Playing "a round" with Playmates

To most middle-aged American men, the idea of skipping work on a Friday to booze it up on a golf course is enough to evoke a feeling of euphoria. So what happens when you add a slew of well-endowed, flirtatious women and a pair of Playboy Playmates to the mix? Well, apparently that’s when gentlemen start reaching for their checkbooks.

Washington D.C. Playboy Golf Scramble packed in over 24 hours of partying, including a VIP pre-party at Midtown Lounge, the 18-hole tournament at Leesburg’s picturesque Raspberry Falls Golf & Hunt Club and an after-party at downtown’s Skye Lounge. Ninety local ametuers registered to compete on Friday for an invitation to the national semi-final round in Las Vegas. After that, the top golfers will advance to the championships in L.A. and (more importantly) the 2009 Playboy VIP Player's Pajama and Lingerie Mansion Party. In addition to the tournament, dozens of buxom bombshells from throughout the Metro area and beyond came out for a chance at a spot on the final Girls of Playboy Golf team, with the possibility of a full spread in Playboy.

“We tried to put together an upscale event – one that brings the Playboy lifestyle to the sport,” explained Vice President of Playboy Golf, Ajay Pathak. “We’re not trying to compete with the PGA Tour…it’s just an opportunity to entertain our clients and help them not to be intimidated by the game. They can just go out and swing a few balls, and the game gets enhanced with the girls there with them.” The District is one of 28 stops on the Playboy Golf tour, including cities in Canada and Australia. In coming years, the tour will continue to expand to South Africa, China and Europe.

It’s easy to understand how Playboy Golf has managed to draw such a large audience for an entire decade. The tournament effectively merges the iconic magazine’s sex appeal with suburbia’s most popular masculine pastime – all for the negligible registration fee of $450 (ha!). Though one might reasonably expect the event to have a creepy voyeuristic vibe, the day was surprisingly laid back and social – more reminiscent of a corporate networking event than a chauvinistic gawkfest. The tournament’s handicap-friendly “scramble” format attracted a noteworthy range in ability, pairing shank-happy hackers with impressive pseudo-professionals. There were even one or two female golfers peppered in the tournament’s field - a bit of a surprise, unless of course you consider the stereotyped sexual tendencies of the LPGA.

Sure, one could argue that such events promote a regression to antiquated gender roles, but it's probably best to just take Plaboy Golf for what it is. After all, sometimes a guy just needs to get away from it all for an afternoon and appreciate the stunning beauty of God’s natural creations (OK - maybe not always natural).

http://dc.metromix.com/events/article/playing-a-round-with/1252882/content