The man responsible for the young and old golf tournament at the Paddle River Golf and Country Club never got to see the fruits of his labour, but since 1999, his dream of young and old playing golf together is alive and well.
Wally Tharp envisioned from his little white house just off the Paddle River course, a tournament where young people teamed up with seniors for a day of golf.
“He really wanted to see the kids golfing here everyday. He loved seeing the seniors and families here. As far as I know, the tournament was in the making, but he never got to see it or play in it,” said pro shop manager Peggy Fitzgerald.
Unfortunately, Tharp passed away before he could see his dream become a reality. PRGCC honoured Tharp by naming the tournament after him. Thus was born the Wally Tharp Memorial Young and Old Two-some.
“I enter a lot of tournaments throughout the summer, but this one I just love. I’m really enjoying myself with the kids, and getting a lesson in golf,” said Fort Assiniboine resident Doug Milligan.
Golfers teed off at 10 a.m under a brilliantly blue sky, sun blazing and not a rain cloud in the sky. Young golfers were randomly paired with older golfers, but relatives played together. It was not uncommon to see a lot of laughter, some gentle ribbing and a little bit of friendly trash-talk.
“It’s going really good. The young folks are getting better every year, and us older guys are getting a little worse every year. Everybody is shooting well. It turned out to be such a beautiful day, and this wind is keeping the mosquitoes away,” said Gerry Urlacher.
The 2011 edition of the tournament nearly didn’t happen. As of July 15, the number of registrants wasn’t up to par.
“We only had 10 people signed up then, when we were aiming for about 36,” said pro shop attendant Mariet Kosterbok.
The week of the tournament saw the number jump rapidly to 40 golfers. Young golfers were paired with older golfers, and put into foursomes as they traversed all nine holes, two times around.
“This tournament is all about the kids. It’s been fun, but challenging putting this tournament on. It’s great we were able to continue the tradition. The support we’ve gotten from the seniors is incredible. For every young person out there, we have a senior. It’s really good,” said first-year PRGCC tournament director Blaire Abercrombie.
When the golfers got hungry, they were treated to lunch at the PRGCC restaurant.
“It’s mostly about the kids, so we have hot dogs, potato salad and pop,” said Abercrombie.
Abercrombie is happy with the success of the tournament, and hopes that the young generation will take the reins in the future.
“This has been such a great idea. What we’re trying to do is to get the young people coming to the course. We want them to be our next members, because they are going to be our next members. They’ll be the ones running this eventually. We’re just getting them involved,” said Abercrombie.
Although Abercrombie has his sights set on the future of tournaments at PRGCC, it’s the impact that this tournament has on the young folk now that has him excited.
“I think it’s really fun for everybody out there, and you know, I think the young kids out there learn some etiquette, they learn what to do on the green and what not to do on the golf course. I’m sure the old guys learn something new, too,” said Abercrombie.
