Golf “No man can taste the fruits of autumn while he is delighting his scent with the flowers of spring.” - Samuel Johnson In Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare wrote: “If music be the food of love, play on.” Applying this classic aphorism to the game of golf, I suggest twisting the phrase a bit to the following: “If golf be the food you love, play on.” My social media profile on Twitter offers this snapshot of my writings: Here you’ll find musings about golf and music – from the fairways to the rough, where my golf game and musical tastes reside. Golf and music are two of my passions. Examine them and you notice that there are many similarities. The golf swing is rhythmic, whether it’s the ticktock smooth, clock-like action of a putting stroke or the fluid full rip with a driver. Like a song, the golf swing is something that is built up piece by piece. To be effective, all of the elements must work together to come up with a cohesive swing or composition. That said, there are always exceptions to the rules in terms of the “perfect swing” or classic composition style – and, often, it’s these outliers that are the most fascinating studies. Think Jim Furyk and his loopy swing, that is more like an improvisational jazz piece than a classical composition. (Furyk, by the way, just this past August, set a new PGA Tour scoring record with that unorthodox swing – shooting a 58 at The Travelers Championship.) By now, your swing is surely tuned up after a summer of hitting the links. Just because fall is here, however, it does not mean that it is time to stash your clubs until you head south for the winter. There are still plenty of days to play in northern climes once the calendar flips from August to September. Fall golf is one of my favourite times of the year to tee it up. As the leaves turn, cooler nights and crisp mornings offer the perfect soundtrack for your next golf game. When I close my eyes and recall my formative years of carefree summers golfing at Westmount Golf & Country Club in Kitchener, Ont., many of the memories that flash to mind are ones that occurred on the fairways – and, more often, the rough in my case – in the autumn months, teeing it up solo in the evenings. While you may lose more balls in the leaves, and the nights are shorter, the scents in the air and the other tastes of the fall golf season are more than enough to entice one to keep swinging those clubs long after the dog days of August have come and gone. Fall is also the perfect time for a little golf getaway before you head to your winter home for good. One suggestion which I have is the golf mecca of Myrtle Beach. Imagine waking up early, jumping on a plane and, by lunch, you are teeing it up on one of South Carolina’s finest golf courses. That’s the experience I had earlier this summer on a bucket list-worthy trip. There’s nothing like the beauty of The Grand Strand. Rise early to walk the beach, listen to the ocean’s gentle whisper and witness the sunrise. I captured this moment on my smart phone. The resulting post to social media generated one of the best interactions I’ve ever received for anything that I’ve shared. It’s no wonder. This postcard-in-themaking awaits you every day; it’s an image not easy to describe. Take my word for it. Just jump on a plane or hop in the car and witness this natural wonder for yourself. While there are nearly 100 courses in the Myrtle Beach area, here’s a trifecta of tricky tracks that I suggest: The Witch, TheWizard, andMan ‘O’ War. A finer, more unique mix of South Carolina courses you’ll be hardpressed to find. The trio has been consistently recognized among Myrtle Beach’s “five best courses” and “best values.” Two of them (The Wizard & Man O’ War) celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2016. Mystical Golf (owned by Claude Pardue) operates these three courses. Man O’ War and The Witch were designed by North Carolina architect Dan Maples. Be prepared to fall quickly under the spells of these courses. The Wizard is unlike anything else in Myrtle Beach. Inspired by St. Andrews, the course feels more like something you would find in Golf is the food of life, so play on this fall By David McPherson 48 | www.snowbirds.org
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