Staying the
course Golf offers fun and family togetherness in a time of pandemic
M A RT Y J A M E S n ap as por ts@napanews.c om As a consultant in the private aviation industry, Sheri Barden is very accustomed to having a travel schedule where she is on the road for two to three weeks a month, with trips to all parts of the country for her job. During that time, golf, a game that she loves so very much and wants to know a lot more about, is on hold. But it’s definitely on her mind, with Barden frequently reminding herself with these thoughts: “I have got to get back to golf. I’ve got to really bear down on golf and learn to play.” The COVID-19 pandemic has changed Barden’s life. She works from home and hasn’t been on a plane since March. As a member at Napa’s Silverado Resort and Spa, she is also getting out to play golf more regularly, joining the club’s “Striking Ladies,” a nine-hole group, and taking lessons from Tom Sims, the club’s PGA head golf professional. “I never had the time to do any consistent practice or take lessons, just because I travel so much. I’m a ‘Million Miler’ on United (Airlines),” said Barden, whose condo is on the North Course at Silverado, the home of the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open for the last five years and before that the host of the Frys.com Open for two years. “So when the pandemic started, I said, ‘OK, if I’m not traveling, this is what I want to do.’ I started playing and it gave me the time to really focus. “I’m certainly not good and I don’t have the greatest swing in the world. But I’ve really enjoyed it.” Barden, the president and CEO of Aviation Personnel International, a company that she owns, has been able to adjust her work Fall/Winter 2020
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schedule. She flew about 120,000 miles last year. She and her team have changed the day of their staff meeting, to Wednesdays, allowing Barden to play with the “Striking Ladies.” Getting out and playing up to nine holes, three times a week, as well as a few holes before dinner, helps to also taken Barden’s mind off the news of the Coronavirus pandemic. She is not having to make travel arrangements for flights to places like Chicago, New York and Washington D.C., for her company, which is a business aviation recruiting and consulting firm, according to its website, www.apiaviation.com. “Anytime you’re doing something, you’re not just focusing on the constant barrage of news, so it gives you something different and it certainly gives you more of a sense of normality of life,” said Barden. Barden and her partner, Duane Perry, play golf together and traveled to Oregon on a driving trip this past summer, staying at three resorts and getting in five rounds. “Neither of us are great golfers, but we’re working at it and we’re trying to get better,” said Barden. “What I also love about it is that I get to play with my wonderful partner. I think it’s a wonderful time to spend with people you care about.” Ron McDill of Napa is also getting out
Bruno Freschi, 16, is shown during an Operation 36 program at Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park. Marty James photo
to play, generally twice a week and usually at Eagle Vines Vineyards & Golf Club in American Canyon and Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park. He is thankful that golf courses are open. “You want to get back to some kind of normalcy,” said McDill. “With golf, people are able to get outside and take that mask off for a couple hours, have a beer, have a good time and just relax a little bit and then clear their head. “Golf already creates its own social distance. It’s something you can do to get out of the house, have an activity and do something with family or friends or something. It’s trying to get back to a little bit of normalcy by getting out of the house.” Carol Barge also gets out to play twice a week at Napa Golf Course and is a participant in Operation 36, a national developmental program that is offered year-round by the course and led by David Knox, NGC’s INSIDE NAPA VALLEY | 7