Don?t be surprised if you see Mike Florio, Diane McIntosh and Chris Beltzer getting in a little extra practice at the golf dome this winter. The three GAM members are the lucky winners of the drawing open to those who registered for their 2010 membership before Jan. 1. The prize: a round of golf on the South Course at Oakland Hills Country Club complete with lunch and a video lesson with Oakland Hills? Director of Instruction Steve Brady. The three members will play their round with GAM Governor and Oakland Hills member James Judge on a Saturday in June.
?I was totally surprised to win,? said Florio, 56, who is a member through Carl?s Golfland. ?I wanted to sign up for the GAM anyway so I figured what the heck; I might as well do it before the end of the year. Then I forgot all about it. Time goes by fast enough but I can?t wait to play Oakland Hills!?
McIntosh thought her husband was pulling her leg when he called her in Florida to tell her she had won the round of golf at Oakland Hills.
?My husband is back home working and I?m here in Florida playing golf with my brother,? said McIntosh, 67, who is a member at Milham Park. ?He called and said he got some kind of message from the GAM saying I won something. I thought he was joking me!?
Beltzer is a 16-year-old student who plays for Haslett High School ? the 2009 state runner-up in Division 2. He asked his mom, Kristin, to sign him up for a GAM membership through Meridian Sun GC as a Christmas gift.
?I was very surprised to win,? said Beltzer, who has been on Haslett?s varsity golf team since he was a freshman. ?I think the best thing about being able to play at Oakland Hills is just being able to play on the same course where all of the pros have played over the years. I went to the PGA Championship there in 2008.?
Florio agrees: ?Everyone who is anyone has played there. I just want to experience the history and the atmosphere without all of the crowds.?
McIntosh was at Oakland Hills for the Ryder Cup in 2004 and Florio was at the U.S. Open in 1996. He also had a chance to play the North Course a couple of times and the South Course before it was renovated in 2006.
?I have a friend who works there who showed me the renovations so I am so stoked to be able to play it and to play it with a caddie,? said Florio. ?I?ve never had a caddie before! I hope he can help me get around those greens!?
Ah ? those famous greens! Beltzer has already started honing his short game in anticipation.
?My putting is not too bad right now actually,? he said. ?And with the high school season being in the spring and with Haslett trying to make another run at states, I know my game will be in good shape when June rolls around.?
Florio knows he is going to be making the most of the practice range at Carl?s Golfland over the next few weeks.
?I am going to be practicing a lot more this spring than in other years,? said Florio. ?I?ve already started practicing with my putter in the living room! Whether it does any good or not I don?t know. I will probably be too excited to even swing the club when I?m out there!?
McIntosh describes herself as a high handicapper and said she is ?a little nervous? about playing with lower handicap players. She typically plays five times a week so practice is not a problem but she has her own plan of attack for the Oakland Hills South Course.
?I?m sure it will be a challenge so I am going to pack lots of golf balls,? said McIntosh. ?And I am going to go online and do a little research about the course so that I can prepare myself. If nothing else, I will be entertaining for the group!?
