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Nebraska No. 44 in golfing couple's diary
What memories would a nationwide golf course tour yield?
For Jim and Marilyn Lusk of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., it's been the old, winding two-lane highway by Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the "seafood to die for" in the Southern states while dodging Hurricane Arlene and the overwhelming friendliness of the Midwest. All of that is on top of the countless golf courses they have played.
On Thursday, the Lusks checked Nebraska off as the 44th state they've traveled to. After playing a round at Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook, the next jaunt was to check out Kansas at Sugar Hills Golf Course in Goodland on Friday.
"We went up to Mount Rushmore and as we were coming back down there was a little two-lane highway that looked like a shortcut, but we just wanted to get off the beaten path," Jim said. "It turned out to be the most unbelievably interesting road you could ever travel on. With old wooden bridges that you went under and then over and lots of tunnels through the mountains.
"There wasn't a foot on either side of your car. It was 16 miles of the most unbelievable road you've ever been on in your life. It's been things like that that have really put the icing on the cake for us. The types of things that you accidentally see have made it worthwhile," Jim said.
"The serendipity stuff," Marilyn added.
The Lusks don't just experience the areas of the country they visit, they do it all while wearing knickers every step of the way. They even founded a group of 24 golfers in Lake Havasu City, called the "Knicker Knockers," that gathers every Friday to play a fashionable round of golf.
By the end of the summer, the Lusks will have played a course in every state in the continental U.S. and will complete the tour by traveling to Alaska and Hawaii next summer.
"We just thought, 'wouldn't it be neat to play golf in every state?' So as we neared retirement we started making plans," Marilyn said.
"I think there are a lot of other people out there that have considered doing it. Especially with all of the 'Baby Boomers' now reaching 50. It's kind of like one of the those things you want to do before you die. We wanted to visit the states anyway and say we've seen every state. What's a better way to do it than doing your hobby? It's been fun and a great thrill."
An exuberant, friendly couple, the Lusks have a youthfully healthy 36-year marriage that allows them to travel the country side by side.
"You can tell she would be a nice wife," Jim said while graciously spying his wife from across the room at the Heritage Hills pro shop. "She's a sweetie. She's the best."
The Lusks have a scrapbook with a page dedicated to each state and golf course they visit with a collection of score cards, pencils, photos and a review.
"After we get in the car everyday, I write and we talk about the course. We write down everything like how many balls we lost, how much it cost to play, which course number it was and we rate every course," Jim said.
The Lusks spoke highly of Heritage Hills, after finding out about the course in a Golf Digest golf course review book where it is ranked four out of five stars.
"So often golf courses put their emphasis on catering to you, fluff. But the golf course itself might not be that outstanding. We've played some famous golf courses that weren't nearly as interesting or in nearly as good of shape as this one," Jim said. "We would say that this is one of the more interesting golf courses because of the blind shots and the very distinct landing areas. It's different from a lot of golf courses."
Marilyn added praise of her own. "I like the small, cozy, very friendly welcome and it is laid back and easy going," she said. "We got such a nice reception from the pro (Lee Maiden). What a nice reception he gave us."
After completing the 50-state tour, the Lusks plan to write a magazine story on their experience. They hope to submit the diary of their epic journey to travel magazines, AARP and Golf Digest.
"One of the days we played two states in one day because we had to get out in front of the rain," Jim said. "We had to anticipate what the weather was going to do, so we played in Tennessee and by 12 o'clock we were on the road to play in Missouri."
The Lusks have had to play their way across the country through a multitude of storms.
"Last year the weather was horrible," Jim said. "We were rained on, just missed rain, started playing just after rain, traveling in rain ..."
While the wet weather can flood out a day of golfing, it never dampens Jim and Marilyn's marriage.
"It's been fun to get that to have relationship where we don't have kids to take care of and we don't have other obligations. It's just like dating again," Marilyn said. "Enjoying life and doing exactly what we want to do. It's freedom. I'm just wondering what we're going to do after we're done!"