Why We Love Golf Dads
What an eventful past two weeks it's been on the PGA Tour. As the calendar year is winding down so is the PGA Tour for the time being. However this weekend golf fans are in for a special treat before 2020 comes to a close. This weekend is the PNC Father Son event. For me personally this is such a great weekend because PGA Tour dads past and present have the opportunity to tee it up with their children. With that being said Tyler and I thought it would be appropriate to write about golf dads and how important golf dads are. More specifically we wanted to talk about our golf dads and how much of an impact they have made on our lives through the game of golf.
Golf dads take on a variety of roles, they are your coach, caddy, soundboard, and when things don’t go your way your person to lean on. They are there for your first tournament as a junior, the day you decide to play in college, and the day you decide to turn pro and chase your dream of making it to the PGA Tour. They are there for your first win, when you come in last, and every place in between. They are there for you first hole in one, and when you make a 10 on the first hole in your first collegiate event. The thing about golf dads is they are there, and they always will be there. For my whole life I was fortunate enough to have one of the best golf dads there ever was. However, while everything he did for me was beyond incredible the one thing that meant the world to me was the ability to play golf with him every weekend.
Every weekend from the time I was a kid, my dad and I had standing tee times every weekend. Whether we played Saturday, Sunday or both days, we played every weekend. That tradition continued throughout my whole life. When I left for college I was heartbroken that I wouldn’t be able to get out on the links with him as much as I did in the past. Little did I know my dad had other plans in mind. Not only did my dad come to every single one of my collegiate events, but every Sunday he would drive up to Jersey City and we would play 9 holes at Skyway Golf Course or go to the range for a few hours. We would play and practice for a few hours no matter the weather, then we would go to the diner for dinner. Those moments with him will forever live within me and I will hold on to them for the rest of my life.
Golf dads in my opinion are a different breed of dad, they see their kids at their absolute best and at their lowest lows. Golf dads pick you up when you fall and put you on a pedestal when you succeed. They give you the tools in life to become the best version of yourself, and they are always proud of you no matter the outcome.
Dad, you have made me the man I am today and If there is one thing I could do in this life is become half the golf dad you are, I would consider it a success. You are my hero dad and you always will be, I can’t thank you enough for everything you have done for me. The only thing I can do is meet you on the first tee on Sunday for another round. I love you dad. (Mike)
Mike and I may have very different golf backgrounds, but like Mike my dad has played a huge part in me falling in love with golf. So many of my favorite golf memories involve my dad. I will try to highlight a few of my favorite memories with my dad as well as a heartfelt thank you to my dad.
The first one that comes to mind is our trip to St. Andrews in 2017. Walking The Old Course with the man that introduced me to the game will always be one of the best memories in my life. Years of watching golf and playing against one another came full circle that week in St. Andrews. It is probably also the weekend my golf fandom went to a new level.
Another memory, one of the first golf memories I had with my dad was in a father scramble at a local course. We smoked the fellas we were playing with, but when winners were announced they somehow won. My dad taught me a few lessons that day that have stuck with me since. My honesty and integrity are something I take great pride in and that day with my pops taught me a lot.
This last one is not one specific memory, but rather many small moments combined. Most Sundays growing up involved watching golf with my dad, that has turned into texting most Sundays about golf if we are not together. They are simple moments, but they are also moments that bring me great joy.
There a million memories I did not mention here, whether it be the PGA Championship, The Waste Management Open, playing golf in the Bahamas or even walking down the 18th fairway on the old course the night before I graduated talking about how life works out in mysterious ways. So maybe that is the point, there are so many memories I can mention here that I didn’t and I just wanted to thank you for giving me enough golf memories to last a lifetime. You have no idea how good it felt to finally beat you last year in our yearly outing. Looking forward to the next time we get to tee it up and looking forward to the continued golf memories we will make, because spending time with you is the greatest memory. (Tyler)