One of my favorite weekends of the year is here, and it’s not just because it’s the beginning to Holy Week. It’s also The Masters golf tournament! I love the tradition, pageantry, and beauty of this tournament every year. Four years ago I had the opportunity to go to Augusta, Georgia with my dad and brother and see one of golf’s most revered courses.
The day we had tickets for was the Wednesday practice round. I loved getting to go on Wednesday because the golfers are a lot looser that day than they are on the tournament days. They’re more willing to talk to the fans, sign autographs, and have some fun. Once the tournament starts they’re totally focused on their game.
I also loved going on Wednesday because that’s the day of the Par 3 contest. The Par 3 contest is a tradition at The Masters. They have a short, 9-hole par 3 course that the players go and play after they’ve had their practice round on the main course. Every year, some of the older players who have retired come back to play in the Par 3 contest, so we got to see players like Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer.
As we watched those three greats go around the course I couldn’t help, but notice how they interacted with all the fans who were there to see them. Arnold Palmer would take time to stop and talk to as many people as he could. He signed almost every article of clothing, golf equipment, or piece of memorabilia that was placed in front of him, and he did so with a signature that was actually legible! I found out later that Arnold Palmer has always had a commitment to signing things in such a way that anyone could come back later and have no doubt about who signed it, because he cared so much about his fans.
That has struck me that someone as popular as him who has as many requests for his time as he does still makes the time for something as simple as a legible signature. Our lives can all be so busy. We feel pulled in so many different directions and it can easily feel like we just don’t have time for the simplest of things. However, what Arnold Palmer reminded me of was that we can never become too busy to do the simple and kind things because they make a difference to others.
Today is Casual Friday. Take just a moment today to do something simple and kind for someone else. Oh, and do yourself a favor by watching some of The Masters this weekend!
