Commentary by Rick Rodriguez
In 1998, I spent three weeks on the Island of Tasmania, Australia. This is the tear drop land mass south of the continent of Australia. It is also the home of the famed Tasmanian Devil! The purpose of my trip was to play in two golf tournaments: the Australian National Left-Handed Golf Championship and the World Left-Handed Golf Championship. Tasmania is a twenty hour flight including stops from San Francisco! I left out of Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia, and then to the Launceston, Tasmania.
I got there on October 17, and after I checked into the Hotel Grand Chancellor, I went for a practice round at the Riverside Golf Club. Arriving at the course, I went over to the practice putting green and gazed over the horizon marveling at the course of events that had gotten me to this point in life. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, standing on unfamiliar turf, about to play a game I love--GOLF! I must have been jet lagged because I hacked it up that day, but I reasoned at least I was able to see one of the courses I'd eventually play in the tournament, and what the heck I was on vacation having fun! After the round, I went for a short run to get a feel for the town. Launceston is a quaint town with many small stores, and a variety of restaurants; and its got some key tourist spots including Queen Victoria Hall. My run interweaved between small streets and Cataract Gorge (a key spot), and after a short run, I went back to the hotel and got settled in for dinner.
The next morning the Australian National Left-Handed Golf Tournament got under way. The 1st round was contested at the Launceston Golf Club. As a crowd of golfers gathered to gaze at the starting golfers, I was busily trying to cope with my 1st tee jitters, very soon the gazes would turn toward me, and I wanted to perform well. I must have shaken them off. I got off to a good start (42) but struggled on the back and ended with a 95. I was pretty dejected because I let a good opportunity get away on what I felt was a fair course. I had trouble with tight lies and the extremely fast greens. In the 2nd round at Mowbray Golf Club, I started off well striping my drive right down the middle. My confidence led to a quick Par, and after 9 holes I shot (45). The front was high-lighted by a great up and down from a green side bunker on hole 9. Then, just like that I had two consecutive 8's! Wow, I was crushed and I had to take myself aside for a fast pep talk. After the positive self-talk, I shot even par that included a birdie on 17 (30 ft. Breaker) on the last six holes. I shot 87 for the round.
After two rounds, I was in 3rd place in my flight, and I was looking forward to playing the Riverside Golf Club; the site of my 1st round on the Island. I played well (85), and found myself leading my flight after the 3rd round. In the round, I was paired with a couple of Australians, David Direen and Keith Martin, and we had a fantastic time. In fact, David and I hit it off pretty well, and after the round he asked me to come down to Hobart (his home) for the weekend. Of course, I accepted and after the tournament on Friday we made our way down to Hobart. After the round, I discovered that I was leading by 3 strokes; apparently no one in my flight had bettered my score.
In the last round, we played the Casino Country Club course, and while I was nervous, I shot another 85 and won my flight by two shots. I was leading by several shots but on the 18th hole I triple-bogeyed the hole, and not knowing the final outcome actually thought I lost the tournament on 18. I was quite disappointed. I didn't discover until the tournament banquet that night that I had held on. I was awarded a beautiful bronze Tasmanian tiger for the win. Today, it sits on my desk; a constant reminder of my trip to Tasmania
I never really thought I'd end up winning a golf flight in Tasmania. But, I guess things just sometimes work out that way. I also ended up with a great friendship with David Direen that has been renewed in Ireland, New Zealand, and Canada in the ensuing years.
My trip to Tasmania in 1998 was an amazing lifetime experience. Intertwined with many splendid moments engaging with friends and relationships I have formed throughout the world, Tasmania is a place that offers lots of outdoor adventure activities; great food, and a warm culture. It is a place that created amazing moments for me including the reward of playing golf in this far off land. It was a devil of a time!
Rick Rodriguez is a writer and is frequently published in opinion/editorial sections in local and national newspapers. Rick, a San Francisco Bay Area native and graduate of Saint Mary's College lives in Danville, California with his two children. Contact Rick at rrodriguez@pacunion.com or (510) 326-4795.
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