I'm always leery of FREE things. Especially when they're being given away by someone who has something to protect. In blogs PGA Master Professional Don Trahan referenced great ball striker Moe Norman and Ben Hogan. He noted attempts to recreate their actions.
Now, he's promoting a perfect swing. With a son on the PGA Tour, with just two wins, I must wonder; is he concerned about a generation of golfers who CAN hit it like Moe Norman or Ben Hogan?
As a father I can attest that no price is too large to fulfill my sons dreams. If those dreams were a lucrative career on tour then I would make every effort to sway other golfers from gaining the ability to beat my boy.
Just a thought, there is a lot of money and effort being put into FREE advice. It makes one wonder, WHY?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Golf is a game of... 413 things
The watermelon caper
A typical Titanic exploit occurred when Thompson was driving back from White County in Illinois. As he approached Wadesville, he passed a watermelon truck. His mind started clicking and on the other side of town he stopped and waited for the truck. When it came, Ti flagged it down.
"How much do you want for those watermelons?" Ti asked. "Twenty cents," the man answered.
"No, I mean for all of them." Ti countered.
"Well, I don’t know, maybe $75," the farmer replied, ready to negotiate a lower price if that startled this strange customer.
"I’ll give you $200 for the load, but there’s something you must do for me." Ti said.
"What is that?" answered the man thinking of his good fortune, wondering if this slick looking man was jesting with him.
"I want you to unload and count each one and then put them back on the truck and come by the McCurdy Hotel at four this afternoon. You look like an honest man so I’ll give you the $200 right now." explained Ti, also giving the man a card with his phone number. "Call me at this number this afternoon with the total. If you do this you can keep the $200 and the watermelons too." Old timers will recall that in the war years, the lobby and the front porch of the McCurdy Hotel was the social center of Evansville. It was said that more oil wells were drilled there, more deals were made and more gossip swapped than anywhere in town.
It was also the watering hole for all the gamblers who ate in the Java Shop and then killed time in the lobby talking, waiting for the night when the poker games would begin. About three o’clock Ti arrived reporting on his leases in Illinois and inquiring about whether the night’s action would be cards or pool.
The stage is set
Shortly before four o’clock Ti got up, stretched and walked out on the porch. "Boys, come look at this," he yelled. "I haven’t seen a load of fresh watermelons since I left Texas. I’d better hail that fellow down and buy me one."
Some of the others agreed that a fresh watermelon would be a tasty treat. They all gathered around the truck. One asked, "How much you want?
"Quarter apiece," the still befuddled driver answered.
" Sounds like a fair price to me," Ti said. "Does a fellow get his pick?"
The farmer nodded his head in agreement. Thompson stepped forward and picked one up and then placed it back on the pile.
"Wait a minute," he said. "This reminds me of something I was pretty good at when I was a boy back in Arkansas. Folks used to say that I was just about the best at guessing the number of things in a bunch. I got a hundred dollars says I can come within five melons of the total on this truck."
"Ti, if your serious and want to throw a hundred dollars away," said one of the gamblers. "I’ll call that bet right now."
"I’ll take $100 of that too," said another.
"Hell," said yet another. "I’ll give you two-to-one odds and pay this fellow $10 to unload and count them out."
Ti feigned surprise. "Looks like I left my mouth open too long. I ain’t done this in a long time but since I made the wager. I ‘spect I’m obligated to cover all the bets."
Missed by two
Tilting his hat back, Ti stepped out on Riverside Drive, walked around the truck, looked at it from all sides, scratching his head, figuring and frowning. After several minutes of this drama, he got back on the porch, looked at the truck some more and then moaned, "Oh, Hell, I’m gonna guess there’s four hundred thirteen melons there."
This drama had attracted a sizable crowd watching the driver unload his melons, counting as he went. When the last one was laid down, there were 415 melons counted.
"Well," grinned Ti, "missing by two ain’t bad for being out of practice and all."
There was a stunned silence on the porch of the McCurdy. Those who had lost money betting on such a crazy proposition could not believe they had been drawn into such a wild scheme. Casual observers viewed Thompson as some kind of mystic with strange powers.
The truck driver began the chore of reloading the melons. He would have a sore back the next day but he would make a sizable profit on his improbable day’s work.
Ti collected almost $1,000 from his fellow gamblers then excused himself saying he wanted to take a little nap before the night’s action. "Wanna be ready tonight," he smiled. "I’m on a roll."
By J. Jeff Hayes
A typical Titanic exploit occurred when Thompson was driving back from White County in Illinois. As he approached Wadesville, he passed a watermelon truck. His mind started clicking and on the other side of town he stopped and waited for the truck. When it came, Ti flagged it down.
"How much do you want for those watermelons?" Ti asked. "Twenty cents," the man answered.
"No, I mean for all of them." Ti countered.
"Well, I don’t know, maybe $75," the farmer replied, ready to negotiate a lower price if that startled this strange customer.
"I’ll give you $200 for the load, but there’s something you must do for me." Ti said.
"What is that?" answered the man thinking of his good fortune, wondering if this slick looking man was jesting with him.
"I want you to unload and count each one and then put them back on the truck and come by the McCurdy Hotel at four this afternoon. You look like an honest man so I’ll give you the $200 right now." explained Ti, also giving the man a card with his phone number. "Call me at this number this afternoon with the total. If you do this you can keep the $200 and the watermelons too." Old timers will recall that in the war years, the lobby and the front porch of the McCurdy Hotel was the social center of Evansville. It was said that more oil wells were drilled there, more deals were made and more gossip swapped than anywhere in town.
It was also the watering hole for all the gamblers who ate in the Java Shop and then killed time in the lobby talking, waiting for the night when the poker games would begin. About three o’clock Ti arrived reporting on his leases in Illinois and inquiring about whether the night’s action would be cards or pool.
The stage is set
Shortly before four o’clock Ti got up, stretched and walked out on the porch. "Boys, come look at this," he yelled. "I haven’t seen a load of fresh watermelons since I left Texas. I’d better hail that fellow down and buy me one."
Some of the others agreed that a fresh watermelon would be a tasty treat. They all gathered around the truck. One asked, "How much you want?
"Quarter apiece," the still befuddled driver answered.
" Sounds like a fair price to me," Ti said. "Does a fellow get his pick?"
The farmer nodded his head in agreement. Thompson stepped forward and picked one up and then placed it back on the pile.
"Wait a minute," he said. "This reminds me of something I was pretty good at when I was a boy back in Arkansas. Folks used to say that I was just about the best at guessing the number of things in a bunch. I got a hundred dollars says I can come within five melons of the total on this truck."
"Ti, if your serious and want to throw a hundred dollars away," said one of the gamblers. "I’ll call that bet right now."
"I’ll take $100 of that too," said another.
"Hell," said yet another. "I’ll give you two-to-one odds and pay this fellow $10 to unload and count them out."
Ti feigned surprise. "Looks like I left my mouth open too long. I ain’t done this in a long time but since I made the wager. I ‘spect I’m obligated to cover all the bets."
Missed by two
Tilting his hat back, Ti stepped out on Riverside Drive, walked around the truck, looked at it from all sides, scratching his head, figuring and frowning. After several minutes of this drama, he got back on the porch, looked at the truck some more and then moaned, "Oh, Hell, I’m gonna guess there’s four hundred thirteen melons there."
This drama had attracted a sizable crowd watching the driver unload his melons, counting as he went. When the last one was laid down, there were 415 melons counted.
"Well," grinned Ti, "missing by two ain’t bad for being out of practice and all."
There was a stunned silence on the porch of the McCurdy. Those who had lost money betting on such a crazy proposition could not believe they had been drawn into such a wild scheme. Casual observers viewed Thompson as some kind of mystic with strange powers.
The truck driver began the chore of reloading the melons. He would have a sore back the next day but he would make a sizable profit on his improbable day’s work.
Ti collected almost $1,000 from his fellow gamblers then excused himself saying he wanted to take a little nap before the night’s action. "Wanna be ready tonight," he smiled. "I’m on a roll."
By J. Jeff Hayes
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