By Matt Ginella July 2009
"It all started with a kidnapping," says Pete Stroback. "We picked up Scott Watson at his office in Toronto more than 20 years ago and told him to get in the car." Watson was getting married in a few weeks. His clubs and bags were packed, and seven of his friends, with the help of his future wife, had coordinated a buddies golf trip. As for the kidnapping: "It wasn't violent," Watson says.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Watson's annual Springfest tournament in Canandaigua, N.Y. -- 35 miles from Rochester -- where 132 guys essentially took over Bristol Harbour Resort for a week of golf, bonding and salad?
Glen Wilson sent Golf Digest the Springfest itinerary. I ambushed them before their Friday shotgun with sleeves of balls, hats, drinks and a new range finder for the leader of the group, Dave Walker.
Now "Walk" doesn't have any trouble knowing his distance to the flag, but he could still use a lesson in communication. At 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Walker called the clubhouse during the middle of his round and asked for eight "Caesars." No problem. Out came a kid in a cart with a tray of eight Caesar salads. Reid Ferguson got a good laugh. "Walk looked at the poor kid and said, 'We don't do lettuce.' "
The confusion was understandable. Walker's foursome wanted the Canadian version of a Bloody Mary -- called a Bloody Caesar (clamato juice instead of tomato juice).
Friends say Walker can shoot 75 on any course in the world, but he has long fought a case of the chipping yips. "One round he whiffed," says Rick Bishop. "And it wasn't his worst chip of the day."
Walker's game aside, there's no denying his trip-planning skills. By scheduling the event a few weeks before peak season in the Northeast, he gets the group a great deal -- and gives Bristol Harbour a nice financial boost. At a little less than $1,000 per man for four nights of lodging, food, drinks and unlimited golf, Watson's Springfest brought the resort $100,000 at a time when it would normally be empty. "A course down the street might be doing seven rounds this week," Bishop says. "Bristol Harbour is doing 700 . . . and turning out a million stories."
They take a chance on the weather, but since they're willing to play in the snow, it's not a gamble. "We'll play in anything as long as there's no lightning," says Walker. This year they had a day of 30-degree sleet and a strong wind. It was so bad they played only 36 holes. "You don't want to quit, or they'll talk about you," says Al Smith.
On Saturday Walker always puts himself in a foursome with his son, brother and father. "This round is the reason I still come down here, to play with my two sons and my grandson," says Sam Walker, 83. "At my age it gets a little trying, but as long as I have my health, I'll keep coming."
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