Reminiscing about 2019 TWGS Gatherings!

The NOLA gathering was my first TWGS event and it was a lot of fun. Saturday was a round at Metairie CC and we had dinner at ACME Oyster House afterwards (get the chargrilled oysters!). We had planned to play Audubon Park on Sunday, but we went to Money Hill instead (thanks to Brent and Mark for hosting us on their home course). Brent was an awesome host from setting everything up to giving me a tour of the Quarter on Saturday night to bringing beignets to the clubhouse on Sunday morning.

If the other events have been anything like this one, I’m looking forward to my next one.

I attended the Wisconsin “Cheesehead” event in June and hosted the New Orleans “Big Easy” event two weeks ago. Here are a few thoughts.
1) My Wisconsin trip was incredible! It was great spending a few days walking with people I had not seen in a few years. The golf courses were fantastic. My golf was horrendous. Which leads me to my second point.
2) Its about the fellowship! Yes, it’s a golf trip so we all like great golf courses and we all like to play well when we travel. I believe these trips should have a different mindset and order of priorities than a typical golf vacation. It should be viewed as an opportunity to meet and make friends with other like minded people in a different part of the country. These new friends can then expand your options for other golf trips in the future. I’ve travelled solo to TWGS events for this purpose and I believe it’s enhanced my experience. I encourage others to do the same.
3) Host an event! I was very apprehensive to do so. I’m so glad I did. I was worried that the golf courses in New Orleans would have people disappointed. The reality is that we had a great time, people enjoyed their stay, and I was able to show off New Orleans for what we are typically known for with the food and entertainment. Unless everyone lied to me, I think I had a unanimous vote of success. It was an incredibly gratifying experience. I look forward to having another in the future.
4) Memorable moment/Teaching Opportunity:
If we want to promote Walking and show that it is “better”, we need to be able to demonstrate that. Here’s a case in point. Our first round at Lawsonia Links began with some theatrics. Here’s the story:
When we checked in we had five. We were told that Lawsonia would allow a group of five to go off; but, starter was very militant about it and would check on us regularly. We arrived on the 1st tee to hear a prepared speech by the starter making it clear that we would be allowed to play as five at his discretion and how he would handle breaking up the group when we feel behind. I stepped up and fired back him, “At the end of our round, I want you to tell me who is holding up the group in front; and, I’ll bet you it’s not us!” On the third hole, he rode over the hill in his cart to see all of us leaning on our clubs waiting to hit. On #5, when he saw all of us waiting to hit into the par five, he rode up to me and said, “Alright, you were right!” We just smiled and shrugged back at him. Needless to say, he did not follow us around after that. We actually had a couple other spots during the round where we had brief waits. Nothing bothersome, it just proved that we were exactly in position the entire 18 holes.
That’s an opportunity that all of us can take advantage of when we walk. Set that example, change minds and perceptions, use it as a way to invite others to try walking.