Jim "Muscles" Piekarski

I always knew my Dad like to golf, but I didn't really realized that it was a life's love. This is an undated photo, but from the newspaper clippings I found with it, I believe it was from 1948. Dad was about 16. When Dad was in Messemer High School, he and twelve other students formed the first Messemer golf club/team. There were several other newspaper clippings with this photo. Most of them were from when he was in high school. The reporters all referred to him as Jim “Muscles” Piekarski, because he was a long ball hitter - a power driver. One of the players in matches to keep your eye on. The only fault they mentioned was that he sometimes struggled with his putting. The clippings that he saved from the high school tournaments never listed him finishing lower then fourth place.
Now, looking back, I understand why my Dad, when I asked him to teach how to play, had me practice my swing for hours, before he'd take me to a course to play. Golf was more then a walk on the course, it was a challenge. It was playing the game the way it was suppose to be played. Unfortunately, we didn't get to play on the courses until I was an adult and he was a senior player. I would have liked to have played with him when he was a little younger and still had his full swing. Even as a senior, his drives were long and straight, rarely out of the fairways. His short game was good, but I think he felt his putting always needed work and it seemed liked he was always looking for the “perfect” putter.
So “Muscles” I'm sure you and Mom are playing golf as I write this, and that your playing a perfect round.