The first time that I played in the Conch Scramble “On-The-Water” golf tournament, I thought my nose was going to blow right off.
No seriously, I really did.
When organizer, “Mangrove Mike” Forster invited me to participate in this popular Upper Keys Charity Golf Tournament, I was totally stoked.
What I didn’t know was that this unique “on-the-water” challenge involved more just teeing your ball up on the beach and chipping onto a “floating” green.” Fast boats and strong margaritas, also played an integral role.
The day of the tournament, Mangrove Mike gathered the players together and assigned each team of four to a small “golf boat” which would ferry us to a designated “tee box.”
Clutching my seven iron and grasping the bill of my cap, I held on for dear life as we raced across the shallow waters of the Back Country, dodging clusters of mangroves and startled flocks of herons.
It was then that my lips started flapping like an angry duck and my nostrils began slowly inching their way up my forehead like droplets on a windshield. Luckily, our “caddy/captain” delivered us to shore before my nose had a chance to fly off with the wind.
We stopped at nine Islamorada waterfront watering holes that day for a one-of-a-kind golf tournament that I won’t soon forget. And let me tell you, trying to hit biodegradable golf balls (they dissolve into fish food after 90 hours in the water) onto floating greens is no easy feat.
Especially when you’re drinking frozen margaritas every step of the way.
This year’s tournament is coming up on Saturday, September 28 with a kick-off party on Friday, September 27 from 6-10pm at a location soon to be announced. Non-golfers who want to attend can purchase kick-off party tickets for $40 each.
The fun continues on Saturday at 8:30am when players hook up at the Islamorada Fish Company (Mile Marker 81.5 bayside) for breakfast, hole location assignments and a shotgun start at 9am.
If you’re still standing by 3:30pm, you can head back over to the Islamorada Fish Company for a Keys-style Awards Ceremony that includes trophies for the best scores, best hole location, best team spirit and best costumes.
Teams can register online at conchscramble.com for an entry fee of $500 per team. Proceeds from the lighthearted golfing challenge help fund Florida Keys charities.
Wanna know more? Hit up conchscramble.com. Now go get‘em tiger!
