Dick Kollar

The thing about life, said the poet Robert Frost, is that it does go on. But for those of us who are lucky enough to be members at the Sleepy Hollow Country Club, life will seem a bit diminished now that Dick Kollar has passed away. He died in his sleep last Thursday night at the age of 71.

He was a golf professional; the head pro for a time at Mahopac, an assistant pro at Garrison before that. At 51 he moved indoors and ran the men's locker room at Sleepy Hollow. He played golf whenever he could. Winter, rain, cold, he didn't care. He loved the game.

If, during the course of your day, you saw Dick, it meant that that day was a good day, because you were near the course or the range, and the thwack of a four-iron hitting a Titleist ProV1 would soon be the sound in your ears.

Because of this, you were always especially glad to see Dick. And the great thing about Dick was that he was always seemed especially glad to see you. Even if he wasn't. "Got a game," he'd say, as he wheeled around the locker-room, a crooked smile on his warm face. "Andy shot 74 today. He's got some game, that guy. Hits the ball a mile."

Dick had game. We will miss him more than we know.