Golf Gypsy and Friends

There's just a little grass before the ball reaches the fairway.

One warm windy Friday in October a group of 38 women gathered to meet new friends,  play a fun round of golf at Prairie Dunes in Hutchinson, KS then toast to good friends, good golf, and good food.  The women drove from all corners of the state:  Kansas City, Coffeyville, Liberal, to Hays and points in between,  to play a challenging course, and for some, to relive the memories of watching Julie Inkster, Annika Sorenstam, and Nancy Lopez play Prairie Dunes in the 2002 USGA Women's Championship.

Since it was not a tournament, and because the golf course can be treacherous, we (Peggy, Kathy, and I) suggested that "the Sn8wman" become their friend, their choice.  In fact, we said have fun first, if the score is too high don't write it down or don't add it up.  Just enjoy the moments, the vistas, and the challenges that Perry Maxwell created when he designed the course over 75 years ago.  Players are now given five options for tee boxes.  A shorter distance does NOT equal=easy.  It simply gives the player (man or woman) a better opportunity to find the fairway with a drive rather than the gunch.  Our three favorite words at Prairie Dunes are, "It's in Play."  For an added touch of challenge,  the ladies were asked to keep putts and to turn the scorecards with putts into the pro shop when finished.

The Twins:  Marsha from Topeka n Debbie from Liberal

The pairings were designed to meet new friends; in every foursome there were ladies who had never met or had never played together.  Our handicaps ranged from 2 to 28.   On the first tee we discovered twins in the midst.  Two ladies who had never met were paired together, and then discovered they had identical bags. The laughter continued with these two new friends as they hit their shots, exchanged stories, and compared aches and pains.  By hole six they announced, "We might really be sisters!"     One explained, "I was adopted."  The other quipped, "And my dad played around."  Who knows?  They both share a love of golf,  adventures in life, and storytelling.

Karen and Marlene

As I played Prairie Dunes, my home course, my eyes scanned the horizon to see ladies walking down fairways, hitting in and out of the many bunkers, climbing up or down the sand hills where the prairie grass sometimes grew taller than the women, and slapping their legs or yelling at the sky as a putt slide off the green, not even near the hole.  How fun to hear laughter across the fairway, and more so when they finished 18 windy holes.  I knew that the course could be wicked with the winds blowing 20 mph and gusts up to 25-30 mph.  Learning to judge the wind and deciding if it is a one, two, or three club wind, and then how to hit the ball high enough or low enough to reach the elevated greens, yet not drop short with the wind in your face, is just one of the many experiences that created stories.  "Glad we didn't have to count the chip shots," exhorted one lady.  "I stood there and watched my ball come back to me three different times, and that was just on the fourth hole!"  

What stories must Deb and Babe be sharing?

"My ball rolled off the green on 17 after I marked it, replaced it, and prepared to putt.  I had a side hill, uphill chip coming back to the pen instead of a putt." quipped another woman not to be out done. "Can You Top That Stories" kept us entertained.  As foursomes finished on the 18th green, we gathered at the patio to watch, yell, taunt and tease the often bewildered golfer, our friends.

Mary Lee, Sheila, Alice, Judytease the often bewildered golfer.

Mary Lee, who has played the course before, exclaimed as she walked off 18, "Letty, I four putted."  "There's no shame to that," I calmly replied. At a near screeching pitch she continued,  "But I four putted four times.  I even putted off the green and had to chip back."  As a friend, I could only chuckle.  In my head I knew the frustrations they were dealing with.   That is why I might shot an 80 one day and a 90 the next.


Perry Maxwell, who designed and built Prairie Dunes, envisioned and created smaller greens with hidden nuances, as one of the USGA officials declared.  Many of the greens are contoured with a hogback that runs front to back or splits in a deceiving Y.  The knowing and unknowing golfer is fooled by these breaks.  These greens require exact speed and a good read.  Besides battling the undulating ridges, the golfer must face the false fronts, whipping winds, the dead elephant buried at the front edge of #11 green, and the slippery swells and swales that can suck a ball off the green, like the intimidating hole #8 or #10. Take your pick.

Ann, Debbie, Nancy, Donna smiling on the 18th.

That warm windy fall day came to an end all too soon, but not before we toasted to a winning formula, "Golf +Friends+Food=Fun."  In the next few days, friends posted comments on facebook and sent emails with notes of thanks and funny stories.  One of my favorite stories simply bragged, "I had two birdies, and four pars...Oh, yeah and I lost five balls."  Welcome to Prairie Dunes, and a toast to many more journeys down the links.

Peggy, Jayne, Gail, Patty..smiles tell it all.

Golf Gypsy: Turning Over a New Leaf

There are some pretty amazing women in the world, young and old, and I've been fortunate to meet so many of them.  One recently turned my head and made me think.

We had just completed a golf tournament called Triple Threat, which is fun partner event.  It is, also, quite a challenge since the teams play three different formats in 18 holes:  four-ball, scramble, and modified alternate shot.  My advice is to make sure you and your partner know how to laugh and make no apologizes for errant shots. My partner, Mary Lee Evans, and I were laughing and remarking about being tired and out of shape for golf this season.  Now usually words like that get many more commiserating comments from those around the table.

The four of us who played together that day are all "Seniors."  Mary Lee just celebrated her 72 birthday and is a passionate player of golf and life, so we both realize that age is just a number.  Natasha Fife played with a friend from Rolling Hills Golf Course, Betty Hall.  Betty doesn't hit the ball far, but she hits it straight and rolls putts like a hawk zooming down on its prey.  Noticing that we were all older than the young women at our table, Mary Lee turns and asks, "Betty how old are you?"

Betty just smiled and her eyes gleamed, "I'm 86."

Betty and Tash at Prairie Trails Golf course.

I'm thinking, she's 86 and still competes.  How exciting, she's like the little engine that could.  It's not just a story. It's for real.

Mary Lee continues, "How often do you play golf?"

Slowly, Betty tilts her head and looks around the table, "Well, I play on Tuesdays."  There was a long pause, giving me time to think.  That seems about right.  At that age I'd be happy to play once a week.   Betty continues, "Then I play every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday."

My mouth dropped open and Mary Lee nearly leaped out of her chair, restating incredulously, "You play three days in a row besides Tuesdays?  Don't you get tired?"

I'm enthralled because there are days I have no energy after one round of golf much less three days in a row.

Betty looks at us both and smiles, "No, I just play golf.  It's not hard."

Thank you Betty.  I drove home that day and for awhile I thought about being tired.  I've been tired since I started my career in teaching and raising kids, so it just seems normal at the end of the day to say, "I'm tired."   I've had time to think, "Am I really tired or is it just a bad habit I have."  After hearing Betty's words replayed, "I just play golf.  It's not hard."  I've turned over a new leaf, and a really heavy leaf--It is time to stop complaining about being tired.

Since I gave up Dr. Pepper this year I think I can refrain from old words and change bad habits.  Last week I played three days of tournament golf and then a fourth day with Jack.  Let's just say I slept well those nights.  In those four days, I spent time with friends and loved ones, felt the wind and rain in my face, relaxed watching dozens of goslings nestle with their mothers near the waters edge, looked for the red foxes, laughed at stories, watched the flowers grow, and discovered that I felt refreshed.  I just enjoyed life, it's not hard.

Letty Stapp Watt
historian, golfer

Golf Gypsy: Easy Breezy

NOT READY FOR STATE!  Holy Cow, the wind doth blow, and yet, we golfers show up for those all important tee times and play when we can barely stand up.  Then again, I've passed bicyclists on the narrow roads and worry as they weave sideways in the wind and cars pass them, so maybe golfers, joggers, tennis players are just simply people who enjoy the out of doors.

Letty and Barb G.

My golf gypsy friends even drive miles and miles just to play Prairie Dunes, no matter what the weather.  Hairstyles, not to worry.  We are there to have fun and create memories. As my friend Kathy Thomas repeats to us, "Swing Easy when it's Breezy."  Following her advice is often difficult when my body just wants to hunker down and swing hard into the 25 mph winds.

Sherrie W. and Barb B.

Memorial Day weekend 2013 and the days following proved that Kansas Winds can blow, and we can still enjoy the day out of doors.  Speaking only for me, I know it is friendship that pushes me out the door to play golf when my five senses are screaming, "What ever are you thinking!   The winds are gusting 30-45 mph and you could be inside reading a good book!"   Since my golf game has not proven itself this year, I can't really blame my scoring on the wind, but then again there were a few putts and chips that rolled past the hole and off the green like a jet at take off causing my score to increase by two or three.  Sometimes I think the weather creates tall tales or at least humorous stories, as we try to out do each other with lines like "Well you should have seen my shot on 12 when my ball careened off two trees and landed plugged in the sand trap!" or "I had a three foot birdie putt on #2 and took a triple bogey!" and the best one yet,  "I was only 100 yards out into the wind and hit my driver!"

Dedication and perseverance are certainly strong traits of golfers, but the most important is a willingness to laugh at ourselves.  We are NOT pros.   Next week, the Senior Women Golfers of Kansas will be playing in our state tournament, more than likely in windy conditions or blowing rain.  Like other games in life it is the friendships that bring us together.  We are not on this earth very long; we weep when our friends and family pass away, perhaps that is one more reason to join in the game of life.

To my friends:  a Toast to those who've played the game and touched our lives, and to those we'll share some time with this summer.  Thanks for the memories.

Peggy does the happy dance.  We love our birdies.

Letty Stapp Watt

historian, golfer