Golf - The Game of Kings

 The Beauty and Power of Golf

I come from a family of four boys and we were all athletes playing mostly basketball and baseball, but every sport in its season whether it was street hockey, tackle football at the park, wiffle ball, horseshoes, box hockey, tennis, and yes golf. 

We grew up "economically disadvantaged" or a funny way of saying poor.  Food stamps, welfare, the works.  A single mother with four young boys does what she has to do.  We never felt poor though growing up in the wonderful tight knit working class town with the funny Indian name of Conshohocken, Lenape for Pleasant Valley, and indeed it was a Pleasant Valley.  

 We excelled in all the traditional sports growing up, and would have some legendary games of 2-on-2 hoops with the two middle Bros versus me and the Baby.  We would get them most of the time, and those years of little brother taking a licking would pay dividends as he became the best player in the history of our local high school. 

I was introduced to many other great games as a young teenager from Chess, Foosball, Ping Pong, and the best of them Golf.  My dear friends, coaches, and mentors at the local community center Coach Frank, Jimmy, Reeno, and Dennis would be an extended family to all of us, but had a special influence on me.  

Dennis and Coach played golf, and Coach even caddied so knew the game well.  Dennis and Coach cobbled together a set of clubs when I was 13, and I learned the game on the local legendary Woody's golf 9 hole chip-n-putt  and the 18 hole par 54 courses. I was smitten and hooked immediately.  I was a baseball player so I felt an immediate connection with hitting the ball. 

As I played the game for the past 40 years, I have come to realize it's one of the few sports that you can enjoy playing throughout your entire life.  I get even more enjoyment now than I did when I was younger. And I've realized that the best part of the game is that it connects generations of family and friends.  We would take family vacations when the children were younger at golf resorts and always enjoyed the people, hospitality, and community. 

I have the pleasure and joy of playing with our 20 something's and what's nice is that we get to spend 5 quality hours together out in the fresh air and sunshine without cell phones, Tv's, social media, and computers.  I'm grateful and thankful for all the time we spend together on the course. How refreshing! 

And while golf is known as the sport of Kings and originated in it's present form from the home of golf Scotland.  Some of the game's best players started out from modest means.  The great Tom and Tommy Morris' were caddies who became legends of the games.  Tiger Woods played and learned on a Naval base community course.  

Do yourself a favor and start playing, teach your children the game, and you will find that Golf can be the start of a wonderful family experience that will last generations.

With Love,

Coach K