FATHER AND SON GOLF

On Saturday I got to play in my ultimate foursome.

No, I didn’t play with Mike. Nor did the group include Tiger, Arnie or Jack. It was with Gerry, Cameron and James. On Saturday I took my two sons to see my father and play nine holes at Seaforth Golf Club – a wonderful public golf course owned by the Doig family.

It’s only recently that my youngest has become proficient enough to play nine holes with his grandfather. The two of us have played quite a few times – beginning when he turned six. His enthusiasm means he has no trouble with keeping up – but we’re still working on when and where to stand still. While I often try to teach him about his swing as we play – I just as often let him swing away even if he’s holding the club like a hockey stick.

Cam’s birthday game at Disney World 

My fourteen year old has a good swing – courtesy of his grandfather – and fairly decent habits from playing a few times with his grandfather. His main issue is not playing enough – which I plan to correct by arranging more games for the two of us.

Playing any round with my father has become special for me. He’s 80 and playing golf is beginning to be harder – although he hit it great on Saturday. The reason I savour the games is at one point around 10 years ago my dad had some serious health issues and eventually stopped playing. At the time, I honestly thought we would never play together again – and I was devastated by the realization.

He eventually recovered and took up the game again – and a couple of years later we made the trip to Ireland that is well chronicled in the article I wrote for Golf Canada:

http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/2006/02/our-last-father-and-son-trip-tribute.html

Dad and I at Royal Portrush 

You must understand that I became a golf architect indirectly through my father’s love of the game. My father not only helped me become an architect, but he passed on his passion for playing the game.

Through golf, my father and I developed a much closer bond through all the games we played together and all the traveling that we did to play courses throughout the world. We’ve been to Ireland, England, Scotland and throughout the United States to play golf. We have spent countless days battling the courses, the elements and occasionally each other for a few dollars at a time.  

More importantly we have spent countless evenings talking about the courses we saw, the shots we tried to play and about the future. In Ireland we talked about golf, our relationship through golf and about the decisons we made. I understood more about my father and the decisions and events that shaped him. I had a better understanding of my father – but also of myself through our evening converations. It was the trip of a lifetime.

On Saturday, I found myself reveling in the chance to play with my father, while also trying to pass on a little or “our” passion to my children. Nothing can be sweeter than that.

Ian Andrew

July 12th, 2009

Brantford, Ontario