Up in the pine straw one too many times

The sporting world was transfixed over the weekend at the Masters. Everyone digs in and watches, especially with the story of Rory McIlroy, the son of an Irish golf club bartender. Everyone has a favorite line. A classic? Rory’s take on his last troubles, before victory was secure, was that he was “up in the pine straw one too many times.”

Haven’t we all been diverted from our chief cause by ill concentration or the storms of life, either weather or family or work? Let us all get out of the pine straw on the 17th hole, even though it does have its uses in gardening.

Those of us from the South admire pine straw, or pine tags. They are particularly valid groundcover in the Deep South, where the acid of pine needles helps nurture azaleas, camellias, gardenias, hydrangeas and other fragrant, acid-loving flowering shrubs. In the South, a pile of them, or a bale, can provide instant children’s entertainment and a termite-free mulch. And there is the smell.

Back to Augusta, blooming with azaleas in Georgia last week. It is the opposite of the Super Bowl, as it is a long narrative program you can step in and out of. The other message is the calming presentation. Golf, like snooker, is a restful sport to watch. 

Graphics do not always need to dance. The camera does not need to pan too much. The announcers do not need to override the athletes. The background music and general atmosphere are secondary to the sport.

In film, there is always the value of the long shot that frames the story. In golf, the long shot is sort of natural. You have a tiny ball, and the camera and viewer must chase it. In an age where the Instagram Reel and the video clip are omnipresent, the first presentation, perhaps, is less noisy.

The NFL and NBA could learn a bit about less-busy coverage and how it helps put a focus back on the sport itself. It is analogous to the popular “sensory-free” time at Walmart. If readers have not experienced it, each day from 8 to 10 a.m., the store music is off, the lights are slightly dimmer and the TV wall is blank. You can pay attention to your business.

One exception in the coverage was regular live shots back in Ireland, with Holywood in the Belfast area rooting for him all the way through.

The good sports story is always the normal kid who perseveres and comes through. But of course, the wider sports story is always the wider community that came through for him and supported him as an athlete. Today, even the club is democratic about him. Everyday folk can book the Rory McIlroy Club and Trophy Experience Tour for £29.50 per adult. Say what you will about the overall demise of Britain’s industry and standing in the world, the British tourism machine never fails to capitalize and package all that is worthwhile.

We are lucky in Cape Haze, with the excellent support given to Lemon Bay High School’s golf program. The stellar standout is A Better Shot, which has millions in endowment and has a $10 million goal in its 30th year, 2026. The point of these programs is not the creation of a PGA star. It is the overall support for youth in general, tying them to our clubs and institutions, and giving them a role in life, with normal adults, in their youth and teens. This week, registration also opened for Rotonda Golf & Country Club’s Junior Golf Academy at Long Marsh.

That does not discount the other critical funds that golf tournaments raise. Almost every golf club hosts a charity event of some kind, and The Gasparilla Inn hosts a mega benefit for The Island School.

Lifetime sports need the next generation nurtured.

This week, we have an op-ed from Amanda Cochran, who is running for the Lee Commission. Her policy concern is the lack of boating and marina space. Her call is for overall access to the water. But a corollary to that is that we need to have youth out on the water. Boys and girls need access to water. How many readers growing up had access to a “putter around” boat and a place to keep it? What did that feel like in terms of independence for a 12-year-old boy who had the privilege of a jon boat and a 9.9 horsepower Evinrude?

On Gasparilla Island, the Boca Grande Fishing Pier is closed, and one pier from Placida is also still closed. These need to be fixed, and reopened.

The Beacon is also a supporter of Englewood Youth Sailing. The decline of the sport of sailing is on a disastrous course, and it is a tragedy. It is one of the best sports for youth, as it has no environmental footprint, and it is one sport where children cannot be messing about with electronics. The reasons are complex, but small dinghy sailing, like youth golf camps or fishing camps, is the start.

Our sons and daughters may not be Rory, but every child needs time in the outdoors and in the pine straw, or Cape Haze flats.

Garland Pollard is editor of the Boca Beacon. Email editor@bocabeacon.com