The United States Golf Association (USGA) is running an amusing and compelling ad campaign focused on better pace of play on the golf course. These are some of the funniest ads to ever come out of the traditionally conservative organization. The commercials feature major golfers and celebrities like Tiger Woods, Anika Sorenstam, Paula Creamer, Arnold Palmer, and Clint Eastwood.
Here are a couple of ads from the campaign. To fully appreciate it, watch the inspiration from the campaign in the movie Caddyshack. The line was apparently thought up by Rodney Dangerfield and not in the script. It is hard to not play a round of golf and not hear this great line.
The campaign hit a personal note for me. It was two years ago the last time I played golf on a Saturday. The round took six hours not including the time it took me to drive to and from the course. Overall it was almost an eight-hour Saturday. Our foursome did have a good time but we ultimately wanted to play a normal four hour round and left very frustrated. If that is how golf is today, I can wait until my kids grow up until they take interest in the game and want to learn.
I miss golf and am thankful for playing it as a youngster through competitive play in high school and college. It was on the course where I first understood what perseverance was and how to conduct myself by the examples of other older gentlemen. I am still young as Rodney Dangerfield says so I have time to get back to the game. I am thankful because one can play golf until the day they die unlike soccer, basketball, football, or baseball.
I wish I could say that I’m spending every moment of time exactly how I like or how I am supposed to. There are plenty of noble demands from family, work, church, and friends but every weekend when I see golf on TV, there is something that stirs me to want to get out and play. I am reminded as I walk out the door with my family that we only have this time once so my old friend, the game of golf, I shall return.
Do you have a difficult time embracing the sports of your youth because of the time it takes to play?
Summer is traditionally a time to be outdoors and enjoy time with friends and family. It can also be a time to huddle on the couch later at night to enjoy some humorous, adventurous and patriotic movies. When I think about summer, I am filled with wonderful memories. Often these memories are intertwined with movies that mirror my experiences and inspire and make me laugh today.
For the first three years of my career I marketed and sold movies to Parks and Recreation departments around the nation to show to their community. It was always fun to create summer movie schedules that would help bring people together at their local parks. Over those years there have been many movies that have stood out among the rest. This list is compiled of movies that personally have meant a lot to me and I hope you will enjoy them this summer too. I have chosen not to include animated films in this list and have arranged these by topic as well as individual movies.
Only the most dedicated dad like Clark Griswold wouldn’t let a dead Aunt Edna ruin their pilgrimage to Walley World. This is by far one of the funniest prayers you will ever hear.
Some of the finest moments in life can be found around a campfire and debating what kind of animal or person Goofy is. Good story, Vern. It is also hard to imagine how Stephen Kind could have written such a poignant coming of age story from the 1950s.
If you grew up in the 80s there was no way to miss The Goonies. There are only a few who are able to direct such great comedies with kids. Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg created a 1980s masterpiece. “Goonies never say die.”
Roy McAvoy played by Kevin Costner is full with outlandish challenges on the golf course. “Did you ever shoot par with a 7-iron?”
If you have ever played golf, there is little chance that you didn’t hear someone mimicking Bill Murray saying ,”Cinderella story, outta nowhere about to become the Masters Champion.”
If you ever want revenge on rich islanders, send in Godzilla.
I’ve always loved Weekend at Bernie’s because for years we have vacationed in Bald Head Island, where this was filmed.
Roy Scheider’s line, “You’re going to need a bigger boat.” is one of the most quoted lines in movie history. Jaws defined what a summer beach blockbuster looks like.
This campfire scene prior to the battle to take Fort Wagner is one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes showing the spirit of the colored 54th Massachusetts Regiment.
Although a controversial movie, it is perhaps Tom Cruise’s finest performance. “People say that if you don’t love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love America.”
In the epic HBO miniseries based on David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, John Adams, Paul Giamatti plays our founding father and in this scene, he shares his perspective on the declaration of independence.
Essentially this movie is “Braveheart-American style” but still an enjoyable depiction of The Revolutionary War in the South.
To round-out the summer films the 1990s brought a slew of space-apocalyptic films. There is nothing better than this astronaut evaluation scene in Armageddon.
Despite this being a science fiction film, this is by far one of the finest American President speeches. Even historian Bill Bennett refers to this in his book The American Patriot’s Almanac.
Honorable mention:Dirty Dancing, Forrest Gump, What about Bob?, Beach Blanket Bingo, Endless Summer, Splash, Step Into Liquid, Summer Rental, and Roman Holiday.
Here are the Top 10 Caddyshack Lines you will hear around the office today.
1. You’re the keynote speaker at a trade conference and your competitor yells out…
“Miss it Noonan! Miss it!”
2. You develop this amazing new product and share it with your group. Someone comments…
“Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh? Oh, it looks good on you though.”
3. The college intern walks into a brainstorm meeting, throws out a good idea and says this…
“Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac… It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole! It’s in the hole!”
4. You’re on a sales call and you hand the client an invoice for the services. The client says…
“Oh, uh, there won’t be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.”
5. You’re at the vending machine wondering what to get and someone walks up and says…
“How about a Fresca?”
6. You’re receiving some coaching from your boss about a difficult situation at work. The conversation goes like this…
Boss: You take drugs, Danny? You: Every day. Boss: Good. Then what’s your problem? You: I don’t know.
7. You’re totally screwing up a presentation to your team…
“Just be the ball, be the ball, be the ball. You’re not being the ball Danny.”
8. Your client walks into your office, takes a look around. The conversation goes like this…
Client: This your place, Carl?
You: Yeah, whatta ya think?
Client: It’s really… awful.
You: Well, I got a lot of stuff on order. You know… credit trouble.
9. A friend just bombs a TPS report they turn in and are looking to you for support. You say…
“You’re not, you’re not good, Al. You stink.”
10. You arrive at the hotel during a business trip. You ask the receptionist “This place got a pool?” Your friend next to you says.
“Pool and a pond… Pond be good for you.”
Bonus: You and your co-worker are about to go on a sales call and the conversation goes like this…
Your friend: You’ve got to win this hole.
You: I kinda thought winning wasn’t important
Your friend: Me winning isn’t. You do.
You: Great grammar.
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