Draper Valley Captains Choice

I was able to play in a Captains Choice Tournament last Friday at Draper Valley Golf Course. The tournament was a fund raiser for The VA Comets Track Club so they can travel to San Diego, California to compete. Kendall Lewis was at the course representing the Club and she is the daughter of Von and Tonya Lewis who did an excellent job putting this tournament together. I have played in my fair share of these tournaments and I have never seen so many nice door prizes given out after our round of golf. I think just about everyone their took home a prize and I won two tickets to the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre in Wytheville to see "Ring of Fire". I have never been here before but from what everyone is saying it is very nice.

Since we showed up with only two on our team Von joined ours to even the teams out. I had not played Draper Valley in over ten years so I was pretty excited to get back out on the course.

We started on hole #1 which was the longest drive hole and I was able to launch one out their pretty well with my 3 wood which actually held up and won the long distance trophy. We started off fairly slow, and just could not get our approach shots close so we were playing par golf. We finally started clicking together as a team and put a nice birdie run together and got to 7 under par. Unfortunately we received our first and only bogey on a par 3 which we could not buy a put to fall in the hole. We ended the day with a 6 under 66 which I was pretty happy with but know if we played again we would probably would go a bit lower.



The winning team shot a 62 I believe, and one of the guys on that team I went to High School and College with as well. Tony was talking about their team prior to teeing off that morning and I guess they backed it up by taking home the 1st place trophies. Kendall can be seen with the first place team smiling for the cameras after receiving their trophies



After the golf was played we met back at the shelter where we found all the food we could eat and our hats go off to the cooks for a great job. Overall it was a great day of golf with friends and thanks to Von for the invite to play. Good luck to Kendall with her future track career.

Bixby vs Franks Match 1

The Franks(myself and my wife,Leah) played the Bixbys(Jack and Sammi) at Blue Hills Golf Course in Roanoke this past weekend. We had a 1:30 tee time and it was HOT before we ever even hit a ball. I am not sure exactly what the temp was that day, but I would guess around 125. Sammi works with Leah at the office and they were actually the ones that planned this event from the start. Jack is a pilot so he rarely has time to play and according to his calculation he had not played in over two years. I felt that since he was a pilot he was probably pretty good at math but after watching him play I think he meant two weeks.

I was trying to do some math myself, and after using all my toes and fingers, I figured out that I had not played Blue Hills in over ten years. We actually started the day with everyone playing their own ball but after hole #12 we started playing a modified captains choice to speed up the round due to heat. I believe up to now Jack was probably leading by double digits on everyone.

The ladies were playing very well considering neither one has played in a long time. Leah got into golf a little when we first started dating and picked it up extremely fast. Unfortunately we have not been able to keep her on the course playing due such a busy schedule but maybe we can start playing a little more often.



We had a great time despite the heat and I think we actually made a match out of it once we started playing best ball. After all was said and done I would have to consider that the Bixbys came out on top of the match but this only sets up for a great rematch in the near future. I am not sure what I shot for 18 but I can assure it was not pretty.


After the golf we decided to clean up and meet for dinner in town. We met up at Abuelos in Roanoke and enjoyed a good dinner, adult beverages and time with great friends. Thanks to the Bixbys for a great day and look forward to our rematch.

Botetourt Golf & Swim Club

I was able to play a round yesterday at The Botetourt Golf & Swim Club in Botetourt. Before yesterday, I had never played here for some reason even though it is one of the closest to my house. I was watching the local news the other night and they had a short segment on the course talking about how it was under new ownership by a small local group of guys. Funny thing about this was when I walked in to the Clubhouse, I ran into one of the new owners which was on the news. He introduced himself and laughed when I recognized him from the news. He told me about the course and what to expect in our round with the course layout. The Clubhouse sits on top of a hill which provides some great views of the valley. Our tee time was at 8:44 and green fees w/ cart were right over $40. Little steep I believe for a weekday morning in this time of penny-pinching, but no matter now, we were paid and ready to take on this course.

My partner today was Matt(AKA-Wheels)who I work with at the Fire Department and have basically worked with since I got out of the academy seven years ago. Today was going to be Matt's first round of the season so I felt pretty confident I could take him, but since neither of us have ever played here, it could be interesting. We decided to play the white tees which played at 5741/par 71.

I have not played since hitting that almost perfect bucket of balls from previous post so I thought I might actually turn in a personal best today. I felt great stepping onto the first tee with my new 3 wood but that's as far as the good story goes. I burnt up a nice trail of grass with it hitting it a whole 100 feet. I shook it off and just considered it first-hole jitters. I saved a bogey on the hole by sinking about a 15-foot putt which made me feel a little better. To make a long story short, the rest of the day went the same off the tee with my woods until around hole #15 where I made an executive decision to leave the woods in the bag.
The course was beautiful and has some very interesting greens and fairways. We had a great time and were able to play in just over 4 hours including a short pit stop in the Clubhouse after the turn. I felt like we had the course to ourselves since it appeared to be a slow day on the course. The course played great and is pretty much wide-open which sure helped our game by not losing as many balls since our accuracy is a bit off.

Overall, I loved the course and can't wait to go play it again so I can see if I can improve my score knowing the layout now. I would give this course 8/10 and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun round in a great atmosphere. If you are wondering who won, well after 18 holes we tied shooting a pair of 98s. Matt was happy to break 100 on his first round of the season and I was happy to break 100 on a course I have never played before.

Big Blue Golf Classic

The Meadows

Captains Choice Tournament at Botetourt Golf and Swim Club

Jefferson College of Health Sciences Alumni Association
First Annual Golf Tournament

The First Annual JCHS Alumni Association Golf Tournament will be held at Botetourt Golf and Swim Club on Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 at 1 p.m.

In keeping with the mission and values of the JCHS Alumni Association, proceeds from this tournament will go toward the
Jefferson College of Health Sciences
general scholarship fund.

Tournament Information
This 18-hole, four-person Captain’s Choice tournament gets under way with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The registration fee includes green fees, cart, lunch and refreshments.

Ø 11:30 a.m.—Registration
12:00-1:00 p.m.—Lunch
1:00 p.m.—Shot Gun Start

Ø Nelson Automotive of Martinsville will provide a new car for a hole-in-one.

Ø Golf Ball Drop by Summit Helicopters—closest to the pin wins $1,000 Cash Prize. Call Alumni Office at (540) 224-4586 to purchase golf balls--$20 each or 3 for $50.
Ø Other contests include: closest to the pin on all five par threes, longest drive for men and women and longest putt prizes. There will also be goody bags for everyone!


Helping the Students Who Will be Helping You
Graduates from Jefferson College of Health Sciences work in the following areas of healthcare in and around our region, including:
Nursing
Physician Assistant
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Respiratory Therapy
Fire and Emergency Sciences
You can play a role in supporting our future healthcare workers by joining us for this fun and exciting event.

Please indicate if any of your players are professional golfers when registering.

Please note: The registration deadline is Friday, Sept. 9, 2011!

Captains Choice at Draper Valley

Here is an upcoming Captains Choice at the Draper Valley Golf Club. Thanks Von for sending the information to me. I have not played Draper in quite a few years, but it is a great course. When I use to live in Christiansburg we played their quite often. I hope to put a team together and play in this one and it looks like its for a good cause, to raise money for the VA Comets Track Club. Here is the information I have and contact numbers if you have any further questions.

Friday, June 24 · 8:00am - 4:00pm

Location Draper Valley Golf Club
2800 Big Valley Drive

Created By Tonya Cregger Lewis

More Info We are hosting a Captains Choice golf tournament. This event is to help raise money for the VA Comets Track Club, which our daughter Kendall runs for. They will be competing in the State Games of America in San Diego, CA in August. Your participation with this event would be greatly appreciated, also share this with any other golfers you may know to help make this event successful.

$240 per team
or
$60 if your an individual, we will put you on a team the day of the event

If you are interested in participating please contact myself or Von to get your team registered
luvdaheels@msn.com
cell: 540-230-6202 (Tonya) or 540-588-4421 (Von)
Early registration is recommended in order to get a head count to the staff at Draper Valley Golf.

Flyers will be available May 9th if you would like one.

Hope to see you all on the golf course for a day filled with fun, golf and prizes!!

Sweet Bucket of Balls

I was hoping to play a round today but I ended up at the Driving Range instead. I stopped by Big Lick Golf on Hollins road to hit a small bucket. Big Lick is a great range to practice at since it has all areas to practice from mats to real grass. It has a covered shelter over the mats so I guess you could still hit a bucket even if the weather is not cooperating. It is a very nice facility that has just about all your needs including equipment, club fitting, lessons, putting green and anything else you might need for your golf bag or round. I have visited this range off and on for many years and you are always greeted with a smile and a friendly staff.

I actually went there today to practice my new 3 and 5 wood so I could at least have a clue before using them on the course which is the worst place to pull out a new club. I usually start with a middle iron which today was my 7 and it was feeling great right from the first ball. I continued down til my PW and everything was flying straight and looking like I knew what I was doing. I can honestly say I usually hit some decent balls at the range but I have never been as consistent as I was today. I decided it was time to pull out the new woods and believe it or not I was hitting them just as well. I believe I will still be a tad nervous using them on the course, but at least I have a clue about how they feel now. By now I wanted to put the clubs up and take off for the course, but I had to pick up the kids from school. I guess I will just wrap today as a great bucket day.

I think the small bucket holds around 50 balls or so and honestly believe I hit 45 of them almost where I intended. I know this was probably a fluke but it felt good and can only hope my next round feels half as good. I know hitting from the range is a little different than on the course but I truly believe it does help.

Greenbrier Classic

The Greenbrier Classic will be played from July 25th to July 31st at The Greenbrier Country Club in West Virginia. This is a PGA event and will showcase some of the biggest names in Golf. I checked into prices online for the badges and they range from $89 all the way up to $5000. I am pretty sure I will have to pass on the $5000 badge even though I am sure it is very nice. The Greenbrier will be putting on concerts with also some really big names such as Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and The Black Eyed Peas. I have put links to the actually site of the Greenbrier Classic and another one that goes straight to the badges available. I have never been to a PGA event, but would love to make it to one to watch the Pros play in person. I think it would be pretty cool to watch these guys play the course live and see what happens between the shots that you miss from watching it on television.



Greenbrier Classic Website

Badges Info Website

31st Annual MDA Golf Tournament

31st Annual MDA Golf Tournament
Roanoke Valley Professional Firefighters
31st Annual MDA Golf Tournament


Hosted by:
Roanoke Fire Fighters Association #1132
Salem Professional Firefighters Association #3478
Roanoke County Local #3194
Town of Vinton Local #4316


To Benefit:
The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA)


Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Ole Monterey Golf Course
Roanoke, VA


Tournament begins at 8:30 am – Shotgun Start
All teams need to arrive at course by 8:00 am
Captains Choice – 4 Man Teams
Entry Fee: $260.00 a team

Price includes: Greens Fees, Cart Fees, Gift Bag, Lunch, 4 Beverage Tickets
Snacks, soft drinks and water.


1 Mulligan & 1 Red Tee Per Person $10.00
Sold at Registration Table


Trophies for 1st and 2nd place teams
Prizes: (Men’s and Women’s) Longest Drive – Callaway Driver
(Individual) Closest to the Pin – Callaway Putter
Hole in One Prize $10,000 CASH, 7 Day Cruise and Golf Clubs 2-PW

Grand Prizes / Door Prizes / 50/50 Raffle
Callaway Iron Raffle $5.00 each chance


**Deadline for Teams will be June 4th, 2011**
For More Information Contact:
Becky Smith (540)556-3257 (BecGrrrl@yahoo.com)
Make Checks Payable to RFFA
Mail Checks to: P.O. Box 1132
Roanoke, VA 24016

I have played in this tournament every year I have been with the Fire Deparment except for the ones where our shift had to work. It is a great tournament that benefits a great cause, MDA. If you are not able to play you can still help by sponsering a hole. If you have any questions about playing or sponsering a hole contact Becky Smith at the above number or email. Becky puts a lot of work behind the scenes to make this tournament work and getting all the sponsors, donations and goodies, so if you play this year please say a little thanks for all her hard work. Unfortunately, our shift is working this year so I will have to miss out, but I am sure their will be fun had by all and I wish every one Good Luck.

This is a shot of our team from previous MDA tournament at Hanging Rock.

Hooters Golf Tournament

The 15th Annual Hooters Golf Tournament will be held on August 1st at Hanging Rock Golf Course in Salem, VA. I played in this tournament quite a few years ago with some friends and we had a blast even though we finished very close to last. I hope to play again this year with better results but however we finish, I am sure it will be a lot of fun. Just click on the Hooters Golf Tournament Title for more information. The tournament is limited to certain number of teams so you might want to get your team together and get registered so you want miss out.

Tale of two 9s

I got to play golf today at Ashley Plantation and it was a pretty wild day. I played with two guys I used to work with at Pepsi Cola, Andy and Scooby. Andy lives in the same neighborhood that I do and we found out that we both play golf so we have been trying to get out on the course together for a while. I have to admit, I have played golf with a lot of people with strange swings and funny stances but today was a first for me. Andy hits all his woods right-handed and his irons left-handed. Man... this game is hard enough to learn using only one set of clubs. I have always kidded left-handed people calling them wrong side thinkers, but I am not sure what you call Andy. HaHa.

It was a great day to play golf with the temperatures just right. Our tee time was at 8:03 and for a Monday morning the course was quite busy. If you have not been to Ashley lately they are a 27-hole golf course and everyone plays the same front nine and then you can choose which back nine you would like to play. Each nine holes have their own name and they are Meadows, Hills and the Orchards. We opened with the Hills which I would like to forget all about playing this morning. I have not played this bad in at least,,,,,, well maybe never this bad. I just could not get anything going and, on the famous Par 6, I blew up. I went through one sleeve of balls on just that hole and after all the beating and banging was over I ended up with a 13.

This nine holes of golf just would not end, but finally at hole #7 which is a long par 3, I was able to pull it together for a par. I got some confidence back and got a par on the next hole and sunk about a 12 foot putt for birdie on #9. I started to get that feeling that I was back in the groove so at the turn, I grabbed a couple hot dogs and was ready to redeem myself after shooting a 58(personal best)on the front nine. We decided to try the Orchards as our back nine since it has the island green on it.

I was able to play very consistent golf all throughout these nine being able to forget about that monster score on the front nine. It was like I went and took a private lesson from Tiger Woods at the turn. I ended up shooting a 39 on the back nine which brought my total strokes for the day at 97. Not too bad considering this is really my second round of the year, well at least it helps me sleep at night saying that. We were all in agreement that the front nine(Hills)was very nice and well taken care of but the back nine(Orchards) was a little rough. I believe they told us the Orchards has only been open for three years and is a working progress. One hole that used to be a Par 5 has been cut to where it is now a Par 3 due to the Members complaining about the narrowness of its fairway. It really seemed like two different courses but we had a lot of fun and it was great to get out and hit the ball again. We paid $38 a piece to play 18 with cart. I believe after we played we found out there are actually better deals if you want to play the Orchards due to its condition. After our round we talked with Jeff Sprinkel who runs The Golf Academy at Ashley for rates on future lessons. He was a pleasure to talk with and sounded like he could really help us all on improving our games from etiquette to swinging the clubs. He offers lesson packages from the novice who has never swung a club all the way up to whatever your level. I will have to rate this course with two different numbers, one for the front nine(Hills) 8/10, and the back nine(Orchards) 6/10. Overall, it was a fun day and hopefully I will hitting another course soon.

Tiger Trap

This would be awesome to happen when you were playing a friendly round with friends.

Local Golf Tournaments

I am going to try to post local Captains Choice tournaments as I find them. I know their are a large amount of them in our area so if anyone knows of any that are coming up just let me know and I will try to post all the information and fees that I can find. I am going to try to play in some as well this year but we will just have to see how that works out. I have played in our Local 1132s MDA tourney every year that I was not working but that was about it as far as playing golf for the year. As I posted earlier I hope that changes this year.

How to line up on your 4th putt

Love the song "Flog is golf spelled backwards".

Caddyshack in a minute

Never get tired of watching this movie.

Kevin Na Sets a New Low For Worst Par-4 Hole In PGA Tour History

This is hard to watch for a Pro, but for the rest of us it doesn't seem as far fetched. It seems between his Caddy and himself they had a pretty good sense of humor about it.

Brookside Golf Course

We went to Brookside Par 3 Course over the weekend and had a great time. Brookside is located at 6303 Williamson Road in Roanoke and is a 9-hole Par 3 course which is 840 yards with artificial mats as tee boxes. It was opened in 1962 and I believe the green fees were $10/person with the kids playing free. Our kids have never been on a course so we were really unsure of what might happen.
They were into the golf for about the first shot and after that the course has a creek running through it and they were way more interested in looking for alligators, ducks and throwing anything into the water.

It was pretty hot during our round so our main concern was keeping the kids busy and behind whoever was up swinging. We had a great time despite the warm temps and making sure that nobody fell into the creek. I did not play so well and only made par on one hole. I know that is pretty sad, but I am writing it off as first round of the season to help me sleep at night, ha ha. The course was in fair shape but I guess with all the rain we have had lately a lot of the course was extremely soft where just walking across the course your shoes would sink so you had to be very careful where you stepped.

Overall we had a great time and hopefully the kids did as well. We played nine holes in little over an hour and most of that was chasing the kids. If you need to practice your short game then Brookside is your course with the majority of holes around 100 yards.

Tin Cup Trailer -1996-

This is still one of my favorite golf movies. If you play golf and have not seen Tin Cup I highly reccommend it.

Course List

I typed in a search on Google for public golf courses that are local to Roanoke, VA and this is a list of the courses I plan to play this year. I hope to play all of them so I can compare the good, the bad and the ugly. If anyone has any suggestions on courses I did not list please feel free to leave comments and I will be glad to look them up. I have played all of these on my list except two of them and can not wait to hit them all again. I am placing the websites to most of the courses but unfortunately not all of them have current sites.

Here is the list in no particular order:

Blue Hills GC - bluehillsgc.com
Hanging Rock GC - hangingrockgolf.com
Ashley Plantation - ashleyplantation.com
River Course - petedyerivercourse.com
Meadows Golf & CC - meadowsgolfcc.com
London Downs - londondownsgolf.com
Westlake Golf and CC - golfthewestlake.com
Mariners Landing GC - marinerslandinggolf.com
Auburn Hills GC - auburnhillsgc.com
Ole Monterey GC - No Site
Botetourt CC - No Site

Fed Ex Cup TV Commercial "Conference Call"

New Golf Blog

Hopefully this blog will kick start myself into getting back onto the golf courses. My goal this summer is to play as many golf courses as I can that are in the area and blog about all of them. This will give me an excuse to get out of the house and go chase that little ball around in the woods. I have only played once this year and it was in Chattanooga TN so I want even count that one. Their are so many Golf Courses located around here and I hope to play them all this summer and hopefully more than once. Since the weather seems to be cooperating and the temperatures are staying warm I hope to get the ball rolling. I actually went to the driving range a couple days ago so I do have the bug now and hopefully I will be on the course soon. The last couple years I have probably averaged playing about 2-3 times a year and I know that is pretty sad so that is the reason for this blog. I have really missed playing and look forward to sharing some great stories from the courses on this blog.