First Smell Off the Wharf at Low Tide
in Archives, Shows, US Open by Jeff Waters

First Smell Off the Wharf at Low Tide

The 101st United States Open Championship, contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links June 13-16, 2019, unveiled some special moments and memories. This is just one of many.

It was getting close, and I can feel it.

Leaving the 101 and dropping down from Castroville to the Coastal Highway, the Interstate stiffens quickly into a two-lane roadway on its journey to Monterey, California.

The iconic roadway dips, winds, and then rises out of the growing fields that are the heartland of California’s abundance and then, turning southwest, it slumps deeper towards the bay.

Patiently enduring the endless rows of artichokes and endive stretching mile after mile, the low-lying, coastal dunes emerge as a stark contrast to the lush gardens I’ve left behind.

As I approach, I pop the window, inviting it in because I feel it’s nearness.

In my excitement, I miss my exit and have to do a turnaround. But when I arrive, its perfect.

My hotel is on the beach with an ocean view overlooking the Bay and the sights, sounds, and essence of the sea are intoxicating.

I have arrived on a personal journey, and with that first glimpse, I straighten as my gaze lifts to a scented mist that envelopes the entire setting, and I’m all alone on the brow of a ship meeting the headwind, and the sea breezes that are a constant presence.

And I feel as if I’m home.

Pundits say it’s the chemicals in the air.

An outcome of the ionization of plankton, seaweed, fish, and salt that combine, diffuse out and embrace the senses long before you get close to the shore.

A boosted sense of nature that feeds the expectancy that always proceeds the arrival.

No matter how long you wait or how far you have traveled to get here.

Perhaps you have caught a glimmer of the sun’s reflection off the waves on the horizon, or the haze of the marine layer that hangs off the coast, or the cawing of gulls hovering above the beaches.

Whatever those sensations are, it is the ions in the air that are bringing them home.

The perfume of the shore at low-tide with waves that call out, their mist rising, an attar you have never forgotten.

With the tang of that first whiff, your senses awaken, all of them enhanced, as the briny sea smell escalates, soaring, greeting you as you approach closer, and you know, this is the ocean.

As I lift my head into the breeze and feel the magnificence, power, and vastness of something infinitely more significant than anything in my immediate future, I stand in awe and try to comprehend the unimportance of whatever has transpired before this very moment.

I have returned to this place to smell the ocean, unlock my memories, and finish a story that has haunted my dreams.

The sea awaits, the fragrance as I remember, and I muse to myself how many other memories will be revealed on this, my last journey to the sea?

Jeff Waters is a Master PGA Professional and a Member of the Golf Writers Association of America.

With over a half-century of engagement in the sport of Golf, Jeff Waters has become one of the most accomplished, experienced, and qualified Golf Professionals in the history of the PGA of America. He is a fully certified and trained Master Professional joining an exceedingly small and elite group of Professionals in the World to have achieved this prestigious title. Jeff holds University Degrees in Political Science, Teaching Minors in Economics and Finance, attended graduate school in Commercial Recreation, taught undergraduate classes at the University of Utah, and earned a master’s in business administration. With more than fifty years of experience and success in the business of Golf, Jeff spent ten years playing and competing in the game at all levels ten years laboring as an Assistant Golf Professional, acquiring the job-related skills, responsibilities, and training required for a career in golf, ten years fulfillment as a PGA Head Professional overseeing all aspects of the total golf course operation, three years’ service as Director of Player Development for Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation, administering and managing multiple golf course programs and activities, thirty-three years as a Golf Coach and Instructor at The Rocky Mountain Golf Academy, The University of Utah’s College of Health and the Granite Peaks Community College, teaching and tutoring the game. Additionally, Jeff has spent the last twenty-seven years as the Owner, President, and CEO of Rocky Mountain Golf Enterprises (RMG), a Utah-registered and licensed business offering golf-related services throughout the Western United States utilizing golf as the marketing tool. Finally, Jeff has performed on the national media stage for the past thirty-eight years as an Announcer, Author, Producer, and Talk Radio Host, communicating and sharing the joy, art, and skill that is the Game, Sport, and Challenge of Golf. Jeff, a well-known golf journalist, has been active in print media from an early age. His articles, commentary, and features regularly appear nationwide. He has authored two golf instruction books: “The Ten Commandments of Golf, Proven Principles That Make Your Golf Game Better,” and “The Short Game, the Transition from the Golf Course to the Putting Green.” Both are available as e-book downloads and on Amazon. Jeff penned his first short story while still in his teens and has since published 100’s of commentaries, essays, and instruction pieces in magazines, blogs, internet forums, and other platforms, including Golf Today, Utah Golf Magazine, Utah Golf News, Rocky Mountain Golfer, Fairways Magazine, Jackson Hole Golf News, Talking Golf with the Golf Guy, Voices in the Community.com, and Jeffgolfguy.com. He is the author of multiple books, stories, articles, posts, and evaluations of other writers’ publications. Jeff began his public communications career in High School and has had a constant presence in sports commentary throughout the years, providing play-by-play and color analysis at many diverse levels, including announcing football, baseball, and basketball games, along with local and national golf tournaments, while performing on other media platforms as well. Jeff was an early pioneer in Sports Radio, hosting a weekly talk show, “Talking Golf with the Golf Guy,” broadcasted and aired on various radio stations throughout the regional market, syndicated nationally on The Rocky Mountain Golf Network, and offered on most of the recognized podcast directories and streaming services. Over his extensive announcing career, Jeff has provided the vocal narration for hundreds of voice-overs, commercials, radio programming, sports interviews, tournament updates, blogs, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos, including the original voice work on the best-selling X-Box Links golf game. Jeff also contributed voice and commentary on the Centennial production, “One Hundred Years of the Utah State Amateur,” which is available on iTunes and Apple Music. As a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, Jeff has attended and reported on-site more than a hundred golf tournaments, including an assortment of Major Golf Championships, including The United States Open Championship, The Masters, the PGA Championship, and The Ryder Cup, along with other competitions on the PGA Tours annual tournament schedule. Jeff has produced, directed, and distributed numerous film and video projects as stand-alone presentations while incorporating them within his blog, website, syndicated podcasts, and national radio programming. All are available for review on YouTube. Known as “The Voice of Golf” and “The Golf Guy” throughout the Western United States, Jeff is regularly sought for advice and counsel and often speaks to groups on golf-related subjects. You may contact Jeff by email at jeffgolfguy@att.net and on his website at www.jeffgolfguy.com.