Spirit Magazine - June 2013 - (Page 22)

From the Editor BOGEYMAN Dear Reader, There’s something noble and grown-up about golf, which may be why I don’t play it. Still, when I see golfers retrieve their clubs from the belt at baggage claim, I feel a little jealous. Golf meant trouble when I was little. My friends and I would play guerilla warfare on courses and pretend the players were Russians. We took cover in sand traps until we were caught by the enemy and grounded by our parents. And then, in 1971, the U.S. Open came to town. We lived near the Merion Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia. My mom snagged a pair of passes, and we spent two days gawking at the TV cameras and soft-spoken announcers. We couldn’t get near Jack Nicklaus—the game’s greatest player had too many followers—but for a while we tagged behind the 1968 Open champ, the perpetually smiling Lee Trevino. The day after we showed up, on the first hole of a tense 18-hole playoff between the two men, Trevino tossed a rubber snake in Nicklaus’ direction, which seemed a delightfully 22 SPIRIT JUNE 2013 un-grown-up thing to do. It was rumored to be a psych-out attempt, but we later learned that Nicklaus had asked to see the snake. Trevino’s kid had hidden it in his golf bag as a prank. I remember three other things from that Open. Trevino won. (Yay!) An announcer used the word “manicured” to describe the greens, as if they lay at the end of a Main Line debutante’s silky fingers. And Merion looked like Eden. This month, the Open returns to Merion. It’s the anniversary of one of the greatest moments in sports, as my pal Brad Herzog reports on page 86. And for Ardmore, Pennsylvania, it’s only the second time the Major championship has returned since 1971. I hope some kid’s mother lets him see this elegant, fully dressed sport, and that the kid grows up and becomes a golfer. Someday I may grow up and become one, too. —Jay Heinrichs Editorial Director PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETTMANN/CORBIS Trevino is one of the game’s rare cutups.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - June 2013

Spirit Magazine - June 2013
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Wise Guide
Business
Eat Like A Chef
Promotional Series: Spirit of Music City
...the Greatest Sports Tale Ever Told
Your Adventure in Oakland
Promotional Series: Spirit of Charleston
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Route Map
Rapid Rewards Partners
Flight Service
The "if" List

Spirit Magazine - June 2013