Golfing In The Tropics...At The Wrong Time of Year

A few months back, my wife told me she was planning a vacation for us along with another couple. This being our first "real" vacation since our honeymoon, I was excited to go! Besides the obvious "Where are we going?" only two other questions remained for me.

After learning of our destination, Key West, the first question that came to mind was "Is there a golf course there?" The second question, "Does the guy we're going with play?" Lucky for me, the answers to both questions were "yes."

So my only real concern with this vacation was the time of year. It's July. In the Florida Keys. It's going to be hot. It's going to be humid. All signs point to discomfort. But I guess I didn't much consider the effect of the weather on the golf course itself. Maybe I was fooled by all of those beautiful pictures of tropical golf courses. The bright, cloudless skies. The crystal blue ocean waters. The lush green grass. Well, I guess two out of three ain't bad. Excited to head to the Key West Golf Club, America's southernmost golf course, those aforementioned visions were dancing in my head. But man was I in for a let-down.

I should have known when we called the day before to make a tee-time and everything from 11:30 on was available, that it was going to be rough one. Now don't get me wrong, I don't blame the course or its employees. I suppose at this time of year, with non-stop sun baking the grass and temperatures consistently in the 90's (with a heat index regularly approaching 110), course maintenance can't be easy. But outside of the tee boxes and greens (which were in nice shape), there was an incredible amount of brown on this course. It makes me wonder about other tropical courses. Are the conditions similar at this time of year? Did I just pick the wrong time of year to play a tropical course?

Now, it's not that I so much mind some brown patches on the course. As I said, with the weather and temps being what they are, I can understand the challenges in keeping this course green. But the grass in the rough (where I tend to spend a lot of time) was so dry and hard that it was having a seriously negative effect on our swings. Quite simply, the game just became much more difficult than it already is. Combine that with the heat and humidity and the back nine (well, the front nine for the second time because the actual back nine was closed) was just overbearing.

So with all this in mind, if I do return to Key West in the future, it will certainly be at a different time of year. I'd like to play this course again as I did find it to be fun all around. Some of the scenery wasn't all that great as a few holes run parallel to Route 1. But some others were quite pretty, with the palm trees sprouting throughout the course, ponds aplenty and the tropical wildlife including the iguanas, herons and various other tropical birds and ducks.

But again I ask, was I in the right place at the wrong time? Did I head to a beautiful part of the country at a bad time of year? Are other tropical courses in less than perfect shape during the summer?

Well, no matter the weather or course conditions, I guess the whole situation was summed up by my playing partner Chris, when he said "Hey, we're playing golf in Key West. How many people do you know that can say that right now."

He was right.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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Need Some Time Off From Work? Get A Golf Job!

Why do people become teachers? Is it because the work is fulfilling? You know...shaping young minds, helping to strengthen the foundation of the future. Yeah, that's the standard, almost scripted answer you're likely to get if you ask a teacher. But they're not fooling anyone. We all know that's not the "real" reason. We all know the real reason is simply...the time off.

Look back. If I stopped to think about it when I was younger, I would have thought a bit differently about my future. When I was busy enjoying a few weeks off throughout the year, a bunch of half-days, countless three-day weekends and...oh yeah....TWO AND A HALF MONTHS OFF IN THE SUMMER!!...I would have become a teacher. All I ever thought about was how great my school schedule was, never stopping to think that my teachers schedule almost mirrors mine! Rather than busting my hump all week throughout the entire year with some time off here and there, I too could be sleeping late in the summer, golfing on a Wednesday morning in July and fishing on a Thursday afternoon in August. Now that's the life.

But it seems I've found another line of work which allows for a fair amount of time off also - a job in the golf industry. Due to my knowledge of the golf industry being almost non-existent off the course, I never considered what, exactly, many employees in the industry do during the off-season (in the northern half of the country anyway).

Now that my wife has been working in the industry for the past several months, I've become somewhat clued in. When the winter begins to rear its head, golfers stop golfing. So there's no need for so many employees. My wife found that out when the total number of employees in her office dropped to three (luckily, she is included in that group). Everyone else? Seasonal lay-off. When do they come back? April. Ladies and gentlemen....that is a five month vacation!

I know what some of you are saying, and you're right. It's a bit of a vacation, but what do you do for money? It can't be that great if you're broke for half the year! Well, like the teacher job, that's something you have to plan for. Sure, unemployment covers 60% of your paycheck, but a 40% pay cut for five months is something to be concerned about. But if you're prepared for it, then hey, how can you beat it?! Maybe you have a little something lined up to help supplement the loss, such as a little part time gig, under the table possibly (not that I condone that of course...). Or maybe you've rationed your money well enough throughout the season that you can just enjoy the time off without having to worry about searching for any temporary employment.

My point is, if this is handled right, then this could be a dream job. Say you're an employee at the golf course. Maybe you make a decent salary and you stash away a good portion of your money in order to prepare for your winter lay-off. You spend your spring, summer and half of your autumn at a golf course! You lose your job in the late fall but still make 60% of your paycheck! So what do you do with all that time off? Take golf trips! In January, go down south (because who the hell wants to travel to Florida in the summer anyway) and play some of the courses down there! Maybe in February you head to the southwest. Because once again.., who wants to go to Vegas in the middle of the summer? That phrase "but it's a dry heat" only goes so far. Been there in July, yeah it's cheaper that time of year, but there's a reason for that. It's 100 degrees in the middle of the night! But if you're winter schedule is pretty wide open? That's the time to go!

What I'm saying is, if I knew then what I knew now (yeah, how many times have we all said that to ourselves). I'm sure it has its downsides, but if you're lucky enough to have a relatively well-paid position in the industry, this can't be all that bad. I don't know about you, but no matter what the weather is like or what time of year it is, it sure beats sitting behind my desk all day.

I mentioned once before that I would encourage my kids to take up golf for the purpose of a college education. However, I may also add to that reasoning my thoughts mentioned above. Something tells me that if I mention all of the potential time off, it will ring louder in my kids ears then if I was to take the education route. Although, encouraging them to become teachers is not a bad alternative.

Swing 'til you're happy!

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The Gateway To A Golf Paradise

Some years ago, Stinky Golfer Greg and myself, along with two other golfing buddies, took a trip to Hilton Head Island for a golf getaway. We had a great hookup from one of my relatives who owned a condo on the island. This was the first real golf trip any of us had taken, and it was certainly one to remember.

I could get into the many details of the trip, but I can much more easily sum it up with one comment. While riding in a cart down one of the fairways of Palmetto Dunes, enjoying the beautiful views of the Atlantic, Greg turns to me and says simply..."Thank you. Seriously...thank you. This is awesome." He was right. It was awesome.

Recognize that picture? Of course you do. It's the famous Harbour Town Lighthouse at Sea Pines. We've all seen it. But have you ever had the chance to see it in person? Well thanks to a new website launched by The Golf Channel, here's your chance. If you've been there before, then here's your chance to do it again. For a great golf getaway, take a peek at http://www.hiltonheadgolf.com/.

For any golfers who haven't yet found their way to Hilton Head, my friends, you are truly missing out on a great golf experience. Now I've never been to Myrtle Beach, but as it's been described to me, Hilton Head is Myrtle Beach with better golf and without the touristy feel. I can attest to both of those points.

As for the golf, during a short trip, we managed to squeeze in two rounds of 18, one round at Palmetto Dunes and the other at Shipyard. Those two rounds being not quite enough, on the morning of our final day, we squeezed in another 9 holes at Sea Pines (home of Harbour Town) on the Ocean Course. Each round was an experience like no other. Be it the stunning ocean views, gators walking past the greens as you're putting or the beautiful, lush courses themselves...it's tough to beat the variety of courses you'll find on Hilton Head. Even if you can't make it to Harbour Town, you're sure to do fine with any of the courses The Golf Channel has featured for you here.

Let's not forget though, there's much more to a golf trip than just golf. What about food? As far as I'm concerned, food is a close second to the golf itself. Luckily, the good people at The Golf Channel have similar feelings as they've provided a dining guide on the site as well. Oh, and I can personally vouch for a number of restaurants on that list including Antonio's, The Crazy Crab and Harbourside Burgers & Brews at Sea Pines just to name a few.

Since my last visit to Hilton Head, I've always wanted to make a return trip. Now that The Golf Channel has made it so easy, I have almost no excuse. The courses, food, places to stay and even packages...it's all right there at your fingertips.

For those golfers who have yet to visit Hilton Head....you don't know what you're missing. After visiting twice (once for golf and once for relaxation...and, no...they're not the same thing), I'm still looking forward to going again. If nice weather, great golf and a laid back, relaxing environment are what you're looking for, then http://www.hiltonheadgolf.com/ is a great place to start.

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