THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504160180
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 108 lines
This was going to be the year Dorsey Meade said goodbye to Hampton Roads and his hole-in-the-wall shop and five-hole golf course in Chesapeake. He'd fallen in love with the good life of Florida and Wedgewood Golf Club outside Orlando, where he spent the winter teaching and playing in a few tournaments. He'd even won a couple of them, which made him feel pretty darn good for a youngster of 81.
But it's hard to turn your back on where you've been for 35 years, and on what you've been doing since you were 17 and lessons were two bucks a half-hour. So as February became March, Meade accepted the fact that he hadn't yet gotten his fill of Hampton Roads and he returned home.
``I suppose it's because I'm not a wealthy person that I still do this, but really it's what keeps me going, since I can't play anymore because of my age,'' Meade said recently. ``I can only hit the ball about 190 yards, but I won two tournaments because we played on short courses.''
That it's spring and local golf pros are giving lessons is hardly news. That Meade figures he recently passed the 25,000-lesson mark is worth noting and celebrating, as is the fact that he is still going strong six days a week.
He's amused by much of what he sees of modern golf instruction, because he always figured the simplest way to do something was the best way, and golf instruction these days is sometimes anything but simple.
``So much of it starts here,'' Meade said, pointing to his temple. ``There should be no negatives, just positives. I tell students to keep their mind open to information they never had before, and to do that, they must hold their own thoughts. It's amazing how many people come to a golf pro not to learn, but to show off how much they know.
``Secondly, I tell them the first thing that should come to their mind is to knock that ball in the hole, no matter where they are on the course. Obviously, there are some variations on that theme, but isn't that the primary intent of the game?''
Meade says that, more than anything, people don't become better players because they don't think they can do it. The mind is capable of leading the body to accomplish anything, says Meade, ``because we're all made in the image of God, with great intellects, with no exceptions.
``You don't need too much technology. You play your best when you play by instinct. The three most important items in a good golf swing are these: learn, believe and practice.''
THE BUBBA OPEN: A year ago, Bubba Nicklin was so grateful to Virginia Beach General Hospital for the cancer treatment provided him that he set up a golf tournament that raised $10,000 for the hospital's fourth-floor oncology unit. Now the cancer is back, and Nicklin is in the hospital again and facing about $100,000 worth of experimental treatments to be conducted in California and Seattle. Insurance will cover only a fraction of the expenses, a frightening development that spurred Nicklin's family and friends into action.
On May 15 at Stumpy Lake, the second Bubba Nicklin golf tournament will be held. It's a Florida best-ball event, with a shotgun start scheduled for noon. There are openings for 36 foursomes, each costing $300. That includes greens fees, carts, and all the food and beverage you can handle. Hole sponsorships are $100.
If for any reason Nicklin can't receive these treatments, arrangements already have been made to turn over the proceeds to Virginia Beach General to establish the Bubba Nicklin Cancer Information Center.
Registration will begin at 10 a.m. at Stumpy Lake. There aren't likely to be any available on a walk-up basis, so to reserve a foursome, call 427-6489, or fax 468-8486 ahead of time.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK II: Come Memorial Day weekend, there'll be a welcome addition to the Williamsburg golf family. The Colonial, the town's first true public course, will open for business. Designed by Richmond's Lester George, with consultation by Robert Wrenn, The Colonial is located on Route 603 (Diascund Road), a bit of a haul from here, but potentially well worth the ride.
In addition to the 18 regulation holes, the course boasts an additional three holes adjacent to a teaching center and the practice tee. It offers beginners an opportunity to gain some playing experience before they are ready for the regulation course, and experienced players the chance to warm up under unique circumstances. The course itself plays between 4,579 and 6,908 yards.
The teaching house, one of three buildings slated for the 210-acre plot, will provide club fitting and repair, club-making, an indoor instruction area, video instruction and a golf library.
The greens fee, cart included, has been set at $60 - except for the first month or so, when a special introductory fee of $50 will be in effect. For more information, call (804) 566-1600.
TEACHING TIP: The April issue of Golf Digest contained ads for at least 25 companies that sell golf equipment by mail - everything from a company that handles lefties only to one that will sell you an insulated bag in which to keep clubs and enough cold ones to get you through 18 holes without having to stop in the clubhouse at the turn. The appeal of these companies is simple - their merchandise isn't as pricey as the stuff at your favorite course or club.
But are you really getting a good deal?
``I think you get what you pay for,'' Honey Bee head pro Bridget Pendergast says. ``To me, the two most important aspects of buying a new set of clubs are having the clubs fitted correctly to your body and being able to hit what you're thinking of buying before you make the purchase. And mail-order provides neither.''
Pendergast says club pros are more than happy to let a customer take demonstrator clubs to the practice tee and hit some shots, the better to ascertain whether he or she is comfortable with them.
``It's like buying a new car,'' Pendergast says. ``You wouldn't walk into an auto dealer and buy something without first test-driving it, would you?''
On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pendergast and Honey Bee are staging their fourth annual ``Demo Day.'' Sales reps from 15 equipment companies - call 471-2768 for the complete list of participants - will be on hand. The public is welcome to drop by and try out the latest makes and models. Who knows, you could drive home something new. by CNB