Have You Been Driven to Ford Lately?

At the conclusion of last Saturday night's La Buena Bola Member-Guest award banquet, LCCC head golf professional Robert Singletary announced that Dave McCallum won the most coveted door prize of the evening, an all-expenses paid trip to the The Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, CA.

As he departed the premises for DFW in a golf cart confiscated by his Bola partner, Tom Warren, McCallum took a nip from a bottle of single malt and tried to put his trip to Betty Ford in perspective. "After four days of consuming nothing but distilled spirits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it does a body good to dry out a wee bit", said the diminutive Scot. "Like every glass, I'm choosing to look at this one as half-full. There are several great ClubCorp courses in the area, and you can bet I'll be packing my sticks."

In an unrelated development, The Hosel Rocket has learned that fellow LCCC member Tom Francis has checked himself into the Gerald Ford Clinic. A companion facility located in Rancho Mirage, the GFC was established in honor of the late 38th President of The United States, whose erratic play on the golf course was legendary. As found on the Clinic web site, the GFC "strives to provide a safe, nurturing environment for avid golfers whose love for the game is unquestioned, but whose lack of skill poses a danger to themselves, as well as their playing partners, family, spectators, and wallets."

At $10,000/day, the GFC is one of the most expensive facilities of its kind (second only to the David Leadbetter Academy). However, Tom's loyal Bola partner, Layne Burtz, deemed it money well-spent. "If I ever have to stand next to Tom again while he lines up a two-foot putt, I might give up the game. It's a lot of money, but at this point I thought it was time for an intervention."

Though it will be several weeks before Tom can receive visitors, he reported via email that he's making excellent progress. "I'm staying in the Yip Wing, which is better than it sounds. It means I get three extra hours of putting practice each day. My doctor, Joel Edwards, made two minor changes to my posture and grip, and I've been making everything! Next week, he says we're going to get rid of the laundry basket and start putting into a real cup!!"