Golf 2023

It's been six years since I played the variety of golf courses as I have played this year. It's been nice to fall in love with the game and have access to some of the better tracks in this part of the world. It was also enjoyable to get back home and play a few of the courses I grew up on. Here is the complete list of courses I have gotten to play this year, in order of my subjective favorites. 

1. UGC De Pan*
2. Hillside Golf Club*
3. West Lancashire Golf Club*
4. Sahalee Country Club
5. Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club*
6. Royal Limburg*
7. Golf d Hardelot Les Pins
8. Lage Vuursche*
9. Goyer Golf and Country Club
10. Hesketh Golf Club*
11. Formby Ladies Golf Club*
12. Highland Golf Course
13. Jerome Country Club
14. Canyon Springs Golf Course
15. Houtrack Golf Club*
16. De Maastrichse*
17. Formby Hall Golf Club*
18. Spanderbosche*
19. Riverside Golf Course
20. Amelisweerd*
21. De Hoge Dijk*
22. Twin Falls Municipal

Wrigley Field

Home of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago, IL
Date Opened: April 23, 1914 Chicago Federals vs. Kansas City, 9-1
Games Attended: September 24, 2023 Chicago Cubs vs. Colorado Rockies, 4-3

Location & Accessibility (0-5): 5
I don't know what exactly the neighborhood was like in 1914 when the ballpark first opened, or two years later, in 1916, when the Cubs played their first game in the historic stadium, but I can tell you now, in 2023, the ballpark and the neighborhood are interconnected as one. What would Chicago's Northside be without Wrigley and would a venue like Wrigley survived somewhere else? The answer to the latter is probably not as we have seen with so many of the other old ballparks. 

Historic Value (0-5): 5

"The Friendly Confines" of Wrigley Field have now hosted baseball games for 109 years, second only to Boston's Fenway Park. The park should almost get bonus points for historic value. It's the place where Babe Ruth called his shot in the 1932 World Series, where Ernie Banks hit his 500th homerun, where Pete Rose tied the all-time hits record at 4,191 and where Sammy Sosa chased the single season home run records in the late 90's. The Cubs most recently rose the National League Pennant, their first since 1945, and World Series Championship Banner, their first since 1908, in 2016 with a victory over the Cleveland Indians.

Originality (0-5): 5

From ivy walls, to a classic marquees and from the hand-turned scoreboard to being one of the last major league ballparks to add lights, Wrigley exudes personality and originality. The architects and team have gone to great lengths to keep the stadium modern and comfortable without losing the history.

Fans (0-5): 5
The fans were out in full force on a Sunday afternoon in September as the Cubs still had a chance to make the playoffs. It would turn out to be the last home game of the season but everyone made sure to stick around to sing "Go Cubs Go" as the team would head into the last week of the season on a six game road-trip.

Fun Factor (0-5): 5

It's not flashy, there is no slide or swimming pool but the park is historic and it's made for baseball. I loved taking pictures at the historic venue. And the afternoon at the park made my mom, someone who doesn't care much for sports, follow the rest of the MLB season right up through the World Series. I give Wrigley the full points on fun just for that.

Concessions & Restaurants (0-5): 3
To be perfectly fair, the hot-dog was just a hot dog. Prices have gotten very high throughout baseball and after a breakfast at a café just outside the park, I wasn't about to spend $12 on a beer.

My own Subjectivity (0-5): 5
Since living in Europe I don't have the opportunity to go to many baseball games, so when I saw tha Cubs were in town the same time as my cousins wedding, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to go. I think I may have been looking forward to the game more than wedding in all honesty! Every dollar spent at the game was well worth it as a baseball fan and if me and the Cubs are ever in Chicago at the same time again, I'll be back.

Total Score (0-35)= 33

Criteria for "The Ballpark Series" can be found here.

And here is why I love baseball stadiums!

Golf 101

So you want to know more about golf? Here are a few things to get your knowledge on par with those that spend their time chasing that little white ball. But first, the main thing to know, is golf a game unlike any other. Each course is unique, it's a game you can play alone or in a group and unlike most sports, the lowest score wins! So when you are wondering what good is... lower is better. If you are woman reading this blog, you may also be wondering, why are some men obsessed with this game? Well, it's really the only way we men can ask one another to go on a walk in nature together.

The History

The game of golf dates back to the late 1400's. Though Scotland is credited to being the home of golf, a similar game was also played in the Netherlands during that time! The modern game continued to flourish in Great Britain during the 18th and 19th century with formation of clubs and codification of rules. Golf's home is still considered Scotland with the Old Course at St. Andrews being the designated mecca. 

There are multiple governing bodies in golf. The United States Golf Association (USGA) and Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) set and update the games rules. The same rules are used for men, women, children, professionals, and amateurs with limited modifications based on the event. It is now estimated that 65 million people worldwide play golf! The Netherlands itself has over 400,000 golfers registered!

The Game

A full-round of golf is consisted over 18 holes, played in a set order. There is a designated starting point for each hole, the tee, and a specific end point, the hole, which is located on the green. The goal is to make it from tee to hole in the lowest amount of strokes as possible. Depending on the situation, a golfer will use a different club for each shot during the hole.

Each hole has a given par.  The par of the hole is the recommended score for the hole. Holes can be either a par 3, 4, or 5. The sum of the holes par, is the par for the course. Traditionally, a course is a par 72 consisting of ten par 4's, four par 5's, and four par 3's. However, this is not a rule and it is common to see courses with a Par 70 or 71 as well.

When a golfer does better than par on a hole i.e. takes 4 strokes on a par 5, this is a birdie. If they score more than par i.e. five strokes on a par 4, this is a bogey.

Based on scores relating to par, a handicap index (handicap) is given to the player. A player with a handicap index of 5 would generally be expected to shoot fice strokes over par on an 18 hole course. Handicaps are important as it allows players of all abilities to play against each other.  Handicaps also give you a quick idea of how good the player is. Professional golfers would have a handicap below 0.

Playing 18-holes can take over four hours. It is permissible and becoming more common for individuals to play only nine holes (about two hours). These nine-hole scores can also be used for to calculate golfers handicap.

The Professionals 

Not only do golfers enjoying playing the game, they enjoy watching others play the game! The standard format for a professional tournament is four 18 holes rounds that take place Thursday- Sunday. The golfer with the lowest score after the 72 holes is the winner. There are professional tours all over the world. The most prestigious being the PGA Tour which has the majority of its events in the United States. The DP World Tour (European Tour) is the second most prestigious tour with events traditionally held in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. No matter what tour golfers play on, they come together for four majors championships every year. Each championship has it's own personality. Similar to tennis, different styles of play are rewarded at the different championship venues. The majors are as follows:

• The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - April 
• The most traditional tournament, same course, same weekend, invite only
• Winner receives a "Green Jacket" as a prize
• The PGA Championship- Rotating courses in United States- May 
• The least prestigious of the majors but maybe the best competition
• Only professional golfers are invited to play
• The U.S. Open- Rotating courses in United States- June
• "Golf's Toughest Test"
• Open qualifying allows any golfer to make tournament through series of events
• Held on America's best public and private courses
• The Open Championship- Rotating Courses in the United Kingdom- July
• Held on golf courses that are mainly "links" i.e. close to the sea
• The oldest and most storied major championship
• Weather is always a factor
• Only major outside on the U.S.

The best professional golfer of our generation is Tiger Woods. Though because of a series of injuries and off the course incidents, his last major championship win was in 2019. Today, golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, John Rahm and Scottie Scheffler are fan favorites and usually in contention come Sunday.

How to sound like a golfer

You now know the basics! But what are some questions to ask to make you sound like a pro? Here are some examples.

• What did you shoot today? How many birdies did you make?
• Did you win your match?
• Has your handicap been going up or down this year?
• What are the strengths in your game? What are the weaknesses?
• What is your favorite golf course? Why?
• Who is your pick to win the Open?

Twenty Years of "The Pressbox"

2020- Year 19

In the last twenty years I’ve been a teenager, graduate, bartender, accountant, recruiter, son, brother, and I’m sure a whole bunch of others things. I’ve lived in six cities across three states, two countries and two continents and can’t begin to count how many different houses/apartment I’ve called home. My life over the last twenty years has been full of changes.

My dad, over those same twenty years has been, well, a dad, a husband, a machinist, business-owner, and most recently, a retiree. He’s lived in one house, in one town, in one state. He’s the epitome of consistency. Busy by 6:30 every morning, home before dinner.

Our lives and the titles we have had have changed at a different pace over the years. However, on the first full-weekend of June, every single one of these last twenty years, we adopt a new description when we become partners for a two-day golf tournament at our home course in Pocatello, Idaho.

We call the tournament “The Pressbox” after the title sponsor of the event in 2002, the first year we played. That year I was 13, my dad, 47. It was the first “grown-up” golf tournament I ever played in and I still remember making some silly mistakes involving the rules and etiquette of the game. My dad never once got mad and I got hooked on the game at that point. When people ask me when I started playing golf, I say, “I started taking it seriously at 13, when I played in a tournament with my dad.”

Neither of us knew that the event would still be part of our lives in 2021. We will have played two years now during a global pandemic. We played the day after my sister’s wedding. At least three times we played on days when we would attend funerals later in the afternoon. In 2011, I made a 180-mile round trip drive on a Saturday afternoon/evening for work just to make sure I could be back in time to play on Sunday (and keep my job). Oh yea, and these last four years I have made the 5000 mile (8000 km) trip across the Atlantic Ocean to make sure I was here. Only once did my clubs not make the journey with me; a sarcastic thank you to Air France for that and a sincere thank you to my friend Brandon who allowed me to borrow his clubs for the weekend.

We started from the bottom (Kanye reference intended), worked are way up to the top, and now are somewhere in the middle. Our roles as teammates have changed. My dad was the coach, teaching me how to play tournament golf while being the anchor of the team. Now, we rely on his putting skills and consistency. There have been great years; winning our flight twice and finishing second at least twice more. And there have been some not so great years that are much easier to forget.  There were times when we tested each other’s patience and there have been times of elation after a miraculous shot that helped us secure victory. I still think of a perfectly struck seven-iron on the last hole the weekend after my high-school graduation 14 years ago. There was once a run of six holes where we made four birdies (a very good thing for readers that don’t golf) and two double bogeys (a very bad thing), leaving us at even par (a very average thing), without making a par. 

2008- First Team Photo

We have taken a team picture the last 13 years and shared beers in reflection of the round for the last 10. We’ve always stopped for hot-dogs after the front nine and always thought we had a chance at winning (or at least finishing in the money) come Sunday no-matter how bad Saturday went. However, these last few years, it doesn’t really matter how we play. Strokes are the fun metric. The important metric is the years and the eight to ten hours across two days of father-son time that really count. It took me a long time to realize this and I still need to be reminded of it every now and then. Especially when one of us misses a four-foot par putt. We’ve already missed plenty of those and will miss plenty more. Off the golf course, there have been good times and bad times these last twenty years as well. No matter what though, this is a weekend that is circled on the calendar, a chance to reset, a chance to play golf. In twenty years more, I’ll be in my 50’s and my dad in his 80’s. Life will certainly have changed for us many more times but I hope that on the first weekend in June, we will still be here in Pocatello, Idaho, playing in “The Pressbox.”

Royal Lytham and St Annes

1st Green with Club House and Dormie House

Last Friday evening work required that I be in Manchester so I took advantage of the playing a nearby Open Championship course. I figured if I could survive driving on the wrong side of the road, a championship golf course would be a great way to start my golf season off. Royal Lytham & St. Annes, one of the 66 clubs in the world that holds the “Royal” title won out over two over “Royal” courses in the area, Birkdale and Liverpool. I’m guessing primarily because it was open to guests on Monday. I paid £125 for the round, which was a little steep for the season in my opinion. It was a chilly and windy day, 42F to start, getting up to 47F with 30-50 mph winds. Nothing that this Idaho boy can’t handle!  It had just been a while since I swung a golf club with that many clothes on.

The course starts with a shorter par-3, one of the only opening par-3 holes I think I have ever played. A clunky seven iron got me on the front of the green where I was able to two-putt for par. I was playing with the wind on the first three holes but I only made it to the second before losing my first ball. On the third hole is where I noticed the first of the dramatic bunkering. The count that I’ve read is 206 bunkers in total. Some are hardly big enough to take swing, others look and act like snakes in the sense you don’t know they are there until it’s too late.

6th green in foreground, 7th fairway going away

My favorite stretch of the course were holes six through ten. Six is par 5 (plays as 4 in the Opens) that is a dog leg left, it’s under 500 yards and the wind is usually helping. Yet, here is where the course showed it’s teeth, I found a bunker just short of the green and I liked it so much, I stayed there for the next three strokes. Seven is a long sucker, playing close to 600 yards, with danger on both sides and a fairway tighter than your work wife’s pencil skirt. There is rough, bunkers, and trees to the left and rough, bunkers, grouse, and trees to the right. I lost my driver here and then slapped it down the fairway for a score of 9, I remind you the wind was helping here. Eight is a shorter, visually pleasing par 4 with an elevated tee and a green that elevates quickly. Even the longest hitters lay-up here as there are three bunkers that guard the green; a la the hole is a pinball machine where you ball goes in and you lose a turn. The ninth hole offers some relief but is still a tough par three and in my opinion is the most visually pleasing hole on the golf course. Found another bunker here… The tee shot on ten is blind, one the few blind shots on the whole course. There is room to miss, just miss big. 

Par 3 9th

The last six holes are all par fours, two you can make birdie on (13, 16), two that you will be happy with bogey on (15, 17) and then two that will make or break your round (14, 18). You can ask Adam Scott for the fact check here. Overall, this course is fun and was in good condition, especially for the time of the year. The staff and the few members I met while playing are really friendly. I’d include it on a list of must plays if you are golf fan! But there were a few things missing. The main one, the water views! There were none. The course is almost blocked in by houses. This caused the course to lose out on “mystique” and holiday feel. It is not a resort, there is only course at the club and it’s very tough. This is a home club where a golfer will be continually challenged.

Posting Score: 89

Actual Score: Somewhere between 90-100 (when it went bad, it went really bad)

Cost: £125

Golf Balls Lost/Found: -3 Net

PS- I have a new friend that will be traveling with me across the golf courses of Europe. Everyone welcome Spuddy Buddy!