With the exponential growth of technology now associated with golf, it is easy to forget about the origins of our game and the great champions and teachers who made it all possible. I see fewer and fewer articles in golf magazines and rarely is golf’s history mentioned on broadcasts except when the four majors are in session. Some may say that’s enough, but is it? Used to be golf clubs were named after great players. I had Sam Snead irons and Gene Littler woods. Palmer, Nicklaus, Hagen and Jones were favorite models. Even golf tournaments carried the identity of our former heroes. Byron Nelson Classic or the Bing Crosby Clambake. Sadly, now all we see are corporate logos on everything from tees to hats to portable toilets.
Unlike baseball, a sport that passionately celebrates the past, golf moves further and further from its golden era. I was partaking in a local establishment the day before spring training and all over the networks were clips of old ball players having a catch or rounding the bases. Mantle, Ruth, Clemente, Dimaggio and on and on. Announcers talking about the repeating cycle of hope springing eternal. Yet as the new season of golf begins, all we get is a steady dose of this is the longest driver, or balls that fly the furthest. Length, length, length. Seems to be all anyone cares about these days. Our game needs to take a lesson from America’s pastime and our former heroes should be more than a fading memory.
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