I'm behind on the blog again. I'm just having too much fun in life to be sitting down at the computer.
The morning after the last post I asked at the farm if I could do anything more to help out. The request was appreciated and I was asked to pick 20 more pounds of potatoes and deliver them to the restaurant, give the baby chickens two scoops of feed and paint the back of the photo board (the type you see at attractions where you stick your head through the hole and become something else) blue. In exchange I got some more potatoes and 8 fresh eggs. All of these tasks took a little longer than I had expected, so I was later than I had planned leaving the farm and getting to my next camp ground and round of golf.
Next stop was Brudenell Provincial Campground so I would be close by to play Brudenell and Dundarave golf courses as well as I thought Crowbush. I opted for an all you can play deal at these courses plus Mill River for 7 days. This campground was quite nice and worked out well for me. My first round was supposed to be that afternoon at Crowbush, but I didn't realize it was about a 35 minute drive from the other two courses. I was originally supposed to tee off at 3:00, which I changed to 4:00, but in the end I switched to Dundarave, instead which was only 3 minutes from the campground.
Dundarave was built after Brudenell and is around the outside of it. For this reason there is a long way between several of the holes. I was told the length adds about 6 holes, so riding a cart is recommended. This first day there I was already kind of tired from all the farm work I had done, so I gladly rode. By 4:15 in the afternoon the course wasn't very busy so I played by myself. I didn't rush around. The course is on really to my liking as it is more of a links style, with some places reminding me a bit of desert golf with dried grasses and pieces of driftwood, trying to be art. They had lost parts of some of the greens a year ago spring and the repairs are still evident with different sorts of grass on the greens. The greens were the fastest so far on the island.
The following day I made my way out to Crowbush for my first round there. I was not impressed with the main entrance. On the median there is a very large, very dead tree. It is rather eerie. The only thing it would be good for is as a resting spot for a flock of crows but there were none on it. I think is is quite an eyesore and should be removed. The course offers some water views and long forced carries over water from the white tees, which I was playing. I played with a couple of guys, one who was recently diagnosed with MS. He has good days and bad. He is married with two young daughters. His prospects aren't good. This was my birthday, so I was grateful for my good health. The course demands pretty accurate shot making and the making of various shots. I thought a few of the holes were bordering on unfair. I also didn't care for the overall layout with the parking lot quite removed from the club house. The range was small, with only 6 hitting spots, which were quite chewed up. It wasn't overly long either and therefore had limited distance balls. Warming up wasn't much fun. The greens were slower than Dundarave. On the way back to the campground, I treated myself to a lobster supper.
The next day, Monday July 25th, I played my first round at Brudenell. I played with three ladies who were part of a high school reunion group from Winnipeg. There were about 18 in the whole group. I played from the white tees, while the rest of them played from the reds. We had a nice game. This course is more to my liking, a traditional parkland style course. There are a few blind shots and some nice holes along the water, as well as elevation changes. The plantings around the tees are quite well done. The course is quite lovely. There is a snack bar/washroom building you pass 3 times during the course of a round. This course is very easy to walk as the greens and tees are close together. After the round I stayed for a snack and drink and was introduced to the entire group.
None of the courses in PEI provide drinking water at the tees. I've heard mixed things about whether the water in the washrooms is drinkable or not. Some are posted as not potable. At Brudenell, one of the snack bar gals refilled my water bottle from the tap and another said she wasn't allowed to. At Dundarave the gal said the water in the building was fine to drink, she always does and is fine. I'm beginning to take more than one bottle with me to the courses.
The next day I was back at Crowbush. The sky was overcast and the closer to the club I got the harder it was raining. I was reluctant to play starting at 10:00, my original tee time. I've been playing enough golf and I didn't want to have to dry out all my equipment. Low and behold at about 10:15, while I was still debating the merits of playing a couple of friends of mind from Pickering walked in. We were all in shock. It truly is a small world. They were to tee off at 11:00, so I decided to play with them. It was drizzling when we started, there was a big downpour while we were on the 10th hole, but by the time we finished it had stopped raining and all our gear was dry. For this round I played from the green tees, which are a combination of the whites and reds, mostly reds. I found this a bit more enjoyable than the whites as I was moved up on some of the holes with long carries.
The next day I played Brudenell again, but before doing so I had to pack up the trailer because I was moving to Panmure Island Provincial Park. When I had booked Brudenell Provincial Park they hadn't had space for the full week. Panmure was the next closest about 20 minutes west. There was plenty of room in the Brudenell resort parking lot for my full rig. This time I was paired with three guys, two were from BC and one from Fredericton, New Brunswick. One from BC and the one from NB were brothers in law. The other was a friend of theirs. We had a nice game. I played the whites again. I was able to help them get around the course having played it one more time than they had. We were congenial enough that we enjoyed a post round drink and snack together. The restaurant had a special with 2lbs of mussels and a jug of beer for $23.00. We had two helpings.
The following day I played Dundarave again with the fellow I had met at Green Gables, who has recently moved to PEI from Galt, Ontario, and two other fellows from PEI. It was a very hot and humid day, so once again it was nice to be riding for that reason as well as how far it would be to walk around this course. We all played the white tees.
My last day of play in the area was a round later in the afternoon, so I could play with the sister of the fellow I met at the first campground. She has been working at Brudenell for 18 years. She is a pretty good golfer. We had a nice round. Two different ladies joined us for 9 holes each. In the morning I took the opportunity to check out the nearby beach and lighthouse. The beach is very nice, red sand of course, very wide and long, good for walking and swimming. There were two lifeguards on duty. I spent some time talking with a woman who was doing daycare for 5 kids who were playing at the beach. I also checked out the portion of the campground that was on the opposite side of the street. It was a little nicer than where I was, as there was a view of the water. This was the worst campground I have stayed at so far.
We started the round on the back 9 because there was less traffic there. We played the green tees. That was good for me as it was a little change from the previous two rounds I played on the course. Towards the end of the round some rain fell. I had asked her where to go for dinner that night. She made a wonderful suggestion, Clamdiggers. When I arrived there though it was raining so hard I had to wait in the truck for about 25 minutes, to avoid getting drenched, even with the umbrella. I had a platter with fried clams, scallops, fish and chips. The service was fast and friendly and the food was very fresh and tasty.
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