(Goofy) Golf Group of the Week: Carolinians and Californians

Strolling through a clubhouse parking lot dressed in blue and green plaid shorts, daring green tube socks (yes, they reached the knee cap) and a pink shirt, Russ McConnell turned more heads than a rush hour traffic accident and raised more questions than a politician explaining a vote.

Why would anyone dress like that? Is he crazy? You mean there are four other people dressed just as garishly?!

Let’s start with the question of sanity. McConnell and his four friends, who appeared to have dressed themselves at Goodwill – without the benefit of lights – aren’t lacking for intelligence or mental clarity. As a matter of fact, several of them are college faculty members.
As for why, the answer to that question began six years and three time zones away.

In 2004 in Santa Barbara, Calif., Greg Voight and several co-workers were discussing destinations for a golf trip. Given their location, the usual suspects west of Mississippi River arose, when Voight said that he’d heard a lot about Myrtle Beach.

Newell Clark, who grew up in North Carolina, mentioned that his family owned a condo in North Myrtle Beach, and faster than you can say “2,616 miles is a long way to travel,” the group decided a cross-country golf trip was in order. They’ve been Myrtle Beach golf regulars since.

When Voight, Clark, McConnell, Steve Bright and Steve McGuinn, made their first trek to Myrtle Beach, they brought a little California personality with them. To spice things up, they launched goofy golfer day, requiring everyone in the group to dress in an outfit that would make Rickie Fowler blush. That first year they raided a closest filled with the decades-old clothing Newell’s grandfather once wore, and things have gotten progressively more serious since.

Guys now plan their outfits in advance in hopes of capturing the coveted green jacket awarded, by vote, to the person with the best (or worst, depending upon your perspective) outfit.

Anyone in the group that doesn’t participate in goofy golfer day – it’s only one round out of a weeklong stay – is required to buy the group dinner. Since the trip’s inception, Clark has moved back to the North Carolina, and the group now includes a mixture of Carolinians and Californians but the good times are as plentiful as ever.

Any group that is proud enough to wear pink socks, ties that are wider than they are long, and 70s era coaches shorts deserves to be our golf group of the week.

Without further ado, let’s meet Voight, a Santa Barbara resident and the leader of this good time group.

Hometown: Santa Barbara, Calif.

Handicap: 6.6

How many rounds per year do you play? To many to note!

What are your favorite clubs? 4-iron and a gap wedge

What is your best score? A one over par 72 at my home course, Glen Annie (par 71)

How long have you been coming to Myrtle Beach?  6 years

How did Goofy Golfer day get started?
It was all put together by us trying to do something different and have fun. It was about the time you saw some of these crazy golf pants coming down so we decided to have a little competition to see who could dress the stupidest. There is a sea foam green jacket that is the prize. Mr. Steve Bright is the three-year defending champion.

How much time do people put into planning the goofy golfer outfits?
Some people put a lot of time and thought into. How much? I don’t know if we can record that.

Why has Steve Bright dominated the competition?
The $100 bills he hands out to the people voting (laugh). He’s a cheater. He’s the Tiger Woods of our group from a $100 bill standpoint; anything else he doesn’t resemble Tiger Woods at all, especially the swing. (Editor’s Note: Voight won the green jacket this year. Read into that what you will!)

Give us your group’s course lineup for this trip.
Rivers Edge, King’s North, Heather Glen, Prestwick, 54 holes at Glen Dornoch, 36 holes at Shaftesbury Glen and Legends.

Which Myrtle Beach golf course is your favorite?
My favorite is Glen Dornoch. I think most of the other guys would say Glen Dornoch, too. We will never come here and not play Glen Dornoch.

What do you like about the course?
It’s diverse, beautiful. It has several holes right along the water and it has the hardest three finishing holes on any golf course in the area.

Why do you return to Myrtle Beach?
Look around. There is no way to answer that but to come here and play.