So what is the responsibility of a parent to make sure your kid makes the right decisions (after they've come "of age.")? And what is the responsibility of a caddy to make sure his player makes the right decisions? When I’m out on the links with my kid, those two questions merge as one. On the PGA tour some caddies are part of the decision making process and influence their players decision, others are merely pack mules, carrying clubs, and raking bunkers. But even the influential ones (e.g. Bones for Mickelson, Fluff for Jim Furyk) defer to the player in the end with whom the final decision must rest.So there we were, with a ("a" not "the" as there are many) moment of truth decision upon us. There had been a few earlier, but this one was crunch time, two under with 3 holes to go and the cut likely at even par to play in the Met Am at Baltusrol. Bad drive with no clear shot to green. Do we take our medicine and punch out to fairway or try to hit high risk shot to save par. Dad’s Ten Commandments (see earlier blog) explicitly states to take medicine in this situation. Argument: If he punches out to fairway, he can still possibly get up and down for par but will certainly make no more than bogey, thus going into last two holes with one stroke to spare to make cut.And this is a special cut, 150 player field, some of the best in the area and they’re only taking eight. Halfway through the summer season, making this cut will buoy our boy immensely. It’s right there for team Luke. But he balks at my safe play suggestion... and I don’t insist. I get caught up in his delusion of hitting “the shot” and the secondary delusion that making the cut by two strokes rather than on the number, matters. It doesn't... but I'm swept away. Five minutes later, with a triple bogey on the card, we’re in desperation mode on 17 and 18 and it’s not going to work. Bad decision, cut missed. Time to move on. But it will sting for a day or two.
One day before, we were playing at The Ike Championship at Friar’s Head Country Club, which may be the most visually stunning and beautiful course I’ve ever seen… and that includes Pebble Beach and Kiawah Island (though I know there are others). We went out on day one to make the cut by playing conservative and methodical. Before the round, his competitor friends were amazed that we hadn’t come out for a practice round for such a unique golf course. A combination of logistics (course was far away and only accessible weekdays before) and the experience that practice rounds have never provided us better results, in fact to the contrary, made our first round the first time we’d seen the course. So conservative play made sense no matter what. Result: we make the cut… top 40 and ties from a field of well over a hundred competitors.
Day 2 of Ike (the afore mentioned "one day before": Now we know the course and the same plan is in play, well at least I think so, but as the day goes on, low scores by the leader start infecting our strategy. Pretty soon, we’re going for par 5’s and drivable par 4’s, attacking pins, and before long we’re picking up the inevitable bogey’s. We wind up T-29 where a top twenty was easily within reach. In golf, in order for the player to get back out there the next day, it's typical to blame something other than ones self and the likely target is the caddie... and in this case, it's a twofer... blame your caddie and your dad for the same money. Luke does not blame me, but I'm complicit. There will be another day. And more lessons to come.
One day before, we were playing at The Ike Championship at Friar’s Head Country Club, which may be the most visually stunning and beautiful course I’ve ever seen… and that includes Pebble Beach and Kiawah Island (though I know there are others). We went out on day one to make the cut by playing conservative and methodical. Before the round, his competitor friends were amazed that we hadn’t come out for a practice round for such a unique golf course. A combination of logistics (course was far away and only accessible weekdays before) and the experience that practice rounds have never provided us better results, in fact to the contrary, made our first round the first time we’d seen the course. So conservative play made sense no matter what. Result: we make the cut… top 40 and ties from a field of well over a hundred competitors.Day 2 of Ike (the afore mentioned "one day before": Now we know the course and the same plan is in play, well at least I think so, but as the day goes on, low scores by the leader start infecting our strategy. Pretty soon, we’re going for par 5’s and drivable par 4’s, attacking pins, and before long we’re picking up the inevitable bogey’s. We wind up T-29 where a top twenty was easily within reach. In golf, in order for the player to get back out there the next day, it's typical to blame something other than ones self and the likely target is the caddie... and in this case, it's a twofer... blame your caddie and your dad for the same money. Luke does not blame me, but I'm complicit. There will be another day. And more lessons to come.
