It's a Small World in Orlando

When recently travelling through Orlando to play golf, John and The Blogette stopped by one of his favorite golf stores in the area - America's Golf Clearance Outlet, located at 5552 International Drive.  A new set of irons and possibly a putter were on the shopping list since John has been looking for a remedy for his ailing golf game.  Before getting too serious, we noticed a huge selection of great shirts, shoes, and other equipment.  Making his way over to the clubs, John spotted a set of irons that caught his eye.  Sales  rep Tom Anderson approached, and it was obvious that he had a wealth of knowledge to share.  Originally from Minnesota, Tom has been a member of the PGA of America for 30-plus years, and is also a teaching pro for Orlando area golfers.  It was clear to us that Tom has been in the golf industry for some time.  He knows details about grips and shafts, as well as the golf swing itself.  While discussing problems with John's golf game, Tom gave him a few much-needed putting tips.  As we engaged him in conversation, we found out that his wife Patti is the office manager at The Golf Channel.  Later, we drove over to their nearby studios, and discovered that tours are given on Tuesdays and Thursdays only between 9:00 and 1:00.  This will have to wait for future visit, since we weren't there on the right day or time.  John purchased the clubs, and after testing them out during a couple of rounds, he is sure glad he took the advice of a PGA professional in getting the proper fit.

PGA pro Tom Anderson

On down the street, a "Golf Outlet" sign got our attention.  Inside, we met Matt Reese, one of the three "Golf Fellas" who started this superstore.  Ryan Green originally started the business out of his garage with his two buddies, Matt (pictured below) and Jason Caperelli.  When the garage became too full for Ryan's wife to tolerate, they moved into a store of their own.  Part of their story involves travelling the country to get a perspective on the needs of the average golfer, and to do that they took their equipment on the road.  Matt told us that they had been to Columbia a few years ago in an effort to clean out that garage!  They say they don't sell anything they would not wear or hit themselves, and we found their merchandise to be top-rate with good deals on prices.  You can click here to find out more about their background, and to order merchandise from their website:  http://www.thegolffellas.com/

Behind this story are two great guys that we discovered when we shopped Orlando for golf goodies.  They took different paths to get to the same street - one by being a PGA professional and the other by being a creative entrepreneur.  The hidden connection between these two guys is that Matt caddied for Tom when Tom tried to qualify for The Champions Tour five years ago.  Apparently, around Disney it is a small world after all!!

Thoughts on Father's Day - Part 1

Aaaaah June!  Thoughts of trips to the beach, grilling out, putting on the practice green until 8:30 pm, and grads and dads.  Grads and Dads?  Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!  Grads – full of youthful enthusiasm and the optimistic energy of “I can take on the world” vs. Dads – dodging chores, popping a beer and watching the ball game, falling asleep with the clicker in hand, and the cynical outlook of “I have seen the world and I know it better than you”.  The Blogette’s dad was a cross between Archie Bunker and Happy Days’ Mr. Cunningham.  He was stubborn and smart, methodical and thoughtful.  My sister and I called him the Old Fart – not very respectful, I admit.  I don’t remember what happened the day we were brave enough to say it to his face, but he laughed and agreed, and referred to himself that way on certain occasions after that.  My dad taught me almost everything I know about golf.  He showed me the ropes from a young age.  He taught me how to hold a club, how to fix a ball mark (but not a spike mark until after putting), and how to respect someone else’s lie by not tromping around on it.  He once told my pouting 13-year-old self that I was a pain in the ass.  He was right.  Golfers don’t succeed by pouting, and it did cause me to buckle down and work harder just to show him I could.  At 23, I knew the Rules of Golf better than others in the Ladies Association, but I showed them the respect due to them because they had been there longer than I had.  That’s the way I was taught.  Maybe Dads are not so far from grads, but their diplomas are from the School of Life.  What did your dad teach you? Maybe you were one of the lucky ones, like I was.  At any rate, I’ll bet your dad rescued you too many times to count.  Flat tire?  Dad was a phone call away.  Moving day?  Dad carried those boxes.  Lost the match or the game?  Dad was still proud. The lesson for us is to respect the wisdom of experience whether you are a dad or not, whether you had a good dad or a less-than-perfect one, there is always something to learn from those Old Farts.  My dad loved the old-timers of golf.  As we watched tournaments together, I was always rooting for the young blonde stars like Ben Crenshaw, Hal Sutton, or Greg Norman.  My dad would grin knowingly and refer to the likes of Ray Floyd, saying “Don’t count the old man out!” And on June 15, 1986, on Father’s Day, that “old man” was the oldest player ever to win the U. S. Open at Shinnecock Hills.  Floyd is one of only two players to win official PGA Tour events in four different decades (along with Sam Snead). He played on 8 Ryder Cup teams, and was the oldest player ever to compete in that event at age 51.  He earned 3 points for Team USA that year (1993).  I think my dad knew something I didn’t.  You can’t ignore the education that comes with age.

Thoughts on Father's Day - Part 2

Talk about a character!  Ken Beckman was one of those.  Known as “Kenny” by his railroading buddies, and as “Kem” by his lovely wife, he was a natural athlete, a turtle hunter, a card player, and yes – a colorful personality.  His life was changed one fateful day when he was struck by a train in a railroading accident that took both of his legs, but not his life.  The Director grew up with this man as his role model.  This father with no legs started Little League baseball in his small Hoosier hometown, and played catch for hours with his young son who became a talented athlete.  This father didn’t play golf – never picked up a club in fact. However, his example teaches many lessons of the game.  From him, we can all learn lessons about perseverance, keeping your sense of humor, finding a way to be a winner and overcoming the odds.  If you visited his home long enough to require a restroom break, he would ask you to leave a quarter for the privilege.  He didn’t say goodbye as you headed out the door…He told you to “keep your tailgate up!”  This father instilled the notion that practice makes perfect in his son at an early age. The Director actually finds joy in practice.  He delights in hitting balls in the hot sun and picking them up, only to do it all over again.  He reminisces about his younger days “beating balls” until he had bloody blisters on his hands, grooving a swing that would stand up for years to come.  This brings to mind the story of another golfer who practiced at the age of 8 with a rusty club near Texas cotton fields in the hot sun. As a young caddie, he would hit 300 balls a day.  Lee Trevino nearly lost his life when he was struck by lightning in the midst of a successful career.  Lightning was no match for this man who had struggled to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour.  He had taken Jack Nicklaus to an 18-hole play-off to win the 1971 US Open, and followed that up with the Canadian Open and British Open titles in the next 20 days.  Lee Trevino knows something about having heart and character.  He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average in 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1974.  Then the lightning struck in 1975, followed by surgery and back pain.  He considered quitting, but his wife told him “Those clubs don’t know how old you are.”  Trevino found a way to be a champion again, and won the Vardon Trophy again in 1980.  Lee Trevino never knew his father.  The Director knew his father, and knows he is a better person for it.  As long as I can remember, he has encouraged people to show appreciation for their families.  For Father’s Day, he would tell anyone he meets to remember to get in touch with their father while they still can.  Ken wouldn’t want us to be sad in his absence.  He would want us to keep the tailgate up.

A Beautiful Day at Spring Valley CC

The view of Spring Valley's clubhouse from behind the 16th green is only one of the beautiful views on the course.  On this particular day, it was nothing but sunshine and blue skies.  Looking back and towards the left, you can see the tee of the par three 16th hole (192 yards).  This is The Invitational's signature hole, and you better be ready to hit it between the pines and over the water.  To the right of the tee, you can see the two sand traps that guard the 15th green.  There is no doubt that the pin placement here will be challenging on tournament day.