Time. (April 2022 Chair's Column)

Time.

Like many of you, I’ve been a huge sports fan my entire life. I have an irrational love of the Miami Dolphins, for example. (The explanation lies in how the Dolphins games were shown on TV back in the 1970’s, but I won’t go into detail here.) As a sports fan, I believe that the first week of April is just about my favorite time of the sports year. There is the end of the NCAA Basketball Tournament; Baseball’s Opening Day, a magical time for Braves and non-Braves fans alike; and there’s the Masters – a Tradition Unlike Any Other.

Golf was one of the most important parts of my life as a young teenager. My mom would drop me off at our local course in Millen just past daybreak, and I’d work or play out there until dark. My father had passed away when I was very young, so the golfers out there were kind of like my surrogate Uncles. On a beautiful April morning, I think it was 1982, one of them asked if I wanted to go with him to a Masters practice round. This was a wonderful offer, although it was a little easier to find practice rounds tickets then. I said yes, of course, and before I knew it, I was walking up Magnolia Lane with Mr. Frank, one of my surrogates.

I was a big Jack Nicklaus fan then, so I waited around the clubhouse until I found out when he’d go out that afternoon. At the tee of Hole Number 4 (called “Flowering Crabapple”), I had my chance – a photo of the great golfer. After he struck his tee shot and began walking down the hill, I called out “MR. NICKLAUS!” He turned towards me and heard the click of a Polaroid camera, followed by the sound of the print coming out of the bottom of it. I didn’t know any better – I’d taken my mom’s Polaroid to the course with me! (To hear what this sounds like, take a look at this video.)

I can’t help but laugh at myself when I think of that day, about Jack’s grin when he heard the Polaroid and how silly I may have looked to the more experienced patrons at the course. Looking back, it’s a great memory of my first time at Augusta National, and I don’t really care what those folks thought of me. It’s also a great reminder of how time passes. Polaroid cameras went away as technology improved, and Mr. Nicklaus, now 82 years old, decided just a few days ago that he’s no longer going to play the traditional Par 3 Tournament on Masters Wednesday. But those memories are great reminders of how things used to be, and great catalysts to think of how to improve. So, we come together at Luncheons, and Spring Workshops, and Annual Conferences, and we talk to each other about times gone by and former colleagues – and we sit down to hear from others about how we can improve ourselves and make our communities more successful and more business friendly. I’m looking forward to having those types of conversations as we discuss Product Development trends at our April Luncheon, and I hope to see you all soon.

Have a great month, everyone.