In the old days, every story about Las Vegas should have featured a blackjack dealer named Dino who was built like a bull terrier and growled in a voice rough with stogies and Johnny Walker Black. I once played golf with Dino and two other guys at a local course whose cast of characters looked like they’d arrived directly from a police line-up. At one point, when I asked Dino what hole we were on and he said, “number three,” our other two playing partners stepped forward with their heads down.
But that was the old Vegas, and things sure are different now.
Today at Royal Links Golf Club the golf road warriors were joined by Crystal and Katie– two of Walters Golf’s Par Mates. Although in our case they were more often double-bogey mates. In case you’re tired of looking at the other ugly guys in your foursome, this is a great way to enhance the Vegasality of any golf experience. And the girls are no slouches, either– Katie (left) just earned her Masters degree in sports psychology (which proved of no help to Tom Bedell, pictured with the girls above), and Crystal (right) also works as an accountant– which actually did come in handy today adding up Bedell’s score.
The girls gave yardages, raked bunkers, marked balls on the greens, ferried clubs to and from the bags, handled drink and food orders, and basically took care of all the distractions that get in the way of golf– except for the fact that their fine looks and social skills were in themselves slightly distracting, and made the round today into a kind of party on the fairway. They also did a little trash talking that caused a few stifled laughs and giggles during back swings. And if you meet Katie, make sure to ask her the one about the guy who was hitting it fat all day.
The Par Mates also boast the skills of trained caddies– today they read putts, gave recommended lines off the tees, and filled us in on some of the history of the golf holes at Royal Links, which all have a great story. To read more about Royal Links click here.
One Par Mate will cost your group $225 for the day plus a nice tip for a greatly enhanced afternoon of golf, and it’s money well-spent. Plus, they just smell great– something that’s not usually a part of my golf experience.
