This summer, as part of the RBC Canadian Open festivities, Richard Zokol was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame. Zokol, grew up in Vancouver playing out of Marine Drive Golf Club. He briefly gained some notoriety, experiencing modest success on the PGA tour as "Disco Dick", by listening to a walkman while he played. A novelty back in the 80's, the walkman has evolved into today's ubiquitous MP3 player. I'm not sure what tunes Zokol listened to back in the day, but it's fun to speculate what songs a modern day golfer might include on their i-pod on a present day playlist.
For example, given recent tour developments Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" might once have been ranked number one, but would now be unlikely to even crack the top 30 in the rankings. Eddie Rabbit's "Drivin My Life Away" or The Fifth Dimension's "Up, Up and Away" might be good choices for the first tee, while the Byrd's "Turn, Turn, Turn" or the the Spice Girls "Stop Right Now" might work on both the greens or as encouragement for errant shots from the fairways. Any golf play list would have to include numbers from the Eagles. "Take It To the Limit" or "Desperado" might be appropriate, depending upon one's handicap. By the same token all songs by Ravi Shankar would have to be prohibited.
Growing up, our tv was often tuned to ABC's coverage of the PGA. Does anyone else remember commentators like Dave Marr, Jim MacKay or Chris Schenkle? How about the theme song for the broadcasts, "Love's Theme" by Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra? Even now the tune evokes memories of Sunday afternoons watching Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, or Lee Trevino bring home another victory.
The Beach Boy's "I Get Around" sounds like an invitation to get a tee time, and Abba's "The Winner Take's It All" neatly sums up the conclusion of many a friendly wager. Given my current role as a greens keeper, I'd need to include Brian Adam's "Cuts Like a Knife" and "I Love the Rainy Nights" by Eddie Rabbit.
No golf playlist would be complete without a selection or two from Jake Trout and The Flounders. If you've never heard of them, you should look them up on Youtube. The group was the brainchild of the late Payne Stewart, and consisted of himself and touring professionals Mark Lye and Peter Jacobsen. Together they wrote and performed parodies of pop songs, turning tunes like the Blues Brothers' "I'm a Soul Man" into "I'm A Golf Fan", or Randy Newman's "I Love LA" into "I Love to Play". Their album "PGA Players Swing Their Way to the Green" is hilarious, and still available at I Tunes.
I know at least one other grounds crew member who is a virtual encyclopedia of song first lines. Some days he can be heard all over the course happily bringing snippets of songs. There seems to be no end to his ability to find a tune to match any situation. I'm sure there are many other closet deejays out there, so if my suggestions don't do it for you, feel free to come up with a list of your own. I'll be out there listening to hear which tunes make the cut for you.
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