Masters Week « Frank's Place

Aside from two major holidays, Christmas and Easter, there is no more hollowed week in this house than Masters Week.

That’s golf by the way.

For a golf fan Masters Week is the Super Bowl but without the two weeks of media redundancy leading to the actual event. The Masters competition starts on Thursday and ends today, there is the par three competition on Wednesday and State of the Game address on Tuesday, with an opening tee shot by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus starting things off early Monday morning.

This year a new event has been added to the “Tradition unlike any other.”

Masters Week now starts off on Sunday with the Drive, Chip, & Putt contest. Think punt pass and kick. Regional winners from across the country, ages 7 – 14, come to Augusta National to compete for the championship in their age group. All 4 hours was televised on the Golf Channel. Guess where I was last Sunday.

At 8:00am I settled into my office chair, propped my feet up and watched little kids, boys and girls, hit their drivers 250-300 yards. Clearly poisoned by the steroid ear of baseball, those kids must be on the juice.

Anyway, my 2yr old daughter waddled in, said GOLF! and climbed into my lap. It was shaping up to be a good Sunday morning.

Well for a bit anyway.

Out of no where my beautiful bride appears asking, “Are you taking Frank golfing?”

Crazy at it sounds I had no plans to golf that day or take Frank.

“Well he just gave me detailed “constructions” on how I was to watch after Anne Marie while you two went golfing. He’s in his room getting dressed, polo shirt and all.”

OK then I guess we’re going golfing.

It’s no secret I am trying to get Frank hooked on golf. I have no delusions about watching him compete in the Drive, Chip, and Putt competition at the Masters. Besides each competitor can only bring one chaperone, and I know he would pick his mother.

No, I’m just trying to cultivate some playing partners for the next 15-30 years. The Masters would just be a sweet bonus.

But for real, how awesome would I look in the white coveralls each caddy must wear during competition, toting Frank’s clubs as he comes down the back nine on Sunday at Augusta?

Back to realty. We’re dressed and hauling the mail to the Par 3 course about 5 miles up the road. Then off to the driving range at our home course to put in some work.

Peep the skills of my 4yr old.

New Tee boxes at the Par 3. Old boxes couldn’t contain him. The course has been Frankified!

Posture getting a little closed. Trying to really pound this one.

Going for the green in one.

His first ever par putt.

Chasing greatness can be a lonely business. The great ones put in the work after everyone else goes home.

I’m just taking pictures and eating a hotdog I had actually bought for Frank, he’s doing all the work. Keep working Frank, still got some chips to eat!

It’s hard to see but he’s throwing the balls around the chipping green and chipping them until they go in. The beauty of golf, he stops to watch a flock of birds fly over. Do that on a soccer field and you might take one in the onions.

All that work leads to the payoff, imitating a move he saw in a dopey Adam Sandler golf movie.

Enjoy Masters Sunday!

The golf is strong in my family.

My wife has it.

Tracy at the Old Course in Maui, Hawaii

I have it.

Took 2nd at Pat Summitt charity tournament.

And my son has it.

Grooving his move in the backyard.

Since the golf runs so strong in the family, the second week in April is always a big deal.

What big deal you say? It’s Masters Week. The greatest week in golf. A tradition unlike any other, as the saying goes.

It starts with player interviews on Monday and Tuesday. State of the game address by the Chairman of Augusta National and the Par 3 championship on Wednesday.

Then Thursday morning it’s go time. Live streaming of the tournament starts at 10:30 am. Guess where I’ll be Thursday morning. Hopefully Anne Marie can learn to feed herself between now and the first tee shot, or it might be a rough weekend for her.

So in that spirit I picked Frank up from school and we went to the golf course. Dead Horse Lake in Knoxville is our home course and Frank is a big hit in the club house, on the driving range, and with the lady bartenders who serve us our post round hotdogs. He’s three and he has a good swing and the old guys who populate that course love watching him hack at the ball.

But today we went on the course, the real course. I was not sure how he would handle it. His swing has been looking pretty ragged in the backyard these days. Once again he stunned me. Apparently he’s not much of a practice player, he’s a game day type of guy.

His first tee shot went 34 yards, twice the distance he’d been hitting in the back yard. His second tee shot went 43 yards and straight as an arrow. His third went 54, also right up the middle. Then he hit another 54 yard shot from the fairway, off the grass without a tee, to the green. Here is his current move.

It was quite a show. Now he had some real clunkers in there too, and missed several balls completely. But on Great Masters Eve my kid was crushing it.

Did I mention he was only three?

Even more impressive, he went the distance without so much as a whimper or a whine. I didn’t have to bribe him with candy or a promise of unlimited Thomas cartoons when we got home. He loves being out there and playing.

Oh yeah, he made a 15 foot putt on the first green too.

Good looking stroke right there.

So yeah, in two years Frank will be kicking my ass all over the course.

Oh well, at least it will be 5 years before Anne Marie is driving it past me, I think.

Ok in the fervor of Masters Week, a little trivia for y’all.

A commemorative golf ball with Frank’s birth info to the person who can answer this question.

What is the difference in Frank’s swing from the first picture to these two shots at the bottom?

Answer in the comment section. My 7 brothers and sisters are not eligible. Coyne, I should make you ineligible since you’re just about family, but give it a shot if you want.

Again, difference in Frank’s swing from the first picture to these two, and you don’t have to be a golfer to get this, just observant and maybe have too much free time on your hands.

Here is what you are playing for. Good luck.