Cabo Vacation

Merry Christmas from all of us here in Cabo. Yes, we're in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The weather....well, what can I say, it's gorgeous. It's actually been a relaxing vacation.
On Monday, the kids played the Compestra Golf Course. They did pretty well.
Tuesday, Scott and Jack went deep sea fishing. They caught a Blue Marlin and Mahi Mahi. Jack was so excited to see the Marlin jump out of the water....."3 TIMES". We have it all on video. The resort prepared the Mahi Mahi and we had a great dinner with a family we met here. The Cato's. They were having a family reunion and came from New York, Northern California and Southern California. They were fantastic. Alisa had a great time playing with Paige and enjoyed Jeff and Lindsay's little baby, Talan; he was only 16 months old. He was a cutie.
The kids swam with the dolphins on Wednesday. It was nice but they didn't let me video tape or take pictures. But they were willing to charge $25 for a picture. How nice. We had to get one.
For Christmas we relaxed during the day playing on the beach and by the pool. In the evening we went to Mi Casa with the Cato Family and had a wonderful time. The food was just awesome.
The kids also took a banana boat ride and parasailing. They're such deprived kids. The kids also played one more round of golf at Palmilla Golf Club. One word.....AMAZING. It was right on the beach and the course was just beautiful. The kids did great. We played with another couple, David and Davida (sorry for the spelling) from Canada. Very nice. Hopefully this should prepare them for the upcoming tournament at the Wigwam this Sunday.
For me, relaxing on a lounge chair by the pool was my form of a vacation.
Scott had a wonderful massage, which helped work out all the knots in his legs and back.
Our last evening at the resort we had dinner at the neighboring resort, Villa del Arco, and had a elegant dinner. The kids got their first taste of first class.
We did receive some awful news while in Cabo; our little yorkie, Skyler passed away while we were gone. It was tough on everyone, especially Scott. We will miss her dearly.

2008 Fall Events

Well, we had a very busy fall, as you can tell I haven't updated the blog since August.
Jack played football, as running back, from August until October. Jack just loves running that ball. Football puts him in great shape; it's amazing the 6-pack he has for 10 years old. Jack's team, The Rams, didn't do as well this year as last. They lost their first play-off game which ended their season earlier than normal. But, this allowed Jack to get back into his golf tournaments. Jack missed a couple of golf tournaments due to football games.
Alisa was doing great with her golf this season. She won first place at every tournament. She even shot one under par, a 35, at one tournament; her best game ever. Of course, if you ask Scott it was due much to the caddy....yup, him. Alisa's point standings for this year provides her the season win of Player of the Year. Typically, Alisa's age group is very small (her and another girl) but this season she had 5 other girls to play with. After football, it took a couple of tournaments for Jack's golf game to get into synch, but he came on strong his last three tournaments. Jack placed in the top three positions the last few tournaments and at the last tournament he took 1st - the first time ever!!! Jack's age group is very competitive so we were all very happy with his accomplishments. Unfortunately, by completely missing two tournaments it hurt his overall placing in the point standings for the year. By placing in the top three and receiving first place at the most recent tournament pulled him up to 5th out of 16 in overall point standings. Another misfortune regarding golf........neither Jack or Alisa can play the last tournament on December 20th. We will be heading to Cabo San Lucas on that Saturday (more on this below). This is the Championship Tournament, where points are doubled. With the amount of points Alisa has it won't affect her 1st place standing. However, with Jack it will pull him down and, more than likely, will lose his 5th place standing. In order to receive a trophy, you need to be in the top 5. Since the kids think trophies are the best thing next to Playstation 3, Jack's a bit disappointed and Alisa is upset she won't be there for the award ceremony. I'm sure they'll forget all about it when they're playing on the beach.....IN CABO!!
Did you notice I mentioned Cabo San Lucas, TWICE.....yes, we're heading there this Saturday, the 20th. We'll be staying at the beautiful resort of Villa del Palmar. This all-inclusive resort has 3 pools, a spa, fitness center, children's play area and a small 9 hole golf course. I am just picturing Jack waking us up at 7 AM to go and play. That will work well because they'll need to stay in tune for the Southwest Regional Tournament they'll be playing when we get back. We'll be at the resort through Christmas and returning on the 27th.
Golf isn't over so easily for the season. Both the kids qualified for the Southwest Regional Tournament being played here in Phoenix at the Wigwam Resort. It's a 3-day tournament beginning the day after we get back. Scott will caddy for Jack and Sheri Kirkpatrick (the kids short game coach) will caddy for Alisa. Jack will be playing 18 holes and Alisa will play only 9. Neither of the kids know they're playing the tournament; we thought we'd surprise them in Cabo. Jack wants to play the tournament so bad and thinks he's not. He was even more disappointed when Scott told him the boys 9, 10 and 11 year-old age groups were all filled. We are mean parents....I know.

Finally Home!!

After a VERY busy two weeks of a so-called vacation, we are home. Of course, you can't just stop there.

Alisa had an appointment to get her long hair cut off for Locks of Love. She needed 10 inches of hair in order to donate it to Locks of Love, at which point they'll make her hair into a wig for a child with cancer. She's been growing her hair for over a year and has been looking forward to cutting it for over a month. As you can see, the end result is very cute.

School starts on Monday for the kids and they go right back into their schedule of going to the golf course after school and practicing.

Jack also starts football on Monday, so he'll be going to practice everyday. Oh well, no time for TV.

Washington DC

After Pinehurst we took a few days relaxing in Washington DC.......NOT!! What a whirlwind, we walked everywhere, from the State Capitol to the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a busy trip.

The kids had the most fun on the flight simulator at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. They were able to re-enact barrel rolls on the simulator for the F-18. You could hear Alisa giggle everytime they flipped over. Jack was flying. He only crashed twice. I'm sure glad he's planning on sticking with golf.

We also got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We were able to sit in the House Chambers. Although, Congress was not in session, the republicans were holding a sit-in to get the President's attention regarding the energy bill. So, they were allowing the general public to sit in during these meetings in the House. What an experience. Of course, no camera's were allowed in so I have no proof but our word. They confiscated the camera's, not trusting any of us.

The last day in Washington we went on a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. It just made me sick seeing all those $100 dollar bills coming off those presses. All I wanted was one sheet; one sheet has 32 bills on it. There were STACKS of those sheets as tall as me (5'8"). Now you know why I was sick just seeing those stacks.

We didn't want to stop at Washington DC, we decided to drive to Virginia Beach on our way back to Raleigh, NC (where I flight leaves from on Saturday). Virginia Beach is beautiful. We decided next year after Pinehurst we'll spend a few days in VA Beach and REALLY relax.

3rd Round at Pinehurst

Again, the kids did amazingly well for their first time at a World Championship. Scott and I are extremely proud of Jack and Alisa and are very grateful to Ben Weir (the kids coach from Las Sendas CC who caddied for Jack) and Dick Robbins, who caddied for Alisa.

Jack had a 7:30 AM tee time for the final round, so he and Ben were up early and Jack was perky and excited. Ben needed a little coaxing to get up and now wants to add a few clauses to his contract about getting up before 6:30 AM. Too late, that's all for next year. Jack and Ben were on the same wavelength and were working well together. Jack played with another boy who was the European Champion for 9 year-olds and Jack hung with him very well and ended up beating him. Jack scored an 82 for 18 holes on his 3rd round which put him in 73rd place out of 135 boys in his group (40 for the front 9 and 42 for the back 9). The picture above with Jack jumping in the air was a 40 foot putt he sunk.

Alisa had a tee time at 8:44 AM, so mom watched her while dad watched Jack. We were also very happy that the kids Grandma & Grandpa Snyder and great-Aunt Shirley and great-uncle Bob Black drove all the way down from Ohio to watch them play. Unfortunately, since the kids had similar tee times for the 3rd round they had to pick one and this time it was Jack. They watched Alisa the first 2 rounds.

Anyhow, Alisa also did great for her 3rd round shooting a 45 for 9 holes. Overall, Alisa ranked 38 out of 68 girls in her age group. By the way, that's 38 WORLD WIDE!!!!!

The US Kids Golf World Championship was a very impressive event. Very professionally organized and the golf courses were immaculate. Jack's course, Pinehurst #6, was an extremely difficult course and most of the time the boys played from the red tees or farther. What's even more amazing is Jack and Alisa each played with one ball the entire three rounds. That means no balls were lost. I challenge anyone to do that on courses like that.

After the kids round we finally had time to go to Pinehurst #2 clubhouse and buy a few sourvenirs. Did I say a few???? Not sure what I'm thinking. We walked out with 4 bags full.

By the way, the condo we stayed at in Pinehurst was gorgeous. It was right across the street from the Pinehurst #6 clubhouse, so the kids were able to walk across and practice putting, chipping and their drives. We're going to have a hard time transitioning to a hotel when we head-off to Washington D.C. for the next week.

Watch for the update on the D.C. trip.

2nd Round at Pinehurst

A big Thank You! to our literary genius (Lisa Martinez) for filling in and updating the blog. We're at a hotel with a very slow computer so I'll give the updates but we'll have to wait for pictures.

Alisa's second round tee time allowed her to sleep in a bit which may have contributed to her improved score over her first round, but still not as well as the practice round. She shot a 44. We hired a caddie for Alisa, Dick Robbins, who is a member of the Longleaf Golf Club where the 9 year-old girls are playing. Dick is fabulous and knows the course like the back of his hand. The two of them seem to hit it off well and Alisa really likes him.

Alisa was hitting her driver and irons just beautifully. We've found she needs a bit more work on the putting. But overall, for the first time at a World Championship we are just proud parents.

After watching Alisa play her 2nd round of golf, we went to Pinehurst #6 to watch Jack play his 2nd round. Ben Weir, the kids coach, came to Pinehurst with us and caddied for Jack. Jack had to complete the rest of his 8 holes from the 1st round at 7:30 AM on Friday and did fairly well. He finished his first round with a score of 90. Then, if that's not enough at 90 degrees and 80% humidity, he had to play his second round at 2:20 PM that afternoon. In one day he had to play 26 holes but, those energy drinks must have helped because he shot an 82 for his second round.

By the way, all spectators have to walk the courses. Golf carts are only allowed by spectators 65 years of age and older. Needless to say, we are all pretty tired by the end of the day. We had dinner at 7 PM and got the kids in bed by 10 PM in order to wake up for their 3rd and final round of golf on Saturday morning.

Of course, the kids (big kids too) still had time to relax a bit and do a little fishing at the local fishing hole, aka hole #15 at Longleaf.

Pinehurst Update

The family arrived safely at Pinehurst! Unfortunately, they currently have no internet access (or computer) so they have hired a literary genius to keep their fans updated! : ) The Wednesday practice rounds went well for both Jack and Alisa, with Alisa shooting a fantastic 2 over par for 9 holes! The Wednesday night activities included a Parade for the tournament participants, in which Jack and Alisa had the honor of marching with the Arizona Flag, or shall I say the flag had the honor of being held by the cutest kids in professional golf (well - they will both be on the Pro tour soon, so I'll make take the liberty)!
The first round of the tournament began today and Jackie reports that Alisa caught a case of the first 'Big Tournament' jitters and shot a 48 for the day. However, that still places her at a respectable 47th place in the world for her division! Jack was able to play 10 holes before Mother Nature decided to call it a day for the kids and rain out the remaining 8 holes. So, Jack will have to play the final 8 holes tomorrow morning prior to playing the additional 18 he was scheduled to play tomorrow as well (If ever there was a time to give a kid a healthy energy drink!). We will hear more tomorrow about the second round of play and while we wait, we send our best wishes to Jack and Alisa for a wonderful second round!

End of the Summer 2008 Tour

The kids did an awesome job this summer. Both improved their score dramatically from the Winter season; Jack improved his 9-hole score by 8 strokes and Alisa reduced her 9-hole score by 10 strokes.

Their last tournament of the Summer Tour was worth double points. Jack came in 2nd overall for the season and Alisa captured 1st place. Although Alisa's friend, Anya, didn't play this last tournament, she did show up for the award presentation and they got their hugs in before we meet up with them at Pinehurst.

The picture above of the 3 boys includes Cade, who took 1st and Quinn, who took 3rd place, overall for the season. We'll be having dinner with Cade and his family on Tuesday evening when we arrive in Pinehurst.

We're heading off to Pinehurst, North Carolina tomorrow (Tuesday, July 29th). We have slowly been preparing the kids for the 3-hour time zone difference by waking them up earlier and earlier every morning. The last couple days they've had to wake up at 4:30 AM AZ time. As soon as they wake up they go hit balls and play a few holes of golf. The trouble is......it's still dark when they go play.

The kids coach, Ben Weir, will be coming with us on the Pinehurst trip and will be caddying for Jack during the tournament. Scott will caddy for Alisa.

Summer 2008

All the hard work is paying off. The kids have improved their scores by 10 strokes in one year FOR 9 HOLES. Last summer, their first tour, Jack averaged a 50 and Alisa averaged a 52, for nine holes. This summer Jack has averaged a 41 (with two 37's and a 39) and Alisa a 44 (with a 39 and 38).

At the World Qualifier in June, played at Lone Tree Golf Course, Alisa placed 2nd and Jack placed 5th, both of them shooting a 43 (they are twins). With those scores and placing in the top 5, both qualified for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, NC. What an accomplishment!!

So, we've booked the flights and the hotels and on July 29th we're heading to Pinehurst. To help the kids do their best their coach, Ben Weir, is coming with us on the trip. The Championship is 3 consecutive days of tournaments starting on July 31st and ending August 2nd. It's a major event with Opening Ceremonies on July 30th.

Friday, July 25th, is the kids last tournament for the Summer and is the Summer Tour Championship. Points are doubled. Alisa is heading into the final tournament in first place and will be Player of the Year. Jack is currently in second place and needs to finish better than a couple of other players in order to maintain his position. Jack has been bugging us to play everyday; he's determined to do well.

We'll keep you upated!!

Spring 2008

The kids have been enjoying walking to the Country Club after school and practicing all spring. They've been hard at work hitting balls at the range, practicing chip shots and putting. Rain doesn't stop those two from going to hit balls.....O.K., it is Arizona, we may have had one day of rain where they had to sit in the clubhouse, life is rough.

Jack learned a new trick. If he tee's the ball up high, he can hit the tee from under the ball and the ball just drops. Sounds like hard work to me. Alisa, a left-hander, likes to try hitting the ball with her right hand. She doesn't do too bad, but we'll leave her as a lefty.

O.K., so they have a little fun at the club too, but they are kids and we want golf to be fun for them. On a good note, when I pick the kids up from the club I always get complements from other members that they are very well-behaved. That's nice to hear.

Jack and Alisa have become good friends with all the caddies at the club and have putting contests at the end of the day. Alisa seems to win most of them. I actually saw a dollar bill change hands.

It's nice to know all the members and the caddies at the club keep a close eye on the two of them. Scott and I have no worries.

Mexico Trip

In December of 2007 the family headed off to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for 10 days of pure paradise. Playa del Carmen is on the mainland of Mexico, across from the island of Cozumel. The beaches were a bit sparse due to the hurricane that had just hit a few months earlier, but it didn't affect our fun.

It was an awesome trip and I don't think we could have fit anymore activities into the 10 days. The boys went deep sea fishing catching a Mahi Mahi and an Ono. Afterwards, we went next door to a local beach front restaurant and they cooked the fish up for us. They were delicious and Mom didn't have to clean them at all!!

The kids and mom went swimming with the dolphins (dad had to film). Alisa squealed happily every time she got close to one of the dolphins. We also went to the ruins, which didn't last too long. Two 9 year-olds and ancient history just don't get along. We were also able to fit in some parasailing and snorkeling.

Oh, that's right, and golfing was included in the trip. I believe 3 rounds of golf were played during the trip. One of the golf courses the boys played was Mayakoba, a Greg Norman design and the home of the FedEx Cup. There were iguana's all over the golf course, plus a couple of alligators. We stayed away from them and took pictures from afar.

The kids were catered to at the resort (Occidental Allegro). They had activities for the kids everyday; from kayak races in the pool to dancing lessons on the deck. The resort photographers loved them and we ended up purchasing two discs of pictures.

It will definately be a vacation to remember.

Winter 2007 Tour

Both Jack and Alisa wanted to play in the Winter 2007 Tour with the U.S. Kids Golf. Since Jack still wanted to play football, he missed the first 2 tournaments. This put him behind in the point standings, still did fairly well. The boys competition is pretty tough since there's a lot of boys out there who want to be the next Tiger. Out of 18 boys, Jack finished 6th for total point standings for the Winter Tour. Even better, he reduced his average score by 5 shots. I don't think there's anyone out there that wouldn't be willing to take 5 strokes off our score in a matter of months.


Alisa played with four other girls throughout the Winter season. The end of the tour resulted in a tie with the point standings between the girls.

Summer of 2007

Jack is loving golf and wanting to hit the ball whenever he can. Alisa is seeing this excitement and wants to join in. We find a summer group lesson at a nearby golf course, Las Sendas, and sign both the kids up.

Alisa, still not sure about this golf thing, but hesitantly goes and ends up finding a friend. Now she loves it. It's a girl thing.

At the same time we ask the kids if they want to be part of a summer golf tour with U.S. Kids Golf for the state of Arizona. They both say yes and we sign them up. Their first tournament is in June with tournaments on a weekly basis throughout the summer, for a total of 8 tournaments at various golf courses in the Phoenix area.

The boys competition is tough. Over 13 boys in Jack's age group and most are very good and have been playing for over 3-4 years. Jack is hitting in the 50's for nine holes and not placing, but he never gets discouraged.

There aren't as many girls in Alisa's age group, only seven. Not all of them play in the tournaments, in fact, most times she's the only one and gets 1st place for the tournaments even though she's hitting in the 50's too. The medals are Alisa's encouragement. One of the girls Alisa played with, Anya, shared similar interests and they both hit it off well together. In between holes, Anya and Alisa would be seen doing cartwheels and handstands. Girls will be girls. At the end of the season, Alisa and Anya tied for point standings, but Anya won 1st place through a scorecard playoff. Ah, but they're still BFF's.

By the end of the 2007 Summer U.S. Kids Golf tour Jack placed 4th overall and Alisa placed 2nd. The kids had fun and want to continue. We talk with the Director of Golf at Las Sendas, Ben Weir, and feel the kids have advanced through group lessons and private lessons would be more beneficial; Ben agrees.

Let the improvement begin!!

BTW - Ben Weir has played on the PGA Tour for many years.

The Start of an Era

In October of 2006 the Snyder family took a trip to Las Vegas. We went to Circus Circus, the M&M Store, saw the Lions at MGM and played in the wave pool at our hotel, Mandalay Bay. So, what else can you do with two 8-year-olds in Las Vegas that's legal.....mmmm, how about golf!! We found a Callaway Golf Center just down the road from our hotel and scheduled the kids for some golf lessons for the first time.

The next thing we know the golf pro asks us to look at the video he just taped of the kids. He said, "Jack swings completely on plane and already has a professional swing." Alisa has great potential and Jack is on his way.

Once home we decide to get a second opinion on this "professional swing". Jackie's boss happens to have a cousin who is the Director of Golf for U.S. Kids Golf and will be in the area in a couple of weeks. We set up the appointment and let the kids swing away. Yup.....everything is confirmed.

We set Jack up with some group lessons (Alisa's not yet convinced she wants to play) at Augusta Ranch in January of 2007. That's the nice thing about living in Arizona; you can golf in the middle of winter. By lesson number 4 he's blowing away the other students and hitting the ball 100 yards. Not bad for a first timer.

Jack loves watching the ball fly and is completely HOOKED!! Even better, he loves trying to hit the ball at the pole that support the ball net and hearing the loud C-L-I-N-G!