Grandfather a driving force

It was a putt he could make in his sleep. What was it, 2 1/2 feet? Maybe 3? It figured to be swift work for Brad Faxon, a simple stroke that would win the 18th hole and force overtime in his semifinal match against Kevin Sutherland at the 2002 Accenture Match Play Championship.

Instead, the only thing that was swift was Faxon's disappearance from the 18th green at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Shockingly, the putt went wide. Stunningly, Faxon wasn't available to talk about it -- at least not for a brief time.

Then he called the media center to apologize. He knew he should have stuck around to talk to reporters, but his first thought was to call his grandfather. "I knew he was watching and he'd be sick about it," said Faxon.

And just what did Raymond Faxon say to his grandson that day?

"He picked up the phone and just said, 'Brad, what happened?' " said Faxon, laughing.

The missed putt is a stinging memory, but recalling his grandfather's reaction brings a smile to his face, and that is how the week has gone for Faxon and his family. "Bittersweet, absolutely," he said. "Sad, because he's been part of your life forever, but at the same time, every person would take 99 1/2 years."

Indeed, Raymond Faxon was 99 when he died Saturday and as true as it is to suggest the Faxon family lost its patriarch, so, too, did golf lose one of its biggest supporters.

"Golf was such a big part of his life," said Brad Faxon, who admired his grandfather for all he had done and all he had given back to the game.

Apparently, the feeling was mutual. Glenn Kelly, the head professional at Woods Hole GC on Cape Cod, remembers an outing a few years ago that Brad Faxon hosted for Fidelity clients. "Ray was brought out to the course that day and he followed Brad around everywhere," said Kelly. "You could see the respect they had for one another."

Raised in Milton and educated at Latin Academy and Boston University, Raymond Faxon embraced hard work. He played hockey, but fell in love with golf when his father put a club in his hand. He worked at the Hyannisport Club two summers as a caddie, was on the work crew when Oyster Harbors was being built, and was the man behind caddie camps at Wianno, Coonamessett (now Cape Cod CC), and Woods Hole, all of which served great purposes and aided a number of young men.

"Golf has been very good to me," he said during an interview in 2000, shortly after he donated $230,000 to the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund for an endowed scholarship. "I'm happy to do this."

A financier who later in life ran the Fall River Gas Company, Raymond Faxon understood how to make money, but he also believed with all his soul that being involved with golf was a priceless investment.

That is why he quit a lucrative year-round job early in his career and took a teaching position, just so he could have his summers off to run the caddie camps.

"He was one of nature's noblemen," said Kelly. "He supported a number of causes -- the VNA, hospitals, the animal shelter. And he just didn't give to it, he would take a genuine interest in it and learn the nuts and bolts about these programs."

For years, Raymond Faxon had a steady foursome at Woods Hole, the group consisting of Howard Shanley, Bob Munroe, and Ed Mielke.

When Mielke died, Kelly said the three players "would hold tryouts for a fourth, almost like a band looking for another member."

Kelly laughed.

"None of the candidates ever really stuck, so mostly, the group played as a threesome," he said.

No question, Raymond Faxon was proud of his grandson, but so was he thrilled when daughter Jane Welch won the Woods Hole women's club championship or granddaughter Tracy Welch won any of her impressive WGAM championships.

"He would always come to my tournaments at Pleasant Valley," said Faxon. "He loved to eat in the family dining room. That was his favorite thing. He knew all the guys. He'd say, 'Call me Grandpa Fax.' "

To commemorate its centennial in 1999, Woods Hole GC officials came up with an idea: Someone should hit an opening tee shot on New Year's Day and there was little debate as to who would do the honors -- Raymond Faxon, then 91.

"Now we were afraid he'd slip on something, so we had to clear off the front porch," said Kelly. "It was 25 degrees, he hadn't hit a ball in two years, and we had to put the ball up on a pencil.

"But he hit one out there, I'd say 125 yards. We may have all been surprised, but he had this smile on his face."

Equipment has changed and so have the courses, but one thing has remained constant with the game of golf through the years: It builds character and few embodied that like Raymond Faxon.

His was a life well lived.