A family affair
If there was any doubt that Mike Weir is a small town guy, then the festivities on Saturday night at Huron Oaks Country Club in Bright’s Grove, Ontario should put them to rest. Looking as relaxed as ever, Weir mingled with family and friends in an intimate, casual gathering at the place where he learned to play the game and developed the kind of lifelong friends that don’t care if you’re just the guy down the street or the country’s best golfer.
The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame inducted its latest honoree in a tribute that makes it one of the most personal and special ceremonies amongst Halls of Fame anywhere. Rather than grouping all of the year’s honourees together in a single ceremony as most Halls of Fame do, the Canadian version allows the inductee to hold the festivities at a time and place where it has more personal meaning to them. When Weir found out in the summer that his induction didn’t have to be at the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame at Glen Abbey he was thrilled that he could take it to Bright’s Grove and recognize the town and the people that made him what he is today.
The formal part of the induction got off to a start with Steve Bennett, the golf pro who hired Weir as a teenager to work the range at Huron Oaks and who later mentored the young golfer as he honed his game. Bennett provided the first evidence that despite the wealth and success, Weir hasn’t strayed too far from his roots. Referencing the group of young guys who hung out at the golf club, Bennett gave them all nicknames, most of which are still in use today. Weir was known as “Hairy”, “Pasquale” and “Geppetto.” No explanation was provided but from the hoots and catcalls in the room, there’s no doubt that each name involved a funny story.
Bennett went on to talk about how hard Weir worked on his game as a kid. He hinted that Mike may not have been the best employee he ever had but was emphatic that he was the most dedicated golfer he ever saw.
Mike’s wife Bricia was up next and let on that she wasn’t much of a public speaker. However when the topic is her husband, passion overcomes jitters and she spoke eloquently about Weir as a husband, father and friend. Bricia let on that Weir is OK with his two daughters occasionally dressing him in drag and painting his toenails; and sometimes wakes her in the middle of the night as he laughs out loud, dreaming about comedian George Lopez. Who knew?
It’s pretty clear that Bricia is a wife and mom first and whatever Mike does to earn a living doesn’t consume them as a family. As Weir later said in his acceptance speech, sometimes she doesn’t even know what city he’s in. Bricia says Mike is pretty grounded and doesn’t get all caught up with the celebrity and glamour associated with being a famous sports star. Even if he did, it wouldn’t get him off the hook when it comes to taking out the garbage or driving the girls to soccer practice.
When it was Mike’s turn to speak, he acknowledged all of the wonderful times he had as a kid in Bright’s Grove. He was clearly emotional that so many of his friends could be with him, especially the guys he grew up with. Referencing his early days as an amateur and later as a young pro, it was obvious that Weir still has a strong connection to the people he met and worked with then, even as his career has moved on to the world stage.
The evening ended with the kind of party you would find in any small town community hall, arena or golf club. Lots of beer, laughter and tall tales. Good friends and family kicking back and not letting anyone get too big for their britches. Weir was as comfortable with these people as he would be in his family room at home. The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame could have rented a glitzy banquet hall in a downtown Toronto hotel, filled it with celebrities and dignitaries, and feted Weir with a black tie ceremony to end all ceremonies but it wouldn’t have meant as much as the small town celebration for a small town guy back where it all began.
Weir gets Hall of Fame nod 10 years too soon
Last week the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame announced that its 2009 inductee would be Mike Weir. There can’t be much argument regarding Weir’s credentials but it seems strange to put any athlete into any Hall of Fame until their serious playing days are over. The Champions Tour keeps pro golfers active well into their sixties so one might be forgiven for wondering when their “serious” playing days are done. In the case of a PGA Tour golfer an argument can be made that the serious competition is done when they stop playing against the best in the world. For most that means age 50 or perhaps sooner if the body fails or the desire wanes.
Weir, by his own admission has a lot of golf left at a very high level. Induction to the Canadian Hall of Fame at age 39 is a huge honour but not something that couldn’t be deferred for a decade or so. Hopefully Weir can add to his accomplishments, maybe even put himself into consideration for the World Golf Hall of Fame. He currently has 8 PGA Tour victories. Two more wins, if one of them is a major, would practically guarantee him a spot in St. Augustine.
I’ve never liked the idea of enshrining a player while they’re still active. The LPGA has done it for years with a pre-set number of wins and majors as the qualifying criteria. Annika Sorenstam, Karrie Webb and others easily hit the mark but curiously had to wait out a 10 year membership rule before they could go into the Hall. For the men, the rules are less well defined but generally speaking 10 wins including 2 majors; or 15 wins and 1 major; or 20 wins is pretty much a lock for the World Golf Hall of Fame. Unless your name is Lanny Wadkins who has 21 wins and 1 professional major. (2 majors if you count them the same way Jack Nicklaus does.) Regardless of who’s counting what, Lanny is stiil on the outside looking in. But that’s another story for another day.
It used to be that it took an entire career to amass those kinds of numbers. These days players like Vijay Singh, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods easily passed the 20 win mark in mid career. (Tiger may have passed it while he was still a teenager but like all things Tiger there’s a different benchmark involved). The World Golf Hall of Fame decided to induct Vijay before his playing days are over and will likely do the same for Tiger and Phil. Like Mike Weir in the Canadian Hall of Fame, there can be no doubt they are qualified, but what’s the rush?
I think baseball has the best Hall of Fame process. A player doesn’t get on the ballot until he’s been retired five years. Hockey had a similar rule but bent it when Wayne Gretzky retired, then broke it for Mario Lemieux. Unfortunately Mario didn’t have the good grace to stay retired so you probably won’t see the Hockey Hall of Fame do that again. Anyway, it seems that most of the team sports wait at least until a player is retired, then they usher him or her into the Hall of Fame as the crowning achievement on an exceptional career. Kind of like the last word, the final accolade, the finishing touch.
The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame needs to re-think their process. When considering players, there seems to be a bias towards PGA Tour and LPGA pros right now, even while they’re still playing. There are several amateurs and club pros that should be considered for induction before the Hall needs to consider active touring pros. First among them would be Graham Cooke whose ten national titles plus countless provincial wins and an unprecendented 27 Willingdon Cup appearances place him among the best amateur golfers this country has ever produced. Ben Kern was never much of a self promoter but his contributions to Canadian golf, particularly the CPGA are huge. Likewise Jack McLaughlin.
Former RCGA Executive Director Stephen Ross isn’t the flavour of the day around Golf House right now but his contirbutions and accomplishments for both the Canadian Open and amateur golf are certainly worthy of Hall of Fame consideration. There are some in the media and many in the golf industry who crossed swords with Ross but it’s hard to argue with the achievements made during his tenure at the RCGA.
I expect that sooner rather than later Stephen Ames will also be nominated. His continuing contributions to junior golf and his playing record make him a worthwhile candidate but Stephen’s not finished his PGA Tour career yet so all in good time.
I’m not sure why Lorie Kane’s name hasn’t come up before now either. Maybe she hasn’t been nominated yet. Her playing credentials are at least on par with contemporaries already in the Hall of Fame. And none of them can hold a candle to her in the effort she puts into promoting the Women’s Open in particular and Canadian golf in general.
Lorie hasn’t decided her career is over yet so let’s put the Hall of Fame stuff on hold. She’ll know when it’s time to hang them up and when she tells us, that will be when it’s time to party.
Peter Mumford is the Editor and Publisher of Fairways Magazine in Toronto. Fairways is intended for avid golfers and this blog site is an extension of that same philosophy - we don't dumb it down for the uninformed!