We were able to get in the traditional golf outing last week that several of us have been a part of over the years, The L A Open. For some of the readers who may not be familiar with L A, that is lower Alabama.
The trip, which started close to 30 years ago as a few guys going off for a couple of days for a different venue of golf, has morphed over the years into what it is nowadays.
Traditionally, it has been the week of Easter and has remained that over the years. I suppose it has a bit to do with scheduling not only for the group but also to remind everyone when we go. The number started with 12 of us and this past trip there were 20.
We left early Wednesday morning to allow time to get in a round on the way down. This time it started out at Rock Creek in Fairhope, Alabama. This is always a challenging course that tends to humble some of the players we have here at the country club, which is wide open and pretty forgiving.
Our group had a lot of the regulars including me, Charlie Hudson, Charles Baldwyn, Kent McCown, Wayne Hilton, Les Dickerson, Allen Welch, Chris Dunn, Chris Craft, Marc Brand, Mark Ellington, Tommy Blair, Kelly Barnes, Zach and Brooks Baldwin, Rudy Runnels, Pete May, Dusty Drennan and Stephen Yelverton.
Part of the event is getting away in a different environment, eating some good food and sharing some fellowship. So, after playing the first day with a noon starting time we had dinner at Jesse in Magnolia Springs. It is a nice place, pricey, but the food was really good. In addition to oysters, I ordered scallops sauteed in butter with their twist and it was probably the best scallops I have ever eaten.
We were booked at two houses in Kiva Dunes, which has swanky accommodations. It was three floors with balconies on all three levels, a den area on each floor, and this one had a pool overlooking the beach along with a hot tub.
We played the same course for three days because the golf reservations got lost, but that was okay with me because this course was not as hard as some we have played in the past. It makes getting to the greens a little easier provided you don’t get eaten by an alligator. If you hit in a rough area, you just leave your ball there and don’t retrieve it.
The final day I was riding the cart with Chris Dunn. In one of the funnier moments on the trip, he decided to hit the cart the refreshment girl was driving, not once but twice. She took it petty well the first time, but the second time I believe she had enough. Funny, but we did not see her again that day.
As with everything else, prices have gone up. This time it was $700 a player. But we all had fun, good food and nice digs.
