| Your perfect golf vacation with your friends starts | | | | menu simple and make sure you have the recipes in |
| and stops with you. Toss the vacation package | | | | hand. With any size group, you are going to have a |
| brochures in a heap and design your own ideal golf | | | | chef or two and this won't be a big deal.-#- Multiple |
| getaway. This is the final of four articles to assist | | | | copies of the "order sheet" for sandwiches. For most |
| you in providing an outing for yourself and your | | | | of our noon meals between rounds, we dine on our |
| friends that will make you want to do it every year | | | | self-prepared, gourmet sandwiches prepared the |
| (as we have for 19 years running).From the last | | | | night before. As you saw from the previous articles, |
| article, you are now at the minus one month point. | | | | I solicit what the group wants and have that on the |
| So far you have rallied the troops, picked the dates, | | | | shopping list. What winds up being the least confusing |
| selected the lodging and golf courses and are in the | | | | way is to have some sheet for people to circle or fill |
| final preparation stage. You will soon see your friends | | | | in to specify what sandwiches they want for the |
| smiling faces at the airport baggage claim. The final | | | | next day. You rotate the preparers (two is best) |
| preps and smoothly running the whole show are | | | | every night and with that sheet, they manufacture |
| child's play. The tough part was getting your bunch of | | | | the gourmet feast. (Don't discount this! The |
| friends to buy the tickets to enjoy the event. Here | | | | sandwiches you make will be superior to anything |
| are a few things you will want to do before the | | | | short of the full meal at the course AND you will not |
| scream of the aircraft's tires on the tarmac.1. | | | | have to wait on it if you are pressed for time |
| Transportation. The limiting factor is arrival and | | | | between your rounds.)-#- Biggy! We did not keep a |
| departure from the airport due to clubs AND | | | | record of our scores for our first few years. Big |
| suitcases. If you can just barely stuff everyone in | | | | mistake. What great history we tossed out. Keep a |
| the vehicles at this point, the rest of the week is | | | | record! I prepare a hard copy sheet to fill in as we |
| gravy. From your experience, you know that when | | | | go. It allows us to follow who is the overall stroke |
| you pack up four guys to go golfing locally, you will | | | | leader and gives us all ammo to use in negotiating the |
| entirely fill the trunk of a full sized car. With that in | | | | next day's bets. I take this home and plant it |
| mind, you should plan on a full sized car for every | | | | permanently on our golf website.-#- Expenses. I pay |
| three people. We use one minivan/SUV augmented | | | | for everything with minor exceptions and collect |
| with cars for our adventures. Just make sure you | | | | everyone's share the final evening. That keeps it |
| allow for the limiting case.You need to arrange these | | | | simple. I currently use a spreadsheet to administer |
| rental vehicles ahead of time, but you can only drive | | | | this. It works great. I would provide this for you, but |
| one yourself. Here is the minus one-month | | | | this article format doesn't allow. Before that, I simply |
| mandatory. When you figure out your vehicle | | | | used pen and paper and got it to within a penny. My |
| requirements, contact the group to arrange among | | | | point is that from the minute you start your |
| them and you who will contact and rent the | | | | adventure, keep a tally of what you have spent! |
| remaining vehicles. There will probably be some in | | | | Streamline course check in by paying for everyone, |
| your group that have existing discounts and can | | | | buy all the food and drink, buy all the gas, etc. If |
| score a great rate. Hash this one out via email.2. | | | | someone pays for anything, log it in immediately. If |
| Entertainment. Unless you are going to the deserts in | | | | you are religious in this, you will have no complaints, |
| Arizona or get exceedingly lucky, you will have a rain | | | | only praise.4. Things nobody else will bring but you:- |
| day or two. You will also have a bunch of time at | | | | Several decks of cards, poker chips- Cribbage |
| night after golf (after you have all told your lies). We | | | | boards- Screw driver and pliers (you never know)- |
| suck that time up pretty effectively watching the | | | | Pens, pencils and permanent markers (you will need |
| golf channel, ESPN, playing cards, or watching videos. | | | | all)- Over the counter pain killers- Band-Aids- Game5. |
| The latter is what you can address ahead of time. | | | | Arrival. So here you have a rambunctious group of |
| We have a guy that is pretty good at selecting | | | | friends descending on the Mecca of golf. You have |
| movies to watch and we task him to bring them | | | | motored to the house your staying in and it is the |
| with him. Movies like "Gladiator", "Miracle", etc. are big. | | | | mad dash to the best room to be found. NOT. To |
| More risque' titles are optional. On severe rain days, | | | | avoid any hard feelings between the lodger that got |
| we also have gone bowling (a real hoot), done the | | | | the queen bed and the lodger that got the twin bed, |
| local movie theater, and toured the area.3. Checklists. | | | | simply set up a quick draw out of the hat. For |
| After about ten years of being asked twenty times | | | | subsequent years, do the same, but use the seniority |
| per day where we were playing the next day, or | | | | system. Once a person misses, he goes to the end |
| when we had to leave, or what was for supper, or | | | | of the list.6. Once you have dumped your bags in the |
| who stole my teddy bear, I finally started typing out | | | | drawn rooms, it is time to go shopping. With the |
| these things. I make a copy of each and post | | | | template I gave you in the last article, and with your |
| sporadically throughout the house. I make individual | | | | modifications based on menu and orders, grab one or |
| laminated cards and hand to each golfer. Know what? | | | | two volunteers and get what you need.This is the |
| It reduced the questions to half and now when | | | | conclusion of my recommendations on how you can |
| asked, I say that I can't remember. Let me walk | | | | have the best golf outing or outings you have ever |
| over to the frig and read it for you. Here are the | | | | had. The fact that folks have been coming to enjoy |
| things I prepare ahead of time:-#- Listing of course, | | | | my preparations for 19 years should be testimony to |
| tee times, course contact number, and departure | | | | you. At least give it a shot once. The first time may |
| time. I base departure time on MapBlast directions | | | | not be exactly perfect, but my guess is that it will be |
| and factor in a stop for ice for the coolers and if we | | | | superior to and more remembered than anything you |
| will need to hit range balls.-#- Listing of the menu for | | | | can buy as a package. Go for it!Randall Ulbricht is a |
| the evening meals. If this is your first time, keep the | | | | retired Nuclear Submarine Officer. |