Perhaps you’ve seen the ads. The Masters—it’s coming. The indelible rite of spring is just over a month away. Jim Nantz calls it “a tradition unlike any other.” In the collective sense, that claim is absolutely true. But the tournament is also host to many traditions—small rituals that, in their own way, are unlike any others. And Nantz is responsible for one of them. It’s his simple opening line: “Hello, friends.”
The story of how that greeting came to be resurfaced this past week on the Vanity Index podcast, and I loved hearing it. Not only was the story new to me, but so was the way it unexpectedly found its way into my Lenten journey. Here are both stories.
Story:
As written by Yahoo sports
In 2002—seven years after his father suffered a mini stroke at Colonial that was later diagnosed as the early stages of Alzheimer’s—Jim Nantz found himself at his dad’s bedside before leaving for the PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
Before he walked out the door, he made a promise.
“When I come on the air, I’m going to look into that camera and I’m going to say, ‘Hello, friends.’ And that’s for you, dad, ’cause you have nothing but friends," Nantz said. "That’s going to be my little trigger line to let you know that in that very moment, I’m thinking of you.”
At the time, Nantz believed it would be a one-and-done—a private signal wrapped inside a public broadcast. A single moment shared between father and son.
But after the telecast, a colleague at CBS Sports, having learned the backstory, told him he should keep it. So Nantz opened the final round the same way.
He hasn’t stopped since.
I love this story for multiple reasons.
For one, I love the greeting. It's simple but it's so personal. I truly feel as though I’ve been invited into something special—which I have. I get the sense that I’ll be spending the next few hours with a friend.
Second, one would not expect something so public to be so private. In sharing the story, Nantz described it as “a private signal wrapped inside a public broadcast.” Millions may be watching, but when the red light goes on, he intended to speak to all but one—his dad.
Third, I never met Nantz’s father, but I can’t help imagining what kind of man he must have been. To say he had “nothing but friends” suggests to me he was someone special — kind, generous, deeply attentive to others and more. It’s a simple phrase, but it carries weight.
Fourth, isn’t it ironic that it took a friend of Nantz’s to point out the power and poignancy of the greeting? Eli Spielman — a friend and co-author of "Always By My Side" with Jim Nantz— is the one who took pause and noticed. Had he not asked what "that phrase" was all about, we might not have that tradition with The Masters today.
Fifth, the phrase "Hello Friends" is a personal ritual that serves as a point of connection for Jim and his late father. He says "it has a calming effect" and "I channel him." He added, "For a moment "I feel like I am talking to him." To me, that sounds a whole like prayer.
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| a recent photo of golf with great friends |
Prayer
Prayer is our way of talking to God. It has a calming effect. And through prayer we can channel God—God's mercy and compassion.
All relationships thrive on good communication. And prayer is our way of communicating with God — not as a transaction, not as a performance, but as a relationship. It is how we show up. It is how we listen. It is how we make ourselves available to be changed. Just as trust grows when we speak honestly and listen attentively to one another, our relationship with God deepens when we take the time to pray—not just to ask, but to notice, to reflect, and to receive. In prayer, we are reminded that we are not alone, and that mercy and compassion are but a few of the gifts we are meant to carry into the world.
Yes it can be both public or private, formal or informal, and it can be spoken or written. Though my prayer is often spontaneous, this Lent, I decided that I wanted to write a prayer a day. I figured this would be a meaningful personal discipline.
I was given a list of scripture passages that relate to sports. I wanted to see where this might lead me and I was curious to find out if this might be an exercise I could offer to my students in the future.
The goal is to write an original prayer from the ideas that come to you in reading (and praying with) the passage of Scripture. I felt drawn to this method because it produces a tangible product. In order to write, I had to familiarize myself with the Word. To produce a prayer, I must open myself up to the message and let it speak to me. My response is the prayer.
Given this practice, I have noticed that when I encounter a passage of scripture, I make a stronger effort to read what it says. My friend Kelly sent me a card that included a several Bible verses as well as this quote.
The Lord comes to us in our friends. What we do and are to them is an expression of what we are to Him. —Lloyd John Ogilvie
Though religious in nature, you won't find Ogilvie's words in the Bible. I decided that wasn't the point of this Lenten commitment. The commitment to prayer was and is.
In my writing my prayer that night, I couldn't help but think of Jim Nantz's story and how many friends I have made through golf. I have so many friends with whom I have watched
"the tradition unlike any other." Among others, it is one of my favorite topics of conversations. I thought about my own parents and their friends. I have seen how the Lord has come to all of us through these men and women. What more is there to do but give thanks and praise for this gift. So here is what I wrote...
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| As a coach, I always hope my players will become good friends. |
Prayer for Friends
Gracious and Ever Loving God,
It is an awesome and challenging truth that You come to us in our friends.
In their laughter and loyalty, in their wounds and their wonder —You are there.
Help us to remember that what we do and are for them is an expression of what we are to You.
When we are patient, may it be patience offered to You.
When we listen, may it be You we are honoring.
When we forgive, may it reveal Your mercy.
And when we fail —call us back to love and to think like You.
Thank you for the gift of our friends—both the new and the old, those from our childhood and those who walk with us for a lifetime.
Amen
