Inside the Ropes... Almost

I’m not sure if this is about me, as dad; me, as caddie; my son Luke, the object of my caddying; the uniqueness of the Champions Tour, or simply about getting in touch with one’s inner golfer… but here goes:

Following an early round of golf with Luke this past Sunday, we hopped in my car and made our way to The Cricket Club in Philadelphia to see the final round of the Constellation Senior Players Open. Luke, armed with a Media Pass from interning with PGA Magazine this summer, got us as far as the media parking lot, so I still had to pay, which I was glad to do, knowing that although the PGA makes boatloads of money, they do in fact give a lot back to the communities in which the events are held. But I digress.

I had never been to a Champions Tour event before so I’m not positive, but I’m guessing that the turnout I witnessed on the final day was disappointing, for the Tour, the sponsors, the Golf Network, and the players. However, in the end, the sparse turnout had a silver lining. As close as one may get from time to time to the participants in a sporting event, there was nothing quite like what Luke and I and our fellow gallery members experienced that day. On Golf Channel, they’re always talking about the experience of being “inside the ropes,” as in, ”We’re inside the ropes and you’re not.” Well, on this day we came pretty close to crossing that great divide.

At the Constellation Players at the Cricket Club, the ropes barely kept us off the playing surface. On every tee and every green, we were, as the movie title says “Ten Feet from Stardom.” With our toes inches from the putting surface or short tee grass, we were privy to every player quip, every player sigh, every player-caddy conversation. When Joe Don Blake, still in contention, missed the green badly on the windy short par 13^th and groaned as he handed his club to his caddy, he was so close I was almost moved to put my arm around him to console him. On the 16^th, with Langer leading by two and hitting a nice drive down the middle, he was forced to move back and lean on me as his opponent teed off. I felt like whispering in his ear, don’t worry Bernhard, you’ve got this. And so it went, like the spectator turned caddie in Tin Cup or the customer turned caddy in the Mastercard commercial, I, Luke and the rest of us were drawn into the action.

Walking down the right side of the fairway a few minutes later, ruminating on this unique experience, I suggested to Luke that he write an article about this and give it to his boss at PGA Magazine. After he explained that the magazine was for PGA professionals and this subject would not resonate with their readership, I implored further, at which time, the couple walking beside us got into the conversation. About this time, as a die hard millennial, he checked out of the conversation to check his texts. So alas it was left to me to record this day. Conclusion: Golf is a magical game unlike any other to play, watch or experience, where the bonding potential and the bond between players and caddies, players and spectators, and fathers and sons, is unrivaled. Takeaway: The next time you have the chance, get out to a Champions Tour event.  Bernhard may need a read.