I recently visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Some dates are forever etched in our memory. Some things take time to absorb, process and feel even though our minds and bodies want to automatically react in the moment. Once we have the time and the growth associated with that perspective of time, we see that there is time before and after these historic dates. Dates like that of our birth and September 11, 2001.

For me the date that can’t be separated from September 11th is September 10th of the same year. My mother passed about ten hours before that first plane hit the North Tower. I was with her with two sisters and it was a beautiful though sad experience. I remember my sister telling her that it was okay to go and  her trying to audibly relate what she was seeing. My father had passed unexpectedly too eight years before in 1993 so I felt alone in the world. The next morning we were at the house getting ready to go to the funeral parlor and my brother-in-law called to say turn on the TV. I did just in time to see the second plane hit the South Tower and watched with horror as the towers came down. Though I saw I did not relate to the loss of life at the time as it seemed that my life was lost. Maybe that is how you felt or will feel when both of your parents have passed too?

It took me three to six months to realize and grieve for the loss of life on September 11th, at the World Trade Centers, at the Pentagon and that field in Pennsylvania. I remember that first attack in 1993 that claimed six victims. Maybe that was the first time in my life I really wondered why someone would do something so terrible to innocent people. What were they thinking and how did they come to think like that? Now it seems there is terror all over our world even some right here at home in our schools and movie theaters.  How is this all happening?

Like the building of this magnificent Memorial and Museum, some things take time, longer than we expect or think we can endure. But once built, once addressed, the process eventually works and we get it right. They did get it right, as close to perfection as can be, with the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. That ’11’ represents the two towers and they are still standing in my mind. The 2,995 heroes, alphabetically from Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr. to Igor Zukelman are still loving and inspiring in my mind. There are many things left in my mind and heart and other minds and hearts that I meet to share and to act on while we are still here living on this earth.

I didn’t know what to expect as I walked onto the Memorial Plaza. I was a little disoriented. Coming from mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral I missed my subway stop and ended up in Brooklyn. Once back in Manhattan I walked around the construction site with many others until I found the right approach to enter. Like others, I was naturally drawn to the side of the pool in the footprint of the South Tower. I saw names inscribed in the bronze parapets protecting me from falling into the waters rushing down the 30-foot waterfalls. The water continues to a smaller center void and disappears. I stood there and noticed some of the yellow roses placed by those heroes whose birthday was today. I thought about life and death and how most people wake up on the day they die thinking it will be another day like the one before. My thoughts were not of terror but of respect, honor and admiration for the people whose names were inscribed on this Memorial. I did wonder why was the museum underground. Doesn’t this water lead us to a darker, colder place than this beautiful sunny and warm day? Don’t we place things on high that we admire? I didn’t get it then but a few hours later I did and I am grateful I did, it made me more human and alive.

As fate would have it, it does always work out for me, I waited in line less than 10 minutes and bought a ticket for the 1:30 entrance group which was only 15 minutes away. I would highly recommend buying your tickets online, in advance, when you go if you can better estimate your schedule than I can. My first reaction after entering the shaded doors to the museum was one of anger and hatred. The first thing I saw was a security checkpoint like the ones in airports. I don’t want to prove to anyone I am peaceful and I don’t want to think that anyone else will want to terrorize me and need to be screened before I associate with them. But the feelings pass quickly and I smile as I begin to partially disrobe and chit chat with the attendants.

The opening video is not to be missed. I went around and saw it for a second time. It took me back to September 11, 2001 and I knew today would be the day I fully experience that tragedy and the hope and inspiration associated with it. I felt whole, as if my Mom and Dad were with me too, along with the whole world actually. It is a place, like Ragtime’s at the beach, where you can show up alone and feel like you are with everybody. The staggered entrance times are necessary and create an ongoing flow of people passing through the museum. much like the water flowing in the pools above. Though unlike Ragtime’s, it is a somber affair, though joyful in a quiet way as you feel proud to be an American and proud to be human like the people who responded to help those hurt or killed in the tragic events of September 11th.

The video takes place in a barren, stark and simple theater of light wooden seats and sleek metal railings. The introduction is brief and the video is entitled Facing Crisis: America Under Attack. It is a melody of our leaders on that fateful day- Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, President George W. Bush (No. 43), New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and others as the events of the day unfold. Giuliani witnessed one of the 2,955 dear souls leap to their death and knew early on that Father Judge, the Chaplain of the New York City Fire Department, was the first fatality. His heroic leadership emerged from realizing this was beyond anything ever experienced before and that he would have to rely on people and the human spirit to figure it out as they went along.

There was concern that the U.S. military had shot down that plane in Pennsylvania after the order was given to have F-16 pilots shoot down any civilian plane that was unresponsive to their commands. This was before anyone knew about alphabetic Hero No. 153 out of 2,955 Todd M. Beamer gave his order “Let’s roll” aboard Untied Flight No. 93.  President Bush, elected with no campaign debate of such an event, became a wartime President early in his first term. His comment “life is that way, you have to deal with things that you don’t want to deal with,” stuck with me. How many times do we fail to accept reality, turn to alternatives that placate us, or worse yet cause more harm, instead of dealing with the core issue? I know I have done that lots of times in my life.

Like I said the opening video was so riveting, so informative I went around and saw it a second time.

From there, the tour of the Museum and Memorial is all downhill. First past two tridents from the North Tower. The tridents are the steel columns that were anchored in bedrock 70 feet below street level and rose the first five stories of the World Trade Centers. Their name trident comes from the three prongs that they branch into at the top. What I noticed as I walked down the stairs was the new Freedom Tower, the new One World Trade Center, a gleaming 104-story superstructure beyond the two tridents. Somewhat of a phoenix, rebirth from the ashes.

Soon on an on a ramp in a sea of people as we descend into the main Museum and Memorial. There are numerous artifacts, too many to include in this article but CLICK here to access the Commemorative Guide. I began to see the square outlines of the two towers below ground and tried to figure out the destination of the water from the waterfalls and void above ground. It came to me when I arrived at the lowest level and saw the exposed bedrock where the steel of the tridents had been sheared off. This was truly Ground Zero, this was the rock the original World Trade Center Towers were built on. Now it was the rock upon which a September 11th Museum to respect that day, and a September 11th Memorial to honor the 2,955 souls who perished, had been built. The water from above, was their spirit and the spirit of all that is good in the world, flows down through the heart of these two footprints in our lives. I am not afraid of terror. I live and rejoice in the light of the goodness of our world.

Although I did not meet anyone on my four hour tour I felt connected to all that were there with me that day. I noticed many pictures being taken but few selfies or with anyone in the picture. The subject matter and presentation made for a respectful manner by which all conducted themselves. From this point on photographs were not allowed.

I first went into the Historical Exhibit of September 11, 2001 in the footprint of the North Tower. The flow through the exhibit was along the timelines of the September 11 Attack and the Recovery at Ground Zero. What must have took evil people a long time to plan took professional fire  fighters and policemen and everyday people nanoseconds to respond too. The recovery began immediately. Good and the human spirit prevailed immediately and still does. I was moved by this exhibit, partially because it took me back to the night before, but fully because of how fellow human beings responded to such a horrific situation. I can only hope to be like one of those 2,955 heroes if given the opportunity.

I remember coming down to New York City to visit my college roommate. It seems like we would always go to lower Manhattan and go up on top of the South Tower. The North had an antenna and there was no way to get from the top of the South to the top of the North. Only French aerialist Philippe Petit did so, walking on a cable suspended between the not-yet-completed twin towers in August of 1974. It felt ironic to me that so many like myself could now walk as though free and on air from the North Exhibit to the South Exhibit. Somehow this Museum and Memorial takes you from the depths of Gotham City to the Heavens above to be with those now living an eternal life.

The memorial exhibition, In Memoriam, commemorates the lives of those who perished on September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. On the outside square corridor there are head shots of the 2,955 people from floor to ceiling. This is a big square, probably 75 feet on each side and 20 feet high it seemed to me. You feel immersed in this sea of humanity and it is hard to walk by without making eye contact with each face. Inside the square in a theater with seats on all four walls with two projections of the same here picture and bio on opposing walls. There you sit, facing other visitors, getting to know each September 11th person as their spouse or loved one tells you about them and you read and see the picture on the wall. The feeling of connection and community is unlike any other I have experienced in my life.

It is time to leave, find the subway and catch a LIRR back to my sister’s place in Lynbrook on Long Island. It is difficult to leave since there is so much good to absorb in the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Though I saw most of the material I know there is so much more to process. Even though I knew no one directly connected to this tragedy, after visiting the Memorial and Museum I feel even more directly connected to its sustenance and spirit. I will be back to visit again sometime soon.

As I emerged to the light of day once again it is pouring rain outside. I see the tears of rainwater coming down the window behind the old tridents that salute the new Freedom Tower not as tears of sadness but of joy. I need to catch the subway to catch the train that leaves once an hour. I am back in reality and thankfully remember that I have a small umbrella in my backpack. Life is good, rain is wet and the air a bit cooler than before as I run out on the plaza past the yellow flower commemorating the birthday of Alphabetical Hero No. 2,676 John Talignani. I am not sure why but I sort of wave and smile his way as I hopscotch the puddles of rain water. Maybe it is because I feel like we are all connected, we are really basically all the same. Like water, we could be flowing in the Memorial pools or down the Mississippi or in the waves crashing on the shores on the Maine coastline. Hopefully we are not too isolated in small puddles for too long in our lives. Ultimately we are droplets waiting above to fall gently down upon this earth, perhaps as angels like those 2,955 souls of September 11.

In reality there is another significant date in our lives, along with our birth and September 11th. We are not going to live forever and that day will likely start as simply as the one before it. A kids playground song came to mind on the train ride out of the city. You know the one that goes like this- sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby. No expectations, time wise, but it would be nice when my sons sing that song to completion.

As for me, I am grateful to be alive, even for one more day. I love life and everyone that is a part of my life yesterday, today and tomorrow, or hopefully for all three time periods. I miss my Mom and Dad dearly and always will until we are united again. If I learned one thing those two days in September 2001 it is that life is too short and we can never love enough. Hopefully y’all know I love you because I do whether it is raining or not.

Have a TROML Day today!

Andy (-:

 

 

 

CLICK here for Day 1 Article.

Alberto Rios, the Director of Golf at Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club, opened up the second day of educational seminars with ‘Customer Service for the Golf Business.’ Good choice as I visited and played Bahia Beach after this year’s Puerto Rico Open. After meeting Alberto and Managing Director Martin Smith, there was no question in my mind how the St. Regis is naturally a Five Diamond hotel and the Robert Trent Jones, Jr. along two miles of Crescent Beach, is an exceptional golfing experience.

Who’s the Boss? The client, the customer, the golfer? Yes for sure. In five star facilities, “there should be a high ratio of staff to guests.” The design of a golf facility has a tremendous effect on service. ‘A foursome at a time’ though service is affected by timing. A foursome usually never shows up at the same time but immediately want to connect with each other. How is your club meeting or exceeding your wants and needs?

This is taking me back to my corporate experience- numerous ‘fitness for use’ studies for disposable plastic plates and ‘The Approach,’ I mean the Pactiv Attitude. I liked being in the plastics business back then. I really like being in the golf business now.

Albert brought me back to the presentation with a charming and heartfelt story of his father who at 78 is still teaching and playing tennis. He is still competitive on the tennis courts against younger players by anticipating and walking, not running to the right spot on the court. In customer service, one works less when one anticipates future needs of the client. Makes sense. Probably something we can use in our personal lives too.

My older brother LP’s inscription in Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons book he gave to me when I was 12 years old is playing in my mind. “Golf is like life, the more you learn and understand about it, the easier it is to meet its challenge.” Both on and off the golf course. Client or server. It’s all good. I am happy being in the golf business. So happy to be at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Aaron West, President of the Island Chapter, presented ‘Teaching Quality.’ I read the fine print of his title slide and noticed the ‘7-time Island Chapter Teacher of the Year’ bottom line. He is a young guy and you may remember his interview at the Puerto Rico Open where he mentioned his wife was pregnant. Happy to report they had a beautiful baby who is now six months old. She went into labor the Tuesday after the tournament and delivered on Thursday. Now that is a labor of love.

Everyone has a teaching method and is open for praise and criticism as an instructor. Take Sean Foley for instance. Did his Stack n’ Tilt method ruin Tiger Woods? It certainly did not ruin 2013 U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose. No instructor can guarantee 100% success but a solid teaching method which is flexible and applicable to each student to guarantee that every effort is made to achieve success.

Key point. Golf instructors help golfers play golf better. People that play golf better play golf more. People that play more golf spend more money at the golf course and in the clubhouse restaurant. Teaching Quality helps grow the game and the business of golf. People who you communicate with are likely to come back to you for more golf lessons. Like life, everything in golf is connected too.

Seth Henrich, Director of Golf at the El Conquistador Resort, presented an ‘Expert Merchandising’ workshop. I remember visiting and playing El Conquistador with local Brass Cactus owner John ‘JB’ Barton after the Puerto Rico Open this year. I also remember Seth’s golf shop and how it was organized and well-stocked. I remember the metal El Conquistador Hat on display too and how I had to put it on like Phil Mickelson circa 1991 when he won on the PGA TOUR in Tucson while an amateur golfer, only one of six to do so and the last. Seth is the right guy to make this presentation. I would have bought the helmet if it was for sale. Maybe I should have made an offer!

In Puerto Rico, red is the worse selling color for locals. Better stock it early and sell it to the tourists. Why red? Not sure as it is known as a powerful color in Spanish culture and tradition. Why does black shirts sell more than white ones in a tropical climate? Who knows why? Analysis is simply paying attention to what is occurring in your golf shop. Where have all the Tiger Woods’ mocks gone? Talk about riding a hot seller. I still think Tiger Woods has a good shot to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins. The question may be will Rory do it first and can Tiger break Rory’s record too? Back to buying plans and dealing with retail assortment creep.

Have a good plan, stick to it. Pay attention, do your own analysis in your own environment. I liked the close with a tribute to Miguel ‘Junior’ Colon, his mentor early on in his career while working at Dorado Beach. “He let me do my thing, gave me the room to grow,” says Seth of Miguel. “He gave me confidence to experiment and to learn.” I like natural leaders like Junior and Seth!

Puerto Rican golf goes back 1906 when it was first played by American military personnel within the confines of the El Morro Castle in 1906. The modern golf business on the island began when Laurance Rockefeller opened a luxury resort in the 1958, complete with 18 holes of golf designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. at Dorado Beach. The golf courses multiplied to number four and have hosted many PGA TOUR Champions events, a World Cup of Golf and even a Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf match between Doug Sanders and Dorado Beach’s first assistant pro with the last name of Rodriguez. Chi Chi beat Sanders by shooting three under par.

So who better than Dorado Beach’s Director of Golf, Jeff Willenberg, to give a State of the Golf Business address at the island’s inaugural golf business show? As you can imagine, the golf business in our country has historically tracked the overall American economy which has been shaky for a number of years. Puerto Rico’s aggressive Individual Investors Act 22 of 2012 has attracted new residents to Puerto Rico by providing a total exemption from Puerto Rico income taxes on all passive income, dividends and interest. As I noted six months ago, returning here after a three year absence, there are new roads being built and a $405 million Mall of San Juan will be opening early next year. As Puerto Rico’s economy rebounds, so too is its golf industry.

The highlight of the show was a presentation Jesus Rodriguez, the youngest of the Rodriguez family that also produced World Golf Hall of Fame member Chi Chi Rodriguez. The world outside of golf has heard little of the little brother who Chi Chi himself has praised as ‘the best golfer in the family.’ Jesus counters that without a big brother like Chi Chi to help him out, he would not have been a professional golfer. A Vietnam veteran with family responsibilities, he only briefly played the PGA TOUR in the early 1970s, choosing to go the club golf professional and instructor route. In Jesus’ book, golf has always been going up in Puerto Rico as the golf federation the Rodriguez brothers helped form in the early 1970s became the Island Chapter by the early 1980s of the PGA of America that is being showcased this week in San Juan at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show.

Jesus believes the secret is muscle memory that takes over when your grip doesn’t feel good because your mind gets in the way. Who would tell Jim Furyk or Bubba Watson to change their swing? Or Jack Nicklaus to not move his head while taking the golf club back. There are three ingredients that makes someone a great golfer: one is peace of mind, second is physical ability and the third is the guts, like Chi Chi has, that it takes to win!

Jesus’ teaching philosophy and ability comes down to a simple perspective of golf instruction: “there is nothing better than looking at somebody in the eye and seeing her or his expressions and showing them your expressions.” To do what it takes to have the student learn more about and become more proficient at the game of golf. I get that and think the camaraderie with my golfing mates of a golf shot well played or even a birdie is what brings me back to the golf course as often as I can get there. Plus the challenge, beautiful nature, making new friends… I could go on and on…

The twelfth and final Educational Seminar at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show was a rules seminar by Christine & Dr. Pedro Beauchamp. Their perspective to the golf professionals in the room was simple: “you are the governing body at your clubs.” Their presentation was interesting, engaging and enlightening.

May a committee make a local rule for relief without penalty from divot holes? No, such a local rule, would modify Rule 13-1 and is not authorized. The ball must be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.

Rule 6-3a. Time of Starting. Amended to provide that the penalty for starting late, but within five minutes of the starting time, is reduced from disqualification to loss of the first hole in match play or two strokes at the first hole in stroke play. It seems it is a kinder and gentler U.S.G.A. and R&A when it comes to changing the rules.

Ditto for the PGA TOUR. Remember when Jim Furyk was disqualified from the Barclays playoff event four years ago for being late for his pro-am tee time? The tour has suspended that regulation.

More forgiving equipment, balls that seem to fly straighter no matter how you swing, simpler (though not simple) rules and PGA of America initiatives like ‘Play it Forward’ and Mr. Palmer’s ‘while we are young’ to speed up pace of play are all making golf available in its purest form to attract new golfers and bring those who have taken a break from the game back to the golf course to join their golfing friends.

As for the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show? It was a huge success of which its impact will be felt for years in terms of Puerto Rico continuing as a premier golfing destination. With the PGA of America golf professionals sharing and practicing best practices in their island home and the business of golf doing its business to provide all the amenities to the visiting golfer, her or his friends and family, a vacation to Puerto Rico, or even a home relocation there, seems as easy and fun as any other possibility.

All we need now is a Chi Chi Rodriguez and Jim Teale golf trail!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show included two days of educational seminars for PGA of America golf professionals. They are the Heart & Soul of Island Golf in Puerto Rico!

CLICK here for Day 2 Article.

Aaron West, the President of the Island Chapter, led off the historic meeting of golf professionals and business people with a heartfelt welcome to all the attendees. Participants have come from all over the Caribbean, Central America and even as far away as South Africa. It was great to see my friend Mauricio Zamora, Director of Golf, at Cariari CC near San Jose, Costa Rica who I met on the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf.’ I met Mark O’Brien from Johannesburg, South Africa who represents Srixon and Cleveland Golf in that part of the world. This will be an exciting week to learn about golf and interact with people from around the world!

Julio Soto, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Golf Association (PRGA), presented the first seminar entitled ‘Golf Para Todos,’ which translate to ‘Courses for All,’ and is the ‘grow the game’ initiative in Puerto Rico. Sixteen years ago when Julio came to the PRGA as an intern he had never played the game of golf. Who better to know how to grow the game than someone who came to the game with wide open eyes. Julio, ‘Sharing the Game with Everyone,’ including the distant visitors, took us through the history of golf in Puerto Rico beginning with golf inside the Morro Castle in 1907, Jim Teale founding the PRGA in 1964 up to the present day Puerto Rico Open.

Anthony Ortiz, age 21, came to golf through the ‘Almost Golf’ program seven years ago. Where can we find kids? Who can we partner with- schools, community organizations, corporations, even the employees of golf courses. Julio sought input from members of the audience. Jane Weststrate shared her success on Curacao in the Dutch Caribbean with university students and lessons for ladies. Carlos Rojas Soto from the Reserva Conchal in Costa Rico spoke about his strategy to attract golfers from nearby surfing towns. Julio wrapped up the kickoff session with a mention of one of his mentors, Wally Armstrong and the SNAG Golf program, a partner of PRGA in  growing the game. Wally, author of The Mulligan: A Parable of Second Chances with Ken Blanchard, main mantra is that “Everyone Needs a Second Chance on the Course and In Life.” I totally agree but limit my friends to one mulligan per hole on the course and unlimited mulligans per day in life.

Brian Shaver, Director of Golf at Trump International Golf Club, conducted a seminar entitled “Hosting a Major Golf Event, The Puerto Rico Open.” Even though everyone in the rooms (sans moi) has run a golf tournament, who better to make this presentation than the guy who will be hosting his fourth Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com in six months’ time. As Brian took us through a chronological review of staging a PGA TOUR event, I found it very interesting to see the behind-the-scenes perspective. Planning and flexibility under changing variables are keys to success. Now I can understand why it is difficult to interview the golf course staff early in the week. With pro-am preparation and execution along with staging carts starting at 4:30 am I can see why there is a sigh of relief when the golf tournament starts on Thursday morning. Hearing Brian’s experienced and insightful commentary brought back memories of Chesson Hadley’s record 21-under par breakthrough win in March.

Robert ‘Bobby’ Harlinski, Puerto Rico’s ‘Dancing Gringo’, enlightened us with ‘Judgment- Free’ golf instruction. Actually it is just ‘Judgment-Free Golf,’ from both an instructor and golfer’s perspective. Bobby, impacted by his associations with noted sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella and inspirational one-armed golfing legend Jimmy Nichols. Performing an entertaining standup routine with only a wedge for a prop, he tap danced us to a new understanding of approaching our performance on the golf course. The real target in golf, as in throwing a baseball, is the target. There are three stages to learning how to full-swing golf or any golf shot for that matter including putting. Stage One is swinging without club or ball present. Stage Two is swinging the golf club with no ball present. Stage Three is swinging the golf club through the golf ball with the golf ball rebounding off the face of the club.

 

Stage Three Alert: that’s all for the physical part of golf, now let’s talk about the bigger picture. Fred Couples would tell you “life is golf and golf is life.” Ben Hogan would warn us that “everything that seems right is wrong.” Really? Yes, really, from a man that admits he was never a good student and questions how he can be a good teacher. We are in too many places in the past and the future. There is nobody here. We can’t be in all those places. We have to be here right now, or as the pros think, one shot at a time. The definition of a golf swing is “moving an instrument through the ball, square to the target, at maximum speed.” There is no club, only an extension of your arm and hand, and there is no hit. Jimmy Nichols played in The Masters and the PGA Championship with only one arm, playing ‘Judgment-Free Golf.’ So can you. Go dancing with Bobby Halinski.

Dr. Nicky Kirk, a Scot that does not play golf, led off the afternoon sessions with a teaser slide labeled ‘Tiger Woods Slipped Sacrum.’ In the opinion of this chiropractor, the movement of the sacrum is less than two millimeters and it is surrounded by the strongest ligaments in the body. Translation is that a sacrum doesn’t just pop up and put back in again by treatment. A discectomy, though a surgical operation, is nonetheless an injury and takes time to heal. It is likely that Tiger came back too soon. Dr. Kirk demonstrated several training exercises including keeping one’s balance while shifting one’s weight. No matter what one’s conditioning and preparation is, injury always occurs when something unexpected happens.

Chip Koehlke shared his experience coaching elite golfers. His experience is impressive: 20 tour players, 7 Q-School successes, 12 tour wins, and 1 Major. Raised in Cincinnati, now Puerto Rico based, Chip stresses ‘periodization.’ Training should be structured into three phases- technical/development, pre-competition/transitional and application/performance. Professional golfers modify this approach based on there playing schedule- three weeks of competition, one week home working on conditioning and swing fundamentals and then a competitive week prior to a major championship. He credits Nick Faldo with unmatched preparation, knowing every course detail and being ‘the best caddie you have ever seen’ and sees a changing of the generation in terms of Nick having two to four swing thoughts to today’s ‘open minded, nothing in your mind’ sports psychologists. His best coaching performance was planting a seed early in the year that the Sunnydale Golf Club well-suited Karen Stuppes’ power golf game. Then she went out and won her first Major in the 2004 Women’s British Open with a rare albatross (double eagle).

Ricardo Picorelli gave a fast moving dual segmented presentation to wrap up the first day of educational seminars at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show. After a ‘get out of your chair and move warm up routine for the audience,’ he took us through 16 Common Swing characteristics while demonstrating several poses and assessment positions. As Jason Glass says, “if you don’t assess, then it is a guess.” The second half of the certified TPI/K-Vest Instructor took us through the video technology and kinematic sequence of Rafa Campos. Campos finished XX in the 2014 Puerto Rico Open presented by SeepuertoRico.com and is currently competing on the XXX He is currently the highest OWGR-ranked male golfer from Puerto Rico. Althoiugh well outside the current cut line for the 2016 Olympics it is quite possible he can qualify for the golfing competition on the Gil Hanse-designed Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro. I remember my experience with the K-Vest at PGA Village in St. Lucie and how much it helped me understand my swing and what changes I needed to make to become a professional golfer. Changes yet to be implemented. There is always tomorrow, which is Day 2 of the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show in San Juan. Puerto Rico!

 

I am back in Puerto Rico to experience some golf history in the making at the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show. There will be many firsts to report on this week with one sure to be as big as when the PGA of America formed in 1916! Really, c’mon Andy, aren’t you exaggerating a bit? Nope, stay tuned, think about golf in a little different perspective and you will see where the excitement for this show is coming from. This is golf, PGA of America, Island Chapter-style. Remember that while Puerto Rico, is a territory of the United States it has its own Olympic teams and a strong sense of independence. Puerto Rico has its own King of Golf- World Golf Hall of Fame Member Chi Chi Rodriguez. While Puerto Rico is the home of Sidney Wolf and his awesome Puerto Rico Open presented by SeePuertoRico.com it is also home to two little chipmunks named Alvin and Pedro who along with a president, Aaron West, have worked long and hard to create something unique in the golf business. Congratulations on the inaugural Caribbean Golf Merchandise Show! Stay tuned for that announcement!

You are a professional golfer, one of the greatest golfers in the world, competing on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass for the right to be called THE PLAYERS Champion.
It is Sunday afternoon late in the final round. You have just survived the first of the last three holes which are named The Gauntlet. Water-infested and daunting you know they will determine your fate. You are prepared and ready for the biggest challenge of your life.

While laboring to take that long walk along the water from the 16th green to the 17th tee success is the only thing on your mind. Arriving at the tee the biggest moment of your golfing career is now here. There is only 137 yards separating your teed golf ball and the hole which is located down a slope on the back right portion of the island green.

What will you deliver?

This is golfing drama. No doubt the television folks are flashing back to the fate of Len Mattiace in 1998, Sean O’Hair in 2007 and Paul Goydos in 2008. All three came to the same place in golfing time confident in their ability and the outcome they so desperately desired. Committed to their process each hit their tee shot in the water. That day they failed to become a PLAYERS Champion. How will that experience impact them longer term?

Some say golf is a lot like life or that even life is a lot like golf.

Parents of autistic children know what it is like to have their hearts set on having the perfect child. Like everyone when they become parents their expectations are high. At the moment of birth like everyone they pray mostly for a healthy child and the ability to be a good parent to that child. When they realize something is different with their child as a baby, toddler or adolescent how do they react, what do they do?

Mattiace went on to win twice on the PGA TOUR and nearly won the Masters catching a bad break tree stymie in the playoff with Mike Weir near the 10th green at Augusta National Golf Club. Most people remember the two balls in the water that PLAYERS Sunday, some remember that he was playing in front of his mother in a wheelchair who died of cancer two months later and few remember the details of his play that day. That Sunday round in 1998 was not to be characterized by the Snowman 8 at the 17th but by the nine birdies including one on the final hole and a more than respectable Sunday score of 70.

Mattiace was not only heroic in his golf that day but also as a son and no doubt is the Mother’s Champion at TPC Sawgrass.

O’Hair won once before that day in 2007 and three times afterwards on the PGA TOUR, most recently the 2011 Canadian Open. With Top-10s in the Masters and Open Championship, at age 31 the productive years of his golfing career are ahead of him. The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass did not define him. It was a stepping stone to personal and professional growth.

While Mattiace was 31 years old at the time, O’Hair was 24, Paul Goydos was nearly 44 when destiny came his way in 2009 at TPC Sawgrass. He thought of himself as a ‘lovable loser,’ well before Rocco Mediate lost to Tiger Woods in the 2008 U.S. Open. The adult Teddy Bear was trying to be like Fred Funk, the oldest to win THE PLAYERS at age 48.

Goydos had won twice already on the PGA TOUR the day he bogeyed the 18th hole and had the opportunity to play the 17th again in a playoff with Sergio Garcia. Though he did not win that day he did became the fourth, and oldest player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59 at the 2010 John Deere Classic. Off the golf course he is known to be an endearing father to his two daughters after the loss of their mother in 2009. It’s important to win and win at the meaningful challenges in life.

When Leslie and Bobby Weed gave birth to their autistic daughter Lanier they dealt with the unexpected. Along with two other daughters they made a family complete with three special daughters and then looked outside their selves to help others with autistic children.

In 2004 they co-founded the non-profit organization, Healing Every Autistic Life (HEAL). They issue grants to support autistic camps and educational programs. Beginning in 2007, TPC Sawgrass “adopted” their local charity and together they have raised over two million dollars with “Valley of Dreams” events like the one held on September 12th in the Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass.

This year was extra special with the goal of purchasing iPads for Special Needs Classrooms across Northeast Florida. One in 140 Autistic children, like Lanier, are deemed nonverbal, they cannot speak. iPads helps autistic students communicate, finally giving them a “voice.”

General Manager Bill Hughes with the help of the lovely news anchor Patty Crosby conducted an auction and raised funds for additional iPads during the evening. The list of roles performed by a great golf professional was just expanded to include No. 32—auctioneer.

For the fans of Country music star Jack Ingram the price of the charity ticket was worth it to hear the good looking Texan sing his No. 1 hit song “Wherever You Are” in an intimate setting. The lyrics of going through rivers of rain and mountains of pain, doing whatever one needs to do and following your heart and dream seemed to fit the occasion perfectly.

Our basic human instinct is to fight the isolation of ourselves, especially in difficult times. Nobody is perfect but what is perfect is the spirit within each of us. Yes the 17th at TPC Sawgrass can be the “Hole of Horrors” but it doesn’t necessarily define a career, a tournament or even a round.

No person in this world is an island or needs to be imprisoned within their self. When we go into the water we can always swim towards each other. Somehow we meet in the middle and learn to float our way to a new understanding, a new way of living.

HEAL, TPC Sawgrass, Leslie and Bobby Weed and many, many supporters are doing just that for nonverbal Autistic children.
HEAL—an organization’s goal is to Heal Every Autistic Life. Maybe we have it backwards and it is the autistic child that is healing us?

Maybe knowing that is better than acing the 17th to win THE PLAYERS Championship?

Visit www.HealAutismNow.org or call 904.716.4198 for more information.