HARRIS - Natalie Sheary and Gloriana Soto had an opportunity to get a very unique view of Sweetgrass Golf Club in Harris this week.
They flew over the course in a power parachute, getting a bird's-eye view for an excellent scouting report of a course that is hosting the Symetra Tour Road to the LPGA tournament. The three-day Island Resort Championship at Sweetgrass starts at 7:30 a.m. Friday with the international field of 144 players starting from the first and 10th tees.
"It began a little scary," said Soto, a native of San Jose, Costa Rica, about the parachute ride. "I don't think that that thing can actually fly."
By the time her brief flight ended, though, Soto had changed her mind.
"I felt safer than in an actual airplane for some reason," she said.
Bob Moraski of nearby Schaffer was the pilot.
"He has a lot of experience," Soto said. "He is a great pilot. I was not too worried."
Sheary, of West Harford, Conn., topped Soto's flight, with Moraski landing the craft in the parking lot of the Island Resort and Casino. He then taxied it to the nearby gas station, astonishing several customers.
"It was a great experience," Sheary said. "I didn't know what to expect. Flying over the course was nice, the workers and players were waving to us. You could see farms, Lake Michigan, the island green.
"It was really, really a cool thing. I knew I could not pass it up."
After seeing the No. 15 island green from several hundred feet above, Sheary said, "That green is so big. I'm definitely not going to miss that green."
They flew at about 30 mph and both golfers were busy taking pictures and enjoying the view.
Soto, the first female professional golfer from Costa Rica to compete in the United States, can also be seen on The Golf Channel's Big Break Atlantis that is airing this month.
"I just had fun. I can't say any more," she said of the show that features a variety of challenges. "I would love to do it again. It was the best experience of my life."
Soto did say she broke the glass target, which has already been shown. "The hardest part is making long putts under pressure or performing," she said. "It doesn't compare (to tourney golf). Pressure on Big Break is greater than any tourney.
Sheary tees off at 7:41 a.m. Friday from the first tee while Soto starts at 1:26 p.m. from the 10th tee.
Carley Saint-Onge of Marquette, one of two amateurs in the field, is in the first group off No. 10 at 7:30 a.m. Friday.