Featured Experiences

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

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

AGTD Experience Kissimmee, Florida: Kayaking at the Paddling Center!

January 27, 2019 By admin

When you are on an Experience Kissimmee, Florida weekend you experience what they want you to experience which is a good thing! I know TPC as the THE PLAYERS Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach but now also know it as The Paddling Center in Kissimmee!

I knew I would enjoy kayaking but I never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did! It’s golf—beautiful, immersion into nature, and good exercise—without ANY stress of performance! Likely due to having a great guide in Alex—properly trained, knowledgeable of and lover of nature, and a great guy too! Case in point when I was going a bit wayward into the brush on the side of Shingle Creek, Alex yelled out “don’t lean!” I didn’t and stayed upright and in the kayak and not the water!

One added unexpected benefit of kayaking in the morning is that my upper body was loose for swinging a golf club in the afternoon ending the day with a Birdie 4 on the difficult 18th hole on the Nicklaus Course at Reunion Resort!

Kayaking at The Paddling Center on Shingle Creek is now on my “Must Do List” for Central Florida! Enjoy!

A BIG thank you to George McNeilly & McNeilly Communications for organizing this weekend with Experience Kissimmee, Florida, Reunion Resort, Reunion Vacation Homes,
Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, and Celebration Golf Club! It was an amazing experience!

Please consider signing up to play in the Kissimmee Family Golf Classic in June!

(Andy Reistetter; 1/27/19; Facebook Post with 40 Pics)

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Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Featured Experiences, Featured Products & Services, Northeast Florida, Travel Golf

Spectacular AGTD Experience: Reunion Vacation Homes at the Reunion Resort Orlando!

January 27, 2019 By admin

This part of our Golf Experience weekend was definitely a bit over the top! If you love the staying at the Reunion Resort Orlando, you will love staying in the Reunion Vacation Homes! We stayed in a 10-bedroom beautiful home on the 12th hole of the Nicklaus Golf Course! With a home theater, hot tub and ten bathrooms too; it was the whole deal! Catered dinner the first night and dinner atop the Reunion Resort at the Eleven at Reunion Resort Restaurant! Wow, what a view and cuisine to match! Chauffeured limousine-like shuttles and the whole nine yards! There are Reunion Vacation Homes and then there are Official Reunion Vacation Homes with complete access to all the amenities like the water park. With a $700- 1,000 daily rate depending on season this is a cost-competitive alternative to hotels and resorts; plus lots more intimate! I have always been close to my GTWA peeps but now we are family! Maybe we should tee it up in the Kissimmee Family Golf Classic in June? Or maybe you should too!

A BIG thank you to George McNeilly & McNeilly Communications for organizing this weekend with Experience Kissimmee, Florida, Reunion Resort, Reunion Vacation Homes, Mystic Dunes Resort & Golf Club, and Celebration Golf Club! It was an amazing experience! (Andy Reistetter; 1/27/19; Facebook Post with 40 Pics)

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Filed Under: Featured Experiences, Featured Golf Resorts & Courses, Featured Products & Services, Travel Golf

2018 World Am Myrtle Beach: PLAY-by-PLAY on Social Media!

August 30, 2018 By admin

CLICK HERE for Andy’s Feature Article on the 2018 World Am in Myrtle Beach!

Four rounds means 15 new golfing buddies from around the world but this is my GTWA golfing buddy Tom Gorman!

Competing in the 35^th World Amateur in Myrtle Beach, SC was the best competitive golfing experience of my lifetime! Granted I am an amateur golfer and my game this week certainly is proof of that but I have been up close and personal with golf for my entire lifetime. Club Champion, Member-Guest Winners, and even qualified once for the Illinois State Championship and competed against a bunch of flat-belly college players is my amateur experience. Plus I have followed the PGA TOUR for the last eleven years and worked over 200 professional events. Why am I telling you this? So that you know that when I say ‘Competing in the 35^th World Amateur in Myrtle Beach, SC was the best competitive golfing experience of my lifetime!’ that is authentic and true!

Here are my posts in chronological order for that amazing week in Myrtle Beach! Only room for a few pics in the text but there are 183 in the Picture Gallery beyond the text!

Enjoy and I hope to tee it up with you in the 2019 World Am in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina! Play well!

Oceanfront accommodations at the Caravelle Resort! Sunrise! Nice!

Last leg of the 2018 East Coast Golf Journey- competing in the 35th Myrtle Beach World Amateur Golf Championship! A 4-day event on 4 different golf courses; 3,183 golfers; 66 flights; 50+ golf courses masterminded by Chris King! Kickoff/Welcome Party at Broadway at the Beach was a blast!(Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-26-18)

Loving my room/efficiency at The Caravelle Resort! Nice to swim in the ocean after golf yesterday & the sunrises (moon too) are spectacular! Nice transition back home to PVB! Let’s have a TROML Day today! #MBWorldAM (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-28-18)

It’s not where you start but where you finish. But my name was up there in first place after Round 1 for all the other 3,200 golfers to see at the 19th Hole!

WOW, what a first day the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Championship! First a 79 at Wachesaw Plantation East, then the world’s largest 19th Hole! I call it the World’s Largest Party in Golf! And it’s a Monday night! WOW, what fun! Good to see some old friends in golf & make some new ones too! Caledonia Golf & Fish Club tomorrow! (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-27-18)

Off to a good start! One birdie, no double bogey, no 3-putt round of 79! TROML Baby! #MBWorldAM (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 8-27-18)

With my new golfing buddies after Round 1: Duke, Barry, & Clay!

Rough Round Two… tough golf course, a great Mike Stranz design in perfect condition, weather delay, poor execution… shot ÷18, 88, net 77, bogey golf was I today… scores likely high though cart mate shot 79, other two had 93s… disappointed though I did my best throughout the battle… 19th Hole tonight, largest party in golf, tomorrow will be a new day! (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 8-28-18)

Need I say it again… Pure Inspiration, Pure Courage, & Pure Determination is Hugh III Royer…

Pure Inspiration, Pure Courage, & Pure Determination is Hugh III Royer… chilling commentary on skin cancer, taking ownership of your healthcare despite the failings of healthcare professionals, and living & loving life to its fullest! First met Hugh Royer III several years ago when he was inspiring juniors in golf… now he is inspiring adults in life! Thank you Hugh! All the best to you & family! (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 8-28-18)

Amazing golf courses! I played Wachesaw East, Caledonia, Legends Parkland, and Aberdeen. This is the 18th at Caledonia!

Shoot 88… go from leading by 3 strokes to T5 nine strokes behind… go to the 19th Hole of the World Am, the Biggest Party in Golf…have a BLAST… now there are only 4 golfers ahead of me with two rounds to play… going low tomorrow on Moving Day! #MBWorldAM (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-28-18)

No moving for me on Moving Day… disappointing 87 (net 76) in Round 3 BUT still T5 with only four guys in front of me! I still have a chance to win this thing! Another great 19th Hole experience this evening! Seafood & Karaoke Night! The Biggest Party in Golf just goes on and on and on! #MBWorldAM (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-29-18)

Don’t ever call me a sandbagger but I do feel good about my net 290, Plus-4, T4 finish!

Final Day of the 2018 Myrtle Beach World Amateur! Shot 41+39=80 to finish 4th in my flight! The fourth & final night of the 19th Hole was a celebration extraordinaire! WOW, an amazing experience to play & party my way through this 4-round handicapped competition! Definitely an add to any golfer’s bucket list. Organized, orchestrated, & conducted to perfection, pleasure, & performance of all the golfers participating! Concluding experience of the 2018 East Coast Golf Journey for Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary! Time to head home to Ponte Vedra Beach! (Facebook Post with 30 Pics, Andy Reistetter, 8-30-18)

The World Am was a great finish to the memorable month-long, 4,173-mile East Coast Golf Journey!

The month-long, 4,200 mile, 11-different beds 2018 East Coast Golf Journey has been successfully completed! WOW, so many wonderful golf & travel experiences, family & friend visits! TROML Baby! Thank you to ALL the great people and events that helped make August 2018 a memorable month! Much appreciated with gratitude! Andy’s Golf & Travel Diary #MBWorldAm #DSGO (Facebook Post with 1 Pic, Andy Reistetter, 9-2-18)

Here are those 183 pictures of golf, the 19th Hole and a hole lot of FUN!

CLICK here to play in the 2019 World Am in Myrtle Beach!

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Filed Under: Featured Experiences, Travel Golf

Capturing the Spirit of Byron Nelson at Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas

May 21, 2014 By admin

The statue of Byron Nelson looks normal size from 30 yards but up close his story is so inspirational it is bigger than life.

I went to Dallas to capture the Spirit of Byron Nelson. I spent three nights at the Four Seasons Resort & Spa in a villa overlooking the 18th green of the TPC Four Seasons Resort/Las Colinas Course. The HP Byron Nelson Championship has been in existence since 1944 when Byron Nelson won the inaugural event. Since 1983, when Ben Crenshaw won, it has been played on the TPC Las Colinas Course. There is golf history everywhere on this resort property but especially on the Byron Nelson Plaza where, in the watchful eye of a clock tower (Byron loved clocks), there is a nine foot statue of the Legend of Golf.

What I realized is that when you are 30-40 yards away from Mr. Nelson’s statue he looks almost mortal, no bigger than any of the golfers that pass by, even another charter member of The Sports Club, also named Byron Nelson (true fact, no relation). But when you come closer, talk to folks who knew him personally and absorb the memorabilia in Champions Hall you get a sense of the Spirit of Byron Nelson.

CLICK here for Part 1 of a Video Interview with Tim Cusick, Director of Golf Instruction, Four Seasons Resort & Spa Dallas.

CLICK here for Part 2 of a Video Interview with Tim Cusick, Director of Golf Instruction, Four Seasons Resort & Spa Dallas.

Andy Reistetter with Vail Tolbert, Director of Public Relations at the Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas.

I received an awesome tour of the property from Vail Tolbert, the Director of Public Relations. Then I interviewed Tim Cusick, the Director of Golf Instruction and Rob Cowan, The Sports Club Manager along with the other Byron Nelson, an amateur member of the Sports Club.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Rob Cowan, Manager of the Sports Club, Four Seasons Resort & Spa Dallas.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Byron Nelson, an amateur member of the Sports Club with a familiar name.

The highlight, of course, was playing the TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas course (no pun intended). My playing partners were Tom Horan, host of the popular Golf Talk America radio program “Speaking of Golf,” and a delightful father Steve & son Joey duo from Denver, Colorado. We surely felt the presence of Byron on his golf course at his home club.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Tom Horan, host of “Speaking of Golf” on the 17th tee at TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas.

I had the pleasure of corresponding with Mrs. Peggy Nelson who I met at the 2010 BNC when she released her book, Life with Lord Byron: Laughter, Romance, and Lessons Learned from Golf’s Greatest Gentleman. Here is a Q&A with Mrs. Nelson:Andy Reistetter, Journey to Olympic Golf: What are your personal thoughts about the Olympics? What is your favorite event, favorite Olympian, most memorable moment and why? Did you and Byron watch them on TV or ever attend in person? Do you have any recollection of conversations you had with Byron about the Olympics in general?

Mrs. Nelson: Byron and I always admired Olympic athletes and the dedication and sacrifice it takes for both them and their families to reach that highest point of endeavor, no matter which sport it is. My favorite event would be figure skating, and Peggy Fleming was quite a heroine for me–I was honored to meet her one day many years ago and she was so lovely and gracious–every inch the champion still. Of course, her Olympic victory was before the event became so prodigiously athletic with all the requirements for multiple jumps, so grace and fluidity were more important.

Byron and I never attended an Olympic event but watched quite a bit on TV, and were always amazed at the talent and determination the athletes displayed. We didn’t talk about it a lot nor do I recall Byron saying anything specific about the events, though he enjoyed watching. I think he liked the summer sports more, because he was never a fan of cold and snow!

Andy Reistetter, Journey to Olympic Golf: Byron played on two Ryder Cups and captained a third team. What did it mean to him to play for his country? What emotion would characterize it best? What thought or story was his favorite about the Ryder Cup?

Mrs. Nelson: Byron loved playing and captaining in the Ryder Cup–he said being selected captain by the team was the greatest honor he ever received in golf. Of course, he loved America and so was very proud to play for the USA; at the same time, when the Ryder Cup was held in Portland, Oregon in ’47 and the British team’s expenses were provided by an American. Byron was very pleased to be part of that team as well as being glad the competition could resume. As for stories, you might check his autobiography How I Played the Game, because there are several in there.

Andy Reistetter with Mrs. Peggy Nelson at the 2010 BNC.

Andy Reistetter, Journey to Olympic Golf: Golf will be played in the Olympics for the first time in 112 years in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In your opinion, what would it have meant to Byron to be an Olympic Golfer? How do you think he would have defined the “Olympic Spirit for Golfers?” How would it have differed, if in any way, from his Ryder Cup experience?

Mrs. Nelson: One of the things Byron admired about both the Ryder Cup and the Olympics was the spirit of good sportsmanship that pervades both types of competition. I don’t know that he ever realized there had been golf in the Olympics so long before he was even born, but he surely would have loved to be on the American team–well, if he could maybe have qualified ….!

Good luck with your Olympic Story!

Peggy Nelson

Thank you Mrs. Peggy Nelson for your wonderful insight and sharing Byron with his admiring golf fans through your book and theses responses. Andy Reistetter, Journey to Olympic Golf

Here are my pictures and comments from this inspirational visit to the professional home of Byron Nelson:

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Filed Under: Featured Experiences

Journey Artwork is Coming…

April 3, 2014 By admin

An “in progress” photograph of the JTOG artwork from Suzanne McCourt.

Suzanne McCourt, the Olympic Golf Artist, has created a special piece of artwork to celebrate the “Journey to Olympic Golf.” The artwork will be revealed soon. Here is an “in progress” photograph of her work. I first met Suzanne at Pebble Beach where she became the first woman to have her artwork on the cover of the program for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Since then she has contributed to golf in a number of ways including a First Tee fundraiser at TPC Sawgrass and creating a piece of artwork celebrating Ken Venturi’s golfing career and induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Filed Under: Featured Experiences

The Journey Started at Glen Echo CC in St. Louis

February 27, 2014 By admin

As host of Olympic Golf in 1904, Glen Echo CC proudly flies the Olympic Rings!

Where better to start an epic, historical and unique “Journey to Olympic Golf” than Glen Echo CC, host club to the last playing of Olympic Golf in 1904. The magical day, which also happened to be my birthday, was October 15th, 2013. The odyssey turned out to be a 100-day, 14-country, 18,471-mile joy ride (in Torch, my 1992 Infinit M30 baby), fly, float and walk all the way down to Rio de Janeiro, the next host of Olympic Golf in 2016. Come with me to St. Louis and stay at the Union Station Hotel and play Glen Echo CC with hickories like the great amateur golfers of the day did at the 1904 Summer Olympics (and World’s Fair) in St. Louis.

CLICK here for a Highlight Video of the Kickoff of the “Journey to Olympic Golf.”

With Union Station historian Darlene Menietti.

Staying at the historic and authentic Union Station Hotel in downtown St. Louis took me back in time to the 1904 Olympics and World’s Fair. Like those Olympic golfers from a bygone but not forgotten era I woke up, grabbed my hickory clubs and came downstairs looking for the train to Glen Echo. I did not find a train but I did see a beautiful Great Hall and met Darlene Menietti, the historian for the Union Station. This delightful woman educated me on what it was like coming to St. Louis to the Olympics and World’s Fair 1904. Still unable to find the train I ended up driving Torch out to Glen Echo CC.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Darlene Menietti, the Historian of Union Station.

With Rob Stewart, GM of Glen Echo CC.

The drive out to Glen Echo was short with intermittent rain, same weather as Saturday, September 24th, 1904, the day Canada’s George Lyons won the Olympic Golf Gold medal. The entrance to Glen Echo is grand and stately with a narrow road that traverses and meanders through the golf course finally taking a turn to the right up a gentle hill to an impressive clubhouse. I knew I was in the right place immediately. What other club flies the Olympic Rings Flag and has a Torch outside the front entrance. I saw the Torch in Torch and my imagination was lit. Wearing knickers and toting a bag of authentic hickory-shafted golf clubs It was September 1904 to me and I was there to feel that special Olympic Golf Spirit. Rob Stewart, Glen Echo’s General Manager greeted me warmly and told me a bit about the history of the Club.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Rob Stewart, GM of Glen Echo CC.

With Club President James Storey on the 18th green at sunset.

I met some incredibly nice people at Glen Echo CC starting with Club President James Storey. James was my host for the day and was a wonderful host indeed. He introduced me to Ernie Coe who was Club President at the time of their Centennial in 2001. Mr. Coe was a fountain of knowledge and a fellow historian and documentarian. This kind gentleman gave me copies of several magazine articles and the Glen Echo Country Club 100 Years book which I will treasure for the rest of my life. James also introduced me to long time member, since he was 8 years old in 1929, Bob Sido who shared that golf was and still is “a family experience” for him. Mr. Sido believes, like many of us do, that golf teaches one to be “trustworthy and to behave and do the things that are right.”

With Centennial Club President Ernie Coe.

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Ernie Coe, Centennial Club President (Part 1 of 2).

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Ernie Coe (Part 2 of 2).

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Bob Sido, long time member of the Glen Echo CC (Part 1 of 2).

CLICK here for a Video Interview with Bob Sido (Part 2 of 2).

Before teeing off, or rather posing for many, many beauty shots (not of us) with James Storey, member Mike Leuken and my friend and fellow golf travel writer Ron Cobb we enjoyed lunch complete with a bowl of hearty Minnesota Wild Rice Soup. I also interview Golf Course Superintendent Joe Wachter who shared information about course changes over the years. True to his words, the golf course played “firm and fast” despite the rainy weather.

Ready to play Olympic Golf at Glen Echo CC with Ron Cobb, Mike Leuken and James Storey.

The picture gallery below contains many pictures including those of Bob Sido, Joe Wachter and others on met on that memorable day at Glen Echo kicking off the “Journey to Olympic Golf.” Rob Stewart was prophetic in his words that there is “no better place to start my journey” than at Glen Echo CC, host of Olympic Golf in 1904. After a day full of history, friendship and golf my time at Glen Echo ended on the 18th green at sunset with James Storey. But her Spirit and that of the 1904 Golf Olympics came with me on the Journey and remains with me today. As I changed in the locker room to head back to the Union Station Hotel, James and I decided to swap sweaty shirts. My PLAYERS for his Glen Echo CC shirt which I wore proudly throughout the Journey at key moments and towards the end when interviewing Hall of Famer Roberto De Vicenzo in Argentina and walking the Olympic Golf Course with Gil Hanse in Rio de Janeiro.

One thing I know for sure is that the Journey started at Glen Echo CC in St. Louis, where and when it will end I do not know!

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Filed Under: Featured Experiences, Mr. Hickory Golf REAL

Join Andy on a Journey Back to Guatemala, Mission: Golf & Life

January 28, 2014 By admin

View of Guatemala City.

Please join me as I return to Guatemala in late March on a Mission of Golf & Life. When I visited Guatemala for the first time during the “Journey to Olympic Golf” I was inspired by the country, the people, and the golf. This trip, tentatively outlined below, combines three days of playing golf, three days of volunteerism and one day watching the final round of the NEC Series – PGA TOUR Latinoamérica on the Fuego Maya Course at the La Reunion Resort & Residences, a Dye Design, in Antigua. This is a great way to see and know a country and its people, play golf and give something back, all in one trip.

The Guatemala flag flies over the Top Tee Cayala public practice facility. The two sky blue stripes represent the fact that Guatemala is a land located between two oceans, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea).

On Monday, March 24^th we will travel to Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA). All travel, lodging, transfers, and golf will be arranged by me and my sister Joanne, a certified travel agent from Long Island. I will be your host on the trip and will be assisted by local people I know. You will be treated like family, like I was, and your safety is reasonably assured throughout your visit to Guatemala. Although I know a great mechanic, Olaf, in Guatemala City we will not be traveling in Torch as I did. She is in Panama City and will act as a consultant on this trip from afar. When everyone arrives, after checking into a great boutique hotel (for the next four nights) we will go on a guided tour of Guatemala City, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala. Afterwards we will enjoy a welcome dinner together and learn the details of our upcoming three days of volunteer work.

A peaceful place- the 10th green overlooking Lake Amatitlan. Notice the two domes to the right.

On Tuesday, March 25^th we will play Hacienda Nueva, a Larry Packard design (same as Copperhead at Innisbrook) and enjoy a night of first rate entertainment.

Wednesday, March 26^th will be our first day of volunteering for the House of Rafael Ayau, the oldest and largest orphanage in Guatemala. Mother Inés (Ayau Garcia) and the nuns of Holy Trinity Monastery provide shelter and education to the high-school level to children from newborn babies to adolescents of sixteen years of age. In the evening we will be joined at dinner by a Guatemala couple to learn more about the history and culture of Guatemala.

CLICK here to learn more about the House of Rafael Ayau and the Monastery of the Holy Trinity.

CLICK here to learn more about mission work at the House of Rafael Ayau.

With Nico Asturias who’s mission it was to bring golf to the public and kids in Guatemala. Mission Accomplished with the help of architect Perry Dye and others!

On Thursday, March 27^th we will do a second day of volunteer work. In the evening we will visit the Top Tee Cayala, a futuristic and fun public practice golf facility. We can even go across the street for a little shopping spree at Paseo Cayala.

On Friday, March 28^th’ we will complete our volunteer work, travel to and stay the next two nights at the Mayan Golf Club in the outskirts of Guatemala City. The club overlooks Lake Amatitlan and Pacaya Volcano which last erupted on May 27, 210 and covered the golf course with six inches of volcanic ash. Let’s hope for two quiet nights of inactivity!

With Sister Yvonne of the Holy Trinity Monastery.

On Saturday, March 29th we will play the historic Mayan Golf Club and afterwards visit the Holy Trinity Monastery overlooking Lake Amatitlan. I first met Sister Yvonne at the Mayan Golf Club and look forward to seeing her again and meeting Mother Inés (Ayau Garcia). After visiting Guatemala City and doing some volunteer work I think this day will be a special one. Hopefully we will be “in the zone” both on and off the golf course. There is something about being around an active volcano that brings a special perspective to life!

Sunday morning, March 30th we will travel a short distance to La Reunion Resort and Residences (the whole trip is tightly compacted, La Reunion is within 60 kilometers (30 miles) of the GUA airport in Guatemala City) to watch the final round of the Stella Artois Open. Can you guess what the featured drink will be? We will enjoy the resort for our final two nights in Guatemala! La Reunion is surrounded by two volcanoes- one active (Fuego) and the other inactive (Agua). When I first arrived at night there was a fiery red ribbon of lava. Again, let’s hope for a quiet visit.

Fuego Course at La Reunion with Volcano Fuego… keep your eye on the volcano, you never know!

On Monday, March 31st we will tee it up and play the Fuego Course ourselves! Play where the pros play and play to their Sunday hole locations! Monday evening we will visit the nearly 500-year old city of Antigua, do some sightseeing and have dinner.

Sadly on Tuesday, April 1st we will leave Guatemala and travel home. I am working on airfare, lodging and golf pricing as you read this. My first look at airfare looked pretty reasonable from Jacksonville either through Miami or Houston. If you are interested in this trip please contact me at AndyReistetter@gmail.com and we will work up a firm price quotation for you. Included in the quotation will be a $100 donation to The First Tee and a $100 donation to the House of Rafael Ayau.

I hope you can join me on this Journey to Guatemala, Mission: Golf & Life.

Filed Under: Featured Experiences

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December 8, 2013 By admin

Welcome Back to my little creative condo in Ponte Vedra Beach!

I flew from Rio de Janeiro to Orlando for the PGA Show on Friday, January 17th, 2014 to complete the 100-day, 14-country, 18,471-mile “Journey to Olympic Golf.” Here are the Video Updates while driving Torch, my Infiniti M30 baby through Costa Rica. As I process the material from the trip I will post more under the columns Resorts/Golf Courses, Experiences and People. In addition to the six countries below the Journey took me to and through the USA, Panama, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil for a total of 14 countries. A couple of other FUN FACTS are 6,549 miles driven in Torch, 42 golf days on 35 golf courses, 607 holes played with 70 different golfing partners, 35,144 pictures taken, 1,066 GOPRO videos from Torch’s dash and a total electronic storage of 673 GB!