Wednesday and Thursday this week I get to be part of a special event because of my relationship with Bass Pro Shops. I'll take part in the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf Champions tour event in Missouri. It's something I did last year, and I'm looking forward to it again this year.
As a senior's golf event, the Legends tournament features some of the biggest names in the history of the sport, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Hale Irwin. I don't get to play a round with those guys, but I will get to visit with them and maybe attempt a putt or two in the pro-am rounds.
The way it worked last time, I was positioned on one of the greens with a putter and a golf ball. When the "real" golfers came along, I got to shake their hands and then attempt a putt to show them a little of how the green was playing.
I nearly made my first couple of putts and started building a little confidence, but then I had a few bad ones in a row that brought me back to earth. They say a lot of people keep coming back to golf because of the one or two really good shots they hit in a round. After last year's Legends experience, I can understand that.
Of course, I'm not the only angler who will be there. Other Bass Pro Shops pro staffers will be on site, like Bill Dance and Roland Martin as well as Elite pros Kevin VanDam, Rick Clunn, Ott DeFoe, Timmy Horton, Matt Reed, Casey Scanlon, Brian Snowden and Dennis Tietje. It's a great chance to spend time with friends from the tournament trail that I really don't get to visit with much on the road because we're too busy fishing.
I was pleasantly surprised by how many big-name golfers love fishing. Jack Nicklaus was featured in an early issue of Bassmaster Magazine. Andy Bean fishes every chance he gets. Lots of others are into it, too.
As cool as the Legends experience is, I have to admit that I'm not much of a golfer. My wife, Tuesday, loves it, though. She's a great athlete — softball, basketball, golf, you name it. When we got married, she told me that I would never, ever beat her at golf. I thought that was a pretty bold statement, especially since I like sports, too.
So far, though, she's been right. But I did tie her … once, several years ago. To do it, I had to shoot the best round of my life — an 85! I was really proud of that since I usually get around in 95 or 100. Shooting 85 was a big deal to me, but tying her was even bigger.
I'd gloat more about that tie, but Tuesday says she was at a slight disadvantage. Did I mention that she was eight months pregnant with Kade? It might have taken a little off her drives, and it was probably tough to see the ball when she was putting, but hey, I still tied her, right?