There are plenty of horror stories in every professional sport about the “stage dads” who push their kids into their sports, making them practice when they should be playing, forcing their own dreams onto their kids. But, these Northwest golf dads made sure that golf remained a game. They encouraged, but they never pushed. During the interviews for this story, the central theme from the golfers was the support they felt from their fathers; the theme from the dads was the pure pride of seeing their kids succeed.
That success, of course, comes grudgingly, even if you have your tour card. There are times when you have to push through all of the tough stuff and survive the missed putts that lead to the missed cuts. The golfers call it “grinding.” It’s the perfect word. They don’t carry last week’s missed cut into this week’s practice round. They fight through the loneliness of a sterile hotel room. They persevere.
Mackenzie, 30 – who broke her back during her career at the University of Washington – made the cut at the Nabisco this year, the first major on the LPGA calendar, but she has struggled at times this season, her eighth on tour. Stanley rebounded recently from an early- season slump to finish third at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans, and tied for sixth the following week at Quail Hollow. Gove’s career has yo-yo’d between the regular tour and the second-tier Web.com Tour, where he started the season third in all-time money earnings.
Gove admits that there have been times when the disappointments have been overwhelming, and he’s wondered if he truly wanted to continue the fight.
“There were a couple of moments when I didn’t know if I wanted to keep doing it,” he said. “In those moments, my dad [Gary] has just told me how proud he is of me, whether or not I’m a golfer. But he always tells me, ‘I know you’re good enough.’ He reminds me how lucky I am that this is something special I’m doing.
“When I talk to him, I feel like he’s out there living and doing it with me.”
During our interview, Paige Mackenzie grew quiet when she thought about the depth of her father’s support. When Hugh Mackenzie joins his daughter on the tour, he hugs her before she steps onto the first tee and hugs her again when she walks off the 18th green. Golfers have to manage their emotions on the course, but it is impossible to bundle those emotions every day, all day. Mackenzie cried for just a moment when she talked about the importance of those hugs.
“We look forward to those hugs, too,” Hugh said.
Then, she laughed when she told the story of a recent tournament when her father got lost between the parking lot and the first tee – missing, for that one day, the all-important hug.
“It can be a difficult balancing act sometimes between being there, and also keeping our distance – be there for support, but not be in the way,” Hugh Mackenzie said. “The most important thing for us, as parents, is to be supportive in all aspects of their lives. It’s important to be there as a father, to lend an ear. Most of the time, that’s all it is.
“[But] sometimes, I have to make sure Paige knows that no matter what her score is, we still love her. I know what she wants to do, and ultimately that’s to win golf tournaments, but there are things I see that she does that really make me proud of her,” Hugh added. “The way she conducts herself on the course, and off it. She gets it. She does more than she has to do, because she enjoys doing it. She’ll sign every last autograph, because it’s important for her to stay connected to her fan base. I can’t tell you how many people have told me how much they enjoyed playing with her after pro-ams. She always has a big smile on her face.”