An enjoyable day at the Greenbrier
This past week I was very fortunate to spend an entire day at the Greenbrier. The reason for this happening is that the PGA Tour is in town and they needed some help in coordinating a Pro-Am and some tour player activity. I do not know if you have ever been to the Greenbrier, but it is like stepping back in time and it stirred some memories in me, not of the Greenbrier, but of a different time.
That time was one where tour players and professional athletes in general, were more approachable and more human.
When I was a young Assistant Professional in North Carolina at a very small club outside of Charlotte I was fortunate enough to run across the first Palmer that was successful on the PGA Tour, Johnny Palmer. Johnny won the Canadian Open, the Western Open and a handful of other events on the PGA Tour. He also played with Hogan, Nelson and Chi-Chi Rodriguez and lost in the finals, when it was match play, of the PGA Championship to Sam Snead.
I will never forget the day that I met Johnny. I was in my first week of employment and he deemed me to be of enough importance to find me, introduce himself to me, and ask about my career to that point and where I wanted to go in the future. Now I knew who he was and I know he did not know me, but guess what? He was not some big time tour player; he was just a small town person that made a name for himself playing golf. His kindness and his sincerity are hard to find today, and personally, his will never be forgotten.
Now flash back to the Greenbrier and walk back in time.
I spent a considerable amount of time no more than five feet from several Tour players. It felt nice to be acknowledged and given permission to watch golf swings and ask questions. It felt nice to be included and not to be pushed away or feel not worthy enough to speak to these gentlemen.
Why do I write this? I write this because I want to share the fact that my faith in tour players and history were restored for me last Monday.
Tour players with names such as Durant, Veasey, Lowery and Mediate treated me with the same respect and decency as did an old tour player name Johnny Palmer. And for that treatment to occur in the backyard of an old tour player, Sam Snead, made the day all the more enjoyable.
I want to thank all of those fellows for treating me that way and for helping me move back in time to remember a time and a generation that is not with us any more, but is still well represented on the PGA Tour. Oh by the way, those guys are good.