Life happens

February 11, 2014 

I have a range of emotions this morning. Between frustration, depression, anger, and a mix of others, today just sucks.

Yesterday on my first round at Bandon Dunes, on the 18th fairway, I rolled my left ankle on a sprinkler head. It didn't seem too bad, so I put on an ankle brace, got some lunch, and then started my second round. Apparently, I was subconsciously putting extra stress on my right foot trying to compensate for the injury, and somewhere around the 4th or 5th hole, I pulled or strained a muscle on the outside of my right foot. I made it through the front nine, but had to call it quits after the ninth as I was in some serious pain that was hurting just standing, and made worse by walking.

 Once I got back to The Lodge, I sat in the hot tub four different, 30 minute sessions. Later, I elevated and iced both left ankle and right foot on and off for the next six hours. I still held out hope that 12 hours rest and care would help enough to at least let me play one round a day. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, the right foot was worse, not better. On a positive note, the left ankle feels much better.

 So, my awesome golf vacation to Bandon Dunes was cut short after one day and 27 holes. I am very disheartened at the moment, but I have rescheduled this trip for a week in December.

2013 Year in Review

January 26, 2014

Before we get too far into 2014, I thought I should write a wrap up of 2013. I have dubbed it my "Year of the Return to the Grand Game". Back in 2009-2011, I was a police detective. Back then, we got one day off a week and worked four day workdays. Living in the Atlanta area, there were some fantastic courses, but most were very crowded on Friday through Sunday and could be very expensive. I chuckle at those green fees now that I am endeavoring to play the top 100 courses in the U.S. and the World, but on police pay, we always shopped for deals. What I had learned was Mondays were not only the least expensive days to play, but were also the least crowded, so Mondays were my day off.  During the summer, I could get in 72 holes on any given day.  Then, a work place accident happened in July of 2011 that caused me to be unable to play a round. It took nearly two years to get back to good health where I felt comfortable playing.

When I took the new job in Seattle, I knew I would get to travel. I still hadn't started playing golf again because of fear of reinjuirng my back, knees, and ankles.  But, when work decided to send me to Australia, I knew this was the "perfect excuse" to get back into the game I so dearly love. Since that round on March 29, 2013, I have played as much golf as I possibly could with the busy life of a Dad and husband, a good employee, and a football fanatic.

In 2013, I played 76 rounds of golf on 70 different courses.  Some of them have been great courses, others not so much. I have played on blisteringly hot days, perfect condition days, and very cold days (what is the rule when your ball comes to land on a pond that is frozen over?), sunny days, and rainy days (I live in Seattle afterall). But, every round was a good round. Every memory etched into my brain to always remember. A new logo golf ball to place into golf cabinet was sometimes the highlight of very poorly played round. My handicap started at a 24 back in March of 2013. As the year ended, I had taken lessons, played a good bit, and was able to get my handicap down to a 17. I am looking forward to seeing it continue to drop as I get more chances to play at some of the top courses in the world.

I love to play golf, and I love to experience a new course. When I was afforded the opportunity to play a top 100 course Harbour Town my fate was sealed. I decided I wanted to play more top 100 courses in the U.S. When I learned I was going to Australia again in 2014, I decided to bump that goal to include the top 100 in the world.  And hence this blog was born.

Courses I played in 2013 in the order they were played:

March 2013

Flinders Golf Club (Australia)

April 2013

Black Mountain Golf & Country Club (Las Vegas, NV)
Twin Rivers Golf Club (Fall River, WA)
Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course (Fall River, WA)
The Blue Heron Golf Course (Carnation, WA)
Cascade Golf Course (North Bend, WA)
Gold Mountain Golf Course (Olympic Course) (Bremerton, WA)
Gold Mountain Golf Course (Cascade Course) (Bremerton, WA)

May 2013

Elk Run Golf Club (Maple Valley, WA)
The Golf Club at Echo Falls (Snohomish, WA)
Golfclub Neuhof e.V. (Frankfurt, Germany)
Golf Club St.Leon-Rot (Sankt Leon-Rot, Germany)
Golf und Land Club Regensburg (Regensburg, Germany)
Golfpark Idstein (Frankfurt, Germany)
Golf club Main-Taunus (Wiesbaden-Delkenheim, Germany)
Kenwanda Golf Course (Snohomish, WA) x2

June 2013

The Golf Club at Redmond Ridge (Redmond, WA)
The Golf Club at Newcastle (Coal Creek Course) (Newcastle, WA)
Longaberger Golf Club (Nashport, OH)
Cumberland Trail Golf Club (Pataskala, OH)
Eaglesticks Golf Club (Zanesville, OH)
Glenross Golf Club (Delaware, OH)
Darby Creek Golf Club (Marysville, OH)
Druids Glen Golf Course (Covington, WA)
Desert Canyon Golf Resort (Orondo, WA)
Bear Mountain Ranch Golf (Chelan, WA)
Highlander Golf Course (Wenatchee, WA)
Leavenworth Golf Club (Leavenworth, WA)
Mt. Si Golf Course (Snoqualmie, WA)

July 2013

The Golf Club at Hawk's Prairie (Lacey, WA)
Salish Cliffs Golf (Shelton, WA)
Gold Mountain Golf Course (Olympic Course) (Bremerton, WA)
Gold Mountain Golf Course (Cascade Course) (Bremerton, WA)
Cedars at Dungeness Golf Club (Sequim, WA)
Whidbey Golf Club (Oak Harbor, WA)
The Resort at Port Ludlow (Ludlow, WA)
Peuramaa Golf Club (Kirkkonummi, Finland)

September 2013

Wolf Creek Golf Course (Atlanta, GA)
Hermitage Golf Course (President's Reserve) (Old Hickory, TN)
Hermitage Golf Course (General's Retreat) (Old Hickory, TN)
Bella Collina Golf Club (Montverde FL)
Hawk's Landing Golf Club (Orlando, FL)
Eagle's Brooke Country Club (Locust Grove, GA)
Château Élan Golf Club (Château Course) (Braselton, GA)
Bear's Best Atlanta (Suwanee, GA)

October 2013

The Golf Club at Newcastle (China Creek Course) (Newcastle, WA)
Lake James Golf Club (Angola, IN)
Cherry Hill Golf Club (Ft Wayne, IN)
Autumn Ridge Golf club (Ft Wayne, IN)
Washington National Golf Club (Auburn, WA)
Kenwanda Golf Course (Snohomish, WA)
The Blue Heron Golf Course (Carnation, WA)
The Resort at Port Ludlow (Ludlow, WA) x2
White Horse Golf Club (Suquamish, WA)
Trophy Lake Golf & Casting Club (Port Orchard, WA)
McCormick Woods Golf Course (Port Orchard, WA)
Old South Golf Links (Bluffton, SC)
Eagle's Pointe Golf Club (Bluffton, SC)
Harbour Town Golf Links (Hilton Head, SC) x2
Heron Point by Pete Dye (Hilton Head, SC)
Hilton Head National Golf course (Bluffton, SC)
Eagle's Talon at Willow Run (Redmond, WA)
Chambers Bay Golf (University Place, WA)

November 2013

Bay Hill Club & Lodge (Orlando, FL)
Streamsong Resort (Red) (Streamsong, FL)
Fairways of Canton (Canton, GA)
The Highlands Course at Lake Arrowhead (Waleska, GA)
Eagle's Crest Golf Course (Ypsilanti, MI) x2
Fox Hills Golf (Plymouth, MI)
Stonebridge Golf Club (Ann Arbor, MI)

December 2013

Mt. Si Golf Course (Snoqualmie, WA)
White Horse Golf Club (Suquamish, WA)

Help fund my adventure through charity donations!

So I took the advice of a few friends and have set up a personal site to help fund my travels to finish this quest in a quicker time frame. If you are interested in helping fund this lifelong goal of mine, feel free to make donations HERE. One of the focuses on raising money to play these top courses is not just so I can play them, but also to support the courses' local charities.  One example is Shinnecock Hills holds an annual charity golf outing for Project ALS. Another example is that Oakmont CC supports one of its local schools through a charity golf outing. I think this would be a phenomenal way to experience these top 100 courses, while at the same time helping charities by much needed fund raiser events.Any donations received and designated to enter into these charity events would be used solely for the entry fee for the charity golf outings and I would pay for airfare and hotel out of my own pocket. Also, if you wanted to donate a charity auction tee time directly to me (so you can write off the expense on taxes), feel free to contact me via the contact gadget to the left. If my travel schedule has no event listed for that date, I can almost guarantee being able to make it.

I will eventually play all top 100 courses. I've made it a life goal. I would love to finish sooner rather than later, and any support received can help that along, especially if the monetary support goes towards a good cause.  If I don't receive any monetary support, it will just take longer than a few years. I am fine with that also. But as I've always been told, it never hurts to ask. So, I am making this request one time only. Every dollar helps a charity and helps me come closer to achieving this goal. Thanks in advance for any help offered.

What's in the bag? What's your handicap?

So, I have had a few questions emailed to me and thought I would answer them in one post.  First, I am currently a 16 handicap. When I started playing again on March 29, 2013, after nearly two years away from the game, my handicap was right around a 22. I am proud of the accomplishment of dropping 6 full strokes on my handicap in 9 months. Lessons from Golftec Training Center have certainly helped.Also, playing 81 rounds of golf from March to December also helped a good deal. There is nothing like real experiences and situations on the course. Oh, and I was away from golf for almost two years due to some injuries to my back, knees and ankles that I sustained when I was a police officer and detective. I needed to let those heal properly and forced myself to take a 22 month break.

As for what's in my bag, mostly what I hear called "game improvement" equipment. I am not shy about the fact that I am not the greatest golfer out there. Realistically, I feel I am average at best.  But, the golf gods keep rewarding me with at least one memorable, very good shot every round I play. This keeps the passion burning that the next round I will have two or three of those kind of shots. 

My driver is my least favorite club in my bag currently. It is a Nike Covert VRS Driver. I bought it back in March when I got back into the game, to upgrade from my old Ping G10. I got pulled into the sales pitch of "you can adjust it 10 different ways to Sunday" spiel and so I bought it. I hit it just as far as the Ping G25, but I let the salesman talk me into buying the Nike. I kind of regret that decision now and am watching eBay to try to find a discounted Ping G25 or possibly a Callaway X2 Hot. I have hit both drivers at the pro shop and like both. I do want to try out Titleist 913 D2 and the new Ping i25 Driver before I make a final decision on what will replace the Nike.

One smart thing I did when I got back into the game in March was to get fitted at Puetz Golf Superstore here in Seattle. They have a phenomenal range and fitting system, as well as a huge selection of just about every piece of golf equipment and clothing you could ever want. I highly suggest checking it out if you are in the Seattle area. I had previously had Ping G10s with a yellow dot, but when I took them to my first round back at Flinders Golf Club in Australia, it just didn't feel like I was hitting them well. At my fitting, we narrowed down the irons to Ping G25 Irons and Mizuno JPX-825. I really liked both sets of irons, but I have been playing Pings for as long as I can remember, so I went with what I was comfortable with.  It's a good thing I was fitted also because my color code had changed from yellow dot to green. 

I also was fitted for and purchased Ping K15 Fariway Woods and Ping G25 20 and 23 degree Hybrids. I grew tired of the high loft of the K15 fairway woods and have since sold them. I have replaced them with a Ping Anser 3W and a Ping G25 5W.

One thing I noticed over the next few months and 20 or so rounds was that I have lost some distance. I believe it is due to several factors including age, lingering mental stuff with my injuries, and an extra 15 pounds. I am working to get rid of the extra weight. The more I play, the more comfortable I am with the fact I am not going to re injure anything again. The age, well, I guess I am stuck with it :-)   I have also decided my golf ball of choice is the Bridgestone e7 ball. They have a nice feel and they do help add a little extra distance to all my shots than what I was getting from other balls I have tried.

I also found I REALLY liked the feel of my hybrids so took out my 5 and 6 irons and put in a 27 and 31 degree hybrid.

During my fitting, we also decided on the normal Ping G25 wedges, except for the SW. It is a Ping Tour Gorge 54 degree Wedge.  I liked the Tour Gorge so much, I have since sold off my other wedges and replaced them all with the Ping Tour Gorge set. 

After 80 rounds and much improvement in my game, and since I only was using the 7, 8 and 9 iron from the Ping G25 set, I decided to sell the irons as a set.  I like the look of the Ping i25 Irons so will be putting the 7, 8 and 9 irons from that set into my bag.

Finally, to round out my bag, I purchased the Odyssey White Ice Sabertooth Putter. I have always preferred a mallet to a blade putter because it is easier for me to align.  The Odyssey was great for the 80 rounds I played in 2013, but about a month ago, while killing time in a local proshop, I tested a few Scotty Cameron Putters and absolutely fell in love with them. But man are they expensive. I got lucky with eBay just this past week and was able to pick up a store display test model of the Titleist Scotty Cameron Select GoLo S5 for $150! It has a few dings on the top, and slight paint wear from normal use from in-store demos, but it still rolls the ball very nicely and there doesn't appear to be any diminished performance.I am excited to get out on the course with the new putter.

So, going into 2014 and the real start of this quest to play the top 100 courses in the World and in the U.S., my bag is made up with the following:

Ping G25 Driver (Graphite Design Tour AD DI 5 shaft)

Ping G25 3W (Graphite Design G-Series Silver 60 R)

Ping G25 20* Hybrid (Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 75g shaft)

Ping G25 23* Hybrid (Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 75g shaft)

Ping G25 27* Hybrid (Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 75g shaft)

Ping G25 31* Hybrid (Graphite Design Tour AD DI Hybrid 75g shaft)

Ping i25 7 iron

Ping i25 8 iron

Ping i25 9 iron

Ping Tour Gorge 47* Wedge

Ping Tour Gorge 52* Wedge

Ping Tour Gorge 54* Wedge 

Ping Tour Gorge 56* Wedge

Ping Tour Gorge 60* Wedge

Titleist Scotty Cameron Select GoLo 5

(I either choose 3 or 4 of the wedges for each round depending on weather and the course).

More top 100 courses added to my schedule for 2014!

Mississippi and Las Vegas were added to my travel schedule for March. Since there are no top 100 courses in the U.S. located in Mississippi, I decided to check out the Top 100 Courses You Can Play list at Golf.com. Two were listed, one within 15 minutes of where I am scheduled to have meetings - Fallen Oak. I immediately picked up the phone and booked a tee time for a few hours after my plane lands. The other, Dancing Rabbit, is about a three hour drive. But, I have an extra day with nothing to do (on a Monday no less) so booked a tee time. At least I will get to see a good bit of Mississippi in my drive to and from.

For my Las Vegas trip later in March, I went back and forth about Shadow Creek (#56 in US) due to the cost. But, who knows when I will be back in Vegas. So, I've started saving some extra cash out of each paycheck to help pay for the green fee there. I will probably be able to fit in 3-4 rounds the week I am there.  If I can fit them all in, I think I will look to the Top 100 Courses You Can Play list again and see if I can secure tee times at Cascata GC, Wolf Creek, and Wynn Las Vegas.

I am also waiting to hear back from Kingston Heath GC for an afternoon tee time on May 19 (which would follow a morning tee time at Royal Melbourne). Additionally, I am waiting to hear back from New South Wales GC and Royal Adelaide GC.

For July 17 and the 22, it looks like I may be able to fit both courses at Woodhall Spa (#62 in the world) on one day, and Ganton Golf Club (#84 in the world) on the other day. I am still waiting to hear back from both clubs.

I had two days open at the end of my business trip in England. I was able to secure a tee time at Royal St. George's GC (#29 in the world) for July 24. I am also waiting to hear back from Rye GC (#96 in the world) for a tee time confirmation on July 25. Additionally, I have some friends and acquaintances in England reaching out to see if they can get me a tee time at Swinley Forest (#92 in the world).  England should be a phenomenal trip!

My boss also informed me I was tentatively approved for a trip that will take me to Portugal, Spain, and South Africa in October. If that comes through, I will be adding Oitavos Dunes (#65 world), Valderrama (#98 world), and Durban Country Club (#100 world) to my list.

I will keep my schedule updated HERE as things are approved and confirmed.