Work on golf swing at Jamaican resort

By Dianne Newcomer

"My golf swing was off. My hook was the size of the Florida Panhandle, and I was taking it out on everyone. I resented everybody who tried to give me tips," said Gary Flynn, a busy pharmaceutical representative from West Monroe. "Luckily, my wife recognized the problem and suggested we go somewhere to work on my golf game."

Gary was realistic. He knew Carrie was not totally thinking about him when she came into my travel agency asking about a good place for golfers to go to work on their game, but, as long as she had sun and sand and beach butlers waiting on her every whim, he knew she would be happy while he golfed.

When I found a package for a little more than $3,000 that included airfare from Monroe, a week's stay at the beautiful Sandals Grande Ocho Rios with all meals, drinks, entertainment, water sports, plus free unlimited golfing privileges at the Sandals Golf and Country Club — with free golf lessons — they were set to go.

Here's what Gary had to say about the experience:

"People say Jamaica is paradise, and I totally agree — especially when it comes to golfing. The Sandals course is a fun course to play. Unlike what you'd expect from a golf course at a beach destination, the club isn't located on the sand or even near the ocean. You'll take a bus or a taxi into the hills, passing through some local neighborhoods. This gives you the opportunity to see some pretty scenery as well as to get a quick look into the depressed economic condition of the country. You quickly understand why Jamaica is so dependent on tourism and foreign cash to feed its financial system.

"Since Jamaica was once a British colony, the traffic still drives on the left side of the road. I obeyed our Sandals tour guide's advice to check out the scenery and look out the side windows of the bus during our free transfer to the country club, because looking out the driver's window and seeing the crazy Jamaican drivers coming at you was way too frightening of a proposition.

"At first glance, the Sandals Golf Club did not appear to be a whole lot different from many other resort destinations — lots of green foliage with palm trees and a nicely manicured layout with some elevation. It's a short course and appeared fairly easy to play, but, as I soon learned, between the wind (the course is more than 700 feet above sea level so sometimes I had to take two to three clubs more than usual) and the small elevated greens, I was definitely being challenged. This was something my fragile golf ego did not need.

"And, that was when my $15-a-day caddy charge paid off. My caddy was a middle-aged Jamaican named Cowboy with a single-digit handicap who had never been off the island. The caddies at the Sandals Club are given the opportunity to play the game in the evenings and during the low season, so they, like Cowboy, not only are trained by professionals, but many are quite accomplished players.

"Cowboy was well-schooled in the yardages and techniques of golf. His low handicap score was not just a mere boast. He taught me a lot about Jamaica that day, but, most importantly, he helped me improve my game. It was easy to take advice from someone who took their job so seriously and had a great sense of joy about it at the same time. His lessons were invaluable.

"My caddy, the well-kept golf course with a jerk shack in the middle and a beautiful warm sunny day made for such an excellent experience that I played three more days during my vacation. Remember, the golfing was free, and, since I had the time, I decided to take advantage of their five-hour instruction school for only $295. I don't know if it was the school or the help of Cowboy, but I eventually found the third hole, which could turn a long 7 iron into a sweet 5 iron, was no longer as intimidating.

"Meanwhile, as I was working on my golf game, Carrie was taking advantage of another free, all-inclusive feature at Sandals — she was learning to scuba dive. After her first dive, she was so excited about the neat things she had seen underwater and how the dive leaders had been so attentive that I took the course and joined her on a couple days of boat dives, ranging from 20 to 90 feet. Once again, it was all free and really very impressive. We saw shipwrecks, underwater caves and all sorts of marine life.

"In short, our Sandals vacation to Jamaica turned out to be much more than we had expected. We not only had the chance to relax and escape our everyday life routines, but we had a real adventure — and a lot of it was free. We both learned how to scuba dive and see a whole new world we never knew existed, and, most importantly, with the help of a Jamaican named Cowboy, I learned to enjoy my golf game again."

The cold wet days of a Louisiana winter have arrived, so why stay here? Escape and find your adventure. Like Carrie and Gary Flynn discovered, there really are "deals" out there that can make a world of difference in how you enjoy the game of life.

http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20090118/LIFESTYLE/901180304