SUMMER 2016 GOLF HIGHLIGHTS- ACT II: TENNIS PRO GOLF

One reason I love the game!
Mediterra Wildlife- Outing 2015

If the Chicago trip was the only highlight of the summer, that would have been plenty, but this summer has been chock full of golf. I am really grateful for that, since golf (for a tennis pro in Southwest Florida) is banished from October through April. Less than a week after my memorable weekend in the Chicago suburbs, I had my scoring highlight of the summer.

I’m pretty sure it only seems this way, but Southwest Florida

Baldwin & Curran: Outing Organizers

has more golfing tennis pros than anywhere on Earth. Seriously! Maybe I should have written "aging golfing tennis

pros." In any event, we do have a love for the game, and that love of the game has led to what I’ll call the Tennis Pro Golf Outing Series that USPTA District 14 President Mike Curran (Director of Tennis & Fitness at Gulf Harbour) and Mike Baldwin (Director of Tennis at Mediterra) have coordinated the past couple of summers (read more in News-Press here). 

The venues we play are terrific and include courses such as

Old Orange at Verandah

Gulf Harbour, Mediterra, The Hideaway, Kelly Greens, Verandah, West Bay, Collier’s Reserve and others terrific tracks. If you know tennis players, then you know that even though it’s an opportunity for camaraderie and networking, it’s also a time to compete. For an old-timer like me whose tennis skills have been eroded, golf offers a similar adrenaline rush with far less physical toll.

This past Friday, Jeff Diggs (Director of Tennis) and Travis

Travis Wehrs- Director of Golf,
Fiddlesticks Country Club

Wehrs (Director of Golf) were the generous hosts at Fiddlesticks Country Club, where 32 players had the thrill of playing the Long Mean course, the same course that hosted the Florida State Golf Association Amateur Championship in June. Yes, what started as a group of about eight to twelve tennis professionals a couple summers ago, peaked last Friday into a group of 32 with eight players on a waiting list.

I suppose at this point it has to called a “Tennis Pros and

Sean Balliet- Director of Golf, Hideaway Country Club

Friends Golf Outing,” because at Fiddlesticks tennis pros made up about one third of the players, with tennis students, club members, a university tennis coach, two golf professionals, and even one club general manager joining the fun.

My best golf photo ever.
Thanks Steph!

I had the good fortune of being on a team with Mike Curran, the best tennis pro golfer in the group (now that Mike Lawver needs a hip), or at least the player that seems to win the booty most often. It wasn’t the first time I’ve been on a team with Mike, but it was the first time I shot my low score ever in competition and contributed to the team win. It was just the second time I shot as low as 78, and to do it on Long Mean was definitely a treat. 

Both Curran and Balliet were -4 after four holes, and the battle 

Mike Curran at Streamsong

they waged was fierce. In the end, Mike finished +1 and pocketed 43 points for the team. Sean carded an even par round of 72 and 45 points for his team, thereby upholding the dignity of the PGA. Wouldn’t do to have a tennis pro beat all three golf professionals who played.

T. A. & Jim "Katman" Katterfield

One of the other two professionals, Hideaway Head Golf Professional Dave Bartoe shot 74 and earned 37 points for his team. Unfortunately, he had the Katman on his team, and finished just two points out of the money. Kat is a heckuva lot better in tennis, right DP :)?  

This was a highlight not because I played well, heck, I shot 79

Chris Capps at Treviso Bay

in one of these outings before and collected zip, zero, nada. This time, however, I played well and shot my best score ever; played with and beat three young guys (Luke Beverly- one of the members of my online club that I

Luke Beverley at Talis Park 

hadn't met before and his very cool friends Travis Kaulbars and Randy Ristic); scored better than one PGA Professional who will remain nameless; tied my far superior golfing buddy Chris Capps; AND chalked up 32 points for my winning team. Talk about highlight! 

Ed Noble of Hideout notched 21 points with his 88 and Jonas Kushner added 21 to push our team to victory. 

Mike Baldwin, Doug Small, Mike Curran & Jeff Diggs

Our host Jeff Diggs didn’t go home empty handed, finishing second with Perry Rende (34 points), Randy Craycraft (21), and Gary Eskilson (13). Sean Balliet (45), Russ Crutchfield (22), Pete Minerich (18) and Marius Espeleta (7) took third place honors. Mike

Oliver Stenger, Marius Espeleta, John Ramsey
at Collier's Reserve in 2015

and Marius always seem to end up in the money. I think I’m going to change my name to something beginning with “M.” Closest to the pin honors went to Jimmy Martineau (the youngster who retired me from Pro League), Jason Gunias, Gary Eskilson and, of course, Mike Curran.

The "tennis pro tour:" makes its next stop at West Bay on

Prestwick 9th green

Sunday, August 28. Unfortunately...well, not so unfortunately, I'll be missing it because Chris and I will be in Myrtle Beach, hopefully playing Prestwick on Sunday. The World Amateur Handicap Championship begins on Monday! Check out preview here.