You’re cruising right along: golf with your pals at least once a week, the odd buddy getaway weekend, barbecues so you can relive how well or dreadfully you played. Why not shake it all up a bit and look for the ultimate in golfing pleasures. The World of Perfect. Here are our thoughts on this.
The Perfect Golf Home: Carnegie Abbey Clubhouse Condo
Nestled along the shores of the Narragansett Bay within the Carnegie Abbey Club is the Carnegie Village, where our Royal Cottages are just a short golf cart drive from the Club. Custom designed, these cottages are sited to ensure privacy for their adjoining courtyards, gardens, and pools. Porches and loggias for lounging and entertaining complement these outdoor enclosures. The creation of the Royal Cottages at the Carnegie Abbey Club signifies a return to the traditional values of a shared community.
We chose an impressive 2 bedroom / 3 bath townhome overlooking the 18 hole at the club.
Perfect Driving Machine: Lexus … LX570
Climb into the LX570 SUV where subtle styling spells class all the way. This superb driving machine is roomy enough for four plus your mother-in-law who can direct your driving from the third seat. Besides good elbow room, the second row of seats is slightly elevated giving you a straight-on view of where you’re going. Doors open wide so it’s easy to stow your jumbo golf bags, ice chests and other gear. And talk about comfort: the interior is all leather with classic wood and chrome accents. Even on the hottest days, the four-zone climate control will keep you comfy from the sophisticated overhead vents and on those chilly mornings, your tush will be well warmed by four heated seats. If you’re looking for limo luxury with a powerful 7.5 liter, 383-horsepower V-8 engine, saddle up. Lexus.com (photos available on web site)
Perfect Go-Girl Sandal: OKA.b sandals
Your hands, spirit fingers and feet don’t always dance well together especially when you have a club in your hand. Time to look downward and give these weary twinkles some much needed attention after your round. They will be happy feet in a pair of OKA.b sandals. Easy to slip into your golf bag, they are made out of a single piece of Microplast® and designed to feel like a spa shoe — kind of reflexology meets ergonomics meets super styling. It all adds up to, gotta have ‘em. “Boho-Chic,” they come in all sorts of cool colors and designs, with a choice of heel: (flat, slight heel, wedge) and a flower-embossed sole. Some are fancy with clusters of jewels or ribbons, some just kick-around cool Hose them off if they get dirty. American-made, they are priced under $40. Spas like the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Idaho, have made them their preferred sandal. And yeah: they have them for men. www.shoesthatloveyou.com
Perfect Bag Nosh: The All-American Breakfast Cookie
Not all nutrition bars are created equal. The next time you tuck an energy fix into your golf bag, take time to read the find print. You’ll be surprised to see how many are super heavy on sugar with zero vitamins and loaded with calories. Gatorade’s G Series Pro 01 Prime however pumps in some vitamins like B6 and B 12 along with 16 grams of sugar while Power Bar’s Chocolate Peanut Butter bar (300 calories) has 210 mg of sodium (9%dv) and 100% dv of several vitamins. But the popular Nature Valley Oats n’ Honey contains 12% sugar, 160 mg sodium and no vitamins to get excited about.
So here’s an idea: make your own and you’ll know what you’re getting including taste and no nasty preservatives. To bake up the All-American Breakfast Cookie whisk together 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda;1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg; and 1/4 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Beat together 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/4 cup canola oil; 1/4 cup dark brown sugar; and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar. Add 1 egg; 1/4 cup (1 small jar) strained carrot baby food; 1/4 cup peanut butter; and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat 1 additional minute. Add 1/2 cup rolled oats; 1/2 cup bran cereal flakes; 1/3 cup raisins; and 1/3 cup chopped walnut pieces, lightly toasted in a dry skillet for 2 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350º. Using between 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter, form a ball and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave about 3 inches between cookies. Wet hands and flatten cookies with palm of hand until about 1/4-inch thick. Bake for 12 minutes. These energy-packed cookies have so many good ingredients, you can eat them with no guilt and they’re under 200 calories.
Perfect Go-To Club: Jesse Ortiz Classic 30º Hybrid from Bobby Jones
If ever you need a “go-to” club to get you out of sand, heavy rough or a bad fairway lie, Bobby Jones Classic hybrids by Jesse Ortiz may just turn into your favorite clubs. With a pronounced contoured soul, they can dig you out of trouble every time. Look for these hybrids (17º to 35º lofts) to replace your hard-hitting irons. And one very neat thing: there is a penny imbedded in the sole of each club. Penny for your thoughts? ($99 – $150) Bobbyjones.com
Perfect 19th Hole Summer Drink: Mojito
Catch the Latin beat coming off the course on a sizzling summer’s day when you’re hot, steamy and parched. Sure you can go for a 
cool brew or a white wine spritzer, but why not turn up the creativity DNA a notch or two and go for a mojito. A Cuban classic pronounced
“moe- HEE – toe,” it’s one of Ernest Hemingway’s old standbys. We’re not sure he played golf, but he did love his booze.
The following recipe is adapted to serve your foursome at a cookout after golf. Go with the theme and pair with a “sandwich mixto” (Cuban sandwich).
For the Perfect Mojito mash 3 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves with 9 tablespoons sugar using a wooden spoon. Add 1 -1/2 cups Barcardi light rum and1/2 cup fresh lime juice and stir until sugar dissolves. Strain into pitcher (can be prepared two hours ahead; chill). Add 6 cups club soda to pitcher and stir. Fill 6 glasses with crushed ice, pour mojito over ice and garnish each with mint and a lime wedge.
Tips for Perfect drinks
• Go fresh: the better the ingredients, the better the drink. This means fresh pineapple, fresh limes, lemons, mint, oranges and other fruits and herbs.
• Use quality fresh tonic, soda water etc. How many times have you opened a bottle of tonic you’ve stored for a while to find it flat? Ugh. Buy in glass bottles and buy new. And if you are a Schweppes fan, the store brand just won’t cut it. Spring for the good stuff.
• Be generous with the ice. When expecting guests, get bags of it.
• Add pizzazz with a shot of fresh seltzer or soda water.
• Grow mint and use it. It’s magic in drinks like the mojito and a white port spritzer.
Perfect Travel Bag: Sun Mountain’s Club Glider
You’ll like bagging it with the Club Glider from Sun Mountain. When it first came out it was named one of five finalists on the Golf Channel’s Fore Inventors Only feature. It has extendable legs and wheels to support 100% of the weight thus eliminating the repeated bending and lifting required with traditional travel bags. And get this sports fans, you can pull it with one finger. theclubglider.com
Perfect Weekend Getaway: Saratoga Springs
The race is on! It all happens every August. From the Thoroughbreds and riders crossing the street after early morning training and the Victorian white lattice entrance of the Saratoga Springs Race Track to the arty life-size horses located throughout town, you know you’re in horse racing heaven.
For those who want to play golf more than watch horses, the Saratoga National Golf Club has been getting raves right out of the starting gate. Built on a rolling track with plenty of wet lands banked by clouds of purple loosestrife and feathery fescue, the course is a visual delight as well as challenging and the clubhouse is magnificent.
A Saratoga National Road Trip Special from $329 per person includes two rounds of golf at Saratoga National with golf cart, one night stay at the Saratoga Hilton, breakfast, a sleeve of Pro V1 golf balls and a gift pack. Golfsaratoga.com
Or check into the historic Gideon Putnam, play golf on the Saratoga Spa Golf Course from $239 per person. The Georgian-Revival style hotel (circa 1935) has tennis courts, an Art Deco pool, and the Lincoln Mineral Baths along with the parkland-style Saratoga Spa Championship and Executive Golf course are within walking distance. Gideonputnam.com
SKIN GAME
• Perfect Shades For Summer: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know how important it is to wear good sunglasses to protect your eyes. We suggest snagging a pair of Tifosi glasses which means in Italian “super fan.” Choose from a variety of interchangeable lenses to use in different lighting conditions: Standard, Golf and Polarized Golf systems come with GT, EC and AC
Red lenses. Tifosi glasses are attractively priced at $39.95-$89.95. tifosioptics.com
Pair your Tifosis with Visor Versa, a visor women will love with hundreds of interchangeable
themed bands to fit your sport and mood such as polka dot, golf and classic Burberry-style pattern. It won a “New Product Award” at this year’s PGA show. Bands attach to brim with Velcro and visors come in several colors. ($26) Visorversa.com
Perfect Bug-Out: Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent
Consumer Reports (consumerreports.org) has zeroed in on DEET- free products designed to send those pesky bugs packing. At the 
top of their list is Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Repellent ($5-$8; Repel.com).Made of plant-based ingredients, it won’t damage your high-tech fabric golf shirts and can protect you for up to 8 hours, perfect for those 36-hole days. Beware it does has a distinctive odor (most find it pleasant) and is not recommended for young golfers under three. And good news: you don’t have to wash it off when you come inside. Comes in a pump spray. Buy in stores or from Amazon.com.
• Perfect Rub d’ Dub: Super spa treatment to sooth sore muscles
Set in southern Vermont’s Green Mountains, The Equinox in the tidy village of Manchester is a full-service resort with a golf club within walking distance of the front entrance and a splendid 13,000 sq. ft. spa. The golf course, managed by Troon Golf®, was built in 1927 by Walter Travis and restored in 1992 to its original design by Rees Jones. As you hit your ball from the elevated tee on the eighth hole, your ball soars into the sky against a backdrop of dense green mountains and deep blue skies. Straight ahead is the white spire of a quintessential New England church nestled at the base of a mountain. It’s a stunner.
After golf (not before or you’ll play like a noodle) head to The Spa for The Equinox Legend. You get to pick your oils, fragrances and even things like crushed nuts for your massage along with a mask of mud, seaweed and other things for your body wrap polished off by some wonderfully rich creams and moisturizing lotions.
Looking for more action, stretching, hard labor? There is the Equinox Movement Studio offering classes like yoga and Pilates in the Fitness Center. Or simply veg out in the indoor pool or outdoor Jacuzzi with the mountains all around. Perfect. Equinoxresort.com
Did we say “Perfect?”
That’s our final answer.
About Katharine Dyson
Katharine Dyson is a regular contributor to the New England Golf Monthly column: The Perfect Life.
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