Howard Minkley sets goal to golf in all 50 states
By Gery Woelfel
Journal Times | Posted: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 12:00 am
Make no mistake about it, Howard Minkley always has had an affinity for golf.
While growing up on the northwest side of Milwaukee, Minkley lived just a short distance from Currie Park Golf Club. Occasionally he'd play a round or two there and, while he wasn't a Tiger Woods-in-the-making, he nevertheless enjoyed the purity of the game.
As he grew older, Minkley would hit the links whenever family or business commitments didn't hold him back.
Seven years ago, when Minkley was 56, he noticed a flyer on a board at Currie Park. It was about a men's league, but not just your ordinary one.
This league was unique, and it required time and money. This league traveled to a different course each week. League members would hop in their car and trek to courses not only in the Milwaukee area but ones south of the border in northern Illinois.
With time now on his side, Minkley jumped at the opportunity.
"I like golf and I like being outside and I like the camaraderie of being with a good group of guys from all different walks of life," said Minkley, who resides in Wind Point. "And I liked the idea of playing different courses. Every course is different.
"I liked the challenge."
Minkley hasn't had a shortage of challenges since joining the league. He and his golf cronies play some of the most challenging courses in the state.
This summer, for instance, Minkley's group has played such gems as The Bog in Saukville, The Brute of Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, Whispering Springs Golf Course in Fond du Lac, the Broadlands Golf Club in North Prairie, Brown Deer Park Golf Course in Milwaukee and, closer to home, H.F. Johnson Park Golf Course in Racine.
None of those courses, however, is Minkley's favorite. Instead, the one that occupies a special place in his heart is Hartford Golf Club in Hartford.
And it's easy to understand why: it's the site of his first hole-in-one. The 63-year-old Minkley aced the par -3, 139-yard 17th hole at Hartford last month.
Hinkley said he had come close to getting a hole-in-one once before and wasn't convinced he had one even when it occurred.
"From the tee, you can see the top half of the flag but not the hole," Minkley said. "Some guys said it went in, but I obviously didn't believe it.
"But when I was walking up to the green, I saw only three balls. I started to sneak up to the hole and, sure enough, there it was. You hear about them (hole-in-ones), but you never think it'll ever happen to you.
"If I don't ever get another one, I can now say I got one."
The odds of Minkley duplicating his feat would seem incredibly long. After all, Minkley, by his own admission, doesn't possess the type of golf game that would make him a candidate for the Champions Tour. He quips, "I'm a hacker."
Minkley said his handicap is 25, which is fine for him because when he started out in the league, it was 30. He's delighted with his improvement and is excited that his game is becoming more consistent.
Minkley hopes his handicap continues to head south while he heads east and west in the years to come. That's because Minkley, while thoroughly enjoying his time in the Currie Park Men's League, wants to broaden his golf horizons.
While golfing in South Carolina last year, Minkley encountered a gentleman who told him about one of his own goals. Minkley liked the idea so much that he's decided to make it his goal as well.
"He said he wanted to play golf in every state," Minkley said. "Over the winter, I decided that's a good idea and that's what I'm going to do, too.
"I started writing down all the states I've played in and I have almost half of them finished. I already played in one of the hardest states (to get to) Hawaii, but Alaska will be tough.
"This will certainly motivate me to get out and play more golf."
Minkley certainly has every intention of playing a lot more golf. He doesn't find the game to be overly taxing physically, so, God willing, he envisions making tee times for years to come.
"Golf's a head game," Minkley said. "You have to think. It's 80 percent between your ears. That's the toughest part."