And then we noticed a blimp over our neighborhood, with Snoopy waving down to us!
Especially found hovering over my daughter’s location of employment, we learned there was a PGA tournament.
Often parking in the widest, most open space, I saw abundant signage that warned of golf balls flying over the fence from the golf club on the other side.
Although we’d often see golf balls in the parking area, we never had any issues.
So…I knew there was a golf club in Gainesville, on top of tons of others in the area.
Turns out the infamous Tiger Woods chose Gainesville for his charity’s golf tournament.
To my surprise, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club is considered premier according to PGA standards.
ROBERT TRENT JONES BECOMES FAMOUS GOLF COURSE DESIGNER
Born in England in 1906, Robert Trent Jones immigrated to America five years later.
Beginning his gold career as a caddie, Jones was later promoted to golf pro.
At the 1927 Canadian Open, Jones’s best score of the amateur golfers set a record.
While attending Cornell University, he undertook a customized course of study in designing golf courses.
VIRGINIA GOLF COURSES DESIGNED BY ROBERT TRENT JONES
After designing a golf course for his alma mater, Jones designed or remodeled 450 golf courses, many of which are in Virginia.
1949 – Fort Belvoir Golf Course in Northern Virginia
1952 – Country Club of Fairfax in Northern Virginia
1958 – Stumpy Lake Golf Course in Norfolk, Virginia
1961 – Lower Cascades Golf Course at Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia
1961 – Upper Cascades Golf Course at Homestead Hotel in Hot Springs, Virginia
1964 – Golden Horseshoe Golf Course (gold) in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
1965 – Spotswood Golf Course (executive) in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
1990 – Robert Trent Jones Golf Course in Gainesville, Virginia
ROBERT TRENT JONES GOLF COURSE – GAINESVILLE, VIRGINIA
When Robert Trent Jones flew over Gainesville’s Lake Manassas in 1973, en route to survey a potential golf course, he envisioned another golf course.
I want to tell you how enthusiastic I am about your property… The terrain is aesthetically perfect. -Robert Trent Jones
Hearkening to traditional Virginia architecture, the clubhouse is 18th century Georgian style, with red bricks and white pillars at a total of 65,000 square feet.
According to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, their designer proclaimed: I don’t think we could have done anything better anywhere.
Especially intrigued by the Colonial Williamsburg Resort’s Golden Horseshoe and Spotswood Golf Courses, they claim Jones proclaimed the same about their golf courses.
Either the designer, Robert Trent Jones, improved with age, or he happily told all his customers they had the best.
Most likely, Robert Trent Jones understood premier golf design, so he ensured every customer had the best, for that is the sense I get from researching his work. =)
METLIFE SNOOPY BLIMP
Which brings me back to Snoopy, the WWI Flying Ace on a red doghouse now bedecking blimps.
Seeing them often on televised sports events, I was elated to see one over my house!
In 1987, MetLife launched Snoopy 1, which became so popular and successful at sporting events, that MetLife launched Snoopy 2 in 1994, culminating in the launching of Snoopy 3 in 2010.
While I imagine their quietness is greatly appreciated by the golfers who concentrate their way to victory, I researched other reasons for the Snoopy blimp popularity at golfing events.
Beyond the obvious quietness while attaining stellar aerial views of the golf course and surrounding area with steady video capture, apparently they also help locate lost balls.
Interestingly, I read that blimps idle into the wind, which golfers note to determine wind direction.
EPILOGUE 2016
Sadly, America’s favorite WWI flying ace atop a red dog house will no longer fly the blimp for MetLife.
In fact, MetLife will no longer fly blimps.
Regrettably, this means that little tell-tale hints into wind direction have also met their demise.
I’ve always known the blimp has to fly straight into the wind. So if the nose isn’t up, that means the wind really isn’t blowing so much. Most times, it really helps out when I’m in the deciding process. – Patrick Reed, who claims this secret to winning the 2016 Barclays at Bethpage Black
Bye, bye Snoopy on the MetLife blimp…
