I considered writing a Top 21 Golf Moments of 2021, but that began to bring things like “met a cool dog on the golf course” into the conversation. I know you guys only want the hot and good stuff. So here it is. The Top 10 heat from 2021.
10. Welcoming Charlie the goat caddy to the crew at Silvies Valley Ranch
Bruce and Mike are already big stars on the goat caddy circuit, but newcomer Charlie has the potential to be the GOAT Goat Caddy of all time. Bruce and Mike are aware of this fact and have a tendency to bully Charlie. Which I do not approve of. In response, I strategically distracted Bruce and Mike with fake treats and gave all of my real treats to Charlie instead. Hopefully Bruce & Mike learned a lesson. The golf course at Silvies is also excellent.
9. Playing golf with a homicidal maniac at Oak Quarry
Only once in my life have I refused to play golf with someone in the middle of the round. That time came in 2021 at Oak Quarry. Early on in the round, my friend Lee Abbamonte made a slam dunk hole in one and somehow managed to become the second best story of the day behind this fool. Below is a short list of this grown man’s atrocities.
Ordered me to stop taking pictures and hit into the group in front of us. (they were 175 yards away)
Told us we were pussies for not playing the back tees like him (he was at least a 25 handicap)
Threatened to sue us for $20 million each for being spies sent to harass him on his day off.
Declared Lee’s hole in one a farce. Claimed we hired a crew to plant the golf ball in the hole.
The good news is that we forcibly separated from this man on the 6th hole after a shouting match and managed to avoid being murdered. Suspect is approximately 52 years old, 5’ 9” with brown hair. This man’s current whereabouts are unknown.
8. Channing throws a birthday party at Cypress Point
Channing Benjamin is well known as one of the hottest golf photographers in the game and I am pleased to call him a friend and a colleague. One of the many benefits of being in this circle of trust is that Channing sometimes invites you to his birthday parties. His 50th birthday party happened to be at a little place called Cypress Point.
7. My hotel room at Rusacks
It’s not about fancy faucets or high thread count sheets at Rusacks. It’s what lies directly outside the window of your hotel room. It’s the 18th hole at the home of golf and I had a penthouse room with a balcony view. Until I gather evidence to the contrary, I will consider this to be the very best hotel room in Scotland. I enjoyed the view on the left every morning during my coverage of the 2021 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
The view from my balcony at Rusacks
In the tower above the road hole.
The view of my room from the 1st fairway on the Old Course.
There are 2 suites at Rusacks that have this balcony view. ! had one of them and Piers Morgan had the other one. We may be in different tax brackets, but for the 2021 Dunhill Links, we were in similar rooms.
6. Playing Rockaway Hunting Club with Joe Horowitz
Some dudes are just that cool that they get their own number on the internet’s hottest top 10 hot list. Joe Horowitz is one of those dudes. Not only is Joe an outstanding player (missed playing the US Open by 1 freaking shot) he is also an accomplished musician. He rocks the scene at golf tournaments, charity events, and your local chill vibe / hang out type establishments. You can learn more about this fascinating man right here.
When you pair up Joe with an experience like the one at Rockaway Hunting Club, you are guaranteed to be out of your mind with golf joy. The light was great, the golf course is one of the best on the east coast, and the company was 10/10. Well… #6 out of #10.
6. Rolling a watermelon 312 yards on the 12th hole at Quivira
If you are paying close attention you will notice that this is the second number 6 on the list. Due to some sort of legal loophole 2020’s top moment managed to sneak it’s way into the list for 2021. I guess it was just that good. Legal inquiries will need to contact the department at Buzzfeed, they make up the rules.
5. Quick Sands at Gamble Sands
That’s right! The entire short course at Gamble Sands gets its very own Top 10 moment. The Quick Sands at Gamble Sands is a David McLay Kidd creation that is just about as much fun as one could possibly have on a golf course. I had a little fun with the hole names as I scooted around the enjoyable mix of par 3’s.
4. Skip, Chip, & Kip
At the beginning of this post, I informed you that there would be no “cool dogs on the golf course” type stuff. However, Skip, Chip, and Kip are seriously good boys. For my 4 day photo shoot at Sandals St Lucia, these doggos greeted me every morning with enthusiasm. When I would play during the day, they would eagerly following along and cheer me on. As a single man staying at a Sandals couples resort, this company was well received. These guys are some of the best golf dogs I have ever encountered.
“Hit it on the green already.”
3. Speed golf with Andy Garcia, Huey Lewis, and Tico Torres at the Dunhill Links
Just like the ancient saying goes, “If you can’t play regular golf, play speed golf.” I rounded up 3 all stars for my round of speed golf and we made fast friends.
The highlight was obviously when Huey Lewis told me that it was “Hip to be square at impact.”
2. The 70 foot eagle walk off
The bulk of my 2021 summer was spent exploring the great state of Wisconsin as an official WSGA intern. I played 76 courses in 49 days while consuming 22 bratwursts and roughly 16 pounds of cheese en route to my final round at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club. I made my 211th birdie of the summer on the 17th hole and when I faced an eagle putt on the very final hole of my internship, the unbelievable happened.
2. Joining the crew at the Fire Pit Collective
in November of 2021, I proudly became employee #10 at the Fire Pit Collective. While it only reached #2 on this list, I look forward to huge things from the Fire Pit in 2022.
There are few moment’s in a man’s career that define his legacy. I believe this move to be one of them. You can relive the story and announcement right here.
If you are continuing to pay attention, you will also notice that there are 2 #2’s. There must always be 2 2’s in any respectable year end list. This is in accordance with the Buzfeed bylaws.
1. Playing golf with Mr and Mrs Mayo at Pine Valley
“If Justin Timberlake is out, then you are in.” That was my official position on a potential Pine Valley tee time as I headed into the month of October…. I was officially Justin Timberlake’s backup. A week later, fortune would smile upon me and I would move into the starting lineup. Apparently JT had to shoot a movie or something. For three days we golfed our hearts out at the very best golf course I have ever experienced.
2021 shall be remembered as the year that I finally got the chance to play the #1 course in the world.
My favorite picture of 2021, with my favorite people.
