February 9, 2006

CLAYTON, NC — Ah, the plaid skirt.  Undoubtedly one of man's greatest inventions.  Paired with knee-high stockings and filled with young, shapely legs, it becomes more than an article of clothing - it is a symbol of all that is right with the world.  Yes, this is great imagery, but what does this have to do with golf, or with the Carl Spackler Open in particular?

Imagine, if you will (insert soft, dreamlike music here): It's June 7th, the afternoon following the first round of the 2006 Carl Spackler Open...you are exhausted from trudging up and down the winding fairways of The Neuse while slapping a big three-digit number down on your scorecard...it's hot - summer-in-North-Carolina  hot - and what would be really great is a cold beverage...you gaze through tired, glassy eyes as a figure moves toward you...as the shape comes more in focus, you realize that it's a girl...she's wearing the aforementioned outfit and has her hair - let's see - in pigtails, perhaps? (Hey, it's my narrative)  She's asking you a question...she wants to bring you a beer...she says she will be very happy bring you any one of two hundred beers available.  You smile, think impure thoughts for a moment...order a draught...then, transfixed by her movements as she slinks away from you to the bar, you realize that your day just got a whole lot better...you\'re at the Flying Saucer and the Carl Spackler Open  is well under way.

Yes, the Saucer does have Yuengling and Bud Light, but (with apologies to our brewery friends in Pottsville) it seems a shame to drink such pedestrian beer when confronted with the worldwide selection available.  The Flying Saucer in Raleigh will serve as the unofficial gathering place for the 2006 Carl Spackler Open, mere steps from the host hotel.  If you've never had the pleasure of experiencing time at the Saucer, you are in for an incomparable feast for the eyes and beer palate. (And the food's not bad, either.)