I put my Nike gym vest on and slipped into
some gym leggings. It was 8am and 75
degrees already. I ordered my Uber and
waited outside in the sunshine. “ Pelican
Hill “ I repeated myself to the Uber driver.
Yes I was on my way to one of the most
beautiful golf courses I’ve seen and yes I
was going to play golf in my gym clothes.
America is known for a lot of things. Golf
being one of them. So why is it that playing
golf in America is so much more enjoyable
then in England? No it’s not just because of
the weather…….
Every winter I go somewhere for some
warm weather practice. Last year I did
Dubai and the year before that Lake Nona
in Florida. This year I chose Orange County
in California, I had heard a lot about The
Resort at Pelican Hill, it didn’t disappoint,
the view over Newport Beach is one of the
most beautiful I have ever seen, I tried to
compare it to somewhere back in England
but I couldn’t even come close.
I got into the clubhouse and by now at
many of the courses I frequent in the UK I
would have been told off for not wearing a
collar, having gym trainers on and walking
through the club house on my mobile
phone. Maybe the reason why I enjoyed
practicing out here was the laid back
attitude of the golf courses, the friendly
approach of every person I met and the
fact that out here being a woman and
playing golf was pretty normal.
I was intrigued to find out more so I
arranged to meet with Corey, an ex golf
pro who at 65 years old just enjoyed
playing golf with his pals and his wife Joan.
I met Corey on my first day at Pelican Hill
when he came over and asked me if I was a
college golfer, he had heard my accent and
wondered if I played golf at UCLA. I ended
18 | YOURCADDY MAG - ISSUE 06
up having a chat with him and he asked to watch me hit some balls.
We ended up playing a few holes and it was amazing to find out how
different golf courses and their etiquette was in the USA.
He went on to tell me that the main aim of golf resorts and golf and
country clubs in the USA is to get children involved. To get children
involved at a young age you have to make the clubs and courses less
strict or these children get scared away. With over 20,000 courses in
the US an abundance of children grow up on golf courses, after school
it’s a fairly regular site to see kids come out in their uniform and play a
few holes back to their houses. You’ll find gates on most gardens and
kids whizzing around on golf buggies.
I imagined turning up at Wentworth in England and seeing “youths”
speeding around on golf buggies and teeing off from the 8th hole after
school, then I imagined the faces on members if they turned up at the
club house to find a group of young lads having a quick snack or a bag
of chips in their school uniform. It just wouldn’t be allowed in England!