Brasstown Valley
Kingwood
Sky Valley
First timers: Boyd Search, Jake Scott, Doug Scott, Trevor Humphrey
The BMR (Blair-Miller-Rutledge) 2013 event was filled with good times, good friends
The arrival at Kingwood on Wednesday was interesting because they had no way to process our credit cards upon arrival due to a staff member’s family emergency. The nice lady who helped us at check-in was very friendly and helpful, however, and in the end all was fine. Several guys were able to walk a quick 9 holes and get an advance look at the Kingwood course. Later that evening we had the first burger cookout thanks to Jason Blair. This is an event that we’ll be repeating, for sure!
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| Jason Newsome, Brian Dunaway, Brian Rutledge, and Boyd Search relax on the patio. |
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| Chris Miller, Brad Williamson, and Ray Henderson enjoy a burger. |
There was a great group of guys – some “regulars”, some new
folks, and some “old” folks who re-joined the event. All in all there were 18 players for the
trip. As Brian Rutledge put it,
We've got a diverse group that makes it a lot of fun.
We’re certainly glad we’re not all CPAs on this trip, but glad to have
some “goat herders” and “white-collar maintenance” guys go with us. We obviously spend some time planning the
event every year, but there are things you can’t plan, like eating at a seafood
market that’s not a restaurant and having Ms. Jackie, Chris Farley, and Evan
Williams provide the entertainment – Friday evening was a classic that I am
sure stories will be re-shared on future BMRs. We hope you all enjoyed
the golf courses. Some of us don’t have very many golf balls left and
were advised to take up tennis while on the trip, but I did finally win a skin.
Golf on the first day (Thursday) was at Brasstown
Valley. We arrived to find weather that
we aren't accustomed to on the BMR.
Light jackets were the order of the day due to the cool temperatures
and gusty wind. On the practice tee we discovered that Brad Reeder is a long-ball hitter from either side of the tee when he challenged and then outdrove natural lefty Chris Miller to a lefty-driving contest. The course was long and very
unforgiving if you didn't keep it in or very near the fairway -- beyond the first cut of rough was chest-high vegetation. Some of us got beaten up pretty badly that
first day – or at least our egos did, while others fared pretty well. There were lots of lost golf balls. We ate at a bar-restaurant in Clayton where
there was both indoor and outdoor seating (for those who could handle the
cold).
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| Ray Henderson at Brasstown, smashing another 300-yarder |
On the way back to the hotel from Brasstown Valley, some of
our more helpful guys stopped to assist a couple of stranded motorists change a
tire on the side of the highway. The
couple happened to operate a restaurant in Clayton (Jackie’s) and offered for
us to come by while we were in town. The
idea was filed away for future use.
In addition to the great
mountain scenery we took in while staying at Kingwood, the cool climate was a
welcome change from the normal “hot” temperatures associated with
this event while playing golf in August. As a matter of fact, some folks enjoyed the
climate so much they even opted to sleep in their car as opposed to their hotel
beds -- and we assume this was to allow them to stay in touch with nature!
It was a really nice experience to wake up Friday, walk out
your hotel room door, and be at the first tee after just a few steps. The course was a true mountain course –
especially the back 9. It wasn't overly long, but was very attractive and challenging.
The back 9 did have some pretty “gimmicky” holes. Some of us began partaking of some spirits
rather early in the day, and this helped set up an interesting afternoon round,
evening, and following morning.
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| Ray Henderson and Brad Reeder showing a little Bro-love at Kingwood |
After golf on Friday we went to Jackie’s, where the
specialty of the house was low country boil.
We started with some yummy crab dip appetizers and then the main course
came out. There was great food, lots of
drinking, plenty of laughter and fellowship, and the impromptu comedy routine
was the best of all (thanks to Boyd “Macgregor” Search). Oddly, there was lots of butt-grabbing. I
still haven’t figured that one out!
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| Ms. Jackie copping a feel |
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Preston Porterfield, Matt Macarthur, Ray Henderson, and Boyd Search at Jackie's |
Back at Kingwood, the drinking and good times continued –
perhaps even a little too much! I won’t
name names, but there were special guest appearances, parking lot tumbling, tire
urination, and Evan Williams.
Saturday morning, the final golf day, was a tough one for many due to the late night Friday. It seemed especially early for Evan Williams’s special friend. The very hilly, twisty, curvy road to the course at Sky Valley was especially tough for those with, ahem, delicate stomachs that morning.
Once we got on the course, we found it to be the most traditional of the three for this trip. The morning was good – still a little on the chilly side. The end of the first round was the beginning of the rain. Several folks headed home after lunch, so the afternoon round was played as a scramble with three groups of three. The rain continued for the entire round and it was windy and cold. We stopped at a pizza joint on the way out of town, had dinner and put on dry clothes, then made the long trip home.
Saturday morning, the final golf day, was a tough one for many due to the late night Friday. It seemed especially early for Evan Williams’s special friend. The very hilly, twisty, curvy road to the course at Sky Valley was especially tough for those with, ahem, delicate stomachs that morning.
Once we got on the course, we found it to be the most traditional of the three for this trip. The morning was good – still a little on the chilly side. The end of the first round was the beginning of the rain. Several folks headed home after lunch, so the afternoon round was played as a scramble with three groups of three. The rain continued for the entire round and it was windy and cold. We stopped at a pizza joint on the way out of town, had dinner and put on dry clothes, then made the long trip home.
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| Sky Valley |
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| Sky Valley |
The cool temperatures and mountainous scenery helped to make
this a very enjoyable event. The
threatening rain held off until the very end.
Everyone played lots of golf, made some new friends, and reconnected
with some old friends… and that’s what it’s all about. See you next year!
Jason Blair
Rick Chancey
Brian Dunaway
Ray Henderson
Trevor Humphrey
Tamir Levy
Chris Miller
Matt McArthur
Jason Newsome
Preston Porterfield
Brad Reeder
Jason Newsome
Preston Porterfield
Brad Reeder
Craig Rhinehart
Brian Rutledge
Mike Ryan
Doug Scott
Jake Scott
Boyd Search
Brad Williamson
