In many ways, a good golf game resembles a lasting marriage.
“You’ve got to be kind of dedicated to the game. You’re dedicated to your marriage,” said Springfield native Don Crandall.
And in golf, like life, nobody is perfect.
“Well we’ve been married, I think it’s like 56 years,” Don said.
“It will be 58 in October,” added Don’s wife Marcie Crandall.
For the Crandalls, dedication to each other began as teenagers.
These high school sweethearts met at Parkview, around the same time Don started golfing at age 15, more than 60 years ago.
“That’s a long time [ago] and surprisingly, I haven’t got much better,” Don joked.
A few years later, Don thought Marcie might make for a good golf partner, just like she is in life.
“Don took me out [on the course],” Marcie said. “And that’s when I decided if we wanted to stay married, I was not going to play golf.”
“Yeah, I wasn’t real patient,” Don added with a smile.
But that didn’t stop this duo from staying the course.
It’s a course that’s taken them all across the country.
“I played in Arizona in the morning and drove across the border and played in New Mexico in the afternoon,” Don said. “And I thought ‘you know this could probably work, you could [play in] all 50 [states]’”
And so began Don’s quest to play golf in all 50 states. He began the journey by traveling on work trips, but in recent years, it’s a journey he’s taken with Marcie, and his golf buddy Bob alongside.
Don and Marcie have visited PGA-level courses in California, with Don calling Pebble Beach his favorite course he’s ever played.
And they’ve visited lesser-known courses in well-known places.
“[My favorite course] was in the middle of Honolulu, but the flowers in Hawaii are just amazing,” Marcie said. “And it was our anniversary.”
“That’s correct. Let’s see if I get this right. Our 40th,” Don said.
“That’s right,” Marcie added.
“You see there,” Don quipped, earning some redemption for his earlier miscalculation of years.
Sometimes, this pairing would check off a pair of states in just one day.
“I was working in Virginia, and I’d already played in Virginia, and I asked where’s the nearest course in West Virginia and the guy said ‘That course over there across the highway’. And I said okay, and I went over there and played,” Don said.
That double-dipping has helped Don play golf in 49 of 50 states, with tickets booked and bags packed for number 50 in Alaska this week.
But Don says the destinations are only made special because of the people he’s made the journey with, and the people they’ve met along the way.
“I tell you those people are really amazing and I just enjoyed meeting them and playing golf with them. I’ll probably never see them again but they’re the ones that really make it worthwhile.”
Don will play either Moose Run Golf Course or Anchorage Golf Course in Alaska.
Marcie says she’s most excited about the prospect of seeing interesting wildlife.
“I want to see a moose and a bear… from a distance,” Marcie said. “And I want to see a puffin.”
