I love to travel. That’s pretty much a requirement when you set out to play golf at 104 courses across 26 states, from coast to coast. Last winter, I knew it might be a good year when we started planning our travel in 2019 – a wedding in New Hampshire, a family reunion in Oregon, a training course for my daughter in Minnesota. Every time we start planning a trip, I start to evaluate the golf goal options – can I make a tee time fit into our schedule? Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Fortunately for the quest, it worked very well in 2019.
Last year, I set a new bucket list record for the number of miles traveled in one year to play major golf courses. My goal was to play a half dozen to make up for 2018; I‘m thrilled to have accomplished that mission having played six courses in five states. My cumulative total is up to 61 courses. Only 43 more to go!
Here is a brief synopsis of my adventures:
Ohio (56 & 57): I knew it would be a good golf year when I was able to play two courses early in the season (NCR & Moraine CC). I’ve found that a quick overnight trip that allows me to play two courses maximizes the quality golf while minimizing work and family disruptions. You can read about my experiences on these wonderful golf courses here.
Massachusetts (58): In early June, we attended a beautiful wedding of the son of some dear friends of ours in New Hampshire. I arranged to leave on a later flight on Sunday with the hope of filling my time playing one of the many Boston area major courses. I was a little nervous that my plan was going to backfire, however, as I had not heard back from any of the clubs as late as Sunday morning! Fortunately, the golf pro at Blue Hill Country Club, a hidden gem south of Boston, granted me permission as I was driving from New Hampshire. Although my “A” game must have left on the earlier flight, the course was in great shape and incredibly fun to play. As I recall, I left a lot of shots on the greens, but I am glad to start the quest in a new state.
New Jersey (59): Throughout this quest, I have played some of the most prestigious courses in the nation through charity golf outings. I have supported causes from Fordham University (Winged Foot) to Presbyterian Senior Care (Oakmont) to the Els for Autism Foundation (Hazeltine) to name a few. The latter opportunity involved playing with my oldest son, Clark, which as any golfing dad knows is one of the best outings you can have. When I came across the opportunity to play Baltusrol, I put the wheels in motion for a round with my youngest son Blake. Although the weather was not quite what we would have liked, we had an incredible experience and ended up placing third! I hope to write about our wet round soon.
Oregon (60): Those that have followed this quest also know of our family tournament, the Frigidaire Classic. Although the trip to Oregon gave me the opportunity to play the one course that has hosted a major in that state (Portland Golf Club), the highlight of the week was spending time with my brother and sister and their families. However, the highlight of the round at Portland GC was watching my son Blake hole out from 59 yards on the 2nd hole for birdie! We both were in awe when it bounced in on the third bounce, as were the golfers in front of us, who were waiting to tee off on #3. So exciting!
We also held the 25th rendition of the Classic. I treasure those outings as much as playing on any of the major golf courses and this Classic was a dogfight. Alas Scott held on as the host and notched his 7th victory. Details coming soon…
Minnesota (61): I wrapped up the season playing Keller Golf Course in Maplewood, a suburb outside of St Paul. My original objective was to play two courses while I was up there with my daughter, who was completing the hands-on portion of her EMT certification. Unfortunately for me, one course was closed for renovation and the other was hosting their annual club championship. However, Keller Golf Course was a formidable and enjoyable track, with lots of undulation and great greens. I walked off the course with a smile on my face and an 84 on my scorecard, the lowest round of the half dozen major rounds in 2019.
No matter where I go in this great country, there are amazing courses to experience and wonderful people along the way. I certainly enjoyed both throughout 2019.
MajorBucketList.com 