Mark’s Kaddy Korner

Driving across Alligator Alley early Tuesday morning I was staring directly into the sun and wondering what the week held. Sunday I’d hooked up with Jim Roy, some amateur who played a fabulous final round 66 at the Q-school to get his card. Could he really play? Was this going to be only a job for the week or maybe the year? What kind of guy is he? Is the pay going to be any good? All these questions were running through my head as I cruised into Boca Raton and the Old Course at Broken Sound.

By the time I’d gathered my luggage and boarded the Houston-Hobby airport rental car shuttle bus my long sleeve t-shirt was drenched with sweat. Our rather rotund bus driver announced, “Don’t worry honey, you ain’t gonna havta worry about the heat, it’s fixin’ to get real cold this afternoon. I can’t wait; I’m tired of sweating this year.” She was right; Houston experienced some God awful weather the next five days.

 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

During last week’s Bob Hope Chrysler Classic I was thinking about some memorable pro am experiences. Every week we have a scheduled pro am on Wednesday (Wednesday and Thursday Champions Tour), and there are three or four week long celebrity pro ams each year. I’ve been on the tee box with Presidents, movie stars, Hall of Fame sports legends, corporate CEO’s from every industry, and “Joe Hacker”. To be honest, I’m not sure where the best stories come from. I’m going to tell a few, you let me know your favorites.

First Tee with President Ford