Mounds & Mounds of Raffle Tickets

 

Of course my memories of your Mom have a lot to do with our playing golf day in and day out and leaving you kids to fend for yourselves at the pool! I guess that’s how we decided to put together the Junior golf program. If we had you all interested in golf, we could play to our hearts content.

 

I also remember the mounds and mounds of raffle tickets we would buy in the hopes of winning the big prize. I can’t remember what the "big prize" was, I only know we spent many more dollars trying to win than it was worth. I think we paid for the new pond on 8 with our attempts; we were really sad when they stopped selling those darn tickets. It turns out it was considered "gambling!"

 

I also remember her insisting that I play in all these championship tournaments at 6:00 in the morning just so she could fill a foursome! I’d come in last every time, but it didn’t matter; she was the eternal optimist. It’s difficult to remember every "incident" that took place, there were oh so many, I only know that to be with her was a joy each time. We laughed and laughed at who knows what!

 

Just being in her company made whatever we were doing worthwhile. I’ve never had the same feeling about golf since my days of playing in a foursome with her. We always played for money. I can’t remember how much, maybe quarters for birdies and dimes for "sandies", a dollar for the match, whatever, but we were very serious about winning it and then we would sit around in the clubhouse and talk for hours about every shot made, and missed.

 

We never made the big leagues, but the Junior Golf program we started helped many youngsters learn to love the game of golf and gave them a lifetime of pleasure as a player and a teacher.

 

- Noreen, a friend of Esther