If you Play Golf You’re my Friend

Ever notice how you can pick out a golfer in any crowd? There’s something about the way we dress, the way we act, there’s something about all of it that just screams “I’m a golfer!”

The late, great Harvey Pennick, legendary teacher of Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite and author of the famous “Little Red Book”, also authored the lesser known but no less impactful “If You Play Golf You’re my Friend”. Harvey was an old school Golf Professional and almost all of the old school pros that I knew growing up in the business had one thing in common, they could talk golf. Man could they talk golf! They could talk about players, they could talk about courses, and they could talk about the golf swing, and so on, and so on, and so on. If you showed any interest at all they would tell you story after story about the things they had seen the people they had met and the places they had been.

Man I miss those guys, they were humble, and they rarely talked about their own exploits. The game was the thing, it was bigger than anything else and those “old school” guys would do anything to protect and nurture and grow it. It is said that golf is a game of tradition and sportsmanship where honesty, honor and fair play are the most important things. It seems to me that those traditions meant a lot more before the game became so popular worldwide.

Golf is not about how much you paid for your new driver, it’s not about racing around the golf course on a cart in a constant state of impatience. Golf is not about hitting into the people in front of you. Golf is about friendship, a shared passion; it’s about respect for the golf course and your fellow participants.

So the next time you see that golfer in the crowd talk to them and more importantly listen to them, I’m sure they will have some great stories to tell!

Ian Wiber

Director of Golf, Kokanee Springs Resort

ianw@kokaneesprings.com

250.227.2005