Thank you for your support of “Bad Golf Guy” over the past two years. Your kindness and continued reaction to our nonsense keeps us motivated!
Celebrating our 100th post, we decided to run a short series of brief interviews with my golfing cronies; John, Joe and Dave. John, my only sibling, who recently retired from a successful business career in the Chicago area, is an avid golfer, a really good dude and a great Brother! Our recent move to Florida means that John and I will live in the same state (for six months out of the year) for the first time since 1968 (fifty-one years). Good stuff!
How and when were you introduced to the game?
I was introduced to the game as a 10/11 year old, with neighborhood buddies, using old (wood shafted) random mixed set irons (including a Walter Hagen Miss America 6 ½ iron which I still possess) from a neighbors basement, golf balls with multiple “smiles” that were hard as rocks, hitting from foul pole to foul pole in our neighborhood baseball field. All while hoping that we didn’t accidently hit a house. That was some real Bowery Boys stuff!
I then advanced to Monday Caddy Days at Baltusrol Golf Club, one of the finest and most decorated courses in the country, with the same weekly group of buddies and fellow caddies, sometimes playing barefoot just because the grass was so lush (see “Baltusrol”).
Why are you so connected to the game?
This is a game that has always been associated with family and best friends. What more can you ask for; four hours in a beautiful setting, sharing successes and frustrations with your closest friends. Life does not get any better!
Share a favorite experience.
To pick one and say it was the most favorite is impossible because there are so many experiences with so many people (family and friends), but the one that always sticks out in my mind was a weekend get-a-way with Dad, my brother (Bad Golf Guy) and our favorite Uncle Dave in Ocean City, Maryland (circa 1990’s). So many laughs, beers, pranks and special moments. A quick story from the trip. During the tail end of our golfing vacation, on one of our final holes, our Dad was having a challenging time, hitting three consecutive balls into the same water hazard. A bit frustrated and fresh out of ammunition, Dad asked if we had a spare ball in our cart. I reached for a spare ball, jumped out of our golf cart and rifled the ball into the water hazard, saving the inevitable next step!
Based on my and your advanced age, do you think you can still improve at this game?
Great question! My answer is most definitely that I “think” I can and I will continue to keep trying until my last swing. The reality? Iffy at best!
How many rounds do you play per year?
With retirement, a minimum of 100 rounds.
If you had one place to play…
If I had to pick one place…Baltusrol Golf Club with my brother (Bad Golf Guy). Hoping to get this bucket-list item accomplished later this summer.
Golfing goals?
Continue to work on my game and scrap to a single digit handicap. Play as much as possible with family and friends…laugh a lot, curse a little, drink a bit, win a few bucks and lose more than I win. Enjoy the beauty of every property. Appreciate the artistry of the architect, builders and maintainers. Encourage and watch my wife (Jamie) advance her game…she works hard and is becoming a real technician of her swing. Share my love for the game with my children and my grandchildren. Never lose sight that golf is a game, a game that continues to bring immeasurable happiness to my life.
Finally, this is what golf is all about. It is the greatest game by far as it transcends generations and brings us together. This young man, my grandson, is excited to be heading to his first PGA Junior League match. What he doesn’t know is that he is just starting out on a lifetime journey of fun and frustration that he will be able to share with those closest to him!
John, thank you for your contribution!
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The back nine can only get better!
Great interview. I hope I get to meet your brother some day. If he is as cool of a dude as you are my friend (and it appears he is) it would be a pleasure.
I love John’s description of the “Bowery Boys” golf experience! My introduction to the game was similar. We used to hit balls from one yard to another … and run for it when we hit the side of a house!