I WAS INTRODUCED to golf at the age of fourteen, when a neighbor invited me to join him and become a caddie at a private golf club near our homes. That summer, golf was just a job for me and a way to earn some extra money.

But by that fall, golf was becoming much more than a job. I began realizing that I truly enjoyed being out on a golf course early in the morning, when the fairways were moist with dew and the sun was casting long shadows of the foursomes on each green.

So, I bought a set of Butchart Nicholls golf clubs and a tacky plaid golf bag, and began the often frustrating, but rewarding journey of learning to play the game.

That was 55 years ago. Golf has been a part of my life ever since those days, and I still love to play first off in the morning every chance I get.

I have been fortunate to have played over the years, either as a member or as a guest, at many private clubs and at many resort golf courses. In 2007, my wife Debbie retired from teaching and began her own journey into the world of golf, often playing alongside me on some of those very same courses.

The idea for Extra Holes came from a recent discussion between Debbie and me, regarding how to handle the celebration of our lives and the handling of our remains after our eventual deaths.

Both of us agreed that, for us, cremation was preferred to a traditional formal burial in a graveyard. Once that had been decided, the next question was “What would we wish to have done with our ashes?”

For me, the decision was easy—without hesitation, I expressed a desire to have my ashes spread at a number of golf courses that were my favorites.

I started to check off the exact courses and holes that I would like to have a sample of my ashes lie, and that’s when the idea struck me. Instead of simply scattering my remains on a course, what if my family and my golf buddies could spread my ashes by literally teeing off with a golf ball containing my remains?

So I went about researching materials and methods for making my idea a reality, and soon thereafter, Extra Holes, LLC was born.