Golf's Highest Honor: Induction IntoThe World Golf Hall of Fame

Induction into the Hall of Fame is golf's highest honor.

After recently attending my first induction ceremony, I realized the game of golf holds a place of the highest honor in my life.

While I sat there mesmerized with spirit and emotion as President Eisenhower, Christy O'Connor Jr., Jose Marie Olazabal, and Lanny Watkins were presented for and received golf's highest honor, I realized they all were telling the stories of my life.

President Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe during WWII and the 34th President of our country during the glory years of family and freedom of the 1950s, brought millions of Americans into the game of golf.

My dad, Andrew C. Reistetter Sr. brought golf into our family.

How did he do that?

The old fashioned American way being the son of an immigrant Pennsylvania coal miner, needing to do his part to help the family "make ends meet" during the Depression years.

Along with his brothers, he caddied at Scranton CC as soon as he became a teenager, and then they served their country as soon as their country needed them.

Throughout his life as a city fireman my father inspired me. Not only did he teach me how to play golf, he taught me how important it was to play by the rules of never deceiving oneself, and rather to always challenge oneself to be better.

Christy O'Connor is not that well know on this side of the pond. He reminded me of my brother Dave who, through love and the United States Navy, settled in San Diego on the other side of the country, far from our roots in upstate New York.

Though different in age and separated by miles we had our magical moment together experiencing the drama of the Tiger-Rocco U.S. Open playoff near his home at Torrey Pines a summer ago.

Like two kids in their teens we scrambled and ran to stay ahead of the massive gallery to get a glimpse of the action.

Dave will always remind me of the message in the movie, Bagger Vance. He said life is all about inspiration—especially the service to one's country and family.

"Some things can't be learned, they must be remembered."

Sadly we will never play enough rounds of golf with each other.

Seve Ballesteros presented Jose Marie Olazabal for induction via videotape. His extraordinary recovery shots inspired Olazabal's own comeback from health issues, enabling his second Masters victory.

Now Seve, faced with the cruelest of lies in life, is learning a new way to survive and regain one's health on his way to next year's Open, at The Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland.

I remember as a young boy learning the "cut shot" by hitting wiffle balls on a make believe golf course around our house at 2 Florence Street. The holes were tuna cans and the fairways tightly bound by the shrubbery, the rock garden and overhanging trees.

Jose Marie thanked his parents in his native Spanish tongue as they were sitting in the front row. I silently thanked my Mom and Dad with all my heart for all they have done for me in my life.

Though long gone from this earth I felt them right there beside me on that warm beautiful Floridian November evening with a full moon overhead.

And finally Lanny Wadkins giving a tearful tribute to his brother Bobby, himself a pretty darn good professional golfer in his own right, "I could not have done it without you."

I wouldn't be the same man I am today without my own brother Larry.

His words, written in the front of the Ben Hogan Five Modern Fundaments book he gave to his 12-year-old younger brother still echo in my mind and continue to inspire me today…

"Golf is a lot like life, the more you read, learn, and understand about it, the easier it is to meet its challenges."

We all know how true that is on both golf courses—the grassy green ones and the journey we call life. The game of golf makes one come full circle.

Tough times are sure to come to me on the golf course and in life, though I have that "cut shot" in golf to fall back on when needed to propel me farther ahead.

Those "ends" my father tried to make meet back at Scranton Country Club during the Depression surely have met.

Maybe that's the magic of the Hall of Fame—a special sense of place, a sense of being that through honor and love we celebrate each day of our lives.

"If you love golf you got to go," says Arnie and Gary. Maybe someone is telling you "you got to go before you go…"

Plan the trip to the Hall of Fame today. After all we all know life is too short not to do the meaningful and important things right away while you still are able.

Wishing you good golfing on the golf course and in life!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer. He follows the PGA TOUR volunteering for the tournaments and working part time for NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and The Golf Channel. He resides near the PGA TOUR headquarters and home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. He enjoys pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it. He can be reached through his website www.MrHickoryGolf.net or by e-mailing him to [e-mail]