Saturday, October 8th, we had the honor of co-sponsoring the championship tournament for the Gulf Coast Golf Association. It was held at the stunning Lakewood Golf Club in Fairhope, Alabama, the Southernmost course on the Robert Trent Jones Trail.
And honestly, we would’ve stayed all day if we could’ve.
For starters, the weather was perfect… from the low to upper 70’s, and partly cloudy with a welcome gentle breeze. The turkey club sandwiches were as advertised, and the clubhouse is a thing of beauty. It was completed in 1948 and features exposed timbers from an old pier on the Mobile River.
We met some characters and made some amazing new friends, like Mike Etheridge, the Alabama Director for Folds of Honor. If you’ve never heard of them, please check them out! We’re hoping to join forces with them down the road.
The tournament’s founders, Joey Johnson and Randy Burgan put on an incredible event. The golfer who finished last in this year’s tournament got a pretty cool consolation package. He received a Fairway Monkey drawstring bag, two white FM logo caps (one to keep and one for a friend), tees, and stickers. We’ll leave his name out to protect the innocent!
We love amateur tours like this one. You have two or three at the front playing for cash prizes, a dozen or so scratch golfers looking to wrap up the day at even par, and a bunch of guys hoping to break 100. GCGA has had as many as 100 golfers out at a time. The one thing they all have in common? They love the game. We enjoyed a front row seat from behind our table just off the first tee box. Of course, there are a few who took the whole thing super serious, but most wore big smiles and a few even talked the kind of smack you’d expect to hear as good friends slide their scorecards back into place and hop out of their carts.
If you love the game as much as we do, consider joining a local amateur tour. And if you live anywhere near the gulf coast, we’ve got the perfect one in mind. Maybe we’ll see you out there next year!