Why I Didn’t Golf in Hilton Head

IMAGINE BEING ON HILTON HEAD without your golf clubs. That was the predicament I found myself in a couple of years ago as I returned home from a family vacation in Florida. The trip included a short unplanned stop on the South Carolina island.

I have to admit that Hilton Head golf had me drooling. “Gee,” I said with emphasis as we drove onto the island, “they sure have a lot of golf courses here.”

Of course, I already knew that, just as I knew before we left that golf might not happen on the trip. So I didn’t take my clubs. (Well, actually I did bring my putter, golf shoes, two sleeves of golf balls and my golf glove on the chance that I might play with my friend in St. Petersburg, or elsewhere. In that case, I could have borrowed or rented clubs.)

Frankly, when I go on vacation with my wife, two daughters and their personal effects it can be difficult to find room in the vehicle for golf clubs. I’m not complaining, although I would have liked to play one round on the island. (I have managed to live with the deep psychological pain of many missed golf opportunities.)

I heard from some readers when I returned home and blogged “Golfless in Hilton Head.”

“You must love to torture yourself by driving through there with no chance to play,” wrote one. (Not really.) “Oh man, that must be painful.” (Yes.) And: “Next time, try to go out with golfers only.” (That’s an idea.)

Alas, while there, I didn’t check out any Hilton Head tee times. But I did drive a little more slowly on the wide boulevards that passed the nearby fairways and golf resorts. And I definitely want to go back, whether I play, watch the Verizon Heritage, or both. It’s only five hours away.

−The Armchair Golfer

(Image: Matt Schilder/Flickr)

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