Hazel Mae enjoyed golf and racquet sports

I seem to remember that Mom took up golfing for a while in her 60s but I’m kind of vague on this. It runs in my mind that she might have used a set of clubs that Cindy didn’t need anymore. I suppose she played with a woman’s league but I’m not sure. I don’t remember hearing that she played golf when she was younger. I do know that she enjoyed watching golf and tennis matches on TV.

She had enjoyed tennis since high school, although there might not have been such a thing as a girls’ tennis team back then so she probably played informally with friends?? I can’t remember ever hearing that Dad played tennis or seeing Mom play with friends when I was a child like I can remember Dad playing golf with his friends. But I think she got a kick out of trying to teach us how to play the game as we children got old enough. I can remember trying to play tennis with her at the Firestone Park courts in the mid-1950s. And those old wooden racquets were sooo heavy compared to today’s equipment. She took great pleasure in watching Rick take up the sport and play well on the Garfield HS team.

I do remember both Mom and Dad playing badminton with friends at summer picnics and even after Dad couldn’t participate anymore you could usually talk Mom into joining a game. For several years we had a ping pong table in the basement at Ido Avenue. It was tough to play down there because the heating pipes were only slightly above our heads so shots that bounced too high would boomerang off the pipes at crazy angles. Seems like Dad could play a ‘mean game’ even when he was holding on to the table with one hand for balance. I think Mom was pretty good too – but I don’t remember playing with her as much.