GHOST RANCH GOLFERS:
“Or what I did on my summer vacation.”
There is a myth that all we (the Ghost Ranch Golfers) do in New Mexico is play golf. I get that. It’s partly true. We play a lot of golf. All morning and all afternoon. Yep – and no apologies! But that is not all we do.
Every evening we engage in a discussion/devotional. Group members bring these and they
range from political to religious to moral, to spiritual, to sociological to… You get the picture – theses discussions could go any direction. What makes them special is first and foremost the collection of people who are engaged in the discussions. We have artists, theologians, captains of industry (well, only one right now), ministers, retirees, educators, and a lot of people whom I’d have a hard time pigeon-holing. And in this circle of friends they are willing to speak their minds. The discussions are dynamic and electric. They are full of ideas which not only stimulate one’s growth but also (sole) are ripe to pick and take back home to plant and grow.
One other thing you might not consider, cart discussions. If you share a cart for 18 holes with someone like Dr. Charles Bayer, an internationally known theologian and writer of more books and articles than I could count, then you know you are not going to spend all day talking about golf. Sharing a cart with Charles is like being interviewed by Piers Morgan – you better be ready for the tough questions and you better weigh each word carefully because he really listens to your answers. Then there is Martyn Howgill who schools me on public policy, drug and medical issues, and on the joys of becoming an American citizen. One of my most interesting days on the course came when I rode with John Bumgardner who is up to his ears in the oil and gas industry and in real estate. He stretched my mind in some directions I did not see coming!
Oh yes, did I forget to tell you, we also played some golf!
This group is held together by two wonderful people, Herb and Guy Wimberly. Both are Elders in the Presbyterian Church. Both are USGA Professionals. Herb was head golf coach at New Mexico for 35 years and a lot of his students joined the PGA. Guy was just named to the PGA Hall of Fame. Accomplishments aside, they are two of the most caring people I have ever met. I don’t know how much longer they can keep on leading this seminar but I’ll try to attend as long as they can! I plan my summer around this!
John Burton
August 2011
PS -- The two pictures on the right side of the screen were take by Martyn Howgill. The two on the left I took..