The Caddy, The Player and the Traveler MANY OF OUR READERS often think that our jobs are some of the best in the world. But at least once a year I devote a letter dispelling the rumors and explaining that our jobs are just like anyone else’s. I have the trials and tribulations of running a business like any other small business owner. Except for the last two weeks, that is. Everything I did the last two weeks was what I thought my life would be like when I started the magazine eight years ago. It was three awesome events I will title, “The Caddie, The Player and The Traveler.” The CADDIE I teased last month that I had the opportunity to caddie for my son in the Starburst Junior Golf Tournament held down in Waco. And it could be categorized as the most fun I have ever had on the golf course, and the most frustrating. I was really excited about doing it – spending three full days out of town with my son, watching him play golf among his peers. Plus, I could add a few tidbits of insight as he was competing in his first major golf event. I did have a great time with my son. We were on the golf course four days in a row we ate all meals together and ate a lot of Starburst on our bed before falling asleep. The best part was, after a three-day tournament, we were talking to each other on the ride home. But that’s where the fun ended. Being a type-A personality as I am, caddying for someone you care about might be one of the most frustrating things you could ever do. You can give advice as a caddie, but you can’t hit the shots. And watching my son attempt to hit shots we agreed to, but not be able to pull them off, can be one of the most gut-wrenching experiences ever. We didn’t have a chance to win, as the winning 12-year-old shot 63-70-67 (remember the name Jordan Spieth), but we wanted to give a good showing nonetheless. In my mind, we did just that. My son improved all three days, and shot 92-88-80 to finish in the middle of the pack. I easily cost him six shots a day as a caddie. That’s not an exaggeration at all. On one particular hole the first day, I instructed him to hit his tee shot straight out of bounds, as I felt we could cut a dogleg. I was the only caddy to recommend it. The second day, after shooting 38 on the front nine, I recommended hitting a flop shot over a tree near the green. The missed flop resulted in a nine on the hole, and the wheels came off after that. Bones MacKay I am not. All in all, it was a huge success. We know that my son has the potential to be a good player soon, and we also learned that my caddying skills need to be vastly improved. I’m thinking of putting his mother on the bag next year. At least she’ll remember to tell him to put sunscreen on (I still haven’t heard the end of that). The PLAYER Every year I play in my club’s member-guest event. I was playing great leading up to the event, scoring below my handicap nearly every time I teed it up. That is, until the event. I sucked. Maybe it was the fatigue of the three prior days of caddying in the Waco heat … or perhaps it was my first year playing with my friend and we lacked the necessary chemistry ... or it might be that I am no longer a gamer. Truth be told, I believe the latter is the reason for my poor showing. I am no longer a gamer. I only play in two tournaments a year, and you can’t be tournament tough unless your game can withstand the pressure. Witness Tiger Woods at the U.S. Open. His game might have been on, but he hadn’t played competitively for so long that it couldn’t withstand the pressure. I always like to compare my game to Tiger’s ... By the way, Craig Noonan and Steve Ibarguen win our flight every year. They are gamers, as they always play their best golf in tournaments. I hate them. The TRAVELER Days after the member-guest, I had the opportunity to travel to Cancun with my good friend and colleague, Rick Arnett. We were scheduled to play four rounds of golf in two-and-a-half days of non-stop companionship. We spend a lot of time together, probably more than we do with our own families. And we do have our disagreements (he has fired me from the radio show at least a dozen times … I’m a much more compassionate boss at the magazine). But we never have a bad moment on the golf course. The golf in Cancun was surprisingly good. Rick will write about the fine courses we played in next month’s issue. But what he won’t write about is the fact that he has lost his swing. In the five years I have worked with him, he has never had swing issues. But now his tee shots look like an exaggerated Barry Zito curveball. It pained me to watch him, as we all know what it’s like to struggle with your swing. I am hoping our resident instructor, Tim Cusick, can fix him quickly. As for me, I mastered the Cancun courses and played them like a pro. This figured, as there was nothing on the line. I hope you enjoyed the rehashing of my past two weeks of intense golf, because it will be my last letter on golf in a long time. I need a break. And I need to get back to work. read all similar articles