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What’s Your Favorite Golf Experience with Dad?

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The dads of Stinky Golfer's Tom (left) and Greg (right).
The dads of Stinky Golfer’s Tom (left) and Greg (right).

With all the wisdom of being an adult, it’s so easy to see what golf and Father’s Day have in common. Take a second and think back to the days when you were little; Remember the times you spent with your father? Did you feel a closeness to him? Did he engage you with that fatherly camaraderie? I hope the answer is yes.

When I was young, dad introduced me to the game of golf in style: I got my own 30-year-old clubs with a 50-year-old bag that smelled like moth balls, exhaust and mildew (fairly typically, no)?

I would proudly pack my ancient tools in his trunk and he’d drive us to the local golf range. We’d split a bucket of balls and I would make a game out of it; seeing how many I could hit in a row, or how far I could hit them. I would run up to the ball and swing as hard as my little body could swing the club…only to see the ball bounce five feet in front of me! But that wouldn’t faze me – with a smile on my face I would look up at him and say, “Hey dad, I hit the ball!” and his response was nothing but pride; “At ‘a boy son.”

When I got a little older, dad would help me with my swing, and teach me all the rules and etiquette. I remember one Father’s Day in particular, when I asked dad to go golfing with me. It was a warm, sunny day – probably around 80 degrees with a slight breeze and (can you believe this?) no one on the course! When is there ever no one on the course? On a Sunday? On Father’s Day no less???

Well, it truly was my father’s day that day – he shot par; knocked in a shot from 50 yards; and sunk putts from 20 and 30 feet like he was a pro! Needless to say, he beat me by multiple strokes. After that, he took me out for food and ice cream. I may have been young, but I realized that day my dad was someone special – regardless of the fact he played so well. It’s a realization that’s never left me, and I’m glad golf was able help reveal it to me.

Happy Father’s Day, and please share with us your favorite golf experience with dad.

– Tom Treloar, Co-founder: Golfstinks, LLC

Can I Get A Ruling?

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Can the hole be changed while play is going on? (photo by Esteban Maringolo / CC BY 2.0)
Can the hole be changed while play is going on? (photo by Esteban Maringolo / CC BY 2.0)

Recently, I played nine holes at a local public course with a few friends. We weren’t able to tee off until noon because of a tournament they had running that weekend. No problem, I know the men’s or women’s association get dibs on the course, tee times, tourney’s etc… Now, what I don’t get is; Do these associations trump a paying non-members rights when they are on the course playing?

Here’s what went down. We are on the 8th hole and making our approach to the green. My ball is the only one to stay on and is about 15-20 feet from the pin. The others either roll onto the fringe or end up a few feet off in the rough. As were are heading to our balls these two guys pull up, one with a hole cutting tool and the other with the cup tool. They continue to make a new hole on the green and plug the other.

By this time we were within a few feet of them and puzzled. I’ve never seen this before…ever. Some guy just changed the hole location on us before we finished the hole. The good part is that he moved it closer to my ball but we had to ask. Their reply was that because of the weekend tournament the holes must be moved. We then ask why can’t that be done early morning before the round…like every other course does it. One of the guys comes back with that he’s a member of the men’s association, this is his job and he can’t make it back early enough tomorrow.

We let that bit of foggy, unclear bantor settle for a minute. Without stating the most obvious common sense response that you could have waited for us to finish, we let them be and continue our play. I’m still not sure if those two guys, members nonetheless, understood their lack of etiquette.

So, what would the ruling on that be?

Working In The Golf Industry

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What job would you take in the golf industry? (photo by David Anstiss / CC BY_SA 2.0)
What job would you take in the golf industry? (photo by David Anstiss / CC BY_SA 2.0)

My wife and I have both recently started new jobs. Starting a new job is always exciting, more so when both you and your spouse are doing so at the same time! A new company, new position, new responsibilities…there’s much to look forward to especially considering we are both moving into industries completely foreign to both of us. One of us is taking a position in, for lack of a better way to explain it, the “relocation” business. The other in the golf industry. Any guesses which of us is taking which position?

Yup, you guessed it. My wife, who couldn’t possibly be less interested in the sport, is now working in the golf industry. That’s right, while I’m worried about coordinating delivery of furniture into an apartment complex, my wife, who is an accountant, is heading for work at the golf course management company she is now employed by. Am I jealous? Yes and no.

I’m not jealous of the actual job. Even though it is with a golf course management company, it’s still accounting. My wife enjoys it, but to me it’s just addition and subtraction all day. I can think of some other jobs I would rather do. So I’m not jealous of the job she has. However, I am very much jealous of one of her co-workers.

I don’t know the guy and I have no idea what the position entails. All I know is, my wife was telling me a “today, at work” story that went something like this:

Blah blah blah…and…blah blah blah…and then…blah blah blah…when all of a sudden, the Director of Golf…blah blah blah…..

What?! Director of Golf?! Is that an actual position?! An actual job?! What does he do? Make sure people are golfing? Who cares what he does…how do I get that job? Where do I apply? I play golf…I can certainly direct it!!

OK, I’m sure there’s more to the position than what I believe there to be. But I’m still jealous of the title.

Even though I don’t have the position in the golf industry, that doesn’t mean I don’t somehow benefit from it. I’ve already been notified that I can play any of the eight or nine courses managed by the company at a discounted rate. That’s great news enough…but it gets better! In order to make up some time for a day she’ll need off later in the week, my wife went into work for a few hours on Memorial Day. Her boss being there also, rewarded her with some gift certificates to some of the golf courses! Since she doesn’t play, guess where those rewards will be headed. That’s right…directly into my golf bag!

So I’d like to take this moment to say thank you. Thank you to my wife for always being able to find the cool jobs. Thank you for always finding the jobs that somehow benefit me. I may never hold a position as cool as Director of Golf, but that doesn’t mean my wife can’t direct me to the golf course.

Thanks again honey!!

A Memorable Round…

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American flag background - shot and lit in studio
(photo by Boston Harborfest / CC BY 2.0)

I could never forget this one round of golf I played with a friend and his dad who served in Vietnam. Memorial Day is just around the corner and every year around this time I always reflect back on the stories he shared. For most veterans that served and saw action in any war, I’m pretty sure revisiting the past and relaying what they saw is or was rather difficult.

We arrived at the course, paid our fees and headed out to the first tee. As we were making our way, I noticed my friend’s dad staring at the starter’s tattoo on his arm. Turns out the starter, who was about fifteen years older than my buddie’s father, served in the same branch as he did. They were both 101st Airborne Army Rangers and had similar tat’s.

I knew my friend’s father was a Ranger and served in Vietnam but, now seemed like a good time to slide in a few curious questions about the war. Seeing that it was a fresh topic and all. Let me tell you, I’m glad I did and at the same time wished I never did. We made our way around the front nine and he told us about the basic stuff of Vietnam like where he was stationed and the pranks they pulled on each other but always seemed to avoid the gritty and gorey parts we saw on TV.

I then ask the question that will resonate in my head forever…”How close were the movies to the real thing?”. In my defense, I was about 23 or 24 years old and not quite as bright as I should have been. So, I find out he was one of the only survivors of his platoon and to this day still has some pretty big battle scars and shrapnel scars on his body.

I will not go into detail about what exactly was told to me out of respect for my friend’s father but, I will say one thing. Towards the end of our discussion he told us, “When you are in a tough situation and you feel like quitting or complaining, just think how worse things could be, you could be ducking bullets or fighting to live. Think of me, get your shit together and push through…”

My final score of 105 didn’t matter, the fact that I lost 8 balls didn’t matter, even the club that I broke didn’t bother me anymore. This was something bigger. To my friend’s dad and to all that have served, thank you!

My Golf Soundtrack

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music-159870_640I’m standing a few yards behind my teed-up golf ball on the first hole, trying to mimic that scene in The Legend of Bagger Vance – you know, the one where Bobby Jones is glaring down the fairway with deadly intensity? He clears his mind of everything except the task at hand; he visualizes the perfect golf shot. The film’s soundtrack picks-up and a wind begins to wisp as soft piano keys entrance you with a gentle arpeggiation…he’s in the field.

Setting up in that way never works for me…it’s that damn music; I can’t get it out of my head. Written by talented British composer Rachel Portman, the score immerses me into dreamy thought. The music is intensified as Junuh sets himself to hit. The melody is more than engaging; you may be sitting in your living room but somehow, you’re transposed onto the golf course. You can smell the freshly cut grass; hear birds chirping as they take flight. It’s as if you’re part of every ripple and undulation in the fairway; you feel the club become an extension of your arms; your eyes guide the ball to its soft landing in the middle of the fairway. Junuh takes his shot; the music stops; and you’re back in front of the television.

Part of my problem on the golf course is I give myself a soundtrack to play along with – in my mind I mean. I guess you can say music inspires me; it probably does for many of us. But I actually think of a song to inspire some of my golf shots. This can be a distraction – especially when the song is “I’m on a Boat” by The Lonely Island (featuring T-Pain). I’m not sure why that song inspires me, it’s a spoof rap track that’s meant to be silly, but there I am teeing-it-up on hole #15 to the lyrics: “I got my swim trunks and my flippy-floppies…” Plunk – I’ll need to get on a boat just to fish-out my tee-shot.

Without fail, someone in my foursome will drop a line from Caddyshack at the turn. So? So let’s dance! Ever try teeing-off to “Any Way You Want It” by Journey? Yeah, that’s got slice written all over it (and I NEVER slice)!

After a few holes, I finally shake the falsetto wailings of Steve Perry and settle-in on something more appropriate. Perhaps if it’s the last hole and I’m putting my final stroke of the day, I’ll think of the closing scene of The Greatest Game Ever Played…

But I usually can’t stomach more than 20 seconds of that. Inevitably, my putt will fall just short of the hole, leaving me with a “Cuban” – oh how I wish the course had a gopher problem…

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