From the Bunker to the Greens!

The winter of 2000 – an adventure I will never forget.  I took my first trip off the shores of the contiguous United States to a beautiful Bahamian resort for the weekend.  There were 4 of us in all – two besties and my aunt to be exact!  We had a ball; I mean those were the days when you left a party at its close then went to an after party.  But this vacation was more than beaches, parties, and the infamous “Miami Vice” - a mere piña colada & daiquiri mix, it was the weekend we would get exposed to our first golf tournament.  At one of the parties, we saw Michael Jordan.  We were standing so close I could have accidentally knocked over his drink.  It was exciting since I live in Chicago and had never ever seen him outside of playing ball on game day.  As we chatted around the party, news of his golf tournament surfaced and before long, we had secured tickets to attend!

As the taxi pulled up to the golf course, we were hanging out of the window trying to snap pictures.  “I can’t believe it, there’s Charles Barkley,” I shouted!  “Oh my goodness, Richard Dent, the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl Champ is here too” yelled my aunt!  It was at that moment someone yelled, “shush” from the golf course down to our taxi.  To think, we hadn’t even paid the taxi driver and gotten out of the car and we were already a hazard to the game!  As we followed various players on the course – in search of nothing but a picture beside them and an autograph, I couldn’t help but notice we were totally and fully dressed inappropriately.  Well, all except 1 of my besties whose a sports enthusiast and knew that khakis and a collared shirt was the best choice of attire.  My aunt and I were wearing denim shorts, tanks and sandals and my other bestie was wearing a Julia Roberts special from the movie Pretty Woman!  Yes, dressed for the Kentucky Derby, she wore a cleavage showing, spaghetti-strapped wrap dress, heels, and a hat with the largest brim one could fine.  I guess you could say that she wanted to protect herself against sunburn given we’d be on the course for at least a couple hours.  As the players moved along the course, we swarmed them for signatures and pictures.  We were worse than TMZ and a sighting of POTUS!  To say we were groupies would be a kind description!

Who knew that fourteen years later, I would be the proud big cousin to two of the best Junior Golfers in the world - Erica and Myah Jackson!  While in Georgia last summer, I had the opportunity to watch them play in the invitational-only, Bill Dickey tournament at the Golf Club of Georgia where many other championships have taken place.  Since these girls are notably ranked on the Junior Golf scoreboard and this was their first “away” tournament without their parents, I could not let them down!  I could not do a “repeat” of my star-studded golf tournament in the Bahamas.  I was on time for their “tee off,” wore appropriate clothing, and was completely quiet!  I mean, watching competitive golf in silence can definitely put you in-tune with your inner thoughts!

Erica and Myah have played in a number of tournaments - even the Callaway Junior World.  This international tournament is played on the Tory Pines Golf course in San Diego where the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Sergio García, and Luke Donald have also played.  Although their golf resume is not complete, playing Pinehurst, Medina, and Cog Hill are definitely some great adds!  As their golf season starts up, I’ll keep these minor lessons learned in mind:  

1. I won’t schedule any other appointments, as the typical game lasts about 5 to 6 hours; 
2. The golf cart may drive extremely slow, but is necessary to get me through the average 7,200 yard course here in the United States; 
3. When a golfer yells "FORE!!!" - they’re not keeping score and I should “duck” because I am within the flight of a golf ball; 
4. I won’t take friends that love to talk because they’ll get us kicked off the course and the girls disqualified from the competition; and last but not least….
5. It really IS hot on the golf course, so borrowing my bestie’s hat might not be a bad idea.  Who knew, she really wasn’t so off base!