We had a BLAST at the National Kidney Foundation Golf Classic at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club

 NOTE:  Over $109,000 was raised for The Cause!

Hello Ellen Rosenberg! We had a delicious lunch together before riding off in our golf carts to serve as scorekeepers for the 18-hole golf competition.

Ellen enjoys golf and said Huntingdon Valley is an extremely difficult course to play b/c of all the hills. 

The only golf I've ever played is miniature golf.

I just spoke to the Willow Grove Rotary Group at the Country Club in July.  

It's seven minutes away from my Willow Grove home.

The executive chef, Tim, was grilling hamburgers. The food was great.

Cheeseburger, cole slaw, and salad. I had double helpings of the salads.

Here's Jack Tarditi, one of the Fabulous Foursome I accompanied during our "extreme golf afternoon" which lasted around five hours.

A word about these golf carts. It felt like I was riding a go-cart like Scott and I do in Ocean City. I was terrified the darn thing would tip over.

Someone photo'd these guys from the Kidney Foundation, so I did too.

Meet Jack Tarditi, Chris Wheeler (retired voice of the Phillies), Matt Tarditi (Jack's son) and last but not least Smilin' Frank Messina.

Read about Chris "Wheels" Wheeler here. I told him I'm from Cleveland and was an Indian fan and never missed a televised game or radio broadcast by Jimmy Dudley.

The day was glorious. A gentle breeze was blowing and the weather was perfect, maybe in the low 70s.

When you golf, there are so many variables:  how many yards do you have to hit - what's the wind condition - how long or short is the grass (when it's long, it's tougher to hit the ball) - what golf club do you use?

Our team scored a few birdies. 


No, not these kind. The 'one-under-par-kind.'

Our final score was 69.  Ellen Rosenberg said her Foursome was really good and they scored 58.

A total of 23 teams were competing. To participate in the tourney, it costs $3,000 for a foursome. This, of course, goes toward the research and prevention of Kidney Disease.

My daughter Sarah donated her kidney to me in 2011. Read about it here.

 When I emailed her this morning and told her where I was going today she replied, "Awesome! You'll meet some cool people."

All the golf teams start at different holes. We started on 18 on the semi-circular links.

As mentioned, we were out there for five hours. It was a game of endurance.

The greens are beautifully maintained.

Wonder how many golf balls land in here.

When I was a kid, my Uncle Don and Aunt Mary played golf. One time I opened up a golf ball.

You know what's inside?

That's right, tiny rubber bands.

Uncle Don played in some tourney where the guest celebrities were Lee Trevino and Gary Player.

Never heard of them?

Lee Trevino, a hero to Mexican-Americans, was born in 1939.

Gary Player, born in 1935, is from South Africa.

I have their autographs in my green file cabinet from childhood.

Wait! Have I grown up yet?

The four guys really enjoy each other's company.

Matt, in the purple shirt, is the youngest and is quite good. He's getting his PhD at Penn. He makes six trips a year to Nicaragua, where he set up some schools and educational programs.

His wife also works in education. In addition, she's with the band Love Jones.

Any more photos, Ruthie?

 Matt was kind enough to give me an extra cap, vital so you don't have to squint in the sun. I found a feather, so you'll see yet another feather in my cap in the shadow.

 Hey, guys, can you "par" in three strokes. Hell, no, I can't even see the flag.

Our last hole.

You can do it, Matt!

While the ball is in motion, the team would shout commands at the ball, "C'mon, come in, come in, come in."  Or "die" meaning "stop rolling." The slopes were so insidious that the ball would constantly roll away.

Now, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna lie down on my red couch and take a little nap.

Private note to Sarah: Am listening to radio station WDVR and Brian Pastor is the personality-plus Dee-jay. He's playing big band music.