JTOG Day 38: Playing Dirt Golf at El Encanto & Visiting Cuscatlan CC

As if getting to meet and interview Perry Dye was not enough, this likeable, talented and insightful guy invited me to play his newest course in Central America called El Encanto which means 'The Charm.' Of course I was delighted by the gesture and readily accepted the proposition! There was only catch though—the golf course was not even opened yet, actually the golf course was not even built yet! There were six holes done that were scheduled to open in a month. Technically, since there was grass already on these holes, I would not be playing 'dirt golf.' But since it was prior to opening and there were 12 other holes yet to be grassed, I am making the call—I played dirt golf for the first time in my life other than the little golf whiffle ball course I built in the yard at 2 Florence Street growing up! CLICK here for Video Interview with Alejandro Lahrssen, GPS Specialist. Alejandro Lahrssen, one of Perry's right hand guys, who does the GPS hole layouts picked me up at the Intercontinental Real San Salvador at 9 am on Sunday morning. I had met him and his wife Antonella the night before at dinner with Perry. El Encanto was about 15 miles west of downtown, about half way to the Pacific Ocean. As a residential development, El Encanto was ideally situated close to both the city and the beach where fishing and surfing are both some of the best in the world. CLICK here for Video Interview with Rick Moreno, Construction Manager. Alejandro was an awesome host giving me a feel for San Salvador as well as the golf course being built and the development and club surrounding it. There was a huge crane on site erected to build what appeared to be a gargantuan clubhouse overlooking the 18th green. We threw our clubs in the back of a 4x4 golf cart and were joined by the irrigation specialist with a four names—Fabiano Pericles Gois Espinola. We played Nos. 1, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 18. The home hole is impressive with the green guarded by a lone tree and water right and surrounded by the "Dye Hills' of love grass leading up to the clubhouse site. I met and interviewed Rick Moreno, the construction manager as we finished on the 18th. One other tidbit to share—I witnessed Alejandro drive it and carry it 320 yards from the member tees on the 9th to the front right greenside bunker. His carrot in this project was an invitation to play in the inaugural Guatemala Stella Artois Open , a PGA TOUR Latinoamérica event at La Reunion in May 2014. Although he missed the cut this guy can play! CLICK here for Part 1 of a Video Interview with Bobby Moore, Country Club Cuscatlan. CLICK here for Part 2 of a Video Interview with Bobby Moore, Country Club Cuscatlan. After the El Encanto experience, Alejandro dropped me off a the Laca Laca Taqueria Mexicana restaurant back in San Salvador where I met up with Bobby Moore, a premier amateur golfer and member at Club Campestre Cuscatlan, the Country Club Cuscatlan or a.k.a. CCC. Cuscatlan is the smallest department, or state, in El Salvador and it was an indigenous word which means "land of precious jewels." The Country Club Cuscatlan and all of San Salvador lies on or just beyond the slopes of Volcano San Salvador. After a tasty lunch Bobby took me over to CCC and gave me a great interview. Interestingly, club member Fernando Figueroa was the first Central American golfer to qualify for a major. That major—the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, was Tiger's last major victory and my first one out on tour. Things did not work out for me to play the golf course but I got a good look at all the memorabilia in the clubhouse and a great view of the golf course. Bobby dropped me off back at the Intercontinental Real San Salvador. As things happened so often on the Journey to Olympic Golf, things worked out for another dinner date that evening. This time it was with a fascinating guy and the founder of the El Salvador Golf Association—Jose Maria "Chema" Duran. He came and picked me up and took me out to dinner. Guess where? No, not Il Buon Gustaio, that was last night with Perry Dye. Chema took me back to the Country Club Cuscatlan. Not only was it a great meal but the conversation was interesting and informative with some more connections for me further along in Central America. I wish I had another day or two in El Salvador but I did not! CLICK here for Video Interview with Chema Duran, Founder of the El Salvador Golf Association. I felt like I was double dipping a little bit at CCC with the tour from Bobby and the dinner with Chema. But hey wouldn't you if you were invited? Plus this is my job to discover and document the spirit of golf along the way to Rio and combine it with the Spirit of the Olympics to come up with an understanding of the 'Spirit of Olympic Golf,' again something no one has experienced in 112 years. It was definitely a trifecta sort of day—playing 'dirt golf' at El Encanto and meeting Bobby Moore and Chema Duran. Tomorrow was another day for Torch and I to be on the move. Almost 40% of the way through the odyssey on a time basis and way less than 40% of the way distance wise. Another day, another border crossing into our 5th of 14 countries, this time Honduras heading to its capital city of Tegucigalpa. At the time I could not even pronounce its name let alone cross a border and find my way there without the help of GPS. What a difference a day makes! There are some more stories in the pictures below this request to make a donation to The First Tee... please make a donation today. Much appreciated. I am looking for 100 new friends in the next 100 days to make a $100 donation (or any amount that you are able to make) to The First Tee. Each day I will be reliving the original “Journey to Olympic Golf” and hope to find a new friend in golf. Is that you? Please join me in giving back to the game we all love. CLICK here to make a donation to The First Tee. 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, Andy does not receive any part of your donation or anything financially from The First Tee organization. There are interesting incentives for making your donation to the First Tee… PLEASE click here to make a donation to The First Tee.

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