The Golfography Experience (TGE) made it’s 3rd appearance last week at Ballyhack Golf Club just outside of Roanoke Virginia. With previous experiences hosted at Rams Hill and Victoria National, the Experience was rounding into top notch form and firing on all cylinders. We were especially excited to be hosting our 2nd event at a Dormie Network property. The Dormie Network delivers exceptional golfing experiences at all of their locations and with one of Virginia’s most stunning venues on the docket, this event was assuredly going to be a success.
The massive green on the 13th and 15th holes.
The staff at all Dormie Network properties is world class when it comes to welcoming guests and Ballyhack was no exception. No detail is left unattended to and a visit to Ballyhack feels like a presidential parade. However, the real welcome at Ballyhack comes just outside of the golf shop when you are greeted by the Ballyhack goat crew. These goats love birdies and keep an eye on the golf action just outside of the 12th hole.
The goats at @ballyhackgolf are some top 5 goats. pic.twitter.com/2kPv0geBnl
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) October 26, 2020
Gary the goat says hello.
Gary’s likes include peanuts, grass, and well played bunker shots.
TGE strives to keep the golf party to a minimum and we have purposely limited the field to make sure that every participant gets plenty of time with all the hosts and guests. This philosophy has ensured that everyone involved receives the golf experience of a lifetime. This particular event had some returning participants as well as some fresh faces and influencers.
Golf Mami applies the sunscreen
With the arrangement of these 2 photographs, it looks as if Trevor is hiding amidst the grasses to capture the sunscreen application.
Here it is. It’s the official roster for the 2020 TGE at Ballyhack.
Channing Benjamin - The Golfography Experience ring master. Channing is always better in person than advertised on the internet.
Patrick Koenig - High kicker and local golf nut.
Stephen Malbon - The Malbon man himself runs one of golf’s most unique LA brands. Stephen knows how to golf party.
Alejandra “Mami” - Alex has won the Sherwood Country Club championship 3 times and looked good doing it.
Kyle Kelley - Digital Content Leader with the PGA. Check out his story on the Golfography Experience.
Luke Davis - Founder of Lie and Loft, one of golf’s outstanding art brands. Creates the wildly popular Experience posters for each event.
Michael Barbuti - Program Manager at TaylorMade. Not a program he can’t manage.
Trevor Cigich - Leader of the ForedaGolf crew. Trevor captures all of the Golfography Experience magic on video.
Brenden Hexberg - Golf enthusiast. Has appeared shirtless at 2 out of 3 Golfography Experiences.
Bryan Aguilera - Perhaps the most mysterious of the 3 time participants. Bryan marches to the beat of his own drum.
John Schaeffer - Runs the Dewsweepers podcast. No one sweeps dew like John.
Josh Malbon - Runs the Malbon Creative. Chocked to the brim with art, design, and ideas.
Mat Kent - A truth seeker on the golf course and a master of local knowledge.
Michael Denis - Denis delivers some serious heat with his photography.
Rich Standing - Rich Standing’s standing as a Golfography Experience participant is rich in standing.
Trey Profili - Trey lives in an RV at Bandon Dunes and can be found most often at Pacific Dunes. His golf nut level is inspirational.
Ryan Parsons - Ryan may or may not be affiliated with the CIA. He did give me a CIA ball marker that I believe is tracking my whereabouts.
Stephen Malbon golfs the Goat Trak. Ballyhack offers a short course where every golf hole has an alternate par 3 tee box. The result is 18 really fun par 3’s.
Day one greeted us with a phenomenal sunrise that our camera lenses eagerly ate up. Our shutters fired rapidly as we scampered around the property to catch all of the angles. After we had caught our fill of photographs and the sun had risen to an acceptable level, we grabbed our golf clubs and played some golf. In between nines we would host several sessions on equipment, social media, and photo editing.
The 17th hole is always a fan favorite and offers plenty of potential hole in one excitement.
Great night putting competition with the @GolfographyE at @ballyhackgolf The experience is underway!! @DormieNetwork pic.twitter.com/Lsjaef9ORg
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) October 24, 2020
After a day of golfing, the very best thing to do is play more golf. Fortunately, the folks at Ballyhack had anticipated this desire and when the sun went down, they rolled out the generator and powered up some lighting so that we could host a putting competition on the 18th green.
We promptly came up with a set of unnecessarily elaborate rules for the putting contest. Afterwards, we rolled putts across the illuminated and curvy contours of the 18th green until the late hours of the evening. In the end, Trey Profili would emerge the victor. I deduced that Trey’s victory had something to do with having Bandon Dunes’ Punchbowl putting green in his back yard.
Trey would receive a TaylorMade putter for his victory that he would immediately into play. When we hosted another putting competition on the second night, Trey would win again. What a legend on the illuminated greens.
This spot behind the 12th green is my personal favorite “hot spot.”
The crew from the @GolfographyE at @ballyhackgolf pic.twitter.com/qISLFD0F8M
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) October 29, 2020
On the second day of the Golfography the golf gods gave us rain and mist. That didn’t stop our crew from taking to the links. I was paired up with Alejandra “Golf Mami” and she wanted some head to head death match action. I happily provided her with the opportunity. It was a battle early on as Alejandra sank a number of clutch putts. However, on the back nine things got serious and Alejandra would wind up in the loser locker room. Be sure to view the Instagram Highlight to see how unhappy she was about it. Nobody likes the loser locker room.
The Instagram Highlight also features Channing Benjamin as the star of my favorite “Ace Cam” attempt of all time.
During our time at Ballyhack Golf Club, the internet was ablaze with social media on TGE. Below you will find some of my favorites from the social media blitzkrieg.
There is so much excellent photography at TGE that we decided to host a photography competition with all of the participants involved. It’s a bracket style competition where fans on Instagram vote for the winner. The winners receive top notch equipment and gear from TGE’s partners. At Ballyhack, we had great partners with Sunfish, Wilson Golf, Malbon Golf, Garrett Leight, Lie and Loft, and Worldwide Golf Shops that delivered some serious swag and prizes to all of TGE’s participants.
Perhaps the most daunting green complex at Ballyhack is on the 5th hole.
Channing and I want YOU at the next TGE at Indian Wells
The 8th green at Ballyhack is one of my favorites.
Thank you to the Dormie Network, Ballyhack Golf Club, and all of the participants, hosts, and sponsors that made the 2020 Ballyhack Golfography a bright spot amidst a year of challenges. The Experience may be over, but the golf memories and relationships will live on.
The Golfography’s next experience will be in 2021 at Indian Wells resort in Indio, CA on April 16-19. If you are ready to join the Experience, Click here to make it happen. Sign up today before we sell out.
If you are interested in attending but have questions, you can always send me a message or check the official Golfography Experience website for more details.