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| Photo Credit: RyderCup.com |
This loss isn't from not playing any golf to speak of this entire season and I admit that a lot of that really falls on my shoulders. Besides there's always Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida (twice) where I will indulge in golf this winter. My feeling of loss isn't from watching my once bright blue eyes turn into tired steely grey eyes (and white chest hairs) from the stresses of the job. Nor is my feeling of loss related to ongoing health issues that I cannot beat down.
This weekend was a tough weekend in sports. Unless you've been living under a rock there were some losses felt around the sports world. In no certain order there was the untimely, tragic death of Florida Marlins emerging superstar pitcher Jose Hernandez. At the age of 24 he lost his life in a boating accident in Miami. The scene at their first game after his death following the unlikely homerun by their lead-off batter was right from the pad of paper from a writer in Hollywood. Watching the aftermath of that hit by Dee Gordon was heart-wrenching and at the same time uplifting.
| Photo Credit: mbcmiami.com |
Golfers around the world also faced the reality that one of the games legends had passed away. In Pittsburgh golf lost it's "King". Arnold Palmer the man that made golf "cool" was no longer with us. My mouth hung open as I sat right where I am now... writing this piece. In my recliner. And as I begin this paragraph I have a lump in my throat and I am actually struggling to write. My backspace key has never been used this much. I was on Twitter and I saw his name trending. Then I saw it.. news that Mr. Palmer had passed. Immediately I had hoped that it was some sort of internet hoax but yet I knew it had to be true. My coach warned me about a week ago that Mr. Palmer was really sick and I immediately thought back to The Masters this year where he looked so frail. Honestly, I had a hard time looking at the footage. It hurt. But then this news. It isn't too often where a death of a celebrity or athlete have an impact on me. This was in fact the first time where I felt a sudden deep saddening upon hearing the news of the death of a public figure.. I felt like a part of me had died and my stomach sunk. "Arnie" as his legion's of fans became to know him did so much for the game of golf. He was behind the advent of Golf Channel, Andy North said that every golfer should give him twenty-five cents of each dollar they have earned playing the game. I could talk about his victories like his victory in the 1955 Canadian Open to each of his "Green Jackets" but to me that wasn't his biggest victory. His victory was how he brought legions of fans to the game ("Arnies Army"), how he really embraced the idea of sports marketing. It was the way that he exuded charisma. The way that The King interacted with people of all walks of life. It was the fact that he was a philanthropist. It was the fact that he was golf's first rock star (sorry PGA Tour Rock Star Ryan Moore) the pictures over time are the proof. The pictures of Mr. Palmer emerging from his Cessna with an overnight bag in hand or the pictures of him with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. Mr. Palmer was the epitome of cool. More importantly he was a friend of golf. A friend.
| Photo Credit: airportjournals.com |
Mr. Palmer was very influential on me and I wish that I could have seen him once just to shake his hand again and say thank-you. If it wasn't for the chance meeting of walking into him in 1995 I wouldn't be here writing this right now. It is even more likely that I would never have taken up the sport of golf. For those not in the know I was involved in a pretty bad car accident years ago. I suffered a severe spinal trauma that left me somewhat incapacitated. As time wore on my injuries healed and I was able to use my limbs effectively again and return to the workforce. One damp morning in 1995 I was in downtown Hamilton, Ontario where the DuMaurier Canadian Senior Men's Open was being played. Upon the completion of a night shift working as a security officer at a stinky, dusty scrap yard I was by Jackson Square waiting for a bus to go home. Emerging from the hotel was a distinguished looking man that I recognized from print, the television and Sears. Arnold Palmer. Mr. Palmer greeted me that morning and shook my hand. Hands that easily gripped my hands like a vice. An honest, sincere, firm handshake. Mr. Palmer stopped and talked to me like I was a long lost friend until he finally stated "Well, there's my car. I guess I should head to the course". We shook hands and he wished me a good day. Instead of going home I went to a used sporting goods store and bought the worst set of clubs ever... zinc heads. The game wouldn't stick then but the seed was planted... and the rest is history.
| Photo Credit: nbc.com |
I always meant to swing by Bay Hill the last several visits to Florida to catch a glimpse of him but I figured that I wasn't allowed to just show up at the resort/course. I don't have many regrets in my life but not even trying once to see what would happen for the chance to see him again is one of them. I never did want a picture with him or an autograph. All I ever wanted was to say "thank-you". Thank-you for planting the seed of golf in my mind. Yesterday at the course one of my Members shared some gold with me. It was him and another man in uniform and in the picture in between was Mr. Palmer. It was signed in blue pen in Mr. Palmer's very distinctive, legible signature. Sarge... you're a lucky man.
There will never be another "Arnie" but his army will live on. So to will Mr. Palmer's legacy. Long Live The King.
Until The Next Tee!!
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