The rope in golf is a very tangible thing. It’s usually green and white. It’s very obvious to all present. You’re usually inside it or outside it.
Touring pros, rules officials, caddies and working members of the media? Inside the ropes. Fans who love the game and cheer on the players? Outside the ropes. Volunteers? It all depends on the job you’ve been assigned. The rope is respected. At the 2001 U.S. Open at Southern Hills, we watched Jack Nicklaus walk outside the rope watching his son compete. On those days, the greatest golfer of all time was a fan who loved the game and cheered on a player.
Over the last decade or more, I have had the privilege of being sometimes inside and sometimes outside – but always right along the rope.
From coast-to-coast in our great nation, to the Middle East, the Scottish highlands, and both at high altitude and sea level in South America, I have walked along the rope.
I have seen – and better yet felt – the game of golf along the rope.
These are some of the stories, with more to come from both the past and the future as I walk along the rope of this great game with friends, family and some of the most talented, passionate and intriguing individuals I have encountered on this short journey around the sun.
Thank you,
Mike Walsh