Notes From The Player’s Dinner

I love the sport of golf as long as I don’t have to endure the heartbreak of having to play it.  It’s a thrill to watch a group of good looking, clean cut men make it almost look easy.  This is why the week of the PGA event at Turningstone is my favorite social week of the year.

I was invited to be one of the MCs Tuesday night at the pro-am pairings dinner.  Filled with food and laughter, it’s when Central New York men and women, 99 percent men, pony up some cash to play 18 holes with one of the pros the day before the tournament.  They find out which pro will join their group at this event.

It’s a good thing there was a rehearsal for the dinner in the afternoon.  I had never attended one of these before and had no idea how they worked.  Experienced MC Dan Jones of Turningstone was a terrific guide.

Any jitters I had were dispensed of immediately.  The comedian- caddie- XM radio host- Golf Channel commentator Micheal Collins ran away with the whole thing, which was great.  He was hilarious.  How he read the biographies of about 32 players on the big screen fast enough to invent some humor for each was a thrill.  The program lasted about an hour and never got stale.  I essentially stood off to the side with Dan, we made some announcements about how things would run the next day, but then I just laughed along with everyone else.

I learned the pairings dinner amounts to a roast, only the butt of the jokes were not in the room.  The players were in the conference room just down the hall having their own dinner which probably involved roasting all of us.  I cannot remember to match the players to the jokes, but Michael made fun of their hobbies, their smiles, their intestinal gas, their hair.  Nothing was off limits but it all stayed within the bounds of good taste.  Brilliant.

Last night was the featured social event, the player’s dinner on the Great Lawn at the Lodge and I was reminded how the food and service at Turningstone are world class.  Executive Andrew Lee showed why he was plucked from Napa Valley, California a few years ago to oversee all food operations at Turningstone.  The buffet dinner was exquisite.

Participants were protected from the rain and cold with a giant white tent and carpeted flooring erected over the lawn.  Staff in jacket and tie and big golf umbrellas escorted guests from the Lodge across the exposed and rainy patio and into the tent where there was too much delicious food to fit into a 130 pound frame.  It was not the kind of affair where you ask for a doggy bag, but boy I sure wished I could bring some of the lobster, oysters, shrimp, sushi, beef and poultry home with me.

Turningstone is a unique venue for the PGA.  It is the only stop on the tour held on native land.  As such, members of the Oneida Indian Nation graced the audience with a traditional welcome ceremony.  It was gratifying to see the golfers, their families and staff respectfully and appreciatively observe the performance.  You don’t see this everyday.

Props to Syracuse comedian Daniel Uzunoff, “The Magic Man” who astonished us with his card tricks, and yes Dan, I did notice when I got home you had somehow managed to place the King of Diamonds in my purse, another feat for which I have no explanation.  Dan appears regularly at Turningstone and at Wise Guy’s Comedy club in Syracuse.  If you’re having an event, I recommend him.  I don’t know how much he charges but if you have to rob a bank, deal drugs or embezzle from your company, it is well worth it to hire Dan.

Today is the first day of play and I can’t imagine there are gobs of spectators watching in the cold and rain, especially because the forecast calls for improving conditions as the tournament wears on.  I hope the crowds turn out.  The future of the tournament here depends on it.

I have more to share, especially about an exciting contest taking place for all who come to the PGA event, but my other writing responsibilities are calling.  I’ll write about the contest next time.

Tagged as: PGA. golf, Turningstone