When I was little we lived on a farm next to a fancy Golf course , My Dad would walk the woods by hole # 3 looking for lost balls . I would go to the green and roll balls at the hole .
The man that took the flags in at the end of the day would chat with Dad sometimes and he called me OPY , I kind of looked like OPIE from the TV show at the time . That man gave me a cut down regriped putter one day and would spend some time with me showing me how to use it , He gave me a cut down wedge , 5 and 3 iron the next year . He told me how to play the game and how to respect the Course and fellow players . He would let me play hole # 3 and the short # 4 over and over so long as none of the club members were playing .
Many years latter I joined the golf club in middle school , I was the only one so I had to play with the big boys in High school , The first course we got to play was the one next to the old farm , as we walked in the man at the counter saw me and said good to see you OPY . The big boys were sure that was funny and started giving me a hard time . The man then said to the other boys , My name is Mr Tincher and I am the course Pro and have seen OPY play the game .
I tied for first that day and earned some respect from the team , But that name OPY has stuck with me over the years with the friends I made .
Euclid is a place I live