Games can add to golf trip excitement

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-10-08

In Part I of this series, I regaled you with a Reader’s Digest version of a four-man golf trip to central Florida, a trip that had only a bit of drama and was pretty much straight golf. No games, no bets. Just us playing the eight courses on our itinerary in five days.

I was the facilitator on that trip, making all the golf arrangements.

On another notable trip, I was just one of the guys. One of the dozen guys as a matter of fact.

This time, there wasn’t nearly as much driving from course to course. The destination was Myrtle Beach, S.C. and my brother and I opted to head south a day ahead of the rest of the group. We actually made the drive overnight, arriving not long after sunrise.

He thought it would be a good idea for us to get in a round or two as a warmup for the rest of the crew. So we went to the Wild Wing complex and while he tried to get us a tee time, I had to attend to some, um, personal business. A few minutes later, I heard the click-click of golf spikes and then the pounding of his fist on the stall door.

“Let’s go, we’re on the tee in 3 minutes,” he said. We made it in time to hit the first of our 36 tee shots that day.

I didn’t know many of the guys in this group and things got off to an interesting start at the crack of dawn the next morning. Just after the alarm went off at some dark, ungodly hour, a particularly wacky member of the group burst through a door to the adjoining room, switched the lights on and when I yelled and pried my eyes open, I was greeted by a smiling naked man.

I digress, however.

We played several golf courses on the Grand Strand that week, some good, some fair. We had a 6-hour round at True Blue, but generally it was a very pleasant experience.

One of the big differences with this trip was the fact that games were being played every round we played. Sometimes they were simple games, sometimes it took a mathematician to keep track of what was going on. There were instances where you were teamed with a guy (or guys) who were two or three foursomes away from you.

But that didn’t matter. This trip was organized to the point that the regulars knew well in advance what games were being played, what the tariff would be to participate and knew that, in order to participate, everybody’s entry fees were to be paid before the group left breakfast.

No angst (other than from those who didn’t win), no confusion. The games and side bets were fun, especially if you were lucky enough to win a couple.

In the finale of this series next week, I’ll tell you why it’s a great time to put a trip together and offer some suggestions of things that need to be done to insure a good experience for all.

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About Mike...
As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf. He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com. Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August. The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1250/show?showId=insidepghgolf - Listen to Mike Here!.

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