This is the one week each year when you just KNOW its going to rain. Pouring buckets with hail and heavy thunderstorms. Since about 1975 its happened almost like clockwork. Why you ask? Jack Nicklaus hosts The Memorial. One of the best PGA Tour stops. The course legend says is built upon Leatherlips grave site and well around here that means RAIN. Only 5 times since its inception has the tournament not been delayed. Growing up in Central Ohio always meant ditching school for a day or 2 to get sunburned and watch golf. I have fond memories of taking girls WAAAYYY out of my league to the tournament for a day in high school. You see back then they were like golden tickets. Everybody wanted them and not so many had them. My dad always bought 4 or 6. I was cool. In fact for 3 years I worked at the Stouffers Hotel in dublin (the ONLY hotel at the time) planting flowers for the hotel the weeks before the tournament to spruce it up. A great job back then with good times all because the dude in front of me in Earth Science had his dad get us the jobs and a ride there and home. Being 14-15 was great.
Fast forward to the present and my parents now live about .2 miles from the 18th green. All the action is right there. Of course just to get to their house require special passes and giving your first born to Mr. Nicklaus. My dad still gets the tickets and I still take all the cool kids with me. Only now they are my kids. I don't get sunburned like I used to and I certainly watch more golf. Its still the party it used to be except this year all the people were missing. Its official now. The economy is tanking. The huge galleries are gone. In fact I spent most of the day on the 18th green just hanging in the clubhouse or sitting near the pin. Nearly by myself. Last year attendance was down a bit, but this year is absurd. Maybe 100 people around 18 all day. When Crybaby Woods came through it filled up just like always. Probably 1500 people follow Tiger. The thing that bothered me most off all was that when tiger was playing you could literally hear a pin drop. When every other group came through people just yacked away. Truly pathetic. There was a time that when every group came through the only thing heard was golf claps. Those days I guess are long gone. In fact the crowd is there not to watch golf so much as they are to be seen.
Weather forecast for today 76 Sunny. For saturday 80 and Sunny. For Sunday 84 and Sunny. Yesterday was 67 and SUNNY. Hmmmmm.
1 comment:
Well, yes. I quite agree that there is no way anyone couls make an argument that we have more discipline in society today than we did 10 or even 20 years ago. Everyone should know how to behave. I've thought of compiling a list of items for a separate BLOG on what is ailing society as a people and cell phone texting and obnoxious conversation is high atop that list. How cool that you were able to snag tickets for the chicks!!!! Cool post, Davy!!!!!:)
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