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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

I would like to recognize the friends and families of Rod Myers, Hal Morrison, Garland Dempsey and Taylor Smith this holiday season.

John Maginnes (WireImage)

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Unlike any other endeavor I have encountered, the game of golf brings people together. At different times in my life, I was fortunate to stand beside each of these men.

Rod Myers was the long-time Hall of Fame coach of the golf team at Duke University. All who knew him know that he was so much more than that simple title. I met Coach Myers long before my own personal aspirations in the game found a voice. In some ways, he helped me give them that voice through his guidance and support. As a junior golfer, I played a lot of rounds at the Duke University Golf Club where, at the time, Coach Myers was not only the coach but also director of golf. Even when I was young, he understood that there was a chance that I had what it took to make it in the game. His support of my brother and I was, at times, unpopular and never unchallenged. Still, it was unwavering. He saw the potential men in the rambunctious boys that ran amuck in his shadow at the Duke golf course. Thank you doesn't quite do it all these years later.

As a coach, Rod didn't care what colors were on your golf bag. He believed in young men -- regardless of what college they attended. He made it his life, and all those who knew him benefited. The greatest beneficiaries of that generosity of spirit most certainly are the members of his family. Think well of them this season.

For obvious reasons, I didn't play for Coach Myers in college. Duke doesn't accept too many "C" students -- no matter what their stroke average in high school was. My coach for five years at East Carolina was a soft-spoken, yet stern man from the hills of Tennessee named Hal Morrison. He and Coach Myers were lifelong friends and although no one ever admitted to it, I suspect that I benefited greatly from their relationship. I had not met Coach Morrison before walking onto the golf team at East Carolina. When I was a freshman, he put me on the travel squad for the second event, leaving an upper classman at home. He never put me on the bench again.

The lessons that Coach Morrison quietly taught over the years are still with me today. He had an exceptionally rich knowledge of the fundamentals and the importance of momentum. Many times throughout my college days I heard Hal say, "After you make a bogey follow it with a solid par." And, "It is never the first mistake that gets you in trouble, it is always the second -- don't make the second." Twenty years later, I can still hear his voice in my head. I know that he will be missed this holiday season.

There probably aren't too many college coaches who would have approved of Garland Dempsey's tactics as a caddy. He said what other caddies would only think or say in the bar long after the clubs were put away and their player was out of ear shot. One of the first few times he caddied for me I shot 68 in the opening round. On the range later that day I asked him what he thought of the round. I was hoping for the little pat on the back that I hadn't received all day. He looked at me and said, "Boy, all you did out there today was smash grass." And with that he walked away.

While he was over at the watercooler telling lies, I thought about what he meant. I agreed that I could have played better. Heck, I could have played a lot better. When he came back to the rock pile we talked, and the next day I did play better, a lot better.

Most of time Gar and I laughed our way around the golf course. We became closer than I ever would have expected, and in some ways, he felt like family. His loss will be felt a little differently for those of us who loved him because we nearly lost him once or twice before. But we will remember and we will smile.

It will be harder to smile yet when remembering Taylor Smith these holidays. It will take a little longer for the smiles to find their way past the pain because of the men I have just described Taylor and I were the most alike. I first met Taylor more than 15 years ago when we were playing the mini-tours early in our careers. For nearly a decade our careers followed the same path.

We were playing together in 1995 at the finals of q-school when we both earned our cards. We were rookies together the next year. His easy-going nature made him instantly likable on TOUR. His ball-striking earned him immediate respect. Taylor's career admittedly didn't have the longevity that most would have expected. The reasons are not important, though. He is remembered, and he is remembered well. I hope that the Smiths can find some solace in that this holiday season.

There is a tradition that I learned in an Italian restaurant that I frequent in D.C. When a toast is made, before the first sip is taken, each glass is tapped lightly on the bar. One night I finally asked why. The simple reply was "for those who aren't with us." When I asked if they meant living or dead the simple reply was "both."

If you are fortunate enough to spend the holidays with all those you love then know that you are lucky. If you are like the rest of us, tap your glass once and remember.