Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013 - (Page 74)

SportS THe swing sHifT A iming to i m p rove h e r g o l f gA m e , A lA fA ir B u r k e s i nk s A f e w in s A r As otA 74 w w w. r i t z c a r lt o n . c o m From Top: Chip henderson; AlAFAir Burke GOING GREEN From top: Hole 16, perhaps the course’s most challenging; the writer in action. H “How long have you been playing?” The question is simple enough. So should be my answer: Since 1995. That’s 18 years. But given the realities of Manhattan living — the weather, the traffic, the apparent impossibility of building a golf course in the middle of Greenwich Village — 1995 to 2013 feels like seven months in actual golf time. At the end of every summer, as New York area courses close and we pack away our clubs for the season, my husband, Sean, and I convince ourselves we have finally gotten somewhere with the sport — only to wonder the next April where our beautiful swings went. This year, we decided to look for them at the Tom Fazio-designed Members Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota in Florida. The question — “How long have you been playing?” — comes from Glen Murray, the club’s director of golf operations, who is playing the back nine with us to kick off our trip. I’ve made it off the 10th hole with a respectable bogey, but, considering the monster par 5 that awaits us on 11, I feel the need to qualify my response: “1995,” I say, “but … our dog’s name is Double Bogey. The previous one was Duffer. That should give you a sense.” A huge ridge frames the entire right side of the narrow fairway. On the left, two long bunkers wait, the grains of sand silently willing my ball toward them. The sight usually would be enough to ignite panic in this seasonal golfer, forcing my mind into mantra-like repetitions of my http://WWW.RITZCARLTON.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013
Contents
Contributors
Editor’s Letter
President’s Letter
Falling in Love With … New Orleans
Design
Technology
On the Boulevards
Shopping
Jewelry
Watches
Family
Local Knowledge
Sports
Cancun
Doha
Fashion
Culinary
Let Us Stay with You
Heritage

Ritz-Carlton Magazine - Summer 2013