It has never been documented as to how you’ll know when you reach the point where the silly meter goes off the charts. But my gut tells me that when a reputed elite athlete with supernatural strength gets knocked to the ground by a rope, well, we are free to say, “Mayday, mayday, mayday.”

Now, it’s possible that the rope was made of Kryptonite, but regardless, it was the tipping point, methinks. Definitive proof that there is a corner of the golf world that has exceeded the noise and nonsense threshold, so it’s time to reset and seek quiet from the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and refuel our passion for golf where there is clarity.

The story behind a 1,774-yard, par-30, nine-hole executive course on Cape Cod offers just such a place.

Paul Harney Golf Club in East Falmouth has graced the golf landscape for 55 years and if it remains a brilliant tribute to her father’s legacy, it’s because Erin Harney Abbott has never forgotten this special man. “I still try to honor his philosophies,” said Erin, the second-oldest of six children born to Paul and Patti Harney, and the general manager since the late 1980s.

“He wanted to teach. He wanted to get youngsters into the game and give them a place to play. He always encouraged people to play, to go out and enjoy the game of golf.”

There will never be another Francis Ouimet, the man behind the most significant tournament victory in golf history. He will forever be the most important Massachusetts golfer.

But for career achievements at the highest level, Harney is unsurpassed in local circles, the best Massachusetts has produced. Where the Worcester-born and Holy Cross-educated Harney might receive a nonchalant nod as a PGA Tour regular who won three times in 209 starts between 1955-62, he receives plaudits for being arguably one of the greatest part-time Tour members in history, victorious in three marquee events – two LA Opens, one Andy Williams San Diego Open – in just 107 starts between 1963-73.

Maybe it’s a resume that doesn’t generate enough sizzle for you, but so be it. Harney lived his beautiful life to a different standard and didn’t measure it by how much PGA Tour success he achieved. Being a club pro at Pleasant Valley CC in Sutton, Mass., enabled him to be home with Patti and raise their six children in Holden. And when he invested in that cozy little course on Cape Cod, the avenue for a happy retirement was paved.

Now this remembrance of Harney isn’t ignited by any sort of anniversary or special occasion. He passed from this world in August of 2011 at the age of 82, although the wonderful Patti is 88 and still in tune with this business of golf. (When she heard that Erin was headed out to partake in a charity tournament without having played golf in months, Patti was flummoxed. “She told me,” laughed Erin, “ ‘Erin, you’ve got to at least take some practice swings.’ ”)

No, what pushed Harney into my consciousness was knowledge that LIV Golf, after four tournaments in the U.S., will take its carnival to Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea and the second most populous center in Saudi Arabia. Now pro golf in the Middle East is hardly new; the European Tour has been playing mega-size tournaments there for years and professionals have been enhancing their financial stature substantially by playing in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar.

All good, but let’s take a moment to marvel at the sort of adventurous spirit a golfer had to have to make this type of trip well before the age of jets and cell phones and travel agents. Sixty-six years ago, Paul Harney was 26 and looking for a way to make money in this world of professional golf when Fred Corcoran – another Massachusetts native – offered him a chance to represent the United States in back-to-back tournaments in Egypt.

And how did one travel from Boston to Egypt in 1956? “I think we flew first to Ireland,” Harney once told me, apologizing for the lack of details. “All I know is, it was a lot of long, slow plane rides.”

The Egyptian Open in Cairo (where Harney finished seventh) and the Egyptian Match Play (which culminated with Harney’s record-setting 10-and-9 triumph over Frank Phillips of Australia) were played in early April when the Masters was being conducted. But it’s not like there wasn’t competition in Egypt because South African stars Bobby Locke (he played his last Masters in 1952) and Gary Player (he wouldn’t make his Augusta debut till 1957) were opponents that Harney had to beat.

The fact is Harney’s win in Egypt did more than provide him some money. It filled him with confidence and the very next year he won twice on the PGA Tour. He was a solid PGA Tour member and likely could have had himself a stellar 20-to-25-year run. Only Harney was blessed with something more enriching than golf talent; he had layers of character. As promised to Patti, he took that club job when the oldest children entered school.

“A father should be with his family,” he told me that day when we sat and watched players tee off at the golf course that wears his name.

The conviction with which he said that resonates whenever he crosses my thoughts, which is often, especially when so many out-of-control egos take the game sideways.

Sigh.

Paul Harney Golf Club wasn’t built to be a monument to his ego. He had none. It was built to open doors for people who wanted a way into this greatest of all games and it still prospers thanks to a daughter’s love of a father and her commitment to the wonderful legacy he left.