9/28/2016 St.Paul Minnesota
With the Ryder Cup here in Minnesota this week,my thoughts automatically turned to my Dad.
Golf was one of the few leisurely activities I saw my Dad enjoy.
I remember him taking me to one of the courses once and also a trip to a miniature golf course in an effort to garner my interest in the sport. Dad's efforts failed with me as I found golf as a whole to be quite boring,and I preferred wacking the ball as hard as I could as opposed to the puts required to be successful in the sport. I guess I was more suited for baseball.
With Dad being the prominent doctor that he was,he eventually gained membership at the Wethersfield Country Club. Most folks would view his entrance as some sort of sign of prestige. For Dad however,it was all about getting to play golf at one of the best courses in Connecticut. One of the things he would do to spoof the country club would be instead of driving his Mercedes or BMW to the club,he often arrive at the valet in one of my half brother's beater vehicles. It would only be after they'd start hassling him when he would pull out his membership card.
A major golf tournament would be held yearly at the Wethersfield Country Club-The Greater Hartford Open,and Dad was there in 1967 when Charlie Sifford became the first black to win a major PGA Tournament. Later the Greater Hartford Open became the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open, The Sammy Davis Jr GHO was a Pro-Am event in which my Dad entered and got to play with the likes of Lee Trevino and Billy Casper.
One of Dad's golfing buddies was State Senator,later US Senator Joe Lieberman. For the both of them,golfing would also be a profitable venture. Dad would contribute money to Lieberman's campaign,and when Lieberman won,there would be money alloted to my Dad's medical clinic. Joe Lieberman orginally was a Democrat but later became a Republican. I remember as a kid asking my Dad what his political leanings were,and I remember him telling me he was a Socialist,yet the last poliical contribution I heard he made was to George W.Bush. Under the Bush Administration with Joe Lieberman's assistance buried amonst defense expenditures were funds allocated to Dad's clinic.
In the fall of 2004,Dad was diagnosed with a terminal form of lung cancer. Dad and I had a rather rocky relationship over the years,and on the first day upon my return to Connecticut,we had one of those clear the air sessions that anyone with issues with their parents should try to have with them before they pass..
One of Dad's biggest gripes with me was letting my idealism get in the way of "playing the game" to get ahead like he did.
Maybe that's another reason I never played golf..
