“Oh, Little Darling”

August 16

Golf is the infallible test. The man who can go into a patch of rough alone, with the knowledge that only God is watching him, and play his ball where it lies, is the man who will serve you faithfully and well. ~ P.G. Wodehouse.

This morning after the Fat Boys sauntered for an hour, Tom Mulder suggested we go over to the Alexandria Golf Club (AGC) to see the lay out of the proposed 9-hole par 3 course on the farm land to the south of the AGC. I had heard about the proposal but had no idea a rough cut of this new course, The Little Darling”, already existed. Chauffeur Tom drove me around, I loved it, and shot the following photos. When I got home, the AGC Newsletter arrived and I share that with you:

Dear AGC Members, On July 30^th, we introduced the idea of building a Par 3 Course at AGC with my communication titled “AGC – A Vision for our Future.” Since that time, we have received a tremendous amount of positive feedback and the project has generated a level of excitement at Alexandria Golf Club that I have not seen before. The successful completion of this project will create generational benefits like nothing we have ever done at AGC and my energy and passion for the project is extremely high and continues to grow! One only needs to take a quick tour of what we are planning to call “The Little Darling” par 3 course and you will be as excited as I am. We have done a lot of work in preparation for kicking off our fundraising efforts for the project. In this communication, I won’t share all the details of the work that has been completed on the project thus far, but I do want to highlight a few things that might be of interest to you: 1. The location of our proposed Par 3 Course is on a piece of property AGC has owned since 1971. The piece of land is an amazing natural location for the project and will allow us to create one of the most spectacular par 3 courses in the country. We were fortunate to have Mike Flannagan join us on Thursday of last week to help us validate our cost estimates, share best practices, and discuss ways we can minimize our construction costs for the project. Mike has 40 years of experience in the golf industry as a greens superintendent, a golf course construction company owner, a golf course construction consultant, and current project manager for the Cragun’s course renovation in Brainerd. The meeting was very informative and helpful although there is something Mike said that confirms the potential of this project. After touring the proposed layout of The Little Darling Par 3 Course, Mike said the following: “This is the most magnificent piece of property to build a par 3 course on that I have seen in my entire career. It is amazing!” Mike’s comments are just another confirmation of the potential this project has for us. If you have not had the opportunity to tour the proposed course layout, I encourage you to do so and I’m pretty sure you will feel the same way we all feel about the project. 2. Our proposed name for the spectacular par 3 course is “The Little Darling.” I want to credit Bruce Leland for the idea. It is a very appropriate name and one that has much meaning for what we are creating at AGC with this effort. “The Little Darling” name connects the par 3 course to one of our lakes in Alexandria that borders our main golf course while adding a special local touch to the project that will drive a strong community connection. In addition, “The Little Darling” name is a perfect reference to our youth who will be key beneficiaries of this project for generations to come. “The Little Darling” Par 3 Course will play a significant role in assisting our “Little Darling” youth develop skills and important traits that will help them become the leaders of tomorrow. We have been working on a “Little Darling” logo intended to capture the spirit and objective of the project. I have included a draft of that logo below. We want the logo to encompass the main objectives of the project – youth, family, and fun! I hope you like it and I hope it conveys a little of what is great about golf and AGC – a focus on our kids and the strength of the family!

3. I have also attached a link to a document (“The Little Darling” Tour Guide) we created for our members and guests touring the proposed layout of “The Little Darling” Par 3 Course. The document gives a high-level summary of “The Little Darling” concept and a description of each hole on “The Little Darling” course. If you are unable to tour the proposed course, it will give you a feel for what we are doing and if you plan to tour the proposed course, it will be a helpful guide as you move around the property. CLICK HERE TO VIEW “THE LITTLE DARLING” TOUR GUIDE I am more excited about this project than anything we have ever done at AGC. I hope you share in that excitement, and I hope you will generously support what we are trying to accomplish. Personally, I have given numerous tours of the course to members and guests alike and I would be happy to show it to each of you. After touring “The Little Darling” during the Resorters, two individuals who are not even AGC members, committed to significant donations to help us complete the project. I believe it is only the beginning of our successful fundraising efforts as this project will provide immeasurable benefits to our kids and our community while leaving a legacy that will be incredible! Thanks for all your support. It’s a remarkable time to be a member at Alexandria Golf Club! All the best, Jerry RoseAGC President

Although golf was originally restricted to wealthy, overweight Protestants, today it’s open to anybody who owns hideous clothing. ~ Dave Berry

[I will begin with the upgrades to the practice range that I shot on July 29 . . . ]