I was recently watching my seven-year old son enthusiastically put on his Stormtrooper costume in preparation for Halloween trick-or-treating.
Watching his face light up made me feel great, and his reason for wanting to be a Stormtrooper was simple. He wanted to be a Stormtrooper because “they look cool, and they know Darth Vader!”
Halloween is that one day out of the year that allows us all to become something, or somebody, for pure entertainment purposes.
So how does this relate to golf?
Well, it got me thinking about certain golfers that I would like to portray during certain moments of their careers.
I’d probably have to start by becoming Greg Norman — The Great White Shark.
To be him for one day during the prime of his career would be awesome. I’d throw on a big straw hat, and simply slash at the ball with all my might.
When I’m going well, I will be possibly the greatest driver of the golf ball the game has ever seen. I would do my best to portray The Shark only on British soil, however.
After all, that was where he finally broke through to win a couple of majors.
After being Norman, I’d have to go purchase the finest red Nike golf shirt I could find. You know where I’m going with this. It’s time to become Tiger Woods.
For me to play Woods, however, I would need to find me a sidekick named Butch Harmon. After all, if I’m going to portray Woods, I insist on being the greatest version of him we ever knew.
I’d like to step into 1997, and experience Woods winning The Masters by a record 12 shots. This is the moment we all began to witness that greatest stretch of golf ever seen.
If time permits, I’ll stay as Woods and work my way out to Pebble Beach. After all, why not experience a 15 shot U.S. Open victory while I’m at it.
Finally, I’d like to step back in time to 1950.
I’ll throw on an old-school “newsboy” hat with some khaki pants and a plain white golf shirt. I’ll become Ben Hogan. Not just any Hogan, however, but Hogan in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion.
I’ll carry around a 1-iron so that everyone can ask me about that famous shot on the 72nd hole that helped me to win the U.S. Open.
If I want to stay true to character, perhaps I should smoke a few cigarettes and act a bit cranky when people speak to me. On second thought, I’ll forget about the cigarettes and just stick with the 1-iron.
I could go on and on with more Halloween ideas for golfers, but those are a few that I’d definitely go with. If my son ever asks why I’m dressing up like Hogan, I can tell him, “Because I look cool, and I know how to hit a pure 1-iron!”
