CLUBS & MEMBERS: TIME TO REFLECT

Edited by Louis Marroquin

’TIS THE SEASONING
For most people, the beginning of the year marks the time to take down the tree and put away the holiday decorations. But last January, Mary Murray was re-creating the season at her home with decorations and a mock dinner party for a photo shoot for this year’s holiday issue of Better Homes and Gardens Hometown Cooking. It wasn’t just the backdrop the magazine was interested in. Murray, who co-authored the book Yuletide on Hilton Head: A Heritage of Island Flavors, will be featured in the magazine too. Murray’s culinary career contains a dash of everything from teaching cooking to owning a catering service, a restaurant, and more than one gourmet food store. The idea for the cookbook came a few years ago when Murray, a member of the Country Club of Hilton Head in South Carolina, and three longtime friends, helped organize a recipe contest for the local paper. Realizing they had enough recipes to put together a cookbook, the women set about tweaking and perfecting each recipe. The result is a combination of recipes, local customs, entertaining stories, and cooking advice. All proceeds from the book, which gained national attention when it won a Tabasco Community Cookbook Award in 1999, are donated to the United Way. Can we expect a sequel to Yuletide? "We’re making noises," Murray says. — Patty Jerde
 

IN LIKE FLYNN
From caddie to king of Massachusetts North Shore golf, Bill Flynn could be a character in a Horatio Alger novel, save one glaring exception: Alger’s heroes never learned to play golf left-handed with right-handed clubs. "I would just play with the backs of right-handed clubs," says Flynn, forced to employ the unorthodox method because of a partially paralyzed right arm from birth and the prohibitive cost of correct clubs. Like Alger’s triumphant characters, Flynn overcame adversity to become a golf power in northeastern Massachusetts, as well as New England, culminating with his being honored as No. 1 among the North Shore’s Golden Hundred contributors, 1893-2001. "I didn’t expect [the honor], of course," quips Flynn, a member of Ipswich Country Club in Massachusetts, "but I ought to be decent at it; it’s the only thing I’ve ever done." As a top amateur, his victories included the Massachusetts Open and the New England Professional Golfers Association Championship. As an administrator, he served as head professional and general manager of the Thomson Club in North Reading, Massachusetts, for more than 20 years, and service with the NEPGA led to terms as secretary-treasurer and president. Adversity struck again in 1997 in the form of a stroke, but true to form, Flynn, 65, persevered and works daily at his course management and development company. "We’ve done very well in golf," says Flynn, who with wife, Janice, has four children, three of whom are pros at the company’s three courses. "It’s been very good to me, I can tell you that." — Steve Wilson
 

RUN OF A LIFETIME
Tony Handler began running for his life, literally, and now life wouldn’t be complete without his training every spare moment for triathlons. "There’s no question it’s gotten to be an addiction," says Handler, 61, a full-time consultant with AT&T, and a member of Hunter’s Green Country Club in Tampa, Florida. "I enjoy it, and the reason drives me enough to keep me going." Motivation blindsided Handler 16 years ago when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given two years to live — at the most. "I made up my mind that I was going to do whatever I could to get as healthy and strong as I could and see if we could change that diagnosis a little bit. Somehow it worked, and the doctors are still pretty much amazed by it all." Last year, Handler entered his first Ironman Triathlon — 2.5 miles swimming, 112 miles on bicycle, and a 26.2-mile run. He finished ahead of more than 600 contestants and will compete again in November in Panama City, Florida. "I’ve seen some people in these triathlons, believe it or not, in their 70s and 80s. I’ve always admired that and want to be able to do that, too." — Steve Wilson
 

SUSHI ON WHEELS
Sushi chef Kotaro "Taro" Arai and business partner Derrick Fong had a good thing going. Both of their Mikuni Japanese restaurants in the Sacramento, California, area were loaded to the gills with customers. And Arai was developing a following as the West Coast’s premier sushi chef. Then came the idea earlier this year to take their show on the road, and the Sushi Bus was born. Business has been rolling ever since. Arai and Fong, members of the Granite Bay Golf Club near Sacramento, say folks are hooked by the concept. For $150 an hour plus food costs, a party can hit the road in a decked-out, mobile sushi bar, loaded with lounge seating for 10, an audiovisual system with surround sound, a DVD player, and a satellite tracking system. Oh, and there’s a chef in the back rolling lots of raw fish. Mikuni orders 3 to 4 tons of fish a week for its two locations — and the bus. "I just can’t believe there’s still fish in the ocean," Arai says. So far this year, the bus has taken parties to see the Sacramento Kings and the San Francisco Giants, to proms and bachelor parties, concerts and shopping trips, even from one bar to another on a pub crawl. The bus is booked for months in advance, which means more miles on the odometer and — possibly — more new sushi venues. — Will Pry
 

HAVING A BALL
The irony of Ivan Irwin’s collection of golf logo balls is that he doesn’t have one from the only course on which he’s hit a hole-in-one. That’s because Irwin, a member of the Tower Club in Dallas, hadn’t yet started his hobby at age 14, when his wicked shank of a tee shot somehow rolled into the hole at a military academy camp tournament. Since then, he’s abandoned golf, taken it back up again, and amassed a collection of about 2,000 different logo balls from around the world. The round, white, dimply objects of his affection line the walls of his office and then some at Hunt Petroleum, where he is vice chairman. Some balls came from courses near his home; others came from more exotic fairways, such as Singapore, Beijing, and Indonesia. Thirty-four of them are autographed. Sixteen are from St. Andrews in Scotland, the sport’s home. Irwin, a six-day-a-week golfer, even has logo balls from Air Force One, the White House, the Senate, and the CIA. But don’t think for a second that he’s finished gathering them. One of his goals is to get a logo ball from every club in ClubCorp’s family. "It’s growing and growing, and I hope to keep it going because it’s kind of fun," he says. — Will Pry
 

CLUBCORP CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Country Clubs and Resorts
The Club at Falcon Point, in Katy, Texas, set the tone on the first day of play by hitting a masterful 57 on the legendary No. 2 at Pinehurst, in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina. And the team never looked back — topping the leaderboard every day until claiming victory with a 54-hole total of 178. The team from Hearthstone Country Club in Houston put in a valiant effort, coming in second with a 181. The Falcon Point team took home individual Putter Boy trophies, as well as the impressive crystal traveling trophy designed by Steuben and introduced at last year’s tournament. "We finally have something for the club’s trophy case," said teammate David Villarreal. The event, which boasted 88 teams this year, was truly international, drawing teams from Golf Club Lipperswil in Switzerland, the Paris International Golf Club in France, Marina Vallarta Club de Golf in Mexico, and Macquarie Links International Golf Club, Lakelands Golf Club, and Links Golf Club, Port Douglas in Australia.

Business and Sports Club
Both divisions of the Team Championship Series enjoyed sparkling weather, exceptional Pinehurst golf, and festive evenings. But unlike the Country Club division, there was no clear-cut leader at the Business and Sports Club Team Championship. Finally, on Day Three, the Dallas Fort Worth Society separated itself from a neck-and-neck pack to win the Putter Boy with a 181 final. The team from the Cardinal Club in Raleigh, North Carolina, followed close behind with a second-place finish of 182. Golf pro Jerry Marshall of Snee Farm Country Club near Charleston, South Carolina, picked up his second Putter Boy. He previously took home a trophy in 1998, playing with the team from the San Francisco Tennis Club.
 

MAGIC MOMENTS

RESORTS
Conde Nast Traveler has selected Daufuskie Island, just off the coast of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as one of America’s 50 Best Offshore Escapes. Daufuskie Island is one of just three resorts mentioned. "We are delighted to be included in this feature of the most influential publications in the luxury travel world," said Michael Thomas, president and COO of Daufuskie Island. "With our rare combination of getting-away-from-it-all island privacy and top-tier island resort activities and amenities, Daufuskie Island is truly one of America’s finest luxury island retreats. We look forward to welcoming Conde Nast Traveler readers to dive into the Daufuskie Experience themselves."…. The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, has received a 2001 Pinnacle Award from Successful Meetings magazine. Pinnacle Award winners are chosen from a survey of more than 75,000 meeting, incentive travel, and convention planners who are asked to select sites and destinations based on the quality of the facilities and services they offer. "We are proud to once again be recognized by Successful Meetings with this outstanding award," said Gary K. Rosenberg, president and CEO of The Homestead. "It is always rewarding when an industry leader such as this recognizes all that we have to offer our corporate groups, and we look forward to continuing to provide our unique combination of extraordinary experiences, unparalleled luxury, and outstanding service."…. The American Hotel & Lodging Association has awarded Pinehurst, in the Village of Pinehurst, North Carolina, with its Cutting Edge Award in recognition of service above and beyond the norm "to its guests, its industry, and to society at large."
 

GOLF
Pinehurst golf operations manager Lew Ferguson and assistant professional Kelly Mitchum tied for second place at the Titleist-Footjoy Carolinas PGA Pro-Assistant Championship. The team, representing Course Nos. 1-4, shot a total best ball two-day score of 132, just three shots back from the winning total…. Mark Fry, Golf Advantage School director at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia, shot a five-under 104 to capture the Callaway Head Professional Championship in Maryland. Fry was one of just six golfers from the 87-man field to finish the 27-hole tournament under par.
 

KUDOS
John Hardy, manager of Mississippi’s University Club of Jackson has been named 2001 Manager of the Year for the state of Mississippi by the Mississippi Restaurant Association. He was applauded for his commitment to his community…. Orion Samuelson, a member of the 410 Club in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized with the Order of Lincoln Medallion from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. The award, established 35 years ago, honors Illinois’ most distinguished citizens.