When Bruce Hannan was making plans for a major change in his life, he chose Miami Lakes as the place to create those new memories.
For the past year or so, Hannan, 52, director of security at The Bear’s Club in Jupiter, has enjoyed jaunts south to play golf in town with Rhonda Strenges, 56, his girlfriend of six years.
“We have a lot in common, and golf is one of them,” Hannan said.
After Hannan decided to propose marriage to her, he planned a long weekend away from Palm Beach County with a stay at Don Shula’s Hotel & Golf on Main Street.
“It’s not the first marriage for either of us but I still wanted it be special,” Hannan said of the surprise he pulled off with the help of golf course staff.
The morning of March 26th, Hannan told Strenges he was going to Dunkin’ on Main Street to get coffee.
“I picked up flowers, brought them to the golf club, met with Jillian (Castillo, the golf course’s merchandising manager) who secured them for us, and the rest unfolded.”
The course was crowded that Friday and the couple played the back nine holes.
Somehow, Hannan kept his nerves in check while his girlfriend played well, right up to the 18th hole.
“Rhonda hit a phenomenal drive right down the center,” Hannan said. “We see Jillian walk onto the 18th green and Rhonda wanted to know why she was there. I had to play stupid and said Jillian was prepping for a tournament.”
Strenges was unfazed and birdied the hole.
With red roses waiting on the green, Hannan got on one knee and asked his friend of 25 years to spend the rest of her life with him.
“She started crying,
and then she started crying more,” Hannan said. “I said, ‘There’s a lot of people watching us. Is that a yes?’”
Between tears Strenges got her acceptance out and the happy couple kissed.
“Complete strangers came up and said, ‘That was the coolest thing,’ that they’d never seen that before,” Hannan said.
Another golfer who congratulated them teased Hannan that even through Strenges won the hole, he still asked her to marry him.
The unforgettable moments were photographed by Dave Gergely, who is coordinator of golf sales and tournaments at the course.
“The staff was phenomenal,” Hannan said. “Dave was great, Jillian was great. It’s a pleasant atmosphere when you go down there.”
The couple went for lunch and a celebratory drink at Miller’s Ale House.
There the bride-to-be debriefed her future groom about how he organized their surprise engagement, and they called their families.
That night they shared dinner with friends at Shula’s Steak 2.
And Strenges has a platinum ring with a pear shaped diamond surrounded by diamond baguettes to show off that was designed by a friend.
“The best part was she was not expecting it,” Hannan said. “That was the best part of it, right there.”
Though they will be
a house divided when it comes to the NFL – he roots for the Patriots, she likes the Dolphins – they agree that The Senator Course at Shula’s Golf Club is their favorite place to play, and to be in love.