Orlando, Florida
March 18 - 22, 2019
By Coach Jay Houck
Day 1--Tuesday. With rain threatening a "deluge" for the entire overnight period prior to this round at an empty Champions Gate Country Club, we were fortunate enough to make it through all 18 holes with minor, spotty rain. It is cold for Florida in March, but the new Tabor swag helped most of us endure. This morning's early round affords the group the opportunity to wander over to the Magic Kingdom this afternoon. We are all looking forward to tomorrow's round at the Disney Magnolia Course, where we will, hopefully, enjoy the Mickey-shaped sand traps without actually landing in them!
Day 2--Magnolia Course at Disney. It was great to see some sun today and enjoy a rain-free round of golf. Of course, being at any Disney facility always affords opportunities for magic and enchantment. With train whistles routinely blaring in the background, golf experiences are always more enchanting. At one point, Bambi and several of her friends ran out of the woods, evenly spaced in single file, and loped past Harrison and Andrew, mid-swing, before disappearing back into the woods. It's safe to say that slow-play took its toll on Tabor troops, as some of the golfers found their concentration waning during the final few holes. After the round, the group enjoyed some pool time before an excellent dinner of chicken, rice, salad, and garlic bread prepared by Mrs. Mahoney, with a plan to head to TopGolf Orlando this evening.
Day 3--Grand Cypress Country Club was the venue for today's golf, and the consensus seems to be that it was the best course this week. It is a true links-style course. Even though there are no trees, no rough, and no out of bounds, the pesky scrub bushes and the natural contours of the terrain yielded some very interesting lies. No animals revealed themselves to us today, and we were also lucky to return to the condo and feast on spaghetti, homemade meatballs, salad, and garlic bread prepared, once again, by Mrs. Mahoney. The plan for this evening includes watching March Madness, playing some hoops at the resort activity center, and venturing to go-cart racing. Tomorrow, we head out very early to the North Shore Golf Club and then off to our flights home.
Day 4--North Shore Golf Club--This was a new course for Tabor Golf Trips. The layout was fun--as it is a mix of "Carolina Pines" and Links-style holes. Like Grand Cypress, this course was rather dry, except for the greens, and it was great to play holes with a lot of roll off the tee. We don't see many dry courses in New England in the spring. As is customary for the 4-day golf trip, we found ourselves dragging on the final nine, as we mentally prepare to jump on to planes and head home.
Check out these photos from other teams during their spring training trips!
