Top 10 best golf experiences I’ve had!

Top 10 best golf experiences I’ve had!
April 14, 2008

Mid-April is a special time for most kids involved in sports especially in the colder areas of the country and definitely if you are interested in track, tennis, baseball or golf. I was the same as any other kid growing up in Indiana. My sports were baseball and golf. No matter if there was still snow on the ground you went out and threw the ball around or hit some chip shots in the snow making believe it was sand.

For an aspiring golfer it can all be attributed to one event and especially one stretch of nine holes. The Masters, always the second week of April, and the back nine on Sunday charges golfers up like no other “spring ritual”, that happens every year. Congratulations Trevor Immelman, this year’s winner! (For my Oregon friends don’t forget the Coca-Cola OLPGA kick-off golf tournament at Creekside on April 30th, see more details on my home page on the left hand side in yellow.)

A lot of people have told me how sorry they feel for me that coming into the retirement time of my life how bad they feel that with all my good planning I won’t be able to experience the golf things I and other golfers always aspire to do once they reach retirement. Don’t feel sorry for me, I’ve had a great life and have been lucky enough to do a lot of those “retirement things” already in my life. (If you still feel sorry, go to www.jimculveyhouse.com and make a donation to ALS even if its $1.00.) Now I can spend the rest of what life I had to try and help others that are faces with my predicament. I just thank God for the things that I have been able to do.

I have a friend, Chris “Hawk” Stevens who is writing a book on my life that we are trying to finish by fall. I thought a preview of my Top 20 golf experiences would be entertaining, show how not to feel sorry for me and enjoy the short versions of stories that will be told in total detail in the book, but will be fun to read for everybody, and especially golfers. So here goes:

1. I always try to do something very special for key dates in my wife, Melanie’s life. This particular event was her 50th birthday on August 18, 2004. Even though Melanie is not exactly an accomplished golfer she always told me she would like to play one course before she died. On her 50th, we did. Pebble Beach Golf Links on the Monterey Peninsula. We played and even though it was definitely thee most expensive round of golf, by far, that I ever paid to see my wife take her clubs off the cart on 18 and walk the 18th fairway and be greeted by the pro and presented a medallion bag tag for Melanie from Pebble Beach is something I’ll cherish forever. As they say – PRICELESS!

2. Any golfers life’s dream is to one day go to the Masters. They call it the “toughest ticket in all of sports”. One year my Uncle Leonard Hauprich, brother of my grandmother and best friend “Nana”, invited me to go and spend a week with him and his dear wife. We played golf at Orangeburg Country Club, ate, drank and talked non-stop. Then came Thursday, Uncle Len’s and I were to go to the Masters, just the two of us. We left early and were there when the gates opened. Uncle Len liked two spots: Amen Corner and around 15, 16, and 7. Uncle Len was a bit older than I so he liked to stay and sit in those two spots. I wanted to see the whole course and did but always stopped to see how Uncle Len was doing. We had a great lunch together; ham and cheese or pimento and cheese sandwiches were $2.00 as well as beers in Masters plastic cup souvenir glasses. It doesn’t get any better than that. We spent the afternoon together talking and watching, it was a beautiful day. It was a dream come true and I have Uncle Len to always thank for that day as spending it with him, just the two of us was as great a day as I’d ever had.

3. When I was transferred from Cincinnati to Portland with Coca-Cola, the parent company, I made an immediate friend with one of the bottler people Chris Burskey in Portland, OR. We both loved golf, shared the same morals and ethics and he seemed like the brother I have never had. I’m sure in the book there will be countless stories as he’s remained one of my best friends. For 5 years we planned a trip to Scotland to play the top British Open courses. I’ll make this short, (read the book) but the start of the dream was teeing off on the Old Course at 12 Noon on a beautiful sunny day. I very rarely get nervous on a golf course but I did that day. This was a dream, the home of golf, where it all started and to be there with a buddy, indescribable. So many things happened but again read the book. The ending couldn’t have been scripted better; I hit a big drive, but was a bit long and on the back of the green with the pin up front. It was a little after 4PM and it’s a tradition that the townspeople get off work, they get a pint and circle the 18th green and watch the golfers coming in. As if the golf gods were looking down on me I drained that long putt for a birdie and got a big roar from the townspeople to finish with a 76. Those moments can never be repeated.

4. One of my partners that I played many two man events and was quite successful is Tommy Manz. Unfortunately Tommy has developed a type of Parkinson’s that has slowed him down a bit but we experienced a round that that not many people have had the pleasure of. Tommy had a salesman in his company that his dad lived in Monterey on 17 mile drive. Tommy got to talking to the salesman and in a whirl we were invited to play one of the hardest courses to get on in the world, Cypress Point. They have very few members and one member has to accompany each guest. We played a beautiful day and my partner was Mr. Joe Lee, a retired banker from Mellon bank. (Again read the book). The course is everything they say it is, the prettiest and most majestic and surreal course I could ever imagine. I had a hot start, 3 under after 5, but the best was when Tommy and I from the Back tees on the world famous 16th both parred the hole. Again it couldn’t have been scripted better; well maybe my birdie for 75 to win the match with my partner Mr. Lee was close as you’ve never seen a wealthy man so happy winning a quarter!

5. The Tournament Players Championship has become what a lot of people call the 5th major. (Not me) People forget that after the pros played there the first year they swore they would never come back again, it was too tough. My buddy and I, Chris Burskey, planned a trip to play this course that was so tough. As usual we played from the tips (all the way back where the pros play.) Needless to say it is a much different course today then it was then, talk about tough, no wonder the pros complained as many couldn’t break 80. One of my favorite golf stories ever was when Chris (a 12-14 handicap) birdied the 16th hole, which back then NOBODY could hit in two, he parred the 17th, the island hole; hooked his drive into the water on 18 and made a great double bogey. Tally it up, 1 over for the last three holes on one of the toughest courses around. Now what did he shoot for the course? A SMOOTH 118!

6. Melanie and I had always wanted to take a vacation to Sydney, Australia. It takes a lot of planning as it’s so far away so you might as well go for a period of time. After we sold our stores and saved up for 5 years we rented an apartment in Sydney and spent a month there. That’s the way to do it, live with the locals; it was an experience of a lifetime. We played a lot of golf but the capper was playing New South Wales. They treated us like a king and queen. They gave me a locker and the first three were Greg Norman, Steve Elkington and Robert Allenby, then me. Pretty good company! The course is as scenic as of course as I’ve ever played and that includes Pebble Beach that I’ve played many times. It was our favorite trip and to play that course was an experience we’ll never forget.

7. When my Coca-Cola buddy, Chris Burskey and I were in Scotland, we got the bright idea that since we were there, we HAD to go see THEE Open. The problem was were staying at the Marine Highland Hotel next to Troon Golf Course and THEE Open was at Muirfield which is on the complete other side of the country. No problem. We left at 3AM and drove across country, (if you’ve ever been to Scotland you can imagine the drive we had, no highways all two maybe one and half lane roads.) Well we made it as the gates opened and watched for about 4 hours, and got back in the car to drive back across the country back to the Troon area. Why you ask? We had a 4:30 tee time at Prestwick, one of the oldest clubs in Scotland and used to be part of THEE Open rotation. We made the time, barely. After 14 holes it didn’t just start raining, it was like a hurricane. You know when to quit when your bag fills up with water! (No carts there, you tote your clubs) What’s worse is the clubhouse is for members only. Well these members saw us trudging in looking like soaked rats and invited us into the men’s bar. They have tankards on the wall with their names on them. They bought us as many beers as we could consume and said we were more like the Scottish then Americans. The ultimate compliment from a Scotsman!

8. On the same trip we played the hardest course I have ever to this day played and under tough very windy conditions; Carnoustie – commonly referred to as Car-Nastie. I’ve had some pretty low rounds in my career but this was by far the best considering the course, playing where the pros play and under very windy conditions. 75 might not sound great, but believe me its the best round I’ve ever played period!

9. The first Peter Jacobsen tournament for charities was held at Portland Golf Club, (A Ryder Cup was held there one year.) Coca-Cola was a major sponsor and this was the first tournament Peter had ever put on. He knew I had met Mr. Arnold Palmer before so he wanted me to caddie for him. He asked us if we would help him in the beverage areas and also help with any marketing ideas we might be able to come up with to raise more money. Peter is about the most likeable guy you’d ever want to meet. My boss who was president, while I was Director of Sales, kind of gave me leeway to help Peter in anyway I could. I’ll never forget the day Peter came into my office and said, “Jim, we have a problem.” The problem was he had sold all the caddie uniforms to different companies. No problem there, but the companies used them as sales contests, incentives, etc. and the problem was none of the caddies knew much about golf. I said, “You’re right Peter that IS a problem.” We’re talking Greg Norman, Freddie Couples, Fuzzy Zoeller, Gary Player, Curtis Strange, Tom Watson, Peter and Arnie, not exactly slouches! Luckily I had played quite a few rounds at Portland and played many more getting yardages and even took my wife out to help me get more yardages some early evenings. I knew the course. So I told Peter to put Mr. Palmer and I in the first group each of the two days. I left little notes around the course with yardages on them for the group behind us and could obviously tell the group I was in whatever they wanted to know. It turned out great, the tournament was a grand success for many years but I remember losing 30 pounds in 2 days and working my butt off, but it was worth it!

10. I’m running out of space so in no particular order, the following are tied for tenth and will all be explained in the book. The rounds I have played the most with, Rich Mesnick, my first boss out of college and one of my best friends after 32 years of hanging around together. The rounds in Palm Springs, Hillcrest, Rancho Park and so many others you’ll have to read the book. Royal County Down, Portmarnock and Ballybunion in Ireland, Troon and North Berwick in Scotland. Riviera in LA. My 64 course record at Notre Dame and on another occasion a 274 (-18) Notre Dame Open record which both won’t be broken because they tore up 9 holes for new dormitories. The many two man tournaments another buddy, Steve Viale and I have won over the years. Between him and Tommy Manz, I’ve been blessed to have the two best tournament partners you can imagine with compliment games. My 12:30 Friday afternoon group games that a game could be written on just these; Steve Viale, Peter Juhren, Dr.Monte Morgan and the one and only Steve “Reno” Rentfro. My 64 from the blue tees at Creekside, my home course. All the wonderful people I’ve met on the golf course where you really learn about a person. I know I’ve missed many others but again read the book, they will be in there.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these little stories. May is ALS month, some of you have received tax refunds, and all of you are receiving a government “stimulus” refund. Make yourself feel good, whatever you give you get twice in return. You can contribute as low as ONE Dollar to the ALS research campaign at www.jimculveyhouse.com. Please consider it. Here’s to spring!