As the only female in a house of boys, sometimes I need a night with the girls! While dinner and drinks makes for a nice night out, there’s so much more to do, ladies! So grab your tribe and get ready to play…
Women's Surf Wednesdays:
September is arguably the best month of the year at the Jersey shore, especially when it comes to surfing. While surfing has traditionally been a male-dominated sport, there are more opportunities than ever for women to join the fun. When the waves are good, you’ll most likely find more men than women, but that’s definitely changing. Stacey Alper, owner of Stacey’s Surf & Paddle in Margate, is happy to be a part of that change. Stacey’s Surf & Paddle offers Women’s Surf Wednesdays, a surf clinic for ladies 17 and older. “Surfing can be an intimidating sport, so we just really wanted to create a supportive environment for women to try surfing for the first time or to improve their skills, without any pressure,” Alper says.
Surfing is a dynamic sport. You’re in a body of water that’s in constant motion, and just knowing where to paddle to catch a wave is hard. Then you need to stand up and ride that wave… It’s hard, REALLY HARD. However, it’s also SO MUCH FUN! Surfing is becoming one of my favorite things to do, even if it can be extremely frustrating. But conversely, every once in a while, you'll catch a good wave! And that feeling of floating on water, flying through air, and sliding across the face of a wave - in that very moment - your soul let’s out a breath and ALL IS RIGHT.
There’s a lot to learn when it comes to surfing, from water safety to technique and etiquette. Stacey’s Women’s Surf Night covers all of that, and will get you stoked to paddle out more and more. The true beauty of Women’s Surf Night is that it removes many of the barriers that might keep you out of the water. Women’s Surf Night is only $40, and with that you get instruction, a board rental and a wet suit rental (if needed).
So ladies, I’ll meet you in the water.
Ladies' Golf Night:
Two weeks ago, I would’ve laughed if you told me that I’d be on the golf course. To start, I don’t own golf clubs, I don’t belong to a country club and I have no idea what the difference is between a driver and an iron. I do know what a putter is, but I’ve only used the rubber mini golf version. When it comes to golf, I’m clueless. I’ve never played and didn’t know the first thing about it. So, when I was invited to the Thursday night ladies golf clinic at Linwood Country Club, I was hesitant to say the least. However, when they told me, there’d be wine, I borrowed a polo shirt from my 12-year-old son and hit the links.
We began our ladies golf night at the driving range. After I swung and missed the first several balls, I started to get frustrated, but FINALLY, I hit the ball! However, it didn’t fly anywhere, no, it sputtered sharply to my right, seeming to defy the laws of physics. I was minutes away from having a Happy Gilmore-style temper tantrum, when the director of golf (Jeff Bonicky) felt bad and came my way.
Bonicky spent the next several minutes, patiently walking me though the basics of swing mechanics. Guess what, I hit the ball and it even went into the air. It was far from perfect, but it still angled right, and was better. I still missed a ball here and there, but my swing was improving and the ball was going straighter and further. I was hooked!
We spent about 45 minutes at the driving range, grabbed a glass of wine and decided to play a scramble on a couple holes. “What’s a scramble?” I asked. It’s when everyone plays from the best ball. We hopped in our golf cart and headed onto the course. Needless to say, we never played from my ball, but by this point I was having so much fun I didn’t care.
As the sun set and we watched the lights of Atlantic City flicker to life, we wrapped up our night on the green. Then enjoyed our cheese plate and another glass of wine at the Fox Den, courtesy of our ladies’ golf clinic. What a fun night, and the perfect way to try something new!
The clinic cost is only $40, and included: instruction, 3 drink tickets and an appetizer at the Fox Den Restaurant at Linwood Country Club. I also borrowed clubs. So, it’s an incredibly good deal.