I had every intention on playing golf in Savannah Georgia while we were in Hilton Head. But the way things worked out, there just wasn’t time. That meant fitting Georgia into my plans on the way to Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana. Once again, I pulled up Google maps and got all the golf courses for Georgia and then found a course that seemed to fit in with my travel route (only about ½ hour off of I-10 in Northern Florida). The course I chose was Country Oaks Golf Course in Thomasville, Georgia.
I thought it kind of odd when I pulled into the parking lot (with only 6 cars in it) at 8:20 a.m. to find an older gentlemen standing there, essentially waiting for me to get out of my car. No sooner was my car door open than he was asking me what my name was. I hesitated for a minute, thinking perhaps I had pulled into the wrong course and was somehow trespassing on hallowed Country Club property. But, being the polite Canadian that I am, I willingly obliged and gave him my last name. With a huge smile on his face he replied “We were wondering who you were. I know the names of every person who’s ever played here and we just couldn’t quite figure out who you were.”
Well after we straightened that out, we had quite a chat about my 50 state plans, his life in the military and being stationed in Alaska etc. He couldn’t quite figure out why I chose their quiet little course as part of my itinerary. “There are much nicer courses around” is what he said. I assured him that I was not into paying $100 for a round of golf and that based on the way I play, I was certain their course would do just fine. And in my head, based on the hospitality he had shown me in the parking lot during our 5 minute conversation as I got ready to play, I had the knowledge that I was going to enjoy the round of golf. And despite the rain and the relative immaturity of the course, I did. So much so, I decided to play 36 holes there and abandon my attempt to play somewhere in Florida that afternoon.
There is something to be said about “Southern Hospitality”. We hear that term thrown around quite often, but I am really starting to understand what it means. Don’t get me wrong, there are still a-holes no matter where you go in this world, but the vast majority of people who work in the service industry in the south, seem to have a full understanding of what it means to treat the customer with respect, dignity and above all else, a smile.
