WE TEAM UP WITH FRIENDS IN THE DONEGAL LINKS CLASSIC

Our 2012 Irish trip  concluded with a competitive event which I found on the internet. The Donegal Links Classic is played in early June over three classic links in Donegal:  Rosapenna's Sandy Hills links, Portsalon, and Ballyliffin's  Old Links. The event required that we field a team of four players. Scores would be kept by the stableford method for the team and individually. But where to find two other players to comprise our team in this far-away land?  We called upon golfing friends Derek Guthrie and Pauline Mackie. We came to know them in another event, the Carnoustie Country Classic, some years before. And Derek and Pauline subsequently hosted  us at their home club in the Midlands of England, Burton-on-Trent Golf Club. Derek,  a  Ayrshire, Scotland  born and bred former rugby stalwart. is a fellow  of delightful   wit. He  plays off   a very capable 7 handicap. The winsome Pauline plays off a  solid 15 and she more than  matches   Derek's  repartee. We were most pleased when  they agreed to take their caravan (we would call it an  RV) across the Irish Sea and meet us for the competition. It was like old times  reuniting with Derek and Pauline at Ballyliffin's Glashedy links where we played a practice round together, and lifted a couple of pints thereafter. They elected to overnight in their caravan while we stayed at an inn in Letterkenny which was midway between the three golf clubs.  The tournament itself was a bargain!  Our entry fee was 100 euro apiece for three rounds at great courses plus a tournament awards dinner! This is  an  example of how playing in competitions in the U.K. and  the Republic of Ireland can minimize your cost of golf. Our team finished  middle of the pack. Lisa was our star finishing with 36 points at Portsalon and 37 at Ballyliffin. My best effort in the event was   a 78 at Ballyliffin's Old Links. It should have been several shots less.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Derek, Pauline and Bill-Ballyliffin

                Bill eyes his approach at Ballyliffin





















                                                             The Old Links                               















Lisa, Bill, Derek, and Pauline congratulate Rory                                                                                       
                                                                                           
              
























    

BAYSHORE MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE- THE PRICE IS RIGHT!

                                 Typical bunker at Bayshore Municipal


Since their marriage in 2001,  my daughter Hadley and son-in-law Yannick have resided  in Miami Beach's  South Beach in the Bayshore area not far from the posh Miami Beach Golf Club and the bustle of 41st Street. When I first visited Hadley at her home, we would  walk  her Doberman "Atlas"  to a nearby parkland area featuring  immense banyan trees where he frolicked with other dogs.  But this was no ordinary park!  It  was the home of the Bayshore Municipal Golf Course- a sporty 9 hole par 3.  It was not well kept in 2001. I would  charitably describe the condition of the greens at that time  as  shaggy,  and weeds prevailed in  the bunkers.  The City of Miami Beach exhibited  little interest in maximizing the revenue from the par 3.  Rarely  would  a city employee man the humble  hut at the Prairie Avenue  entrance  to collect greens fees.   Despite the shortcomings of the layout,  I enjoyed   sneaking in  some quick  practice when walking the dog, and I can recall paying to play only once.  On my periodic visits to Miami Beach ,  I would always look forward to checking out Bayshore Muni.  However, every year the course deteriorated further. The greens became completely unputtable, and I would have to  hole out   using my wedge.  Worse yet,  development nibbled around the edges of the golf course. Expanded facilities of an adjacent  youth center and school  resulted in the loss of two of the holes on the course's periphery around 2005. Collection of greens fees ceased altogether.  My understanding is that the only reason the derelict course still existed  is that  a condition of the  grant of the land to the City is that  it must be used as a golf course. Otherwise, title would  revert to the descendants of the grantor.  When visiting this Christmas season,  Lisa and I grabbed a couple of clubs and took the traditional  dog walk  up Royal Palm Avenue from Hadley's house to the old par 3 muni. This time, however, it was   our corgi pup   "Angus" who accompanied us  (Hadley's wonderful canine Atlas has gone on to doggy heaven).  I was sad to discover  that a third  hole of the original nine (and my favorite on the course) had been lost to the youth center.   Lisa and I  batted a couple  balls  around the remaining 6 holes while Angus cavorted in the bunkers and banyans.  Lisa had some misgivings regarding the value of chipping and pitching  on holes so poorly maintained. But after a round the next day on a full 18 hole course, she acknowledged  that her  short game practice at Bayshore helped.  For me, trying to hole the ball with a wedge on unkempt greens harkens me back to my youth when I wedge-putted to a hole I had planted in our  backyard.  I played to that hole from 9 different tees from various distances from all over the neighborhood. This helped me acquire   versatility  with my wedge  which unfortunately time has taken away.  So Bayshore is still golf, and its still fun. (And for now at least, its free!) When I stood on the 180 yard first hole and eyed  the green, I was still excited about the challenge of trying to hit a green   well guarded by a yawning (though unmaintained) bunker.

So golf continues  on in a fashion at Bayshore among the dogs and kite-fliers. Golf has been played there since 1940.  Well known player and architect Bruce Devlin has his name on the  redesign of the course which occurred several decades ago.  The city has considered various plans for fixing the place up, but the multi-million dollar price tag has so far discouraged such efforts. I don't know what the future holds for this little course, but I was heartened to see several city workers tidying up a couple of  the bunkers later on in our stay.

                                        Daughter Hadley holds the pin

LISA CARDS AN ACE! BILL TAKES CREDIT!

Lisa and I  did not anticipate playing much golf on our recent winter holiday to Miami and Key West. Our corgi dog Angus traveled with us, and we were visiting family (Hadley and Yannick in Miami) and friends (Tom and Terese Houle in Key West) who were not going to be playing. But we took our clubs along "just in case." Tuesday, December 27th dawned  bright and sunny though a mite cool for south Florida-  in other words perfect golf weather!  I checked out the Key West Golf Club website and was surprised to learn  that the famed  Rees Jones had designed the layout. Also getting my attention was the site's description of its "infamous  'Mangrove Hole'  (143 yards, par 3) that is played completely over a field of thickly intertwined tropical mangroves."  So I convinced Lisa that we should give the course a try. The club paired us with John,  retired Air Force and only an occasional golfer.  We found the course to be an attractive challenge and I mentioned this to John as we were putting out on the sixth hole. He smiled and remarked, "Wait 'till you get to 8- the Mangrove Hole! You won't believe it!" So it was with much trepidation that we approached the 8th tee. John had not exaggerated. The mangrove growth was such that the shot is semi-blind; only the pin was visible. The shot was all carry!  I teed off  first playing slightly downwind from a measured distance of 168 yards and though I could not see the result, I guessed that it might be on the right edge of the green  not far away. So now it was  24 handicapper Lisa's turn  to deal with the  intimidating mangrove. I measured her shot at 131 yards.  Lisa asked, "What about a 5 wood?" I  was concerned that  since the shot was all carry, that might not be enough club, and  told her so. She said, "OK, I'll hit driver."  Her bypassing the 3 wood  was no surprise because it is not her favorite club.  However,   driver was   too much club.  But this shot is so scary that a player should pick  a club in which   he (or in this case she) has confidence. And the bunker behind the green (the likely repository if Lisa hit her driver cleanly) was certainly a preferred outcome to the thicket.  So driver it was. Because the Mangrove Hole presents such an interesting  and beautiful  challenge,  I elected to take a picture of   Lisa's shot as she  was going through the motions of her pre-shot routine. Fumbling with my I-phone (yes I finally got one at Lisa's behest in December)  I managed to click off a shot of Lisa's well- balanced follow-through. I looked up  in time to see her low bullet of a tee shot. Indeed, if you enlarge the picture below, you can actually see the  flight of the ball  just over the tree line. In the brief moment  I observed  the ball airborne, I could tell  that clearing the mangrove  would be a  close call. But Lisa  struck her screaming shot  with authority, and we were relieved  to see the  hard bounce of her Titleist on the far side. Now at that moment, my assumption was that the ball would careen  through the green and settle in the back bunker. Just then, the  resounding but unmistakable sound of a ball crashing into the flagstick reverberated  back to us at the tee.  But  the mangrove growth  hid sight of the ball's ricochet from our view. There seemed little hope that the ball could have settled near the hole, and indeed when we arrived at the green, it was nowhere to be seen. My assumption was that her Titleist  had caromed  into  the back bunker, but an inspection there revealed no ball!  I was disappointed to find my shot had landed  in the right-hand bunker- but still no sign of Lisa's ball!  Of course, when all else fails, CHECK THE HOLE! 

 Wonder of wonders, there it was- Lisa's first ace- a   truly astounding   shot on the signature hole of the southernmost golf course in the United States!  After hugging  John and me, she did the modern thing and  immediately commenced  texting her friends. Thus, she missed my sweet (though overshadowed)  bunker shot, which fittingly spun  in for a 2!  I couldn't wait to tell everyone that  "Lisa  made a hole-in-one, and  I photographed the actual shot- (certainly a rare occurrence).  I  clubbed her too!  Oh by the way,  I holed my  bunker shot after her ace." After hearing this account a number of times , Lisa , I think kiddingly, suggested  I was making the  hole-in-one  more about my involvement than her actual shot.  Well, I can't take the credit. After all,  it was Lisa who  hit this memorable blow,  and I am very proud of her.  I should add that she kept her composure, and went on to shoot a creditable 96.  Did I forget to tell you that it was my idea to play golf that day?

Lisa's ace; Key West G.C.

8th hole,` 131 yards

driver 

Fun facts about the Case family aces:

(1)  we have made three between us, all with our spouse looking on;

(2) all of our aces have been on public courses (no buying drinks) even though most of our golf is played at private courses;

(3) two were on courses we had never played before, the third was on a course we had played only once;  (4) two of the three aces were holed  in Florida even though 95% of our golf is played in Ohio.