A Social Media, Global Golf Get-Together... And A Gracious Golf Ghost

                              Photo: © MikeBelindo

David Amezqueta... aka @MikeBelindo... was instantly recognizable as he stepped off the train in the quaint village of Brewster, NY last week.

Descending the stairs of the cement overpass with his tousled hair, easy grin and casual clothing, there was no mistaking him among legions of tired, stressed-out commuters in their uniformly cheerless business attire.

Though it was our first real-life, in-the-flesh encounter, David and I go way back when it comes to shared experiences and spirited exchanges. Thanks to social media the distance between Danbury, CT and Pamplona, Spain (or any physical distance for that matter) is just... geography.

                              Photo: ©MikeBelindo

I discovered Twitter in March of 2007, and that's where I first encountered David.  With a common passion for golf and a shared interest in art, we found ourselves communicating quite regularly... in 140 characters or less... over the years. So much so in fact, that when I found out David was to be spending some time in New York (after his awesome Ryder Cup adventure) it seemed only natural that we finally meet... and possibly get together on a golf course.

So that's exactly what brought Señor Amezqueta to Brewster... and on to our house (aka Golf Girl Media World Headquarters) in Danbury.  Once there, we had a celebratory cocktail, followed by a dinner of Bourbon Barbecued Ribs... with an ample side of Mac'n'Cheese. What could be more American than that, right?  The rest of the evening we spent talking; about David's experience in Medinah, about the golf industry on both sides of the Atlantic and about the amazing opportunities, and vexing challenges, presented by "new media" and a global economy.  Then there was the subject of our gracious golf ghost.

You see the house we live in is over 100 years old.  It's a quintessential Queen Anne Victorian; with front-facing gables, ornate moldings and overhanging eaves... And for forty years, between the early 30s and the early 70s, it was inhabited by George Ferrier.

Mr. Ferrier came to the US from Scotland in the early 20s to promote golf equipment, but soon became the golf pro at Danbury's Ridgewood Country Club... and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1958. He continued to be involved with golf after his retirement, as president of the PGA Seniors and... for a number of years... as a member of the Ryder Cup Committee.  In 1969, on a trip back to Scotland, the distinguished golf pro presented the Ferrier Trophy to The Burntisland Golf Club where he first learned to play the game.

As I revealed to David, on those very rare occasions that I have a particularly good day on the course,  I always attribute it to the unseen spirit of George Ferrier.

The next morning we awoke to the kind of Autumnal masterpiece only New England can create... all burnished leaves and blue skies... and headed to Richter Park.  Our foursome included my French  cigar-aficionado husband Nick (who immediately presented David with a Cohiba) and fellow golf-twitterista, Stacy Solomon of Golf for Beginners fame.  It was a gorgeous day and an wonderful round,  made possible by to a great extent by social media and the way it connects people.

It's no surprise to me that by the time David boarded the train in Brewster we had plans in the works for a springtime round in Spain.