Texas Rangers Spring Training Notebook: Dane Dunning's Flex

SURPRISE, Ariz. — Dane Dunning is a humble guy.

But with a high-priced exclusive country club membership on the line, the Texas Rangers right-hander had to throw his best pitch.

Dunning, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., with his wife and young son during the offseason, made sure country club officials knew he was a World Series champion when applying for membership over the winter.

Typically, he said, it's not something he's quick to bring up in conversation.

"That was the only time," Dunning said. "My wife gets mad at me for that."

Did it work?

"I got a good rate. I don't know if it was a discounted rate, but it's a pretty exclusive course," he said. "There's not a ton of people that are members there."

Some of the members include former NBA player and father of Steph Curry, Del Curry, NFL receiver Adam Thielen, former MLB infielder Mark Reynolds, and ESPN personality Paul Finebaum.

"The list goes on, so at that place, it's kind of [necessary] have to have a couple of referrals to be able to get in."

The club is five minutes from Dunning's house.

"It worked out perfectly this offseason because it was cold, so no one was out there," he said. "I'd go workout, get back, probably 10:30 or 11 a.m., and then go hit the golf course, play a round, and get back by 1 p.m. And then I had the rest of the day hanging out with the wife and kiddo."

Quotables

"For me, the goal was not just one. The goal is to be a marquee franchise that can compete for championships year in, year out, and I'm not afraid to say that. I think it's important that we have high expectations and lofty goals. It's not going to happen every year, I understand. But there's no reason that our franchise can't be synonymous with excellence. And that's what we all hope to achieve." — Rangers GM Chris Young

Crowding the Plate