Donald Holland and Natalie Holland

00:05 My name is Natalie Holland. I'm 36. Today is March 10th 2019 near Birmingham, Alabama at rowboat Park and I am the daughter of Donald Holland. Who's my partner?

00:20 And I am Donald Holland age 7 today's date is March 10th 2019 in Birmingham. Alabama is the location in a relationship to my partner today is now that my daughter.

00:41 So that what made you want to start playing golf with sparked your interest in life. I work with a company that would have golf outings. Now we have tournaments want to see you and I will go and play in those tournaments and I really like golf but after that tournament those tournaments, well, we didn't I didn't have very many acquaintances that play golf. So it kind of fell by the wayside but years later after my son graduated from high school my sister-in-law gave him a set of clothes and Natalie and Andre is his name and he didn't play Golf the club stayed there for a while and believe it or not. You pick the club's out when in the back yard and started to hit balls. So since you expressed an interest in doing that I came out and hit balls with you and

01:41 You like the game and that really did the founder me to become a golf remember that day like in the backyard what happened? Exactly. I remember that day very well the first time I taught you to swing the flu you hit me in the back of the head with the cliff you remember that I also just as I was about 10 years old I say and just kind of hung around in the backyard and saw you with this little Tippin net in the backyard trying to Tipsy's golf balls in the net trying to figure out what it was that you were trying to do. And I remember you giving me a club another club was like way longer than men set of clubs. They were odd and I was short obviously still short, but I remembered you gave me like two or three balls in your life when you should try to hit it and I've never played golf. I never picked up a golf club in life, and I've always been a softball player play a little basketball, but I remember picking the club up and Swinging it in the first time. I

02:41 It was closed and then the second time it went in and I think from that point we were like, okay, we should probably maybe explore it and see what happens and hit it into the net something. I have been trying to do all day and you did it on the second attempt and that did spare your interest back from there. Now that what we did was we would go to the driving range and I'll show you the little things that I knew about Golf and we play around and go out and play some and this particular day my sister-in-law had a golf tournament at the place that she work and I was to play in the in that tournament and unfortunately that weekend of that tournament I had to do

03:30 Inventory and inventory was a serious thing on my job. You didn't miss him into her for anyway, so I see why don't you go and play and then I sent you in my place you remember that I do and you went out and you play and play down at Beacon Hill Zine in Birmingham and the guys that were in the tournament that they paired you up with. They absolutely fell in love with they thought that you had a natural swing and they took you under their wings and they talk to you a lot about Golf and as a result of that you played several years and you were fortunate enough to go to Texas if you remember I guess you went to represent Birmingham as a golfer in the youth game. I remember that that probably was one of the toughest round of golf in life cuz I remember it was probably about maybe a hundred

04:30 Walk 18 holes and I think we played over like three or four days but it was miserable who is probably the hottest round of golf ever played but nevertheless persevered and you know, it was probably one of the most exciting experiences I've ever had in life definitely taught me a lot as far as you know, how they just keep pushing in. Like I said just just sticking with it and just making it making the best of a situation real well for you and I remember in high school you are so eager and so excited about golf you had to take your golf clubs at school and then you went out for the golf team ever. There was no girls going to have to make room for me on The Voice team for the first time and I always played with a voice

05:19 I guess I'm thankful for that because it taught me just to be a little tough for you know, the guys always play it from the White T's so that was something that always lose, you know something that stuck with me is it taught me to hit the ball a little further play a little longer. I never wanted to play from the girls to use cuz I always felt like a course of gas hit first and then of course they always had to wait for me to his second. So that was one of the things that sort of always wanting to play for where the guy's play from. So it taught me to play a little harder to be a little better aggressive and I remember the day I used to get you to play with me when I was playing with the guys and you wouldn't go now is he get to show off what you could do to show your abilities and this particular day you and I are headed out to the golf course and my guys call me. So we going to play at 1. Why don't you join us and I swear let me call you back. I'll let you know and I hung up and I said, would you please play with me today? Just go this time. She say you said that.

06:19 You know, I don't like playing with them that I beg you to go and you on at me by going so I call him back and tell him I'll be there. I'm going to bring my daughter with me. And I remember the gas. I mean, don't bring you don't actually going to slow us down. And you remember that and we got on the First Tee and they say, well you play from the latest to you die from back in a while. She's going to play back here with us. She's not going to slow us down. We all teed off then you teed off and what happened to fly out of everybody. That was a great time.

07:01 I guess the only thing I'll add you know in the golf thing which when Tiger Woods came to Birmingham not believing 2000-2001 and you went to the clinic that he was doing and he just absolutely fell in love with you and you're in love with your swings out the night before it was my promising. You're expressing your promise. I graduated in 2001 from John Carroll, but it was the night before the promise. I think I was more excited about playing with tiger than I was the actual problem. But I remember getting up early that morning and it was whole process before we even were selected. I think they had like so many kids come out from Birmingham area and they were auditioning for having a lesson with tiger when he came to do the clinic and you know, just to make a long story short. I was one of the kids that was selected. So it was a huge moment for me, but I remember I don't know if you guys remember but

08:01 They said security was tight and they were not letting anybody back behind to where we were to where we were receiving our lesson and I remember your mama was there too. But y'all convince somebody to bring you down because I know you always people who are going to bend the rules or break them, but I know that you're convinced a police officer to bring you down. I don't know how you did it. But y'all were able to come down and I remember tiger was getting close to where I was but I remember turning around and looking over my shoulder and I saw you and Mama hanging off the back of a golf cart coming down the hill coming down to see where I was. So that was that was pretty awesome.

08:39 Woman from getting hit in the head to you making it all the way through high school and then to go and play college golf with the Free Ride scholarship. So to speak it was a no-good good lesson good and golf lesson, and I'm glad it turned out the way that it did. This is your favorite person to watch on to her on Sunday night that doing my time and you've been the best golfer that I've seen him in that some guys that is challenging and now but when he was in his prime that was none like him, there's no other like him and nearby and tried to emulate him in and it made me play hard and made me try and get my game to speed.

09:39 When somebody that I can relate to just you know being only person of color on the high school golf team being all depressed and color on a college golf team on the top level difficult like a studio was just just trying to I guess it stay in my Lane. So this weekend and do the best that I could with abilities that I was able and capable of doing you know, when I start it off, I remember playing with kids that were from Over the Mountain that had the better equipment that has the, you know, the Wardrobe and everything and it was not always something that I had but it was something that you know, I was able to grow from I guess after you play down at Beacon Hill with me those guys were they were just in awe and I remember guys would give you the best of clubs to play with you. I mean

10:34 In my remember one guy saying what I tell you what is long as you play Gone you can have this putter. It was a state-of-the-art puddle and you play with it for years and one day I took it out and I was playing with us in this guy. So and he see that's the part of that I gave Nana and she's not playing golf anymore. I want my putter back you remember that night. It ain't with me, but I gave him his father back. Those were the good days. And now you remember we got a chance to go out to the Masters where you almost killed me all day. I remember in my legs burn for days. We left on Sunday or Sunday the last round of the Masters, but we left at probably 3 in the morning and drove to Augusta.

11:34 Straight on we didn't stop and we got there with the driving range. And I remember you falling asleep at the range, but we did stay there all day. I think we walked all 18 holes right behind and then we left in ate dinner and hit back on the road. And I think I went to work like I maybe got two or three hours of sleep and turn around and went to work but that was an awesome experience not to mention. We also did get a chance to go last year to see tiger win his 80th victory at Eastlake my first trip to seeing Play. I took it off the showroom floor and we drove it there and we got that part. We went to the the golf outing got ready to come home it started up, but it would not move.

12:34 Honda transmission ain't gone in in his other thing about it is that we ended up having to rent a car and drive back home until the following weekend. I thought we're allowed to go up and get the car and I got this guy to taupe go over to tow it back to Birmingham and he hooked it up and he towed it back to Birmingham brought it to the house and set it in the backyard. And my wife said your mom said did you try it to see if the rock show me? Why would I try I knew it wouldn't go that's why I took them tow truck together and she said let me see the key and she went out into the backyard started it up put it in drive and drove the car from around there and we drove for another 8 years that we sure did not pick me up. But those were the good good days and I got to ask you a question if you were facing.

13:34 Approach shot to the green. Let's just say we're on a par 5 and your second shot. Do you go for it? Or do you lay up for the day? If you ask me that question what I would do today, I would lay out probably twice but I still enjoy the game My Life playing the way you feel like it's the strongest part of your game hunting in there in that because I spent a lot of time on the short game. I like chipping and putting that now me when I go to the range that was that's what I do now more than I used to do. I used to just hit driver driver driver, but I learned over the years that to lower your score you had to you had to really get your shirt came down.

14:32 Yeah, I agree. Lakeshore game is definitely where it's at. Cuz there's a lot of times we want to get on the TV box and kill it. But obviously this the game is won in the short game.

14:42 But like I always told you I thought that if you had committed yourself you could have played if you had the love for the game that I had you could have played at the next level because I truly believe that you had the ability to do it right now. So, do you have any superstitions? No, not really. That's not in developing superstitions. No. All right and just play For the Love of the Game, you know.

15:22 So what does goth mean to you like a somebody just says the word golf. What does that to relax when I go to the golf course that I have with your mini, but once I'm on the course, I can focus on playing and not forget about all of the all outside entities and just focus on playing gone and I do quite a bit of it now in that I have more time to go out and play and when I'm not playing I'm usually working on the short game and as a result, my scores have come down so

16:01 So do you prefer to play with someone or do you prefer to play by yourself? Always like playing with someone? I love to compete.

16:12 Love to compete in that I used to tell you all the time. You need to work on the short game work on the short game, but I never could get it to register with you that you don't hit a pitching wedge and every situation around the green. That was my next question was what's your favorite Club? But you know, mine is a picture with it. So I have to ask you what your favorite Golf Club on the green our usual 52-degree club for chipping and pitching know. That's my favorite.

16:45 So what's been your greatest memory of golf? Like if you had to think about something that was maybe some of that moves you you now I enjoyed seeing you play and I love taking you out when you will my love taking you out to play with my friend that I thought the world of you. I thought that you were pretty and I thought that you had all the right movements for golf, I think that's probably one of my most

17:21 Greatest I guess my greatest memory is probably playing with you. I think I enjoy playing with anybody else probably but you that's very few people that I enjoy playing with that make you probably challenge even more than anybody probably talk more trash than anybody and I think you probably Push Me Harder than anybody to to just try different things or just give it my all you know, I think any time we go out. It's always a lesson and I think you know growing up. I've had a few lessons from some pretty notable people, but I think my greatest lessons probably have come from you like the bank slot play Du Hast solutely or not. Guess that might be the reason why I'm telling the story you chose to talk about gone, but it was good for me to spend that time with you and I never told you but I would be furious when you try and go play golf with your little boyfriend.

18:21 Yeah, it is real. What's your lowest round? I never asked you that was Sharon Lois probably play. It was a robot robot golf course in Birmingham. I have one hole in one. That was my next mystery where you did you ever have a hole-in-one? Okay, we know we had a little pot but would call us can fight in Pine $2 for a birdie $3 for an eagle. And if you got a hole-in-one everybody that was in the group was playing with pay you $25. Okay? Well, I was really excited that I got that hole in one but

19:21 A lot of controversy by the guy that was two or three guys playing with me then show it but the guys in the other group, they didn't want to pay it because they didn't believe that I did but I have witnesses have three Witnesses and I was before that it went in so and they all had to pay me $25.

19:45 Okay. Yeah, it was obvious. There was a part 3 and I think it was I think it was the 7th hole at 7. Hope.

20:01 So what has been your greatest lessons that golf is taught you as it relates to life and how do you apply Gulf To Life in my opinion?

20:16 Hopes a lot like life in my opinion. You never give up you not going to you're not going to be good everyday that's going to be days that you going to be off but my life lesson is to never never give up in your house. It matters not how far you fall behind you keep keep grinding and and it teaches you honesty and integrity. Those are the things that I like a back God. It's a game that yum you call penalties on yourself, you know, you you didn't have to let you conscious guide you and I like. For that reason because it's a lot like life. Just keep going you would not enjoy against you.

21:05 Cancer is the kind of picky back off what you said? I think if you want to know a man's character, I've always heard people say that if you want to know Miss character, you should play golf with him or take him out on the golf course because you can really get to know somebody on the golf course and like you said, I think you don't necessarily always.

21:28 I know, you know what your shot is going to be but I think of course you have to obviously play the ball where it lies with me and you and as it relates to life, you have to sort of take it as it comes, you know, you going to have certain circumstances there going to be hazards or obstacles challenges, but you I guess the only thing you taught me that there's always something in the golf bag that'll get you to the goal or to get you to the green whether it a lot of times when we play golf. I can hear you saying Natalie before you hit that shot is the risk worth the reward and I think that's something that stuck with me all through life. You know when I make decisions about my son Cameron when I make decisions on the job or relationships, I always ask myself is the risk worth the reward and I stuck with me forever.

22:25 Well, that's that you should always consider that I mean in and all of your endeavors waiter waiter wrist against the rewards.

22:40 So I guess come here for you for you to get choked up.

22:47 But again, I think I wanted to take time to tell you how much I appreciate you for introducing me to the cape.

22:56 Admit everything to me.

23:01 Well, I'm glad it and I know.

23:06 With your battle with prostate cancer. I think with golf. I think we can take this and sort of apply it.

23:16 To the things that we have to go through in the next phase in the next journey of your life, you know, I think we have to just see it up. He had a t hi to Hilo and just rip it and let it go, you know. Yeah, exactly and that's what I plan to do. And I appreciate your concern and I'll take that same approach about life. And then with this situation I take that same approach, you know that I might have to lay it up. I might have to lay it up twice before crossing the war but never the last time going across the water and I will get to the green and I'll school and regulations.

24:06 But thank you for taking time out. I appreciate it. I think sometimes talking about these things connected into things that we've gone through in life. I think that's what I connect. Cuz I think God for something that's bonded us for life. I think that we can definitely relate that to like you said life situations. And you know, like I said, just just keep pressing keep going forward store. I came reluctantly because your mother and her and her friend Glenny we're supposed to do tell us a story about some things is happening with what we got going on about the Lincoln Theater and how they met in there and she kept saying well with you I want you to go and do it now then on my way down here, I kept thinking why wouldn't that lived in my and Mary said to me so well, why didn't you wear your time where you keep telling me? I'm going to do this, but I don't know what I'm going to do.

25:06 I'm so glad that I came and you've made me feel real real proud, and I'm glad to have you as a daughter. You mean everything in the world to me, and I love you bear my to love you too, Daddy. Thank you for everything.