Clubs and Courses

I just finished reading an editorial in Sunday's Chicago Tribune titled "If it's not yours, return it." I was struck by the puzzled dismay of the writer who lost an old Wilson GE 1200 PW at a local golf course and was writing about that loss along with all of the other things people lend or lose and the people who don't return them.

Just last month a fairly new golfer came by the shop to ask if we had a Ping PW that might match his set. He'd left his PW at the local county course, Joe Louis, and was on his way there to see if it had been turned in. I did not have the heart to say, "If your wedge gets turned in, it will be a first." NO ONE has turned in a lost club at Joe Louis or any other public or private golf course around here in years--maybe decades. I am probably wrong about all courses but I'm not wrong by much.

I have commented on the universality of golfers, the fraternity of the game and the way it transcends social boundaries. As impressed as I am with these qualities I am equally impressed with how dishonest golfers are about other people's clubs.

I saw "The Greatest Game Ever Played" today. It was a birthday present I gave myself and I'm glad I went. Despite the tepid reviews the movie turned out to be better than I expected. The critics were right about the Disney bent for sentiment and the blunt references to classism, but the attention to detail--particularly the golf of that time,--was superb. If you're a golfer you'll like this movie.

At the shop we have a copy of the famous photo of Francis Ouimet and Eddie Lowry trudging up the course during the U.S. Open. I remember asking Charlie about that photo a long time ago and he told me the story of Ouimet's win and how extraordinary it was.