The Experience Insider

As an avid golfer, you know that you don’t always get to play in perfect weather. When the wind is blowing in harsh gusts, it will do some crazy things with your golf ball after it leaves your club. The following steps will help keep your score down during these windy conditions: Click to continue reading »

During the next month, I am offering a special facial called Fire & Ice, which provides a deep exfoliation (especially good for acne-prone skin), while also hydrating the skin. It finishes off with a cooling sensation to leave your skin glowing and looking healthier than ever. This is one hot facial you won’t want to shy away from.

What is your favorite spa treatment indulgence?

Chipping like a pro is easier to accomplish than you think if you follow these simple tips.

Utilize your chipping iron like a putter by raising it on its toe, thus lining up the clubface through the top edge of the club. Eliminate the wrist flip error from your chipping motion or you will inadvertently add loft to the club during your swing. Remember to move close enough to the ball so the club head is standing on its toe with the club shaft as vertical as possible. By doing this, you will eliminate any angle in your left wrist so that your club head won’t drop any lower through impact than it was at the initial ball address.

Place your weight on your left side so you will easily produce the proper angle of attack - a naturally descending motion. Drop your left foot back from the target line and let your weight settle naturally into your left hip. Remember your weight should start, stay and finish into your left side.

Remember that the fringe of the green is unpredictable. Bad bounces can destroy the line, soft turf can slow the ball down and hard turf can speed it up too much. Remember to select a spot at least one yard on the green where you want your chip to land.

Wow - did we have a seafood extravaganza at The Bay Club! We recently introduced few new member events at the Club, with our Bubba Gump Shrimp Night kicking off the fun-filled calendar of events. Next up, we have our annual Member Tree Trimming Party. This year we are also having our Marina Members deck their boats with lights to share in the holiday spirit. It should be quite a spectacular spectacle out on the bay and in the Club. We are also looking forward to other themed dinner, fun activities including our themed New Year’s Eve Party.

What memorable event comes to mind that you are looking forward to attending this holiday season?

Our residents look forward to the calendar of events this season, such as the Holiday Cart Parade the first week of December. Our residents deck their golf carts with all the trimmings for a contest of the most festive golf cart. They also parade throughout the community showing off their decorated masterpieces. It is definitely the most wonderful time of the year!

What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? Are there any events or activities you have planned?

I want to share a handy golf tip with you when using your wedges. Here’s an alternative technique to try the next time you need a wedge shot to fly high and land softly.

Weaken your left-hand grip (for right-handers), turning your hand under the club so that your left palm faces more toward the sky. With your left hand in this weakened position, the clubface will remain open through the hitting zone and your shot will be shorter and fly higher than normal and land like a butterfly with sore feet. Experiment with this shot on the range. You’ll quickly learn that the more you turn your left hand under the club, the higher and softer (and shorter) the resulting shot will be. Swing softly and carry a soft swing!

Do you find this tip helpful? Have you tried this drill on the driving range before?

Throughout the week, we enjoy the company of many of our members dining at The Bay Club. I just introduced a brand-new menu for The Bistro and at our tiki bar. There are  new culinary concoctions, along with popular menu items from our older menus. I enjoy hearing the members’ feedback on their dining experiences. I strive to cater the menus to fit their favorite dishes and ideas. Our goal is to exceed our members’ expectations and offer a one-of-a-kind dining experience.

What is cookin’ in YOUR kitchen? Or maybe at your favorite restaurant? Let me know what is your favorite dinner dish.

I am very excited to see all of the boats in our marina. It creates a wonderful boating community on Tampa Bay. This holiday season, at Westshore Yacht Club Marina, we plan on decking the boats with lights with the holiday spirit in mind on December 18.  It should be a great way for our members to showcase their boats and be part of the holiday cheer throughout The Bay Club. In addition, it should be a great night to enjoy the company of neighbors and fabulous food.

Have any of you been involved in a boat parade before? If so, when, where and how did it go?

Our Ladies’ Golf Association had a busy beginning of the season, but they are sure eager to get started. We had our first Ryder Cup/Opening Luncheon and the Ladies’ Match Play Club Championship. We had a great field of players that were also praising the good conditions of the greens and fairways! On behalf of the Golf Club staff we are happy to see all of our members back and also welcoming new ones! I am looking forward to seeing all of our golfers back in the swing of things as we get more into season.

Have you been able to experience the Pelican Preserve golf course? Share with us about your experience.

This is a wonderful time of year while we welcome back our seasonal residents. It is great to see the Club filled with smiling faces and our activities calendar full of new and exciting events for the season. We just kicked off the season with our annual Welcome Back Party - The Pig Roast in mid-November. Residents enjoyed reuniting with old friends and danced the night away with live entertainment from a local band, Hot Topic.

What activity do you most look forward to doing in the beautiful Florida weather?