Travel « The Best In Golf

Entries categorized as ‘Travel’

Just Hangin’ Around

February 14, 2009 · 3 Comments

Nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for what I witnessed Wednesday night inside the Cameron Arena at Duke University.

I don’t have to tell you the Duke/UNC rivalry is maybe the biggest in sports, college or professional. I’ve been to Packers-Bears, Notre Dame-USC, Cubs-Cardinals, and they all looked like a Girl Scout cookie sale next to this madness…but more on that in a minute.

I was on this trip, then off, then on, off, and finally, thankfully on. I was third alternate and that might be pushing it. My stock rose and fell as the days approached but that’s OK…I made the cut in the end. After all, how many Majors have been won by someone “just hangin’ around?” And this was a Major.

Now regular followers of B.I.G. know what a lucky cuss I am when it comes to playing golf and hanging at good spots…no doubt about that. And I know it’s luck, not deserved. But what I am about to describe to you, at The Pinehurst Resort and surroundings, may go down as the Best 24 Hours In Golf…and I’ll be brief in fear that when you read about this I might lose you forever.

It started with dinner at The Magnolia Inn, a creeky old tavern in the Village of Pinehurst with two great pals…a couple hours on the porch outside the recently ruined, I meant renovated, Ryder Cup Lounge and off to bed. Then the fun began.

Next morning it was biscuits and gravy followed by golf on course #4, Tom Fazio’s terrific rewind of a D. Ross underachiever.

We met at 5:00 and motored north for an hour or so to Durham, NC, home to the Duke Blue Devils, Coach K, about 100 banners hanging from the rafters, and last but not least The Cameron Crazies. These are the students and they are all painted blue…and I mean they are ALL painted blue. They never sit or stop chanting in one very loud voice from before tip off until the end of the game.

Some of it is a little unseemly, like when they repeat the announcers introduction of a Tarheels player with a “you suck,” but the rest is just good college mayhem.

PA Announcer: “Welcome 5-11 guard, from Clinton Maryland, number five…Tyyyyyyyy Lawson”

Cameron Crazies: ”Ty Lawson, you suck!!!” Guess you don’t really need to hear the rest of the roster.

Our fourth was none other than author Jim Dodson (I won’t call him golf writer because his subjects are much more diverse than that) which was a true treat for me. I’ve read almost all his books on golf from Final Rounds, to Hogan (best Hogan biography by a lot in my humble opinion), to his latest, A Son of The Game…this is a good one that I’ll post more about when I’m finished. You’re going to want this book either as a Dad, for your Dad, or just if you really like good golf writing. It comes out just before Father’s Day, trust me.

It’s 80 degrees and 90% humidity in the arena…everyone looks like they’ve had a shower at the end of the night. Krzyzewski on one bench, Roy Williams on the other, not 20 feet from each other…an unholy place…and something I’ll never forget.

Then the trip turned back to golf on B.I.G. personal fave, and home of the Best Par Four to Ruin a Round Early, the #2 course at Pinehurst. The last time I was here was at a very high quality road trip to the 2008 US Amateur, watching eventual champion Danny Lee treat the Deuce with the utmost disrespect…birdieing half the holes and showing enough fear to fill a small grape.

Along for the walk were great friends and customers Jeff Fiorini and Wright Chandler from GolfPride. We had a match under a sky that North Carolina fans would say proves God’s loyalty to the Heels…just as blue as it could be.

After my good partner and I lost the first two holes to the Grip Boys it looked bad…actually it looked a little like a handicap miscalculation…but we won the third and no one was more than one-up until we lost the match and 10 bucks on 18…money well spent to say the least.

Our caddies were great as usual and included Hall of Famer Eddie Mac, who spends the same amount of time talking about the latest poetry he’s reading as he does 10-footers for bogey. He likes to hear what you think the putt will do before he expresses his opinion and even has his own unique way of doing this.

“What say you knave?” is a typical Eddie Mac question…now I ask you who says knave?

That’s it for now and maybe forever for the reason listed above…I hope this happens to you some day, I really do…now what say you knave?

Categories: Amateurs · Caddies · Courses · Friends · Pinehurst · Travel

The Most Underrated Things In Golf Part VIII- Night Chipping

August 23, 2008 · 1 Comment

I’ve posted about Pine Needles before. It is without a doubt one of the most underrated golf courses and golf experiences in the country.

For a variety of reasons it’s not on the short list of avid golfers looking for a high quality vacation but it should be. This week we played Pine Needles during the National Amateur held a few thousand pine cones down the road over at The Amazing Deuce…Pinehurst #2…a little on that in a minute.

“Buddy Trips” as they’ve been coined, are among the most sacred events in the game. It doesn’t take much to make one a success. The elements are good friends, good or great golf, a nice but not too nice place to stay, and a little beer. But the best part was none of the above. The thing that made this 36 hours The Best In Golf was, you guessed it, night chipping.

Since we were staying next to 18 green the lure was too great. We had to hit a few lobs in the dark, not quite sure where the flag was…then again who cares about that anyway. I’m pretty sure I lost.

Then over to the US Amateur for a couple hours. If you ever want to have a great getaway, find a golf course near the Am to play, then go watch college kids hit it miles and putt 13.5 greens with all the fear of a US Marine.

The fun part is you get to do all of this from the middle of the fairway. It takes a hole or two to get used to this…big major chamoionships are supposed to be mob scenes, with all the intimacy of a fall Saturday at Death Valley…but not here. These amateur championships have got to be the last best secret in the game.

Strolling up a perfect fairway behind two great golfers is a treat…take it from me. And the best part? You don’t have to ruin the experience by playing.

Categories: Amateurs · Courses · Friends · Travel · Underrated

“I’m Not Dead Yet” – The Best Locker Doors In Golf

August 15, 2008 · 2 Comments

This from friend Michael Scott. He has sent the attached photos of a locker room recently visited in England with partner Nick Green. This is one of a million things that make you chuckle about the game…at least it made me chuckle…borderline chortle.

Dear Rick,

I’d like to nominate something for your Best In Golf Blog.

A few weeks back I was in London and had an opportunity to play golf on a Monday morning. As you know, there are several great heathland courses around Southwest London that we’ve all heard of: Sunningdale, Wentworth, Walton Heath, The Berkshire. Truly amazing golf.

We end up at New Zealand Golf Club just about a mile from Sunningdale. New Zealand was built about the same time as these others but is truly one of those hidden gems.

So the three of us (me, my business partner Nick Green and one of his friends who lives nearby) show up at 9am as “visitors”. No introduction is necessary here. It is a private club. But like most in Britain, they keep their monthly dues low by taking money off of visitors like me. In America, we pay to keep the unwashed masses off our private clubs. There they like to keep the dues low. Different strokes and all of that.

Anyway, we have a fantastic round with some really fun holes. Finish in 3 hours toting our own bags (the way golf should be played). We don’t see anyone out on the course. Afterwards we head into the clubhouse and order lunch (3 Shepherd’s pies please with a pint of lager), and then head into the lockerroom to change shoes.

It was there I discovered what I have never seen.

Their lockers, which are original from the 1920s, have been passed down from member to member…with the previous occupants all listed above. When a member dies, his name is scratched out and the next guy inherits the locker. I know at Deepdale on Long Island there’s a similar tradition, but I don’t believe they scratch the guy’s name out!

Anyways, chalk this up as the Best Locker Doors in Golf.

And I highly recommend the Shepherd’s Pie.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Scott

Thanks Michael…sounds like you better not miss too many Saturday morning games at New Zealand or you just might lose your locker. I can hear the board meeting now:

”Anyone seen Purlmutter lately? No, not for some time. Scratch him off then and be quick about it.”

Categories: Courses · Locker Rooms · Travel

“Mancations”

July 28, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Check out Matt Ginella’s BLOG for some great golf getaways…the Pinehurst package is especially attractive and at a pretty reasonable price considering the high cost of going abroad this year.

Categories: Travel

The Best Trips In Golf Part III- Three Fall Days in Pinehurst

November 2, 2007 · Leave a Comment

As everyone knows the summer heat in the south ranges somewhere between barely manageable to downright unsafe.
.
No matter how great the venue, playing golf in Dixie in the months of July-September is a challenge to say the least.
.
But when the pumpkins start showing up on the Methodist Church lawn, golf in the south is back.

One of the truly great fall trips has to be Pinehurst, both the resort and the area.

We’ll start with your home base…in this case the Carolina Hotel. The Carolina is the hotel at Pinehurst Resort…the structure you think of when you hear “Home of American Golf”. It is without a doubt our St. Andrews, our beginning…and the best part? It’s open to anyone with a little room on their Visa card.

The actions of James W. Tufts, founder of Pinehurst, are only remarkable in our era.

In his day, the sort of risk, vision, and just plain onions to open a health resort in the middle of nowhere was much more common. It’s the way that generation rolled. Today we would need lawyers, researchers with feasibility studies, consultants of every brand.

All J.T. needed was a few thousand bucks and a dream.

Tufts was one of three heroes, and perhaps the most important, to early golf in America.

The second (and I personally love the irony) was a nobody golf pro from the north of Scotland who saw the sandhills as a place to plant what would become his masterpiece…and that’s saying something since by the end of his life there were 500 courses attached to the name “Ross”.

The third hero of Pinehurst, and therefore to golf ,was Robert Dedman, Sr. By the 70′s most everything old was being knocked down for the sake of progress. The progress that took place in Pinehurst was the building of hundreds of homes and condos which could be fixed easily…with the help of a few dozen bulldozers.

Mr. Dedman saw Miss America, a crucial part of our history, in a polyester dress and fake pearls around her neck…and he fixed it. The cynic will say it was about profit…I prefer to think it was respect. He also saved The Homestead so enough said?

On to your trip…

First of course is the golf. These, in order, are the courses to play while in the area. As always, I would encourage you to spend the money for caddies…there are some beauties in the area as you would guess. For the accomodations, we’ve already established you are staying at The Carolina.

1. Pinehurst #2- home of the ’99 and ’05 U.S. Opens but more importantly the place where Hogan finally broke through and Arnie and E. Harvie Ward battled in the 50′s.

2. Pine Needles- go for a day trip just a few miles down Midland Rd. to the Bell family farm. Another Donald Ross classic, a course you might come off thinking is the best in town…you would be right until you played the Deuce a few more times…then you would see the light.

3. Pinehurst #8- A Fazio which, in my humble opinion, is perhaps his best…or at least Top 2 with Wade Hampton being pretty sporty as well…also, home of the Big Pine Incident.

4. The Elks Club a.k.a. Southern Pines G.C.- Another Ross that would never be called a classic but for the fact it’s where the local color hangs out…a true swinging screen door place which as all BIG readers know is an automatic 4-star to me. I take my kids there when we are in town for Thanksgiving…it’s just one of those things.

5. Pinehurst #4- Fazio again. A really fine golf course and site of next year’s U. S. Amateur.

6. Forest Creek GC- as always I’ll include a private club in the trip just in case you can wiggle access. This is a beauty, 36 holes of who else, Fazio, but awesome in it’s understated southern charm.

Where to eat? The breakfast at the Carolina is second only to The Homestead as The Best In Golf…and if they had the home-made doughnuts it would be a tie. Lunch of course is the least important meal on a golf trip so grab what you can. For dinner, a jacket and tie at the hotel is a great experience…or a burger in the bar at Pine Needles is pretty stout also.

But make sure one night to amble over to the Pine Crest Inn in the Village. Scotty or Carl will whip up a good martini for you followed by one of the best fillets in golf…an alternative, but only on certain nights, is the turkey dinner with all the trimmings…cranberries, stuffing, the works.

Neville’s Bar in downtown Southern Pines is unique for a few cold ones as long as you agree with Neville that Frank Sinatra was the greatest person ever, living or dead…you’ll see what I mean.

Fall is for football, pigs on the cooker, and Jack & Ginger Ale…but mostly fall is for golf…trust me you won’t spend a better 3 or 4 days than the trip listed above. Go do it…it’s The Best In Golf.

Categories: Courses · Food · Pinehurst · Travel

The Best Trips In Golf Part II – Three Days in Charleston

September 2, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Staying with the coast for Part II we’ll spend three days in Charleston…the history alone is a reason to come back after your golf trip and maybe the best part of all is the food.

Your weekend is going to include some moving around…but that’s OK, you’ll love everywhere you’re going,

The first thing you need to know is Charleston is a boy-girl trip. Take the lads to Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, or Pinehurst but save Charleston for you and the one who can embarrass you any time she feels like it.

Night one you will stay at the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island…as a long-time friend would say about The Sanctuary, “You can get a good nights sleep in that joint”

Of course you will be travelling on Day 1 so try to get to the hotel in time for a walk on the beach, followed by a long shower ( which is a Best In Golf all by itself). Put on a coat and tie tonight, it wont kill you.
.

Head for The Lobby Bar before dinner…I assure you it is an all-world place to sip a cold martini. Have dinner at The Ocean Room, Kiawah’s over-the-top dining room. Chat your waiter up…most of the time he’s the most interesting person in the hotel, including the guests.

Get up early, you have a long day. Play the Ocean Course in the morning and make sure to take a caddie…the Sherpas here are great young guys, not a bum among them. You will enjoy their company I guarantee it.

The Ocean Course deserves it’s high ranking in America’s 100 Greatest (#38) to be sure. It starts off easy enough but builds to what might be the nastiest piece of real estate you ever tried to move a golf ball around.

Forget your handicap, you’re not likely to sniff it…but that’s cool because just being there is enough. Plus they just opened a snappy new clubhouse to lounge in after the dismembering of both your golf game and psyche.

Check out after golf and head into Charleston. You can stay at The Charleston Place ($$$$), The Andrew Pinckney Inn ($$$), or The Hampton Inn Historic District ($$).

For dinner it’s a two-parter tonight. Get over to Hank’s Seafood ( 10 Hayne St.) Belly up to the bar for a cocktail and a seafood tower. This will cost you dearly but we’ll make it up on the budget for dinner.

Basil on upper King St. might be the best Thai restaurant in the country, trust me on this. If you like the cuisine you will agree I think.

For a little more upscale experience head to either Fulton Five (5 Fulton St.) for some incredible Italian served in the noisy atmosphere of a family kitchen or 39 Rue de Jean (39 John St.) for some exceptional french cuisine, sans the nasty waiters…order the mussels.

Although you had a choice for dinner, there is only one place for breakfast and one thing to

order. The Shrimp and Grits at The Hominy Grill (297 Rutledge Ave.) is the best in town. As we say down here “it will make you want to slap your Mama” for not making it for you when you were a kid. A Bloody Mary is the perfect accompaniment.

Oh I almost forgot…this is a golf trip.

For your next two rounds get up to Wild Dunes in Isle of Palms. From downtown Charleston it will take about 40 minutes or so. Both courses at WD, the Links and The Harbor are Fazio…before he became an industry.

Prior to the devastating damage dealt by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, The Links was a regular on all Top 100 lists and should have been. Although developers took the few trees Hugo missed, it is still a really good golf course with some great views of the Atlantic toward the end. The Harbor is not quite as impressive but fun to play nonetheless.

If the beach is your thing, stay tonight atThe Boardwalk Inn at Wild Dunes, a neat small hotel with a really good resteraunt, The Sea Island Grill.

Either way back downtown for dinner after your nap. Pick the kind of night you want…you have two choices, one casual and one a little more dressy.

Throw on your shorts and flip-flops for a casual evening. Go to Sticky Fingers for BBQ or Fleet Landing for a burger…don’t let the menu fool you at Fleet Landing…this is a Corona and burger joint…they struggle with anything more, but the location on the Cooper River in an old Navy building makes up for the weakness.

For something a little more have a drink at The Vendue Inn rooftop bar (Vendue Range off E. Bay) followed by a short walk over to Cintra (Market St.) for some dynamite northern Italian.

This is just a few of the many options in town…you would have to stay another two weeks to play the other courses at Kiawah, the classic lid-slammer specials of Charleston Municipal (where Henry Picard was Pro) and Patriot’s Point in Mt. Pleasant, as well as southern classic Justine’s Kitchen, The Peninsula Grill, McCrady’s for great food and a better wine list, or Oak for a quality piece of cow.

So described are a couple days and nights in a town built for the couples getaway…the golf is somewhat secondary and runs from superb to average but there is nothing average about the experience so get there as soon as you can.

Note: Charleston is loaded with really good private clubs as you can imagine…in order I would play Yeamans Hall (Seth Raynor), Charleston CC (Seth again), Cassique (Tom Watson), and Bull’s Bay (Mike Strantz).

Categories: Courses · Food · Travel

The Best Drives In Golf Part IV

August 24, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Flipping around the TV aimlessly last Sunday because of 110 + degree heat outside, I came across the Jeld-Wen Tradition.

Apparently “Tradition” means anything over a year old, whether a golf tournament or a golf course…the greatest example of all is “Old Memorial” opened all the way back in 1998…but I digress.

Somehow the Jeld-Wen is is a major…the winner gets a swell trophy and a bunch of cash…but the kicker is an 8 X 8 bay window for their sun porch.

But alas that’s not the point of my post today. The resort and the area the Tradition is being held…Sunriver in Bend, Oregon is.

As no one really cares, sans my Mother, sainted woman, I used to be a honcho at a major monthly golf publication…my title was Vice President of Resort & Travel. What this meant is I spent 5 years as that tired sap in First Class sitting next to another tired sap in First Class trying to get home from a week in Phoenix, or was it Florida, or was it Hawaii?

Honestly they all looked the same..and only the post-911 crowd would understand…travel is not glamorous…in fact, it sucks.

But I really digress…

The site of the Jeld “When Will this Get Exciting” Classic is Sunriver Resort in Bend Oregon. Sunriver sits in the high desert tucked in close to the Cascades. incredible beauty all around…Mount Bachelor, The Descutes River full of trout, and several world class golf courses, Crosswater the star of the bunch.

What in the world does this have to do with Best Drives In Golf? I’m getting to that, just relax.

My pal Noel Lucky covers Oregon among other important customers. She’s been going to the Beaver State since before the Spotted Owl messed up the entire economy…don’t get me wrong, I like owls, but throwing a state out of work seems slightly excessive to me.

The highlight of my year, and I think Noel knows this, was my annual to Oregon. Lucky for me, Bandon Dunes opened in this period, so three trips there are still burned in my memory. But the Best Drive In golf Part IV happened by accident.

We stared in Portland, a nice enough town if you have really good Gore-Tex. From there we headed for Bandon Dunes, then up across the Cascades to Bend. Finally here is where a Best Drive in Golf happened.

To get to Bend and Sunriver you can fly from Bandon Dunes via North Bend to Redmond, but as we learned this is not the way to do it…driving is the way…longer but when you are surrounded by rivers and 200 foot pine trees who really cares?

We left Bandon in the early afternoon and were in Eugene for a corn dog and diet Snapple. As we left Eugene the country changes dramatically. It honestly looks like a Lexus commercial for he next 150 miles. Wet roads winding through forests, rivers running along the highway the entire time…funky little stores, including a Christmas store open every day of the year showing the way.

Up over the Cascades and into Bend…if you have the time, take it. Fly into Bandon for the best golf experience imaginable…more details coming in TravelBlog Oregon…drive up to Bend and Sunriver, equally great…and the drive is, without a doubt, The Best In Golf.

Categories: Drives · Travel

The Best Trips In Golf Part I – Myrtle Beach and The Grand Strand

August 16, 2007 · 1 Comment

Explaining Myrtle Beach isn’t easy.

Consequently every travel writer will succumb to the usual (lazy) description of the area. It almost never fails. He or she gets to town, sees the neon and traffic, and inevitably goes to the negative.

Newsflash: there are tee shirt shops and go-carts in Myrtle Beach. If you’ve ever been to Daytona, Destin, Hilton Head, or any and all points in between, you’ll find the same.

What is almost never described to the golfer is the amazing golf trip he can take to Myrtle Beach without a strip club or $6.95 seafood buffet. If cheap golf, cheap food, and dark bars with a cover charge are you’re thing…stop reading.

If you want a really good golf vacation then read on.

Since Myrtle Beach is both a city and a destination, first you must start with where you want to stay. It’s difficult, as an example, to stay in Pawley’s Island (far south) and play golf in Brunswick County, NC (far north) as these areas are roughly 60 miles apart.

So decide on an area and stick with the golf courses near by. You will have plenty to choose from and can always catch the courses in the other parts of town on your next trip.

Here’s one example of a really good trip. It’s a south version…I’ll cover central and north in upcoming posts.

Stay in Pawley’s Island at Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort. Get a condo that fits your group for the luxury of a cup of coffee in the morning or a late night poker game.

On Day 1 go play The River Club or Willbrook Plantation, or both. These courses are a good

warm-up, quality courses always in good shape and won’t wear you out.

For dinner go to Louis’ in PI and sit outside at the bar. The best outdoor spot in the area with cold beer, or a cold martini for me, coupled with upscale Lowcountry cuisine…superb. It will cost you a little dough but take the rubber band off the knot now and again.

Day 2 go play Caledonia and True Blue…Caledonia is a classic on the water…after your morning round have lunch in their very cool clubhouse…complete with 300 year old Live Oak trees all around. As much as possible, the owners left their “Fish Club” the same as it’s been for decades…they just plopped a superb golf course in the middle of it.

True Blue is not on the water, not a cool place for lunch, but a really fun and different golf course to play…I took a group there several years ago and that night one of my boys broke into his rendition of “I’ve Got Those True Blue Blues”…so it’s hard (and he was drunk) but so what?

Cook out on night 2…send the chubbies…you know what I’m talking about…the two always responsible for the groceries, up to Murrell’s Inlet to The Crabcake Lady. This woman catches her own crabs and turns them into some of the best crab cakes anywhere…stop at The Pig (Piggly Wiggly grocery store for the northerly challenged) on the way home for steaks and a pretty good wine selection. The cakes will only cost you $4 each, so buy a good piece of meat and whatever you do, don’t send the PBR drinker in for the vino…get three good bottles for 8 people.

For breakfast forgo the freebie that comes with your package and take the group to Eggs Up Grill, also in Pawley’s Island. The Greek omelet will put you in the hospital but what’s the difference? You’ll be riding in a golf cart all day cracking your first Bud by 10:00 anyway.

For your golf today you’ll travel down to Murrell’s Inlet and play the TPC Myrtle Beach. It’s hard to say this course is a secret since it’s been around for a long time and is always very busy. It’s one of those not front and center on the radar…but should be.

For your second round, have some fun and head to Grande Dunes. This is a really good golf course running along the Intercoastal Waterway. I’m going against my own advice as GD is a little bit of a drive North…probably 30 minutes or so. That’s OK, it’s your last day and just up the road a little is the place you’re going to have dinner.

What is more golf than Caddyshack? And where else would you rather have dinner on a golf trip than Caddyshack Restaurant? Proprietor Lance Trent will take excellent care of your group but watch him….he’s a 1 handicap on the course as well as the kitchen…the problem is he wants 2 a side.

Warning: Under no circumstances are you to invite him to fill in for “Blister”…the cat that just can’t help himself and buys new golf shoes the night before the trip.

Have I given you a cheap golf trip? No, but what I’ve described to you here is as good a trip from a quality and value for the money standpoint you can take anywhere in the country.

The crabcake tip alone is worth the time you’ve spent.

Private clubs of note if you can gain access are Wachesaw CC, a very high quality Fazio and The Dunes Club, Robert Trent Jones, opened in the forties, and one of Myrtle Beach’s absolute best.

Categories: Food · Myrtle Beach · Travel

The Best Vacations In Golf

August 15, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Every year about this time the phone starts ringing asking for advice on a golf vacation.

So in the interest of expediency, and just plain fun, your friendly trip buddy will attempt to put together a 4-day itinerary for the places he knows best…including the best milk shake, oysters, calamari, and late closing liquor stores.

For the well connected also included will be the private clubs in the area which are, if you can get access, don’t miss. Otherwise, all entries will be lid-slammin’ specials…of the upscale variety of course.

Trips in no order will be:

Myrtle Beach

Hilton Head

Pinehurst

Sea Island

Charleston

Virginia

Oregon

So watch this space for the first installment.

Categories: Travel

Road Trips

July 5, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Occasionally life will throw you a little bone…you and I just miss it most of the time…here’s one I didn’t.

About three months ago my pals Leon and Andy and I were sitting around talking about Pinehurst, golf, and whatever else when an idea was hatched.

I was telling them about my idea of getting an RV and staying there for the 2005 US Open at Pinehurst #2.

I sent my money in as directed for the lottery by a woman who runs the park who could only be described as “exact”…but alas, even though I followed all of her rules, I didn’t win…you have to believe the only time you could lose the lottery for a spot in an RV park would be around the US Open…oh well.

On to the idea…the U.S. Women’s Open was to be played at Pine Needles in neighboring Southern Pines at the end of June…why not give this idea another shot? We’ll get a spot at the park, cook a few steaks, play a little golf, and watch the women play one of the best courses in America…this was either brilliant or stupid as hell, only time would tell.

Leon asked if his Dad could come. He loves golf, had never played in Pinehurst, and, best of all, he owns an RV.

So off we went…Andy, Leon, Leon Sr., and me. Leon Sr. is a delight…the kind of guy who’s every tool is in it’s place in his garage…the American flag rippling in his yard 365. His nickname is “The Frog” because the worse the weather, the better he plays.

The RV wasn’t quite big enough for all of us…it was one bed short. The campsite was a little cramped…but we made due.

That was the worst of it though…we woke up Thursday, had a big breakfast at Mac’s Anytime and

then mosied #2 in the afternoon with caddies….from there we retreated to the park for some big ribeyes and a good sleep.

Friday it was #8…no breakfast this time because the tadpole (Leon Jr ) needed an hour or so to Zen his way into the round…no worries, there are very few places I’d rather hang out than the range at The Ocho.

We were cruising along just fine (meaning I was 8 over) when I hit my drive on # 11 into a grove of trees and directly behind a birdhouse.

“Back up biggin‘, this could come back at us” was my warning to Andy.

The next two sounds I heard I’ll never forget…first that high pitched noise a cart makes in reverse, then a mighty crash as it hit a pine tree at about 80 mph.

After we put the windshield that flew off back on and picked up the sunscreen, coke cans, tees, balls, headcovers, towels, and the Skycaddie that went flying we were on our way.

You’ve been on a roadtrip and one thing never fails…you WILL come out of it with a nickname, or several.

So Andy “Big Pine” was born on the 11th fairway that day.

Over to the tournament for a few minutes until the weather horn blew. Grace Park was eyeballin‘ Big Pine…at least that’s what he claims.

Of course we had dinner at the Pine Crest Inn , superb, and home the next morning.

Road trips are necessary, one of the very best things in the ancient game…plus I got to see Leon and his Dad spend a few special moments together…and a thousand laughs with my buds.

What’s better than that? Nothing that’s what.

Yes, life throws you a bone now and again…we all just need to slow down a little so we can catch it.

Categories: Dads · Pinehurst · Travel

The Best In Golf