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Bill Hughes, 2015 PGA of America National Bill Strausbaugh Award Recipient

November 10, 2015 By admin

With Bill Hughes, 2015 Bill Strausbaugh Award Recipient.

Bill Hughes was awarded the Bill Strausbaugh Award for his outstanding display of integrity, character and leadership in his commitment to mentoring others within the PGA of America Association. It seems whenever I stop by to visit Bill Hughes in his office at TPC Sawgrass I always meet a young PGA Golf Professional, coach or player either coming or going.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Bill Hughes

A PGA member for 32 years and a Master Professional since 1995 he has served as the General Manager at TPC Sawgrass for the past 9 years. But it’s not the position, it is the person and people who come to play the Stadium or Dye’s Valley at TPC Sawgrass and meet him, know that immediately when you meet him.

When I first met him in 2008 he immediately got me and what I was trying to do even before I really knew. I remember his acronym for how he manages—TEAM —Together Everyone Activates the Magic! What a respected and lovable guy as you can see in this video that helped kick off the 100-day, 14-country, 18,471-mile ‘Journey to Olympic Golf.’ You are magical Mr. Hughes!

CLICK here for the Kickoff Video for the 2013 ‘Journey to Olympic Golf’

Congratulations Bill!

BILL HUGHES, PGA – BILL STRAUSBAUGH AWARD
TPC Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Bill Hughes, PGA Master Professional and the General Manager at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, is the winner of the 2015 Bill Strausbaugh Award, which acknowledges a PGA Professional’s outstanding display of integrity, character and leadership in their commitment towards mentoring others within the Association. Hughes, a PGA member for 32 years, and a PGA Master Professional since 1995, has served at TPC Sawgrass for the last nine years. A two-time winner of the Bill Strausbaugh Award at the North Florida PGA Section level, Hughes has mentored hundreds of aspiring and current PGA Professionals. Hughes has maintained a strong voice on local advisory councils, which includes serving on the North Florida PGA Foundation Board for the past nine years. During his tenure on the Foundation Board, Hughes has aided in transforming it into one of the nation’s leading non-profit junior golf organizations. He helped shape the current junior tour, which provides numerous levels at an affordable cost. Drawing from his own experiences in junior golf as a teenager, Hughes credits the enjoyable and educational benefits of the program as key factors in contributing to the growth of the game of golf. Hughes also serves as a board member of several non-profit organizations in North Florida, such as Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), Heal Every Autistic Life (HEAL) and True Blue: Navy Families Benefactors.

Source: PGA of America

Filed Under: People in Golf

Leap into the New Year & Celebrate Forever at the Omni Homestead Resort!

November 4, 2015 By admin

Many say that seeing the Tower upon their return to the Homestead is a wonderful feeling. Hard for me to imagine better than this first time I saw the Tower!

I was excited to visit the Omni Homestead Resort during the 2015 East Coast Golf Journey.

I knew the Homestead has been around for a long time, longer than golfing legend Sam Snead‘s time on this earth, but I never imagined it originated in 1766, ten years before the beginning of the United States of America.

Next year our country will celebrate the 40th anniversary of our 1976 bicentennial celebration. That’s 240 years of liberty. Next year the Omni Homestead Resort, will celebrate its Semiquincentennial, its 250th anniversary. And they are doing it in style with a celebration every day of the year. Even then it will be bigger than big since 2016 is a Leap Year and there will be one extra day to celebrate!

Why not leap into 2016 and celebrate forever at the Omni Homestead Resort?

Resident Historian Keene Byrd kicking off his two hour Homestead History Tour in the historic theatre.

My visit to America’s Resort was extraordinary! Many say that the thirty activities, ranging from the traditional—like golf and spa, to the unique—like falconry and a 13 waterfall Cascades Gorge walk, are the cherry on the cake at the Homestead. I have to disagree. Resident Historian Keene Byrd’s two-hour magical mystery history tour that takes you through those nearly 250 years of history to the days of Thomas Jefferson visits to the Homestead was the golf ball upon my tee. Truly an exciting and amazing trek figuratively through American history and literally through a grand old, yet modern, resort.

On the historic First Tee of the 1892 Old Course with Assistant PGA Golf Professional Justin Doyle.

Being a golf and travel diary I can’t help but mention the thrilling range of golfing experiences available at the Omni Homestead Resort. With Donald Ross’ 1892 Old Course literally outside your door to the William S. Flynn 1923 Cascades Golf Club just a couple of Sam Snead drives down the valley, golf and competitive golf, as Bobby Jones would say can all be found right where Snead first came to the game he would dominate as a young lad of 17 making hickory-shafted golf clubs outside the Casino Building.

Slammin’ Sammy Snead turned professional at the age of 22 when he became the very first Golf Professional at the Cascades Golf Club in 1934. The next year the tour came to the Cascades Course and he nearly won it after leading by three strokes after two rounds. Still single at the time, a lady by the name of Mildred ‘Babe’ Didrickson became the first girl ever to enter a men’s open event according to the local newspaper. She would go on to become the first and only woman to date to make the cut in a regular PGA TOUR event ten years later in the L.A. Open. Sam Snead would go on to win 185 times including a record 82 PGA TOUR victories.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Justin Doyle, Assistant PGA Golf Professional

A Keene Golfer & Historian teeing off ‘Carry On,’ the 210-yard par 3 5th hole at the Cascades.

As Justin points out in his interview, there is a legacy of longtime local Golf Professionals at the Homestead going back to Sam Snead. Director of Golf Don Ryder recently retired after 40-plus years at the Homestead. His cousin and replacement Barry Ryder has served the members and guests at the Homestead for over 30 years. The Head Golf Professional at the Cascades is Mark Fry and he has been working at the Homestead for 20-plus years. Justin is the young pup with 12 years. I could go on and on about their competitive golf careers too but suffice it to say Sam Snead’s legacy of being a pro’s pro and a member’s pro too continues on in the sloped valleys of the Allegheny Mountains in western Virginia.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with the Homestead Resident Historian Keene Byrd

The Sam Snead plaque on the first tee of the Cascades Course—”if you can play the Cascades, you can play anywhere.”

I so liked the historical tour and the historian that conducted it that I convinced Keene to join me for a round at the Cascades. There is no better way to thoroughly become knowledgeable about the history of a golf course than to play a round with the resident historian. I forgot to ask the unstumpable human Homestead encyclopedia who hit the very first tee shot off America’s oldest First Tee in continuous operation on the Old Course. I did take note of the Sam Snead plaque with his assertion that “if you can play the Cascades, you can play anywhere,” any remembered to question Keene after we finished putting on the 18th green. So when are we going to play the Augusta National Golf Club? Hey, I played the Cascades and Mr. Snead said if I did than I could play anywhere!

CLICK here for a HIGHLIGHT VIDEO of Keene Byrd Describing Sam Snead’s Vertical Leap at Age 65

With Lee Perry, a friendly, knowledgeable and extremely generous 35-year part of the Homestead Family.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include my interactions with Lee Perry, one of the outside golf operations guy at the Cascades. Like the golf professionals, the golf staff, as well as the resort staff, have many longtime employees. I don’t even think they call them employees at the Homestead, they just call them and treat them like family which is the way I felt they treated me. Three amigos greeted me at the Cascades Golf Club—Lee with 35 years of service, Loren with 26, and Scott the young pup only in his second year. I could have hung out with them for days but then would have never completed the seven-week East Coast Golf Journey. Actually that is my fear of finding a home and never leaving and the Homestead could likely be the place. I think that is where the name comes from.

Lee’s autographed 1999 cover of Virginia Golfer with 87-year old Slammin’ Sam, the Golfer for the Ages.

Lee was a good buddy of Sam for a long time. The kind of buddy that could stop by his ranch, just open the front door and yell “anybody home?” In fact over the years he took a few guests along with him to meet the golfing legend. Quoted in many articles and books on Sam (this one included), I should have taken better notes and written a book of my own. I do remember one story where Sam played in a Ryder Cup across the Big Pond and caught a four-pound bass while waiting on the 18th tee to finish off a match. Probably the only one to do so in history and win a point for the old country too.

Old Snead Links, the family farm where Sam Snead lived and is now at rest a mile or two down a country road from the Cascades Course.

I stopped by the Cascades the next morning on my way out of town to say good bye to Lee and the boys and thank them for making my visit so enjoyable and this article so easy to write. Lee had brought in the program and a pairing sheet from the 1988 United States Amateur contested on the Cascades Course and won by Eric Meeks. Also, a signed scorecard from Sam’s 80th Birthday Celebration and Golf Tournament in 1992. Plus the Summer 2002 issue of Virginia Golfer with Sam and “Golf Misses You Mr. Snead” on the cover. For me? You gotta be kidding. I do have pandering limits my friends and insisted Lee keep the signed 80th birthday magazine cover.

Meeting Mimi Byrd Kyser at Sam Snead’s Tavern before I knew she was Keene’s sister!

Speaking of the family feeling of the Homestead the first night I was there I walked over to Sam Snead’s Tavern which is part of the Omni operation but located just off property across the Main Street (Sam Snead Highway) in Hot Springs. It was late so I caught them at closing time. Knowing I was interested in the memorabilia a nice lady named Mimi turned all the lights back on so I could take pictures, downstairs and upstairs. Turned out she is Keene’s sister. When Keene mentioned the possibility of meeting Sam’s son Samuel Jackson Snead Jr. a.k.a Jackie at the Tavern we made plans to meet there for dinner at 7 pm. Unfortunately I arrived a few minutes late and Jackie had left early for another engagement so I missed meeting him but dinner with Keene with Mimi behind the bar was tasty and fun. One missed opportunity out of a dozen direct hits, all the more reason to return to the Omni Homestead Resort on next year’s East Coast Golf Journey.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Lynn Swann, Director of Communications & Marketing

Group selfie with Lynn on the East Wing. I can only imagine the view from the top of the Tower!

Enough of the golf, it is fabulous, you know that. I can tell you the resort experience is fabulous too! I love staying in historic places in historic rooms that are comfortable, functional and luxurious in a modern sense. My room was perfect and room service that first night was better than 90% of the restaurants I have been to in my life. The presidential suite in the East Wing that Lynn showed me was well the difference between me and a president. Speaking of presidents, twenty-two have visited the Homestead and their portraits line the walls of The Lobby Bar. I enjoyed the Breakfast Buffet in the Main Dining Room and it was overwhelmingly scrumptious!

In terms of luxurious resorts and historical golfing experiences, set amid nature at its finest, the Omni Homestead Resort is a must do for sure. Why not leap into 2016 and celebrate forever at the Omni Homestead Resort? I hope to be right there with you!

In literally the same spring spa as Thomas Jefferson was way back in the late 1700s!

Amazing breakfast buffet in the main dining room.

Jackie the Omelette Lady! Everyone is smiling at the Homestead.

With Keene Byrd the Historian…

With Keene Byrd, the Gofler…

There you have it—golf & the resort—time to leap into 2016 and celebrate forever at the Omni Homestead Resort!

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Travel Golf

My friend The Greek…

October 29, 2015 By admin

Me and the Greek, both smiling for Elias at the 2012 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open in Endicott, NY.

Jimmy Demaret wrote a book about his friend Ben Hogan and ended the first chapter by saying “and now I’d like to attempt to pay off at least a small part of that enormous debt I owe the world of golf by putting down on paper all that I know about the game and its greatest asset, my partner Ben Hogan.

Neither myself or my good friend The Greek, a.k.a John Yanni Koutsaris, in Endicott, New York are professional golfers nor anyone that anybody else would be particularly interested in. Not that we are not interesting people, we are, but who other than our family and friends really care?

But I felt compelled to write this short article once I heard him utter a sentence of 14 words on my last trip home to the Greater Binghamton area, which includes Endicott, New York, Yanni’s Hometown. Not that he isn’t a congenial and talkative fellow but these words really inspired me.

You see, I met him five to six Dick Sporting Goods Opens ago at En Joie Golf Course. We were both involved in the golf broadcast and that is how we met. His wife Karyn was pregnant and I never met somebody more excited about life and starting a family than he.

Time went on and they had a beautiful baby boy Elias who sadly died all too soon.

Visiting with Angel Elias at this year’s DSGO.

Through grief and despair John and his wife Karyn endured without Angel Elias in their midst. I wrote about my friends and our cherub in the words included below as “Elias, I was with your parents today.”

The darkest in life became the brightest with the birth of their second son Easton.

The Greeks know how to respect and celebrate life as I found out in attending the 3-in-1 religious ceremony of Baptism-Confirmation- First Communion. With a baptism reception that was more the size of a wedding reception at Atrio’s, I learned of the family’s love of baseball too. Sitting at the California Angels table, it seemed to be Angel Elias’ table too. His presence was felt, it always is.

With Karyn & The Greek & Baby Easton!

From a guy I have only known for five years and am still trying to figure out what his real name is—John, Yanni, or The Greek, the ultimate inspiration came as he welcomed everybody to Easton’s celebration. With difficulty getting the words out he simply looked at his wife with baby Easton in her arms and said:

“I am thankful to God that my wife Karyn can be a mother again.”

We are happy you are a father again too, though you and Karyn never stopped being the best parents any child could hope for.

Those 14 words tell you all you need to know about my good friend The Greek!

We are all happy for the Koutsaris family—Karyn and John, Angel Elias and newly baptized, confirmed and with communion, Easton.

God Bless you and thank you for inspiring all of us!

Elias, I was with your parents today…

Elias, a baby so beautiful, I was with your parents today.
We visited you at your grave, not having to be reminded of you or your risen spirit.
Along a hedge, in a meadow it is a peaceful place.
Your smile is bright on the face of your stone, even brighter in our hearts today more so than the day you were born.
You have brightened our world, brighter than Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
You are a light that will never be diminished. The world is blessed and a better place to have felt your presence if even for a moment in time.
Your parents are the proudest, the most dedicated and loving of all parents here on Earth.
They are doing okay, somehow Dad is managing to deliver the mail and Mom is thinking about resuming her career as well. The grief lessens with each step forward, each day further from your time with them. Thankfully the joy of you and your memory brighten as each day goes by.
It’s Mom and Dad doing okay, working and staying busy. Together with family and a community of friends they are managing to get along with life. Life is precious and we all know that more now than ever.
We shared bread together, lots of it with olive oil and parmesan cheese, as you know your heritage. Afterwards we went to a club for gelato and your father went up and sang for the first time since you left us.
The song was a duet written by Elton John but it seemed like Dad sung the words with you and Mom echoed in with a chorus of love.
“I took a chance and changed your way of life.”
In reality we simply loved and you changed our way of life, all for the better.
“I’d just allow a fragment of your life to wander free.”
Elias- we know you live in complete freedom, complete truth and complete love.
We gained everything through knowing you. Thank you beautiful baby.
Elias I was with your parents today…
The sun may go down each evening only to rise in the morning.
Your precious presence is always raised in our minds and in our hearts.
We are doing okay though still missing you too much for these words to say.
God Bless our Enduring Elias…

Filed Under: People in Golf

Enjoy the Mountains of North Carolina at High Hampton Inn & CC

October 19, 2015 By admin

Hello High Hampton Inn!

The High Hampton Inn & CC in Cashiers, North Carolina is a place for all the seasons of our lives—as families with children, young adults with a romantic inclination, singles who are adventurists with an outdoors and sport mindset, such as I, and couples returning with their adult children and grandchildren to celebrate life up in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I absolutely loved my visit as much for the people I met and the hikes I took, as for the golf and spa activities.

This is home, no cell phones, computers or air conditioning but who needs them, it’s family and personal restorative time in the mountains!

The moment I came on property, seeing the tall hedges and driving through a bit of the golf course, then arriving at what can only be called a large resort estate, I immediately felt at home and knew I was in for a unique, relaxing and fun stay. Though I walked up the front steps it felt as though I was skipping up them with teenage excitement. I noticed the National Register of Historic Places plaque mounted outside on the North American chestnut bark siding. Then I opened the door and voila, the lobby lodge said ‘hello, welcome and make yourself at home’ all in one gaze.

I received a warm handshake and friendly welcome from Mark Jones!

I was indeed home and personally welcomed by Mark Jones, a previous General Manager, now a local elected official and the High Hampton Historian. He grew up here and never wanted to leave the mountains or the resort where there are fifth-generation guests and third-generation everybody else. Mark tells the story like you were present years ago when Wade Hampton came upon the property in the early 19th century, when the McKee family took ownership and started hosting guests in 1922, and how Will Jr. and his wife Becky have carried on and added to the traditions created by his grandfather E.L. McKee and father William Sr.

The 166-yard par-3 8th hole has a near island green in Lake Hampton and a gorgeous view of Rock Mountain.

I like the story of how Will’s grandfather hired J. Victor East, a contemporary of the great Bobby Jones, to build a golf course. After 11 holes were completed, he presented a bill that exhausted the budget so E.L. stopped construction. East countered, stating there has never been an 11 hole golf course and E.L. responded saying that there is one now! The sand greens were converted to grass greens and an additional seven holes designed by famed architect George W. Cobb were added to complete the sporty, beautiful and fun-to-play golf course that is present today.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Historian Mark Jones

With Laura & Barbara, part of the Hap Chandler & Gaynor Screven Fan Club at High Hampton Inn.

Like any family, the people whether on staff or guests at the resort, are what fill our vacations with pleasure and interesting interactions. I was thrilled to meet Hap Chandler, who was born in 1921, and has been coming to High Hampton since age 14 in 1934 for the fried chicken on Sunday. He was enjoying the beautiful day with his lady friend Ms. Gaynor Screven of Birmingham, Alabama and his two daughters Laura and Barbara. Hap and Gaynor make a loving couple and I don’t think I have met two nicer people in the whole world. Meet them for yourself in this interview:

CLICK here to meet 94-young Hap Chandler

CLICK here for Hap & Gaynor’s Love Story

A table with a view of Hampton Lake and Rock Mountain. Dining at High Hampton can be as intimate as you like it to be.

If you want to feel young again and get in touch with yourself, friends, relatives or a lover, the High Hampton Inn is the place to go. It is just different, so you are different. There is no air conditioning, internet or electronic gadgets to discharge you so you get recharged. The climate outside and the climate inside are conducive to pure connection, entertainment and fun. Meals in the Main Inn are intimate, delicious and nourishing. Sportcoat attire with ties on Friday and Saturday nights make the dining experience an event as special as the cuisine itself.

I made it to the top of Rock Mountain! What a spectacular view of the High Hampton Inn and its surrounding 1400 acres!

I took a hike each day, the first was a little over four miles up to Rock Mountain, the second was a little over three miles up to Chimney Top. Both were spectacular and somewhat challenging to this aging, Florida flatland golfer but easily doable. Nature along the well-marked and maintained trails and the view from above were spectacular. There is something about hiking a trail for the first time and the feeling of wellness, even though a bit fatigued you don’t feel it, when you are standing atop a mountain and looking down from where you came from. There is no more beautiful country than the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina!

CLICK here for a Video Interview with General Manager Clifford Mears

Relaxed after the spa treatment for the pedicure. Nice to be pampered after golf and a hike!

GM Clifford Mears tells it like the High Hampton Inn delivers—simplicity, a place to get unplugged and reconnected with what is important in life—family, friends, nature and yourself. He’s right about the beauty, the safe environment for families and the fantastic choice of amenities. I went to the Hampton Health Club & Spa for a therapeutic deep tissue massage and pedicure. Both were awesome. They certainly fulfilled their promise to “deliver peace and relaxation in a sanctity of nature.”

Whatever the season, the High Hampton Inn in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains is a piece of heaven for sure. Why not come and experience life as it ought to be and can be for you, family and friends at the High Hampton Inn in Cashiers, North Carolina, only a few hours from Atlanta.

I am happy I did!

Finding the entrance to High Hampton Inn is like finding a Secret Door to Heaven!

High Hampton Inn is on the National Register of Historic Places.

My room took me back comfortably to another era in time.

With my new friends Bill, Karen & Margaret. Without outside distractions it is easy to have conversations and make new friends!

View of Rock Mountain from Chimney Top. Two good hikes, let me know how you liked them!

High Hampton Inn is a resort that has everything, including golf!

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Travel Golf

A Heartfelt Thank You to Hobart and William Smith Colleges

October 8, 2015 By admin

What a special honor, thank you Hobart and William Smith Colleges!

All through my life’s journey I have been amazed at the generosity and thoughtfulness of others in my life. Today that awareness extends a heartfelt hug to the community of students, faculty and deans at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Your generous donation to The First Tee and having me here on campus the last three days has been a lifetime experience for me. Thank you!

When first approached with the idea that I could be your 2015 John Henry Hobart Fellow in Residence and come to campus to interact with students and share my thoughts on sports, character, service and the liberal arts I was quite surprised. I had always targeted fellow golfers with the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf’ in hopes that they would somehow be inspired to make a donation to The First Tee. I didn’t really think about it in terms of what my life and golf experiences had to offer young adults or anticipate the willingness of educational organizations to support The First Tee. Thank you for enlightening me in this regard!

Another beautiful sunrise from my room at the Lakefront Geneva Ramada!

To have the opportunity to interact with four student groups and meet one-on-one with several more was indeed a privilege and an honor. I knew previously of the special spirit and learning environment that the Hobart and William Smith Colleges offers to their students and the positive impact it has has on the lives of our emerging world leaders. Now I can say it has impacted me as well.

I extend my thanks to the Geneva community as well. Staying at the Ramada Geneva Lakefront was not only comfortable and convenient to campus, it was inspirational as well waking up to sunrises over Seneca Lake and interacting with the staff. My time off campus at Lake Drum Brewing, Parker’s Grille, and of course, being on course and off course at the Geneva Country Club was exceptional, nourishing, thirst-quenching and uniquely special as well. I look forward to the opportunity to return to Geneva and the Finger Lakes Region and stay a while longer, play around a bit more, and to share those experiences on Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary!

Worlds of Experience. Lives of Consequence. Hobart and William Smith Colleges is the place to be!

From my Pepperdine University days I learned “Freely Ye Receive, Freely Ye Give.” After this experience at Hobart and William Smith Colleges it seems as though “Worlds of Experience” is indeed turning into a “Life of Consequence.

Thanks again for the honor, the enlightenment and your generous donation to The First Tee!

A stroll on campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges with Dean Chip Capraro.

A James Bond-like dinner at the Brampton House with the Hobart H-30 gang.

Dean Capraro presenting The First Tee check. Happily accepted on their behalf. Much appreciated!

With Dean Capraro’s Golf Course Architecture in America: Literature, History, and Theory class. He introduced me by referencing my brother LP’s design of Belden Hill as recorded in Jardath Hamrock’s Finger Lakes Golf Guide… which of course triggered my golf is like life dissertation much to the delight of these 16 students! LOL

Met with a group of students in the Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning… here with Director Kathleen Flowers (green), Ami Cammarota Ford (white) and Jeremy Wattles. Very progressive college and community relationship and it shows in Geneva and surrounding area!

With Golf Coach Ken Dougherty and the Hobart golf team and another special friend or two…

The beautiful, historic and challenging Geneva Country Club, a 9-holer built in 1890!

On the 9th with the customary flag unfurled position photo opp… Seneca Lake right there too!

Back on campus at Hobart and William Smith Colleges! What a lifetime experience!

Filed Under: People in Golf

A Dramatic Finish to the 2015 Web.com Finals at TPC Sawgrass!

October 4, 2015 By admin

The 2015 Web.com Graduating Class being celebrated on the back lawn of the TPC Clubhouse.

No disrespect to the PGA TOUR but can a day of tournament golf ever be more exciting than this day, the final day of the 2015 Web.com season and Finals competition?

Lucas Glover, in the next to last pairing, who is well within the Finals Top 25, bogeys the last hole. Glover, falling from a 3-way tie for 10th place to a 6-way tie for 12th place redistributes the money payout. One of those six in 12th place, Rob Oppenheim, who finished two hours earlier and was on his way home, edges out Eric Axley by $101 to be the final Bubble Boy in 25th place. At the end of the Web.com Tour Championship that bubble never bursts, at least for one year on the PGA TOUR.

Emiliano Grillo stroking his putt and ringing the bell to win the Web.com Tour Championship on the 18th green on Dye’s Valley.

Oppenheim (started 50th and finished at No. 25 after a T12 finish this week with a Sunday 67) was one of five players to play their way into the Finals Top 25 along with Derek Fathauer (34th, 15th this week with a Sunday 66), Tyrone van Aswegen (44th, 17th, T5 this week with a Sunday 68), Robert Garrigus (33rd, 19th, T12 this week with a Sunday 68), and Thomas Aiken (T95, 23rd, T5 with a Sunday 65 this week). Pushed out of the Finals Top 25 were Eric Axley (started 20th, ended 26th with a Missed Cut (MC) this week), Ryan Spears (21st, 28th, MC), Steve Allan (23rd, 30th, MC), Justin Hicks (24th, 32nd, MC) and Jhonattan Vegas (25th, 33rd, MC).

The sad reality is one needs to make the cut and play well on Sunday to get inside the Finals Top 25 Bubble or it bursts.

Emiliano Grillo (L), Patton Kizzire (C) and Chez Reavie (R) with the hardware they earned this week!

Then in the final pairing Emiliano Grillo and Chez Reavie come to the final hole tied at 13-under. They have been nip-and-tuck all day with Reavie erasing Grillo’s slim 2-stroke lead at the start of the final round of the Finals. If Reavie wins he also edges out Grillo for the Finals Money List and gets a full exemption to the 2015-2016 PGA TOUR and a THE Players Championship invitation. Grillo is 25-feet away for birdie while Reavie is half that distance on the same line. Grillo drains his putt and Reavie misses to win the Web.com Tour Championship. The Finals Money Title goes to Reavie.

The other golden ticket with a full exemption to the 2015-2016 PGA TOUR and a PLAYERS invitation goes to Patton Kizzire who won the combined Regular Season and Finals Money Title. At $567,865.58 in winnings, his lead was never really in jeopardy this week.

A beautiful Florida sunset highlighted the Awards Ceremony after an amazing week at TPC Sawgrass.

All three, Kizzire, Reavie and Grillo, are heading up to New York City tomorrow to join Web.com Chief Executive Officer David Brown in ringing the bell at the NASDAQ Stock Market. I remember back to high school baseball days when our pitcher Jim Sweeney’s dad who yell out the encouraging words of “Ring that bell Jim, ring that bell!” Evidently ringing the bell on a stock market is the quite an honor and a symbol of a lifetime of achievement. For this threesome and the 47 other Web.com golfers who earned their PGA TOUR card for next season—congratulations for a job well done.

The week started for me listening to an inspirational 13-year old First Tee participant in the Sunset Room of the clubhouse to kick off the 10th annual ‘Taste of Golf.’ It ended with a beautiful Florida sunset on the back lawn of the Clubhouse with a celebration of what these 50 Web.com golfers achieved this year.

What a perfect and exciting finish this week in the Web.com Tour Championship at TPC Sawgrass!

What an exciting week at the Web.com Tour Championship for Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary!

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Andy Reistetter Goes Back to College, Picking Up a Check for The First Tee!

October 4, 2015 By admin

The Hobart & William Smith Colleges were established in 1852 but its history goes back to 1817 with the Geneva Academy. Photo Credit: H&WS via Google Images

First of all I want to thank Hobart and William Smith Colleges for their generous $750 donation to The First Tee on behalf of the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf.‘ Special thanks to Dean of Studies Rocco L. “Chip” Capraro who took an interest in the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf,‘ orchestrated this visit and thereby has helped me along the road to raising $100,000 for The First Tee organization that will ultimately benefit youth all around the world.

Secondly, to be named the John Henry Hobart Fellow in Residence and have the opportunity to visit campus, attend classes and interact with the students and faculty is a great honor and privilege. This is a dream come true for this self admitted inspiration seeker, voyageur and documentarian in golf and life. What an opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with our world’s newest adult generation. I think it will be as inspirational as the autumn colors I will see for the first time in many years.

Why me, what do I have to share with these young folks?

Not really sure but I suspect it will be the inspiration in life from family, friends and people I have met along the way.

The beautiful and historic Hobart & William Smith Colleges overlooks Seneca Lake, one of Central New York’s Finger Lakes. Photo Credit: H&WS via Google Images.

Contemplating these three shares…

1. If you are inspired in life to do something just get started and the rest will take care of itself. If not it was not true inspiration or you did not prepare well enough, work hard enough or ask for help when you needed it. The ‘Journey to Olympic Golf” was a simple inspiration to combine the Olympic Spirit with the history and tradition of the game of golf to define “The Olympic Spirit of Golf,” something no one has experienced in 112 years. That inspiration turned into a 100-day, 14-country, 18,471-mile odyssey down through Mexico, Central and South America to the new Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Along the way, by pure luck and good fortune I met Paulina De Labra at the Fountain of Cibeles in Mexico City. Click here for the article and the video and let me know if, after reading, hearing and seeing Paulina, you have a different impression of the Olympics and what it means to be a human being.

2. Get out and see the world but more importantly interact with people that are different than you (and everyone is different). One of the most rewarding times on the ‘Journey to Olympic Golf‘ was pulling over in rural Guatemala and saying hello to a bunch of kids with a soccer ball. How they reacted to the golf club and balls I put in their hands gave me a new understanding of the joy possible within a game I have loved my whole life through. Click here for the article and don’t miss the soccer kids video.

3. I still haven’t arrived at my ultimate purpose in life, maybe you can help me figure it out a bit more during my campus visit. I am struck by the fact that when standing in a room my mind goes to the corners of the ceiling knowing that I know their precise location yet beyond that room we really have no idea how far space extends or how it could ever end. I am also struck by the fact that a day in my life is passing by all too fast and sooner than later I will be saying the same thing about my lifetime.

Somehow I think my ultimate purpose in life surprisingly has little to do with trying to explore a universe in a lifetime but more to do with exploring, accepting, loving and being compassionate to myself as a human being first and then every other human being I meet along the way. There is no doubt in my mind that liberal arts students with semesters abroad and worldwide internships and friendships are the key. When you wake up in the morning do you think of yourself as a citizen of the world? You and old folks like me that are apparently acting like children again are, in my opinion, the most lasting and meaningful way to making our world a better place. An easier place to find peace, joy and freedom, both within ourselves and outside ourselves in this world we all call home.

Thanks for having me to your home and thanks for the generous donation to The First Tee organization.

By the way if you, maybe after you land that dream job and have your student loans paid off, or your parents would like to make a donation to The First Tee click here for the link to do so! Please select ‘Andy Reistetter’s Journey to Olympic Golf’ on the drop down menu for the question “What inspired you to make a gift today?’ This is for tracking purposes only. I do not receive anything whatsoever from The First Tee.

I am willing to do most anything!

PS- here is what I submitted to Dean Capraro when I first learned of being considered for this opportunity:

Andy’s Personal Statement:

“While I am simultaneously flattered and humbled to be even faintly considered to be a candidate for this award, please think of your decision in terms of the inspiring charity—The First Tee—that will be my designated charity should I be named this year’s Hobart Fellow.

Since its inception in 1997, the First Tee organization has impacted more than 10 million young people: in 2012 FT announced a new goal to reach another 10 million by 2017.

I myself grew up in a “First Tee-like,” environment before there was such an organization and without realizing how much it shaped my life and who I am today. Growing up in Binghamton, New York I was fortunate to benefit from great parents– interested and interesting parents, caring and constructive coaches, and the par-3 golf course up at Ely Park Municipal Golf Course that encouraged junior golfers to give golf a go. The First Tee extends similar opportunities to much less fortunate children across the nation.

While I was educated at a large public institution (SUNY Buffalo, BS Chemical Engineering, 1981), I acquired an independent liberal arts and mindful perspective through my MBA at Pepperdine University and my son’s education at Beloit College. “Freely Ye Receive, Freely Ye Give,” was Pepperdine’s motto. I believe the mind and the whole person educated and experienced at Hobart and William Smith and schools like it is a beautiful thing.

If given the opportunity, here are some thoughts that come to my mind while envisioning myself immersed in your campus life for a few days and engaging your students both inside and outside the classroom:

I think of the beauty of the campus and its people, the vibrant atmosphere of students walking from class to class learning about the world and themselves. I like to walk eastward and sit on one of those benches overlooking Seneca Lake and take in the view and feel its beauty.

I wonder what Hobart and William Smith students are like today, what is on their minds and what is in their hearts. They have grown up in a different world than me. From my son’s Beloit College 2019 Mindset List, two things I know about college freshmen: Since they have been on the planet, Google has always been there, in its founding words, “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible” and the announcement of someone being the “first woman” to hold a position has only impressed their parents. I know my son’s liberal arts education has made me think differently. I wonder how today’s Hobart and William Smith students will change the world tomorrow.

I hope to share with them in some small way how much my parents inspired me by their hard work and open mindedness that through education their children could become better people with better lives, not just bigger homes than themselves. My parents gave more than they received in life. What more can we ask of any human being?

I hope to share in some small way how much I love life and the game of golf. I see them as intermingled from the day when I was 12 and my older brother gave me the Ben Hogan Five Modern Lessons book and inscribed it “To my brother Andy, Golf is a lot like life, the more you understand and learn about it, the easier it is to meet its challenges.” Boy has that perspective has helped me a lot both on the golf course and in life.

I hope to share in some small way how my life transitioned from success in Corporate America to pursuing my passion for golf and life. A producer at the Golf Channel called me “a golf voyager and documentarian” while I call myself an “inspiration seeker.” If my process is to always learn, be open-minded and to seek inspiration then my life outcomes will surely take care of themselves.

As I hope to share these things with Hobart and William Smith students I will look at their faces and into their eyes to connect with them and see if they are connecting with me. Have I shared too much, have I paused to give them time to express themselves? I don’t learn much when I am talking. I hope to listen a great deal too and learn, if given the opportunity, how this experience will impact my life.

Finally, I hope to share in some small way how much I feel that I am a citizen of the world when I wake up in the morning. Yes I am American and patriotic and thankful to be a citizen of the freest nation in the world and proud of it. But having spent six months recently traveling through Mexico, Central & South America, Australia and New Zealand and previously in Europe, I feel different now about life, the world and who I am. As Paula De Labra shared in Mexico City—“in the world we are only one kind of humans, we are human beings, all the same with the right to create, to be friends and to develop our dreams.”

If awarded, being the Hobart and William Smith John Henry Hobart Fellow in Residence, to benefit The First Tee, would be one of those dreams coming true for me.

Andy Reistetter

Filed Under: People in Golf

Grillo Leads by Two, Five In, Five Out at the Web.com Tour Championship

October 3, 2015 By admin

Emiliano Grillo is atop the Web.com Tour Championship leader board going into Sunday. Who will win and who will finish in the Finals Top 25?

Peak golf season continues with the Web.com Tour Championship sandwiched in between the PGA TOUR Playoffs and The President’s Cup next week in South Korea. Saturday was as exciting as ever in the fourth and final event in the Finals at Dye’s Valley Course.

Argentina’s 23-year old Emiliano Grillo shot a bogey-free 67 to double his Friday lead to two strokes going into Sunday’s final round. The $180,000 for first place will likely determine the overall money leader for the Finals and who will be fully-exempt on the PGA TOUR in 2015-16 and be invited to THE PLAYERS Championship next door on the Stadium Course.

Chez Reavie who won two weeks ago at the Small Business Connection Championship is in second place after a Saturday 67 to match Grillo’s score and leap frog Lucas Glover who was one stroke behind Grillo to start the day. Glover’s 69 gets him in the next-to-last pairing with Sam Saunders who shot 68. Although it looks like a shootout between Grillo and Reavie for the Finals Money Title, there are eleven players within six strokes of the lead, anything can happen in the final round of the Finals!

Will the winner come out of the final two pairings or be one of eleven players within 6 strokes of the lead?

The other full exemption and PLAYERS invitation goes to the overall money leader for the combined regular season and Finals and will likely go to Patton Kizzire. The only player that can overtake Kizzire is Dawie van der Walt and he needs to win outright to do so. He is currently T30 ten strokes back of Grillo.

On the other end of the spectrum is the fight to just get a PGA TOUR card for next season by being in the Top 25 on the Finals Money List. Five players are projected to make the Top 25 Bubble—Tyrone Van Aswegen (T5 after Round 3), Robert Garrigus (T17), Derek Fathauer (T17), Kevin Tway (T7) and Greg Eason (T12) bumping out five players who started the week inside the Finals Top 25—Eric Axley, Ryan Spears, Steve Allan, Justin Hicks and Jhonny Vegas. Those five players were all ranked within Nos. 20 to 25 and all missed the cut! Only Brian Davis who started at No. 22 and made the cut is still projected to remain inside the Finals Top 25 at No. 25!

But nothing is a done deal yet as the pressure mounts. One good or one bad round tomorrow can trigger wild swings in money distribution and impact the final Bubble outcome.

Should be anther exciting Sunday at TPC Sawgrass!

I can’t wait to see who wins the Web.com Tour Championship and who earns the Finals Top 25 PGA TOUR cards!

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

Web.com Bubble Watch: A Round and A Round We Go!

October 2, 2015 By admin

Bubbles sometimes reflect many things in our lives. Photo Credit: Google Images

Bubbles can be beautiful, free and floating away soon after we create them in reality, our minds or in our life. They seemingly take on an energy of their own. It is as if when they are getting bigger they become clearer and less dense and are able to go higher and higher, farther and farther than us mere humans. They glisten and sparkle upon creation and relieve our minds of any difficulties at all in life. Perhaps we imagine being safe in that bubble, protected from any worldly issues. Nothing can touch us as we are enveloped in Disneyland as our magical life unfolds.

And then the bubble pops, the bubble bursts and we are left with nothing.

Top 25 performance on teh Web.com Tour or in the Finals is the only ticket to the PGA TOUR.

The PGA Tour, via the Web.com Tour, is a bubble blowing machine cranking out 50 new versions a year. For each one of those 50 golfers who get 2016 PGA TOUR cards there is another golfer who loses his card and privilege to compete on the best and most lucrative professional golf tour in the world. Fortunately then, it is not like the bubble that pops or bursts, there is debris that can easily be patched back together into a successful golfing life. There is the well-padded cushioned landing back on the Web.com Tour where the rebound to the main tour is sometimes quick and permanent. There are mini-tours and the chance to qualify for the Web.com Tour if the bubble shatters completely and falls down through the Web.com safety net.

Dye’s Valley determines the fate of many professional golfers!

There is also the realization that competitive professional golf is only the tiny lucrative green bulls-eye in a huge golfing world, business, and industry. There are club pro positions, instructing positions, even broadcast positions available and many, many more business positions that mean a person can be around the game they love and still make a living even if not any longer via their golfing skills.

But the reality of the final event of the PGA TOUR season is upon us. The Web.com Tour Championship, the fourth and final event of the Web.com Tour Finals is being competed this week on the difficult Dye’s Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass. In the last two years, six golfers have gone safely into the PGA TOUR bubble while six have been extracted. Who knows how many will create their bubble this week and ride it to the 2015-2016 PGA TOUR?

The ultimate bubble is actually three bubbles this week as the winner of the Regular Season 25 (Patton Kizzire), the winner of the Finals 25 (TBD) and the winner of the Tour Championship (TBD) who will be invited to join Web.com Chief Executive Officer in ringing the bell at the NASDAQ in New York City on Monday, October 5th.

Here we go with a round-by-round Bubble Watch:

Round 1 on Thursday, October 1st, 2015

The beautiful 499-yard par-4 17th on Dye;s Valley.

The pairings are so designed to present the players around the bubble in the television window to follow the tour card seeking drama. To progress the dream, you have to make money this week which means you have to make the cut on Friday. Like any bubble, what happens in the environment, outside the bubble, what other players do can be as crucial as to what happens inside the bubble, inside any one player’s mind and posted scores. Other players rocketing up or down the leader board impact the money distribution and therefore your bubble too.

I followed the 12:42 pm group of Eric Axley (No. 20), Ryan Spears (No. 21) and Brian Davis (No. 22) on the back nine. Remember the Top 25 in the Finals get their cards. The Regular Season Top 25 are already in and just trying to improve their ranking to be eligible for more tournaments next season.

On a day when the field pretty much averaged an even par of 70 (actually 70.112) and the low score was a 7-under par 63 by Rhen Gibson who rocketed up to No. 2 after starting the day safely at No. 18 on the list of Top 25 to earn a card in the Finals.

It’s complicated even with billboards to help explain how the system works to determine the Finals Top 25.

Axley started at No. 20, birdied the 2nd and double bogeyed the difficult 503-yard par-4 8th hole making the turn at 1-over 36. On the 408-yard par-4 10th, with water all the way down the right side, his tee ball was left in the trees and close to the out-of bounds. The ball finished out-of-bounds and evidently the marshal signaled a no-good shot by waving and crossing his arms below his knees which in reality is the official caddie signal for a ball in play. After the other guys teed off and Axley apparently wasn’t going to play another tee shot I signaled that the ball was indeed out-of-bounds. My caddie training by Mr. Donald Cross at TPC Sawgrass during the winter of 2009/2010 came in handy but not for Mr. Axley as he was upset with the initial signal and that he hit the next one out-of-bounds. After playing his 6th shot from the fairway he recorded a quadruple bogey 8. To his credit he rebounded with three birides before bogeying the last two and posting a 4-over par 74 for the day. For us it would have been a double mulligan par on the 10th and a 90 on a good day.

Ryan Spears in orange putting out on the 18th as Eric Axley (black) and Brian Davis (blue shirt) and their caddies look on.

Spears started at No. 21, was even on the front before making four bogeys with a lone bogey on the par-5 16th on the back and posting a 3-over par 73 for Round One. With the normal par-5 8th and 17th playing as long par-4s it must seem like forever after playing the par-5 first hole for another reachable par-5 to appear. Spears was frustrated with the slowness of the greens leaving downhill, down-grain putts short and having it feel like 4 less feet on Stimp Meter versus a week ago on the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship. We have experienced the opposite effect from slow to fast if you have ever played a firm-and-fast golf course the day after a professional tournament. The fairways do get narrower and the greens, well beyond this golfer’s capability!

Davis started at No. 22, was 1-over on the front, bogeyed the 10th but birdied the 12th and 16th on the way to the big Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass. Even with an even par 70, Davis was projected to fall to No. 25 and become the Bubble Boy for Round Two while Axley (No. 26) and Spears (No. 28) fell out of the desired Top 25 in the Finals competition.

Round 2 on Friday, October 2nd, 2015

Round 2 at the Web.com Tour Championship is no ordinary Cut Day on the Web.com. For those on the bubble, missing a cut today means missing out on the opportunity to make money and advance up the Money List and solidify the chance to be in the Top 25 of the Finals and earn a PGA TOUR card for next year. With six players entering the Finals Top 25 in the last week since the inception of this new format, a player just inside the bubble can be a sitting duck. That being said, there are mathematical probabilites where even though a player is not playing his position can be improved. Usually because a non-Top 25 player is playing well and is projected to win a lot of money and end up as one of the Top 25 at the end of the tournament. So if you are not playing, you can’t help yourself and can only hope for some quirky nature of fate to give you buoyancy into the Finals Top 25.

Today I joined the 12:31 pm group of Steve Allan, Justin Hicks, and Jhonattan Vegas, respectively Nos. 23, 24, and 25 at the start of the week on the 10th hole. With some 30 inches of rain in the last 45 days, Dye’s Valley was still a bit soggy with Life, Clean & Place in effect for the second day in a row. Like yesterday, today would be rain-free. Play golf, earn a card to the 2015-2016 PGA TOUR.

The 11th hole was wide open for play after the Hicks delay on No. 11.

I watched this group for only three holes but it seemed like a lot longer time as it took a while for Hicks to determine where his golf ball last crossed the water hazard on the difficult 229-yard par 3 11th hole. By the time he took his drop and made bogey there were two groups on the tee and a wide open 12th hole waiting to be played. Maybe there should be a 5-minute time limit of making a decision on where to drop!

Allan’s lone birdie in Round 2 would come at the first on his way to a 38-40=78 and a missed cut by nine strokes. Hicks would shoot a 70 with two closing birdies on Nos. 15 and 16 but his 143 would miss the cut by three strokes. Vegas needed a good back nine to follow a good front nine of 1-under 34. He found water right on the 10th and took a double bogey. Later, so focused on his target on the par-5 16th, knowing he needed an eagle to make the weekend, he inadvertently pulled a 3-iron instead of a 4-iron and found the water hazard long. Though recovering with a par and then birdieing the long par-4 17th he missed the cut by two strokes.

Of the six Bubble Boys I watched, Nos. 20 to 25, only one, Brian Davis made the cut that came at Even Par 140 and he made it right on the number with an opening pair of 70s.

I caught up with the 12:20 Smylie Kaufman, Bill Lunde and Brad Fritsch group on the 14th green and followed them in. Lunde at No. 29 and Fritsch at No. 30 were outside the bubble looking in at the start of the week. Kaufman, true to his first name, was all smiles as he had already earned a card by finishing No. 13, well within the Regular Season Top 25 to earn his card for next season. The 23-year old LSA graduate who won the United Leasing Championship in May double bogeyed the par-5 16th and missed the cut by one strokes.

It all came down to the 18th for Lunde and Fritsch to make the cut on Friday.

Lunde and Fritsch hopes of playing the weekend all came down to a potential short chip-in on the last green. Lunde, with three birdies in the last six holes, needed another one at the 18th to make the cut. He missed the green just long and had a makeable chip. I remember seeing Lunde chip in on the final green to win the 2008 Nationwide Children’s Hospital Classic. Could he do it again. Close but no, missed cut.

Fritsch, needing a par to make the cut, made it interesting as his ball nearly found the water hazard left off the tee. With an awkward stance he was forced to chip out and then missed the green. His makeable chip was more difficult and came out heavy. As fate would have it he knocked in the 15-footer for bogey, also missing the cut by one stroke.

On Friday the field average score was 69.860 and the cut to 72 players came at even par.

Amidst the Bubble Watch a golf tournament is breaking out. Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo shot 66-64 to take a one-stroke lead over 2009 U.S. Open Champion Lucas Glover heading into the weekend of what surely will be an exciting finish to the 2015 Web.com season!

Filed Under: Hickory Golf, PGA TOUR Golf

The First Tee of North Florida’s Taste of Golf Never Tasted Better

October 1, 2015 By admin

With First Tee participants Janie (R), Danny (L) and in the first row Landon (blue), Nicholas (yellow) and Rece (red). I am a big kid at heart for sure!

It was a grand evening in a grand place for a grand cause—the 10th annual Taste of Golf affair in the Clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass benefiting The First Tee of North Florida!

While the food prepared by a dozen local clubs was outstanding, the real story and inspiration of the evening was the presence of youngsters currently participating in The First Tee programs and activities that teach life lessons through golf. The youngest of the young greeted you at the massive front doors of the col0ssal Mediterranean-Style Clubhouse. This interaction quickly brought you into their world of a child being a child while emerging into an adult. The moment you stepped foot into the foyer and saw the over-sized murals of THE PLAYERS Championship moments—including Tiger Woods making that better-than-most long snake putt on the 17th on Saturday of his magical 2001 PLAYERS victory—you are drawn into the purest and highest level of golf known to man.

Joshua, a 13-year-old participant of The First Tee of North Florida giving a passionate, informative and gracious thank you speech to supporters.

There was something special about being at the home of the PGA TOUR, the home of the Web.com Tour Championship and THE PLAYERS Championship, on a night that honors not only the North Florida Chapter but the national First Tee organization that, with American and Presidential roots that date back to its origin in 1997.

Young Joshua made a speech that every parent would want their child to make. In the Sunset Room, in front of VIP contributors to The First Tee of North Florida, introduced by the Executive Director Boots Farley, 13-year-old Joshua nailed a 10 from the heart. Though there are sure to be encore speeches in this young man’s life, this one served, with Mom Norvie present, as an easy replacement for next year’s Mother’s Day gift.

With son Joshua and his Mom Norvie. It was quite an honor and privilege to meet such an inspirational young man.

I couldn’t help but think about some of this young man’s words—”even when eyes are not on me—I am not perfect—I am a young person wanting to give back to school, church and community”—and the realization that he was speaking in the very same room as Tiger Woods spoke to publicly apologize for his behavior in February 2010. Both speeches, in my opinion, were inspirational. No human being is perfect and we can never know what another person is going through in their lives. Wherever we are in life as long as we are headed in the right direction with the right attitude and perspective all will be fine. I can only imagine the joy felt by son Joshua and mother Norvie as they left the event last night and headed home. We all deserve peace, joy and freedom in our personal lives and it is nice to know The First Tee helps bring that inside out in the youth of the world.

With Mark McCumber on the balcony off the Sunset Room at the Clubhouse of TPC Sawgrass.

The evening’s Honorary Chairmen were Mark McCumber and his son Tyler, Dad, born and raised in Jacksonville, won 10 times on the PGA TOUR, including the 1988 PLAYERS Championship and the 1994 Tour Championship. Son Tyler, now 24, played collegiate golf at Florida and turned pro in 2013. He immediately won the Florida Open and then twice on the the PGA Tour Latinoamérica to earn a Web.com Tour card this season. In 20 events he made eight cuts, had one Top-10 and missed the Top-75 that made the Finals.

CLICK here for a VIDEO INTERVIEW with Mark McCumber, Co-Honorary Chairman of Taste of Golf.

With General manager Bill Hughes and the home culinary team from TPC Sawgrass Executive Chef LJ Coussin, Logan McCurry and Kevin Shafer.

Mark McCumber graciously granted me an interview and shared his thoughts about his playing and golf design careers. With good humor with comments like—”I learned how to play (the game) before I knew it was hard,” admitting after the PLAYERS win that “he couldn’t believe he gets paid for doing this,” and “I knew what golf did for me growing up”—he spoke of the impact Jack Nicklaus had on him, how golf is a game of adversity, that like The First Tee, can make you a better person no matter your age. If you watch any of my interviews, watch this one!

TPC Sawgrass’ duck confit, jicama, carrot, and scallions wrapped in a savory crepe with hoisin and plum ssuces, micro-greens and crisp duck skin ‘crackle’ salad.

Like Darlene’s Diner and TacoLu’s, the Taste of Golf has become the complete culinary custom at TPC Sawgrass. Many of the participating clubs come back year after year. Here is my article from the 2012 Taste of Golf with some details on the culinary delights. I would be remiss if I didn’t include a link to the 2013 Taste of Golf though distracted by incredible artwork the food was incredible that year too! And is I include the first two years I have to include last year so here is the story of the 2014 Taste of Golf. Gosh I love my job!

Atlantic Beach CC’s smoked pork cheeks with house made bacon along with butternut squash pudding, caramelized fennel, and maple grastrique.

This year the new kid on the block was the Atlantic Beach Country Club. They weren’t here last year because they did not exist. Though they have deep golf roots through the land of the old Selva Marina Country Club which at one time hosted the Greater Jacksonville Open on the PGA TOUR. A brand new championship golf course designed by Erik Larsen and 178 single-family home sites now occupy this historic site. If the creation of Executive Chef Marvin McClelland—smoked pork cheeks with house made bacon along with butternut squash pudding, caramelized fennel, and maple grastrique is any indication, living and playing golf at Atlantic Beach CC must be a fabulous affair!

The Charlie Walker Band was a hit at the 10th Annual Taste of Golf!

The Taste of Golf is a fun and entertaining night too apart from the food and First Tee emphasis. The Charlie Walker Band performed and captivated the crowd with his soulful blended ballads of folk and acoustic pop. Snap Happy brought their photo booth and costumes so we could make “Happy Memories in A Snap.” The 10th annual ‘Taste of Golf’ did not miss a sweet tooth, even with Event Chairwoman Milan Moore being out on assignment as a Project Manager & Golf Course Designer for the PGA TOUR. Emcee Charlene Shirk of Charlene Shirk Public Relations did a fabulous job as did, of course, the staff at TPC Sawgrass.

The First Tee’s version of Stonehenge at TPC Sawgrass.

Earlier in the day I couldn’t help but notice the nine core values of The First Tee arranged in a Stonehenge-like configuration at the TPC TOUR Academy practice facility for the Junior golf clinic and skills challenge. In the distance the iconic Clubhouse was yet another reminder of the synergy now demonstrated through The First Tee between golf and youth development. Those nine core values—of Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Respect, Confidence, Responsibility, Perseverance, Courtesy and Judgement along with the nine healthy habits—of Energy, Play, Safety, Vision, Mind, Family, Friends, School, and Community are so important in life whether you are young like Joshua or older like you and me.

Correction in the title—golf, life and food never tasted better at the Taste of Golf.

Be there next year!