A Father's Day Tribute

I'm sure you have seen the statistic that people will spend roughly twice as much money on Mother's Day as they do Father's Day. I'm not going to get into why that happens. So my opinion is that we can give a little bit more to dad when it comes to Father's Day.

Different people have different ways they spend Father's Day. Some will go fishing, some will sit and watch television, and others will enjoy a meal following church. For the Webbs, the tradition involves golf. It could be playing golf or watching golf. If you are not aware, the final round of the U.S. Open is always held on Father's Day. So for Dad and I, we're playing golf, watching golf, or both.

I know I'm not alone in that regard. When we play golf, we see many fathers and sons playing together. We sometimes get the joy of seeing fathers, sons, and grandfathers all playing. It's pure joy. It's joy because we are lucky enough to spend time with dad. We understand that we're fortunate to spend this day together. Several of my friends have lost their fathers. Some of those friends have the joy of being a dad themself, but there is still some grief because they do not have their father.

That said, golf has a unique way of connecting men. Let's face it. When given a choice, men prefer to be silent over talking. Golf is a game where silence is appreciated and quite often required. Men don't like to talk unless necessary, and they don't like to speak to fill a void. Golf is the perfect sport for that. I can attest that my dad and I have bonded over the fact that golf requires such little talking. We both prefer unspoken words. Now there are times when you have to speak, but it often comes after a shot and you know typically what to say. For example, if someone hits a good shot, you respond with something like, "nice ball." If someone hits it into the woods, then you know not to say, "nice ball." So there's typically an unwritten script that goes with golf. Many men aren't good in social settings when speaking on the fly. If you need any verification on that, just ask my wife about our first few dates. Actually, nevermind just ask her how last week's date night went.

Dad and I have played in countless rounds together, having played several dozen tournaments throughout the years. A number of those we have won, including last year when dad was 90. Our first tournament victory came in 1997

Dad and I in 2014.

when I was ten and dad was 67. Our second came in 2005, with our third coming in 2013 and the last one being last year. Now, if you're counting, that's every eight years. Which means we're due to win in 2029. Dad will turn 99 that year. And you better believe that I think we can win a tournament together that year. After all dad who was never going to retire effectively, was retired by the pandemic in 2020. He was 89 and working as a lawyer when Covid-19 shut things down.

But numbers and wins aside, we've had this quiet and unique bond on the course. We typically don't say a lot to each other during a round. It is more than "nice ball." But there's a general understanding and appreciation that we have for the game and each other that doesn't need words to be spoken. We communicate without speaking.

One Father's Day weekend memory, that I like to look back on came in 1999. We were in Pinehurst, NC. (Well before my parents moved to that town.) We were watching the third round of the event. I really wanted to see Tiger and dad said, "If you want to see him, you just can't follow him around. Let's wait at the 18th hole and watch all the players come in." That's what we did, we saw the greats of that day, Tiger, Ernie Els, David Duval, and Davis Love III, among many to come through. Tiger was in contention going into the third round and thus was one of the last few groups to come through. Tiger was putting on the 18th hole. He had a critical birdie putt on the difficult 18th hole to remain a few shots off the lead.

As Tiger was lining up his putt and going through his routine, church bells from a nearby church were playing. This North Carolina church was playing Battle Hymn of the Republic. Because everyone was so silent, you could hear the bells as if you were right next to them. Dad and I thought Tiger would wait for the song to end. But he proceeded to play. He seemed unphased by the bells. We couldn't believe in that situation that he chose to play. He missed the putt but made par. Dad and I were talking about Tiger playing through the bells on the drive home and well into the evening. It was about an hour later in a post-round interview that we were watching where Tiger was asked about the bells possibly an interference. Tiger responded with, "What bells?" We couldn't believe the response. But it was the only professional golf tournament we saw live. Like playing, we didn't have to say much; we just enjoyed the moment and the game.

Dad is older than many of friends' grandfathers and many of those friends unfortunately don't have their grandfather anymore. I'm fortunate to have memories like this. Consider that at the 1999 U.S. Open, that dad was 69. He was moving around and talking like he was 49. The same thing applies to last year when he was 90 and played like a 70-year-old. The man has defied age, and I'm fortunate to have had that.

So this Father's Day, let's celebrate the dads in our lives and give them their due.