Mark’s Kaddy Korner

 No professional golfer ever wants to reach 80 on the course but I’m sure Arnold is happy he achieved this 80. What a life it has been. Here’s a little piece I posted earlier this year and thought I’d bring it out for his birthday.

“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind
has ever invented.” -Arnold Palmer

My brother said there would be jobs open in Northwest Arkansas so I headed that way early Labor Day morning. Motels and restaurants are getting old this time of year and it looked like there was quite a bit of wild country around Rogers, AK so I called Dad and had him meet me in Lincoln, IL with my tent and sleeping bags. This time of year felt like a great time for some camping and Roaring Rivers Park was my destination for the week. I could do without ESPN as long as the weather held out.

It happens. Caddies and players disband often for a variety of reasons, usually because things aren’t going well and there has been little success. Time to make a change and we’re the only expendable component in the mixture. Maybe there was a tremendous screw-up; late for a tee time, too many clubs in the bag, hangover on the first tee, etc. A veteran caddy with years of service (i.e. Fluff and Furyk last week) can survive isolated problems, but none of us can overcome blood ties.

Hey all,

There weren’t any jobs on the island so I caught the 9:30 ferry Monday morning and headed for Scranton, PA. None of my calls were returned but hopefully there would be a job waiting for me. After 800 miles I arrived at the Rodeway Inn in Moosic, PA and made plans for an early parking lot crusade the next morning. My buddy Rodney made the room reservation, and I was kind of stuck without a place to stay, but after a few days I realized this just might be the worst hotel I’ve stayed in quite awhile. Oh well, life on the road has its ups and downs.