Victory,

I've had many of the same experiences playing with "older golfers". Last year I played as a single and was joined by a gentleman in his early 80's. I could tell from his very first swing that, in his younger days, he had been a player. As our round progressed he told me stories of knowing and competing with Sam Snead (among notable others) and how he had once beaten Sam. I took that as another old man's enhanced golf memory but I enjoyed the golf and especially enjoyed his "inside stories" on the great Sam Snead. We parted ways after shaking hands on the 18th green, but not before I expressed my gratitude for the 4 hours of listening to golf history. Later, as I was enjoying a "soda" in the clubhouse this same gentleman approached me and asked if he could sit for a moment. He explained that his grown children didn't treat him nearly as well as I had and he wanted me to have something. He then pulled out his well-worn wallet, removed an aged and tattered scorecard and handed it to me. The scorecard was from a practice round match between him and Sam Snead at the 1949 PGA Championship. The card was Attested by Sam Snead and the barely readable total revealed that Mr. Snead had lost this match (and $20.00 I was told) to my new friend 2 & 1. He told me everyone he knew that would appreciate the scorecard for the story it told was gone now and he wanted me to have it. As much as I would have loved to accept this gift, it was not my "treasure" to own, so I reluctantly but politely handed it back to him. I mentioned to him that his children would eventually find it and hopefully realize what it meant to him to have carried it with him all these years. The scorecard was for them ...not for me. Sadly, I never saw him again and I only remember his name was John (no last name was ever given). I will always remember John, with his stories of Sam Snead, and that time worn scorecard.

The real story here was the lesson I learned about playing golf with "seniors". I can only hope that when I'm a senior I will leave a lasting impression on a youngster like the one John left on me.