Virginia Golfer September / October 2015 | Page 19

how far they can hit the ball. They spend too much time hitting full shots and not enough time on the short game. Driving the ball well is important, but at the same time, more than half your shots are going to be around or on the green. So, if you take a round of golf at even par, you hit it 36 times and putt it 36 times. The more you can cut down on the putting and missed greens—getting it up and down—your scores will come down. While I was a doorman at the hotel, I didn’t even carry a driver when I played— there just wasn’t enough time for me to practice and I made too many mistakes with a driver. So, I’d carry a 3-wood, and usually I shot par or better with it. VG: What are some of your favorite Omni Homestead memories, or the people you’ve played with? DR: All my fondest memories include the people and staff I’ve worked with, and for, over these years. The Homestead is a great place on its own, but what makes it the place to come back to is the people who do their job to make it special for others. Of the people I played with, number one would be Sam Snead. I was fortunate enough to play several rounds with him through the years. It wasn’t just golf—we spent time together on the water and would go fishing and turkey hunting, too. He became a really close friend, and when Sam died, I was asked to be a pallbearer. It was a true honor. I played with J.C. Snead, too. He’s a few years older than me but when I started in the profession in 1979 and he was on the Tour, he’d come in and we’d g