Picture perfect golf

By Joe McAdory

Published: March 27, 2009

I’m not a member at our area’s private golf country clubs, so I can’t judge those courses against the public ones I frequent. Anyway, I had the chance to play at a very swanky place last week, LPGA International, in Daytona Beach, Fla. As much as I enjoy the RTJ Golf Trail and Grand National (the barometer by which I judge all courses), I must say LPGA International was a step above. Not much above, but a little anyway.

First, the greens and fairways were flawless. No dead grass anywhere. Every hole was a perfect painting.

Second, the carts featured electronic scoring. Who needs a pencil and scorecard when you can press your numbers into a computer? Yardage and hole displays on carts’ monitors are much more sightly than the depth-finder looking grids on the RTJ.

Also, I’ve never seen so much sand in my life. What LPGA lacks in water, it more than makes up for in sand. I somehow shot a 97 there, which is an accomplishment for me.

Greens fees range from $90 to $50, depending on the time of day. I played for $50. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.