Carnie's Comments
As the provincial amateur golf championship season is upon us I'm thinking of my late father, George.
He loved to play. He wasn't exactly competitive, but he enjoyed his annual trip to the Saskatchewan Senior Championship. While he challenged himself to play well, he knew he wasn't in the elite class of golfers who could win it.
However, when he reached the age of 75 and qualified for the "legends" category, he was among the best.
One of the last times he played in the provincials he was worn out after the final round and chose to jump in the car and come home instead of waiting for the wind-up dinner.
A few weeks later he got a package in the mail containing a nice plaque with the words, "Saskatchewan Legends Golf Champion" and his name engraved on it.
Old George didn't even know he was the champ until he got that trophy. I was so proud of him.
The package also contained a cheque - a monetary reward for being the best.
When he showed it to me, he said, "It's nice, but I can't cash it, pal."
I said, "Why not?"
He grinned and said, "If I did, I'd have to give up my amateur status!"