But this weekend, we were following another family member, someone who occasionally comments here under the name "The Elder." It was the Midwestern Amputee Regional Championship. You can see The Elder teeing off in the top photo.
And he won the tournament. So, congratulations to The Elder.
It was a bit different from a PGA event. For one thing, I was able to take photographs (not that I took more than a handful). And the players had golf carts to ride. The Elder elected to walk the course, however, which is what the PGA tour players do. The PGA players have caddies who carry their bags, but The Elder not only walked the course, he carried his bag. Why? "Because I can."
ADDED: The Elder comments, and I make a new post about that.
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18 comments:
Congrats Mr. Elder. Are you related to Lee Elder?
sounds like a pretty cool family member.
I grew up a blue collar kid in Ct. My neighbor was a Polish, blue collar guy who worked his way up to be the pro @ the country club in our city. I caddied for the doctors, attorneys, etc. who belonged to the club. The pro would assign me to caddy for the assholes and cheapskates knowing I would do a good job. The pro would then compensate me knowing these jerks were like good canoes, they don't tip. At an early age I learned much about the upper, and upper middle class. It prepared me well for my career.
very nice.
And congratulations to the Elder, who not only won, but did it with style.
What amazing and inspirational determination. Happy Grand Day to The Elders . . . To our Elder -- Congratulations !!
Congratulations. Great story.
Did you ask the Elder about his take on Lady Gaga?
ndspinelli, I know this well. I caddied many years. I learned more doing that job than most courses I took in college.
I also walked a golf course this weekend. The kids (10-18) who play in these tournaments alway carry their bags and have no caddie. 36 holes over two days on mountainous terrain and scores from the men's tees or girls from the seniors tees ranging from 68 to the mid 90s. It was 93 degrees and moderately humid for the south.
I may be in bed for the next two days. The kids will all be bouncing around at school in the morning like normal.
Oh to be young again!
"The kids (10-18) who play in these tournaments alway carry their bags and have no caddie."
The kids I saw this weekend had wheeled carts for their bags. Did you see young kids actually hauling the bags around?
Carrying your own bag is hard-core. Congratulations, The Elder.
Next time you find yourself in St. Charles consider going 10 minutes south to Batavia and visit Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Photographers seem to love the unique architecture. If you had looked south from Pheasant Run you may have seen Wilson Hall rising from the prairie.
Thank you, Ann, for your kind words and for the two of you spending the weekend at the tournament. Thanks to Meade for raking the bunkers for the leg amputees. It's a big help for the leg guys!
The aesthetics of Men in Shorts is a little different when it is carbon fiber and aluminum on display, don't you think?
Thanks for the kind words from other Commenters. By this age, we have all encountered some pain and loss in our lives. It's just more visible for some of us.
ndspinelli - you said: " At an early age I learned much about the upper, and upper middle class" after bad experiences caddying for doctors and lawyers.
I'm curious. What exactly did you learn?
Hey, The Elder, way to go! That's an awfully big deal, I think.
Congratulations!
And you look great in shorts. ;-)
Congrats, Elder!!!!
I am getting back into playing golf in Ann Arbor, after a 13 yr, cancer induced hiatus. I play and help out with a golfing group from the local chapter of the Disabled Veterans of America.
Joaquin,
I learned that many thought they were better than me. They would cheat[cardinal sin in golf]. They would throw their clubs.I would never fetch a thrown club..it was usually the attorneys who would throw clubs. And, the pro always had my back on that.
The pro was a good and wise man. He always reminded me, "Remember..I give you the jerks, not everyone is like them." And; when there were tournaments, the pro would assign me good golfers and good guys. It was his way of helping me keep perspective. Also, it was good for the pro because these good golfers liked me as a caddy. You get the measure of a man on the links. Infrequently, I would caddy for women. They usually have pull carts. For the most part it was just in tournaments. This was the 50's and 60's so for the most part the women were housewives. They were civil and less condescending. However, they hardly ever tipped. My sisters were waitresses, they corroborated women are generally horrible tippers. The biggest exception is other waitresses..they're very generous. Thanks for your question.
Hey, nice site you have here! Keep up the excellent work!
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