El Niguel Country Club

JULY 2019 ❘ THE DIVOT ❘ 3 ● FROM THE BOARD LOVE OF THE GAME ■ GOLF CAN BE AN ADDICTING PASTIME, ESPECIALLY AT A CLUB LIKE EL NIGUEL Family, Career, Self and Golf. She was kidding, but her point was well taken. You see, my mom is a self-described "Golf Widow." My parents will celebrate their 51st wed- ding anniversary in August and for all 51 years my dad has been obsessed with golf. If he's not playing a round, he's on the range. If he's not on the range, he is watching it on TV. If he's not watching it on TV, he's tinkering with his clubs. If he's not tinkering with his clubs, he's sleeping. And when he's sleep- ing, I am quite confident he is dreaming about golf. Clearly these comments are rife with hyperbole, but you get the point – he loves golf! In the summer of 2005, my mom called my wife Danielle and invited her to lunch. Her baby boy was about to get married and she wanted to be sure his future wife knew what she was getting into. She sat her down and discussed her life as a "Golf Widow." The matriarch of the Holmes family laid it on thick. She described everything from Saturday mornings alone to summer twilight rounds to random trips to Roger Dunn Golf Shops to the several annual trips and tournaments that 'absolutely' can't be missed. I can assure you that my wife may have nodded her head in agreement and said she understood, but she truly had no idea what my mom was trying to explain. How could she? She didn't grow up in a golf house. There was no country club membership for the family, no sessions at the range working on the swing, and zero precious weekend hours spent star- ing at the tube watching the Masters. Her family was a normal 'non-golf' family. I'm sure she thought "a couple rounds of golf here and there…what's the big deal?" Fast forward to today and the "couple rounds of golf" is actually 50-plus rounds a year, several tournaments and trips, and countless hours spent at ENCC as a board member. At least I don't tinker with clubs or spend any time on the range! As it turns out, my mom was correct in her predic- tion. I'm not quite as obsessed as my father, but I will admit to having a mild addiction to golf. Frankly, how could I not? Simply put, El Niguel is a special place. The recent renovation turned a good golf course into the best course in Orange County. Our golf professionals consistently produce exceptional tournaments. The WGA is one of the strongest women's organizations around, and our junior golf program is the gold standard for Southern Califor- nia. I could go on and on about how great the golf product is at El Niguel, which is why at the end of the day I blame El Niguel for my wife's current "Golf Widow" status. Regardless of how I rationalize my wife's "Golf Widow" status I can always take comfort in the fact that she is not the only El Niguel spouse afflicted with this increasingly common position. Are you or is your spouse a "Golf Widow?" Keep hitting them long and straight! That's all for now. – SCOTT HOLMES, Golf Committee Chairman I 've always believed that life can be simplified down to a basic pie chart with three slices to the pie – Family, Career and Self. The size of the slices may vary over the course of our lives, but time should always be allocated to each slice. A few years back, my wife and I were sharing a bottle of wine with my parents while spending time debating the important aspects of our lives. I shared my thoughts on "Life's Pie Chart" and my mom started to smile. She quickly opined that maybe the chart should have four slices for my dad and I –

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