Golf's Timeless Joy: Sam Reeves' Reflection on Lessons

It's funny. There are so many parallels to the man we started talking about, Ben Crenshaw. When you look at the science with which we approach putting sometimes, you know, from zero, zero torque mallets and aim point, all this stuff. And you look at a guy like Ben Crenshaw still puts it pretty good with the very old school putter going off a feel and just the parallels between what golf once stood for and the way we are now. You said something there a second ago that I love to hear you talk more about, which is when you expose people to the game of golf, it just takes a hold of you. What are your memories, the first time golf, you got exposed to golf, the way it took a hold of you? Well, the first time I was, it was in the Second World War. And so we had team sports then, but then by the Second World War, you couldn't gather. I played a lot of sports and I love basketball, but you couldn't gather enough people to play. So it became a game that you would go out and play on your own. So it's both and. It's a sport that you can, but when you got there, you would interface with people and connect. So I think it's a both and sport. I've played these other sports. You've played more than I have, but most of the other sports, there's some dimension. There's something about golf. Over basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, these other things. It seems to me he has a, both internally, they're all sports, but internally it seems that golf has some magic. It's an X factor, whatever it is. It captures people. Too many people are captured by this. And that was what old Tom Morris in the 1880s, it was about. Another thing about old Tom Morris, Charlie, people forget, 10% of the golfers back then were women. By the Second World War, I mean, by the First World War, 25%. Today, it's 30%. So it's also not just a game for men. It's a game that includes women, men, young, old. uh, It's a game that can be played from a young age. it's, I started when I was 9 or 10 years old until I'm 92, it's, still playing away. it's Still trying as hard as I can. Don't get any better. Pretty inspiring stuff. you. And I don't know that any of the grandkids has beat you in a match yet. So we're still ticking. Thank you. Here's where I want to end, Pop, is you're about to, I've heard you give many speeches, many amazing speeches in the course of your life and my life. And you're about to give another one here, the Lamley tonight. Just leave us with, what's the sort of message you're going to bring tonight and just the importance, because, you know, the way you want to address. This group of people honoring Jim Lamley. Yeah, I think that Jim Lamley, and when he, after he retired GolfWeek, did a whole. Storyline on Jim, his life and everything else. And John Steinbrenner was the wonderful golf writer, interviewed me and I'll kind of stand by what I said then. He asked me, what was my opinion of Jim? And I said, well, I think that Jim lived a life of joy. Now, joy is different from happiness. Joy is acceptance, is being content where you are. It is a life of giving. We also know the ancient of old said That, uh... That pain is inevitable. It really is in life, pain. But the proof of what it is, is misery is optional. So Jim lived a life from 87 on of pain. Now, pain can't be willed away. I don't think you can pray it away. I don't think pain is pain. But then I think he... muted that somewhat again by this life of joy that led him into giving. He was always helping other people. And so to me, I think that's a great lesson that we can all learn from Jim's life.