The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of

By Jock MacKenzie

Discipline and diligence, that’s the stuff that Dreams are made of, or so a group of us thought as we headed for the Grand Reserve golf course on Route 1 and shy of Bunnell, Fl.
Pine Lakes of Palm Coast, Florida, the individual favorite, was down for customary repairs and Cypress Knoll, another favorite, was booked solid.
What this happy crew found was a downright beautiful golf course and then the smiles became greater. The group, calling themselves Sludgehammers, and most members originally from Staten Island, NY, was set to eat up this easy golf course. Then came reality. This golf course had the smoothest grass, the most beautiful layout, the best conditioned in a golf experience they had not previously found. Player after player spoke freely after viewing the condition of this beauty: “Wow, this is a terrific golf course!
When reality set in, the putts began to fly past the hole, something they were not accustomed to. Wow! These greens were beautiful, solid, terrifically conditioned and tough for many us to handle.
Except for talented golfers like Dennis Willerth, Jake Jacoby and David Studnicki, scores went flying upward than that expected.
If you’re headed to Florida to enjoy golf this summer, mark Grand Reserve in your book and enjoy some of the best golf of your life.
But be sharp with that putter because Grand Reserve will test the best you’ve got.

OTHER BEAUTIES IN THIS PART OF FLORDA

Many moons ago a very, very good friend – Colonel Robert Jones – and a terrific golfer and teammate in Dover, NH where Cochecho was the star golf site, decided to make a move to Palm Coast. These were boom-boom times when many were at or about to retire. Thus came the urging for me and wife Gibby to also make the move and one day we did.
Palm Coast was early in the growth pattern at the time, some 20,000 or less population with three golf courses – Palm Harbor, Pine Lakes and Cypress Knoll.
We were so naïve about where to find a good golf course that it was a little of this and a little of that, all starting with Palm Harbor.
Col. Jones then suggested we go to Cypress Knoll where Gary Player built a beauty, one that a certain player there says to this day, “I like this course for many reasons but mainly that it has less bunkers than most courses.”
What was never told to anyone is that we couldn’t find the golf course! We went up and down, over and under
We took roads to the right that never revealed a golf course. I swear we looked for Cypress better than an hour even though it was just around corner from where we spent all that time looking.
In reality, finding this golf course is a walk in the park. But the better news is that it’s a beauty with a terrific layout. Again, if you are Gary Player, one of the best
ever, with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, did a superb job for the ownership of the time. And knowing the plans of the present ownership I promise that playing Cypress Knoll will be one of your all time golf favorites in Florida.
When we were reasonably young and still working, we came to Florida every year with golf clubs in tow. The destination was constantly Orlando where we had our pick of golf courses. If then were today, a far better deal and much more enjoyable in a ton of ways, Palm Coast would be the one and only choice. It’s not a population of twenty thousand anymore. It’s now somewhere around the ninety thousand bracket and the money is on the table that says it shortly will have reached out for 100,000.
There are beautiful golf courses on the beach and several more beauties in Palm Coast alone. There is a genuine gem titled Grand Haven, a course constructed by Jack Nicklaus. There is another superb gem titled Pine Lakes or otherwise noted as The Grand Club.
My point is, please don’t spend all your money flying your way to the deep part of Florida when you have golf courses in Palm Coast equally as well and even better than those provided by long air flights.
Here you fly into Jacksonville or Daytona. The former is around 50 miles away, the latter 25 miles or less. And what you will find here is a bevy of golfers who know what you can also know with a shorter trip.
I’ll remember for the rest of my life the words from a young gentlemen and his wife who live in Montreal.
In a brief conversation with me they related: We’ve played four courses while here on vacation. This one is the best by far (Pine Lakes) and next year when we come from Canada to play golf this is the golf course we will play. It’s far better and more fun than we were told. Pine Lakes is our vacation choice!
So, when you are making plans for a vacation out of New York, Pennsylvania, Boston, New England and other similar locations, please mark Palm Coast on your calendar. It will be the best choice you’ve made all year.
If you are eager to play more private courses, the Grand Club, Grand Reserve and Grand Haven can make it happen. They are generally less crowed and in better condition than many courses. Try my word out and you’ll see what thousands now do.

PINE LAKES M.G.A.
Stapleford Points. White Flight 1: Ed McLeavey 32, Mickie Mann 30, David Ragsdale 27.
2nd White Flight: John Sbordone 35, Paul Libutaque 33, Jerry Fazzini 28. First Orange Flight: Gordon Patrick 38, Dave Schlink 37 m/c, Steve McLaughlin 37. 2nd Orange Flight: Gene Dunn 38, Celso Samaniego 37, Al Amara 35. Gold Flight 1: John Maino & Dale Bell 41, Wally Schubert 36, Frank Mento 35. Gold Flight 2: Dick Hoover 37, Tom Clutter 36, Bob Hunter, Tony Forte, Rick Hornberger 34. Closest to pin: Frank Mento No. 5, Dale Bell No. 9, Ed McLeavey No. 11, Gordon Patrick No. 14.

CYPRESS MEN’S GOLF ASSOCIATION
Results 5/17: Select Best Nine Holes. White Flight: 1st Michael Mann 82-32. Orange Flight: 1st Dave Erbe 81-29, 2nd Dave Kaufman 87-30. Orange Flight 2: 1st Ed Reed 91-26, 2nd James Miller 94-29 m/c. Gold Flight: John Iocovozzi 83-30. Closest to pin: Michael Mann No. 5, Dave Kaufman No. 9, Dave Erbe No. 11, John Iocovozzi No. 14.

MATANZAS WOODS MGA TOURNAMENT
Pick Best Nine. White Flight : Ed McLeavey 86-32. Orange Flight 1: Don Bach 89-28, Celso Samaniego 91-28 m/c, Frank Hopler 99-28. Orange Flight 2: John Maino 86-29, Jere Dorney 103-30 m/c, Jerry Fazzini 96-30. Gold Flight: Russ Brown 96-27, Bernie Sheridan 103-29. Closest to pin: Gordon Patrick No. 5, Walt Twyman No. 9, Gordon Patrick No. 11, Russ Brown No. 14.

MATANZAS WOOD WOMEN’S ASSOC.
1st (Tie +4) Debby Crowley, Barb Bergquist, Zita Corum. Flight 2: (Tie -2) Gerry Bell & Alice Manthey. Flight 3: Bea Franchini +2. Flight 4: Gail Danhoff +8.

NINE & DINE/CYPRESS KNOLL
50 Golfers/ West Flight low gross: Richard Yates, Diana Leonetti, Danny Gerhard & Jeanie Schreiber 31. 1st low net: Terry & Sue O’Hagan, Rick & Jane Stefany 26.4. 2nd low net: Rich & Mira Gueren, H. Wied, Sylvie Fischer 27.2. South Flight, low gross: Steve Bickel, Fred Robinson, Ron Smith, Tony Bellantoni 31. Closest to pin winners: James Stabile No. 11, Mira Gueren No. 14.

GRAND RESERVE, MEN’S WEDNESDAY LEAGUE
Flight 1: 1st Ken Oberline 42, 2nd Jack Williams 39, 3rd Steve Thompson 37. Flight 2: 1st Walt Fraedrich 40, 2nd Charles Papson 39 m/c, 3rd Marty Popi 39. Green Flight: 1st Jerry Fletcher 40 m/c, 2nd Jerry Degiovanni 40, 3rd Paul Dean 37. Closest to pin: Roger Epperson No. 4, Jerry Degiovanni No. 10 & 13.

PALM HARBOR LADIES 18-HOLE TOURNAMENT
1st: Tie: Helen Perlman, Judy Pope, Linda Karam & Carol Ross 72. Gerry Bell, Kathy Devanna, Nancy Plum & Ann Steele 72. 2nd: Tie: Fran Knoedler, Marianne Schuettler, Patti McClintock & Helga Ghazi 77. Carolyn McLaughlin, Kathy DiGiore, Donna Drevniok & Jane Sturgis 77.

CYPRESS KNOLL WGA
Beat the Champ: Only 1 person from the field was able to beat the Champ: Deb Crowley 75-65.

GRAND RESERVE WOMEN/MONDAY GAME
Just the Middle (count the holes 6-14). Flight 1: 1st Ruth Martin 31 m/c, 2nd Sandy McCarthy 31 m/c. Flight 2: 1st Joy Clarkson 33, 2nd Carol Gear 34. Flight 3: Gerry Durrkin 32, Diana Mariano 32.5, Mary Page Slovak 36. Closest to pin: Shay Hall No. 4 & No. 10.

GRAND RESERVE WOMEN/FRIDAY GAME
Six Mystery Holes: Flight A: 1st Ruth Martin 24, 2nd Rae Ann Schumacher 27 m/c, 3rd Wanda Eller 27 m/c, 4th Joan Gray, 5th Karen Varriale 28. Flight B: 1st Sharon Argabright 27, 2nd Nancy Rupert 28 m/c, Nancy Cerniglia 29 m/c, 4th Diana Mariano 29. Flight C: 1st Betty Sabatino 27, 2nd June Heitman 30.
Closest to pin No. 13: Marianne Schuettler.

GRAND CLUB NINERS, PINE.
Low Gross: Low Gross: Flight 1: 1st, Gloria Wilkins 56, 2nd, Bonnie Brunson 58. Flight 2: 1st, Marilyn Millar 54, 2nd, Ann Leide 57.