Magic of the Wichita Open
The buzz begins. The Wichita Open is here. For the first time, players will be competing for a purse of over one million dollars. Volunteers and staff have been working for weeks to insure, once again, those who come to compete or enjoy, experience the reputation of earned admiration as one of the best Korn Ferry Tour tournaments in the country.
Galleries at the seventeenth and eighteenth hole have been sold out for months. Truly a ‘faces for places’ event, the Wichita Open has been a benefactor for charities of over 2 million dollars since its’ inception. Not to mention the yearly millions of economic impact it provides for our hometown.
Most of these young men of the Korn Ferry Tour are coming into their prime. The KFT and PGA are only separated by a couple of strokes overall. The top thirty on the tour will end their year validated with a card allowing them to play on golf’s greatest stage. A select handful of those we see here in Wichita this week, won’t be coming back. Next year you’ll find them on TV competing with the likes of Rahm, Koepka and Spieth.
Years ago, Frank and I made only rare appearances at the Wichita Open. Even though anything good for Wichita had our support on some scale, we’d look at each other and agree playing time seemed more attractive than the hottest ticket in town for golfers and social hunters alike. In the last few years, all that has changed. The magic which happens here in Wichita visibly materialized for me. I found an ongoing story.
This tour is considered a major platform for seasoning. A rung on the ladder which takes these players from very little distractions of college and amateur events to the absolute hullabaloo for which pro events render pure excitement. From us to them. A few camera crews on various holes, to full media coverage with multiple outlets. From small galleries and the sounds of babbling brooks to grandstands of music and audiences led by DJ’s calling their shots.
I thought, how counterintuitive. In the midst of mastering shots and conditions, golfers can only make the elite by mastering nerves of steel.
I live, as the crow flies, a half mile from the gallery at seventeen. Repetitively, I can sit on my deck and tell you every time a birdie has been made. I can only imagine what the sudden uproars can do to a player on another hole in the middle of a backswing or putt.
Nevertheless, year to year the players report how they love Wichita. This place is one of their favorites. I somewhat thought it was their beginning of fandom. Maybe this was the power of what was happening on this course. Although fairways are roped off, just as it is in the PGA, adults and children alike get a chance to watch from the sidelines just a bit more intently. Winks, waves and smiles sometimes get matched with a high five if they’re close.
Then I noticed something else. I have always been fascinated when some of the players who had local contacts actually took the time, if tour schedules allowed, to conduct youth clinics at some of the courses during open week. Still, my interest was especially peaked because of the extra attention they seemed to give during the tournament to the kids. Some of these guys even stopped if they were able to sign golf balls or gloves. With dedication, they appeared after their round was complete, exchanging thoughts, answering questions and signing more autographs – extending special courtesy to the young fans.
What a cool experience for kids to have the opportunity to intermingle with next seasons’ greats. Just as I’ve been able to say to my grandson, “O look Wyatt. Here is that ball that Aaron Wise signed for you back in 2019.” Many others have also experienced the same. Even though he’s only twelve, he volunteers and has become a regular. (It’s okay, his mom is an active volunteer for the tournament too.)
Golf is such an amazing sport. Muscle memory, skill, fitness, adaptability of conditions. But truthfully, that’s only ten percent of the game. They’ve mastered the shots, but ninety percent exist in the mind. Decision making and frame of consciousness makes or breaks champions.
It started to dawn on me the importance of the relationship with the youth. Ever since Wyatt was eight or nine and started interacting in conversation with the golfers, I heard a similar story. ‘How old are you? I was exactly where you were when I was your age. Work hard and never give up. Set your goals. Hang on to your dream. You’ll be back here next year, won’t you?’
Skill can be taught, but the magic exists in the dream. The dream is that thing that resides in the heart and bubbles up as oxygen, feeding that space between their ears. It is the mindset they come to master.
Last summer, my thoughts turned into hypotheses. When Paul Haley motioned his hand towards Wyatt and said, “Walk with us the last nine.” I saw something entirely different. Like a mirror of themselves, these kids remind the players of a dream that was planted in their own hearts many years before.
We’ve done a good job here in Wichita to connect with these golfers. But I challenge you this weekend. If you haven’t done so already, come and walk the course with your kids. Experience the magic. Be a part of someone’s connection. Interface the dream. Several days in the aftermath of the tournament last year, Wyatt and his dad had the opportunity to play a round by themselves. The empty grandstands were still standing on the seventeenth hole. Wyatt chipped close to the hole, walked over with his putter and putted in for a par. His dad noticed a long pause after he picked his ball out of the hole. He said to Wyatt, “Hey, nice par. What are you doing?”
In complete contemplation, while holding his ball at eye level, Wyatt stared straight into the grandstand, “Dad, do you know what I want to do someday? I want to give my ball to one of the kids in the stands.”
In the end, it will always be about a boy, a ball and a dream..
