Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2021 - 3

EDITOR'S
LE T T ER
Swing Man
I
" [Joe Cannon]
would have
been justified
dropping a
bomb on
me when I
confessed to
tearing the top
off a golf cart
one day near
the end of my
tenure. Joe,
however, had
a soft spot for
the young,
inexperienced
swing man. "
t was a Tuesday when the Space Shuttle
Challenger exploded in the sky above Cape
Canaveral Florida, claiming the lives of
seven astronauts including Christa McAuliffe,
who would have been the first teacher in space.
I had originally intended to see the launch at
the Cape, thanks to a parking pass supplied by
my father, a NASA engineer nearing the end of
a career in space exploration that included the
Gemini, Mercury, Apollo, Skylab and Shuttle
programs.
Only unseasonably cold weather forced a
postponement of the launch, which had conveniently
fallen on a Wednesday, my only day off
as " swing man " at The Lost Tree Club in North
Palm Beach. Although brief at six months, I was
fond of the job filling in for the days off of the
regular outside staff at the exclusive club. Six
shifts a week: two days humping golf bags in
the bag room, two days shuttling golf carts to
and from the staging area, and two days manning
the starter's shack. Me, a callow apprentice
from Maryland who stood in the shadows of
the regulars, all seasoned golf professionals from
New England, the Midwest, and the Blue Ridge
Mountains of North Carolina.
Lost Tree, next door to its more famous
neighbor, Seminole Golf Club, was nonetheless,
a glamorous place to work. It was the vision of E.
Llwyd Ecclestone Sr., a prominent Palm Beach
County developer, and the winter home to
hall of fame golfers such as Jack Nicklaus, Cary
Middlecoff and Betty Probasco, and a number
of business moguls and Hollywood celebs. The
18-hole course was originally designed in 1962
by Mark Mahannah and featured soaring palm
trees, and was redesigned by Nicklaus in 2002.
Joe Cannon was Lost Tree's director of golf
in those years, and our boss. He had arrived
at the club after serving at Wilmington (Del.)
Country Club for more than a decade, and
before that, Farmington Country Club in
Charlottesville, Va. He won the Troy (N.Y.)
Caddie Golf Championship several times,
where he was raised and caddied in his youth.
He flew 50 missions as a B-17 bombardier for
the 15th Air Force during World War II, was
runner-up in the Delaware State Open five
times, and later won the Virginia State Open
in 1959. He would have been justified dropping
a bomb on me when I confessed to tearing
the top off a golf cart one day near the end of
my tenure. Joe, however, had a soft spot for the
young, inexperienced swing man.
I wasn't too thrilled with the prospect of
a three-hour trip north to the Cape to see the
morning launch, particularly since it meant a
4 a.m. wakeup. Besides, after seeing a spectacular
night launch from my apartment in Riviera
Beach, I presumed, foolishly, that a daytime
launch would be commonplace.
But cold weather delayed the launch for
several days and I, along with millions of
Americans, saw it live thanks to a small TV in
the starter's shack. Stepping outside, I could
plainly see the forked exhaust trail hanging in
the clear blue sky.
" That's never happened before, " said the cart
man, an escapee from Margaritaville who had
witnessed numerous Cape launches. At the
time, we hoped the crew had somehow escaped
the disaster, but the shuttle had no escape system.
Packing
for my trip home, I was rivetted to
the TV as Nicklaus, like a proverbial phoenix,
made a late-round charge during the Masters.
He eagled 15 enroute to a 6-under par back nine
and his fifth green jacket.
" There's life in the old bear yet! " cried the late
Ben Wright.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
mngolf.org
Spring 2021 MINNESOTAGOLFER
3
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2021
