First, there was a backyard cookout (sirloin, not spare ribs) for an inner circle of friends. The next morning, there was our first father-son golf outing together at the public 9-hole links nearest to our home.
As is "par" for the "Course of Champions" (as Candler Park is both lovingly and mockingly known), Scottie and I were part of a foursome composed of complete strangers. We teed off gingerly with two other black hackers who, themselves, had only met moments before. They couldn't have been more patient or encouraging through the six holes prior to the kid's "Carry me home, Daddy" melt down.
Flashback to that cookout: Seven black dads of young sons and daughters attended. They hail from seven different states. Despite starting to play at varying stages of life, they all, like me, happened to be avid golfers.
The determined men and women who inspired The Golf Channel's Black History Month documentary, "Uneven Fairways", would no doubt be proud.
This tribute to the players whose race denied them the opportunity to fully enjoy all the game's rewards (though they reveled in the struggle to do so) is that rare bit of program TV I'll set aside time for.
Somehow, I think I'll play better just by watching stories unfold about trailblazers who were only begrudgingly allowed to play at all.
Since the Othello of out-of-bounds soliloquies, Samuel L. Jackson, hosts the hour-long feature (premiering Feb. 11, 9 p.m.), the narration alone should be riveting. And I'll be keen to see how Calvin Peete _ who was gracious enough not to belittle my utter ignorance of the game when I encountered him early in my sports writing career _ is portrayed.
What are your thoughts on the "Uneven Fairways" film? Unfortuately, the Golf Channel's blog about it shows shades of insensitivity so far. Ironically, The Golf Channel is airing a rerun of Pebble Beach Pro-Am bloopers as I write this. The announcer segues into a commercial saying, "Golf is fun for everyone...as long as it's shared."
Photo: Calvin Peete at the 1986 Western Open/Ted Van Pelt (FLICKR)
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1 comment:
My son ran out of gas on our first Father and son round as well - I got a good laugh reading that - also, for you archivists of African-American accomplishment in golf, ESPN has been running some very, very well produced pieces on ESPN Classic this month
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