Family Golf Week Memories: Beyond the Competition
by Jim Maggio
It’s a natural assumption I hear from folks who learn my line of work.
“You’re in the golf business. I bet you’re a single-digit handicap, and play all the time.”
Well … no – and no.
While Myrtle Beach offers an embarrassment of riches in terms of quality golf and opportunities to enjoy it, our kids’ busy extracurricular lives have been an equalizer of sorts in each of those areas over the past several years.
So at the peak of our family activities, when I had the chance a few years back to team up with my oldest (Christian, then a young teen) and take part in the Father & Son Team Classic, I jumped at it.
For all our excitement in anticipation of our first round at Burning Ridge, I wish I could brag that the adrenaline led to a fast start. Christian topped his opening drive, and I yanked mine into the trees. I didn’t see the reaction of our playing partners, whose comfort level in a competitive environment was readily on display, but I could feel it – and a new thought crept into my head.
“What exactly are we doing here?”
Thankfully, we recovered – not exactly at a world-beating pace, but enough to get past our first-time competitive nerves. Our playing partners the next two days flashed a similar skill set, but all our foursome members quickly looked past the scorecard and focused on the most important sentiment that ruled the day.
We’re out of the office. We’re in the sunshine. And we’re on the links in the Golf Capital of the World with the most important people in our lives.
Family.
A good walk spoiled? Mark Twain didn’t spend enough time with his kids on the golf course.
Our time together taught me two important things:
- When a 5-foot-4, 120-pound kid nearly outdrives his father with a club sporting “U.S. Kids Golf” across the sole, there’s no truer sign that the old man better start teeing it forward.
- Baby’s first words … junior’s excitement at seeing Magic Kingdom for the first time … and son’s first-ever birdie on a 50-yard chip-in. The common denominator: they’re all moments you’ll remember the rest of your life.
Overall, we played terrible competitive golf – and had the time of our lives. And it’s an experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.
To learn more about how you can experience Family Golf Week for yourself, as part of either the Father & Son Team Classic or Parent & Child Team Classic, visit the Family Golf Week website.
