Ok. I just looked at the calendar and realized that summer passed me by. What? Here’s my excuse for not keeping up with the golf course shenanigans. Then, I’ll get on with the show. First up, at the end of April, my dear, sweet, grandma passed away. She was 99 years old and lived […]
Glamorous Jobs
Having grown up on the golf course, I have many stories to tell about all of the many jobs that I have performed over the years. When I was two years old, my dad would take me with him and I would help him change the cups on the course. My job was to set […]
Straight Line Winds
A few weeks ago, we had a big storm hit our neck of the woods. My husband and I woke up in the middle of the night to the sirens going off. We could hear the wind hollering and tried to figure out what was going on around us. As we looked out the window, […]
And Then… I Met Mr. Jack Nicklaus
For the last couple of days, I’ve been sharing all of my golfing adventures with you while I attended the National Golf Course Owner Association’s (NGCOA) annual conference. Here’s the golf course tour of Shingle Creek and here’s a view of the Golf Industry Show just in case you missed it. I must admit. […]
Classy Dumpster Diving
One of our good friends told us about a commercial kitchen that was getting demoed. They were planning to just throw away lots of great kitchen equipment, so he invited us to take a peak at it in case we wanted some of it. The kitchen had not been in use for about five years, […]
Celebrating Audrey Brady
Today is my Grandma’s 98th Birthday. If you like to play golf, then you need to give her a hug. We wouldn’t be here without her! She was born in Des Moines in 1915. The oldest of 8 children. Only 6 of whom lived into adulthood. She always says that all of her siblings were […]
The Perfect Blend
To truly get in on all the inner workings of Toad Valley, you need to make a stop out to the clubhouse any week day at 8:00 a.m. when the Brady girls have their ritual coffee break. It all started back in 1973 when we opened our doors as a means for the ladies of […]
Sir Toad is in the HOUSE!
I think it is safe to say that we are probably the only golf course in possibly the world to have the name Toad Valley. It isn’t exactly what you envision when you think about a golf course. Most have a serene name that brings a mental picture of gently rolling hills and flowing creeks […]
Six Degrees of Separation
At the end of June, our family has a big family reunion at my cousin’s farm. I love to be able to look across the sea of faces with a visible family tree. It seems like we meet a new relative or a person with some degree of separation every day at the golf course. […]
A Tribute to Fred, My Mom
My mom, Freddi the Kitchen Guru, is one of the most hardworking people I know. Most weekends she cooks food that ultimately serves several hundred people. She keeps this golf course running with her energy and wit. There are many days that she spends countless hours washing dishes. I have never heard her complain. She […]