"SWEETEST SWING IN THE BUSINESS..."

One of our most avid golfers ever in Gallup, has left us for a tee time in heaven, Anthony Ferrari. Anthony passed on earlier this week in his retirement home in Southern Arizona.

I met Anthony back in the days when a hand shake and your word, was more important than a signature. He was as avid golfer as you will ever find, anywhere! He was known to play at least 200 rounds a year, in Gallup alone; and played other 100+ days elsewhere, whether traveling to the popular tournaments like the Navajo Trails Open, San Juan Open or the Hilton Open, or just going out for a weekend with friends to play somewhere.

He had a jewelry business and he did his best to sell you the best quality at the best possible price. That he became a loyal customer of mine is no surprise. Not because of anything special I did, but because he led by example: he kept his word and he believed that buying locally was the way to go and the way to help your local economy. So, buying equipment from the local pro-shop at his local golf course was a natural thing to do, not something he had to work at.

On the course, everyone, and I mean everyone (I never met anyone who did not like "Ants" Ferrari) , wanted to play with him; not because he was an easy target, (at his best, he was a legitimate 12 handicap in our short course), but because a round with him would be full of laughs and surprises. He was as good with "one liners" as the "Cable Man".

One thing that he hated though, was bad lies... or as he later learned to call them, "unnecessary lies", from which he always got relief... free..."if we are playing for $2.00, no one is going to get hurt if I move out of a hole in the rough. I am already in trouble, so chances are that I will not reach the green anyway. Just take a couple of shots away from the strokes you give me. I never do this in tournaments though, I promise." And he stuck to his deal religiously. Everyone knew, and no one complained. If he said something, it was a done deal, no signature necessary. As a proud conservative man with convictions or fairness and honesty, playing in a tournament was another matter. It was not uncommon for him to come and say something like, "I made a 9 on #6. Wish you had been there to give me a free drop from that nasty lie I had to play out of, I could have made a 5 or 6!"

He loved the game and its challenge, but more than anything, I believe he used the game for socializing with friends or making new ones, in his games, he never walked away without paying a bet... yet, he not always collected his winnings, the moment was more important that the reward. "Ants" gave back more than he took. Testament to this is that he sponsored just about any tournament that would come for a donation, and for years, he sponsored the local "Holman's Diamond in The Rough" ladies tournament. After he retired to Southern Arizona, where he could play EVERY DAY, his son Dominic continued the tradition until the WGA cancelled the event in the mid 90's. He also gave his "go ahead" to Dominic to host the Holman's Cup for several years, a match between Grants and Gallup.

Like many of us who played with him, I have many funny stories about "Ants" and the times he made us laugh, or the deals we made with him or the conversations in which you realized that he wanted the best for everyone. He was very gentle, but yet, he had convictions and was unforgiving about those who wanted or liked to take advantage of others.

To this date, I remember several of the "one liners" that he made me laugh with. He had two favorite phrases, when he hit a particularly short shot, he would turn around and say, "how am I going to get to the 'big times' with a pop-corn swing like that" (Ants, you were the "Big Time!"), but, the one phrase I remember the most, is one than he enjoyed using when he hit a particularly good shot for him, and one that he will always be remembered for: "Sweetest Swing in the Business, isn't it?". Yes, Ants, that one was a good one, but it is not why we will remember you, it's the memories!