THE TRUTH ABOUT SPORTS!!!

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPORTS!!!

By Jock MacKenzie – Twice voted one of 50 best radio sports broadcasters in the United States.

I’ve heard it said that golf is the only sport in which a competitor will put down a cigar to eat a hot dog.  not being a smoker, i can’t verify that but the hot dog will get me after every 18-hole round at pine lakes or cypress knoll.

The most important wordage of all, however, came from golf tour spokesman Peter Kostis. when he stated the FOLLOWING, our ears began to pop: “Golf simply cannot grow unless we can get kids out onto the golf courses!”

we have youngsters in high school who show us great talent but once graduating we seem to lose track of those fasinating golf swings.

but then i thought, whoa buddy, have you looked at what the grand club is doing?

little by LITTLE, i began to view the young talent that director of golf mike tsouklaris has brought to the grand club and to palm coast in general.  i mean these golf professionals are good, very good, in the office or on the links.  and he has done it carefully despite bouts of rain the likes of which has not been seen by me and the thousands who left new england, staten island, philly and anywhere else you care to name.

One of the young troopers i have come to know is rick vaders who joins the team at pine lakes for morning duty.

if you can believe this, vaders was on the hitting range at the age of four.  he was on the links taking lessons somewhere around the age of 10 and turned pro at the age of 19.  and now here he is as one of the tsouklaris troopers.

nothing of this nature, of course, simply happens.  vaders credits his grand father in philadelphia for his golf ability now.  he told me proudly, “i would not be in this without my grand father in philadelpia.”

vaders had moved to key west when his grandad passed away while in hi 80’s but he pays tribute to this day.

in his golf bag is a one iron that stays there and is never used.  vaders said, “it will always stay there to honor my grand father!”

he makes no bones about how much he loves pine lakes.  he says, i live here with my parents, i golf here, i teach the game here and i don’t want to go anywhere else.”

he turned pro at the age of 19 and that’s when tsouklaris hired him.

vaders, as one of the tsoukaris specials, works a morning shift at pine lakes but is through around 12 p.m. and heads for the range where he teaches the many who value his ability.

what’s his lowest score for 18 holes?  He shot a round of 68 and at the Pine is always in the low 70’s.

more importantly, he loves the golf course, his family lives on the golf course including himself and every one of them love it here.

and all of this became possible because rick vaders worked for and got his pga ticket at the age of 19.

but don’t ever forget, it’s the solid staff at the grand club, the knowledge and work of tsouklaris, henry angle and brian melanson, that know exactly which way the cup must spin to make these golf courses among the best in florida!