People say time starts to move faster as you get older. I can’t dispute that. This past decade I’ve settled into a comfortable routine. I’ve had the same job, taken my kids to the same schools, and lived in the same neighborhood. The repetition has made days fold into each other. I don’t say this with any negativity, I love my life. I have a wonderful wife, great kids, and a job that I’m happy with. However, I do find myself wanting to slow things down, not look ahead to upcoming milestones and just enjoy the moments. Easier said than done.

As I reflect on my time spent on the course this decade I think of all the rounds at Anchorage Golf Course, the 19 different states I’ve played in, and the people I shared that precious time with. Time is precious and yet it’s the reason golf can get a bad rap, it takes a lot of it. However it is that fault that can be golf’s greatest strength. The hours it takes to complete a round are often spent with people we care about at places we want to be. It affords us the opportunity to slow down and enjoy the round.

I chose to write about ten of my most memorable rounds. I put them in chronological order because I can’t bring myself to rank them...but I do have a favorite (you’ll have to wait until the end). After compiling this list several things became apparent: a lot of great rounds were left off, each round was memorable because of the people, I am very fortunate to play so many wonderful courses, and lastly the majority of these rounds were enjoyed on foot, hardly a coincidence.

2010-2015

October 9, 2011

Lost Dunes

Bridgman, Michigan

I graduated from Notre Dame in 2000 and I’ve only been back on campus twice since then. The most recent visit was in 2011 when my good college friend Chris invited me and Mike out for a football weekend. It was an unseasonably warm fall weekend, the colors had already started to turn but the temperatures were in the low 80s. The football was secondary, although the Irish did put on quite a show against Air Force. This trip turned out to be more about golf. We played a round in Chicago as soon as I stepped off the plane that Friday, another the morning of the game, and 36 holes on Sunday. It was that Sunday spent at Tom Doak’s Lost Dunes that has stuck with me all this time. I played Doak’s masterpiece Pacific Dunes three years earlier so I had high expectations for the course. It’s hard to compete with a course nestled against the Pacific Ocean but Lost Dunes proved to be quite wonderful. Like most private courses, Lost Dunes got little play and was maintained immaculately. The greens were slick and the fairways were divot-free. Lost Dunes was perfect, however, what makes a round memorable is not the course, it’s the people. I hadn’t seen Chris or Mike in years and golf proved to be a great way to reconnect. That fall day in 2011 was happily spent lost in the dunes.

December 2, 2012

Bandon Preserve

Bandon, Oregon

Playing Bandon Preserve for the first time was an eye opening experience. Up until that point I thought I knew what golf was; Bandon Preserve changed that. With a handful of clubs, a Sunday bag and a big smile, my dad, best friend Justin, and I set out to play this 13-hole short course. The last thing the starter said to us was, “Make sure to putt it on 13.” I had no idea what he was talking about; of course we were going to putt it out on the last hole.

Up until that point I had only played a couple of short courses and I had little interest in them.

Why not just play 9 on a “real” course?

What about letting the big dog eat?

Isn’t it just glorified Putt-Putt?

Oh how wrong could one guy be...

My dad is not much of a golfer and Bandon Preserve played to his strengths: he could hit punch shots, lag long putts from off the green, and anything more than a 7 iron was dangerous. Justin and I got creative as well, trying punch shots down the hill on the 5th hole, flop shots on the 8th, and several shots played away from the hole, letting the contours do the work. We all had huge grins plastered across our faces the entire time, and yes we used putter off the tee on 13. It was a quick round by golf standards but one I will never forget.

June 23, 2013

Monterey Peninsula CC - Shore Course

Pebble Beach, California

I’d driven past Monterey Peninsula Country Club several times, not really knowing how special it was. My dad, being a “local,” pulled a few strings and got Justin and I an unaccompanied guest round on the Shore Course. Any time I get the opportunity to play a private course I get a little anxious. I hit every shot thin for fear of harming the turf and being asked to leave the property. Luckily we had a very calming caddie who guided us around the course.

By the time we got to the 4th green I asked our caddie who the architect was. Mike Strantz, an architect I have enjoyed learning more about since that round! His green complexes, undulations, and creativity made the Shore course a rollercoaster of emotion. Thanks to our caddie and the design of the course I didn’t lose a ball that day and promptly tucked that well worn Titleist away as a memento of a round.

March 12, 2015

Oak Trail Golf Course

Disney World, Florida

We could have stopped after two holes that day and this round still would have made the list. My 8 year-old son made a hole in one and I was there to witness it. We hooped and hollered so loud that people playing adjacent holes came over to see what had happened and congratulate my son. I’m still without an ace but I will gladly go the rest of my days never making one because I got to be there to see my son drop one from 100 yards out, with a 6 iron, after picking his wedgie. Read more about it here: Happiest Shot On Earth

July 6, 2015

Oswego Lake CC

Lake Oswego, Oregon

Social media is a weird and wild place. I’ll be the first to admit I spend far too much time hiding in my phone. That being said, I am forever grateful for Golf Instagram/Twitter because it has enabled me to meet like-minded people that share a passion for this silly game. In the case of this particular round I got to meet some of those people in real life! My family was in Portland for a few days and Matt Lemman of Jones Sports Co invited me to play golf with his business partner Chris Charnahan, and Akbar Chisti of Seamus Golf. I was nervous, social media can make anyone look like a scratch golfer and I was far from that. I got dropped off at Jones HQ, met the Jones guys, got a tour, and immediately knew that it was going to be a great day.

We met Akbar at the course and the four of us set off to play OLCC. We played a match but I couldn’t tell you who won or who lost. However, I do remember the experience like it was yesterday. We talked about who brought us to the game, why we play, and where we see golf going. Being around people that share a passion can be invigorating and inspiring and that day was no different. Over the last four years both Jones and Seamus have grown but any time I send them a message they respond with that energetic enthusiasm for what they are doing. I can’t wait to see what is next for each of them. Every time I carry my Jones bag or doff a Seamus headcover I think of that day and the wonderful opportunity it was to spend an afternoon with those gentlemen.

Next on the tee: Part Two (2016-2019)