Golfing Legend Harry Vardon Makes an Appearance at UNF's GolfPlex

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive "Play-Write" series by discovering the next generation GolfPlex at the University of North Florida. Located not far from downtown Jacksonville, the beaches and the Town Center shopping district, it is just right for a brief golfing encounter. Play along with Reistetter as an ol' English chap comes out of the palmettos to join him on a sunny Florida day.

On a nice winter day in Northern Florida, I went out to the GolfPlex at the University of North Florida to play a few holes, get some fresh air and clear my head.

This past year of professional golf has muddled my mind.

Who would have thought we would see a year go by without Tiger Woods winning anything?

Even Lake Nona won the Tavistock Cup early last year in Tiger's backyard in Isleworth.

The GolfPlex is not perplexing.

It's a creation of 1998 PLAYERS champion Mark McCumber with financial support of John Hayt, a local businessman and UNF athletic booster.

As part of the UNF college campus it is the home practice facility for the Osprey men's and women's golf teams.

On site are The McCumber Golf Academy, the John Hayt Learning Center and the headquarters for the Northern Florida Junior Golf Foundation.

The GolfPlex is not perplexing. It is the future of golf with its ready-to-play, inexpensive and time- conscious features.

An innovative design consisting of a full practice facility with grass tees, a short-game practice area and five regulation size holes—three par-threes, a par-four and a par-five.

What is perplexing is there are only four greens with those five tees.

So there I was muddled and feeling like a Muggle in Harry Potter's world.

I perceived myself a little out of sorts with the world today and my golfing swing.

After warming up on the range, I stroked a few putts and chipped a few chips on my way to the first tee.

Out of the palmettos comes this older gentleman dressed in knickers toting a stove pipe bag with a bunch of old hickory clubs.

My first thought was that maybe this was golf's version of the Field of Dreams…

The quite extraordinary man extended his hand saying, "I am Harry Vardon, mind if I join you for a few holes?"

"No problem Mr. Vardon, please do," was my astonished reply.

After pulling out a mashie and an old gutta-percha ball, the legend stroked one masterfully onto the green at the first.

"I've been keeping an eye on the game of golf over the last century," said Vardon, "and I am amazed in what has transpired to arrive at facilities like this."

"Golfers in 2012 have the opportunity to go to colleges with great practice facilities and play competitive golf at quite a high level."

"Plus," one of the original World Golf Hall of Famers continued, "the golfing public can learn the game and play here quite inexpensively, and for a poor kid from Jersey that means a lot."

As we enjoyed our leisurely round of golf, we came to the third, fourth and fifth holes—a strategic park-like opening in the Florida wetlands.

Vardon liked the options… a slight dog-leg-right long hole (par-five), a tight dog-leg-left par-four to a green guarded by water and then a short (par-three) to the same par-five green.

One would think that golf holes with options would complicate an already complicated game, but in reality the choices make it fun and interesting.

I wondered what the six-time Open champion thought of the world of professional golf and the apparent snub of a tournament winner named Rory McIlroy not being named the PGA Tour rookie of the year.

"Well," he said, "the English press did not think much of that chap named Ouimet either back in my day."

And as we finished our round and headed back to the clubhouse through the palmettos, I sensed my friend had to go, though he had one more remark to make.

"As much as I like to golf at the UNF GolfPlex, I like your grip as well, where did you learn that?"

I guess like everybody else, I learned the Vardon grip from somebody who learned it from somebody else all the way back to the 19^th century and Mr. Vardon himself.

After another pleasant round of golf at the UNF Golfplex and that magical encounter with Harry Vardon, I felt less muddled in life.

Now I felt like a happy Muggle in touch with nature and the game of golf.