HomerJSimpson
Hall of Famer
Its that time of year, now the leaves have turned brown and the clocks have changed that I often reflect on my golfing career not only over the season just past but usually remembering old, perhaps funny instances from long ago.
It got me thinking who inspired you to play the game? Did you want to be like your hero on the TV? Did you want to beat your best mate/brother/dad? Did you have dreams of being a contender.
There are 3 people who inspired me. Firstly and unashamedly by dear old dad, sadly not with us anymore. He was a member at our local club and as a kid could never understand why he was never around on a Saturday morning. One day (I was about 10) he came home with a new set of irons and asked if I wanted to go to the range. He let me just hit a few and I was hooked.
Although money in our house was tight he managed to find enough to get me a junior half set of Petron's a bag, cheap shoes and some balls
He arranged for me to get proper coaching at Sandown Park (middle of the racecourse) which comprised of 5x1 hour lessons one week in the school holidays. Once I could hit the ball he got me into his old club (sadly work meant he gave up his membership so no father/son competitions for us) and would listen as I recounted every shot after every round. He never tried to tweak my game but was always there for advice.
The second inspiration was my first club pro Jeff Jukes. He gave me a job as his assistant and taught me so much not necessarily about golf. As a 15-16 year old he showed me so much about life in general. Dealing with the memebers and public gave me a solid grounding and I use to enjoy those halcyon summer days. He taught me the discipline of always hitting some balls before going out to play and that it is not the long shots that need the mosat work but those little testers on and around the green.
Finally we have my wife. With the patience of a several saints she still encouragrs me every time I go out to play be it in a friendly 4 ball or a major open competition. She listens to my post round analysis and always manages to find the words of comfort if it has gone poorly or is made up if I do well. She lets me practice if I need to and always lets me go and play. She even tried to learn herself but sadly couldn't get the bug.
So there we have it. Three people who have left an indelible mark on my life as a golfer and as a person. They have inspired me to always play to win but to lose with good grace. It is only a game.
I'd love to hear who inspired you.
Happy golfing
Homer
(sorry for the length but had this topic inside me for a while trying to get out!!)
It got me thinking who inspired you to play the game? Did you want to be like your hero on the TV? Did you want to beat your best mate/brother/dad? Did you have dreams of being a contender.
There are 3 people who inspired me. Firstly and unashamedly by dear old dad, sadly not with us anymore. He was a member at our local club and as a kid could never understand why he was never around on a Saturday morning. One day (I was about 10) he came home with a new set of irons and asked if I wanted to go to the range. He let me just hit a few and I was hooked.
Although money in our house was tight he managed to find enough to get me a junior half set of Petron's a bag, cheap shoes and some balls
He arranged for me to get proper coaching at Sandown Park (middle of the racecourse) which comprised of 5x1 hour lessons one week in the school holidays. Once I could hit the ball he got me into his old club (sadly work meant he gave up his membership so no father/son competitions for us) and would listen as I recounted every shot after every round. He never tried to tweak my game but was always there for advice.
The second inspiration was my first club pro Jeff Jukes. He gave me a job as his assistant and taught me so much not necessarily about golf. As a 15-16 year old he showed me so much about life in general. Dealing with the memebers and public gave me a solid grounding and I use to enjoy those halcyon summer days. He taught me the discipline of always hitting some balls before going out to play and that it is not the long shots that need the mosat work but those little testers on and around the green.
Finally we have my wife. With the patience of a several saints she still encouragrs me every time I go out to play be it in a friendly 4 ball or a major open competition. She listens to my post round analysis and always manages to find the words of comfort if it has gone poorly or is made up if I do well. She lets me practice if I need to and always lets me go and play. She even tried to learn herself but sadly couldn't get the bug.
So there we have it. Three people who have left an indelible mark on my life as a golfer and as a person. They have inspired me to always play to win but to lose with good grace. It is only a game.
I'd love to hear who inspired you.
Happy golfing
Homer
(sorry for the length but had this topic inside me for a while trying to get out!!)
