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Playing Palatka GC, a Donald Ross Gem, to start the New Year of 2025!

January 10, 2025 By admin

My First NEFSGA Golf Tournament of the Year 2025!

And it was a Classic, at least the golf course was! The 1925 Donald Ross Designed Palatka Golf Club in Palatka, Florida! NEFSGA—Northeast Florida Senior Golf Association!

It was a Day of Images, Thoughts, and Joy for me but not a day of good golf! I guess I just get too excited and distracted at times! Santa, aka my Amazing, Beautiful, Captivating et al all the way to Zestful Life Partner Barb, brought me a Range Finder which was awesome. First One Ever and quite the addition to my golf portfolio!

First Picture Image of Many Today—The Arriving Picture was one of Peace, Beauty and the History of Tradition of the Game! This is my type of golf course! Donald Ross leads me to A.A. Tillinghast who designed the Binghamton Country Club in 1921. Palatka GC is a muni like my beloved childhood Ely Park Golf Course in Binghamton, NY. I was home for the day with my NEFSGA friends!

I went into the Pro Shop to say hello to the pros and take pictures to document any memorabilia found there within. With a warm welcome from the GM Andy Heartz and Head Golf Pro Joe Mosley I received permission to go behind the bar, I mean desk, to get a closeup of the mounted hickory-shaft golf club. I liked the historic pictures of the golf course, inscribed and autographed John Daly pics and my Golfing Friends Larry, Curly, and Moe.

As our conversation ensued, the two Andy’s realized we had a common friend in Kevin, the son of Bob Drum, the famous golf writer from Pittsburg, PA who chronicled Arnold Palmer’s triumph over Ross and Tillinghast golf courses. Well, most, but not all as Palmer once played Binghamton CC while in town competing in the B.C. Open at En Joie GC… well he didn’t enjoy the putting up so much up on the hillside course. Anyhow, today was the day to meet Andy the Pro and recall Kevin from a golf writer’s trip to Mississippi, the True North. On any golf fam (short for familiarization and free) trip, acquaintances become friends, so instead of just recalling we decided (or I did) to call Kevin on the spur of the moment, or in this case, we teed it up in the shop, like Shooter McGavin. My contact phone number was disconnected as Mississippi was 10 years ago! The other Andy called Kevin and we had a nice catch-up chat with plans to meet at the PGA Show in Orlando in a couple of weeks. As the Golf World Turns…

NEFSGA, what a golf organization that is well-managed, operated efficiently, and just a lot of fun for us now ‘Old-Timers,’ male and female! I made my $5 investments, or as the day would prove, donations to my good friends! Having taken notes at our December Rendezvous I now knew what the Blind Bogey Game was all about but grossly underestimated the Ross Challenge and/or grossly overestimated my golfing abilities after the holiday layoff. Oh well, that’s Life and my Life is Well-Played my o matter the score!

Second Image—the American Flag at Half Staff for our 39^th President Jimmy Carter who lived to be 100 years old. I don’ think he ever golfed a round in his life but as a president and a man he was an Inspiration to me my adult life through and ongoing. He did what was right, the means by which his character dictated, no matter the short-term ends or results, relying on, and honoring God’s Will to make it Right. Jimmy Carter was a Blessing to The World and Our Country. By the way, I think the Putter Boy Statue by the practice putting green looks like Jimmy! Maybe he will have Time to take up golf in Heaven Above!

First Good Experience of Few Today—utilizing my new Range Finder on my first hole- the par-5 10^th. Driver and 3-wood left me with exactly 54 yards to the hole, not the center of the green. I pulled out my trust Ben Hogan Equalizer, the modern one, not the one from my first set of used golf clubs back in the late 1960s. With the number 54 in my head I hit a nice pitch to 21 feet. No I do not use the Range Finder on my putts but do step off the distance of my putts. Though I missed, I was not Blind and I did not Bogey the first hole, I parred it.

First Mental Mistake of Many Today—I took notice of the Ol’ Donald Ross bunker that laid across the back of the green. Hidden and very tight to the back hole location, one knows a Donald Ross Design by its bunkering. Visible Bunkers guarding the green I front and hidden ones behind to catch the unknowing. I went on to the second hole with my newfound confidence of my secret weapon—the Range Finder. Unfortunately, my old skill level was not lost for the remaining 17 holes.

First Mental Mistake of Many Today—I forgot that Donald Ross was more than bunkering—he is the King of Doglegs! Right, Left, Straight with Cross Bunkers! No. 11 at Palatka, my second hole of the day, is a gentle dogleg right, about 30 degrees versus the 45 or dreaded sharp turned 90-degree dog leg. I aimed center, hit it slightly right, and then recalled that it is always best to be on the outside side of a dogleg. Had I hit it down the middle I would have been alright but just a few feet into the rough on the right side, I was totally blocked out by one of those gorgeous Florida Live Oak Trees, as big as Texas, where hence I believe they came from in pursuit of the pretty and thin palm trees. Pitched out, then chipped up and 2-putted for a bogey that was indeed blind in my mind!

Second Mental Mistake of Many Today—from the tee I began to admire the Ross Bunker immediately right of the par-3 third green. You know one of those Ross bunkers with the profile of a crashing wave, California, not Florida-sized wave. Huge, like where the sheep dug out their cave for the night on the Old Course in Scotland. With the beautifully designed bunker in my mind, of course, I hit my tee shot into the bunker, and that, my friend, is where Donald Ross began to beat me down for the day, on this day of recreation and camaraderie. Faced with a crashing range, the impossible elevation change, though with plenty of green, I enlisted in the Army and began my march to conquer Ross Country, which conquered me.

Third Mental Mistake of Many Today—On the 17^th green, my 8^th hole of the day, my pre-putt thought was that I was thankful for the Ross-Sized greens and that at least I was not going to 3-putt all day, if indeed I managed to hit a green with my approach shot or even chip onto it, once I was within range. True to my foretelling mind, I missed a short one and had my first of four 3-putts for the day. I hit only 5 greens for the day and took 38 putts to post a 92. I think all the Golf Gods were up in Georgia to pay their respect to Jimmy Carter who was not even a golfer though I professed to be one! And thank you Donald Ross.

PS: For the record it was calm for the first 3 holes but by the turn the wind was gusting to at least 15-20 MPH. Just saying…

Did I mention that I got off to a good start with a par on the first? The camaraderie was good but the golf was not. Greg, my cart mate, struggled but placed on the net payout. Sean made a 60-footer for par while Jim played well until somehow he thought that deserting his good short game and joining the Army with me was a good idea.

You gotta love the game of golf and I do! Thank you NEFSGA and all the folks who make it happen. Andy and Kevin, I look forward to seeing you at the PGA Show. Any leads on a good golf fam trip?

Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, Northeast Florida

2024 Demo Day, a Smashing Success!

February 5, 2024 By admin

Test for Sam

What a memorable Demo Day at the Orange County National Golf Center leading into the 2024 PGA Show! Missed last year 2023 due to left knee replacement. Here in 2022. Virtual in 2021 due to the Covid Pandemic. Seems like everything changes in the world but one thing that does not change is the fun and excitement of Demo Day!

Filed Under: Featured Products & Services

Good Golf & Good Fun at Stillwater!

January 28, 2023 By admin

Bobby Weed, Hampton Golf, and Lennar; what a winning combination!

Stillwater Golf & Country Club, the Newest Active Adult Community in St. Johns County, Florida!

Let’s tee it up, keep the water still and make some birdie putts along the way on this the new Bobby Weed Signature Design!

I loved Stillwater from the moment she opened her gates to me. With the silhouette of a golfer prominently displayed on the right side column of the entrance and knowing the work of Mr. Weed this creation will no doubt be an ode to the history and traditions of the game. This is the first golf course to be built in St. Johns County in ten years!

That was what I wrote in a Facebook post back in February, 2022 after attending and participating in a pre-opening Media Day. A day so designed to give the world a taste of what was coming on the course and off the course at Stillwater. I liked what I saw and tasted! The first nine was basically done! How educational and fun it was to drive around with Bobby Weed and get the inside scoop of his innovative design!

Only one thing could keep me away from the Grand Opening in August and that was a road trip north to my hometown to start a new chapter in my life. But I was back by late November and first on my list, of course, was to tee it up at Stillwater which I did on December 1^st!

Wow, Wow, Wow!!!

Bobby pointing out the subtleties of revetted bunker design as Garry Smits, longtime sports write for the Florida Times-Union captures the moment!

I remember how important it was for Mr. Weed to point out the use of recycled synthetic grass from athletic parks on the revetted bunkers. Quite natural looking for sure and good for our environment now and for future generations. I also remember how Bobby got down into the bunker green side on the par-3 second hole to point out that the wall of these bunkers slope away at the bottom so that golf balls will likely roll to a good lie albeit still in the bunker. Obviously a great benefit to the active and shall I say older, more mature, golfer like me at Stillwater!

I chuckled to myself while playing this Weed Masterpiece with no weeds in sight that he also sloped the fairway contours to these historic bunkers so that their engagement areas are in actuality much larger than the bunker itself. Also there is similar sloping towards the water hazards. A matter of appreciation in that it is there for all to see and quite fair and honorable. Thus play Stillwater with a historic appreciation to make your experience even more fun and enjoyable. One might not always get a member’s bounce but rest assured that nobody will be entrapped by any unfair design flaw at Stillwater!

Still I am quite sure that Mr. Weed smiles a bit just like Old Tom Morris did at the Old Course in St. Andrews back in the day when an unsuspecting golfer does not recognize the enormity of all that goes into the design of a great golf course!

Let’s tee it up, keep the water still, and make some birdie putts at Stillwater Golf & Country Club!

Take an aerial tour of the first six holes at Stillwater Golf & CC

No need to go to that other place, you know where, as Stillwater has Top Tracer in all its glory right there on the practice range adjacent to the first tee. Play your electronic games in reality as the trajectory and distance of every shot is measured. Practice made fun and even more fun with great food and a full-service bar. Upscale at every point of imagination is Stillwater and oh yes that humped practice putting green will give you a ‘Himalayas-like’ experience and well prepare your for your round!

Aerial by the AGTD Drone showing the TopTracer Driving Range to the right and the first fairway above.

In addition to the reuse of synthetic material for the nearly vertical faces of the bunkers, millions of gallons of water are being conserved through wise design choices such as specifying TifTuf bermuda grass fairways and incorporating non-irrigated areas. Aesthetically, the no-rough, all fairways cut with the contrasting centipede grass native areas looks very engaging and gives a framework to one’s impending golf shot, especially from the teeing grounds!

The crushed shell for cart paths take one back to the natural footpaths of St. Andrews where they say the game was first invented by sailors knocking around something round with a stick into rabbit holes on their way home from the docks to the village. Like the spongy grass lies in that part of the world, it seems most every lie at Stillwater is clean cut awaiting your swing and good contact of the golf club with the golf ball. Indeed the old is new and lovely to be enjoyed at Stillwater.

What an honor and privilege to spend a morning with Bobby Weed!

Another one of Weed’s modern design breakthroughs is the innovative routing at Stillwater. Sometimes we have time to play 18 holes, sometimes we do not! Tee off No. 1 and play 6, 15 or 18 holes. Or tee off No. 7 and play 9 holes through No. 15 or 12 holes through No.18. Or just tee off No. 16 and play the last 3 holes. Many options at Stillwater- play as you like—3,6,9,12,15, or 18 holes from and to the clubhouse area. With the permission of the starter, of course!

With a great golf course designed by Bobby Weed, expertly managed by Hampton Golf, and enveloped with spectacular homes built by Lennar. Stillwater Golf & Country Club is indeed a new playground that awaits her residents and those fortunate enough to visit as guests.

I want to be ‘bundled’ like the residents at Stillwater that have full access to the Golf Course and all the other amenities with the purchase of a new home. No additional cost. Bundle me please!

Right now, as of this posting in January, 2023, there is a special invitation to play Stillwater Golf & Country Club called “Be First to the Tee.” This great deal is only available for a limited time through Hampton Golf.

Play well and remember to let the waters remain still and make a few birdie putts along the way!

Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, East Coast Golf Journey Tagged With: Stillwater Golf & Country Club

Central Florida’s Sebring International Golf Resort is the Future of Golf!

February 3, 2021 By admin

Central Florida’s Sebring International Golf Resort is the Future of Golf!

Helmut ‘H3’ Wyzisk III is demonstrating the Future of Golf at the Sebring International Golf Resort!

Meet Helmut Wyzisk III, visit Sebring International Golf Resort, and play “The Twelve” and you can see, feel, and start to experience the Future of Golf!

Known as ‘H3,’ Wyzisk is a dynamic personality, the face of the Orlando family and the Signature H Property Group intent on transforming the 352-acre Sebring International property and in so doing be a showcase for where the game of golf is going—in terms of playing grounds, residential communities and golf tourist destinations, and additional amenities!

CLICK HERE for Video Interview with Helmut ‘H3’ Wyzisk.

The vision is all-encompassing—the transformation of a 45-hole property with so much room one can easily get lost—future residential and commercial development to complement the existing community of 4,500 people.—and future new amenities in terms of sports fields such as Boccee Ball, Shuffleboard, Pickleball to complement the new and present golf course called “The Twelve!”

The Twelve is a short course with front tees ranging from 43 to 101 yards and back tees ranging from 65 to 148 yards. The Twelve reminded me on The Nine at Augusta National Golf Club that hosts the annual Wednesday Par-3 contest to kickoff The Masters competition in most years, hopefully again this year in April 2021!

But The Twelve, unlike the Augusta short course, has some teeth in it courtesy of slopes on and around the greens and runoff areas. Don’t expect every ball hit on the green to come off the back or sideboard and roll into the hole. Bowl-like creampuff hole locations are limited! But as ‘H3’ says in the interview it is a lot of fun to play and there are some hole locations that are surely receptive to an ace! My first shot on the first hole ended up as a gimmie and I have the video and pics to prove it!

CLICK HERE to see Andy nearly ace the first hole on The Twelve!

The Twelve is a course for juniors to learn to play the game or maybe even have a first date on a warm leisurely evening when they crank up the outdoor sound system embedded throughout the course. Seniors will come out swinging to Frank Sinatra too! Play a round in an hour or play around and take a little bit more time between the strokes! This is relaxed, entertaining, and fun golf! Golfer—woman and men or mixed—trips take notice of the onsite lodging and be sure to have a drink with you while playing The Twelve to finish off any unfinished business from an earlier round of 9, 18, or 27 on the remaining Panther and Cougar holes.

So much has been done in such a short period of time since the purchase in 2019!

H3 sharing his vision from the high point of the ‘New Nine’ which is being reconfigured, changed, and upgraded!

Next time you Google Sebring Twelve, The Twelve Holes of Golf are as likely to come up as the Twelve Hours of Sebring on the nearby Sebring Raceway!

What is even more intriguing was the safari-like golf cart tour that took us past one particular large alligator as we seemingly went along all 17 miles of canals on the property to a very special ‘H3’ spot. Upon a high ground that surveys most the acreage, H3 pointed here and there to describe the new championship 9 holes that will be emerging from some of the current tees, fairways, and greens. It reminded me of when I toured the Olympic Golf Course with Gil Hanse and his Merry Man in early 2014. At the time it was a well-designed sand box. The new Sebring Nine is already green, already envisioned, and like The Twelve will become a reality sooner-or-later,

Our time at Sebring International was limited. I was intrigued of talk about the repositioning of a second clubhouse and nine holes for large-scale private parties and corporate events. I look forward to returning to see the Future of Golf as it emerges at Sebring International!

Here is some more background information from the Sebring Internationa l Golf Resort and Signature H websites:

As the resort enters a new chapter, it is being re-branded as the Sebring International Golf Resort. This new name provides the foundation to become the premier golf resort in Sebring, while attaining prominence through the US and internationally. The new logo reflects the natural property’s abundance of trees, waterways and paths. Additionally, the checkered accent pays homage to the impactful racing history established at the neighboring Sebring International Raceway.

Signature H Property Group formed a strategic partnership with XUDE Hospitality, lead by golf industry veterans Mike Miraglia and Jerry Moore, to manage resort operations. The XUDE team has a proven track record in revenue generation, membership growth, operating efficiency, construction and renovation in properties of all sizes – including golf courses, country clubs, resorts, hotels, and real estate developments.

Our fantastic golf courses – 27 holes of championship and the brand new 12-hole Short Course, The Grille and The Pub for your drinking and dining pleasure, the conveniently located villas where you can stay close to all the action, and our friendly staff all combine to make your experience here a memorable one.

Sebring International Golf Resort offers a wide selection of equipment and apparel to compliment your game. Stop by our fully stocked Pro Shop before or after your round and browse through our name brands.

Our friendly staff will help you make start times, rent golf carts, and register you and your guests before each round of golf. An excellent selection of merchandise is sold in the Pro Shop, and golf lessons are available. Contact the Pro Shop for assistance, or to make an appointment for lessons.

Sebring International Golf Resort offers a putting green and driving range for practicing before your round or honing your skills anytime when you are not on the course.

Sebring International Golf Resort has staff available for lessons. What better way to take your game to the next level this year? Make time to perfect your swing and improve your golf game today. Simply contact our Pro Shop to speak with our professional staff and schedule your lesson with our PGA Professional, Craig Bendall.

Weddings & Banquets–a buffet table is sets up for a banquet at Sebring International Golf Resort

Our team at Sebring International Golf Resort is committed to the success of your event. From the planning, implementation and final wrap-up, we are here to serve you. We offer a variety of complete hassle-free event packages to choose from or we will customize one to fit your specific needs.

Sebring International Golf Resort is a 27-hole (9 holes are under renovation) destination resort also including a 12-hole Short Course centrally located in Sebring, Florida.

We are conveniently located within 3 miles of Sebring International Raceway, Sebring Airport, and Lake Istokpoga; the 5th largest freshwater lake in the State of Florida. We are midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and equally close to Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Fort Myers, and the Palm Beaches. We currently feature the 18-hole Cougar Trail Golf Course.

A 12 hole Short Course opened in October 2020, as well as another 9-hole championship course currently under renovation. We offer villas with all the comforts of home, so you can stay where you play! Our travel experts are ready to help you plan an unforgettable golf trip.

Golf Packages can be arranged by contacting the Sebring International Golf Resort Villa Rental office. Our privately owned villas are all fully furnished 2 and 3 bedroom units with screened lanais, full kitchens, living rooms, and laundry facilities.

A variety of bedding configurations are available. Some units are also pet friendly. Our villas are within a half-mile of everything you need, The Grille, The Pub, The Pro Shop, driving range, putting green and the golf course.

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Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, East Coast Golf Journey, Featured Experiences, Featured Golf Resorts & Courses, Travel Golf

Play River Greens GC in Avon Park, Florida: The Heart of the Citrus Golf Trail!

December 9, 2020 By admin

Rodney Davis, Owner & Operator of the River Greens GC in Avon Park, Florida.

River Greens GC is one of those golf courses that when you play it, for all the right reasons, you know it is family owned and operated! Meticulously groomed, cared for and operated by the husband-wife team of Rodney and Lisa Davis this is one to play on the Citrus Golf Trail in Avon Park, Florida.

I enjoyed interviewing Rodney but have to admit he saved the day! After rolling in a grapefruit gimmie, he whipped out his jack knife to extract the grapefruit from the hole for me! A ‘Jack-of-All Trades,’ Rodney is one of those self-made successful Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!

Lisa Davis manages the golf shop and I am sure lots of other parts of the operation too!

Back in West Lafayette, Ohio Rodney and his brother had to convince their farmer father to build the first nine holes by first answering Dad’s first question—”What the hell is a golf course?” After building the first nine holes, it was evident the very next year that it was a success and another nine holes should be built instead of planting corn! A third nine was built up at the brother course in 1994. Enough said about the River Greens golf course in Ohio!

After the on-the-job experience of building 18 golf holes Rodney’s plan was to go to Penn State for Turf Grass. A wise professor assessed that he knew nearly as much as his graduating students and told him to walk out the door and never look back! He did just that and arrived in Florida at age 18!

The inaugural Citrus Golf Trail Open will be played December 2nd through the 5th, 2021! Register now!

He was wise enough to hire the pretty girl with pigtails to work in the pro shop and then even wiser to marry her! The golfers living 60 miles south of Disney in the Sebring—Avon Park—Lake Placid area and those smart enough to book a trip on the Citrus Golf Trail have benefited even since!

Just thinking how exciting it would be to compete in the inaugural 2021 Citrus Trail Open (December 2^nd to the 5^th, 2021) playing River Greens where the 3 of the last 4 holes are par-5s!

This is a link to the Rodney Davis River Greens interview.

Enjoy the pics! Go play River Greens as soon as possible!

This is a link to register for the Citrus Golf Trail Open!

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Filed Under: "Play-Write" Golf Courses, East Coast Golf Journey

Citrus Golf Trail; Fire Up a Sebring 12 Corvette and Hear Her Roar!

December 8, 2020 By admin

Admittedly I am not a muscle man or a muscle car man! Never been to a professional car race. Always a golf guy that got a thrill out of hitting a drive, iron, or putt on the sweet spot and seeing it fly true and straight on course or rolling true and straight on course before dropping in the hole! Sweet & solid, but rarely straight is what I am trying to say!

But then John Story, Senior Director for Marketing, Business Development & Communication for the Sebring International Raceway, home to the Sebring 12, let me sit in his Corvette and turn of the ignition! WOW! What power! Put me in John and let me race her around the track once or twice! Pretty Please!!!

CLICK HERE to Hear this Baby Get Fired up! Hear her Roar!!!

So I once was a passenger in a Corvette going around the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas (courtesy of a Gino business meeting) and we got her up to 187 miles an hour! The slope on the racetrack was amazing! More severe and gratefully more uniform than the slopes of that buried elephant on the 14^th green at Augusta National.

My second racing story has to do with Watkins Glen International, founded and organized in 1948 by Cameron Argetsinger, not far from my hometown of Binghamton, New York. My high school buddy Mark knew the “Judge,” Mr. Argetsinger’s eldest son, the retired judge J.C. Argetsinger. We spent the day at the International Motor Racing Research Center just talking with J.C. checking out the collections and watching some old videos!

What is most memorable of the day and the funniest thing to me is that at the end of the day J.C. suggested we take a ride around the old yet original 6.6-mile circuit that wind through the streets of Watkins Glen and out into the country a bit. Judge had a pick up truck and I had driven Mark so as fate would have it there I am driving the son of the founder of Watkins Glenn around the race track in my 2008 Honda Accord!

I took it slow as J.C. pointed out all the famous happenings of the race where so-and-so went off the road here and so-and-so passed so-and-so there! If it was golf it would be like walking by the 16^th green at August where Mr. Nicklaus made that putt in the 1986 Masters, then around Pebble Beach where Tiger won the 2000 U.S. Open by 15 strokes, then being on the 18^th green at Winged Foot when Davis Love III won the 1997 PGA Championship, and finally a quick trip across the pond to see Mr. Palmer, a 2-time Open champion, wave goodbye for the last time on the Swilican Bridge on the Old Course at St. Andrews!

Vivid imagination; yes!

I wish I was on the Sebring Racetrack at Sebring when I was revving up John’s corvette!

PS: Mr. Greg Wise would later win the Closest-to-the Pin on the last at ‘The Twelve’ at Sebring International Golf Resort on the Citrus Golf Trail fam trip. His prize? A ride around the track in a corvette, hopefully driving! A master of hitting fairways, let’s all hope (and pray) that he keeps it on the track!

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Filed Under: Featured Experiences, Travel Golf

Florida’s Citrus Golf Trail; When You Go, Experience the Faded Bistro & Beer Garden!

December 8, 2020 By admin

Florida’s Citrus Golf Trail; When You Go, Experience the Faded Bistro & Beer Garden!

If you are ever driving south of Orlando on Route 98 and are looking for a unique & entertaining restaurant for a good meal then the Faded Bistro & Beer Garden in Sebring, Florida is the place to go!

A great recommendation by Casey Wohl Hartt of Visit Sebring!

WOW! Like eating in the Garden of Eden with all the bells, whistles, and flowers especially around Christmas time! Our table was naturally sequestered and secluded a midst all the greenery and shrubbery! I highly recommend the “Get Faded Margarita,” which is one of four signature cocktails! Three other adult beverages contain vodka, rum, and infused (moon) shine from the local Sugar Sand Distillery, a true farm-to-bottle operation! Check out the flowers in the attached pictures!

This brainchild of Bob and Tiffany Cadzow was started in September 2017 and you will think it is many decades old! Had to be a nursery to begin with and certainly has grown and flourished with their vision and TLC!

“Caladium Capital of the World” is Sebring and you will find many, many varieties of the “Heart of Jesus” in the gardens of the Faded Bistro!

If I lived in the Triple Cities of Sebring, Lake Placid, and Avon Park this would definitely be my watering hole! All part of the Citrus Golf Trail, the Value Golf Capital of the World! Thanks for the great recommendation Casey Wohl Hartt!

#CitrusGolfTrail #CitrusGolfTrailOpen #VisitSebring

Visit Sebring

Faded Bistro & Beer Garden

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 29 Pics; 12-23-20)

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Filed Under: Featured Products & Services

Florida’s Citrus Golf Trail; Celebrating Christmas at the Jacaranda Hotel in Avon Park!

December 8, 2020 By admin

Christmas started for me a couple of weeks ago the moment I stepped inside the Jacaranda Hotel in Avon Park about an hour south of Orlando! Maybe it was the historic building, maybe it was all the decorations, or maybe it was old-timer Jeff Klein sitting there playing the old grand piano like he has for decades! What ever it was it was a magical experience much like waking up on Christmas morning when I was a kid! What a nostalgic place with an awesome holiday buffet lunch!

All part of the Citrus Golf Trail, the Value Golf Capital of the World! Like my hometown Triple Cities this area includes Sebring and Lake Placid (Florida not New York though there is a Dewey Decimal connection) along with Avon Park! Many great golf courses, hotels and other sites to see! Thanks for the great recommendation Casey Wohl Hartt! Merry Christmas to All!

#CitrusGolfTrail #citrusgolftrailopen #visitsebring

Visit Sebring

The Jacaranda Hotel

(Andy Reistetter; Facebook Post with 29 Pics; 12-23-20)

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Filed Under: Featured Products & Services

Heading South to Explore the Citrus Golf Trail in Sebring, Avon Park, & Lake Placid, Florida!

December 7, 2020 By admin

Time to head South and explore the Citrus Golf Trail and the towns of Sebring, Avon Park, and Lake Placid, Florida!

Yes, you read correctly—Lake Placid, Florida; not Lake Placid, New York! They are Sister Cities and have one very important person in common—Dr. Melvil Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal System for cataloging library books. My kind of guy and my kind of town—Loj – the spelling of Lake Placid in Dewey’s simplified spelling approach. Not that I understand that or could find a book in the library if I had to!

Lake Placid is also the Caladium Capital of the World! And YES I had to look it up too! With common names such as the Heart of Jesus and Angel Wings this is sure to be another one of my Spiritual Journeys too! Large Murals are present as well I hear!

Avon Park—the City of Charm with the authentic taste of Old Florida and the sweet taste of the area’s vibrant citrus industry.

Twelve? Not Race Hours but new Golf Holes! This is Golf Country too!

Sebring—namesake and host city for the 12 Hours of Sebring. Hint it is not a 12-hour round of golf or sleeping in! Sounds like something right up Bill Hughes’s “Alley!” Sebring is also known as “The City on the Circle.” Interested to check that out as I have a sort of Savannah pictured in my mind but with no corners!

I will be staying at the Inn on the Lakes which features stunning views that overlook the lakes and a wonderful gourmet dining experience at Chicanes! I like the address too—Golfview Road…

Other stops include a Distillery and another restaurant called Cowpokes Watering Hole which I know I will love just by the name of it!

Opened in April 2018 by founder Don Davies, Sugar Sand Distillery is an estate-grown sugarcane farm distillery. Don Davies’ Distillery is a true Farm-To-Bottle operation which I hope to make a true Farm-To-Bottle-To-Mouth operation!.

But if you know me it is all about the golf, both historically and futuristically! Five courses in two days! Hey is the Masters cane get it done with limited sunlight in November, Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary can make it happen in December too!

Sebring Municipal GC, a 1925 W. H. ‘Bert’ Way design. Protege from England of Willie Dunn. Love the story where he followed Dunn to Biarritz, France but only lasted through one winter there! Sure to have played Dunn’s Signature Biarritz long par-3, long green hole many times. Then Way finds “his way,” following Dunn to America and introduces John D. Rockefeller to the game of golf, designs Firestone CC, and makes his way South to design Sebring Municipal GC! Way would eventually die in Florida two weeks shy of his 91^st birthday. What a life!

Twelve? Not Race Hours but new Golf Holes! This is Golf Country too!

Futuristically (it is a word, I looked it up), you have Helmut Wyzisk III, President of Signature H Property Group buy the old Spring Lake Golf Resort a year ago. His plan to Revitalize, Rebrand, & Reposition the now Sebring International Golf Resort is impressive! I am excited to see the progress of the transformation of two existing 18-hole golf courses into one 27-hole Steve Smyers designed championship course and to play a newly constructed 12-hole short course!

Also on the rota for thus trip is River Greens Golf Course, a Jack Kidwell 1969 design owned & operated by the Davis Family—Lisa & Rodney! The Sun ‘n Lake Golf Club (love that name!) with its two golf courses—the longer 1976 Don Dyer designed Deer Run GC and the shorter 1999 Charles Ankrom designed Turtle Run GC.

The Grand-Daddy (not me though I am one!) of them all to play (taking my hickory-shafted golf clubs) will be Pinecrest, a 1926 Donald Ross design! Pinecrest was the original host for the first 5 years of the JCPenney Classic (then called the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome) beginning in 1960 (inaugural won by Jim Turnesa and Gloria Armstrong)

And that is what this Citrus Trail Golf Fam Trip is all about—reviving the golf heritage of the area by re-instituting an amateur version of the Haig & Haig Scotch Foursome. Press Conference on Thursday morning! More details about the Citrus Golf Trail Open Tournament coming soon… Save the Date—December 2-5, 2021!

#CitrusGolfTrail #VisitSebring #CitrusGolfTrailOpen

PS: All COVID Precautions are being taken and will be in place throughout this road trip!

Filed Under: Travel Golf

A Winter’s Walk around Charleston, South Carolina with my Grand Puppy Blue Bear!

November 29, 2020 By admin

What better than an early Winter’s Walk around Charleston, South Carolina with my Grand Puppy Blue Bear!

Nice afternoon walking around Charleston with Blue Bear! He is such a good travel companion! Interested in everybody & everything just like me! TROML Baby (An Exclamation of Joy and Gratitude)!!! (Facebook Post, Andy Reistetter, 11-29-20, with 30 Pics

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Filed Under: Featured Golf Resorts & Courses, Travel Golf