A tribute to the Ohio State group

           Yeah, we were a motley crew in the beginning.  Somehow, we just happened to run into each other while playing online matches or we were friends of friends.  But, we quickly formed a friendly bond and a repartee between us.  We were online buddies, for sure.  And, to me, we were real friends; not just virtual ones.  Of course, many members came and went over the months.  And, there were minor spats and skirmishes along the way.  But, after a while, leaders emerged and roles were taken, some by force and some by happenstance.

I, for one, just happened to fall into the group leader role at the beginning.  The only reason I took on the job was to attempt to preserve the old Ohio State group which had succumbed to in-house bickering and ego battles.  So, I attempted to take on the role of head mediator and cheer leader for the group.  I was a manager in real life before I retired, so I knew how to organize groups and cajole them into becoming cohesive units who could and would work together to achieve both individual and group goals.

But, finally, I grew tired of that role and decided to let someone else take over as leader.  I thought that I could then move into the background and enjoy the game as one of the members who contributed to the group when possible, but mainly just sat back and enjoyed the tournaments and the friendships that the group had developed.

Well, obviously, that didn’t work out as I had planned.  I found that I still wanted to be the leader without the responsibilities which came with that leadership role.  I had forgotten my own training and my own lifelong experiences.  I screwed up.   But, heck, I screw up something every day of my life.  I just try to learn from my mistakes and move on without making that mistake again.  It’s all about taking a chance or a risk and then seeing what happens.

For me, that one small bump in the road doesn’t really obviate all of the positive experiences we had while part of that group.  Others stepped up in my absence and did a hell of a job.  I’m proud of them.  And, I think that we all learned important life lessons, but I also think that all of us had a fantastic time playing the game and interacting with each other.  It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget.   I hope that most of you feel the same and will always look back on our experiences as memorable and well worth the time we spent there.

But, all of that rationalization isn’t really what I wanted to say.  Now, I want to get to my purpose here.   I want to give some recognition to those who I got to know the best and give them one positive thought to remember about their experiences during their time as group members.  So, just as a little tribute I’m going to mention a group member’s name, compare him or her to a real golfer and say why there is a resemblance between the two.  .

                Str8r:  Ben Hogan.  Like Hogan, str8 is a tough player who gives no quarter in a match.  One time, Hogan’s playing partner hit a hole in one on a hole that Hogan birdied.  Hogan never acknowledged his partner’s shot in any way.  And, when they were walking off of the green to the next hole, Hogan just glanced at his partner and said something like, “That’s the first time I birdied that hole this week.”

                Catz:  Lee Trevino.  Like Trevino, catz is a fierce competitor but was also the guy who makes playing the game fun and always interesting.  And, catz can be subtle in his methodical harassment.  I sometimes set up matches with previews on.  Most people didn’t like that, and told me so.  But, I continued to use previews occasionally.  Well, I happened to have a match with catz at Augusta.  I went up two strokes on him at the turn.  He then said something like, “Oh, I just noticed that putt previews are on.  I hadn’t realized that.”  It took me a long time to realize that he was gently telling me that he didn’t like using previews in online matches. 

                Mashie:  Jack Nicklaus.  Like Nicklaus, mashie is a great player, but also a person who always remembers that there is a right way to do things and that is the way that it should be done.  Always.  I’ll never forget that match we had at Oakmont.    Alnight and I were paired against mashie and leeeluu in an alternate shot match.  I didn’t play that well, but alnight kept us in the match for seventeen holes.  We were one down on eighteen and I had a thirty footer to win the hole.  Somehow, I made it and the match went into extra holes.  When we got on the tee to start the playoff, mashie told leeeluu, “Don’t let up now.  We’re not going to lose to these guys.”  After two perfect drives, I pulled my approach shot twenty feet long and a little left while mashie hit his to within five feet.  Leeeluu doesn’t miss five footers.  Game over.

                Alnight:  Tiger Woods.  Like Tiger, alnight intimidates his opponents by just walking up to the tee.  And, he is the greatest chipper of the ball, ever.  During one of our alternate shot online matches, he started encouraging me to miss the green so that he could chip the ball.  I did just barely miss the green four or five times.  And, you know what?  He made every one of those chips.

                Ranoton:   Rocco Mediate.  Like Rocco, Randy has an unbounded enthusiasm for the game, and, really, life itself.  For him, nothing seems impossible, even though, somewhere, deep in his mind, he knows that his reach does exceed his grasp.  However, he is quite comfortable with that, as he should be.  A few years back, Rocco sat down on a chair in the locker room at the U.S. Open.  Unfortunately, the chair collapsed and he has had back problems ever since.  But, that incident was just one small aspect of his life story.  It wasn’t a reason to lament or say, “What if?”  For Rocco, it was only a definer for what he could accomplish with what he now has.

                Leeeluu:   Lanny Wadkins.  Like Wadkins, leeeluu knows that she can beat you, not just because she has the physical gifts, but, also, more importantly, the mindset that exudes unbridled confidence.  When she looks at a ten foot putt, she knows that she is going to make it.  In one online match that I remember, she was playing with her bud, mashie, and he had left her with a ten or twelve footer that had just a hint of an inch or two of break.  She promptly said, “Thanks mashie for leaving me that easy putt.”  Mashie responded with, “Be careful, leeeluu, there is a break in there.”  But, before mashie had finished typing his reply, she had already drained the putt.

                Robertminidriver:  Moe Norman.  Like Norman, robert was never the best player around, but, he had a great homemade swing that he somehow made work…most of the time.  One time, Moe was playing with Snead, and he casually asked Sam how to play this particular hole.  Sam said something like, “See that walking bridge two hundred fifty yards down the fairway?  Just bounce your ball across that.”  Moe then stepped up to the ball, took a mighty swing and bounced it right across the bridge.  That’s the way I am.  I can hit it straight most of the time, but, like Moe, I eventually let the demons in my mind get in the way of my muscle feel.

                Well, fellows, there are many, many more stories I could tell.  But, I’m running out of steam.  Feel free to share some tales that you will remember for a long time.

                I had a great, great time playing Tiger Woods online.  Thanks for those memories that get enhanced every day.  Eventually, I will have been the king and alnight my caddy.  NOT…

                And, Randy will remember how he scored -36 at Wolf Creek in the finals of the fioga league to win it all.  Way to go, Randy!!!

                Catz will remember the day he drank a case of Wobbly Pop but still beat mashie nine up in a match at Augusta…………………………………………………..