I consider myself very fortunate. I live and work in the Dominican Republic and spend much of my time in Punta Cana where there are plenty of great opportunities to golf. My role takes me all around the Caribbean to great resorts and great golf courses. Even with all that, one of my favorite vacations is (you guessed it), golf, golf and more golf.
Each year a group of my golf buddies and I get together for a golf trip. Before we even leave we are counting down to the excursion. Three weeks. Two weeks. One week. We even shop for the perfect attire; making sure to match our socks with our belts. It can be a bit extravagant.
For six years, our tradition has been to go to a great location and play a round of golf every day for seven days. Sometimes we even play two rounds the same day. We tee off early enough to go for 36 holes on many days. And certainly, by the time we get to the 19th hole we are reliving the first 18 holes all over again…which certainly makes it seem like we have played two rounds at the end of the day.
Most years we have gone to Myrtle Beach, SC to be challenged with the great courses that the area is known for – TPC Myrtle Beach, Barefoot courses, among others. This year, however, we changed the destination to Florida and tackled a course at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando and Copperhead Course in Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club near Tampa. We also played on some other great courses, such as Disney’s Magnolia Golf Course and the Reunion Resort’s Palmer, Nicklaus and Watson courses. Whether it’s a Fazio-designed or Nicklaus-created course, no matter what, we are there to have fun and challenge the course.
We are setting our goals high as we start planning next year’s trip and the next. Our group hopes to get to destinations like Pinehurst, or maybe England, Ireland and…Scotland…where it all began.
This may not be the Masters, but it certainly is the best “tournament” ever to a group of guys from the Dominican Republic. We are already counting down to next spring!
PS: handicap 2, wishing to be 0 hcp, one day!!!
