Earlier this spring while motorcycle vacationing in Hot Springs, Virginia, I ran into JC Snead in a small rustic breakfast nook. I introduced myself and he invited me to join him. During the remainder of the week I sat with him on two more occasions, once in his late uncle Sams former bar. He was very interesting and self depreciating, bemoaning his good ball striking unbelievably bad putting. Said he didn't know what he was going to do because he didn't want to give up the game. Interesting to get the inside look on a guy I used to follow regularly. Since then I usually check out how he's been doing and it continues to be poorly.
Unfortunately, barring injury, the putter going south is what separates the gods from the mortals. Many people feel Tom Watson is hitting the ball as well as he ever did, but watching him on the greens can be painful. It is the same thing with many sports that require hand/eye coordination and nerves. Pool players, dart players, target shooters, the young guys always make it look easy. Youth is wasted on the young.
My ex's father was one of the best golfers in this city when he was young. When he couldn't play at that level anymore he actually gave up the game entirely. Here's a good story for you. I tried for years to get him to come to the range with me. I wanted him to help me out with my swing for sure, but I also just really wanted to see him swing. After about 4 or 5 years he finally gave in. We took his bag of 1970 Wilson Buttonbacks and StrataBlock woods and headed to the range. Now you have to understand that at this point he was close to eighty; he was in great shape, over 6 feet tall, and still solid, but near eighty. He also had not hit a ball in at least 20 years. I thought that he would take a few swings with some short irons and maybe hit the 3 wood. When I got to the stall with balls, he took the driver out of the bag, teed up a ball, and then with no warmup, took a short slow swing and hit the ball 210 straight as an arrow. He hit 10 more and each was within 10 yards of the first. Then he put the club back in the bag and that was it. It was the single most amazing thing I have ever seen in golf. He never swung a club again.
I didn't even ask him to help me. I knew it would be pointless. I could work on my golf swing forever and never do what he did with no effort. Man, did I ever get sidetracked, but I wanted to tell the story.
Awesome story! And from my own experiences, there's no doubting its veracity. The great ones always make it look too easy! Whether its their swing, their stance, their address, who knows. All I know is that when I am able to emulate just one of their attributes, even if it is for just one, miniscule, measy, fleeting second, I'm thrilled!!!!!; and that's what keeps me coming back to the game and the driving range, day after day after day!
tinfoilhat, who was your ex's father ? I knew some of the better amateur players around Vancouver some years ago, just curious.
His name was Peter Sharp. You would have to go way back to know him. He won a fairly prestigious tournament in Vancouver just before WW2. The trophy used to be in the case outside the pro-shop at the University Club, but when I went down there a few weeks ago to look for it, they had redone the trophy cases and I couldn't find it. Unfortunately I can't remember what the tournament was, but I think I'll ask someone down there to do a bit of a hunt for it soon.
Since you opened this up, I'll tell you another story. One day I asked him how often he played as a kid and He said every day. I asked, what club did you belong to, and he said none. I asked him how he could afford it and he said that he played for free. When I asked him how he did that, he told me that he played at night! I started to laugh and asked him how the heck he did that, and he said, "Well, you hit the ball, walk up to where it is, and hit it again." Can you imagine? There are plenty of days where I can't find my ball in the afternoon.
Tinfoilhat, great stories about your father-inlaw. Reminds me of a guy that worked in the same factory as me. He was a hot shot amatuer golfer as a teenager competing with a lot of success in state tourneys and held the course record 65 where I played ( a Donald Ross course). We begged and begged him for years to play in our shop league and finally he relented. After not playing for twenty years he played par golf nearly every time out and with a swing that was made in heaven. Like riding a bike , you never forget.
my dad could be added to this thread, though he never actually quit the game. His body quit on him...He played in the NFL in the '50's w/ the Eagles, then went to the CFL...took up golf seriously in his mid 30's and was scratch in a couple of years..just a great athlete......even in his late 60's, at 6 ft. tall and 112 pounds (having lost 70+ pounds) and having to drag an oxygen tank around because of emphysema, he would break 80 every time out playing the tees that measured about 6500yards....220 down the middle, knock it close to the green, get up and down seemingly every dang time...and taking my $$$. He would do this even though he only played 3 or 4 times a year from about age 63 to 68...He was too sick his last two years to play but he would watch me chip and putt at that point. Every now and then he'd chip or putt a couple and make it look like he practiced daily....if only I inherited those genes!!!! They say you either have "it" or you don't and "it" can't be learned........unfortunately I don't have "it"...
September 15th, 2005, 12:42 AM
Makes me wonder if he was satisfied with his 10 swings, or rued the day he quit. 
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