Couples Golfing

Our ladies golf association recently had their anual Rally for the Cure tournment. A friend asked me to play in her foursome. The weather has not been nice in Texas for golf and two of our teammates backed out so we were paired with another couple. This turned out to be a great match for the day. They were guests and had never played our course before, so we were giving suggestions along the way. We got to the 8th hole which is a par 3 and the man of the couple teed off.  We all watched with excitement as he got a “hole in one”. It was definitely amazing to watch and to see the joy that he shared with us at what he had just done. He had never had a “hole in one” and none of us had ever witnessed one before either. We really had to work hard to calm him down to finish the next 5 holes. We had a great time and a great finish for the day.
Then comes all the paper work and all the phone calls to verify that I had witnessed the hole in one. I had no idea the amount of verification that it takes when someone gets a “hole in one”. Hope each of you get to make or at least witness a “hole in one” someday, it was really awesome.

Our golf club, Lantana GC, does a great job of coming up with a wide variety of golf events. Last evening, we enjoyed one of the numerous couples events that they stage. Called the Superintendent’s Revenge, a particularly challenging 9 holes set up by some very trying pin placements. 32 of us gathered in the late afternoon and almost all that reported in for a lite dinner and adult beverages afterwards talked of the fun that they had – though all would prefer the regular placements!!

 This is another way that we’ve found to meet new people, those with a similar interest as ours. Try suggesting this to your club or just the group that you get together with from time to time. If you need, reach out to Ed or Bill at the CG for this or other couples golfing ideas.

Well, the trip to North Carolina was great and we did get to play at some awesome golf courses while we were there.  However, the golf was not as good as it was yesterday on our home course in Lantana. It was one of those days where your score does not quiet reflect how well you thought you were playing. That didn’t even matter because what made it such a wonderful day was the look of admiration on my husband’s face.  I was driving the ball well and then on the 16th hole I sank an 8 foot putt for boggy on our number 16th hole. I accomplished the same thing again on the 18th hole.  He has always (well most of the time) been very supportive me as I am still learning this game, but yesterday was the first time I had seen that expression on his face. So no matter  the score(which wasn’t that bad)  it was a great day on the golf course with my husband.  Hope you have experienced some of those moments and if you have please leave us a comment so that we can share your story with others.

I was shocked the other day when a friend told me that it was just a few weeks until school started back. I guess that’s one of the other things that happens when the nest empties – you totally forget the ’school year’. That wasn’t the only stimulus (our youngest getting married and many details yet to be decided was in there somewhere) but the decision was that we had better load up the clubs and head out – somewhere.

 North Carolina was the end target, much for the reason above, but golfing along the way is also in the plans. Using the resources that we hope that you find available on this site (please let us hear a comment – pro or con), we have managed the trip and the tee times through most of the next few weeks. Good friends host us outside of Charlotte so the golf planning we left to them and have only to hope the the weather will cooperate. That said, we’ve been playing here in N. Texas for the last 6 weeks in pretty ugly stuff. First, 6:30 times were imperative because of the oppressive heat, and then the humidity kicked in – making the early hour still pretty sluggish. With all the recent rains in the southeast, it doesn’t look like the temps will be the challenge, but the high water just might??

 After Charlotte, we head to Durham (the youngest is in the final months of a doctorate at Duke – yep, we’re proud!) and we plan to play just off the Duke campus and then in Raleigh. Our return will run us through Tennessee and there are several possibilities that we can take advantage of (again, check Tee-Bone).

 So, that puts us back in Texas in mid-August. Beat the school year but not sure that we solved the weather thing. Good news is that the other son lives in So. Cal so there is another direction to check. News to follow.

This video clip is rather long but it is very inspiring as you watch this young man, DJ Gregory, and his dream to walk every hole of every PGA golf tournament in 2008.  We have so much to be thankful for and as Perry says in the video, we have nothing to complain about when we watch this young man accomplish this amazing goal. Click on the following link to watch this awesome video. Walk On EPSN Sports

I just finished a book that I recommend to any avid golfer. I think that since we live on a course that the PGA has selected for both Stage 1 and Stage 2 Q school, John Feinstein’s Tales From Q School- Inside Golf’s Fifth Major caught my eye. Having read his A Good Walk Spoiled, I knew that it would likely be a good read.

Even though I thought I had followed golf enough to generally know the qualifying process, I found through this account that I was quite a bit off. Feinstein does a great job of presenting just what a challenge Q school really is and how it can effect even the most seasoned of veterans. Published in May of 2007, he covered much of the results through the ‘06 Finals, but shares a generous amount of history going back to the start of the process in the 80s. Our home course, Lantana Golf Club, was one of 6 Stage 2 sites last year and will repeat again this year. With this read, I’ll follow the results of this school much closer, and with a greater appreciation for what these guys are having to go through.

Though I consider myself an avid fan, this book brought me details that periodic stops on the Golf Channel, the weekly tournament and the sports page just hadn’t covered. As I suggested at the start, a recommended read for all – well, unless you are preparing to try to qualify around the end of this year – you just don’t need to ratchet up the stress!!

Okay, so she/he is not a beginner anymore…

There comes a time when you just have to admit, this is going to be real. I’ve known some that took up the sport of golf and after a while, found this trying exercise just more than what they expected. When you get to the spot that walking around on manicured lawns under usually ideal conditions and you are not having fun, you probably ought to try another chapter in the book. On the other hand, when you find each opportunity to get out and play actually becoming enjoyable, regardless of your play, it probably is a chapter in the book that will be repeated over and over again.

Once you’ve reached the point where you are pretty sure that this is going to be a fit, you can view your game from a different perspective. You may have before hesitated to put together a golf vacation; simply not sure that this was how you really wanted to spend your time. Today, all sorts of options are available and as your interests as a couple are now more aligned than before, only positives should be expected.

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Some I know just simply can’t get it in gear and play slower. Forgive those behind you that will doubtless loose patientce but remember that they too paid the fee to play and have the expectation,as does the course, of a reasonable round. And it is not the marshal’s desire to give you a hard time, just a job that really does need to be done – hopefully he/she will be respectful, and that you willbe when you pick up the pace.

Most golf courses suggest a round in 4 hours,mabe a little over, about 13 to 15 minutes a hole. Not hard to do if you pay attention and don’t use a lot of that time talking, watching something else rather than grabbing the golf club and getting ready for your turn and certainly not ‘reliving’ the last set of shots that invariably didn’t turn out according to plan.

Miami Beach golf courses have plenty to brag about when it comes to golf courses. It features some of the most difficult courses in the world, and some courses have been rated in the top 10 courses by Golfweek. With courses as impressive as those, it’s little wonder that a number of great professional golf tournaments call the city home. 

Easy accessibility and year-round play makes South Florida a hole-in-one for golfers. Winter price breaks can be found in the afternoon at many of the area’s courses but when the summer heat rises, look for greens fees to go down.  While other Florida destinations might offer a better value for your golfing dollar, none will provide the after hour experience like Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. Enjoy the abundance of world class eateries, upscale shopping and of course the night life of Ft. Lauderdale Beach and South Beach South Florida is less than one hour from West Palm Beach and two hours from Naples-Ft. Myers making it easily accessible from all points.

You can’t start too early with the planning for the next vacation! A good friend began well over a year ago for the trip he and another couple will take to Scotland. Yes, St. Andrews (Old) is much harder to land than most you will try to book, but points out the long-range view that more often proves beneficial. He’s even had time to search out deals for that  new rain suit and has booked several rounds in our N. Texas spring winds just to hone the low ball game.

OK, so Scotland is a big one and not all that common. The rest of us though would be good to follow a few simple steps. Set a budget. You can get outside your comfort zone fairly easily so having the financial parameters set up front will make the whole thing more enjoyable. This is even more important if you are putting together a group outing. You want to make sure all have the right mindset going in to keep from that last minute cancellation or someone on the trip that is not having too much fun.

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