By Tom Wilbur
Golf is an incredible game. Something everyone should experience at some point in their life. Many folks who have never given it a try consider golf to be ‘that game where people hit the little white ball around.’ But, it’s so much more than that.
Golfers attempt to engage and coordinate their mental and physical abilities together as one operating unit — to address the opportunity, to overcome the challenges of each ball strike, and to develop consistency. At its worst, it’s an incredibly frustrating game, and then, has the potential to be the greatest game ever– on the very next shot. It can endear itself to your soul, or it can quickly teach you all kinds of life lessons.
It’s a game where a high level of integrity is required—so much so that an individual player actually assesses a penalty against himself or herself for failing to follow the rules, or for falling short of the performance standards required. Hit a ball out of bounds—a penalty. Allow your club to touch the ground in a hazard area—a penalty. Drop a ball in the wrong spot—a penalty (just ask Tiger). All penalties must be assessed by the golfer, again, against oneself. Failure to do so can result in complete disqualification. Failure to do so may only be known to you and God — but that’s known as cheating, and is not recommended in golf, or in life.
As a youngster, I grew up on the Salina Elks golf course. My Dad taught me the game. We didn’t have a lot of money, and so I was endowed with old hand-me-down clubs, a couple of (real) woods, a Spalding Cash-In putter, and the cheapest golf balls Japan could produce. Mom would drop us all off at the golf course as the sun rose in the morning with enough change to get a Coke or two, and maybe some french fries— and pick us up at dusk when we could no longer see the ball fly through the darkness toward its next destination. Those were among the greatest days of my life. I made terrific friendships with kids from the area, and over time, with kids from all over the State of Kansas. Plus the 18th hole at the Elks was near the swimming pool, where some of the most beautiful young ladies ever to reside in Salina developed beautiful tans, and brushed their sun bleached hair. Ah, yes, those were the days. But, I digress.
Harold Skelly, a retired law enforcement man here in Salina, volunteered and taught us kids the actual rules of golf. There are a bunch of dem dere rules of golf, and he carefully and meticulously reviewed them with us—over and over again. Harold commanded our respect and required that we follow every rule as we attacked the game with enthusiasm, and an ongoing desire to do better. He expected us to follow the appropriate golf etiquette required of anyone who dared to approach the first tee in this game of golf—from opening drive all the way to the final putt. And that included an exchange of handshakes at the finish—showing good sportsmanship for others in our group, and for their accomplishments at the end of a round.
We attended tournaments, and I actually won a few. My brother, Paul, at age eight was in a Salina youth tournament—and failed to finish because he hit all six of the balls he had in his bag into the water on Number 9 at the Salina Country Club. There were no balls left in the bag, and yeah, at that point— it’s game over. Paul’s a great golfer now, but I still think I can take him.
The point of all this rambling is that not everyone has a chance to be exposed to this beautiful game called golf. I did, and I’m so thankful for it. But there’s an internationally known program called “The First Tee”, to help more kids experience what golf is all about. At the Salina Municipal Golf Course, under the watch of pro Steve Hardesty, there are six par 3 holes on The First Tee course there, that are specifically dedicated to help kids learn about the game, and give the ball a whack. Some kids will find an exposure to golf to be a lifetime endeavor. Others may try it, and never return.
But the key is that regardless of economic background, or circumstance, there are a lot of kids who deserve to take that shot. Each year The First Tee of Saline County (FTSC) has over 400 youth participating in its summer programs. In addition, FTSC has over another 2,000 youth in its outreach programs throughout central Kansas. FTSC partners with various school groups, such as USD 305 (Salina),USD 306 (Southeast of Saline), Sacred Heart, and St. John’s Military School. They also partner with the Salina YMCA, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Salina, Blue Thunder, and the Salina Parks and Recreation Department to bring not only an introduction to how to play the game of golf, but equally important, teach the life skills that one can take from this terrific game.
One of Salina’s most talented golfers, and an outstanding gentleman in his own right, Daran Neuschafer—has announced that in early May, he and Steve Hardesty are going to attempt to play 100 holes of golf in one day at the Salina Municipal Golf Course. That’s one hundred holes of golf, folks, and that’s a bunch for a couple of older fellers. And they are calling it“The First Tee of Saline County Golf Marathon.”
Daran has played golf for decades, and won a number of city tournaments here in Salina. He played competitive high school golf, and played at Kansas State University. And now he’s trying to give back to the game. He has personally pledged $1.50 to the First Tee of Saline County program for every hole he and Steve play, up to 100. And he’s asking others to make a pledge per hole, too. All of the money raised will go to the First Tee Saline County program to help fund and grow it—and to create the kind of accessibility that allows many more of our area kids the chance to find out if they like the game of golf.
Here’s how you can help— make a financial commitment to help these guys and ultimately our kids, out. Pledge 10 cents a hole. If they complete it all, you’ll be responsible for giving $10. Pledge $1 per hole—that would be a hundred bucks. Pledge what you can. The end sum game is if we all pitch in a little bit, the winners will be those little birdies and bogies– we call kids.
Send a tax deductible donation in cash or by check to First Tee of Saline County, in care of BANK VI, P.O. Box 77, Salina, Kansas 67402-0077, or just drop it by the bank. We’ll make sure all donations forwarded here get to these guys—and to the program. I’m certain you can take your donation by to Steve at the Salina Municipal Golf Course, as well.
Or you can simply make a future pledge for Daran or Steve at https://adobeformscentral.com/
Blessings,
tw
Tom Wilbur is President/CEO of BANK VI in Salina, Kansas. He is a graduate of Salina Central where he played high school golf for the mighty Mustangs, under head Coaches Emyce Dyck and Chris Crank, and was affectionately known as “Windmill Wilbur”— for the way in which the club head whooshed through the air on nearly every shot—striking a ball that rarely went very far or very straight. He can be reached at[email protected]