When Mastery Calls From 1957
The message that popped up on Facebook a year ago was innocent enough.
“Was Jim in Daytona Beach in 1957?”
Jim Maxwell is my father. Since my arrival wasn’t due for another four years, I had no idea what Dad was up to in Florida that year. Was the hormone-fuelled madness of spring break a happening thing back in ’57? Quick math reveals Dad would have been an 18-year-old who had recently immigrated to Canada from Scotland, but this curious question from a stranger suddenly forced me to think about a side of my fathers’ life I knew nothing about.
What was the story behind the question? Who is this person doing the asking?
That social media exchange is how I wound up meeting one of Dad’s most famous contemporaries from a day and age when the world was a much simpler, playful and forgiving place. When we connected by phone a few days later, I had no idea I was speaking with a living Canadian legend.
One of the greatest golfers from the Great White North, his long list of accolades and accomplishments includes eight appearances at the prestigious Masters held in Augusta, Georgia.
After winning the Canadian amateur crown in 1961, Gary Cowan also captured a pair of U.S. amateur titles to go with nine Ontario championships, enshrinement into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and was named as Canadian Male Golfer of the 20th Century by the Royal Canadian Golf Association. Anxious to learn more, we made plans to connect at Gary’s home course at Westmount in Kitchener, ON. With the 2022 Masters fast approaching on April 7th, our conversation was like a metaphorical trip down a personal Magnolia Lane of memories before making the turn at Amen Corner.
Hope you enjoy getting to know Gary Cowan as much as I did and what it’s like When Mastery Calls on this segment of Leaders & Legends.
“I spent hours as a kid on the putting green of the local golf course imagining I was sinking a putt to win the Masters” MIKE WEIR 
p.s… Thanks to his lifetime exemption from winning the 2003 title, Mike Weir leads all Canadians with 22 appearances at The Masters. With his eight appearances at August National, Gary Cowan is tied for second among Canadians with Al Balding followed by Stan Leonard with seven. Cowan’s life story has been captured in a book released last September – From Rockway to Augusta – a delightfully entertaining memoir that chronicles the adventure; winning national championships, travelling to every corner of this world, representing Canada in international competition and playing with legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Lee Trevino, Marlene Streit, Moe Norman and many others. Learning the game from renowned golf instructor Lloyd Tucker, Cowan has also passed the love of the game along to his four children, Rob, Todd, Jamie and Sue.
p.p.s….Like any legendary brand, The Masters owes its existence to the most overlooked and underrated leadership skill of all. The unique ability and capacity to see beyond what eyes can see. The long-term vision is what allows any leader to picture a much rosier future than the present Vision may not create execution, but it makes execution much more meaningful as exemplified by the mythical status The Masters enjoys among sporting events. Tickets are near impossible to get. Augusta National track is one of the toughest tracks in golf. The iconic ‘Green Jacket’ is one of the most coveted totems in all sports.
The vision dates back to 1934 when amateur champ Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts dreamed of turning a former plant nursery into one of the world’s most challenging and visually spectacular layouts. After his unprecedented Grand Slam triumph in 1930, Jones quit competitive golf, became a well-respected lawyer in his native Atlanta, and dreamed of an exclusive club where he could play at a challenging yet private course. In 1934, he and Roberts launched the “Augusta National Invitational”, later known as The Masters, cementing Jones’ legacy and a number of traditions that set this tournament apart from all others.
- Food prices are ridiculously low. $1.50 for Pimento Cheese sandwiches.
- Tipping is prohibited as are mobile phones.
- Only 4 minutes of commercials per hour are allowed during the broadcast.
- No blimps are permitted during the live television coverage.
- TV commentators are not allowed to refer to "fans" or "spectators" They are to be called "patrons". Patrons are not permitted to wear hats backward.
- The rough is to be referred to as the "second cut."
- Players are allowed to use their own caddies but must wear the Augusta uniform of a green hat, white jumpsuit.
BIG LITTLE LEGENDS.
Released in November of 2021 through Vancouver-based Page Two Publishing, the book with the magical cover is now available through AUDIBLE and Wal-Mart. The global groundswell of support is coming from Real Readers just like Darrin Mitchell of Manufacturing Masters.
“Heroes get remembered. Legends never die” BABE RUTH.
YOUR BRAND. ON TRACK.
If now is the opportune time to discover the brand story and strategy uniquely your own, consider exploring a metaphorical road trip called THE BRANDING HIGHWAY. Our Executive Bootcamps serve as a journey and destination to help your brand emerge as an undeniable, undisputed, "Category of One.” Along the way, you will discover how to create substantial Differentiation and strategic Relevance for your brand while aligning your executive team. Impossible to describe, it helps to take a quick peek at this Video Overview:
“The most important victory is the one which has to arrive” ENZO FERRARI
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The wheels of business turn faster each quarter, and your company or industry association may be anxious to stay ahead of the lighting-fast relevance curve. In that respect, we are scheduling many in-person and virtual programs for 2022 with customized content designed to inspire conference attendees to acquire a “STADIUM-SIZED PERSPECTIVE.”
For more information on scheduling an In-Person or Virtual Speaking Program, please send us a note here: bookings@gairmaxwell.com.
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“If they have a golf course like Augusta National in heaven, I want to be head pro" GARY PLAYER