A lifetime of golf inspires everyone

I’m a little surprised to say this, but last week’s “golf spouses” column actually got a decent amount of feedback. Most of it was light-hearted and addressed the concept of what it’s like to have a non-golfing spouse. But I also got a couple of comments back about one of the side notes of the story — about how golf, once it gets you, really gets inside you.

To expand on that, I’m going to use this week to highlight a local golfer who proves to us all that a man (or woman) can have a lifelong love affair with this crazy game we choose to play.

And for the first time, I’m going to highlight a person who did not know in advance that the column will focus on him (although I did have a lot of help gathering information from his wonderful family).

A few weeks ago, I had to run out to The Lake Club to grab something from the pro shop for someone. It was around 3:30 p.m. on July 4, and I remember thinking how few people there were at the club. And for good reason. The night before saw more than 1,000 at the club’s Fourth of July party. That morning saw plenty of golfers getting in holiday rounds before their picnics and barbecues. But by 3:30, most people had left.

As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed one person hitting balls on the range. I drove up to the side of the range, rolled down my window, and yelled out, “You know you don’t need any practice!”

“Oh no?” was the reply. We both laughed a little, each understanding the real meaning of his answer — we always can use more practice. With that, I wished him a happy Fourth, rolled up my window, and went on my way.

Now let me tell you what was so amazing about that experience.

Let’s rewind some 70 years ago to a little boy growing up on Ohio Avenue in Youngstown. He’s around 8 years old and he’s just starting to play golf at the local Henry Stambaugh Municipal Golf Course right up the street.

The boy has talent and a passion for the game. He spends hour after hour playing and practicing. Day after day. Eventually, year after year. And by the time he’s ready for college, after winning three state high school championships, this young man is ready to be a member of the nationally recognized Ohio State golf team and play under legendary coach Robert Kepler.

In 1954 he was a member of the Big Ten championship golf team. And in 1956 (just a few years before another Ohio native named Jack Nicklaus joined the team), this young man became the third Buckeye to win the NCAA individual championship. as team captain and on his home course in Columbus. In amateur golf, this is about as big as it gets.

He got married in 1956, followed by a first child one year later. While he attempted to play professionally on the U.S. Southern Tour for a few years, the birth of his third child brought him back to Columbus, where he then worked in the business as the head pro at Brookside Country Club.

After golf he entered the business world, where he worked at Worthington Steel before starting, owning, and eventually retiring from his own manufacturing rep business.

In 1990, he became the golf coach at the University of Akron, where he served for 10 years. He eventually became one of the most respected teachers of the game. In fact, just last year I know he got quite a thrill out of watching one of his star pupils, Dennis Miller, qualify for the U.S. Open.

By now you may have figured out who I’m talking about, so I’ll stop the nameless bio.

The story above is the real life bio — thanks to his family, especially granddaughter Natalie, for helping me compile all of the information — of one of the nicest, and most caring golfers I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know over the years: Rick Jones.

Today, Jones is a family man with five children, 10 grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A teacher; while Miller is his “star pupil,” Jones still helps countless golfers by passing on his knowledge of the game in a scientific, yet simple manner.

And he’s still a golfer. He plays several days a week and still carries a low single-digit handicap.

And this goes to the point I was trying to make earlier about how golf can be a lifelong love affair. Here’s a man who (without giving away his exact age, let’s just say that if Jones were given a penny for each birthday he’d have more than three silver quarters in his pocket) has lived an extraordinary life. He reached the pinnacle of college golf literally five years before the greatest golfer who ever lived did. He had a successful professional career. And he has a wonderful, large and loving family.

And on July 4, when all of us other golfers were enjoying the hot and humid holiday somewhere else, that passion that got inside of Jones nearly 70 years ago was still there. That love affair still exists. And even though he didn’t need to, something still told him to get to that driving range at The Lake Club and practice.

Jones is an inspiration to us all.

Jonah Karzmer is a former golf professional who writes a Sunday golf column for The Vindicator. In his spare time, he sells commercial insurance for Huntington Insurance and loves getting feedback on his weekly columns via email at jonah.karzmer@huntington.com