The U.S. Open is one of golf’s four major championships. Anyone who calls themself a golf fan will be glued to the TV set from June 16th to 19th on ESPN (early rounds) and NBC (weekend coverage). It’s understandable for the rabid fan to be following so closely. The U.S. Open is the toughest test in golf, as we’ll hear Johnny Miller tell us over and over again during NBC’s weekend coverage. In fact, Miller has openly declared that “The U.S. Open is the hardest major to win.” And for the casual fan, who doesn’t love to see the best players in the world hacking it up all over the course? (I promise not to get started on how Johnny Miller never minces words when someone messes up.)

But the U.S. Open is special for another reason. It’s played on Father’s Day weekend – a time when fathers will be flooding their local golf courses in hopes of having a U.S. Open moment themselves before it actually happens later that afternoon in brilliant HD color and sound. It’s a day filled with birdies (by the pros mostly), bogeys (by my foursome at least) and a lot of mulligans for Dad (or foot wedges).

I’m not sure how this tradition started in my family, but for years this has been what we do on this special day. Even my grandfather, who has never played a round of golf in his life, enjoys hearing the stories from our round and watches anxiously with us to see who pulls out the U.S. Open victory, even though this is the only day he’ll watch golf all year. I look forward to the day when my kids are old enough to get out there and hack it around for a few hours on Sunday morning with dear old dad. I’ve been giving mulligans for years; my turn to receive them can’t come soon enough!

What’s your favorite family tradition when it comes to sports and/or Father’s Day?