Every so often, one of the professional golf tours comes to the Boston area, and those of us interested in seeing how the elites blast the ball off the tee to a standard spot on the fairway, shape their irons and putt for dough stand silently and watch as the best in the world go about their business.
What went on over the last week as the Kittansett Club celebrated its centennial was not the same but, in some ways, was even more intriguing.
The U.S. Senior Amateur is the ultimate championship for people with whom I can more readily identify in my current state as a categorically senior “athlete” with often-unreasonable expectations given the amount of time I give to golf.
I grew up with a dad of middling to modest natural talent, not immune to choking away a birdie putt but at the same time, of such a rational, respectful and eager mindset that I could not help but overly analyze every athlete I’ve ever watched do anything especially well.
An advanced machinist by day – large shops would bring him their knotty problems – my father liked to down a big salad at the end of the day, drive 15 minutes to Ponkapoag, where he’d meet up with his pals, and play two balls each over the same three holes until dark.
My father also had an appetite for golf’s knotty problems, and it was commonplace for him to get home excited to share a swing secret he had discovered on the course. Many of those lessons I would grow into and sometimes out of.
One December, my father walked into the house unaware of the snow stacked on the brim of his hat. As a joke, I asked why they had quit. He said the putts were rolling up with snow and falling over before they reached the cup.
A record 2,865 entries were received with the field a mere 156 (minus 36 exemptions.) Dad would have loved this tournament.
I didn’t inherit his passion for golf, but I enjoy playing. The analysis gene, that I inherited. That is why I am a sucker for the opportunity to watch those who succeed, having grown up with no other choice but to reinvent golf in my head over and over again.
The U.S. Senior Amateur provided a unique opportunity, not necessarily to watch prodigies whose shot at the PGA Tour failed for some reason, but those who never played golf for a living yet are good enough at it to earn a spot in this tournament.
Like most of us, most of them have or had day jobs.
The best field of amateur golfers age 55 and over comes in all shapes and sizes, and only some of them wear the wraps of wear and tear around knees or elbows.
I’m intrigued by Boxford’s Frank Vana, the nine-time Mass Golf player of the year. With two solid if not spectacular stroke-play rounds on the weekend, the 60-year-old quietly earned a spot in the match-play segment and advanced with a 4-and-3 victory on Monday over 2012 runner-up Curtis Skinner of Lake Bluff, Illinois.
Vana was one of only three Massachusetts golfers to qualify for the national event, and he faced a tall task on Tuesday against Paul Simson, whose 35-11 match-play record was only three wins short of the all-time record.
For at least the second time this summer, a non-Patriots NFL quarterback attended a sporting event in southern New England.
Stan Humphries, who led the Chargers to Super Bowl XXIX but lost to the 49ers, also lost 3-and-2 in Monday’s round-of-64, match-play round to 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur champion (and co-medalist) Jeff Wilson of Fairfield, California. In July, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins visited Newport, Rhode Island, where he was thrilled to meet two-time Wimbledon champion Sir Andy Murray.
Former Red Sox pitcher Erik Hanson (a 1995 All-Star) was also in the field, but this is no celebrity tour. The competitive fire exhibited by these athletes is validated by the process it took them to reach this level of competition.
You just never know, but for the most part the field at Kittansett was comprised of very good golfers from a variety of backgrounds. There was a player in the field named Bunker. Clearly, he overcame many tired jokes to get here.
In my visit on Saturday, it was easy to notice how differently the amateurs swing the club. So do touring pros, but with less subtlety it’s evident that many of the competitors in the U.S. Senior Amateur invented golf on their own terms rather than at academies. There was more knack than training displayed in their warmup rituals.
I like watching the more level swings because my father always said I have too steep a descent. Twenty years ago, I was a regular at the range in Acushnet, where I worked on getting the club more behind than over the ball. There I met former world champion long driver Eric Lastowka. A brief (looser-grip) lesson he shared I’ve held onto ever since, and as a result my ball tends to stay more on line even when I am not hitting it well.
Upon their arrival to the first tee, a lady named Debbie checked in with the competitors, among other notes logging their brand of ball. I guess those Vice Pro Tours I’ve found while walking Hazel at Bay Pointe are keepers after all.
Surprisingly, few on the practice green were using the long putter. The one player that did while I was watching also used the open stance made popular by the late, great Sam Snead.
While bringing the culmination of the amateur senior golf season to Marion’s idyllic shoreline, the USGA did something very important for kids and for the future of the sport.
Children from Boston, Brockton and Springfield will benefit from the USGA’s $25,000 IDEA Grant that went to First Tee Massachusetts to make golf more accessible to underserved kids. That will include blocks of free tee times at William Devine Golf Course in Franklin Park, along with equipment upgrades, lessons and associated coverage of fees.
I love that.
The U.S. Senior Amateur concludes with an 18-hole championship round on Thursday, September 1, beginning at 8:30 am. Attendance is free and open to the public.
By Mick Colageo