5 minute read
Patsy Harris
Harbour Ridge Member Defeats Odds With Two Hole-In-Ones In One Round
Patsy Harris
What are those odds? 67 million to
1 to be exact. The average American golfer makes a hole-in-one once every 12,000 rounds. On Saturday, May 8, Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club member Patsy Harris, defeated those odds by a long shot. Patsy, a member at Harbour Ridge since 2014, decided to start her day off with a final 18-hole round of golf for the 2021 season. Little did she know it would end in 67 million to 1 odds! She teed off the River Ridge #10 at 8:16 a.m. and just under an hour later, using a 5 hybrid from 105 yards, she made her second-ever hole-inone on hole #14. Once Patsy got to the 7th hole at 11:35 a.m., she thought it best to use her 6 hybrid from 102 yards. She swings, she…SINKS IT! Incredibly, she successfully sunk her second (and third-ever) hole-in-one; same round, same course, same day! Patsy, who calls herself a “bogey” golfer with a handicap of 19, said, “I am always just happy to clear the hazards and get the ball on the green; none of our Par 3s are easy!” My golf group, ‘The Queen of the Greens’, was so excited after the first hole-in-one -- high fiving and taking photos. After the second, I was in shock!” Members of her foursome that day included Jill Kelly, Barbara Alesi, and Elaine McCusker. Patsy also said she and her husband Andy are a golfing family. They have been playing golf together for nearly 50 years. Their two sons, David and Daniel, are single-digit golfers who have a total of 3-hole-in-ones between them (GO, MOM!). She’s proud to now have passed their love for golf down to their four grandsons, ages 13, 10, 9, and 6. The 13-year-old is already on track to catch up with Grandma with his first hole-in-one this past November. “Golfing is a passion for me—I love it in all its forms, and I am still working on my game.” The Pete and P.B. Dye designed River Ridge course has hosted numerous qualifying rounds for USGA championships, including the U.S. Open. The River Ridge course boasts one of the highest slope ratings in all of Florida and can be played from any of five sets of tees to accommodate all handicap levels. Harbour Ridge is a private, 885acre community with 695 residences that overlook its two picturesque golf courses, acres of Audubon-certified nature preserve and is perfectly situated on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The Board of Directors, management and staff, along with members, are all dedicated to maintaining their commitment to financial soundness and stability in an environment which enables them to enrich their quality of life. For more information on Harbour Ridge, please contact our Membership and Sales Office at (772) 873-6013 or l.pahl@hrycc.org.
The Great Game of Golf is Needed More Now Than Ever!
PGA CEO Seth Waugh had a wonderful
quote summing up the importance of the game: “Golf is the engine of good.” Golf contributes more to charity on an annual basis than all three major sports combined! There are more than 11,000 golf courses nationwide all doing events to help raise money or awareness to important causes. We are extremely proud at Royal St Cloud Golf Links to play a big role within our local communities. Between our golf course and banquet facilities, annually, more than 75,000 golfers and 120 couples choose us. RSCGL has a long list of very important causes and charities that we
support. A couple years back, the St. Cloud High School baseball field was in horrible shape. The field was just one giant injury waiting to happen. RSCGL called in favors and used our own cash and Human Resources to do a $30,000 rebuild of the entire field. We have been a longtime host for the Osceola Chapter of the Special Olympics, hosting hundreds of participants. The PGA Hope program, which uses the game of golf to help combat-wounded veterans recover from war, chose RSCGL as its sole representative in Central Florida. It is an honor to host this program. RSCGL proudly flies the “Back the Blue and Red” flags as well as the POW MIA flag 365 days a year. We also have painted golf carts with the colors of the blue, red and POW MIA that are used every day. We will never forget. Our military league plays twice a week and our flag challenge tournaments between the Police and Fire departments are extremely popular. Whoever wins gets their flag on top of the pole until the next challenge. On another front, because we know that the game of golf needs to develop more and more junior golfers, we make sure our course is accessible to as many juniors as possible, unlike many courses. We host junior golf in so many different forms such as tournaments, events, instruction, leagues, middle and high school teams, extending junior golfers great deals so they can enjoy the course with minimal to no restrictions, all year long. At RSCGL, our mission statement is very easy to remember -- “We are in the happiness business.” The game of golf and the people who are involved in the game are very powerful, kind, giving, caring people and so much more. Your local club is doing so much more for the community than most will ever know. It is easy to do because it is the right thing to do. We think Seth Waugh is really on to something. Golf really is the engine for good. Supporting your local club really means that you are also supporting all the great causes and charities that your club supports. It is an extension, of sorts. On behalf of all the 11,000 golf courses across the nation, we thank you and hope to see you out at the course soon.