Dads, Lads and Munis
By The Son of Papa Chip
Who introduced you to the game? Was it your dad at the affordable local muni? Is it still there? The saddest thing to hear in our game is when someone says, there used to be a course here. Think about it. Gone are courses like Cypress, Stevinson Ranch, Diablo Grande, Indian Valley, Roddy Ranch and to many others to mention. The traditions of the local muni must be preserved. Easy boys, this is not going to be a Tom Watson/Judge Smails in a red waist coat with black lapels sermon on the integrity of the game. Why does the Judge even have medals? Did he earn them at the Battle of the Sand Traps at El Almein or maybe it was the Victory over the Yips at Iwo Jima?
While it is futile to lament progress and land values, it is of the utmost importance for the growth of the game to keep the affordable public courses we have left viable. Only in golf can a father and son battle the same course as his father and grandfather before him did. Inevitably, as golf is wont to do, the post-round takes place.
This sporting interaction is more than just a shared game, it’s shared lives. After a four hour round, five if it's here (at Poplar), the game is re-hashed in all of its glory with triumphs and disasters taking equal billing. Old Tom Morris and his son Tommy are believed to have started this tradition long ago. Rumor has it that they enjoyed the post game so much they extended the game from six holes to eighteen to match the number of shots in a whiskey bottle. How can we let this kind of tradition die?
Think about all the great memories you may have had sitting around discussing that lost ball on eight or the great putt on seventeen with your dad. This is the Muni at its finest. I doubt the Xbox computer game guys have these kinds of memories. The sight of a father with his young son or daughter carrying their miniature golf clubs and Teddy Bears out to the range must continue. Protect our Munis.
Happy Father’s Day