Prepping for the Millikin Invite
March 12, 2009
Today, we woke up around 6:30 and made the 6 hour drive
back to Pana IL to prepare for our 2 day tournament at
the Millikin Invite. We arrived at the Oak Terrence Golf
and Resort where we will stay and play. The day involved
a practiced round and some range work. After the round
we invaded the local Pizza Hut, then went back and
relaxed for the night.
More strong windMarch 11, 2009
On this cold and blustery day in Memphis, Tennessee, our
golf team played in a match against a fellow division III
golf team, Rhodes College. The temperature was between 45
and 50 degrees all day with probably 15 to 20 mile an hour
winds. It even sprinkled on and off for parts of the day
which made it difficult to play good golf. Scores for
today’s round ranged from a team low of 79 by Rodney Clayton
to a 90, most of the scores were around 84 or 85. Our red
team shot a 330 and the white team was a 347 while Rhodes
shot a 319 and their B team shot 308. Afterwards we went and
ate dinner at a local favorite called Huey’s. They had
delicious cheeseburgers and we all ate plenty. Tomorrow we
head for Pana, Illinois to start our two day tournament
starting with a practice round at 1:00. We leave at 7:00
a.m. and it will be a long ride back to Illinois.
Not bad for strong winds
March 10, 2009
Today the golf team played at Cottonwood golf links. A very nice
golf course that is part of the Harrah’s casino and resort, the
course was a tight one that made everyone on the team really think
about how to play every shot. It played around 6800 yards with a
considerable amount of water. The toughest part of the day was the
high winds. The wind was so high that guys were playing 3 clubs or
higher than normal when hitting into the wind. Scores were a little
higher than yesterday, but for our first time in gusting wind it was
acceptable. After the round, we showered up and headed to Beale
Street in Memphis. We walked up and down before sampling a platter
of amazing ribs and BBQ nachos at a place called Superior.
Afterwards, we went to the famous Rendezvous BBQ house to eat with
our opponents for tomorrow, Rhodes College golf team. We all sat
down and enjoyed more famous Memphis BBQ while getting to know one
another and talking golf and college stuff. Tomorrow we head back to
Memphis to take on Rhodes at their home course. They will be a tough
opponent because they are ranked 11th in the country for D3 golf.
Perfect golfing weather
March 9, 2009
Today we played Riverbend links. We played 27 holes at the link style course.
The weather was great, high 70s and sunny with a 10-15 mph wind, perfect golfing
weather. All the guys left with some good sun burns. The team played well for
its first outing. Scores ranged from 76 to 83 which was pretty good for the guys
first day out. Afterwards we drove into Tunica, MS and found a famous diner to
eat dinner at. It was called the Blue and White diner. It has been open since
1924. It had great southern home cooked food. The big hit was a dessert called
the donut tower. The tower included two stacked donuts filled with whipped cream
and topped with a scoop of fresh ice cream and hot fudge.
Around 8:30 a.m. the Fighting Scots golf team took off for Tunica Mississippi.
It took about 9 hours to drive to Tunica, MS. Along the way we saw the St. Louis
Arch (gateway to the west) and crossed the Mississippi river twice. We traveled
through 5 states (IL, MO, AR, TN, and MS). We arrived at the hotel around 5pm
and were greeted by 75 degree weather. We ate at the Famous Paula Deen’s (Food
Network Star) restaurant inside the Harrah’s Resort. Everyone agreed it was the
best buffet they have ever eaten at, and probably the biggest. Some of the
favorites included the macaroni and cheese, ribs, and wide variety of seafood.
The desserts were also fantastic. The rest of the night involved some R&R back
at the hotel.