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About Patty Ellis

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So far Patty Ellis has created 65 blog entries.

Are We Sure Winning Is the ONLY Thing?

Vince LombardiIf you’ve read my other blog posts, you know my dad taught me that “It’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” In fact, that was the sports mantra of my youth.   But when Vince Lombardi said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” sportsmanship took a backseat.

I just played in one of the most enjoyable, competitive matches of my life because sportsmanship came first. And generosity of spirit was a close second.

It was during a 4-day, 6-round “Ryder Cup” type tournament with 16 very competitive friends – 8 per team.  In the final day’s singles match, I drew a woman whose nickname is Patti “Putts”. Yup, she’s such a good putter that her nickname is “Putts”. I have the same nickname…mine is spelled with a Z.

I usually start out a match by being […]

Are We Sure Winning Is the ONLY Thing?2023-08-22T14:18:01-04:00

A Perfect Day

Just like in life, sometimes all the stars align for a perfect day of golf. That’s what happened last week.

TIMING – CHECK!  The first thing this perfect day needed was a canceled trip.  My friend Anne Marie was supposed to go to Georgia but her trip got canceled at the last minute.  So, on the spur of the moment, she needed 3 friends who were available to play in her club’s Member-Guest.  HA!  I’m ALWAYS available!

COURSE – CHECK!   When I first moved to PA, I was given a list of “Must Play” courses in the area and Lookaway Golf Club was on the top of that list.  It lives up to the hype.

BEETHOVEN, MOZART AND BACH – CHECK!   When it comes to classical music, I don’t know my…hmmmm, bassoon from my oboe.   But I love going to the symphony and Philadelphia […]

A Perfect Day2021-10-26T10:40:12-04:00

Best Golf Trip Ever?

I’ve been on lots of great golf trips, so I was pretty surprised when I mumbled “Best Golf Trip Ever” to myself on my flight home from Innisbrook, Florida.

First, the trip had adventure.   Remember Hurricane Matthew?  It was landing on the east coast of Florida the same day I was landing on the west coast.  I toyed with not going, but I figured I’d let the plane decide for me – if it was going, I was going.  So when the plane took off, I was on it.  I’ve never flown INTO a hurricane before, but fortunately Matthew left us alone.

Then there’s Trenton airport – my favorite!  It’s so small, I literally (and I use the word literally, literally) parked 40 yards from the terminal – I lasered it with my range finder.  And on both flights no one sat in […]

Best Golf Trip Ever?2019-04-28T14:46:11-04:00

The Golfer and the Porn Star

I was staying at a VERY REPUTABLE Orlando hotel prior to my morning flight and went down to the bar to watch Sunday Night Football.  John sat down next to me.  We hit it off and were chatting when a woman sat down on the other side of him.

The two of us were so different I wondered if we were members of the same species!   She was tattooed from head to toe.  How did I know from head to toe?  Because her skin was visible pretty much from head to toe.  I was wearing a sweater, Dockers, sweat socks, and loafers.

She was wearing stilettos that hurt my ankles just to look at.

Two of her tattoos were very prominent: two skull tattoos right above her… uh, um, bosom.  Now, that’s not a word that has ever made it onto this website.  I […]

The Golfer and the Porn Star2019-04-28T11:19:29-04:00

A Silver Lining

I knew something was wrong as soon as I saw my sagging travel golf bag on the baggage carousel.  I opened up the bag and the driver head fell out, then my seven iron head, then…  “Crummy Airlines USA” had snapped every club in my bag.  In fact, the devastation was so total, even the golf bag itself, the one inside the travel bag, had its spine broken.  Insert sobbing sound here.

There’s a reason my clubs were 25 years old – I loved them!  If my sand wedge were human, I would have dated it.  And like salt in my wounds, they destroyed my clubs on the way down to Florida, not on the way back up.  In fact, I was going straight from the airport to play the PGA National Championship Course with one of my favorite golfing buddies.  She was able to […]

A Silver Lining2019-04-28T13:57:58-04:00

Non-confrontation Confrontations

My last blogpost, The Confrontation, was about a crazy man attacking my friend Butch because Butch accidentally hit into him.  Here are some similar situations which, thankfully, didn’t have quite the same level of aggression.

HARRY:  In my normal weekday game, we try to play in the first group because, even in the 2nd group, it’s possible to get stuck behind slow players.  This happened to us one morning.  The right thing for the group in front of us to have done was let us play through.  Doing so is actually written right into the Rules of Golf – page 4 no less!  But nooooooooooo, they just weren’t going to be that considerate, so we were stuck behind them.  And it’s not like they didn’t know we were waiting for them because, on the 9th green, one yelled back at us “Slow […]

Non-confrontation Confrontations2019-04-28T14:09:11-04:00

The Confrontation

If you read my blogpost “Butch,” you know that Butch is one of my favorite friends.  He’s a good golfer and just an all-around great guy.  And, unlike yours truly, he ALWAYS keeps his composure.  Also important to this story:  Butch is 6’2” and former military.

Last week, we were on a short par 4.  After the group in front of us (a twosome – one in his 50’s, one a rather short man of about 75) got onto the green, Butch teed off.  Ooops, the hole was a lot shorter than Butch thought because when he striped his tee shot, it rolled onto the green.

It was a mistake for which Butch wanted to apologize, but the 75 year-old went into a rage.  SOM (Scary Old Man), started waving his arms frantically and screaming at us.  Then he ran (as fast as a […]

The Confrontation2021-10-29T20:15:11-04:00

Bucket List? This Was Sucket List

Rebecca and I took a recent trip to Florida and I had one day to play golf in the Miami area.  Who knew Miami golf was so expensive?   OK, maybe you knew, but I didn’t.  The course closest to our hotel (which I saw from the street but looked unimpressive) was $300.  Then there was the “famous” course but that was $400.  I asked the concierge if the price included Hamilton tickets.

So I played a course about an hour outside of the city that charged $45.   Silly me.

I got to the first tee but the grass was so overgrown I couldn’t figure out the direction of the hole.  And I don’t mean I was wondering if it was straight or a dogleg – I mean, which way did the Tee Box face?

But I spotted the group in front of me and hit a decent drive in the fairway; this […]

Bucket List? This Was Sucket List2019-04-28T14:42:43-04:00
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