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Ten high-quality stainless steel swords. Each top line was begun exactly 7″ from the guard and engraved with a #4 round carbide dental bur; next two lines engraved with a #3 round carbide. The dental drill was an NSK America Presto lab handpiece. Winner’s first and last name on each will be done with the #4, centered below the third line, in a smaller size than the top line.
It’s an annual event with all the traditional stuff that goes on in a member/guest tournament. Guys who play golf get teamed up with other guys who are guests, not members of the host club. After several days of intense golf, with the thrills of birdies and eagles and the pain of bogeys and errant balls in the water hazards and sand traps, they throw a big party. Takes balls and clubs to play this game. Takes barrels of beer and bourbon to get the guys through the ups and downs of 72 holes of golf and rough and the occasional 40-foot putts that disappear in a little round cup at green level.
While throngs of golfers let the rest of the world go by for several days, as they play golf, talk business, sweat a lot, and ride over hill and dale in expensive golf carts with special suspension, cushy seats, power steering, and concrete paths, the engraver is toiling away under fluorescent lights inscribing the trophies with the standard information, shown above, for those who lost the least number of balls, shot the lowest scores, and, perhaps drank the most Miller Lites. Whew!
He takes the 10 swords to the club on Saturday night when the scorecards are tallied to determine the winners of the various flights and it’s then known who gets a sword inscribed with their name. The engraver is set up in the lobby of the exquisite club, surrounded by food and drink, waiting for the list of names to be inscribed on ten swords. While he waits, he gets acquainted with one of the many bartenders tending to a huge dining room full of famished and thirsty golfers. This is the ceremony when the winners are announced.
While the engraver is waiting for the list, he’s made sure to engrave a small knife for the bartender, and a SmileStone™ for his sweetie Always a bag of stones and knives in his engraving case. He’ll also offer to engrave the bartender’s senorita’s name on a wine glass. As he chats with the fellow pouring the refreshments, he asks about the Champagne being poured for the evening. The bartender offers him a glass. He takes it and goes to his table, ready for the first name on the first sword. The Champagne keeps coming, along with names of the bartender’s ‘other’ lady friends.
By the end of the evening, the engraver is the bartender’s new best friend….and vice versa. Engraving goes well. Everyone’s happy and the engraver walks out with a nice fee for the pre-engraving at his Studio, and the personalization at the country club.
This is somewhat the routine for many of my trained engravers across the country. If you’ve had an interest in learning this skill, you really should tap into this sure thing. It goes on at every country club across the land at least a couple of times a year! There’s one or more near you.
Still have seats in the November Workshop where you learn this and how you can put it to good use.
You’re on your own to schmooze the bartender.
-Ken
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