Reflections of a Golf Weekend

This past weekend I was blessed to be able to play 72 holes of golf on four different Florida golf courses. Three were in Bradenton and one was in Fort Myers. 

Me Beginning my Tee Shot

In the two days since returning home, I have not even unpacked my golf clubs because I have been so busy. 

During our time together away, some pretty funny things were said and some fun situations arose.

Some of the best quotes from the trip include:

"You broke the tee box." 

"Gravity is like Santa, it only works if you believe."

Jeremy Deciding on a Club

"I know the ball had to come down somewhere, because if it didn't we have bigger problems."

"That was a great shot, right up until it wasn't."

"Where's the green? It's not even in the same time zone."

"The van that Budget gave us is like the Tartan Prancer."

Of course the Tartan Prancer is the fictitious vehicle from the most recent Vacation movie. Our Ford van was big, bulky, but surprisingly agile. The problem was that while big, the interior space was not easily reconfigurable and we had trouble getting four people, four golf bags, and associated suitcases stowed.

About the golf courses. 

Eagle Ridge Golf Club, Fort Myers. Well maintained and a tough course. Lot's of water, but generally wide fairways and well maintained greens. Bring extra balls. Club house is nice and the staff helpful. Great location near the stadium and the airport. I highly recommend playing this course mid-Sunday morning as we had the the place to ourselves, it seemed. This is one of the few courses where I was advised to drive the cart on the fairway! Awesome, I can do that!

Waterlefe Golf and River Club, Bradenton, Florida. Well maintained and the greens were great. A beautiful course with nice views and tough but fair holes. Pace of play was good. Some of the fairways were narrow which made for interesting golf. 

12th Green at The Preserve at Tara

Preserve Golf Club at Tara, Bradenton, Florida. I was disappointed in the assistance with getting started. After paying the greens fees, we were left on our own to find the first tee. Never saw a marshall and there was a very slow group in front who finally let us play though on the 12th hole. Admittedly, we did have an afternoon tee time. The greens were in adequate condition, but needed work. 

Rosedale Golf & Country Club, Lakewood Ranch, Florida. This was the first club we played on the trip and it was probably the best maintained. The marshall was everywhere and kept the pace of the game moving--which was great. We felt a bit pushed, but were always right behind the group in front of us. Excellent greens and good tee boxes. Most of the fairways are tight with houses close by. A great course, but probably not the best choose as the first course after not playing for the winter.

And there it is. A quick recap of the courses and our golf experience.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD