Many years ago, and many miles away in another part of the country.....Golf was only for the rich and lazy. But the common man wanted to play as well. One day, I found some land which an old farmer had let grow fallow. We talked about golf and what a great game it was. I took care of his house and property for a while, and one day he told me if I wanted to use some of the land for golf, he would give it to me. I started to build a course for the common man. Seeing me tending the fields, some other "common man" golfers aided me, and wouldn't you know it....we built one of the best damn courses around. There were no greens fees, and everyone who couldn't afford to join a country club was welcome. All you had to do was help maintain the course - you took your turn being the greenskeeper and your turn being the player - everyone was equal ( except the rich guys, who had their own clubs, and were not welcome ). After a while, I had the reputation of having the finest golf course around. The rich guys wanted to play, but we didn't let them in, because we had our rules ( player/keepers only ).
One day, I came to realise that my life had changed, and that I really couldn't do justice to keeping the management of the course up to what it should be. So, i soke with one of the members who had expressed an interest in keeping th ecourse up. We talked about what the "common values" were that those in the "club" shared. I trusted he would keep my vision of the club alive, and he promised that he would live up to the standards I had set, and that I would alsways have a home at my beloved club.
Well, at first things seemd to go very well. He promoted the club, and it grew with lots of new members. People from all over seemed to hear about our little club. But then, one day, he said "I'm spending a lot of money on grass seed, and we're going to have to start charging for memberships now". Now, I knew from my own experience what it cost to run the place, and that our members did most of the work, etc, and the numbers didn't seem to make sense to me. But I trusted him and fealt if things had changed, he would treat everyone fairly and was only doing what was necessary for the good of the course.
Soon, I heard members telling tales of how guys who never tended the course were playing, and they were complaining that guy from Calloway Golff were seen playing. they also complained that the new head greeenskeeper who I had handed the riegns over to seemed to have a new set of Calloway Clubs. I always knew he liked Calloway, and I told them he had just bought the clubs because he liked them, and that they were imagining things. but some of the guys saw him hanging out at local watering holes with the guys from Calloway after work, and one or two guys said that they actually saw him taking envelopes from them. these guys brought this up at one of the club meetings, and they were thrown out of the club. I didn't feel comfortable with this, but I still trusted him, so I let it slide.
Then, one day I found out that his treaurer at the club was actually on Calloway's payroll. This really disturbed me. I also found out that Calloway guys had been playing at the club regularly, and being given preferred tee times over regular members. I also started to notice that Calloway products were getting special mentions at all the club meetings, and that competitors were getting bad notices.
I finally decided that something needed to be said, so I stood up at one of the club meetings. Next thing I know, I'm out on the street and my "lifetime" membership has been revoked. The club which I built is now taken over, and the promises whch were made to me as a condition of turning the club over have been broker. Within a few months, all my friends who were still members are gone - either booted or quit. I see a constant stream of advertising now for the club, with the sales pitch that it's a club for the common man, free of undue influence from "steering committees" and commercial interests. I'm sure there are plenty of guys who see these ads believe what they read, and hand over their hard earned dollars, based at least in part on the Legend of Bagger Vance and the common man's club which he created. I feel bad for these guys, because they are being taken in.
Now, I hear Calloway is leasing the vacant lot next to the course for a large amount of money from my old buddy, and has put up a billbaord on it facing the 18th hole.
When I tell this story, people say "Bagger, why do you care ? You don't know no one who plays ther no more !". Well, I care for several reasons:
Firstly, I care because something was taken from me. The club I built, and which was promised to me would be run the way I started it, has been stolen buy someone who runs if for his own personal gain.
Secondly, I care because guys are being lied to and taken in. I don't care so much about the old time members who were around for the whole thing, who may or may not believe, or care, about what happened. But I do care about the new guys, who not only spend their membership dues unnecesarily, but also spend money on Calloway products which they aren't being told the truth about. Now, Calloways stuff is good....maybe great...but if they are buying it because of dishonest ( i.e. paid for ) reviews, they are being taken in nevertheless ( and if they complain about thier purchase, they are getting pressured to cut it out ).
Thirdly, I care because it pains me to see what I built sullied. Ask anyone who rides Harleys how they feel about the AMF days, or pick anything else which was once great and has been cheapened to make a quick buck.
But I also care because my name has been dragged thruogh the mud. After I was expelled, malicious lies were told about me in order to cover up why I was really shown the door. I don't see why I have to sit still for that, and I don't see why I have to sit still while my baby is prostituted out. In fact, since the promises which were made to me as a condition of turning the club over were broken.....how about I just take it back and run it the way it was always intended ?
