Legends Only
Why the golf course is my favorite meeting place.
Whats that saying? …Age is just a number? In my opinion, that adage takes on a whole new meaning when you can shoot that number on the golf course.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with Alan Fadel. I got a call from a close friend on Saturday evening. He told me to “be at Miami International at 5pm on Friday, I want to take you out to Seminole and introduce you to a friend of mine.”
With snow still on the ground at my home track and my golf game still very much defrosting, I decided I could use the vitamin D and who in their right mind says ‘no’ to a couple days of golf at one of the greatest golf courses in the known universe? So down I went and after a pit stop at The Faena, we were driving North to sunny North Palm.
Upon passing the understated entrance to Seminole Landing you begin to feel as if time is slowing and the words hallowed ground spring to mind once you catch sight of the salmon-terracotta clubhouse.
Alan met us at the base of the staircase whilst I was signing the guestbook.
Upon crossing the courtyard he recommended the best place for us to sit for some scallop tacos whilst giving us a couple highlights from the previous days’s Pro-Member Tournament, where he shot his age of 70.
A few hours earlier on our way out of Miami, our mutual friend described Alan to me as ‘Mr. Golf’, this is an understatement.
Now lacing my golf shoes in the locker room, I glanced up at the board listing the ‘Club Champions’ and counted Alan’s name 5 times, which includes a three-peat, as well as one year where he won both the men’s and the senior men’s competition. These achievements alone, at a golf club with such a high golfing IQ, one of the highest in the world to tell you the truth, is more than impressive.
There isn’t enough time to go over Alan’s golf resume but other than being a PGA Touring Pro in the late 70’s before regaining his amateur status in the 80’s, where he collected 11 USGA medals, as well as becoming the Club Champion at the famed Pine Valley Golf Club, he’s just a great dude.
Something I like to describe as ‘talkin shop’, either on or off the golf course, is sometimes a little mundane as it’s fairly subjective conversation and everyone has their own philosophy and approach to the game.
Alan’s experience and tutelage (under the likes of Craig and Claude Harmon) made our walk endlessly fascinating.
Alan is exactly twice my age, of Lebanese & Armenian descent. He grew up in Toledo Ohio, worked in finance after retiring from Professional golf. As far as I could tell, he doesn’t play an instrument, nor knew anything about my musical exploits.
Yet during our two rounds of golf, two lunches and a dinner, Alan and I barely stopped talking & this is what I’d like to highlight.
Contrary to popular belief, golf has the ability to transcend age, nationality, religion, socioeconomics background, gender & the list goes on.
Meritocracy lies at the core of the game’s foundation. Through playing golf and adhering to it’s inherent life lessons, it has become a meeting place like no other.
Golf isn’t about the ball or the hole, it’s about what you have to learn or quite often sacrifice in order to succeed.
Since the beginning of time games and sports have created structures, which almost serve as simulations for human development. Things like survival, self expression & social bonding are great examples of what all games and sports have given to us but community is where golf differs. You would think the lack of team play might stifle it’s ability to create strong community ties and lifelong friendships but it’s exactly the opposite.
Meeting someone during a round of golf teaches you everything you need to know about a person’s patience, temperament, competitiveness, their ability to plan for success and failure and how they cope with those two life-affirming instances. It becomes a litmus test for friendships and business relationships alike.
Golf, especially at a course like Seminole, is so multifaceted. There is a rugged elegance to that place which highlights everything there is to love about Golf. Perfectly manicured greens and fairways carved into sand-dunes and local vegetation. The picturesque coastal blue-water is lovely to look at but leaves little protection for your poor golf ball when the wind reaches 35mph.
This is where Alan taught me a few things, demonstrating a deep understanding of the game and how well it can be played. Alan might not have the horse-power he used to, but he more than makes up for it with his precision, finesse and strategic mastery around the greens. This further highlights how two players with completely different styles of play can spend hours together, competing against each other and the golf course alike.
In this way, what makes us different, brings us together.
Other than being the sons of immigrant families, Alan and I couldn’t have had less in common other than the shared knowledge that both of us, at some point in our lives, recognized the physical, cognitive and social benefits that committing a significant part of our lives to this game would bring us.
Game seeing game as it were, this is exactly why I revere anyone who plays and respects the game of golf and also, why I liken great golfers to chess grand masters.
Some of the greatest friends & mentors in my life have come from playing or being around golf. Those like Alan and myself, highlight the core principle of meritocracy that continues to run deep within the foundation of the game.
I’ll always advocate for it’s widespread adoption and further development with the hope that generations of kids like me, might be given the chance to learn the life lessons this game has to offer, whilst joining a group of fellow travelers who understand how hard it is to hit a low-fade into a 35mph headwind.
On one of the best golf courses in the world, Alan got me by 5 on Tuesday and I got him by 1 the following day. So when you start with numbers like: 10,000 nautical miles, 2 continents and 35 years… over 36 holes of golf, that number is now 4.
Whether you play for the win or the walk, keep playing.
Thanks for reading,
Cam