TERRE HAUTE —
It’s usually a bit of a struggle for me to figure out what my topic will be for this column. This week I could have written about Tiger’s withdrawal from the Players’ Championship due to a bulging disc in his neck, or by association, the health hazards a violent golf swing can have on the human body, or any number of other golf-related topics. But this week’s column has been more or less decided for me by a tragic event: the death of 20-year-old Ian White, a former South High School golfer who played on the team that made it to state in 2008, and graduated that year, sharing the student council award for golf with my son Phillip.
Phillip played high school golf with Ian all four years at South, and for many years before that they played in junior tournaments locally and throughout the state of Indiana. Ian traveled with me and Phillip to a number of courses for practice rounds before a tournament.
We traveled to Brownsburg and played West Chase, Martinsville to play Foxcliff Golf Club, Rolling Meadows in Gosport, and Christmas Lake in Santa Claus. Philip traveled with Ian and his dad for some of the out of town tournaments too. Wherever there was a golf course, they were willing to play it, and Ian was always confident that one of them would win it.
Ian and Phillip were a good pair because they were both golf nuts! One time, when Ian was with us for the drive home after playing in the IHSAA Regional tournament at Christmas Lake Golf Course, we stopped in Jasper to see Sultan’s Run Golf Course, because it’s one of our favorite courses and we wanted Ian to see the 18th hole, which is a beautiful finishing hole with a back drop of rocks, flowers and a waterfall. Then we showed him the 12th hole, which is a daunting par 3 that plays 209 yards from the back tees, straight down hill with a pond surrounding the green. Once he saw that, he really wanted to play it! So even though it was late afternoon, and the sun was setting by the time we got to 18, we played. And I’m so glad we did.
Another time Phillip had driven to Columbus, where Ian’s family had moved to, to play in a tournament. They played a practice round together, then Phillip played the next morning, and went back to the White’s house and picked Ian up to bring him back to Terre Haute with him. Their route back took them through Bloomington, so Ian said,” Wait. We’ve got to play this course!” So they stopped and played Eagle Pointe. Then, when they got back to our house, they took a big bag of “Over the Border” nacho chips to the basement and played the “Tiger Woods” video game on XBox for hours and hours.
Golf and life were pretty analogous for Ian. He had many ups and downs, often within a span of a few holes. One of Phillip’s favorite Ian stories was about the time the South golf team played a match at Coyote Crossing in Lafayette. Philip had played an odd round with three birdies in it but also a triple bogey and some other bogeys, but his story was nothing compared to Ian’s! Ian told the story of his back nine like this, “So I start out on number 10. . . QUAD!!! (hands splayed open and eyes rolled upward), . . . birdie-birdie-birdie. . . . QUAD!!!! (ditto on the gestures) … birdie-birdie-bogey, and I ended with a par.” Ian shot an 81 that day, with two quadruple bogeys and 5 birdies. When I heard that story, I always thought of Ian’s dad, and how he must have suffered and cheered through that set of holes, because I know how tough that is to watch.
During practice rounds you knew exactly where Ian was because he’d let out a big “BEEAAAU”, usually indicating that he had hit a huge hook, but sometimes it was a slice! It was a big shot, whatever it was, and he was having some fun! He could later describe every shot he had hit, and always knew he could have gone lower. He also tried more putters than anyone on the team. He was streaky with his putting, and would sink everything for a few rounds, then he’d start missing putts and decide to change putters again, or even his putting grip! He was such a competitor, such a gifted athlete, and such a fun friend. I spent many hours with Ian, when he was playing golf with me and Phillip, and I’m very glad of that. And I know his parents are very grateful for every round they got to watch.
I don’t think of Ian as moving onto “greener pastures,” instead, he’s moved onto greener fairways and smoother greens. May he always hit ‘em straight.
Quote of the Day: “I’m gambling that when we get into the next life, Saint Peter will look at us and ask, ‘Golfer?’ And when we nod, he will step aside and say, ‘Go right in; you’ve suffered enough.’ One warning, if you do go in and the first thing you see is a par 3 surrounded by water, it ain’t heaven. — Jim Murray.
On & Off the Course
On and Off the Course: Remembering former South golfer Ian White
- On & Off the Course
-
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
-
On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
-
On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
-
ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
-
On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
-
On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
-
On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
-
On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
-
On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
-
On and Off the Course: Remembering former South golfer Ian White
It’s usually a bit of a struggle for me to figure out what my topic will be for this column. This week I could have written about Tiger’s withdrawal from the Players’ Championship due to a bulging disc in his neck, or by association, the health hazards a violent golf swing can have on the human body, or any number of other golf-related topics.
-
On and Off the Course: Ochoa’s departure to impact LPGA
LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan already had a tough job, trying to promote the LPGA tour and keep the 25 events that they have on the schedule, but that job was made tougher last week when the tour’s No. 1 player announced her retirement from the game at the ripe old age of 28.
-
On and Off the Course: Examining the square groove rule change
Even though the Masters is going to have its own little drama going on with the return of Tiger Woods, an interesting thing to note will be how well the players are able to hold the hard fast greens at Augusta. An underlying part of the bigger picture that everyone might not realize is a rule change that could dramatically affect most, if not all, of the players. That rule change took effect on Jan. 1.
- On and Off the Course: President's Cup should be entertaining Just when we thought golf season was over, and it was time to concentrate on football, we must awaken from our naps, because there’s going to be some exciting golf for us to watch next weekend. The President’s Cup will run from Oct. 6-11 at Harding Park in San Francisco.
- On and Off the Course: The obscure of golf's rulebook Golfers know that the rules that govern the game are abundant. The game originated in the 15th century on the links of Scotland, and somehow as time went on and people became more civilized, rules were adopted.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s City Match Play had tough competition I played in the Terre Haute Golf Association Women’s City Match Play Tournament a couple of weeks ago.
- On and Off the Course: One for the ages … well, almost! I wonder how long people will be referring to last week’s British Open, as “one for the ages.” They could also refer to it as “one for the aged!” Tom Watson’s near miss of a 9th Open Championship (as the Brits prefer to call it, and as it rightly should be by virtue of its longevity) was a rallying cry to all those golfers who have toiled for so many years at their game, but had given up hope as for ever getting it back to where they had it twenty years ago.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: In a bad economy, should LPGA raise its fees? For 31 years The LPGA’s Corning Classic was held at Corning Country Club in Corning, N.Y., with Corning Glassware as its title sponsor. This year, however, was the end of an era as LPGA players played their final rounds in its’ longest-running event. Due to many factors Corning chose to not renew their contract for 2010.
- ON AND OFF THE COURSE: ‘Average golfer’ ready to face challenges of Bethpage Black Golf Digest, in association with the USGA and NBC Sports, has asked the question, “Can the ‘average golfer’ break 100 at Bethpage Black under U.S. Open conditions?”
- On and Off the Course: Golf is for Mother’s, too I’d like to wish all of my readers who are mothers, whether they play golf or not, a Happy Mother’s Day — and if you do play golf — I hope you have a fine day today and that you find the time to get out on the course.
- More On & Off the Course Headlines
-
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Dragon Arrives at Space Station in Historic 1st
Astronauts Enter World's 1st Private Supply Ship
Passenger Restrained on Flight to Miami Arrested
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Beer Here!: An Historic Exhibit
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Sudden Storm Topples Wisconsin Trees
Vegas Grocer Deported to Face War Crimes Charges
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Raw Video: SpaceX Capsule's Docking Delayed
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad
Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest
Jenny McCarthy's New Man
Tyler's Classic Coleslaw
Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone
Hurricanes and Heat Waves Across America
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
Alison Brie Likes To Jog Naked
