Grand Haven Mens Golf Assoc.

Although my father golfed at Madison, N.J. Golf Club and his father had been a member of Baltusrol Golf Club in the 20’s; despite a lesson or two as a young teenager, I couldn’t hit the ball worth a darn and found golf exceedingly frustrating, lacking instant satisfaction, let it be without me. Two decades later, living in Powell, Wyoming, a musician friend of mine, “Scramble Randall,” communicated secrets of swing symmetry that led to greater golf gratification and eventually breaking 100 (a milestone maybe soon to be revisited in reverse).
  I was raised in Madison, N.J., to loving parents in-between two sisters and was exposed to many of the cultural benefits of NYC. My mother played piano, and I had some piano lessons as a child learning Count Basie blues and basic chord structure that helped me play by ear and make stuff up. I started playing guitar as a teenager picking things off records. Had more serious piano lessons in high school and during two semesters at Indiana Univ. Hand in hand with an interest in Eastern philosophy, I had an attraction for spur of the moment meanderings of musical improvisation, a “laissez-faire” approach if you will, perhaps “lazy-fare” to others. Still, it served me well with an ability to get by, by the seat of my pants or the skin off my teeth. However, having said that, I worked hard at it with a life-long habit of practice.
  Wanting to play music in the ‘real’ world of bands, I relinquished the route of college, degree, job and started on a path that led to Montana, far removed from my N.J. upbringing, eschewed by most serious musicians and culture but where it was fairly easy to get by playing in miscellaneous bar bands living for the elusive instants of inspirational ecstasy.
  In Billings in 1978 where among many others, but first of all, I chanced to meet my good friend Dale “Fingers” Renee, a true bluesman of the old school and veteran of storied life events on the chitlin’ circuit, events never documented but of epic proportion. Once when it was needed, Dale played drums simultaneously thumping a bass guitar on the floor with his left foot. He was also in my trio that played Rainbow Lodge at Yellowstone Club in Big Sky the night Tiger Woods was there for dinner.
  I lived in Billings, Bozeman, Powell, Wyoming (next to Cody), ending up back in Bozeman in 1998 till the recent move to Palm Coast. In addition to combo work I played solo piano gigs at Marlboro Ranch, Yellowstone Club and taught piano. I married, have a stepson Bobby, and my son Wilson was born in 1994 (greatest moment of my life), but got divorced in 2001.
  I met my wonderful, loving wife Jody Ogata in 2015 at a gig at the Mint Bar in Livingston, Mt. She has two wonderful daughters Lani and Kaylee. Jody retired from working at Montana State Univ. and we both wished to leave the cold and hit the road. After looking on the west coast, Jody and I drove to Florida in Feb. 2021 and looked around with Palm Coast on the list. We bid on and bought the house here sight unseen while driving back to Mt. We feel blessed to have found Grand Haven and the great people at the Golf Club!
  Thank you for welcoming us into the fold!