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This month’s magazine is full of memories about Jack Nicklaus, which made me think of my dad, who died suddenly when I was 10. There’s a framed Scott Medlock lithograph on my office wall called “Buddies.” The artwork illustrates a father walking down a fairway with his hand on the shoulder of what appears to be his teenage son. The two are walking side by side with matching blue bags slung over their shoulders. I hope to make that walk someday with my son, who is now 2. It’s a walk I never took with my father, but my memory of his weekly club-cleaning ritual after his Sunday round is something I’ll never forget. I was drawn to the game because of that memory. I remember my dad’s passion for the game and his adoration of Arnold Palmer, which meant I wasn’t a Nicklaus fan. At least when I was a kid. My father died in December 1961 and didn’t get to see the brash, 22-year-old Nicklaus beat Palmer in an 18-hole playoff to win the 1962 U.S. Open. It was the first of Nicklaus’s record 18 major championships. Dad would have been rooting for Arnie, as was most of the country at that time. Palmer is widely credited with making golf popular in America, but Nicklaus took the game to an even higher level. Palmer had charisma and Nicklaus had raw power. Both men changed the face of the game. t SAYING GOODBYE: I cried when Palmer took his final British Open walk across the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th hole of the Old Course at St. Andrews 10 years ago. Nicklaus will make a similar walk at St. Andrews this month as he bids farewell to the British Open. I may not cry but I will stand and applaud out of respect for his accomplishments. I’ve been blessed to have seen this great rivalry and to witness both careers to their competitive ends. I wonder if my son will witness something similar when the career of Tiger Woods comes to an end. t OPEN AND SHUT: In the aftermath of last month’s U.S. Open, two things come to mind: Narrow-waisted millionaires with perfect swings are humbled by tough golf courses; and tough golf courses create the same wild scores we mere mortals deal with all the time. Critics and the media can rail all they want about today’s technologically advanced equipment and juiced-up golf balls ruining the game, but there’s a simple solution. As Pinehurst proved, narrowing fairways, raising the rough and building difficult greens can stop the best players in their tracks. There isn’t a hacker reading this who hasn’t shot a 90 one day and a 104 the next. The U.S. Open — and this month’s British Open — shows that it can happen to anyone. The main difference is that the pros are doing it for millions of dollars and in front of millions of viewers. Jason Gore can surely attest to that. The Hummer-sized dark horse from Valencia was living a dream scenario during the first three rounds of the U.S. Open. Then he teed off on his nightmarish final round, which began with a $1 million payday in his sights and cheers from the gallery in his ears. It ended, however, with a $20,000 paycheck for finishing 49th after his 14-over round of 84 mercifully came to an end. t HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Angeles National Golf Course in Sunland held a one-year birthday party last month. Hardly a milestone, until you consider that it took the owners 17 years of starts, stops and wading through red tape to get the course built. The wait was worth it, as Angeles National has been listed as one of the best new courses in the United States and the world by some national golf publications. While the course isn’t built in a classic setting, the spot known to Valley residents as the “wash” has turned into a golf oasis. The fact that the course’s winter season wasn’t completely washed away by all the rain was miraculous. While the course was shut down for one week and the 17th and 18th holes were out of commission for 90 days, the course still made its 50,000-round projection for its initial year. And even though the construction of the clubhouse was pushed back a year because of the rain, officials are taking a positive approach with a slogan this year of “The Best is Yet to Come!” But the present is pretty cool, and marketing director Vic Castro has initiated some new wrinkles to enhance the golfing experience, such as the price of your first drink equaling the number of strokes on your round. The club also hands out clay poker chips that can be used as ball markers until turned in for a $10 green fee discount during the week and $15 on weekends. I encourage all golfers to cash in on this opportunity. n Eric Tracy can be reached at eric@themulliganman.com. |
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