Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2020 - 49

BACK
BACKSPIN
Beating the Odds
* BY MARK CRAIG *
Among many legendary shots made at historic
Keller Golf Course, this author's slice may be the
most unlikely.
I
t's been darn near 20 years, but I still can see the look on
Tom Purcell's face as he reached the third fairway on that
blustery, bitingly cold March afternoon at Keller Golf
Course.
" Mark! " Keller's then-longtime PGA head professional said
to the Star Tribune's then-red-faced neophyte golf writer,
whom he'd just met.
" There are five people on this golf course. Four of them are
in your group. Three of them were standing behind you when
you teed off. And your ball hits the only other person on the
entire golf course? "
What can I say, Tommy?
Tiger had, " Hello, World. " I had, " Sorry,
Tom. "
The day began with this recently relocated
Ohioan getting an on-the-job lesson
that up here, March is a winter, not spring,
month. But, by gosh, if a Minnesota course
opens on a lion-like day in March, you grab
the sticks, hit the ball and go wherever Denny
Green's " Calcutta Clipper " takes it.
I remember making fun of Warren " W.P. " Ryan's mittens in
the parking lot. I also remember wishing I owned W.P.'s mittens
long before we reached the 134-yard par-3 fourth hole,
that famous-or infamous-Minnesota treasure-or curse-
depending on whether one's short iron can clear the giant oak
tree standing smack dab in front of the green.
Legend has it that Gene Sarazen once took a 12 on the hole,
withdrew from the St. Paul Open and vowed never to return.
All I can say is I beat Gene, barely, before setting sail for the
par-4 fifth hole.
This was back before $12 million was pumped into Keller,
earning it Golf magazine's " Best Municipal Renovation of
2014. " So, at the time, the tee ball at the fifth was a blind shot.
A prodigious inside-out, chicken-wing swing produced an
all-too-familiar banana ball flight. Then a nasty left-to-right
gust created the mother of all slices that disappeared over the
treetops and into the third fairway.
When I crested the hill in front of the tee box, there was no
ball to be seen. But there was an older Asian-American gentleman
rubbing the top of his head.
Legend has it that John Dillinger loved this course and
was playing it when he spotted the FBI, ditched his clubs and
hopped a nearby train. That seemed like a real good idea right
about then.
But I apologized to the man, who, in broken English, indicated
he was OK. Then I called Tommy, fessed up and said,
" Now what? "
What are the odds of being hit by a golf ball? Not even
Google can answer that question with any reliable source.
But things happen.
Tiger hit three spectators in 15 holes at
the 2010 Memorial. Pat Perez hit three in
four holes at the 2017 Genesis Open. But
in my case, there was only one person on
94 acres.
It's not a good feeling. For either party.
As for liability, I learned there's an " assumption
of risk " that we all take when we
step on a golf course.
" The golfer cannot be held liable because they cannot control
the ball, " California-based attorney Ed Smilow told Golf.
com. " No golfer has a perfect shot every time. Even Ben Hogan
had plenty of bad shots. "
There are exceptions, of course. For example, if you lose your
cool and fire a warning shot into the slowpokes in front of you,
hitting someone is a whole different legal ballgame.
It helps when your unintended victim understands you're
not quite Ben Hogan.
In my case, the older gentleman was relatively calm. Even
when our interaction reached the point where I felt it was
socially acceptable to try asking, " Um, did you happen to see
where my ball ended up? "
Darn near 20 years later, I still can see him pointing to his
head and then even farther right.
" The ball hit me on the head, " he said. " And went into the
trees way over there. "
Mark Craig is the NFL/Vikings columnist and a golf writer for
the Star Tribune.
mngolf.org
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