If you are old enough to remember “The Baffler” then you are old enough to remember the following:
- The redolence of the locker room and no I don’t mean sweaty socks. There used to be a combination of Old Spice, shoe polish, and fresh cut grass that I just miss. The last time I smelled it was at Latrobe CC last summer.
- The Shagbag- there was a time before driving ranges (now they’re called practice facilities and take up more acreage than a high school) when we would go over to the side and practice with our shag balls. They were yellowed with age or had a “smile” in them, but they worked just fine. Hell, today’s golfer has never even seen a smile in a golf ball let alone a shagbag…what a shame.
- The 9-hole golf league- guys on Mondays, gals on Tuesdays, couples on Fridays, and kids on Saturdays. Want to know why golf is hurting? Look no further.
- Spikes- I don’t miss the pockmarks between me and the 4-footer to halve a match….but man I miss with a passion the sound spikes made on the pavement when you walked from the parking lot to the starter’s shack.
- Dave Marr saying anything…but mostly “man he’s a tough dog to keep under the porch”
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A few things that come to mind that I miss:
• A “putting ball” – treasuring that new ball and using it only on the greens.
• Arnold (played by Mark) and Jack (played by Mark) on the putting green in a classic match play match-up.
• A Grape Nehi and pack o’ nabs at the turn.
• Hanging around the first tee on a summer afternoon on the off chance my dad would ask me to join him and one or more of his pals for a quick nine.
We used to call it a “Big Grape” and I haven’t heard pack o’ nabs in 30 years.
Thanks
I don’t know if you fellows had this, but I miss ladies’ golf shoes with kilties. Now everything has to look like street shoes or sneakers, or even sandals (what’s that about? now I need a pedicure before I can play golf? Do those sandals really work on a downhill lie? Talk about crazy tan lines!). The kiltie covered your dirty shoelaces and sometimes had a little slot for a plastic golf tee and a punch cut for your lucky ball marker. Of course, now tees are twice as long as they used to be, so maybe it would hurt to store your tees on top of your foot. Some of the more pricey ladies’ shoes came with several sets of kilties in different (pastel) colors, so you could coordinate your golf outfit right down to your toes. Of course, it was critical that the pompom on the sock, another endangered species, be a perfect match to the color of the kiltie.
There’s another old favorite of golf I’d like to mention – In the 60′s golfers wore soft, loose weave Alpaca cardigan sweaters. Think Arnie. When my mother-in-law, an avid golfer, passed away, I claimed her black Alpaca, and I think of her on those special occasions when I wear it.
-Duchess of Hazards
I miss the free beer on my parents tab