Jeri And Howard Meet The Coach

"Jeri and I have known Coach since he walked on behind us in Victoria , 2003.  If we believe in free will then we remember his towering shot over our heads on the first hole.  We had noticed and passed remarks in the parking lot at the club.  I appealed to "god" and he thought I was a priest.


In spite of my initial dislike for his unsolicited advice, in the space of three holes he had not only won me over but in effect became my coach, which he still remains seven years later. He has inspired in us a deeper understanding and love for golf.  But more than that, I believe that friends are seeking friends and that different cultures and backgrounds have much in common.  To me he is my best friend and I feel honored by his friendship.


I encouraged him to use his "think Birdie" calling cards and become more “techie” by becoming a cell-phone user as opposed to sending smoke signals...lol!  We had the pleasure of one annual dinner honoring him and found that all attendees are devotees of Coach and golf, in equal amounts.  No one is more dedicated to his students or to this great game.


We have had the great honor of hosting Coach on our yachts:

Chutzpah (in Sydney ), as our very first boat guest, cruising to Galliano and Pender Islands , 2003.  He quickly learned what “Chutzpah” meant and always attempts to pronounce it properlyJ;

Sea Bear (in Esquimalt Harbor ), in 2004.

 

Then Coach visited us in our home for 10 days, Ventura , CA , 2000.  There I introduced him to surf survival and swimming in the great Pacific Ocean .  Here, religiously every morning at 6:30, he was out on the largest sand trap known to man, i.e. “the beach”, practicing bunker shots and converting early-morning beach walkers to golf.

 

Coach, we love you and look forward to every phone call and too-infrequent reunions!

Hugs,

Howard and Jeri"

Having Lloyd over for dinner in Victoria

I met Lloyd last fall on the ferry from Seattle to Victoria, so this time when he was visiting Victoria I invited him over for dinner February 24th to catch up and meet my husband. Victoria had a snowfall so it was touch and go as to whether the roads were drivable, but it all worked out.

We had a lovely evening having dinner and chatting by the wood fire afterwards and Lloyd is so appreciative, it is a pleasure to have him as a guest. One of the nice things he said was that we had created something special in our home, maybe because of all the work we did as foster parents for nine years.

Lloyd clearly enjoys fires so when it was time to leave and we suggested he stay the night, he was happy to sleep on our pull out couch so he could enjoy the fire for the rest of the night. Our cat also enjoyed having Lloyd's company and it was nice to wake up in the morning with the fire still going!

We had a leisurely breakfast and Lloyd showed me an Irish book he was reading that I also really like called Anam Cara (means Soul Mate in the Irish language) by John O Donohue. After Lloyd left, I felt blessed and warmed by his presence for several days afterwards.

ONE YEAR LATER: HAL AND COACH

February 12, 2010
 I was travelling by sea bus to catch a flight from Vancouver to London Ont. I was in the midst of some pretty stressful personal stuff.  I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to meet Lloyd for the first time.  I originally thought that he was a homeless person looking for a handout.  Instead he just wanted a little information on how to get to the airport by sea bus and Canada line.  I asked him to join me and over the next 40 minutes I began to learn about a person that would have an amazing impact on my life.  He had his putter and wedge with him so our discussion started with golf and moved on to many other topics. I told him how I was a struggling 10 handicap and was hoping to play more in 2010 to get my index back down to the 7 range. He asked about my business and he volunteered some ideas to help me grow my business.  There was something unique about this guy. I enjoyed the most peaceful 40 minutes that I had experienced in quite some time.  It is amazing how people come into your life at just the right time. When our journey ended at the airport, he asked for my business card and told me that the next time he was in Vancouver he would call me and we would play a round of golf. To this point he had not mentioned anything about his coaching.  I assumed he was just another golfer and that I would never hear from him again.
March 2,2010
Lloyd called to say that he had a tee time at Northlands on Friday March 10 at 1:30 and that he had invited a guy named Wes to join us.  I thought this was about helping to build my business.  Was I wrong.  It was much larger than that.
Friday March 10, 2010
I was meeting with a client at my office . The appointment ran late and at 1:00 I realized that I might not have enough time to make our tee time. I thought for a moment that I would call Lloyd and blow off the golf game. After all it was just a round of golf with a guy I had met on a sea bus.  For some reason I knew that I had to make it to this golf game.  I raced from downtown Vancouver and made it to the golf course at 1:35. Lloyd and Wes and Bernie (one of Lloyd's clients) were standing on the tee.  Lloyd introduced me to Wes.  Lloyd told me that he had thought about blowing off the game also because he had to take the ferry to Victoria.  For some reason he knew that he had to make it to this golf game also. We hit our tee shots and wandered down the first fairway. Wes walked over to me in the middle of the first fairway and said "You look like you have got some pretty stressful stuff going on in your life".  How did he know this? I had not discussed my personal stuff with Lloyd.  Beside that, I had just hit a 250yd drive down the middle of the fairway.  That doesn't sound stressful. It is amazing how people come into your life at just the right time. This was the beginning of the most amazing day that I have ever had on a golf course.
God had given us a beautiful day of sunshine.  If you live in Vancouver, you know that sunshine isn't something we see in early March.  After 5 holes I realized that I was even par, as were Lloyd and Wes. Bernie, the student seemed very relaxed also.  We continued our steady play throughout the day but for some reason, the golf didn't matter.  I had some time to talk with Lloyd and found out about his coaching. Wes and I had some time to discuss my stressful life. I can remember both Wes and Lloyd looking up at the clear blue sky beating down with sunshine and saying "I love this game".  This was repeated many times throughout the round.  We were discussing some pretty amazing stuff and Lloyd mentioned his spiritual belief. This was the beginning of one of the many spiritual discussions that Lloyd, Wes and I have enjoyed over the last year. I suggested that maybe God had put us in each others paths for a reason and no one disagreed.  The day just got better.
We were standing on the 16th tee, a short 150 yard downhill par three. We were looking directly into the setting sun. Bernie hit his shot onto the green. Wes hit a 7 iron to about 15 feet and I hit a 7 iron to about 20 feet.  I looked at Lloyd as he walked to the tee and noticed that he had a 7wood in his hand.  That had to be too much club. What was he thinking?  Little did I know of the history of Lloyd and his seven wood. (That's another story for another time). With a smooth 3/4 swing Lloyd hit his ball into the sun. We knew it was at the flag but lost it in the sun. It landed on the green. As we approached the green we could only see three balls on the green. We all had the same thought " It must be in the hole" I was going to say something but Lloyd said  "Don't Jinx it".  The group on the next tee confirmed that it was in fact in the hole. We congratulated Lloyd on his shot. We high fived a little but this had to be the quietest hole in one ever experienced on any golf course.
We moved to the 17th tee, a 460yd par 5. We all drove in the fairway. Wes was at the 150 yard marker after a 310 yard drive.  He had warned us on the tee " hold onto your hats because there will be a vacuum in the air following this swing." He was right.
I was standing with a 5 iron in my hand and was thinking wouldn't it be amazing if i hit this in the hole for a double eagle two, just after Lloyd had made his hole in one on the previous hole. Unfortunately that didn't happen, but I did hit it to 15 feet. What happened next was way more amazing then a double eagle would have been.  Lloyd and Wes walked ahead of me by about thirty yards. They were walking into the setting sun. There was a glow all around them. I stopped in the fairway.
For the last three months I had been praying every day that God would help me to deal with my messed up personal life.  Standing in that fairway, I realized that God had sent me two angels to help me on my journey.
I cried a little (a lot) as I approached the green.
Lloyd and Bernie both one putted for birdie, Wes two putted for his birdie and I knocked in my eagle put. We had just played the 17th hole in 5 under par after witnessing an amazing hole in one on the previous hole. What a day.  As we walked off the 18th green all I could think of was " I LOVE THIS GAME" I don't remember what I shot that day but I know that it was my best day on the golf course EVER.
Did I mention that I have been playing golf for 40 years?
Lloyd and Wes continue to influence my life every day but that is a story for another time.  Stay tuned.