who lives in Ventura County, said of his father who passed away 10 years ago: “The pain of losing him has numbed over time and has been replaced with a contented peace due to our relationship. When something happens that reminds me of my dad, I smile knowing I have so many good and fond memories that will be with me forever. There are times when I get sad, but they are far fewer these days. “I’ve talked to many people who have struggled with their parental relationships. Some never made peace. It haunts them. I try to tell people to make sure there is no unfinished business. If you have something you want to or need to say, make sure you do it.” FATHER KNOWS BEST: David Conforti, the head professional at Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, grew up in Orange County, where the family belonged to Yorba Linda Country Club. “Dad was about a 17-handicap and loved golf,” David said as he looked out at the ocean from his office window at Trump National. “As a kid I was introduced to sports at about 6 when I started playing soccer. Sometime when I was about 12, my dad sat me down. I thought we were going to have that birds and bees talk. “‘David,’ he said, ‘I know you are playing soccer but I’d like to introduce you to golf. No pressure, and it’s your choice, but which sport would you rather play, soccer or golf?’ I thought for a moment, knowing what he wanted to hear, but said, ‘Dad, I’ve really just gotten pretty good at soccer, I’d like to stick with it if that’s OK with you.’ There was a long pause. I gulped. Dad got up and smiled and said, ‘Good choice, golf it is, and you’re all signed up for lessons with the pro starting today!’ “The first year I wasn’t very happy with ‘my choice,’ but looking back, it’s been a great life.” Come on, Timmy, grab your club, let’s go to the range. Happy Father’s Day, guys. SG Eric Tracy is also known as The Mulligan Man. He can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
||||
RSS Subscribe
Digg This Article
