Misled by Google Maps. Again. Were we any wiser we would??ve purchased a GPS device for our car back in San Fran. But like most things we decided we could wing it ?? and today our Kiwi ??she??ll be ??right? mentality came unstuck. 20 minutes late. Thankfully our playing partners were patient men, and we got away just fine in the end.
A fine chap by the name of Jason Bruno contacted us about a month ago upon hearing of our odyssey. He??s an avid golfer and writes his own blog, which is worth a read. Jason suggested we catch up for a couple of days in Florida, and he was even kind enough to arrange a couple of games of golf for us (today being the first, at Coore & Crenshaw??s first Florida build, Sugarloaf Mountain). He also brought up another 5 guys to make up a couple of 4 balls; they drove right up from Palm Beach, where they all work together. Good bunch of lads.
Dodgy dam near overheated on the drive up the mountain (which is not much of a mountain ?? although it??s the second highest point in the State). He was as stressed as we were (hate being late for tee times). And it was about 90 degrees, without a breath of wind. One word: sweat.
The elder statesmen of the party teed off first into the valley. Jason joined us, along with the Young Gun aspiring pro Mike. Mike??s off a +5 handicap and plays events around the traps ?? including the upcoming Florida State Amateur at Bay Hill. The boy can play (although on this scorcher he didn??t play his best golf). At 20-years-old he??s got a promising future, I imagine. While the rest of us were having a sandwich in the shed after the golf, he was out on the range hitting balls trying to correct the mistakes of the morning round. That??s where he and I are poles apart!
The course itself oozes character. Not the sort of layout you??d expect to find in Florida ?? very rustic, almost shabby (which may have something to do with the fact that they??re struggling financially). Originally (say 3 or 4 years ago), the idea was to build a high profile golf course ?? with high profile investors ?? and build a salubrious settlement bordering the course or nearby. Then the bankers in New York made a hash of things; and a few dodgy credit swaps later the grand idea was cut down to size. The result is an intriguing design on a charming piece of land, and an overarching impression of neglect. As I said, rustic.
The cart paths are death traps; some of the bunkers don??t have rakes; the greens were a little inconsistent and pretty sluggish; and the ??clubhouse? looks like a temporary job. All that said, we really enjoyed ourselves. A creative design; some great views; and good company.
The Golf Channel came out too. Ryan and his cameraman John were gentlemen. They filmed and chatted to us on the way ??round, then did a 40 minute interview afterwards that??ll be cut to about 3 before it airs on Sunday night (6pm Eastern Time). I??m not sure what they made of us and our unorthodox project, but we enjoyed having them along for the ride. In fact they??re coming out again on Monday, to do a shoot up at Hilton Head (where we??ll be playing the best 18 holes they have on the island, each from a different course, ending on 18 at Harbour Town). All in good fun.
Jase & his mate Tony Zambos stayed on for the evening while the others set sail for Palm Beach. The four of us crawled across town in Orlando traffic to Tony??s brother??s place in Titusville. Boy was I pleased to find the air conditioned comfort of John??s home! After 8 hours of solid perspiration, my clothes had changed colour.
John, who??s an abdominal surgeon (and a bit of a character, it must be said), very kindly treated us to a steak dinner at the local country club (La Cita, which we??re playing in the morning). And we had our first Key Lime Pie experience. A bit sweet for me.
All said and done, a quality day with some quality people. Looking forward to spending more time with these jokers tomorrow, although hopefully the temperature guage drops a notch or two ?? I??m not built for this heat!
JP
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Chisholm Park
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