Dad, Daughter, Son: Off To Play Golf

  What better way is there to spend time with your family than a bright and sunny day on the golf course?  Golf is great family fun and the time you spend together is priceless. I guess I am a bit partial to this idea because I am an avid golfer, but I introduced  my kids to golf at an early age.
      I have nine kids.  Before you go on saying stuff about having nine kids I do want to explain that five are mine and four are my wife's as I am in my second marriage. All nine children are grown and on their own pretty much.  I won't say anything about my wife's kids because I wasn't there for their upbringing. What I will say though is that her son has played golf with us and enjoyed it.  Of course my wife plays golf.
       I tried introduced each of my five children--four daughters and a son--to the game of golf at early ages.  I would play once a week and would marshal one day a week.  No, I would not take them with me when I played--I take that back, I would take them on occasion but only when they were older--but I always had one with me when I marshaled.  In fact, sometimes I had two  along with me.  We always had a wonderful time together. I was able to build in them a love for the game as well as a respect for the rules, traditions and behavior that is the game of golf.
      My oldest daughter hasn't taken up the game yet.  She is married and her family demands don't allow the time. However she and her husband want to take it up at a later time, and I have played a few times with my son-in-law.  Unfortunately, my second daughter doesn't want to have a thing to do with the game.  My third daughter is in school to be a nurse and married of all things a Class A PGA pro.  There is hope for her yet.
      I would take my son and my youngest daughter with me to marshal as much as I could. If I went to the range, most of the time they were in tow and I would let them hit a few balls. My son and daughter both enjoyed being out on the course and especially liked when we went into the coffee shop and had a burger. Later when I had a family membership at a semi-private golf course we would play after school and both had lessons.
      My youngest daughter played competitive golf in junior tournaments, high school and in junior college.  We would have a lot of fun traveling around the state to go to her junior tournaments.  Part of the trip would be that we would go up the day before the tournament and play a course near the tournament site.  These were some great times.  She is now trying to get into the hospitality program at The University of Nevada Las Vegas and get her PGA card.
     My son and I still try to play every once and awhile. Unfortunately, I have moved away from Fresno where he lives and we don't get the opportunty to play.  However, he still calls me and asks me when we are going to play together again.  I hope we will soon.
      Playing golf together as a family is quality family time. My experiences prove this out.  Those times spent on the golf course with my kids and now with my wife cannot be more precious.

My son at a tournament.  He's the one on the right.