While eating the traditional quail breakfast at our 2011 trip to the Crowne Plaza Invitational, Mrs GolfBlogger and I were treated to a talk by Tournament Director Chuck Scherer, who spoke on the history of the club, and of the signature red plaid jackets.

Members’ jackets extend back to the Colonial’s beginnings in 1936, when founder Marvin Leonard decided the club needed a jacket such as those worn by the members at Augusta. The original jacket was blue, but Leonard switched to a plaid, which he said reminded him of when he had played in Scotland. The fabric is a real Scottish tartan, and has SEVENTEEN colors in it.

The members wear them for the tournament (and I assume on other important occasions) and they’re not nearly as garish in person as they seem in many photos.

The plaid has been continuously in use, and awarded to tournament winners with one exception. The club went back to the blue for one year in honor of the tournament’s 30th anniversary.

From my trip to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational’s Wednesday Pro-Am in 2011:

The par 3 eighth at Colonial measures 194 yards. I think the tees were more like 170 at the Pro Am. I hit a five wood and fell short into the bunker on the right. There’s a little peninsula of grass that extends from the left into the bunker’s center (you can barely make it out in this photo). My ball was nestled right up against that tuft. I hit at the ball as hard as I could with my wedge and it popped up to the far left side of the green. The flag was front right, about forty feet away. When I got behind the ball, however, I saw the line perfectly. It was almost like it was drawn in the grass. I made a smooth stroke and it tracked right into the center of the hole.

My compatriots all cheered and I did a little fist pump.

“I don’t know what you’re cheering about,” Appleby said in a deadpan. “It wasn’t THAT great.” He laughed.

I think Stuart Appleby and I would get along if we had more time together. He’s got the same dry sense of humor that gets me into trouble with people who can’t tell if I’m serious or not.

Here’s a photo from my 2011 trip to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational Pro-Am at Colonial Country Club. My pro partner was Stewart Appleby.

Colonial’s Fourteenth is a 464 yard par 4. What you don’t see in either the photo or the hole illustration is that there’s a rather imposing (oppressing) grandstand very close to the tee boxes here. I couldn’t tell you how many people were in it, or even how many people were following us a t the time, although Mrs. GolfBlogger reports that there were more than a few. I had thought that playing in front of people would make me incredibly nervous, but by the third or fourth hole we played, I had tuned them out. I was thinking only about the fairways and the greens. I now think I have a sense of how the pros handle the crowds.

This hole was a disaster for me. I put my tee shot over near the tree you see on the right. My second ended up in the rough left. My third was into the right bunker. It took me two shots to get out of that. The shot that cleared ended up on the back side of the green. I was going to putt it back on, but by that time, one of my teammates was in the hole with a net par, and following the rules, I picked up.

This hole actually was an adventure for a couple of us. One of my teammates ended up along a fence line behind the trees right. His second shot didn’t improve the situation. Nor did his third.

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While exploring the clubhouse at the Colonial during my visit to the 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational, I discovered several Ben Hogan shrines.

Just outside the clubhouse, of course, is the famous Hogan statue:

Then, on the first floor, just off the pro shop is a replica of his office.

The other, on the second floor, is a sort of mini museum, with trophies, and other memorabilia. Two video tours (not mine) of that room follow:

Adjacent to the first tee at the Colonial is the Wall of Champions. It’s pretty impressive looking.

From my 2010 trip to play in the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Pro-Am.

The Crowne Plaza Invitational and the Colonial Country Club are full of traditions, one of which is the plaid jacket awarded to its Champions.

During my 2010 visit to the Crowne Plaza Invitational, Mrs. Golfblogger and I were treated to the traditional quail breakfast while listening to a talk by Tournament Director Chuck Scherer on the history of the club, and on the signature red plaid jackets.

Members’ jackets extend back to the Colonial’s beginnings in 1936, when founder Marvin Leonard decided the club needed a jacket such as those worn by the members at Augusta. The original jacket was blue, but Leonard switched to a plaid, which he said reminded him of when he had played in Scotland. The fabric is a real Scottish tartan, and has SEVENTEEN colors in it.

The members wear them for the tournament (and I assume on other important occasions) and they’re not nearly as garish in person as they seem in many photos.

The plaid has been continuously in use, and awarded to tournament winners with one exception. The club went back to the blue for one year in honor of the tournament’s 30th anniversary.