Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011 - 32

Golf has given Rich Cloud a chance to relax-
and to help his daughter as well.
Doing Good with Golf
H
Unique Among Sports
For some would-be golfers, an emotional
barrier forces them to put away the clubs:
" I'm not good enough to play with better
golfers. " But no sport does more to eliminate
that notion than golf.
Golf's handicapping system, which uses
prior performance to predict a person's potential
compared to other golfers, makes it
possible for any two competitors to enjoy a
match. That's not possible in other sports.
" I'm not a tennis player, and I play with
some tennis players once a year, " says Skoglund.
" I can't compete because if the guy is
better than me, there is no way to handicap
it. But for all levels of play, the golf handicap
system brings everybody together. Whether
you are 80 years old, a man or a woman or a
PGA professional and your handicap is plus
four, I can play and compete with you. "
Golf is also unique in terms of venues.
Often, anyone who plays can play where the
legends have played. Longtime golf writer
Jon Roe and his colleague, sportswriter Patrick
Reusse, were discussing that fact not too
long ago.
" We decided that we will never be pinned
against the centerfield fence at the Metrodome
and jumping up to grab the ball the
way Kirby Puckett did [in the 1991 World
Series], " Roe says. " We will never switch the
30
MINNESOTAGOLFER Fall 2011
basketball from our right to left hand, midjump,
and dunk it the way Michael Jordan
did in the NBA Finals. We will never run the
way Jim Brown did, bowling over tacklers in
Cleveland Stadium.
" But just once we might go to Keller, get to
the fourth tee, take out an 8-iron and hit that
ball in the hole. Or hit it over the tree to within
two feet and make the birdie putt-just the
way Tommy Bolt or Sam Snead or the other
old pros did. "
With golf, you have that chance. Everyone
does. A sport that is working to grow itself
is not about to chase away players who want
to learn and play the game; the industry has
worked too hard at that to think otherwise.
In golf, there are almost unlimited variables
regarding where and how you can play,
no matter your skill level, your budget or
your schedule. And once you find where it
works for you, any other concerns are just
archaic notions and misguided perceptions.
I was thinking about that as I drove away
after my round at Osakis CC this past summer.
Vacationing with my family, I had
snuck out for an early morning nine while
the rest of them slept. I drove past the chipping
range, where a man with a prosthetic
arm was warming up for his round.
We exchanged glances and then nods-
nods that said, " We both belong. " MG
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Minnesota Golfer - Fall 2011

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