RUMPLE 2006: BAM-BA-LAM
|
|
RUMPLE 2006: BAM-BA-LAM |
|
PRATTVILLE, AL OCTOBER 13-15, 2006 
RTJ: Capitol Hill 
RTJ: Grand National 
|
I often wonder how the present experience will stack up to history. In the case of 2006, I am certain that it will be recorded as one of the all-time greats. For heaven's sake, Dewey's or Dooley's? Sasquatch Backflip? Dutch had snapped a club and Larsen had cracked a rib before we ever teed off! Vacation homes in Prattville, AL between two of the Robert Trent Jones trail's finest made for great golf and great times. The Judge was a punishing test of our mental and physical fortitude. We had a taste of the local BBQ and played 5 well manicured, well run golf courses. We learned that we could no longer take the 16 hour drive to get, well, anywhere. We were on the road too long and in the middle of the night. And, though we nearly drove off the road when Magglio hit the home run to put the Tigers into the world series, we also nearly drove off the road as our faithful drivers hurtled us head long into the darkness on a marathon sprint back home. |
The Golf: Let's just start by acknowledging that the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a must for any golf & travel enthusiast. The courses were well maintained, staffed with friendly folks and provided a series of challenges that ranged from fun risk/reward to brutal championship conditions. Rumple, shaken, not stirred. Posting 5 rounds that varied by a maximum of 5 strokes, Lonestar lead the charge to the raw title. And, another solid and steady effort by Smitty, earned him top spot on the Grand leaderboard. Deserving champions. The course that will stay with us the longest in our collective Rumple memory was the Judge. It was the hardest course we had played to date and it took everything we had to offer and spit it back. Here's Lonestar on the 1st tee of the Judge, poised for greatness? 
|
The Story: Sometimes it is hard to piece together what made this event a special one in rumple history. Was it something in the air? Perhaps the stilted river-side vacation homes, the fairness and challenge of the courses or the combination of fellas along for the ride? Whatever it was, this one had it. We went at it pretty hard in 2006. Just a bunch fellas, hanging out, eating BBQ and drinking cold beer, but with a certain intensity and focus. We were yankees in the deep south, where life really does move a bit slower and a bit more uncomfortably. And yet, the Rumple was right at home. We found our stride, again, not in the location or the golf, but in the lies we told each other. Even those that might have been true. |
|