I got back about a week ago from vacation in Savannah, Georgia. This was a family vacation so the focus wasn’t golf but I was sure to get in a few rounds while there. We drive down on Friday, July 10 and stopped in Hardeeville, SC. We were going to be staying with a friend and he still had guests so I got a room just short of Savannah. This allowed us to make a short trip over to Hilton Head for dinner at one of our favorite places there called Marley’s Island Grill. I highly recommend the Jerk Chicken. Last winter I had gotten a tee time at Harbour Town but I canceled it two months ago because it would be $250 for the round. I’ll play there sometime but I didn’t want to spend that money for one round on this trip. I was having serious second thoughts when we were there.

On Saturday we drove on down to Savannah. I’ve been dropping not so subtle hints to Amber that I need to get new irons. My current irons are Taylor Made SuperSteels circa 1999. Back then my swing was worse and I needed the regular flex, graphite shafts. Now I tend to spray my irons a little and I’m convinced steel shafts would help. Driving down I mentioned that there was an Edwin Watts Golf Store nearby and to my surprise she said I could go see what they had. When we got there I talked to the guys and decided to get a quick fit. Edwin Watts uses the Ping fitting system and I hit several different setups trying to dial in my specs. Besides the fact that they didn’t have the ones that fit me in stock, I want to hit different manufacturers on a real range as opposed to into a net. They had a launch monitor there but they didn’t use it on me. I know I can do better so ultimately I decided to wait. But I have permission so it will happen at some point.

After running some other errands we headed over to our friend’s house. His other guests were still there so, having no plans for the rest of the day, I decided to get my first round in. I drove over to the Wilmington Island Club and surprisingly I walked right on. The course was a little tight in places and still a little wet from rains the night before. Overall it was a pretty little course and a good start to the week. I shot 85 from the tips (6,715 yards) with the round talking only three hours to complete.

On Sunday we drove down to St. Augustine, Florida. I had held out hope that I could convince everyone else that we should stop by the World Golf Hall of Fame but I was out voted. Next time there will be no vote. Next time I will also cash in my canceled round at Harbour Town and play a round at the TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course. Amber’s been warned.

Monday was a beach day and I didn’t get back out until Tuesday, when I got in at The Club at Savannah Harbor. This is where the Champions Tour plays the Legends of Golf in April. I really liked this course but I played the second longest tees and from some tee boxes you literally cannot see the fairway. Under the circumstances I didn’t do that bad. I shot a 90 from the gold tees (6,627 yards) and I was fairly happy with it. Having played it now I’m sure I could do better.

Wednesday we spend on River Street and around old Savannah. I got back out again on Thursday at Henderson Golf Club. I brought Alyssa along although she only played two holes. Again, I played pretty well and really think I could have done better if I’d known the course layout. I decided to play the tips (6,650 yards) again this time and ended up with an 84. The course was definitely a step down from both the other courses, but it was in decent shape. I do wish they had a course diagram available so I would’ve known where things were and what hazards were ahead. But it was cheaper and sometimes you get what you pay for.

We came back on Saturday so I had no more chance to play down there. I got out this past Tuesday at Heritage Hunt with Alyssa riding along. I didn’t feel comfortable the whole day but I somehow squeezed out an 85. They were having a tournament Friday so I decided to go over to Winchester to play with my father-in-law. He’s been trying to get me to play Rock Harbor for about a year now and today seemed like the best chance. The course is very hilly and I don’t think it’s one I’d want to walk. It’s an odd layout with the paths crossing each other several times. It’s very pretty and give a good challenge, especially if you don’t like water. Since I wasn’t by myself we played the white tees with measure 6,265 yards. I played well and hit several good shots. I had two birdies and bunch of pars and bogeys and one double. That double irritated me because it was on a par-3 that played 185 yards. I had the only shot that hit the green but when we got up the hill I had run through and into a bunker. The pin was back, the green sloped away from me and I had very little room to land the ball from the sand, so it rolled down to the edge of the green at the bottom. I three putted for a five. It was that double that cost me my first round in the 70’s because I shot 80. But, hey, I was playing golf. I really can’t complain.

I’ve been enjoying Heritage Hunt the last month or so. One problem I’ve had however is that I usually play golf on Fridays. Every Friday in the month of June is booked for a tournament and I can’t get on my own club’s course. Last Friday (the 5th) they offered to get me a reciprocal round at Bristow Manor but it rained heavily the whole day, so I canceled it. I did get out on Sunday and ended up shooting my lowest round ever, an 80. And that 80 could have been lower had I not lipped a couple of birdie putts. The best part was that I had a witness (glad you were there Robert). On Monday I tried to get out again in the afternoon, but as happens on Fridays, they were booked with a tournament. I did request another reciprocal round somewhere for the 12th but it never materialized and I was left trying to find my own game somewhere.

I called out to a few courses that I’ve never played (Jackson’s Chase and Blue Ridge Shadows) but neither had any openings when I wanted them. I then got a time at Prince William Golf Course, the same municipal course that I played on my wedding day. While driving to the course I received an email on my iPhone from another friend. He was inviting me to play Robert Trent Jones Golf Club with him and a couple of his friends. I immediately canceled my time at Prince William in favor of RTJ.

I’ve been to RTJ once before to watch the pros play in the President’s Cup back in 2005. The course is a wonderful layout and the service and staff are exceptional. I arrived at the valet and got myself settled. They took my clubs and I went to the shop to find my friend. After greeting him we went back out and our clubs were on a cart for the ride to the range. Once the warmup was complete we drove back to the club house and met our caddies. Yes, I said caddies. I’ve never had a caddy before and I must admit I was a bit intimidated by the thought of playing golf in front of so many people I don’t know. I really wanted to play well and not embarrass myself or my friend for inviting me along. To make matters more difficult we played from tees that measured 7010 yards. The course was in unbelievable shape. The fairways were perfect and the greens immaculate. I don’t think I played too poorly under the circumstances. The greens were running about 12 on the stimp (according to my caddy). It took awhile to feel comfortable on them and I averaged 2.4 putts per hole on the front and I shot 48. By the back I was getting much more comfortable with the guys and my game improved somewhat. I hit more fairways and cut my putts to 1.8 per hole. I shot 43 on the back and ended with a 91. The rating and slope for those tees was 74.0 and 141, which is the hardest course I’ve played in quite some time. I was pretty happy with the 91 and I felt that I didn’t embarrass myself too bad. I got quite a thrill out of playing where the pros have played being treated so well by everyone involved. In short, I loved every minute of it and I hope to make it back out sometime. I can’t thank my friend enough for giving me to chance to have that experience. I could really get used to it.

OK, it’s been a couple of months since I posted anything here. I’ve not stopped playing golf during this time. My club, Virginia Oaks, sent out an email telling the members that they were increasing our dues, because of the economy. I realize that everyone is hurting but I’d just been looking at my golfing history to see if I was getting my money’s worth out of the membership. Based on the number of rounds that I played at Virginia Oaks over the last 13 months, I was only ahead by $250 or so over what I would’ve payed if I was a VGC member (discounted fees) versus a full member. While the rate increase was only $15 per month, that becomes $180 a year and significantly impacts my savings. Couple that with the facts that rounds can be slow and crowded and daily fee players can sometimes be less than gentle with the course, I decided to pursue other options. I checked around and another course, Heritage Hunt, had dropped their membership fees to exactly what I had been paying at Virginia Oaks. I tried the course out on a Tuesday afternoon and I shot 85 from their second longest tees. Where do I sign?

Golf is odd in many ways. Heritage Hunt is located in Gainesville, Virginia in a retirement community. Anyone can be a member of the golf club. I’ve found that I’m definitely on the younger end of the membership base however. The next two rounds I played there were from the middle tees since that’s where my playing partners wanted to play. Those tee can get you into a lot of trouble because the hazards are in play more and I can hit into, or through, the trouble. It caused me to hit clubs off the tee that I’m just not used to using. Because of that the next two rounds were more of an average 95 and 92. The fourth round there was last Friday and the forecast was for rain and possible thunderstorms. I decided to walk and play the longer tees again. I felt good and kept a great speed for the whole round. It showed in my score because I shot my best round of the year with an 82. On Saturday I played with my father and father-in-law. It was back to the middles and I again was in the 90’s with a 91. The end of that round was hurried though as there was an electrical storm blowing in.

Today, Friday, I went back for a round at Virginia Oaks because I waited too long to get a good tee time at Heritage Hunt. The course was packed and the round took five hours. I played pretty consistently and ended with an 86, even though I had three double-bogeys. It was nice seeing the people who work there again but I don’t miss the patrons. On number nine we had to drive to the green to tell two people to get off so we could hit. They apparently thought it was a practice green. I have to wonder how many practice greens have one hole and a big flag stick. In comparison, the people at Heritage Hunt may be older but they keep their balls in play and they move. I suppose they need to get finished so they can go for the early bird specials. Heritage Hunt’s lack of a daily fee probably helps too. You’re either a partial or full member so it’s technically private. I certainly can see the benefits.

As you can tell I’m still playing at least once a week. My handicap should improve a little with the scores I’ve been shooting. More importantly, I’m still having a great time. Now, I need to get more of my friends out.