Trivial Pursuit co-creators Chris Haney (left) and Scott Abbott play the game in this undated file photo. Haney, one of the co-creators of the wildly successful Trivial Pursuit board game, has died.His business partners confirmed he died today after a long illness in a Toronto hospital.STAFF
Golfers who walked into the sweet, understated clubhouse at the Devil's Paintbrush in Caledon, Ont. today - more an Irish pub than a clubhouse, really, and perfect for the setting - saw a glass of ale on the bar counter. It sat in front of an empty chair all day. Chris Haney, a man whose soul was both gentle and gruff, and always generous, had occupied that chair for many years in this lovely spot, called Professor Rabbit's Hole. No more. Haney, 59, died Monday after a long illness.
Golfers who walked into the sweet, understated clubhouse at the Devil's Paintbrush in Caledon, Ont. today - more an Irish pub than a clubhouse, really, and perfect for the setting - saw a glass of ale on the bar counter. It sat in front of an empty chair all day. Chris Haney, a man whose soul was both gentle and gruff, and always generous, had occupied that chair for many years in this lovely spot, called Professor Rabbit's Hole. No more. Haney, 59, died Monday after a long illness.
Haney and his partner Scott Abbott were the co-founders of the Devil's Pulpit Golf Association, which comprises the Devil's Pulpit course and the Devil's Paintbrush five kilometres to the east in the rolling Caledon countryside. The 'Brush has long been my favourite course in Canada and one of my two or three favourite courses in the world. Abbott and Haney invented the board game Trivial Pursuit, of course. But when I think of them I think of their contribution of the Pulpit and Paintbrush. Together they make the best two-course club in North America.
There's no need to review the oft-told tale of the courses and their development. It's been told since the Pulpit opened in 1990. The 'Brush came along soon after, its secrets quiet and hidden and only revealed after many rounds - and maybe not even then. I have two file folders full of interviews and notes on the courses, from the time of the first meeting to announce the Pulpit. Haney was the main inspiration behind the 'Brush. He knew he had to build a course on the property when he first encountered it, and eventually that happened.
Canadian golf, Pulpit members and their guests are the beneficiaries of his vision. Abbott loves the course. No wonder.
The 'Brush is Haneyesque from start to finish. Its soul is both gentle and gruff. Its fairways are generous, as are its enormous greens.
There's room to play, room to enjoy the game and to get creative with shots. I'll be back this weekend to celebrate my friend Irv Warsh's 85th birthday when we play a round at the 'Brush.
Irv's been a member for years and plays the 'Brush regularly. I'll walk into the inviting pub of a clubhouse and I'm sure I'll feel Haney's presence, and his absence. How sad that he's gone. How lucky we are that the rambunctious landscape inspired him to create the 'Brush. How lucky are those of us who meander over the bumpy, bouncy terrain. How lucky are those of us who knew Haney.
Maybe the glass should be filled with ale every day. Chris Haney, after all, was a glass-full kind of guy, and the Pulpit and 'Brush are courses, and golf experiences, in full.