First round....Beachwood Golf Club

The alarm went off nice and early.  It was time to get ready for our first round of golf.  We were playing nearby at the Beachwood Golf Club.  We haven't played this course before so it was fun to see what was around every corner.

Today 3 of us were playing one of our game balls.  Teresa and Ralph both chose to play their par 5's and I chose my par 4's.  The competition is pretty fierce.  We're all looking forward to how the rest of next week is going to shape up.

After golf we did a little shopping in North Myrtle Beach and then drove down to Pawley's Island.  We enjoyed dinner at the Rustic Table which was recommended by one of the waitresses at the Sea Captains House.  We had overheard her telling another table of golfers that this was a good restaurant to check out so we thought we would give it a try.  The food was amazing and so fresh.  We really enjoyed it.

We enjoyed a relaxing hot tub this evening and then did the first draw for a prize.  Today's challenge was the "Puffer Fish".  The winner had to total all their putts plus the total score on all their Par 4's.  There was 10 Par 4's.  Congratulations to Ralph who had a score of 81 with Lawrence close by with a score of 83.  Teresa and I weren't much further behind.

First competition....The Puffer Fish

And the winner is....

We have arrived, safe and sound

What a pleasant surprise for us to find ourselves in Myrtle Beach before noon today.  Travelling went really quick and we only needed to drive for about 3.5 hours.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at our favourite grilled cheese restaurant (The Grilled Cheese and Crab Company) and then checked out the PGA Superstore before heading to our Condo to check in.

The temperature is really beautiful and warm.  After getting settled in our condo we did some grocery shopping and payed a visit to the Outlet Mall before going out for a nice dinner at the Carolina Ale House.  We were able to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

It was a nice relaxing start to our week.

Such interesting colours in the sky.

It was a little cooler this morning.

The view from our room!!

Cheers everyone!!

Portions are sure large here but the salads were so deliciou!!

Ralph is thinking about his round tomorrow.

This week we are playing competitions every day when golfing.  There is a weekly challenge called "Your ball - Your Game".  The game is based on scoring on 3 games out of the 7 that we are playing.  The golfer selects which 3 courses he/she wishes to track scores on for the Par 3, 4 and 5's.  Each Par is tracked on only 1 course. The scores are then averaged out and tallied.  There are bonus points as well that can help increase the odds of winner.  Obtaining par's will definitely help as well as getting on the green in regulation.  I hope everyone has their game face on!!

We all have contributed to daily games as well.  We don't know what the competition is until the end of the day.  A random "fish" card is selected and on the back of each of the cards is a competition.  It could be the lowest number of putts on all the par 5's, lowest score on hole 3,5,11,15 etc.  The idea is to make it fun for everyone.  The daily prize winner receives a $25 gift card.  Everyone enjoys these games.  Tomorrow we are golfing at Beachwood Golf Resort.  It's new to us all as we have never played there before.  It's going to be great!!

Myrtle Beach - here we come

 We are on our way!!  Teresa and Lawrence came by last night and brought along all of their baggage. The boys packed up the truck and overhead carrier.  We're ready to go.  We left this morning at 5:00 a.m. and made really good progress.  There was lots of construction along the way slowing us down but it only delayed us by about 60 minutes.  We arrived in Archdale, North Carolina by 6:30 p.m.  We're only about 3.5 hours away from Myrtle Beach which is nice.  Tomorrow we can sleep in a bit and then make our way south.

We enjoyed dinner at the Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery and are now relaxing in our room at the Hampton.  I've finished my first book already :-) and even managed to browse through a couple of cooking magazines as well.  It's going to be a great vacation.  Did I mention that the temperature here in North Carolina is sitting at 31c.  It's pretty warm.

Brrr.. a noticeable change in temperature this morning.

First stop... Starbucks!!

Pilot!!

Co-pilot!!

Enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Even found time for a nap!!

Enjoying a relaxing dinner.

It's going to be a great vacation!!

Mark & Katrina

Yesterday we had the opportunity to share in Mark and Katrina's wedding.  It was an amazing day with the temperature soaring into the high 20's.  It felt like summer.  The wedding was very nice and it was so beautiful to see how happy and in love they are.  Ralph and I pray that the Lord will bless them richly as a newly married couple.

Here are a few pictures from the day.