Timeline – 2011 Part 5

The Sunday page above is another example of a gag based on personal experience. I go on a golf vacation to Florida every year with my old high school buddies. Our trip is a little different from the Hi and Lois episode. Our wives know what we’re doing and we only play 18 holes a day, not 36.

Although I am not a very good golfer, it’s still fun to reconnect with this group of guys. In 2002, my friend Dan Ewald, who is a lawyer in Vermont, bought a condo in New Smyrna Beach on the northeastern coast of Florida. Originally we were just a foursome but over the years the gathering expanded to include as many as ten.

Here we are in 2012 at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine.

We usually play for three days at courses in the area, including the LPGA International in Daytona, Victoria Hills in Deland and Walkabout (now Indian River Preserve) in Mims. Some of our favorite dining spots are The Garlic restaurant and J.B.s Fish Camp.

Another friend, Tom Reilly, retired from ESPN in 2010, bought a house and moved to Smyrna full time. He hosts our outings at the Sugar Mill golf course, one of the best in the area, and arranges a boat trip to tour the wilds of Smyrna Creek and the Intercoastal Waterway.

Here is a photo of us on a typical “booze cruise.”

Next week we will be moving on to 2012 in our Timeline series so check back to see another classic from the collection.

– Brian Walker