RUMPLE 2003: SAVANNAH NIGHTS
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RUMPLE 2003: SAVANNAH NIGHTS |
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SAVANNAH, GA OCTOBER 9-12, 2003 
Jekyll Isalnd, GA 
Hilton Head Island, SC 
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In 2003 ten men set out to tour this great nation’s 2nd tier golf facilities one terrifying hole at a time. The mission was simple... Start an annual golf vacation while we were still young enough to pull it off so that no matter how far we drifted apart, we all had a reason to come back, at least once more, for the golf weekend of a lifetime. Our first stop was Savannah, GA. We wanted to avoid some of the clichés, which we later took on in 2004 (Myrtle Beach) and 2005 (Orlando). So we drove down a passenger van, stayed at a two story motel and commuted 45+ minutes each day. Rookie mistakes. But what an event! Legendary rounds on the course and at the bar. Stories of ill-gotten fame, well earned scorn and absurd consternation that will be told until this great event is no more. Perhaps beyond. The Rumple Invitational was born. Anno Domini 2003 |
The Golf: The courses were great, though we learned to live without the 45+ minute commute. We played the first 36 on Jekyll Island, rotating their Pine Lakes and Oleandar courses. What a beautiful, beautiful place. Mostly a nature preserve, dolphins were racing alongside the road at dawn as we arrived and key deer quietly munched on grass at the back of the green while we putted. Days 2 & 3 we spent on Hilton Head Island, SC. A touch of culture shock from the previous day. Hilton Head courses were condo-lined, the carts were GPS equipped and the staff was used to well, let’s say, a higher class of clientele. Still, Golden Bear at Indigo Run, Arthur Hills at Palmetto Dunes and the Country Club of Hilton Head were in great shape and a more than adequate test for the "skills" we brought to them. Here's a key deer among the cypress that Gonzo tried to skewer with a Titleist moments after this pic was taken. 
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The Story: Heavens. It was our first year. We had no idea what we had begun. Still, night in and night out, Rumplers represented. From the measured pours in Savannah, to a miraculous Wolverine comeback on Jekyll Island, Bird Mountain's "follow me!!!", car bombs with the locals on Hilton Head (does Hilton Head have locals?), the first of the General's many guayabera incidents, the German getting "caught on tape". It goes on and on. Veni Vidi Vici There was a time in which I tried to recount the experiences we have had in detail, translating our controlled insanity for the masses. After several years it is clear to me, you really had to be there. So come on in, the water is warm and the beer is cold... |
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