As blog posts come to my mind, I jot them down in a note on my iPhone. Each week I choose two based on my gut feel and timing. This particular one has been sitting there unchecked since I began this blog adventure. I didn’t know when I would write it but now seems to be a very fitting time.
Last week, I filled my suitcase with a week’s worth of clothes, packed the car, and headed home to St. Davids, PA, with my boyfriend, Trevor. I expected to be home for just a week and then head back to Chapel Hill to finish out my senior year of college with my friends while doing online classes. However, as things have escalated, I find myself here for a bit longer than I expected.
Every time I am home-bound, there are three things I immediately look forward to… my family (my dog included), my mom’s cooking, and my home course, St. Davids Golf Club. Having written a blog post about the first two, I think it’s time I dedicate one to my second home, St. Davids Golf Club.
As I headed home from North Carolina for this unexpected break, I tried to replace all the sadness of what I was leaving behind with excitement for the time I would get with my family and the hours I could spend at St. David’s. It wasn’t but 30 minutes between the time I pulled in the driveway from North Carolina and the moment I pulled out to head up to play St. David’s. The eagerness I had to get there was no foreign feeling. I felt like I was little again in the middle of the summer, begging my mom to drop me off at the crack of dawn and not pick me up till the sun had set.
As I’ve gotten older and my responsibilities have increased along with golf becoming a more integral part of my life, I have grown to lose touch with that feeling. On this very day, it came back. I initially planned on playing nine holes, but after nine, I just hadn’t had enough. My mom left to go cook dinner and Trevor (shout-out for the caddy skills☺️) and I continued on. With nothing else to do, I felt the addiction to spend days on the golf course enjoying the game while trying to get better. Between last Monday and Friday I played at least 18 holes every day. On Friday, our governor announced that all non-essential businesses were to close. Dagger to the heart… no more endless days on the golf course. Therefore, the closest thing to my daily dose of St. David’s is to relive that week and the great times I have had there.
Playing hole #4 in the snow:)
When I was nine, my family joined St. David’s. At the time, I was just being introduced to the game, but it was safe to say I had the bug. At the beginning, all I had was my brother to play with. Through our junior golf program, a group of regulars were formed. This became my summer camp. Every morning my mom would drop me off, and I’d tell her not to pick me up until sunset. It was usually anywhere from 4-8 guys and me. We’d either play or practice in the morning, eat hot dogs and drink an Arnold Palmer at the half-way house for lunch, and play more in the afternoon. A golfer’s dream… I know! As I got to high school, the group started to dwindle as they got more involved in other sports that required practice throughout the summer. Nothing changed for me; I was still addicted to the game.
Earliest member of the summer group, Austin, coming out to watch at my second LPGA event.
Over the years, I’ve spent a large portion of my life at St. Davids. So much so they used to joke they were going to put a cot in the clubhouse for me. When my summer group started to drift away, I spent time with the older members that were regulars. We’d spend time on the range talking trying to discover the next secret of golf or walk the fairways for a few holes in pure enjoyment or healthy competition. When I left for college, I knew these were some of the things I would miss most. What I didn’t expect was the ongoing support I would receive from afar. The members of St. Davids supported me throughout my junior career and continue to do so to this day. It has been amazing to see the ways these relationships have evolved and appeared in the most unexpected places and times. I’ve found myself at golf courses in different states playing with a member from St. Davids. Or at a collegiate golf tournament and I turn around to the surprise of a fellow member. Sometimes I check my email for a school announcement only to see an encouraging email from one of my earliest supporters.
My favorite hole #4 as a storm was brewing.
Just as the fairways of St. Davids has shaped my game, so too have the people that walk them. Thank you so much to the golf course, the staff, and the members who have always encouraged, supported, and helped shape me into the golfer and person I am today. I know right now it is hard that we can’t spend the time we want hitting the perfect draw on hole number four or watch the sunset on the green of hole number eight, but I hope this gave you all your daily dose of St. David’s for today!
Trevor and I last week at St. David’s