Celebrating Dan Bates: Why do men have a hard time getting to know each other?

Lucy,

Yesterday, Mom and I attended a memorial service for Dan Bates, who passed away on May 2, 2020. With time, there is an opportunity to celebrate life without as much sadness and shock. That noted, we all miss Dan very much.

The celebration of Dan's life was at Westlake Hills Presbyterian, and titled "Service to the Resurrection and Thanksgiving for the of Witness the life of Daniel Joseph Bates, Sr."

The church was packed with family and friends, young and old. Dan's brother LJ (Little John), Tim Timmerman, and Dan's two kids (Daniel and Francis) shared thoughts on Dan, and all did a beautiful job. I was struck by how they all talked about things I knew well about Dan (avid baseball and sports fan, hard-working CPA, a person who cared deeply about others, quick-witted) from years of golfing together. I was also saddened to learn so many interesting things about Dan I did not know. For example, Dan was a writer and wrote a series of letters to his family titled, 'Dear Kathy' and a comical recap of Daniel's baseball games, titled 'Otherside of the Universe.' He was also a man of deep faith and a Sunday School teacher for years. I am not sure we ever discussed that?

I am asking why men often have a hard time really learning about each other and sharing their deepest thoughts? At least golf (or hunting or fishing) puts us together for 9 or 18 holes, and we have a chance to learn a bit more, but we often still keep things fairly hidden.

Here's Dan's obituary where you can learn more.

Rest in peace Dan Bates and we got a lot to talk about one day!

Dad

London Calling

Great fun in Sayulita, Mexico, attending the wedding of family friend Allie (Anderson) and Rawley Lind. Allie is the oldest of four girls and we raised seven girls together with the Andersons. We were blessed to have our entire family with us, spending quality time with the kids, the Andersons, and special friends from Austin. Photos below.

In other news, I have officially accepted an enterprise sales assignment (with Autodesk) based in the UK, starting September 1. The role covers key manufacturing accounts in the English Midlands and up into the Nordics.

Cathy and I will transition on August 1 and take the month to explore villages south of London to find our new home. We will be a short train ride away from Sally and Taylor (Chelsea) and near Heathrow for easy travel around Europe. We are excited to meet new friends, explore new cultures, and learn through new business challenges.

I Knew Harvey Invitational Golf and Dinner

 
Thanks to everyone who made 'I Knew Harvey Invitational' a fun day of golf and an enjoyable dinner with spouses, celebrating Harvey's legacy. Special shout out to Dale and his team for allowing the four foursomes to play the front nine twice (after the storm wreaked havoc on the back nine the night before.) Also, many thanks to Jordan Meyers in catering (along with Chef Bob) for making the dinner so amazing.

Appreciate Tom Forbes from the ACC Legacy Committee updating everyone on club plans to better display our history. Below is an iPhone clip of my Ode to Harvey (Lucky) toast, and I'll post the words as well. It was fun to write. I hope it successfully celebrated Harvey's legacy and reminded everyone of how lucky we are to belong to Austin Country Club.

Congrats to Team Stuart's Kitchen Sinks for the overall victory, Team Messi-roll the Rock Squad for winning the front nine, and to all who won skins, especially Whitlock. (-; Thanks, Master-of-the-Games (Hop), for keeping up with it all!

And special thanks for the signed ‘A Course Called America’ by Tom Coyne. Don’t miss reading this book. You will all love it. 

Ode to Harvey (Lucky)

Those who knew Harvey

will reflect and reminisce

about the time

he said this

or that.

So simple,

yet so profound.

The ground.

The ground,

around this place

this beautiful club.

This Pete Dye golf course

so steeped

in Harvey lore.

Quotes galore . . .

All golfers know

To “Take Dead Aim.”

Because “Golf is a game

for everyone

not just the talented few.”

But those of us

who spew

our shots through

the morning dew.

We long for the day

when our game

is in one piece

when our game is

at peace.

I am told . . .

Harvey had this

uncanny way

of making it

so simple.

"Just one aspirin,

please sir

Not the whole damn bottle!"

We try to throttle

our enthusiasm for this place

sometimes all worked up

all bent out of shape

over, over-seeding

for example

just a sample

of how easy it is

to forget

how lucky we are.

“Go to dinner

with good putters.”

He told his players.

“The woods are full

of long drivers.”

"If you play poorly one day

forget it

If you play poorly the next

Review your fundamentals

grip, stance, aim

ball position

If you play poorly

a third time

in a row,

go see your pro!"

And those of us

who know

this game of golf.

We owe

so much of our

happiness

our very soul

to this man

our beloved first pro

who helped

the game 

grow, and grow.

 

For me, my favorite

Harvey quip

It is not about the grip

Or how to chip

Or a swing tip

But rather

simply this:

“If you play golf

you are my friend.”

Indeed!

All of you

are my friends.

The game connects us

in ways

you cannot understand

until you stand

over that

little white ball.

So, stand tall

fellow members

and friends.

Remember always

how lucky we are

how high the bar

when the club

we call Austin

is our home.

And the home

of our very own

Gentle, kind, wise . . .

Harvey.

Stuart's Kitchen Sinks

Sillers

Olssen

Stuart

Healy

Messi-roll the Rock Squad 

Meserole

Utley

Hillhouse

Senterfitt

Whitlock’s Jocks

Singletary

Hopke

Bybee

Whitlock

JT’s Jammer Slammers

Atwell

Beiter

Costello

Thomas

Letters to Harvey from The Kingdom:

• Dear Harvey: Bucket list month of July 🎾 ⛳️🏆
• Dear Harvey: Portsmouth UK & Hayling GC ⚓️ 🐚 🚀 ⛳️ 🕵🏼‍♀️
• Dear Harvey: On business in Spain (Parador de El Saler GC) ⛵️🍤🍷🏌️‍♀️🏖
• Dear Harvey: St. Enodoc Golf Club - Church Course (Cornwall) ⛳️ ⛪️ 🎢
• Dear Harvey: Trevose Golf & Country Club (Cornwall) 🏌️‍♂️⚓️🦈
• Dear Harvey: Ernie Els or Ernie the Milk Man 🥛🍼🥛
• Dear Harvey: Grateful is the right word (#GDTBATH)
• Dear Harvey: (Uncle Charlie) McDowell trumped by (Great Uncle Fred) McLeod
• Dear Harvey: The Jack Burke Sr. Golf Legacy Tree
• Dear Harvey: gPage-A-Palooza 2022
• Dear Harvey: The Stage Golfing Society (London)
• Dear Harvey: First Woman Captain (The Richmond Golf Club)
• A couple of gems: Muirfield and North Berwick
• Tube to Tee: Sudbury Golf Club
• Hugging Harvey Goodbye and off to London for a Bit

Other 'golfy' scribblings:

• I Knew Harvey Invitational Golf and Dinner + Ode to Harvey (tribute poem)
• Dear Harvey: "Up against a kid" by Bo Links (slightly modified for gender)
• Dear Harvey: Life is long if you know how to use it
• Stay Whole Tuesday: Stillness, Rome, Herb Brooks, and Harvey Penick
• Patty Sheehan: "Some kind of peacefulness about what you are doing."
• Oscillate, as in Oscillating Dynamic Variable Resistance
• All bets are won or lost on the first tee
• 5.5.05 - 5.5.20 It has been 15 (Bart Star) years since I wrote this . . . Stay Whole!
• Pete Dye (1925 - 2020)
• Dear Harvey: Ace on 16
• Swing sequence - 4th of July (thanks, Emily)
• Fit as a Fiddle Friday: Deceleration with Tom Kite
• My Flat Ass Fitness Rules (12 of them)
• Rudy's 360 boys with Tom Kite - two-time NCAA champions!
• Roane Puett: Austin CC Legendary Golf Member and Friend
• It's complicated: A special video clip from Emily's college golf experience
• Celebrating Dan Bates: Why do men have a hard time getting to know each other?

"Millions of people were charmed by the homespun golf advice dispensed in Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a sports classic that became the best-selling sports book of all time. Yet, beyond the Texas golf courses where Penick happily toiled for the better part of eight decades, few people knew the self-made golf pro who coaxed the best out of countless greats -- Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright -- all champions who considered Penick their coach and lifelong friend." - Kevin Robbins, author of Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf.

"And if you play golf, you are my friend." - Harvey Penick

Fairway to Table - Chef Bob and Dale Morgan

Hey nugs,

I've enjoyed serving on the House Committee at Austin CC this year and the chance to get to know our Executive Chef, Bob Burns. He is a wealth of knowledge about any foods, especially farm-to-table, as well as wild game. Below are a couple of clips from a featured piece on The Golf Channel, called Fairway to Table:

"In Texas, everything is bigger--the golf and the food! A self-professed “hunter-gatherer”, Austin Country Club Executive Chef Bob Burns has dedicated his life to culinary—after 42 years in the private club industry, he develops Austin’s enhanced menu with prime beef, direct-sourced seafood, wild game, and premium vegetables. Host and Executive Chef Michael Ponzio, uncover the life of culinary in club fare as Chef Bob Burns, flexes his culinary creativity, as he introduces us to his Asian-inspired Texas Brisket with Korean Quinoa, Fried Brown Rice, Goujang, & Duck Egg. Later, Chef Ponzio rolls up his sleeves and takes to the streets of one of Austin’s barbecue landmarks at Louie Mueller Barbecue, together with 3rd Generation Pitmaster, Wayne Mueller—as they build one of the iconic platters—his dinosaur bone in short rib, beef brisket, and pork sausage." 

You can see the entire piece here. This link requires a Golf Pass membership or sign up for a 7-day free trial. I know the talented cooks in my family will enjoy this.

Love,

Dad