On my 12th birthday in June of 1963, my parents gave me an old bag, a set of used clubs and 6 golf lessons. I thought they were nuts! Even though we lived next to a golf course, I had never expressed any interest in golf. Skate in the roller derby or sing in a rock band, yes….golf, no. Needless to say, that summer I started taking lessons. Turned out I had a pretty good swing and I actually kind of liked it! I also liked being around the pro shop. A small modest building with creaky old wood floors and bag storage/club repair in the back. There was room in the front of the shop to display a golf bag or two, some headcovers, and a few shirts and sweaters. The counter was small and held a few choices of golf balls, gloves and tees. I loved that old shop. It smelled like leather and cigars and I couldn’t get enough of it! The boy behind the counter taking green fees wasn’t bad either! I was starting to think I had gone a little nuts and I 풀싸롱 wasn’t even a teenager yet! At the ripe old age of 12 I did go nuts…for golf and everything it represented. It seemed to fit me like a glove and I knew it was where I belonged.
Turns out the course was built by a Scottish immigrant and opened in 1924. In Scotland he had been an apprentice at St. Andrews under old Tom Morris. He came to this country in 1896 at the age of 20. He was a committee member on one of the first executive committees to form the PGA in 1916. He died in 1953 so I never had the privilege of meeting him. I did meet his grandson though. He was the one taking green fees in the shop the day I fell in love with golf! We were married in 1973. His father and uncle were members of the PGA and as you would expect my husband and his brother also became members. They honored their father and grandfather by carrying on the family legacy.
Sadly, the course was sold in 1974. There would be other courses bought and sold in the following years. Golf was our business and our life. My husband and his brother played the PGA tour a few of those years. We had families and raised our children to respect the game and lifestyle as we had been taught.
Golf is still our life. Our grown children continue to be influenced and involved. We have several ventures from management, consulting to funding. We also run a website where we sell golf club headcovers. The pace is definitely slower but that’s OK at this stage of our lives.
When I think back to the summer of ’63 I am thankful, amazed and grateful. It all started with a simple gift of golf lessons and ended up being so much more. Call it fate, destiny, karma or maybe just luck. We can’t really be sure. In my heart I know someone is watching over me. I’m pretty sure he’s Scottish. I hope he’s proud.