Shorty

This is Shorty. He’s 90 years old and works five days a week as the starter at the Charleston Muni.

I met him yesterday morning and was able to learn his remarkable story.

Everyone knows Shorty, as well they should. He has worked at the muni for 30 years, and his time with the city totals more than 50 years.

He took a job at the marina as a janitor in the ‘60s to get health insurance, eventually working his way up to manager.

When you approach Shorty, he asks you to put your receipt on the steering wheel so he can sign it. He uses his left hand to hold his right hand up so he can muster the strength to write.

Struggling with any mobility these days, his daughter drives him to and from work, getting him settled in his cart by the first tee, ready for duty.

I stood by the first tee and watched him work. Players approached him, calling him by name with the reverence of a loved one. It was a chilly day, so someone brought him coffee, passing it through his zipped-up cart cover.

His work ethic is aspirational.

“He gets upset when he can’t come in,” one of the pros told me about weekdays they have tournaments.

And when Charleston Muni went through a massive renovation two years ago, they worried that might do Shorty in. “I think this job is what keeps him going,” he added.

While the course has attracted heaps of press, attention, and golfers for its new look, one thing remains the same: The man by the first tee.

So show up on a weekday at the muni. Shorty will get you started.