letter
I have had the most amazing
past few weeks of golf. Thanks
to my good friend Andre
Caldwell, PGA Professional at
Carter Plantation, I was able to
play golf with a really nice set
of ladies clubs on my golf trip
to Gulf Shores. What a trip!
It started before I even left
the driveway with Pat Mullaly
emailing me to let me know
that I would be okay playing
with them. I have a couple of
great articles coming in our
tournament slow months of
December and January, so
stay tuned for stories of how
you should approach golf if
you’re a beginner and how you
should treat a beginning golfer
if you’re welcoming someone to
the game.
Fortunately for me, I had a
great experience. I know a lot
about golf. I’m well versed in
the rules, and I can read a putt
pretty well thanks to caddying
experience, but I still swing and
miss more than I want to. But
like all other golfers, those few
good swings and sailing golf
balls pumped me up!
One of the wonderful
ladies on the trip, Donna –––,
had counted her steps for the
day. Something like 11,000.
Everyone was proud of me that
I had hit 13,500 – more than
anyone else. That was until I
reminded them that many of
my steps were as a result of ball
hunting. Good thing we all had
a sense of humor.
I really could cry thinking
about the wonderful lesson I
learned on this trip. I don’t
think I’ve ever been scared
to tackle anything until last
month. I learned what I should
do to ensure I could get a little
experience while also staying
out of the way of the players
on the trip. I also learned how
others should treat new golfers
– because that’s exactly how
I was treated. They were very
encouraging.
And I won the Shaheen Cup!
What is this cup, you ask? Well,
it’s a trophy (or a handmade
coffee cup with a turtle on it
in my case) that acknowledges
someone on the trip ... for
something. It has become a
tradition on Pam Shehan’s
media trips. For me, I won for
determination and continuing a
slow and steady progress. I like
it. I’ll take that to heart.
I also learned a few new
terms: foot wedge, hand wedge
and circle of friends. If you
know what those are already,
you’re smiling. If you don’t,
watch for stories next month!
My goal for November is
to play with my sweet friends
Margie Monteleone and Joyce
Chambers. Word on the street
(from my tattling husband) is
they were pretty upset I played
in Gulf Shores when I’ve been
promising to play with them
for years. Okay, I’m coming.
I’m not scared anymore. I was
wrestled into a golf trip (didn’t
take much), and I found out
that lady golfers are freaking
awesome. I’m not nervous
anymore. I wanna play!
Amber
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