GNN Goes to Costa Rica
By Ryan Ballengee from Golf News Network

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7

Photo Gallery By Ryan Ballengee Click Here

Day 1
Buenos dias from Costa Rica, amigos. The first day here has been fantastic, eye-opening, and jaw dropping. I arrived here about 40 minutes late on my flight, which is supposed to be pretty good for traveling to Costa Rica. Upon arrival, I noticed lots of Americans, lots of English being spoken, and a people very willing to welcome visitors to their slice of paradise. After a quick customs check, I was with my baggage and on my way into the real Costa Rica.

I arrived in the Ramada Herradura and was helped with my bags and check in was no problem. I will be here for Monday and Tuesday and leave on Wednesday morning for the town of Jacó Beach.

The room reservation was arranged by Landy Blank of Costa Rica Golf Adventures (the sponsor of this trip). The room was and is spectacular. It is decorated in a southwestern (for relation’s sake) style and is large and comfortable. The architecture of the hotel allows the cool breezes of the valley to move through the building. It is always temperate and this allows guests to be treated to beautiful gardens while walking to their quarters. The pool and spa facilities are top notch.

Since gambling is legal here in Costa Rica, almost every hotel has a casino in it. Ramada Herradura is no different. But, casinos here are different than those you imagine in the States. They are small, have a few tables of games, and are mostly populated by locals. You can still gamble just like you would in Vegas, but it is a more intimate and less intimidating experience.

You may be wondering what level (nivel) of Spanish comprehension you need to get around aqui. Well, the answer is that it certainly helps to be able to speak in simple phrases and read the language, but it is not impossible to get by with very limited Spanish. Most Ticos (residents) speak some form of English – ranging from those with formal education in English grammar to those who know only important phrases.

I have yet to have to exchange my currency for the national mark known as the Colon. Almost everywhere accepts dollars. This is true for most of Central and South America because the stability of the dollar caused merchants to find it highly desirable when the region had more difficult economic times. Dollarization of the economy here makes spending very simple. Just remember that 500 Colones equals one US dollar.

Now, back to the day’s action. After settling into the hotel, I was guided to the Cariari Country Club just a few moments from the hotel. I’ll play the course on Wednesday and provide a review, but I toured the grounds and had a lunch at the clubhouse restaurant. I had a wonderful salmon-stuffed chicken with a pesto sauce.

It was also my first foray into the beers of Costa Rica. From what I have experienced to date, there are three major beers here: Pilsen, Bavaria, y the national beer Imperial. All have good taste if you beer connoisseurs are wondering. They’re hard to find in the Estados Unidos, but I would recommend them.

After lunch, I returned to my hotel room to get ready for the evening ahead. We would be heading to downtown San Jose from the hotel in Herradura, which is essentially a suburb of the San Jose metropolis – which is estimated to house half of the population in Costa Rica. I would be joined in my adventures by a friend of Landy Blank named Billy Fernandes. Fernandes, like Blank, is an American who has lived here for nearly two decades and a pretty solid golfer.

We gathered and headed downtown to experience the nightlife of San Jose for the first time. The city is vibrant at night and lots of people are on the streets until late hours who want to party, take it easy, and the like. Each bar is basically a casino, so I spent some time winning at blackjack. I made a cool $60 and taught a few things to the locals about the game. The service, from barstaff to casino employees, was fantastic and courteous.

Billy was fantastic company. He shared with me what brought him to Costa Rica, and we got to know one another in the midst of the locals. He shared that Costa Rica is a business friendly place, with laws in place to protect assets and business owners from frivolous lawsuits. He also mentioned that the highest concentration of the 4 million Costa Ricans is in San Jose. Billy estimated that more than half of the country was in the city. He provided me with a lot of bits of information that were of intrigue, but some slipped through my mind.

By the end of the night, I was much more comfortable speaking the Spanish that I still remembered from high school lessons. It gets easier each time I hear Spanish para me a escuchar y hablar la idioma. I am writing in Spanglish (Spanish and English), in part, to illustrate that the language quickly can become a blend of the two languages and almost goes unnoticed. It is a beautiful mix and match of words.

I returned to my hotel room around 1:00am to sleep on my comfortable bed and get ready for the first full round of golf in Costa Rica. More to come tomorrow!

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Day 2
Morning came early on day two. Morning and sunset are two things you could set your clock to here in Costa Rica. Since the country is located very close to the equator mark, there is very little tilt in the positioning of the country near the sun. That means that the days are almost the same length everyday – from approximately 5:30 to around 7:30 at night.

We took off from the Herradura and went toward Santa Ana and San Antonio to play golf at a resort community called Valle del Sol. In that short drive, I learned a lesson about driving in Costa Rica and other Centroamerico countries. Driving here is a new concept in a relative sense – less than 50 years of driving. There used to be taxes here that made owning a car very prohibitive and cost a lot. Also, people were rewarded for buying car that had a less than modern smog discharge. That ended twenty years ago and has cleared the way for beautiful, views not impeded by bad air, and fresh air everywhere.

But, because it has not been a very widespread thing to own a car for more than a few decades, the infrastructure for roads is in tune with that truth. Roads in San Jose are good and largely like American smaller roads. The problem is that most roads do not have formal names. In downtown San Jose, there is a grid structure of numbered roads called Avenida y Calles (Avenues and Streets). Also, there are no formal property addresses here. Therefore, directions are given in the number of meters plus the direction on the compass that you should travel against major landmarks. It can be a confusing experience if you are not good with directions. Thankfully, we had no such problem as Valle del Sol was a familiar place.

The club had all of the amenities of any quality resort in the world. When we arrived at the clubhouse to get ready for golf, I was able to meet Carlos Rojas Soto who is Director of Golf for the community. I also met David Maddox, who is the director of the Central Valley Golf Association. The organization throws weekly tournaments at Calle del Sol and at other courses for giggles among Ticos and gringos. (Gringo is the word here for white person. It is not pejorative here like it is in other places in the Latin world.) The group has significant sponsorship and has a membership of 80 golfers or so.

We warmed up for a few minutes before teeing it off at the campo. The course is a fairly short and open golf course. Bad drives still had some kind of option to approach the green, although there was a fair share of places you clearly did not want to be. The ground was hard, but beautiful green grass covered the course. That made for true greens and the possibility of long drives with the right swing. It was not too windy when I played, but that was because of the season. The wind can pick up to very high levels for golf, especially in the dry season (November through April) and create a very confusing course. Also, in the dry season, all grass across the country browns and mutates the golf course into a more links-style golf course than this American golf version. The contrast is very palpable, even for someone who has only seen it once.

The course is situated in the valley (obviously), but with great views of the mountaintops that surround the valley. The jungles are a majestic site. The layout of the golf course is a part of the community surrounding it. The construction of more upscale homes in this part of the world is fascinating and so much different than what most people are used to seeing. It was a fun ride, a great course, and a wonderful time.

After grabbing a post-round beer and some chatting, we returned to Herradura for some rest. While I was resting in the hotel bar for a quick snack, I met a few Americans. It led me to realize that this country accepts a lot of expatriates from other countries in addition to the draw it is for an increasing number of American tourists. People come here for business, travel, and to live permanently. Everyone’s story is interesting in and of itself, but the people that move here permanently come here from so many backgrounds. The diversity is great.

Later in the night, went down to the Fiesta Casino in San Jose – near the Herradura. There, I met Nick Costas, who is the Director of VIP Services. He set us up in the VIP room with very comfortable conditions. Giving me a tour of the casino, it mirrored a smaller version of most Vegas casinos. They had all of the games you would expect, live bands, and the like. Costas indicated to me that the concept of a gaming-first casino is a very new concept to the country. Despite that, the idea of customer care was not. The drinks and snacks were great and the cigars were fantastic. The facility was impressive, enjoyable, and we all spent several hours sharing stories with good company.

Upon the return to the hotel, I was wiped! We play Cariari Country Club tomorrow. Hasta luego!

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Day 3
The morning – again – came very early. It’s not something I do normally, but here it is more than worth it. We went from the hotel to the Cariari Country Club. It is the major country club in the country and has been around since the 1970s. At one time, only members and guests of the Cariari Country Club could play the course. While it is still exclusive, that is not the entire policy of the club today.

The club is a solid facility that has a membership that is very engaging. Again, there are a good number of expatriates here from various countries. Also, there are a variety of Ticos that belong to the club.

We teed off on the back nine because a women’s group had taken the morning tee times. Immediately, I realized that Cariari was a darned tough track. The 10th hole, while just 340 yards or so, is a tight driving hole for irons. Tall trees cover the fairways with a lot of shade, but they are so close that they eat up bad shots. If you make a mistake on any hole here off of the tee, you are almost guaranteed to have only one option – chipping out. It is very penal to be inaccurate here, unlike Valle del Sol.

The course is impressive, though, because it is a thinking man’s golf course. Each hole forces you to hit a certain type of shot – high/low, draw/fade – with precision in order to have any chance at decent scoring. The wind here, though shielded some by the large trees, is still significant on every hole. Again, during the dry season, the swirling winds in the trees could wreak havoc on a man’s game.

It takes a little while to think about this, but eventually it came to me that San Jose is situated 3000 feet above sea level. Because of this, the golf ball flies a lot further than you would anticipate at home. It can mess with the mind when the ball flies so much further – at least one club extra of distance as compared to sea level.

The holes are memorable because of what it takes to get around the course successfully. The greens are tricky because not only are they fast, but they are also small and have deceptively large break. A putt one might expect to be right edge could actually be six inches outside the cup. Even our caddy was fooled from time to time and the members I played with said that the greens were still surprising them after years of playing the course.

We finished up our round, gathered up a quick lunch, and then packed the car to head out of San Jose. Next, we were headed to Los Suenos resort just outside of Jaco. Although the drive is very minimal in terms of actual distance, I was told that it would take between two and three hours.

Why? One could be traffic. The other is that we would be driving up and over mountains for half of the trip.

The roads on the journey wove through the countryside, small towns, and into areas that simply could not be inhabited by anyone because of the steepness of grade. The drive is filled with sights to behold, though. The roads are fun in and of themselves. The sheer brightness of green of the jungle that surrounds the drive is amazing. Eventually, after the mountains are passed, the road takes you close to the Pacific Ocean in a way that is reminiscent of the Monterrey Peninsula. It is breathtaking to drive seconds from the Ocean.

In driving through small towns, I also noticed something about housing property here. Houses are fenced up here and basically locked down to the outside with a key to the fence or gate. The reason for it obviously is security, but the fences seem to be an accepted way of life. They are so accepted that many of the fences are beautifully constructed with intricate patterns, beautiful colors, and a sense of fashion – if there is such a thing for a fence.

Eventually, we arrived in Jaco and Los Suenos Resort. The property is owned by Marriott and includes a golf course, spa facilities, casino, and a fantastic view of the Ocean from the hotel and other condos.

I may have been mistaken in saying that the Herradura was the best hotel I have ever seen. This is the winner. The rooms are decorated in a mix of American and Central American style. They have all of the amenities and look great. The staff was very helpful with all of our needs.

We took a few minutes to relax at the restaurant there for a snack – with a very private view of the Pacific. After we had finished and washed up, it was time to leave the grounds and see Jaco Beach. As was described to me, Jaco is a developing town with nearly 2000 units under construction there. It is a boom town. In just a few moments after arrival, I figured out why. The town is small, but the beachfront property is beyond words. The buildings situated there all have their own private beach area. The spirit of the town is definitely a festive one and lots of people from around the world come to capture that spirit, or partake in their world famous surfing.

Since I’m no surfer, we went to Hicaco Restaurant for our dinner. The building, like most public buildings, is open to the air with a roof over top. Given the climate and the situation, it just makes sense. When we were seated, we selected the buffet for dinner. It was an all-inclusive meal. I had the best lobster tails I had ever eaten, some excellent bisque, and a little dessert. Following the meal, we spent some time in the bars of the area. The drinks are cheap. The people are kind. How could one not be living here?

We had to call it a fairly early night, though, because we have a round in the morning at La Iguana – the resort course at Los Suenos. After catching a little of the Open Championship on ESPN Deportes, we went to sleep.

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Day 4
During the drive here, I did not realize the change in climate that we would experience would be so significant for such a small country. It is very palpable, though, when you get up in the morning. It is sunny, hot, humid, and there is a good breeze off of the Ocean. I was reminded of the climate at home in summer.

We loaded up the golf bags and headed over to the clubhouse for La Iguana Golf Course. Jose Quesada is Director of Golf there and got us on the course. Not many people were playing while we were on it. I’m not sure why, though.

The course is carved into the valleys of the jungle situated on the surrounding mountainside. The gardens around the course and the plant life are very diverse and will surely make one want to bring a camera along with their clubs. Iguanas can be found on the course in several places, but most appear to be shy.

The golf course is a stern test for any player. The first hole is a daunting, long par 5 with a tight landing area. Again, the hallmark of most courses here is that the landing areas are very tight. From there, it gets a little easier. The course is fairly short and you can usually get away with long irons off of the tee if you hit them over 200 yards. Until the final four holes that are situated on the water, the wind is not too significant of a factor. The undulation changes, though, are noticeable and come into play.

The biggest challenge about the golf course is the grass itself. It is a type of grass with which I am not familiar. It grows out as a coverage grass, but it does not cover with lots of singular blades. This makes playing out of the rough very difficult because the grass is grown high. The ball then slips through the lower density of grass blades and leaves you with a hardpan lie on the ground. A conventional chip shot will not work here. You must bump and run, no matter where you are, for any kind of chance.

The greens themselves also run a little slower than the other places we have played so far – perhaps because of this type of grass. It is an adjustment, but does make the course frustrating. Just make sure you spend some time on the practice green acquainting yourself with the surfaces. It will save you two or three shots.

The aforementioned final four holes around the Ocean divert from the green views of the first fourteen holes. The water view is simply amazing, though. I have never played a course like that before and it can be distracting. Luckily, the final holes are short and fairly easy. That left me with a lot of time to appreciate the view in a good mood and score pretty well as a result.

Not too long after the round, the weather sirens stationed throughout the course went off and alerted golfers to return to the clubhouse. The rain can happen quickly in Costa Rica and this was one of those situations. The stronger storms here produce lots of lightning strikes and golfers should get out of nature’s way at that point. Thankfully, we were through our round because we planned each round to start early in the morning. Afternoon rounds here likely result in someone getting a little wet.

The work had been done at Los Suenos and it was time to leave. Now we were headed to the Guanacaste province for our final destination of the week. I was alerted before the trip that the drive would be about 4 hours, so we might want to stop for some lunch. I was very glad we did.

We dined at a restaurant frequented mostly by locals, right on the seaside, whose name escapes me. Boats owned by the restaurant were out on the water catching the fish for the day. The red snapper here is a popular fish. When it is fried just right – like I had – it is a treat for the palate. It is also light on the wallet, too. While you may not know much Spanish, the local restaurants are cheaper and will give you a lot of value for your money.

We then got on our way. The drive, again, was very beautiful. The scenery changed, though. The land flattened out, the trees created a canopy on the road, and the mountains were not as prominent – much more in the distance. For the most part, the road was great. A little ways outside of our final destination, though, we took a shortcut to get to our hotel because using the prime roads would add an extra hour to our night driving. It was a good lesson in the road situation here. The roads used by tourists and major highways are in solid shape and a massive improvement over the past decade or so. Roads off of that path, though, can be difficult to maneuver. There are a significant number of potholes and the roads can sometimes simply be dirt. The joke here is that a drunk driver would get pulled over for driving straight down one of these roads instead of weaving in and out. Since there are few drivers on these roads, getting around is not a problem, though. The shortcut was well worth it.

We approached our last hotel for the trip. It is Posada del Sol, located at the Hacienda Pinilla. The Pinilla is a 4500 acre property that is privately owned and developed. It used to be farm land for cattle – hence the Hacienda in the name. On the property, the owner developed a modern road system, electricity grids, and access to clean water and sewage on his own dime. To access the hotel, though, the guard instructed us to go 8 kilometros. That is how massive the property is. We made the final few moments of driving and arrived at the hotel.

The hotel itself used to be where the employees of the property used to live. That is no longer so because of interest in staying in the area and there needed to be a place for prospective condo and home buyers to stay. A luxury brand hotel is under construction near the Posada del Sol and will be in operation soon. The Posada itself, though, is the most unique hotel of the trip. After all, it used to be a living quarters. It is not high on luxury, but the beds are good and the interiors are modern with all Centroamericano influences. It took some adjusting, but I really did enjoy the facility there. Also, the staff has been fantastic in answering any questions I had.

After unpacking, we went over to the poolside restaurant. It was another open air facility, but well lighted and decorated. The menu, though limited, was brilliant. Top to bottom, the food was delicious and the dessert especially so. After some good conversation, this tired body went to bed to prepare for a round at Playa Conchal. Hasta luego!

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Day 5
Another early morning – not something I’m used to on vacation. But, it was a beautiful morning. Each morning here has been. Today, we were to head off of the massive Pinilla and spend an afternoon at the Playa Conchal resort’s golf course. Playa Conchal is built in the fashion of Los Suenos, but further north in relationship to Jaco Beach. It is a community accessed by gate, but you can get to the golf course. The community is self-contained and guests of it (and people who live there) have access to every amenity they really need. For those a little afraid of taking a chance outside of the walls of comfort, they will not be disappointed. The property is beautiful and has access to beaches that are soothing and have very warm water.

We were here for a practice round for the 5th Guanacaste Classic – a tournament played around this time every year to celebrate the annexation of the territory from Nicaragua. It is a two day event that has flights based upon handicap (assigned by governing body Anagolf, the USGA, or R&A) and had a division for professionals offering a first place prize of 1,000,000 colones. Remember, since 500 colones = 1 dollar, we’re talking two large for first place. That’s where the head pro at the Four Seasons Resort joined us for our round, as he was participating in the tournament.

The round was laid back from the start, but it was easy to see that Playa Conchal could play as a very difficult course. Conchal is a course that tests your ability to judge heights. There is a lot of undulation from tee to green. Many approaches are up or down hills. The wind off of the ocean makes judging those shots more difficult. That undulation and fast greens are the main constants of this course.

The holes vary, though, in the options available to the golfer. Fairways are generous on many holes. On others, there are bunkers and water hazards that make driving an exercise in thinking. The course has some very strong par 4s that are well over 400 yards. Playing these holes requires a mentality of survival. The uphill approaches can be taxing on a golfer who is not on their game. If a player can hold on for pars and bogies on these holes, the subsequent holes are much kinder. The par 5s are generally pretty accessible in terms of manageable distance, and the par 3s are not punishing golf holes by any stretch. One can make a mark on these holes and score well.

I noticed a change in my game, though, as I played along the seaside. The greens at Conchal (and Los Suenos for that matter) are no where near as, um, curvaceous as the greens I experienced at Cariari earlier in the week. Many of the putts are not outside of the hole, if but a ball or two in either direction. A good pace on the putt usually will allow a player to hit a fairly straight putt. If one can convince themselves that the putt simply will not move all that much, then they will save a number of strokes and some incredulous looks. It is best to forget Cariari on other golf courses here because it is the exception and not the rule when it comes to greens and their trickiness.

Still, I managed a very solid round – albeit mostly in the spirit of practice. The cap off was on the par 3 15th hole. The hole itself is not especially difficult so long as you never pull your drive to the left, so that is not what makes it memorable. Rather, it is the view at the top of a created hill on the cart path. A sign says “Scenic View.” If you look forward, you’d be left wondering what in the hell they meant. Though when you turn backward and to the right, the scenery changes from mundane to eye-opening. Bring your camera to snap pictures of the Pacific, lodging amongst some of the surrounding mountains.

That was more than enough to make my day. There was still so much to go, though. We mingled for a while amongst some of the other folks who would play in the tournament beginning tomorrow at Pinilla’s golf course. They were good guys who were enjoying the wonderful lifestyle an expatriate can appreciate in Costa Rica. A lighthearted conversation over a few cervezas made the afternoon pleasant. It was time to hit the town again and we had to say our goodbyes.

Tamarindo Beach was the next town on the tour. It is approximately 20 minutes of a drive away from Hacienda Pinilla. It is a smaller, quaint town on the seaside. Where Jaco Beach is clearly a party town, Tamarindo could be popular for so many reasons. It seems so remote, but recent development there has made it more modern. The beach is secluded, but accessible and well-known. A surfer would be in paradise here from what I understand.

We dined at the Tamarindo Diria, the major hotel in town. It is the only beachfront property in the town. Though we could not see the beach from the restaurant situated just paces from the beach, we could appreciate the nighttime glowing garden on the property. Palm trees canopied the garden and were well lit to showcase their beauty. The flowers and pathways were filled with playful visiting children – even during the downpour that accompanied our meal. During the daytime, visitors could get a wonderful drink on the beach and take in the atmosphere. Likely, one would never want to surrender their spot on the sand.

The nightlife here is different than in Jaco. It did not seem as crazy, but was equally as festive and happy. Lots of gringo travelers were here and would put to ease the mind of someone who fears being surrounded by the unknown. The music was clearly Costa Rican – upbeat, hopeful – and so were the drinks. The bar we went to, called the Crazy Monkey, was situated up on top of a hill next to a hillside hotel. Though the pool was roped off that night, I imagine that a good number of amorous couples had found their way there on a good night.

Time had caught up with us, though, and being tired set in just a tad. We called it a relatively early evening and headed back to Hacienda Pinilla. After all, a golf tournament is to be played the next day and it would probably be best to avoid working on a few hours of rest!

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Day 6
That morning came a whole lot sooner than I originally anticipated. Thankfully, we would be on the property for the golf tournament. Pinilla’s golf course was just a few minutes from our hotel room. We arrived early for the breakfast buffet for the 5th Guanacaste Classic. Somewhere in the area of 110 players were congregating for a shotgun start to begin, supposedly, at 8am. After receiving a generous goodie bag and partaking in some healthy Costa Rican breakfast, I was ready to go…at 8am.

It was here that I learned what Tico Time really means. The phrase “mas o menos” (more or less) is used a lot in the language here. It applies to time as well. The tournament definitely did not begin at 8. That’s probably because no one had a watch because it simply did not matter. Time is merely an approximation of when something begins rather than an absolute marker. Regardless of the delay, we got onto the course to begin our round.

We were joined by a pleasant partner in our round – a local doctor who was a lot of fun. All of us embarked on a round that could have been a whole lot more brutal than it was. Pinilla can be a difficult golf course. It is not especially long. But, most of the holes play into the wind. The greens, like Conchal, do not move a whole lot. Despite that, there are a lot of treacherous pin placements. The course occupies a land that is largely flat. Therefore, the Conchal undulations simply do not exist.

A number of the holes played to around 370 yards. It made easier work for a guy like me who was struggling with his driver. The lesson learned at Pinilla is that sometimes it is best not to try to overpower a golf course. Rather, being a smart player and using what is working will result in a score that is just as rewarding.

Tell that to the professionals, though. The golf course is a tremendously long 7264 yards from the tips. With the wind, the course played to approximately 7500 yards. No matter your skill level, Pinilla can give you a solid experience.

Regardless of the tees the players competed from, they all experienced a par three situated directly on the Pacific Ocean. Go over the green, and you had a good chance of finding your ball on the beach – literally. Still, I managed a par and left with a smile for the chance to play such a beautiful hole.

In the midst of that, the sky opened up for a 20 minute downpour with the force of driving rain that some people may have never seen. That rain, though, was gone as quickly as I was beginning to appreciate it. It is a metaphor for life, probably.

After the round, everyone congregated to share golf tales and celebrate. Even with the players who had lousy rounds, the talk was still upbeat. How could it not be in this place? The celebration lasted for a few hours before returning to Posada del Sol for dinner and a poolside lounge.

In the fading light, we enjoyed dinner at the restaurant and I took a quick dip in the pool. I could hear howling monkeys in the background. It was an odd noise at first, but something I could appreciate pretty quickly because of how unique it is. This whole country is a unique experience and it was drawing to a close, sadly. In the morning, I will return to San Jose and head for home.

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Day 7
Getting up to leave here was not easy, but not because I’m dead tired. This is a beautiful country and a place I would love to share with friends and family – the people that will make me glad to be home while I feel bad leaving. Still, I didn’t make reservations forever.

I grabbed a taxi over the Tamarindo Airport. The road to the airport is short and made of dirt. The “terminal” is extra small. It consists of some benches, a small station for the regional airlines Sansa and Nature Air, and a few employees over one open-air pavilion. Its simplicity created efficiency, though. When the small plane landed, our bags were quickly packed onto it. Then, we moved down the runway after boarding, turned around, and flew.

The flight was not at the heights we are accustomed to as commercial plane travelers. It was at 4,000 feet or so. That made for a lot of photo opportunities, including some you’ll see. The flight was quick, too, so the beauty could not be appreciated for too long. When I got to San Jose, though I was still in Costa Rica, I knew my adventure would be over and quite a success. Though I’m leaving, I’ll be back one day with some friends – from home and from here.

Copyright, 2007, Golf News Network.

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