12th Annual Golf Excursion
Prattville, AL
July 11 – July 15, 2019
A Presidential Summary
Another successful event has been logged into the RPGA record books. Twenty-four members set out on this journey to tame the Robert Trent Jones Trail at Capitol Hill. The day started for many around 4:30 AM on Thursday morning, loading the cars, vans and trucks with all the necessary tools…. Clubs, Balls, Rain Gear, Pots, Pans, Food and Beverages. Our cooks – Randy Ross, Kerry Watkins, Nat Battiste and Sherman Daigs were prepped and ready to serve. Our refreshment crew – Tony Fisher & Johnel McClain kept the various offerings iced and ready for consumption. And our resident Pie Man – Landry Cage was in the house or on the grill making his famous sweet potato pies.
Keith Keller, our Organizer Extraordinaire, stayed in constant contact with the course and hotel to ensure that our concerns for the weather were noted and to build contingency plans if playing conditions worsened.
As usual, upon arrival we were met by the very professional and courteous staff members at Capitol Hill, they secured our bags and prepared our carts for the day’s practice round. Our practice round at The Judge was cut short due to a heavy rain shower and for some it was a suitable end to a very long day.
The evening was capped with a healthy serving of Jambalaya and grilled chicken. Kerry Watkins
Day 2 – The Legislature: Competition Starts
Filled with slopes, hills, undulation and dizzying greens this course offered challenges on every hole – Getting on the Greens in Regulation was half of the battle…. you had to putt and putt well!
The low round of the day went to – Eric Randall
Our Nexus (High/Low Handicap Blind Team) Winners were – Jim Webb and Mark Johnson
Closest to the Pin – Tony Fisher
Fried Fish and White Beans filled our bellies and fueled us for the next day’s round – Randy Ross
Day 3 – The Senator: Round Two
A links style course with blind fairway shots and huge greens was the backdrop and a beauty she was. Our round that day was interrupted by inclement weather, but this was our annual golf outing and despite the course being cart-path only for the remainder of the day, RPGA toughed it out and finished the 2nd day of competition.
The low round of the day went to – Randy Ross
Our Nexus winners – Randy Ross and John “Stoppa” Smith
Closest to the Pin – JB and Malcolm Keller
Nothing like Steak and Potatoes after a round like that - Sherman Daigs
Day 4 – The Judge – Moving Day
The Final pairings were set according to current point standings – Randy Ross, Johnel McClain, Kerry Watkins and Landry Cage would set the pace in the First Group. The Judge, as always showed its strength and did not discriminate as it meted out justice. On this day, the Judge was aided in its quest to challenge our members, by restricting us to Cart Path Only. The day was long, and many wore the scars to prove their battle but only one could win and that day –
Randy Ross (VP) took home the title of Annual Excursion Champ!
2nd Place- Kerry Watkins
3rd Place - Johnel McClain
4th Place - Nate Culbreath
5th Place- Elroy Pinkins
Nexus winners for the day were Kerry Watkins and Eric Randall
Closest to the Pin - Malcolm Keller
Congratulations to all our winners and especially our Champ Randy Ross!
Nat Battiste served up his famous Red Beans to close out the weekend’s festivities.
Day 5 – Cambrian Ridge – Heading Home
18 Members could not get enough and stopped at Cambrian Ridge on the way home in Greenville, AL. Another RTJ course hidden in the valley offered a beautifully challenging layout and could make its way onto our list of courses to play next year. Two holes played entirely uphill (a sight to see).
I want to acknowledge all our members for working together to make this event a successful one and encourage everyone to cherish these memories for tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
Last but not least, I want to congratulate Jasper Bridges for completing his first RPGA Annual Excursion, we hope you enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed having you!
In Remembrance of our Fallen Brothers
Leroy “Candyman” Harrison
Leon Clark
Mike Boudy
