Blog: A Chip Off the Old Block, Part II
 
Apr. 6, 2007

Editor's Note: During his rookie season on the Champions Tour, Chip Beck will be writing a blog for PGATOUR.com. In this special installment, his 13-year-old son John shares his adventures with the family at the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort.

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John (left) and Chip Beck

Wow what an exciting week! Last Sunday I arrived at the magnificent Hammock Beach Resort and stayed there for a whole week.

This resort is one of the best I've stayed at. Every room there was like a house! It had three bedrooms and I luckily got my own room with a king-sized bed. But the thing I really enjoyed most about the resort was how convenient the golf course, ocean and spa were to each other.

After I watched my dad play his rounds I could go to the pool, go down the pool slide and enjoy the lazy river. My dad he told me one thing he really enjoyed was how he could just go to the gym and work out right before his round.

Apparently it was "breathtaking" in more ways than one, especially when I saw him sweating uncontrollably and gasping for air after he got off the treadmill (a little story for good humor).

One of the highlights on my trip was when I played with Nancy Novak, who is a three-time women's champion at the Hammock Beach Resort. We played at a course called the Conservatory.

Tom Watson himself designed it, and they are talking of holding the Ginn Championship Hammock Beach Resort there next year.

When I played the course last Wednesday, it was a very challenging, but you could tell that it had just opened in January. No houses were up, the clubhouse was still under construction and the rough was short. But by next year this course will look astonishing and play tough.

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Saturday night was the best night because there was a concert held at the resort near the ocean. The singer was Vince Gill. When my parents told me this I wasn't very excited because I had never heard of him before, but when the concert started I got caught in the moment and started to rock out.

I was shaking my head all over the place -- my neck hurt for a couple of days but it was worth it.

The final day of the tournament was really fun and a little crazy. My mom called the room when my dad was on the third hole, and told me that Tom, who is my dad's caddy, did not show up. I told the rest of the family and everyone was all nervous.

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Beck finished T59 at the Ginn. (WireImage)

Then about 30 minutes later I turned on the TV and it says "Happy April Fool's Day everybody." I eventually go see my dad and I meet up with him on the 8th green, his 17th hole since he started on the back nine. My dad was 6-over and he ends up bogeying the hole, which put him at 7-over.

On his last hole of the tournament he told me to come inside the ropes. Walking down the fairway we talked about the whole day. He explained he hadn't really scored well but was optimistic about his game and his mental approach.

I go back behind the ropes when he is about to hit his approach shot. After hitting a great 9-iron, he winds up with a birdie on the hole; it was a good feeling having him end on the right note.

We walked back to the hotel reminiscing about how much fun the putt-putt course, the great slide and the wonderful week was. Our bags were already packed to leave for Chicago. It wasn't easy leaving such a fun place.

My dad drove to Jupiter for a pro-am, but right now he is back home enjoying Easter week.

My spring break at Hammock Beach was a lot of fun for the whole family, and I have a lot of sunburn that is a reminder of it. I would definitely like to go there again because I also met a lot of great people as well.

Until next month, John Beck signing off. Happy Easter everyone!