Mid to Late August

Friday August 17th I packed up and headed to Pittsburgh to pick up John, arriving from Tucson, on the way to Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina for my 3rd appearance at their Senior Women's North South Invitational. This trip had taken a few months to organize. John was able to get a week off work and agreed to make the trip and caddy for me during the tournament. He was interested in going partly because it is somewhere that he had never been. This was a bit of a compromise seeing as he still does not have a passport and is therefore is not able to come to Canada to visit with me. 

I had called the airport in Pittsburgh in advance to make sure it would be possible for me to get in there with the trailer in order to pick him up. I was concerned about the height clearances near the terminal. They were prepared and helped me get situated. John was able to take a shuttle bus to near the parking lot I was waiting in. We drove a short distance that evening to The Meadows Racetrack and Casino, where they allow RV parking overnight but don't offer hook-ups. I had selected it because on Friday nights they have a seafood buffet that looked very appetizing for me and off track betting for John. We both signed up for their players card, which resulted in dinner being free and I won a little money with some free credits on their machines. 

The following day we made the relatively long drive to a bit south of Pinehurst where I had stayed last year on private property. The land owners were away, but their neighbors, who I had met last year were going to be home and able to help us get hooked up to water and power. 

The following day was for practice, followed by 3 rounds of tournament golf. 

John was a trooper, walking all the tournament holes in the heat and humidity as required by the rules, although I was allowed to ride. 


John was a tremendous help to me and I finished 5 places higher than the previous year. He is hoping to be able to play in the Men's division next year, but in order to do so, he will need to establish a handicap and make an application. Seeing as he doesn't really like administrative things, time will tell if he actually does it.  The event will be held a little earlier in August next year, and course No. 2 will not be played as they are hosting the US Open there. These factors may deter me from playing. 

Shelly and Ann near Pinehurst

On the way back to Pittsburgh on Thursday we stopped in Beckley, West Virginia at the Cracker Barrel about 4 hours south of Pittsburgh, as I was too tired to drive any further. John's flight was later on in the afternoon on Friday, so it wasn't an issue. 

After dropping John off at the airport, my priority was getting back across the border into Canada in order to conserve my days allowed in the USA. I was thinking of spending the night near the border as I don't like driving in the dark, but no place felt right, so I managed to make it back to Maitland Shores, though I didn't have the patience to properly park my trailer on my site. It was just good enough in order to sleep and I fixed it the following morning. 

Monday August 27th was the official practice round day for the Canadian Senior Women's Championship at Lookout Point. I had already played an unofficial practice round earlier in the summer, so the course was not completely foreign to me. I also adapted well to it, because it is somewhat similar to Dundas Valley Golf Club, which I have played previously. The main challenge is understanding how being on the side of the escarpment effects your shots, mostly putting on the greens. Once you understand that you can score well. There had been a weather delay in the morning, due to lightning so the tee times were delayed. I had originally arranged mine to be done just prior to the player meeting and dinner, but with the delay that was in jeopardy. I had arranged to play with a friend of my friend Enid Aaron and a Susan Postian from London. Neither was there as early as I was, so I spoke to the starter and he found me an earlier opening. I got in all 18 holes, showered and changed and made it just as they were starting the meal. They had mentioned in advance that it would be a Marche style buffet (different stations with different foods), but the room was too small to do it effectively and the result was one long buffet line moving very slowly due to the large number of players present wanting to eat. 

The following day was round one. I played really well, shooting 79, which placed me T-7th better than I would have dreamed. The two gals I was paired with didn't do as well. Sandra Mumford from Nova Scotia shot 96 and Meredith Stanford also from Ontario shot 100. It was hard to stay focused watching them. They were pretty sure at this point that they would not be making the cut, so on the second day tried to stay to not bother me. I struggled a bit, but managed an 82 placing me T-20th. Sandra shot 92 and Meredith shot 91. Just before  the final round Mary Jane Hall was bibbed up 

and ready to caddy for me. That was a big surprise. She only made it through 9 holes though. I had chosen to walk the entire tournament so that I could also compete in the Mid-Amateur competition. If I had wanted to do Senior only, I could have ridden. I think the heat and humidity from the previous week and this week caught up to me and my game deteriorated in the final round. I shot 89 and ended up placing 30th in Senior and 27th in Mid-Amateur. Still not bad considering this is a national tournament.

RCMP office tending the national flag on the 18th hole. I love the red coat!