Spirit of the Ryder Cup - part 1

by Cindi Sutter, Founder of The Spirited Table® 

The Ryder Cup, at long last, has begun at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, MN. Members at Hazeltine have donated literally thousands of hours to the planning and execution of this event. So along with the leadership of the PGA of America, we members welcome you to our cozy little spot in Chaska, MN. The site of US Opens, PGA Championships, US Amateurs and so much more. 

We kicked off a good weekend last Friday night with our "Member Party". We began in the rain, but ended with a triple rainbow... so hope you can join us around the rainbow. 

My first Ryder Cup was at the Valderrama Golf Club along the Costa del Sol of Spain in 1997. The legend of Seve Ballesteros came to life for me one afternoon as we watched he and his team in a practice round drop balls all over the green and just watched them roll out; never picking up their putters until they visually pictured why these tiny round balls chose their uncertain path. The animation with which Seve interacted with his players was truly other worldly. 

So this week as golf fans, players and adorers of Arnold Palmer mourn his passing, let's not forget what these two great men had in common. A love of the game, a love for the people around them and a passion for life that was infectious. The Spirit of this Ryder Cup includes Arnold Palmer, a man born just in time to put that foxy, infectious smile on TV and who added pizazz to the PGA tour during a time when the PGA tour needed his brand of joy. He just made the tour and everyone around him shine a bit brighter. Rest in peace...King. 

I went to the practice round yesterday and watched Team USA and Davis Love analyze our zippy fast Hazeltine greens; modern technology has enhanced the ability to assess the antics these greens display, but at the end of the day, it was clear that they, like us, line up their putts to the best of their ability and hit the sucker. In golf as in life, an overabundance of standing over your putt, doesn't usually end very well. But in my opinion, a healthy amount of planning ahead is worth every step our team took around the golf course. Our team has a plan that includes us, their followers, cheering them on every step of the way! They're doing their job, now let's do ours!

GO USA!!!! Stay tuned for practice round -Day 2.