What I do know is a first class buddy trip when I see one and there is just no better than The Friendship Cup held at Kiawah Island last week.

What makes a great buddy trip?  It starts of course with the golf…how about The Ocean Course with a caddie?  It continues with a good place to stay…the five-star Sanctuary is pretty good…but the most important part are the friends. 

Here are a few of the teams:

Tom Bair and Blair Leburn- these two are not really here for the golf.  Last year I went down to their room to find them toes up watching the match play with the entire contents of the mini-bar dumped out on the bed.  That was a pricey afternoon.  They played great together this year and probably would have placed really high except for the rogue snowstorm that moved through the whole east coast sending a good part of the field scrambling for home before the last round.

Marty Hackel and Matt Ginella – Mr. Style and Matty G. struggled a tad on the Ocean but that’s nothing to be ashamed of.  They led the league in laughs on the patio outside the great new clubhouse though, and that’s what really matters after all.

Leon Leggett and Andy Groves- Andy told Leon at dinner Saturday that he couldn’t carry him up the stairs and all day on the golf course…ouch.  These two won a skin, a closest to the pin, and drank 48 and 51 Blueberry Vodka and Lemonades respectively ( and respectfully for that matter)…the true winners.

Geoff Russell and Tom Nolan- the Editor and Publisher of the greatest little magazine in show business, Golf World, were on form and ready to strike again as champions before the aforementioned snow hurricane hit.

The other really cool part of this event is the option to bring your wife.  I can tell you from experience the Spa takes away all worries of calling home when the kids are in the bathtub, the phone is ringing, the chicken nuggets are burning, and you just had a steak and a bottle of sporty Cabernet for dinner. 

This is the third “Cup” and according to tournament founder and all-around Ayotollah-in-chief  Tom Bewley, golf’s 5th Major.  The scores might argue this point a little…except for the (cough) net 59 posted on the Ocean Course in the wind and rain…oh well sandbaggers are great travellers what can you say?

Hope you will put the Friendship Cup on your calendar next year…it’s a Best In Golf.

Anyway, The Friendship Cup was a blast. We played The Ocean Course Saturday and Osprey Point Sunday. In between we drank, laughed, and ate in huge quantities.

On Saturday my partner and I shot 68 on a very tough day at The Ocean Course and lead the field by one. We took alternate 4 or 5 hole naps but never at the same time. John played great on the back…39 with a triple on 18.

But since I only care about my own game , enough about him, let’s talk about moi’. I made a skin with a birdie on #1. It was epic. A 221 yard dive into a divot, then a kneecap high squibber to the front of the green. Can’t chip so putted it into the hole…it was moving approximately 40 mph when it hit the flag…cha-ching.

That evening we led the league in martinis and red wine consumption. We had a beautiful dinner at The Ocean Room…Blue Elephant ties in abundance…shot 74 Sunday…finished in the Top 10…barely.

Be that as it may, Audrey, a.k.a. Double O, and I enjoyed our off course time with all our friends.

Andy”thought I made it didn’t you?” Groves and radient Cheryl,
Leon “Hello, I was talking here!” Leggett and lovely Allison,
John “still owes me a bottle of wine for a set of clubs I gave him” Rusher
Freddy “Lil’ Biggin” Warren,
Jason (no nickname here until we finalize the ad schedule) Heath
John “That’s just wunnerful” Corder and alluring Roz
Ed “My Big Pods” Butler and elegant Jan,
Geoff “did I tell you I have triplets?” Russell
Tom “like my new chain?” Bewley and charming Becque,
Tom “I can wear these pants because I hit it so far” Nolan,
Michael “4-Color Bleed” Methvin,
Jeff “Lampy” Lampel, and…
Jim “Okay?” Woodring.

We all have played in our share of events but The Friendship Cup had it all. You need to play in it next year…watch here for 2008 dates.

Anyway, The Friendship Cup was a blast. We played The Ocean Course Saturday and Osprey Point Sunday. In between we drank, laughed, and ate in huge quantities.

On Saturday my partner and I shot 68 on a very tough day at The Ocean Course and lead the field by one. We took alternate 4 or 5 hole naps but never at the same time. John played great on the back…39 with a triple on 18.

But since I only care about my own game , enough about him, let’s talk about moi’. I made a skin with a birdie on #1. It was epic. A 221 yard dive into a divot, then a kneecap high squibber to the front of the green. Can’t chip so putted it into the hole…it was moving approximately 40 mph when it hit the flag…cha-ching.

That evening we led the league in martinis and red wine consumption. We had a beautiful dinner at The Ocean Room…Blue Elephant ties in abundance…shot 74 Sunday…finished in the Top 10…barely.

Be that as it may, Audrey, a.k.a. Double O, and I enjoyed our off course time with all our friends.

Andy”thought I made it didn’t you?” Groves and radient Cheryl,
Leon “Hello, I was talking here!” Leggett and lovely Allison,
John “still owes me a bottle of wine for a set of clubs I gave him” Rusher
Freddy “Lil’ Biggin” Warren,
Jason (no nickname here until we finalize the ad schedule) Heath
John “That’s just wunnerful” Corder and alluring Roz
Ed “My Big Pods” Butler and elegant Jan,
Geoff “did I tell you I have triplets?” Russell
Tom “like my new chain?” Bewley and charming Becque,
Tom “I can wear these pants because I hit it so far” Nolan,
Michael “4-Color Bleed” Methvin,
Jeff “Lampy” Lampel, and…
Jim “Okay?” Woodring.

We all have played in our share of events but The Friendship Cup had it all. You need to play in it next year…watch here for 2008 dates.

We will be roughing it at The Sanctuary after the thorough ass-kicking that inevitably takes place across this nasty piece of real estate…if a golf course can be described as grumpy, this place is just plain pissed.

The Friendship Cup is the brainchild of Tom Bewley, Director of Sales and Marketing at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. The Ocean Course, as well as The Five-Star Sanctuary Hotel were the subject of a recent post on this blog…without a doubt one of the top 3 places in America to sip a cold Ketel. By the way my friend Leon “American Idol” Leggett says I got the facts wrong on our match but as I told him, “This ain’t Wikipedia big boy, what I say goes”

So I will give you the ups and the downs (not the up and downs, cause their won’t be any) of this event…should be a blast…talk to you soon.

My friend and client Tom Bewley (pictured here) had me and Leon Leggett (another friend and BBQ advisor) out for the day. The weather was so bad that on the back 9 we played a game suggested by Tom…whoever made the most pars won $5 from the other two.

So on it went and the winner was Leon 2-1-1. A bunch of good golf shots were played, you just couldn’t tell it from the scores.

But back to the martinis. The list of good spots to sip a Ketel One is impressive…the bar at The Homestead rocks…we call it Dead President’s Pub…if you’ve been there you know why. The Arizona Biltmore is very cool…was that Cary Grant in the next urinal?

But the best of them all is the bar at The Sactuary. The room is awesome.

I was there once on business waiting for a colleage for dinner…it was early, probably about 6:30, so I was the only one there.

When the pretty blond bartender walked up, placed a napkin in front of me and said “Good evening sir” all I could think of was The Shining.

So I looked right back at her and said “Set ‘em up Lloyd.” She got it and we laughed for 5 minutes. Cool spot…cool bartender.

Get to Kiawah soon for The Sanctuary and The Ocean Course…the combo is one of the very Best In Golf…and say hello to Lloyd.