A Gentleman's Sport

        "Golf is a game that's deceptively simple but endlessly difficult, that's why I think it's become so popular and the overall love for the game will never die", enthusiastically explains Jeff Austin, owner of Rich Valley Golf Course and Clubhouse in beautiful Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Jeff launched his business back in 2003 with his wife, and since then Rich Valley has developed in one of the favorite golf courses of the south central Pennsylvania area. Jeff, who shares his love for entrepreneurship with his wife, designed the course himself and received the start up capital from his wife's greeting card business. 

(Figure 1)
View of clubhouse from 4th hole green

   
        Rich Valley boasts a 500 yard driving range for amateurs and regulars alike to hone their skills, and gain a good feel for the distance of each club they utilize. The driving range also features two 5 story high sections of netting to prevent balls from flying onto the course itself. The golf ball dispensing machine, looking similar to a small vending machine, provides balls for the golfer's who wish to practice on the driving range. Tokens, that can be purchased at the clubhouse, are inserted into the machine and a bucket is placed under the machine. The machine then drops a certain number of bright yellow golf balls, depending on which token was inserted, into the bucket. On the opposite side from the course contains a small 3 hole-circuit that provides a cheap, fun, yet challenging course geared more towards families and novice golfers. The circuit is accompanied by an 18 hole miniature golf course, built in 2013, that was designed to be a scaled down model of the actual course. Finally, the center of the Rich Valley complex houses the clubhouse (see Figure 1), featuring the Rich Valley Pro Shop and Nolo's Restaurant & Lounge. Recently renovated, the clubhouse exterior shows off a sleek and stylish slanted roof design with wooden sides painted a calming rustic shade of orange. Reinforced with brick and concrete foundations, the clubhouse acts as a beacon and represents the start and finish line of the day for the golfers that play there. 

 
        When we walk into the Pro Shop, we are immediately greeted by Barry the clubhouse manager and course superintendent. He kindly offers a free, juicy hotdog, and informed us about the many specials and deals the pro shop is currently advertising. The pro shop's lined with every golf product imaginable including; balls, clubs, bags, gloves, towels, tees, hats, shoes, shirts, pants, and many more. The price of each item marked by a small circular sticker with a number written in black sharpie. The set up is similar to a retail store, with clothing and equipment in the back, and the more impulse items right on the counter next to the register. Barry, wearing a white polo shirt and khaki pants, rightfully is known for having a great sense of humor and being very witty. He always wants to come off as someone who is easy to talk too, makes his customers feel relaxed, and ensured that there experience at Rich Valley will be incredible. Barry checks our tee time and hands us our scorecards, pencils, and keys to the golf carts we'll be using. "I don't want to see a scratch on these puppies, alright fellas?", he jokingly remarks with his signature smirk, "I saw you gents driving in and I got to say I'm a little worried about my dear golf carts. I'm just pulling your leg! Goodluck!" 

(Figure 2)
The short par-3 12th hole has many hazards

      The course's beauty leaves most people speechless their first time golfing there, because it catches everyone by surprise. Located in a relatively open area, not even the surrounding army of trees can block the view of the majestic Appalachian Mountains standing tall in the distance. The course entails a lot of twist and turns, very similar to a snake slithering through the tall grass that inhabits the outside areas of the course (see Figure 2). Golf carts whiz down the fairway and cart paths like cars merging on and off the interstate, and the yellow flag sticks stand proudly on the green, intimidating the approaching players and waving in the cool breeze. Sand traps are sprinkled throughout the course, and the two water hazards claims many victims each day, some never escaping their grasps. The only sounds that can be heard are the leaves of the trees, rustling in the wind, and the distant sound of traffic on a nearby highway. Playing a round of golf on Rich Valley is a calming experience that brings people relaxation and care-free attitudes.

       
        The suns beats down on my back as I make my backswing on the par-4 5th hole, and the ball soars high into the clear blue sky. Then I watch as the cool, calming breeze sends my ball sailing into the sand trap, not even close to it's intended target. Feeling betrayed and distraught, I sluggishly trudge back to the golf cart for my ride of shame, hoping to retrieve and evacuate my ball off the beach and onto that short green grass. During the round I played at Rich Valley, I also learned of many of the rules or golf etiquette that every player must follow, as golf is a gentlemen's sport, and the etiquette helps keeps the game safe and minimizes damage to the course and equipment. Examples of proper golf etiquette include: repairing divots on fairway and green, standing still, not being in the fellow golfers line of sight to distract him/her, marking balls for identification, raking the sand trap, yelling "fore" in the case of a poor shot heading towards another group's area, slow groups should allow groups playing at a faster pace to pass them, etc. Golfers are also expected to dress the part, business casual usually being the dress code and proper choice of golf attire.

(Figure 3)
Nolo's Restaurant and Lounge on the second level of the Clubhouse

 
        After shooting a forgettable score on the spectacular 18 hole course, the group makes its way to Nolo's Restaurant & Lounge (see Figure 3), where all golfers are welcome to relax, eat some delicious food, and reflect on the day's round of golf. The inside of the restaurant is low lit, and perfectly blended with the classical, relaxing jazz music. Only to be drowned out by the conversations of the many guests inside. Each table has a white tablecloth and perfectly arranged silverware, which are tastefully painted on the walls as well. The windows give a great view of the action on the 18th hole, and are similar to the windows of a limousine, in that you can see out but not into them. Waiters quickly approach new tables immediately after being seated and treat them to a warm, crisp bread basket. Nolo's offers a wide variety of food, drinks, and desserts, the clubhouse favorite being the delectable, juicy Nolo's Hanger Steak. Grilled to perfection, the chef, like a painter with his painting, glazes the steak with sweet honey barbecue sauce, but then maliciously adds a few drops of hot Tabasco sauce to spice up the taste buds. The steak is then set on top of french fries so that all of its juices, aromas, and sauce are transferred to the crispy, salty steak fries. Josh Wilken has been working for Rich Valley for over ten years now, and believes that Nolo's holds one of the top spots for best restaurants in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. I love the atmosphere here the most definitely, this is a great place to work. The food is so fantastic, I take all my lunch breaks here, and the atmosphere compliments every aspect of this place perfectly. The managers and Jeff are also very kind and just overall great people to be around and work with. I've been given many opportunities to move up from bus boy, to waiter, and now I'm being told I have an interview next month to become the new staff manager!" Rich Valley has always been family owned, and customers believe after visiting Rich Valley, that they are now part of this huge family.

(Figure 4)
Jeff Austin, the owner of Rich Valley, explains how the first
part of the course he designed was actually the Clubhouse.

     
       After visiting Nolo's, I finally found the owner, Jeff Austin, working out in the heat, planting flowers near the new miniature golf course. Jeff's white-striped collared shirt and tan khaki pants were covered in dirt and sweat stains, and a big straw hat and sunglasses shielded his light brown, shaggy hair and eyes from the scorching, blinding sun in the sky (see Figure 4). Not knowing better, he could easily be mistaken for just another worker, but luckily my friend who worked there part time pointed him out to me. He takes pride in being a true working man in everything he does, but claims he has never worked a day in his life since opening this course up. "I've always had a passion for golf, so when the opportunity to build and design my own course became reality, I was super stoked to get started. I assisted in all the labor required to physically build the course, and I'm usually the first one to arrive in the morning and help maintain the course. It's just something I love getting up in the morning to do everyday." He goes on to explain how golf is different than most other sports because there are no teammates, to help you or blame for the loss. Also, most professional events last 4 days (thursday-sunday), which is considerably longer than any other sports like football, basketball, soccer, etc. That means that golfers have be mentally sharp for 4 days instead of a few hours like other athletes, and mental strength is harder to achieve than physical strength. The whole game is all in your head, your mental stability in pressure situations can make or break you when you need it the most. A golfer's mental strength, sharpness, and stability is the difference between a shank that goes into the pond, or making a 40 foot putt for the win. "Anybody can play golf, which is another reason why I love it so much. We see young high school and college kids playing for fun, adults playing in tournaments or on "business trips", and then you have the old farts like me that seem to be there every day and play a round. You meet a lot of incredible people, and make a lot of long-lasting relationships."

      Golf is a intriguing sport that has been around since the 15th century, first originating in Scotland. The first golf clubs and balls were constructed on wooden sticks and small circular rocks, and over time, golf has evolved into a game that is enjoyed by the millions who play it everyday. Golf is a sport that requires great concentration, discipline to mechanics, and mental endurance. A great golfer is one who stays focused on the next shot, instead of marveling or pouting over the last shot. Many have sought after the perfect golf swing, however it is more than likely an impossible feat, seemingly close, yet always just out of the player's grasp. "Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you want to do, and you will probably be very close to having a perfect golf swing.", explains Jeff Austin, (quoting Ben Hogan, famous professional golfer) who says that human imperfections are what make golf a challenging sport. He believes that is also the reason it is one of the most popular sports in the world, because it's a game of mistakes and the players that make the least amount of mistakes win almost every time. "We as humans strive to be perfect, but we always fall a little short of our goal for perfection, that will never change, which means people will never stop playing golf, and I'll never be out of business."