Merry Christmas. Really enjoyed the story; remarkable how your words connect us with our own memories. Just read your “...and a Fleck or History” as well-it was a great companion during this blizzard Christmas here in Buffalo.
Tom, I really appreciate support of this endeavor and for your comment here. Thanks too for reading my anthology. I hope it thaws out soon in the Buffalo area.
As a fellow 1959 baby, you bring back some very pleasant memories of my first golfing days as a twelve year old. A small country town of 3,000, a nine hole sand green course, emptying the hole of sand with your hand, so little grass that there were two clubs lengths (!) preferred lies, cracks in the black soil fairways that could swallow a ball, having to pull a humongous number of prickles out of my socks after a game, jumping on my bike after school and pedalling the short distance to the club pulling my bag and buggy behind me. Mum always knew where I was! What a memorable introduction to the great game of golf. Fifty years later I treasure those memories (and receiving a gorgeous set of Wilson Staff’s for Christmas 1974!)
Thanks for the note and the recollections of your start in golf. Sounds like wonderful memories. "Prickles" I'm guessing are what we in the American south called "Sandspurs" ; by any name they could hurt if you stepped on one barefoot.
I'm working on an essay on the nine-hole course where I first played; so many fun days there.
That's wild that you got Wilson Staff's for 1974 Christmas; so did I! Three Strata-bloc Woods and 9 irons, the ones they made for a couple of years with the circular weights near the toe.
Great story Bill. My first starter set had the same clubs as yours, but as a 12 year old boy they were embarrassing. They were Louise Suggs clubs, ladies clubs. I outgrew then but saved the clubs and each of my two boys used them for a year or two when they started out in the game.
Thanks, John. So many of us must have begun that way, with the name of one pro or another on the clubs, in the era when that was common. I had two individual clubs before getting that set—a Kroydon putter and Sam Snead Blue Ridge 5-iron.
Great memories for sure! It was a fantastic place to grow up; we were lucky!
The Little League park across from the Armory was a wonderful spot for kids' baseball. Even had a grass infield. A couple of years ago, when I did feature about Coach Williams, John Wiley Jr. who was on the "Braves" with me, sent me pictures of the 1970 and 1971 teams. One of them we're standing by the outfield wall with the advertising signs. Free sno-cones from the concession stand if we won. Bill
Merry Christmas. Really enjoyed the story; remarkable how your words connect us with our own memories. Just read your “...and a Fleck or History” as well-it was a great companion during this blizzard Christmas here in Buffalo.
Tom, I really appreciate support of this endeavor and for your comment here. Thanks too for reading my anthology. I hope it thaws out soon in the Buffalo area.
As a fellow 1959 baby, you bring back some very pleasant memories of my first golfing days as a twelve year old. A small country town of 3,000, a nine hole sand green course, emptying the hole of sand with your hand, so little grass that there were two clubs lengths (!) preferred lies, cracks in the black soil fairways that could swallow a ball, having to pull a humongous number of prickles out of my socks after a game, jumping on my bike after school and pedalling the short distance to the club pulling my bag and buggy behind me. Mum always knew where I was! What a memorable introduction to the great game of golf. Fifty years later I treasure those memories (and receiving a gorgeous set of Wilson Staff’s for Christmas 1974!)
John,
Thanks for the note and the recollections of your start in golf. Sounds like wonderful memories. "Prickles" I'm guessing are what we in the American south called "Sandspurs" ; by any name they could hurt if you stepped on one barefoot.
I'm working on an essay on the nine-hole course where I first played; so many fun days there.
That's wild that you got Wilson Staff's for 1974 Christmas; so did I! Three Strata-bloc Woods and 9 irons, the ones they made for a couple of years with the circular weights near the toe.
Best, BF
Great story Bill. My first starter set had the same clubs as yours, but as a 12 year old boy they were embarrassing. They were Louise Suggs clubs, ladies clubs. I outgrew then but saved the clubs and each of my two boys used them for a year or two when they started out in the game.
Thanks, John. So many of us must have begun that way, with the name of one pro or another on the clubs, in the era when that was common. I had two individual clubs before getting that set—a Kroydon putter and Sam Snead Blue Ridge 5-iron.
Merry Christmas, Bill. Thanks for your walk down memory lane. Evokes lots of warm memories. What a fine writer you are.
Merry Christmas, Chris. Appreciate the kind words. All the best for a wonderful 2023.
Hi Walt,
Great memories for sure! It was a fantastic place to grow up; we were lucky!
The Little League park across from the Armory was a wonderful spot for kids' baseball. Even had a grass infield. A couple of years ago, when I did feature about Coach Williams, John Wiley Jr. who was on the "Braves" with me, sent me pictures of the 1970 and 1971 teams. One of them we're standing by the outfield wall with the advertising signs. Free sno-cones from the concession stand if we won. Bill