The season for charity golf-scramble tournaments is in full swing. Tens of thousands of dollars are being raised on fairways and greens across Arkansas, donations that roll toward improving lives.
I’m invited to play in several such events each year. And last week I was witness to a bona fide precedentsetter in Arkansas (and likely the nation) during the annual United Way two-person scramble back home at the Harrison Country Club.
I’ve never heard of launching a local charity golf tournament with the pledge of allegiance and an a capella version of our national anthem. Have you? Sure, the anthem is expected at major sporting events. But a scramble tournament? And in Harrison?
Yet there stood irrepressible Dan Timbrook just after 8 a.m., clad in dark slacks and sporty shirt, wiping sleep from his eyes and dabbing a slightly perspiring forehead.
The former Harrison (KHOZ) morning-show host and big-city disc jockey then cleared his throat, placed his right hand across his heart and began reciting the pledge of allegiance. The crowd surrounding him joined in. It was vaguely reminiscent of those mornings in the sixth grade.
Then he drew a deep breath. Silently mustered courage. The 68-yearold squeezed his eyes shut and began: “Ooooh say can you see by the dawn’s early light …”
I heard the refrain from the scores gathered around us joining in as everyone faced the large flag rippling atop the flagpole.
It was hard at first to believe the gregarious Timbrook was standing there doing what he’d promised to do 12 hours earlier. Truth be known, I was partly (well, maybe largely) to blame. The brief back story actually originated with my cousin, John Arthur Hammerschmidt, amid after-dinner beverages at the club the night before.
In casual banter with Community First Bank’s CEO and president David Morton of Harrison (a major tournament sponsor), Hammerschmidt had wondered why scramble golf tournaments didn’t kick off with “The Star-Spangled Banner” like so many other sporting events.
The idea obviously struck a chord with Morton, whose enthusiastic response went something like: “Yeah! Why don’t we do that anyway? After all, this is a sporting competition, too, right?”
One remark prompted another until Morton suddenly asked if I’d sing the anthem the following morning.
Ever fearless when trapped in unexpected situations, I winced boldly and pointed to Timbrook, who was nearby in animated conversation with Steve and Camille Turner. “Er, no thanks, Dave,” I said. “But right there’syour man who surely will!” Sure enough.
So there we all were standing outside by the dawn’s early light paying reverence to our nation. Reciting the pledge was Timbrook’s inspiration.
His voice waveringslightly on the highest notes of this difficult song to sing correctly, Timbrook belted the anthem without missing a word. The empathetic side of me had felt anxious about that. The worst possible thing that could happen was he’d become tangled in the lyrics and wind up the butt of relentless ridicule by folks in shorts and polyester.
Even some of the nation’s better singers have found themselves red-faced while publicly floundering somewhere in the middle of the anthem. But not the tenacious Timbrook on this morning.
“And the hoooome of the braaaaaave!” It was over. He’d actually pulled it off. And with his eyes closed all the while. I attributed his achievement to three cups of coffee and decades on the radio.
Timbrook later admitted he’d become nervous before his solo. “Yeah, I sure didn’t want to mess it up out there,” he said. “But then, strangely, I also began looking forward to doing it.”
As the day progressed and I made my way around the course (and GG’s tented Burger Bar) with partner Pat Moles, we overheard comments praising not only Timbrook’s courage to even attempt what he did, but the fact that this tournament with 144 players had started in such a manner. Those few solemn minutes of shared tribute added a sense of depth and relevance to what this tournament was all about.
The way I figured it, all these players already owned plenty of golf equipment. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be out here. So the act of winning even more stuff factored very little into their goals. For most, it was about the fun and fellowship and knowing they were helping make a difference. I believe it’s the same way in everycommunity that hosts these scramble fundraisers benefiting local charities.
This particular tournament had an impressive 80 sponsors and individual contributors including Harrison’s Magness Toyota, Community Firstand FedEx Freight as well as a full field of players. It’s remarkable to me that, over its nine consecutive years, the June event has raised more than $100,000 for local United Way causes.
Who knows? Morton and Timbrook may well have started a new national trend wherein benevolent competitors in even the smaller communities’ charity golf tournaments will begin with such tribute to our collective gratitude, and a reminder of how we all pass together through this world as best we can. These gatherings are an effective way to help those who need help the most.
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Mike Masterson’s column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected]. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.
Editorial, Pages 17 on 06/22/2013