CGRA April 2010 Newsletter

A-a-h-h yes, it's April, the month when everything turns green again, the Masters Tournament keeps us glued to our TV screens for a week and, for some of us, birdies are back on the golf menu.

A-a-h-h-CHOO!!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot that yellow stuff that has made me forget what color my car is. Pollen is the only thing that can make me appreciate a day of rain that keeps me from teeing it up with the legendary Gates Four Gangsome. But this too shall pass and we'll all be out there breathing again without gagging.
Which reminds me, I interviewed Annika Sorenstam at Pinehurst the other day and the pollen from the pine trees was so bad she was coughing after every other word. Must have gulped down a quart of water trying to get her throat clear.

Sorry, gang, but Annika says we've seen the last of serious golf from her. She has no plans of attempting a comeback. Says she's enjoying being a wife and mother too much to go back out on the LPGA Tour.

Don't know how many of you know this, or how many of you really care, but Eaton has moved its golf grip plant from Laurinburg to Southern Pines. Seems like a good fit, huh?

Speaking of getting a grip on things, I'm beginning to wonder if birdie machine Steve Williams is in a slump. The last count I had, I had him buried 21-9. That was a couple of weeks ago, however, and I'm still stuck on 21 as of this writing. That may have something to do with the fact that I've played a lot of my recent rounds on golf courses that aren't as nice to me as my dear old Gates Four.
Still, I'm waiting to hear from ol' Ess Dubya.

Most of you are aware (I had to use that "aware" in this newsletter just for one of our CGRA followers way down in Alabama who pointed out that I spelled it "award" last month and is insisting that I send him a check for editing fees) of the dates of the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame outing in Pinehurst August 23-24. Keep that in mind and prove to the golf world that we really do support the affair that helps make us a viable organization.

Speaking of the Alabama "editor", I should point out that he is a former basketball coach with the distinction of having coached Charles Barkley in high school. He swears he did NOT teach Barkley how to swing a golf club, though.
Word out of headquarters is that Dick Mitchell, our esteemed Executive Director who seems intent on making us take pride in the ownership of our group, is battling back problems. Hey, Dick, I knew we were heavy, but aren't we all brothers here? Anyway, hope he's feeling better and some day even attains the goal of beating Betsey on the golf course.

You may have already noted that the member profiles on our Web page have been undated with photos and other good stuff. If your profile isn't there, or if you haven't supplied a photo yet, well, heck, get with the program, gang. The guys at Impact Marketing are to be applauded for the job they've done with our site.

Have we come a long way in the last six months or what?

Speaking of membership, we need more. If you know of anyone involved with the game who might be interested in joining, give him or her Dick Mitchell's phone number 910-368-1600or e-mail dickmitchell@nc.rr.com . Even if they're not actively reporting on the game in some manner, they could very likely be eligible. We need anyone who cares enough about the game to get involved. Especially if they have a little something they'd like to invest in helping us make the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame even more special than it already is.

So, now that you're busy looking up that friend's number, I'll put a 30 on this epistle and go back to trying to find my birdie stroke. I can just feel Ess Dubya sneaking up on me.

So head for the links, tee it up, and we'll chat again next month.
 
Yours in Golf,
Howard Ward