When Shannon asked me if I wanted to play in the annual American Club of Brussels golf tournament at the prestigious course, Golf Château de la Tournette, I was ecstatic! Only a few questions ran across my mind...would it be possible to find a babysitter for Reagan and would I be able to handle leaving her for the first time; oh and would I actually be able to swing a club?!? Luckily we found a sitter who ended up being our friends from our prenatal group who also have a baby girl. We hang out with them every once in awhile and decided we should exchange babysitting services. This was a much better option than the first lady I called who was recommended by the American Women's Club and was going to charge me 10 euro an hour! I was going to throw in the towel if I had to pay that much to play golf! Thank goodness for good friends!Shannon and I were definitely a bit rusty out on the course, but it was to be expected since we hadn't played the whole year. The day before the tournament, we hit wiffle balls in the park by our apartment. Some people looked at us like we were crazy. I don't think they realized that we were just hitting WIFFLE balls, not really ones! Reagan watched us from her stroller, being a good little girl, for the most part.
The tournament was played in the stableford system of scoring, so technically we could pick up our ball after so many strokes, but I actually played mine out. I wanted to get the most for my money; well, I mean Deloitte's money since they sponsored Shannon and me. Besides, I wasn't sure on the rules for this format except that it consists of points and allows players with different handicaps to compete against each other fairly. We played the 'English' course this time around since last year we played the 'American' course. Both are extremely nice 18 hole courses, basically next to each other, sharing a beautiful clubhouse. I played with two nice ladies while Shannon played with some men. I had a few really good shots, but then some really bad ones where I went out of bounds or hit into the water. Though, by the end of the day I somehow managed five pars which I was quite excited about. I had a great time, but was definitely tired after walking 18 holes hauling my bag around. They basically don't believe in using golf carts unless you are physically unable to walk; I'm not sure my family or friends would be able to handle playing golf here! Oh and there's no bathrooms or beer carts on the golf course either. I feel like golf is very old school here and only traditional methods are followed. I also believe that golf is still considered a sport for the more elite status in Europe and thus is still quite expensive.
When we were all done, everyone met at the clubhouse for drinks as they tallied up the scores. I was amazed to hear that not only did I win the flag prize for the longest women's drive, but I also ended up with the best women's score, granted there were only 6 of us, so there wasn't too much competition! I ended up with a bottle of champagne and a gift certificate for a 3 course meal for two at the Sheraton Hotel (all prizes were donated). Shannon ended up with a box of golf balls since he had one of the worst scores unfortunately. Though, I think he was happy to replace some or should I say 'most' of the balls he lost! All in all we had a fantastic day and couldn't have asked for better weather as we walked 18 holes on a beautiful Autumn day.
And from the photos we received from our friends, Nina and Antoine (Reagan's babysitters), it looked like Reagan had a fun day as well! Even though it was hard for us to leave her, we knew she was in good hands since their baby, Nilou, is only a few weeks older than Reagan. We feel lucky to have met them and look forward to watching Nilou in the future! Reagan loves playdates!
Entrance to Golf Château de la Tournette
I love how all the bushes are groomed so nicely
Another angle of the elaborate clubhouse
There were a ton of bunkers...I tried to avoid them as much as possible!
Short par 3
Nearing the clubhouse, I believe this was the last hole
Another shot of the last hole
Heading home after a fun day of golf
Shannon sporting the bottle of Champagne I had won for the longest drive and his box of golf balls he had received in hopes for improving next year!
While we played golf, Nilou and Reagan were becoming good friends. Nina (Nilou's mom) interrupted this photo as Reagan telling Nilou - hey they are taking our picture, smile and stop eating your hands!.JPG)
I believe this was taken on their stroller ride to the Sunday Market. Reagan is full of smiles these days!.JPG)
I think they're going to be good buds!.JPG)
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