Conference 7.286::golf

    It starts today... Pro-am was being played prior.

    And the winner is Bob Charles.
    
    Stu,

    I spent Sunday morning at the Classic, and it was great.  I hung around 
    4 thru 7, and from 8:30 till about 10:30, there were just a handful of
    spectators at each green and tee, and noone in the fairway.
    
    I'd sit about 2 feet off the 4th green, watch the approaches and putts,
    then walk 20 yards over to the 5th tee, stand 6 feet away, and watch em
    blast the drives.  Ask the pros how they're doing, what they hit, etc.
    and they'd always talk to you.  Hell, sometimes they'd start the
    conversation!
    
    I really enjoyed seeing guys like Sanders, Moody, Brewer, Goalby, Chi Chi...
    The group of Peter Thompson, Jim Feree, and Gary Player had almost
    no gallery!  Feree is LONG.  And of course, my hero, Bob Charles ;-).
    
    I left about 1:30, and it was starting to get very crowded.  Went over
    to Stow and shot my best round of the year.  I had more fun watching
    these guys than last year at the US Open!
        
    Mike

    
    Like Mike; this was my (and my dad's) 1st Seniors Tourney also.
    We went on Friday morning until 1:30 (didn't want to; but had prior
    commitments). We were able to watch 4-5 groups that day between
    the Player/Feree/Crampton group through the Bob Charles group. The
    only "crowds" that followed groups were with Player/Feree... and
    the Chi Chi groups (which was just fine by me). Boy, can those "old"
    boys hit 'em!!! I was watching them hit tee shots between 250-275
    yds. (w/ 3woods I think). I had a super time there ,and wish I could
    have watched the whole tourney.  I was hoping my man Mr. Charles
    would win it, he was looking good Friday (and coming off a 67 in
    the last round of the Senior's US Open.
         A question to Gene and the rest...Is it proper etiquette to
    "chat" with the pros?  I wanted to ask them the questions Mike did
    ("How are ya hittin' them", etc.) but I could only muster the usual
    "Nice shot, Mr. Moody", "Hot out here, huh?", etc. to them.  Would
    these guys rather be left alone, or do they appreciate the interaction
    with the "acknowledging" (for lack of a better word) fan.   
        
              Mark
    

    	Chatting with the players, really depends on who the player
    is. As a walking scorer the past 2 years, it is always easier to
    chat with them on the Pro-Am days, as they're basically goofing
    around for the 18 holes. On the pro days, I'd wait for them to
    start a conversation, or join in with them as they talk with each
    other as they walk the fairways. Of course, some of the pros use
    the cart ALL THE TIME and make the caddies walk. Some of the caddies
    have some cute stories to tell, too.
    	As far as hitting the ball well, they still do. On Sunday, Frank
    Beard cracked his drive 287 yards on 16, the driving distance hole.
    	Next year I hope to get some of the "big" names in my group
    that I score for. This year I had Jerry Barber and Doug Dalziel
    on the 2 Pro-Am days, and Emil Esposito, Dan Morgan, and Ralph Terry
    on Friday. 

Like .-1, I have been a walking scorer for the Senior's Classic for the past
4 years and have been enjoying it.  I agree with what he said about chatting
with the pros.  If they start the conversation, then it is OK to talk with
them.  Certain pros are much more social then others.  For example, Bob
Goalby let me ride with him in his cart.

Bob is one of those pros who will talk to just about everyone in the gallery.
But then again, he wasn't in serious contention during the tournament.  If I
were in the gallery, I would not talk to any of the pros who were in contention.
It might be too distracting.

Mike

    
    
    I almost made it ! As we have done for the last 2 years, my parents
    came from the Springfield area to spend a couple days and go to the
    Seniors. Friday we left my camp in N.H. on our way to the Classic.
    We got as far as Gardner when the car died on the ramp to Rt. 2 !
    We had it towed to a service station and they told us the timing
    belt was gone. It was almost 11:00 a.m. but were told 1 1/2 to 2 
    hours to fix. Well the car was finished at 3:00 p.m. needless to
    say that day was shot. Due to other commitments we could not go
    another day. Then to finish our vacation my son broke his arm on
    Saturday !
    
    ace
    

    
    I went on Sunday also.  It was a great time.  We got there
    around 9:45, and before we watched any golf, we tried out
    the video swing analysis machine, in the RJR booth.  It really
    didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know, but did
    confirm that most of my swing is ok.   Anyways, after
    that we checked out the driving range and the putting green, I
    wasn't as impressed with the distance these guys were hitting 
    the ball as how incredibly consistent they were.  I hardly saw
    a bad shot the whole day.   We watched Chi Chi, who didn't seem
    to be having a good day, he's a lot more intense than I thought,
    he was fuming after a couple of shots, but then a minute later
    he would be joking with the crowd.   Did anybody get a look at
    some of the bizarre putters these guys had?  I've never seen such
    a variety of putters, and just about everyone there hit metal
    woods off the tee.
    
    We left at 2:30 and headed over to Glen Ellen CC, were I had the
    best game of golf in my life.   For the first time ever I broke
    40 and shot a 39 on the back nine.   I broke my record for 18
    by 4 shots and shot an 83.   Needless to say, I walked off 18 with
    a grin from ear to ear.
    
    -John-  

    Quite a coincidence that we both shot the year's best round immediately
    after watching the pros for hours...  It definitely helped me, all of a 
    sudden the swing just seemed so easy.
    
    I did notice the strange putters.  I saw several putters with a head
    that was a large rectangular block of clear plastic.  God it looked
    wierd, and sounded even wierder!
    
    I still was quite impressed with their distance.  Feree was
    consistantly 20-25 yards beyond Player, that has to be getting into the 
    280-290 range.  Smooth swinging Bob Charles hit his drive on 7 275 (the
    fairway was marked).  I hope I can hit it like that when I'm 55 (or 45,
    or 35, or...)
    
    Mike7

    Got a story to tell about a great golfer and guy by the name of
    Chi Chi.  I Was hole Captain on Number 11 all five days of the Seniors
    and on Saturday, a little boy around ten came up to me and asked
    where was a good place to stand to get Chi Chi's autograph, and
    I couln't understand a thing he was saying, so his mother intervened
    and informed me he was deaf, so I told his Mon, if he'd stand in
    front of the entrance to the tee, Chi Chi would sign his hat, well
    the kid waited for thirty minutes, then came Chi Chi and sure anough
    he signed his autograph, and the little boy said thank you the best
    way he could, well, when Chi Chi was up on the tee he said to me
    boy that kid talks funny, then I told Chi Chi he was deaf.  Chi
    Chi said bring him up here, in front of about two hundred people,
    he held up play, signed the glove he was wearing to the boy, his
    ball, gave them to the boy, then asked the boy to ride in his cart
    I was told later the boy rode with Chi Chi for three holes, talk
    about making a that kids day.....he was in heaven, Chi Chi is more
    than just a great golfer, he's a great human being...
    
      IV
     Roger    

    
    	Nice story Roger, thanks for sharing it with us... It truely
    	is great to hear these kinds of stories, it more than makes
    	up for the ones you hear about some of the players not taking
    	time to acknowledge that you exist...
    
    	Gene

     Chi Chi has always been the best with kids, but that story was
    really special! Thanks for entering it.
    
    --The Skoal Bandit

     re: Roger
    
    A classic story for a classic event. I was touched by your story.
    It sure is nice to hear about things like that! Thanks for sharing
    it with us.
    
    Smitty
    

    	That was a GREAT story!!!  Really make you appreciate the good
    guys.  I've always enjoyed these types of golfers.  When I go to
    the GHO I always try to follow Fuzzy Zoeller and Lee Trevino, because
    I lump them in the same group I would Chi Chi.  It is also why I
    try not to follow the Tom Kites of the tour.  Sorry if there are
    any Tom Kite fans out there.  He's a great golfer, but I just can't
    stand his attitude towards the fans.
    	Chi Chi truely is a great human being!!!  I wouldn't mind being
    able to hit a golf ball as well as he does either!!!  :-)
    
    Beak

    
    2 Years ago when I worked the Seniors I was on the 10th tee of the
    final day. Chi Chi came up the the tee to tee off. While he's on
    the green to tee off he's eating a snickers bar (or something like
    it), and breaks off half of it and hands it to a kid in the crowd
    right next to me. He then looks up to me and pats my stomic (I'm 6'3" 
    and at the time weighed about 220) and said "Sorry, but he needed
    more then you did!" I was embaresed as hell, but got a good laugh
    out of it. After he teed off we followed him to control the crowd,
    because he was in the last group. Then on hole 14, Chi Chi noticed
    a kid in the crowd with Down Syndrone (? on spelling), and gave
    him and his mother a ride for a couple of holes. No wonder why people
    like him.
    
    Mike

    Your stories about Chi Chi brought tears to my eyes.
     
    I always liked Chi Chi and enjoy watching him play; both of those
    stories make me an even bigger fan of his. 
    
    Thanks for telling them.