Couple walks golf course for 500 days

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Fallbrook residents Dawood and Emma Ashe are members of the Golf Club of California. They were also members of a gym which was closed at the beginning of the coronavirus quarantine. The Golf Club of California remained open to members, and the couple began walking the course to obtain their exercise while also playing a round of golf each day.

After reaching 365 consecutive days the couple took a day off and began a new streak of walking the course each day. On Aug. 24, they walked the course and played a round for the 500th day in a 501-day period.

Prior to the coronavirus shutdown, Dawood Ashe golfed nearly every day while Emma Ashe played a round approximately three times a week. They were also going to the gym approximately three times each week.

When the coronavirus restrictions were first imposed, the Golf Club of California allowed only walking the course while golfing. Carts were later permitted, but the couple placed their equipment in the cart and continued to walk the entire course pushing or pulling the cart when not swinging one of the clubs.

In the early weeks, rain kept the couple from walking the course on some days, but the weather permitted walking and golfing every day from April 11, 2020.

"In the beginning we didn't have a goal," Emma Ashe said. "Then the goal was 365 days."

The 365th day was April 10, 2011. "A year, that was unbelievable," Ashe said.

The Golf Club of California provided the couple with a plaque commemorating their achievement.

"Day 1 was hard," Ashe said. "Up to day 15, 20, was not that easy, but we still have that same energy."

Dawood Ashe turned 73 on Aug. 25. Emma Ashe will be 67 in November. "We're so lucky that we just can do it," Emma Ashe said.

The couple opted to discard the streak to prioritize the walks and rounds themselves. "We took a day off," Ashe said. "We had one day with no golf."

After not golfing on April 11, 2021, the couple returned to their daily routine. "The next day we went out again," Ashe said. "We're going to do another year."

The couple usually arrives at the golf course between 8:00 and 9:00 each morning. The walk is usually completed in the early afternoon. Initially the walk around the course along with 18 holes of golf took approximately 4 1/2 hours if there was no wait for other golfers. Now, if the course is not busy, the walk and round of golf can be completed in under four hours.

The exercise has caused the couple to lose weight, and the daily golf has led to improvement in their scores, although golf scores vary from day to day. "It's a funny game," Ashe said.

Ashe thus isn't concerned about any daily score. "If I keep it up, it means I'm doing good," she said. "I play better. My swing is better."

On Jan. 20, 2021, which was their 285th day of walking the course, Dawood Ashe shot an eagle (two under par for the hole) on the 14th hole.

The daily walk is approximately seven miles, which can be increased by errant shots. "Heat is worse than rain or wind or whatever else we have," Emma Ashe said.

They are now on their third set of wheels for the cart. "The tread is going down," Ashe said.

Dawood Ashe had shirts made with the words "Just shut up and walk" on the back. The shirts encourage the spouse in back to persevere and complete the round of golf and the walk. "It's an encouragement," Emma Ashe said.

Others encourage the couple on their daily walks and rounds of golf. "The club has the friendliest members, and they always give us encouragement," Ashe said. "The entire staff is really supportive of us, especially Richard Ro."

Ro is the director of golf operations for the Golf Club of California.

Ashe noted that the couple's activity may provide encouragement for others. "You'll be amazed. Maybe you can do much more than you think you can," she said.

The couple has been members of the Golf Club of California for nine years and moved from Escondido to Fallbrook seven years ago to be closer to the golf course. "This is the place where I started to learn golf. Before I had never played golf," Emma Ashe said.

The seventh hole, which is on a hill, is their favorite. "It's beautiful. You can see over the whole valley," Ashe said. "You can see the avocado groves on the other side."