Just last weekend I took my golf clubs out of the car and put them in the garage.

It's always a solemn occasion because they spend fully nine-and-a-half months of the year in my car with me.

You just never know when you might need them. You never know when a quick nine-hole round is going to present itself.

My wife says I'm obsessed with golf. I probably am, but there are worse obsessions.

Obsession is just one of many funny things about the sport of golf.

Virtually everyone I know who plays it, really plays it. By that I mean they play at least once a week, usually more. They read golf tips and change equipment frequently. They're a member of a golf club.

The casual, once-or-twice-a-year golfer, is a rarity. Most people either play a lot, or not at all.

So I think everybody who plays golf is probably a little obsessed with it.

It's like no other game or sport. No matter how good you are, you're never good enough.

You can't be satisfied.

I tried to be satisfied. "If only I could get my handicap down to 11, I'd be happy," I once told my wife.

Then, when I got to 11, I wanted to shave a couple more strokes. I took a lesson and made some swing changes and promptly went to a 13.

The other thing about golf that's so infectious is the fact that all golfers, regardless of their skill level or handicap, hit masterful golf shots - once in a while.

I could never dunk a basketball like Dwyane Wade. I could never rip a 100-mph fastball over the left field fence like Albert Pujols. I could never throw a football 60 yards like Peyton Manning.

But, by golly I can knock a golf ball 18 inches from the cup from 150 yards away just like Tiger Woods - once in a while.

The problem is the "once in a while."

I possess the most up-and-down golf game ever. I once went around the front nine at Maxwelton Golf Club, Syracuse, in 44 strokes - with four birdies.

I once cranked a drive 280 yards right down the middle of No. 18 fairway, 40-yards short of the green. Following that masterful golf shot, I thinned a lob wedge onto the roof of the clubhouse. Thankfully, no one was injured and there was no significant property damage.

Maybe it's a mental thing and I need a golf shrink.

My need for therapy notwithstanding, I am fully aware that I have an erratic golf game. But I also know there is not one golf hole in the world I can't birdie.

This brings me to the problem with golf. Mentally, physically or otherwise, it's insanely difficult to make solid golf shots consistently - especially under pressure.

That's what separates good golfers from the rest of us.

And that's why I am so thrilled for Denny Hepler.

Whether you noticed or not, Hepler, the owner and PGA pro at Raccoon Run Golf Course, put Warsaw on the golf map this week.

That's because he won The Golf Channel's "Big Break VI: Trump National."

In golf circles across the nation, that's huge.

Everybody who plays golf and has cable or satellite TV watches The Golf Channel.

With his showing on "The Big Break," Hepler has propelled himself to rock star status in golf circles.

He might wind up working for The Golf Channel or he might wind up playing a bunch of events on the Champions Tour, rubbing elbows with the likes of Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Jay Haas and Fuzzy Zoeller.

Only time will tell, but there's definitely some pretty exciting golf ahead for Hepler.

I met Hepler about 15 years ago and I've always considered him just a really great guy.

He didn't disappoint on the show. I was so impressed by his demeanor and how well he was able to handle the pressure.

He was truly a gentleman and a good sport throughout the 11 weeks of the competition. Even when the chips were down, he kept focused and kept to the task at hand.

While some of his opponents were muttering under their breath and having their expletives bleeped, Hepler was cool, calm and collected.

I can't imagine being able to hit golf shots with the cameras rolling, knowing that millions of people would eventually be watching.

I know how difficult golf is with nobody watching. Golf on TV is way out of my comfort zone.

I have to say I was on the edge of my seat Tuesday night as I watched his lead erode though the back nine holes of his final match.

(Hepler took a 5-up lead to the back nine and wound up needing a playoff hole to secure victory.)

But when that birdie put fell on the 19th hole, I was on my feet cheering at the TV.

And it's not over yet. Tuesday's final episode of the "Big Break VI" brings back all 18 original contestants to compete for $50,000 of Donald Trump's money. Who knows, maybe Hepler will win that, too. (Catch it at 10 p.m. on local Comcast Cable channel 67.)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hepler for 11 great weeks of TV. (Although, he really didn't have to make it quite that exciting at the end.)

For his efforts so far, Hepler won exemptions to a couple Champions Tour events and entry fees to a half-dozen Heartland Senior Tour events.

I hope he wins 'em all.

Great job, Hep!

Congratulations and all the best in your future golf endeavors. [[In-content Ad]]