Ed Bates(Gramps) - My Grandfather and Former Head Golf Professional at Havana Golf & Country Club

My Grandfather, Ed Bates, is my golf hero. He taught me the game and has shaped so much about how I strive to live my life. His easy-going disposition and constant optimism have always been something I aspire to. Gramps, as I call him, was the club professional at the 9 hole course I grew up at. He worked behind the counter there for 35 years and touched a lot of lives along the way. For him, golf has always been a foundation for building friendships and a vessel on the journey towards self-improvement. I don't think I've ever known anyone who loves the game as much as he does...and that's saying something. We recorded this episode on the eve of Gramps' 87th birthday. Amazingly, even at his impressive age, he still plays golf four days per week. On most of those occasions, he still beats his age. There aren't many folks who spend every day at the place they worked for three decades but for Gramps the golf course is just home. He once told me that the secret to life was "a hard day's work, a loving wife, and a happy child." Golf was how he made that his reality. During our discussion, we talked about how that all came to be. In addition to Gramps' life story and golf legend, we also talked about some of the ways he's taught the game to people. In those moments, he shares what I believe are some of the best lessons any golfer can learn. He's a wise old sage and someday when we run out of chats like this I know I'll be coming back to listen again and learn from him once more. Gramps, if you read this or ever have a listen, know that I love you dearly and can never thank you enough for giving me the gift of golf. The best I can do is share the game with others and try to spread what you taught me. For those who want to read more about Gramps, check out the story I wrote about him for Golf.com at the link here > https://golf.com/news/features/good-golf-monotonous-story-about-gramps-ed-bates/ Gramps has been a leading character in many of my stories over the years and if you'd like to find more of them please visit my site at https://jayrevell.com/ Follow me on Twitter @jayrevell If you enjoy Mid-Am Crisis, I hope you'll leave a review on your favorite listening platform. Cheers and Thanks for listening. -J Mid-Am Crisis is a production of Revell Media, LLC