Mini Golf Tournament Sparks Camaraderie and Fun at Templeton of Cary

Playing mini golf in a tournament in the hallways at The Templeton of Cary, a luxury senior living community in Cary, North Carolina, presented some challenging but fun obstacles.

Each of the ten holes at the community was decorated by a different department that challenged themselves to be creative.

Housekeeping created a hole that had to be reached through a maze of wastebaskets and pyramids of toilet paper rolls. The sales department chose an Oscars theme and decorated their hole with a red carpet and a bridge that the ball had to pass under. The administration department created a floating lily pad in the community’s swimming pool on which golfers had to land their ball.

“All of our balls went into the drink,” says Paulette Zawadzki with a laugh.

She and her husband, Ray, were two of 70 golfers who played in the community’s third annual golf outing.

The Zawadzkis were initially reluctant to participate because they hadn’t golfed in many years.

“I don’t think we’d held a golf club in our hands since we played putt-putt golf on vacation with our kids when they were in their teens, and they are now in their forties,” says Paulette.

The community helped prepare all the golfers by holding clinics beforehand. They also had a pre-tournament happy hour the evening before, during which players were assigned to foursomes. At the same time, they enjoyed sipping wine, munching hors d’oeuvres and getting to know one another.

At the end of the day of play, awards were given in the categories of the best foursome, best male golfer, best female golfer and best couple.

The various departments also asked the golfers to vote on which hole was decorated the best.

“The competition was fun-loving but fierce, and there were some bribes,” jokes Joyce Aschenbrenner, life enrichment director at The Templeton of Cary.

The dining department, who had created a hole based on a Muppets theme, won the contest and were awarded the Carani Cup, which was fashioned from an ice bucket and named in honor of a former resident and avid golfer.

“The dining team said to the golfers, we’ll have steak and lobster on Friday if you vote for us,” says Aschenbrenner. “And so we had steak and lobster on Friday after the tournament.”

Whether residents were playing, volunteering to help out with the event or watching it, Aschenbrenner says they all enjoyed the spirit of camaraderie and engagement that the event engendered.

“People who didn’t play pulled their chairs out into the hallways to watch,” she says.

Golfers took a break during the day to have lunch and rest before heading back to the course.

Like Aschenbrenner, Paulette says the tournament helped her build bonds with other residents, especially the other members of her foursome.

“We became a real team, talking about strategies and figuring out how to best hit our balls,” she says.

Paulette, who has lived at The Templeton of Cary for six months, says the community provides a multitude of activities for residents to enjoy. She also takes part in shuffleboard, pool, a life story writing class and a poetry jam. She and Ray both participate in exercise classes and in communal breakfasts three days a week, where coffee, pastries and fruit are served.

“They keep us very busy here. It’s been a lot of fun for Ray and me,” she says.

While she had been reluctant to participate in the golf tournament, Paulette has no such reservations now.

After the tournament concluded, “I told Joyce I’d be the first to sign up next year,” she says.

The Templeton of Cary

The Templeton of Cary is a luxury rental retirement community located on a picturesque campus in Cary, North Carolina, named by Money Magazine as one of the “Top 50 Best Places to Live,” and lauded for proximity to world-renowned medical centers and universities. The Templeton of Cary offers independent living that supports a vibrant lifestyle for active seniors. Swift Creek Health Center, located onsite, offers assisted living, memory support, rehabilitation, and skilled nursing care for residents of the campus. The Templeton of Cary is owned and operated by Liberty Senior Living, LLC, a division of Liberty Health that specializes in senior living and retirement communities. To learn more about The Templeton of Cary, visit www.TheTempletonOfCary.com. To learn more about Liberty Senior Living and the communities they offer, please visit www.LibertySeniorLiving.com