An autographed copy of Peter Alliss's biography
'My Life' will be winging its way to Bridgewater, Virginia shortly - to 66-year-old Charles Padgett a former baseball professional.
Charles was one of three winners of the book after submitting
his highlight of the year to our recent competition on Golfmagic.
It also stimulates us to ask, as the subject of our Monday morning Hot Topic, what golf means to you.
Charles was one of a handful who picked out John Daly's emotional comeback victory in San Diego, which he described as 'just as exciting as Mickelson's Masters'.
"The highlights in Daly's life seem like lowlights to many of us. But for someone like Daly with alcoholic tendencies and at times been burdened with anxiety, depression, and panic disorder, to hit THAT shot under pressure makes it my shot and the championship of the year."
Charles is a 10-handicap member at Heritage Oaks in Harrisonburg and is a retired coach for an American Legion team and former college baseball player at George Washington University.
He recalls: "Initially I thought golf was an idiotic pursuit but scored 150 on my first round and by day's end was determined that I would not let such a game get the best of my 'talents'. So the following day I bought a Northwestern set of clubs and headed for a range, set on mastering this game with every intention of quitting once I was satisfied I could get the best of it and it not the best of me.
"It still gets the best of me sometimes but I have my share of conquering moments, too. I have no intentions, now or ever, letting go of the challenge of golf, as you can imagine," says Charles who lives with his two dogs, an Irish Wolfhound called Mosby, and Slovak Cuvac, 'Dubina', on six acres facing the Shenandoah Mountains.
This week he says he's having a bunker and artificial green installed, to practice his putting, chipping and bunker play.
David Tannahill, from Toft near Cambridge, wins his book for telling us about his personal triumph in overcoming adversity.
"My partner and I were playing in the first round of the Daily Telegraph matchplay doubles and we were down eight down with nine holes to play yet went on to win by one hole.
"It is the most exciting thing that I have ever experienced (apart from the birth of my wee girl). I was shaking inside for quite a while," revealed David (42) a 14 handicap who plays at Cambridge Meridian, a course, incidentally, designed by Peter Alliss.
"In my early teens I started playing golf in
Paisley, mainly on public courses when it was a
special treat to go down to Troon for the day. When I
was old enough too drink, I gave up golf and went to
University and never even thought about the game."
He recalls that he was inspired by his son's impending birth and the Ryder Cup from Valderrama. He played pitch and putt and remembered all the things he loved about golf.
Now he takes his eight-year-old daughter for golf lessons and enjoys playing great courses as well as hacking round his own.
"I dream of being a single figure player and have
regular lessons and see solid improvements. My
inconsistency is in my head rather than my swing, but
work and family mean I can't play as much as I need
to," says David, a scientific group leader at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge.
Completing of trio of winners is Chris Gilbert from Hitchin, Herts, who nominated Retief Goosen's series of one-putts at the US Open, amid local hostility, as the highlight of the golfing year together with Scott Drummond's surprise but deserved, victory in the Volvo PGA at Wentworth.
Stimulated by Charles' determination from his first round of golf and what pitch and putt did re-invigorate David, tell us (on the forum) about your first forays into golf and
what the game means to you.
