Memories on the links can last a lifetime
An interesting moment altered completely personal thoughts about playing golf.
Transformation happened last fall as Cherry Valley CC member Susan Sardi, a talented amateur golfer and friend, and I hiked up the No. 9 hole at Wellesley CC just outside Boston.
Sardi, living proof that one can improve in golf if they desire no matter what age, had qualified for the 2016 U.S. Senior Women’s Open and offered me the honor to caddy for her.
We had neared the end of a non-playing 9-hole walk around Wellesley when an unexpected storm delivered rain for about five minutes.
The No. 9 hole is a par-5 that requires an approach shot to an elevated green. By the time we reached the putting surface, sunshine had appeared.
We looked back down the fairway and witnessed a rainbow that stretched across Wellesley CC. We could have packed up and headed home as the moment delivered an epiphany about golf and life.
Our team did not fair well in the tournament and friendship strained but memories were made.
Golf delivers opportunities to make friends but also makes difficult accepting departures as death removes playing partners.
Delta Upsilon Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the Omega Delta Upsilon Foundation, Inc. hosts its annual tournament tomorrow without former President Stan Davis who passed away in April.
Participants tee off in a shotgun start at 8 a.m. at Mountain View GC in Ewing as the tournament now bears Davis’ name. Davis, the oldest of 11 children had shown his siblings the way toward success, embarking on a fantastic life journey that produced success in education, business and as father, husband and friend.
No doubt, acquaintances and friends of Jack “Butch” DeCarlo miss him dearly after his unexpected death in January. DeCarlo, a member of the Mercer County Senior Citizen Golf Association, played many rounds at Princeton CC.
The Hamilton resident passed away in January after suffering injuries when a 50-pound dumbbell weight fell from an overpass and crashed through his windshield on the NJ Turnpike.
DeCarlo had always moved around as a gentleman, always said hello. His death served as another wakeup call about life and golf.
On Sept. 11, Christine’s Hope For Kids honors Christine Gianacaci with an 8th Annual golf tournament at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton.
Ms. Gianacaci passed away in 2010 after an earthquake toppled a hotel in Haiti where she and several other Lynn University students and two professors perished.
Gianacaci, on Spring Break, had been a member of the Lynn University mission to deliver food to the poverty stricken Caribbean country.
Since passing, her foundation has helped thousands of children and families.
A personal friendship with her mother and father had started at Springdale GC. Ms. Gianacaci had taught me something about golf and life before her passing.
She had participated in a golf tournament at Mountain View GC and had posted a score in the 90s. We were talking about her round and she had found joy and success, not in a number but in achievement.
Christine had managed to hit her second shot over the water on the 12th hole. Magical.
So, to all golfers, an insight here implores you to enjoy the moments with friends. Captured in the right light, golf memories can last a lifetime.