The leaves are turning and we are smack dab in the middle of the color season.  Mt. Jefferson is spectacular and I understand that a trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway or route 194 to Boone is nothing short of breathtaking.  Since no one seems particularly accurate with their predictions from year to year on whether it will be a good season for leaves, I am now jumping to the conclusion that a wet summer will provide better color than a dry one.  That’s going to be my story from now on and I’m going to stick to it unless I have someone from here give me a better story.

While we are on the subject of the leaves changing and the great colors…how about white as a color.  I’m talking about snow, which has been predicted for us for the weekend.  It started harmlessly enough with Ray’s Weather (www.raysweather.com) predicting a flurry in the higher elevations but that tag has disappeared and now we just have snow…at all elevations.  Now, I’m as passionate about playing golf as the next guy but I’m having a problem with the idea of playing in snow in October.  I know that Denver had snow last weekend because I saw the Denver-New England game but Denver isn’t Jefferson, NC…and we’re not supposed to get it this soon.  First, we have rain all summer and now, we have snow in the fall.  You have to be dedicated to play golf up here this season.  So…I’m teeing it up tomorrow come snow or shine!

Our family welcomed the newest member of the PGA of America.  My son Clayton, was awarded his PGA card after successfully completing the PGA Apprentice program requirements.

His journey through the program was not without some interesting moments including his decision to change career paths from a degree in Criminal Justice to dedicating his life to the golf business.  Having spent an entire life in golf, his choice to go into golf was a bit of a surprise to me since baseball had been his passion as a youth.  He is an independent young man that was emphatic that his success or failure would be self-directed…in other words…thanks for the offer to help, but no thanks, I want to do this on my own.  His apprenticeship has been under some great professionals: Simon Coulls, Bill Bower, Ben Chambers, Jim Kurtzborn, Paul Celano and  currently, Dick Erick at Kensignton Country Club in Naples, Florida.  And they have provided him with a wealth of experiences and knowledge to move forward in his profession.

As I think back, one particular memory comes to mind that involved his playing ability test (a requirement for apprentices before they can be elected to membership).  After a couple of attempts that included some final hole disappointments, I had the opportunity of watch as he successfully completed this step in the process.  Not that there weren’t some anxious moments along the way…a wayward tee shot on the 10th hole of the 2ndround that cost him a triple bogey andlater in the same round another errant tee shot that bounced OB and a resulting double.  But the moment that showed me a level of maturity ( andtalent) was making that last 4 footer with all the pressure on to make it by a shot.  I had always known that he was competitive, from striking out the side in the bottom of his final LL game to record 100 Ks to pitching in an All-Star game without so much as a warmuptoss, it was always on the diamond but no so much on the course. 

I am prejudiced but I believe he brings a great deal to our profession…dedication to game, a desire to teach, a willingness to tackle problems, an attitude that he can make a difference, and a game that has been proven in competition.  He will make a great addition to the PGA of America.  Congratulations son, your mom and I are proud of you.

I have been delinquent in my duties as chief blogger for Jefferson Landing but I am back on the job…

As tournaments go, club events usually rank way down the list of things to watch, generally right behind watching grass grow or reruns of The Price is Right.  About the only people interested in club tournaments are the ones playing in them, and on rare occasions, the poor unfortunate spouse who has to hear a blow by blow account of it.  Every once in a while something special will happen as it did with a recent event here at the Landing. 

Our Club Championships for both the men and the women are held on the same weekend and use the same 36 hole stroke play format.  While the men’s side has been dominated by Billy Benson, the women’s event has been a shootout that has produced a very different result and this year we crowned our fourth different winner in as many years.  No play by play after the fact will do justice to the competitiveness of the two players who engaged in five additional holes of a sudden death playoff before a champion could be determined.  A tie after the regulation 36 put Liz Mick and Linda Rodgers on the first tee to decide the eventual winner.  Seems simple enough butthey had other ideas.

There were good shots by both players and opprotunites wasted but neither player was going to give in.  Linda would strike the ball better from tee to green, Liz would roll the rock better on the greens.  By the 5th tee it was clear that one to the two was going to have to pull off something extraordinary.  Both players drove it right down the middle and were left with short irons into a front right pin placement tucked in behind a bunker that guards the front of the green.  Liz misplays her approach and leaves an even more difficult pitch shot over the same bunker.  Linda plays it safely into the middle of the green but leaves a 30′ downhill slider to the right.  As if on cue, the extraordinary appears.  Liz hits, what may well be, the shot of the tournament that defies the term ‘margin of error’ that barely clearly the bunker, takes a couple of hops and comes to rest a mere 18 inches from the hole…a shot that Tiger would be proud of…and a shot that ultimately enabled her to capture her first Club Championship. 

There are always good shots and bad shots in any round of golf.  We all tend to remember the very best of them as tributes to our skill and dismiss the bad ones as momentary lapses.  In competition, it really does not come down to either the good or bad shots or but to desire to compete…to give your all in every shot with no knowledge of the outcome or certainty of victory.  Both players showed a lot of talent but even more heart.  Congratulations to Liz on her Championship! 

One of the most popular events of our golfing season is our annual Member-Member Tournament.  Two-player teams play 18 holes of Better Ball and 18 holes of Texas Scramble to determine the overall champions.  This year’s event drew a record field for both men and women.

Chan Badger and Kevin Kurtz cruised to a four shot victory in  the championship division.  Opening with a solid 64 in the Better Ball format put them one shot up on three teams and setup a potential shootout with 18 holes to go.  Chan and Kevin took all the drama out of the tournament, reeling off birdies on 1,3,4, and 5 on their way to a front nine 31 to win going away.  Their two-day total of 129 beat runner-up and defending champs Larry Bare and Shane Simmons by three shots. 

B Flight was won by Jimbo Sexton and Alan Cockerham.  Their second round 63 was the tournament’s lowest round by any team in any flight and coupled with their opening 73, gave them a five shot margin over the team of John Mott and Ron Martz.  C flight offered up the tightest competition where the team of Tim Sexton and Buz Thoms nudged out the team of Jerry Small and Jimmy Trotter by a single shot.

 The Ladies side of the Member-Member was dominated by Liz Mick and Linda Rodgers.  They put together a first round of 74 using a strong front nine by Linda and a solid back nine by Liz to build an eight shot lead and never looked back.  Jan Gambill and Suzi Caprice tried to put pressure on the front runners with a second round 77 but could not cut more than a shot off the Mick-Rodgers team.  Jan Bork and Julia Eskridge took net honors with rounds of 66-59.  

Our esteemed Secretary of Commerce, Keith Crisco, visited Jefferson Landing and Ashe County this past week.  I am not generally motivated to attend functions that headline politicians but I am glad that I made an exception this time.  What I found was an extremely intelligent, business savvy, articulate businessman working hard to get our state economy going again.  It was great to see someone from the state visit the mountains and get a firsthand perspective of what we are facing here in the rural areas.  Secretary Crisco spent about two hours with us over lunch discussing various issues of interest to our region before continuing his daytrip with a tour of the county.  I’m left with the impression that we are in good hands with leaders like Ketih Crisco working for us.

By now you have probably noticed a few changes on the front page of our website.  We have added a new photo gallery that will scroll through our photos.  We have already had a few members submit photos to be included in the gallery and we will post those as soon as possible.  The weather conditions are temporily off the front page but will eventually reappear on the golf page.  We’ve moved the Blog and webcam and added a couple of vidoes for you to look at.  At the bottom of the page you’ll notice a couple of items that we will update periodically with news from the community and the surrounding area.

Coming soon, so I am told, will be our new real estate pages with easier access and more information on all of the real estate offerings in Jefferson Landing.  The Golf and Accommodation pages will see some tweaks as well.  Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the page and catch all of happenings in the community.  We hope you like the changes and hope you can find any and all the information about Jefferson Landing at your fingertips. 

Let me know what you think. 

If you are into golf and think NC has some good courses that might be interesting to play…other than Jefferson Landing…check out the new golf website from the state (www.golf.visitnc.com).  In addition to lisitng all of the courses in the state, they put together ‘collections’ of different types of courses.  Jefferson Landing is in “Best of the Best”, “Mountain Highs”, and “The Good Life” collections.  This site has been up for several months now but the state’s Division of Tourism (www.visitnc.com) has made all kinds of upgrades to their golf site.  Check it out.

Nothing says springtime in the mountains like a couple inches of fresh snow.  This week’s weather has been a rollercoaster with cold weather followed by a couple of inches of snow on Wednesday morning.  By Thursday morning we were out mowing the greens and the temps warmed to the point we could play in shorts and short sleeve shirt on Thursday afternoon.  When Mother Nature finally decides on the season, I’m hoping that the choice is spring or summer rather than more winter.  I know it is getting closer to spring because the MLB season is underway and my beloved Orioles (www.orioles.com) knocked off the Yankees in their home opener and a second time two days later.  I can’t imaging that the O’s will get much better off but the season couldn’t have started any better for O’s fans. 

There are two sure signs that spring is just around the corner.  A quick look at the webcam and you’ll see that the fairways are beginning to green up.  But if you look carefully, you’ll see the first hint of the white blossoms of the Bradford Pears.  Within a couple of days they will be in full bloom, transforming our bare, winter look into a start of our spring colors.  The second sign of spring is the return of our finches.  We put out the bird feeder the other day and this morning we had somewhere in the neighborhhod of thirty finches fighting for a spot to feed.  For those not familiar with these interesting little birds, watching them fly to the feeder and hang upside down to feed is fascinating.  I can’t imagine what happened in their evolutionary development that would create such an odd behavior.  If you know, let me know!  In the meantime, check out the webcam  and see spring come to the mountains. 

Just got back from a great trip to Florida.  The weather was very good, especially when compared to the weather conditions we have been experiencing up here in the mountains recently.  When I lived in Florida I probably took for granted the great weather that was commonplace during the winter months.  After the cold temps and frequent snows of this season, I have a much better understanding why everyone goes to Florida.  That said, weather was not one of my disappointments.

Golf, however, was another story.  I know I can play better, I just could not prove it by the way I hit the ball over the course of the week of play.  Two practice rounds and two tournament rounds yielded four rounds in the 80’s and, unfortunately,  I’m not talking temperature.  My partner in crime, Jeff Mick, fared somewhat better, but birides proved to be an endangered species.  I would like to blame my poor play on the courses but that isn’t the case…the courses were incredible…as they always are at Bonita Bay. 

The big news on the trip was that my wife, fresh from not playing for several months, tees it up the day we arrive and holes an 8-iron for an ace on the 116 yard 6th hole of the Bay Island Course at Bonita Bay.  This makes the second of her career and her second hole-in-one in six months and it came with son, Clayton, in attendance.  She followed that up with a birdie on the next hole and holed a wedge shot later in the round for another birdie.  The next day proved to have more of the same shot making with a shot holed from a greenside bunker and yet another barrage of birides.  Surprisingly, all this occurred after I explained, yet again, how difficult the game of golf is supposed to be when one hasn’t played.  I’m at the point where I do not think she is listening to me…that’s probably a good thing. 

No hole-in-one is truly official until the ceremonial gathering at the 19th hole to have a few drinks and swap hole-in-one stories.  As is generally the case, everyone around the table relates their story but eventually, the conversation got around to the one person at the table yet to find the elusive ace…yours truly.  One of these days I may be able to participate but, for now, I just smile and enjoy the free drink.

I do feel a sense of pride watching Linda play the game.  There is something special about watching someone celebrate hitting good shots.  Her enthusiasm and passion for the game is refreshing.  It looks like I may just be a cheerleader as my wife continues to knock down pins on courses all over the country…and you know something…I’m okay with that!