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.
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Scotland
After an inspiring trip to Ireland that included 13 rounds of golf in 8 days, I wanted more. With Scotland just a short plane ride away, I decided to board that plane and meet up with a serious crew of golf nuts.
- Ashley Mayo - Trip planner and ring leader of the golf circus. This critically acclaimed Golf Digest Editor was also celebrating a birthday.
- Jeff Blind - As the boyfriend of Ashley, Jeff is often referred to as Mr Mayo on hotel reservations. However, standing at 6'6" Jeff holds his own on the golf course.
- Jeff Filer - A second Jeff, standing at what feels like 7'2". Thats over 13' feet of Jeff to deal with.
- Shane Bacon - Fresh off his broadcast at the US Open, Shane brought his handsome face and swing speeds exceeding 115 mph.
- Tom Murray - A master of the quip and pee your pants one liners, Tom brings the comedic heat. As a special treat, Tom will host the Paper Plate Awards at the end of this post.
- Hally Leadbetter - Hally is a recovering tour pro on staff with Golf Digest. This girl can golf her ball.
- Chris Solomon - Chris is the driving force behind the No Laying Up podcast. True to his game, Chris would not lay up once during the trip.
It is claimed that golf was first played in the village of Cruden Bay in 1791. 100 years later, Old Tom Morris of St Andrews and Archie Simpson would design Cruden Bay Golf Club in 1899. The course was then redesigned by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler in the 1920's. Our group would hit our golf balls 226 years after the 1st golf ball was struck on this land.
Chris Solomon pounds one deep at Cruden Bay's 6th hole.
After a rousing start to the golf trip, things were about to get nasty. Carnasty at Carnoustie that is. With winds gusting into the 40mph range on one of the toughest tests in golf, the golf battle was on.
Since The Open is coming to Carnoustie in 2018, it was important for our team to test the merits of the layout. Even though they have been golfing here since 1850 and our opinions don't "officially" matter, we approved this course for Open play.
I always remember to pose as hard as I golf.
Tom would smoke his the 3 wood into the wind on the difficult 17th "Island" hole at Carnoustie. You can sense the amazement in the face of the caddie as Tom finds the green.
Hally would find the sand often at Carnoustie, this one would also find the bottom of the cup for birdie.
After a long and tumultuous internet romance between Shane and Chris, this would be the first time that they would actually meet in person. With expectations high for a life altering introduction, things were surprisingly normal and there were no uncomfortable Butler Cabin moments or sloppy make out sessions.
Meeting your internet friends is always awkward @shanebacon pic.twitter.com/EV2jv684IY
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) June 23, 2017
With it often being difficult to obtain a tee time to play the Old Course, Crail is a fantastic option just down the road. With most of the holes offering fantastic views of the North Sea, Crail will satisfy your golfing soul.
The par 3 14th hole at Crail greets you on your arrival to the Balcomie Course.
After a successful morning round at Carnoustie, half of our group would tackle the Old Course at St Andrews. The other half would head to the Golfing Society of Crail.
Here we have Jeff Blind finding the green, Jeff Filer looking on, and Tom Murphy looking on in sheer amazement.
The view from the 1st hole at Crail's Balcomie Course.
Since only half of our group had played The Old Course, the other half needed to get up early and wait in line to get a tee time for that day. After chatting with the starter, we were advised that getting in line between 3am and 4am should put us in a good position to be sprinkled into the tee sheet as singles throughout the morning.
After a good 2 hours of sleep, we walked through the darkness and got into line at 3:15am. The first person in line had arrived at 2:18 am and we were in positions 5-8. We were confident as we waited for the starter to open at 6am. As we watched the sunrise over St Andrews, it was clear that there are far worse lines to wait in. I'd take a 3 hour wait at the Old Course over a 30 minute wait at the DMV all day long.
At 6am, the starter opened up to a round of applause. Moments later, we would learn that a foursome had cancelled their 7am foursome and our group was next in line to claim the coveted tee time. After some high fiving and coffee drinking, The Old Course was ours.
The view from the early morning line at the Old Course.
Excitement level at 10 as we nab the 7am slot.
Classic classicness.
Par saver from the knees!
Jeff Blind finds the green on 18! "I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life."
Having heard much about the Old Course before actually visiting, my expectations were for a flat and rather pedestrian golf course. I was told that it takes years and a minimum of 10 rounds to appreciate the subtleties of the Old Course.
What I did not expect was just how much fun the course is to play. The course is anything but flat and has incredible undulations that add a great deal of interest to any shot played along the ground. Each hole feels like a walk through history and the ambiance of the course is unlike anything else.
I was surprised how far right you really have to go with your tee shot on 17 and I also can't describe just how awesome that tee shot into 18 is. I remember smiling as I pounded one towards the village of St Andrews. When was the last time you hit a tee shot with a big ass grin on your face?
“I feel sorry for people that don’t play golf.”
After a round of golf at The Old Course, The Dunvegan Motel is the place to get your golf party on. It's where quotes like this make sense.
Up next was an afternoon round at Elie Golf Links. It was a unanimous decision that this was the windiest round of golf that any of us had ever played. Balls were not staying on the tees and flushed 6 irons were only going 80 yards. You could literally fall into the wind and it would just push you right back up again.
After a 380 yard 3 wood, Jeff plays his 2nd from the parking lot at Elie Golf Links.
St Andrews sunset selfie action. Kingsbarns and North Berwick today #golfparty. pic.twitter.com/ro59eaH26g
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) June 25, 2017
Ashley checks out the periscope clubhouse at Elie Golf Links. This is an actual periscope from the HMS Excalibur submarine that allows the starter's office to alert golfers when the 1st fairway is clear.
After 2 hours of sleep, 18 at the Old Course, 18 at Elie in 45 mph winds, it was time to play a sunset round on St Andrews' Jubilee course. To cap things off, we ordered Domino's pizza and smoked cigars from the Jigger Inn as we watched the sunset over 17 and 18 on the Old Course. In terms of golf days, this was a good one.
Today was one of those days Ice Cube talked about pic.twitter.com/YkM7Kb5vGW
— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) June 24, 2017
A nice little compilation of when it takes 4 tries to escape and I am in the group with my camera,
In a heated golf bus discussion, our group debated the captioning options for Hally's Instagram post. "Feel the 'burn' between your legs at Kingsbarns." was deemed too racy and was unfortunately scrapped.
With only one day left in Scotland, it was a day of 36 holes at Kingsbarns and North Berwick. With Kingsbarns opening for play in 2000 and North Berwick being established in 1832, this was a good mix of the old and new.
The 18th at Kingsbarns
At around 200 yards, the 15th at Kingsbarns is a real ball buster of a par 3.
The 12th hole at Kingsbarns was recently voted the best par 5 in Scotland based on a poll conducted by VisitScotland.com
North Berwick was one of the courses that I had earmarked on the agenda as I was looking forward to many of the holes and the original architecture. North Berwick did not let us down that day as it has been satisfying golfers since 1832. It knows what it's doing.
"The Pit" hole at North Berwick is as fun as any other golf hole in the world.
The biarritz green on the 16th at North Berwick is outstanding.
With the trip nearing completion as we headed down the 18th fairway, Ashley Mayo decided to knock one in for eagle and earn shot of the trip awards. What a legend, that Mayo.
With Ashley's walk off eagle, the trip was complete and it was time to take some selfies and hand out some awards. I know you have been eagerly awaiting the Paper Plate Awards hosted by Tom Murray.
Paper Plate Awards Hosted by Tom Murray
- Most likely to play 36 while we're sleeping Award- Patrick Koenig *It's true, I played Muirfield twice while every was in bed on Tuesday.
- Steal my chips and look like Jason Whitten Award - Jeff Filer *Jeff had 2 touchdowns and 3 birdies on The Old Course.
- Most likely to pound the most D's on the same hole Award - Jeff Blind *D stands for driver people, jeez.
- Expedia.com travel insurance Award - Shane Bacon *Shane booked the wrong flight and showed up a day late.
- Hit every fairway Award - Ashley Mayo *Ashley has hit every fairway since mid 2005.
- Least likely to lay up Award - Chris Solomon *not even once.
- Feel the burn Award - Hally Leadbetter *While the caption may have been scrapped, the burn lives on.
See ya later, Scotland!
2016 Recap: 12 months, 12 winning rounds.
Contrary to what you may find elsewhere on the internet, 2016 was an awesome year. I was able to play over 100 rounds of golf at some of America's finest destinations with some of America's greatest people. I even got a couple of Canadian rounds on the books. Check out 2016's winners for round of the month below.
January 2016: Streamsong with Mayo and Ogle.
The year started out strongly with a journey to Florida for the PGA Show and some golf with Ashley Mayo of Golf Digest and Sean Ogle of Breaking Eighty (The second best golf blog on the internet) 36 at Streamsong was hard to beat. Ashley and Sean are even tougher to beat.
Fantastic use of the sandy terrain at Streamsong Red.
A lot of pictures happen with this threesome.
February 2016: Wolf Creek with Ashmaeb.
Wolf Creek is just about as memorable of a golf course as one can find the U.S. In a winter month vacation, Maebs and I brought the Instagram heat to Wolf Creek. Be sure to click on any of the course links for more photos and stories.
AshMaeb goes deep in Mesquite
The difficult par 3 8th at Wolf Creek.
March 2016: Spanish Oaks. Can't keep a good Texas caddie down.
On a trip to Texas, I was paired up with an all world caddie at Spanish Oaks, his yardages were spot on and his knowledge of the course shaved countless strokes. I even canned a few long putts that I would have otherwise misread.
The 17th at Spanish Oaks.
The caddie made the difference in March.
April 2016: Consolation Round: 2016 Golf Digest TYPHI.
After Cody Ross and I suffered a tough loss in a playoff at the Think Young Play Hard Invitational, it was time for T-Rex to take on the Links at Bali Hai in the consolation bowl. Sarah Moodie, Jeremy Lusk, and I hit the links hard indeed.
The 3 putt penalty hat lacks style and functionality
May 2016: Pinehurst No. 2 with Payne Stewart
I was never fortunate enough to have met the man in person, but the spirit of Payne Stewart lives on. There is no place where this is more true than at Pinehurst No. 2. The site of Payne's first US Open Victory and iconic victory pose.
To the left: Payne and I discuss pre-round strategy. Above: I fail to properly execute pre-round strategy discussed.
June 2016: The Massacre at Merion
This one was an easy victory for Merion as it is without a doubt one of the most special places that I have ever visited in the world of golf. In an epic Merion showdown, it was the women vs the men. Although the women were fantastic hosts, they took no mercy on Sean Ogle and I, scoring a lopsided victory in what would later be called "The Massacre at Merion." Even though we suffered a crushing defeat, Sean and I would consider the loss a victory.
Our group at Merion
Bobby Jones completed the Grand Slam of Golf on this very hole.
July 2016: Friar's Head with Captain Joe, Ashley Mayo, and Jeff Blind
As I look back on 2016, it would be tough to remember a round more enjoyable than this one at Friars Head. As Ashley Mayo reminds us, it's not where you play, but who you play with that makes the difference. This round had both areas covered in style.
The 9th tee box at Friars Head is special.
So many birdie push-ups.
August: Water Balloons at Manzanita Golf Course.
My good friend Joey the Cat was turning 30 and it was time to celebrate. What better way to beat the heat, but with water balloons. I kicked things off with a splash here in Oregon.
Behind the scenes action shots taken by Andrew Herrold. Even though I was soaked on the 1st tee, my pants dried quickly and the rest of the round was a blast.
September: Robert Trent Jones and the RTJ golf trail
With a full line up of golf bros and endless golf, the RTJ trail in Alabama really felt like one endless round. Perhaps the best value in all of public golf, the trail is a fantastic destination for any group of die hard golf buddies.
Birdies on 18! Riding the RTJ golf trail hard. pic.twitter.com/VmL7CCA5Ju
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) September 4, 2016
I would card one of my better rounds of 2016 at Grand National's Lake Course with a 72.
October: Golfing next to the President at Olympia Fields. Chicago Cubs win the World Series
Few people in the world get the chance to play golf with an active President. I am currently not one of those people. However, I did have the privilege of playing golf on the same course at the same time with Barack Obama at Olympia Fields. Later on, the Cubs would win the world series. It was a good trip to Chicago.
POTUS Obama tees off as I play the other way at Olympia Fields.
Pretty sure it was my lucky ballmarker that broke that goat curse thing. #WorldSeries pic.twitter.com/JIRhtuHeNC
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) November 3, 2016
November: $9 solo mission on Thanksgiving at Tuscan Ridge
While playing golf with friends is fantastic, heading out to the course as a single can be just as satisfying. After paying a modest $9 greens fee, it was just me, the grass, and my golf ball as I worked up a Thanksgiving appetite.
A look back on the 3rd hole at Tuscan Ridge.
On course deals for #BlackFriday #Round4 pic.twitter.com/7bnv50wlcc
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) November 25, 2016
December: The Club at Estancia
When my plane landed in Phoenix my wife informed me that it was snowing in Seattle. Although, I missed my wife, I didn't miss the weather. The next day I would be teeing it up at Estancia in 70 degree desert conditions. Between our fantastic hosts and Tom Fazio's visual assault on my golfing senses, The Club at Estancia delivered one of the year's most enjoyable experiences.
Like any good New Year's post, I will close with a vague and immeasurable New Year's resolution. "Play more golf in 2017."
The short 11th at Estancia
Looking back on the 12th hole
New York!
My friend, "Captain Joe" (pictured to the right) owns and operates a scavenger hunt company called Clash Scavenger Hunts. When he informed me that he would be traveling to New York for a hunt and golf was on the agenda, I gladly joined him for the festivities.
First up on the agenda was the nearby Links at Ferry Point. As far as golf options in NYC go, Ferry Point is the closest you can hit a golf ball outside of Manhattan other than the driving range at Chelsea Piers or ripping one down Wall Street (which is not recommended). The course boasts some fantastic skyline views and the tall fescue was a nice golden brown. In the shot of the day, Cory Bradburn holed out a wedge for eagle on the 8th hole.
The Whitestone Bridge owns the view on the 18th at Ferry Point.
Upon arriving in New York, Joe and I decided that it would be a wise idea to document his visit to the big apple via a series of suggestive poses. We named the photos for added effect.
The 2nd in a series of 6 photos comes from Korea Town where our group did some intense Korean style karaoke. As it turns out, my voice is slightly less amazing than Whitney Houston's. However, the power of our performances made up for any noticeable gaps.
Picture #2 is called "Mystery" As in, it is a mystery why this photo was named mystery.
Captain Joe, moves to a more "Urban" setting somewhere in the East Village for picture #3.
The walk from the 15th green to the 16th tee is like taking a tropical vacation.
Another clutch birdie captures the match and sends Jeff and Ashley to the ground for 35 push-ups.
There would be no rest for the duo as Joe and I would be up early for 36 at the iconic Winged Foot Golf Club. It would be 36 holes of Top 100 golf.
On the 18th hole on the East Course, Joe would uncharacteristically flub his approach leaving 80 yards in for his 3rd shot. That 3rd shot would find the bottom of the cup for a walk off birdie. However, the West course would shut us out and concede no birdies for our twosome.
At 146 yards, the 13th hole on the East Course is referred to as the shortest par 5 in the world. Both Joe and I would make 5 to confirm this fact.
Joe Garvey does not putt from the rough, he putts from the sand. Not advisable.
With the golf portion of the trip behind us, it was time to take in some more New York City, take some more pictures, and finish up with an all world scavenger hunt around New York.
The bridge to Brooklyn. More commonly know as the Brooklyn Bridge.
"You're Abe Froman? The Sausage King of Chicago?"
Captain Joe's 1st in an outstanding series of 6 photos. This one is aptly named "Skyline"
Cory Bradburn tries to give his hole out eagle some company with an ace on 17. He would miss wide right.
After our warm up round at Ferry Point, our foursome blasted onto the scene at Friar's Head. Our foursome consisted of Ashley Mayo, Jeff Blind, Captain Joe, and myself. Perhaps one of the greatest pairings the world has even seen.
Friar's Head is a Long Island gem and we took full advantage of the opportunity. The push-up game was in full effect and the birdies started early on the 2nd hole. Long putts were made to save par and the hilarious comments reached an all time high
Ashley Mayo finds the fairway on the 15th. Ashley always finds the fairway.
With Friar's Head in the books, it was time to get our jam on and lucky for us, an evening of 80's rock was on the calendar. REO Speedwagon would open for Def Leppard at Jones Beach, just outside of Manhattan. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" did not disappoint and Captain Joe and I head banged like it was 1985.
Jones Beach is a great venue to catch a summer time show.
One of the better feelings in golf is pulling your ball out of the hole with the flagstick still in.
The proper way to pose on Winged Foot's finishing 18th. Polo by State Apparel.
Clash Scavenger Hunts are high energy, wildly fun events designed for corporate team building. In this case, the business students at NYU were in for quite a ride.
Dubbed, the "Tech Party King" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Joe Garvey has created a scavenger hunt that will blow your minds. If you haven't crowd surfed in an elevator, you haven't lived.
The champs pose with the legendary "Clash Cup"
Thanks to Ferry Point, Winged Foot, and Friar's Head for hosting us and a bigger thanks to Def Leppard for rocking so hard. I vow to return and rock again.
PGA Show 2016
As a newcomer to the PGA Merchandise show in 2016, I was excited to meet many of the golf industry folks that I had conversed with over the internet for some time. Although, my time at the show was brief, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting many of the passionate folks that work in the golf industry. For the trip, I had teamed up with fellow golf enthusiast and blogger, Sean Ogle of Breaking Eighty. Like any sensible businessman, I packed my golf clubs and business cards and headed out to Orlando. First up would be the golf, then the business of golf.
The 18th green at Adios, an excellent par 5 finishing hole.
The winds blew a good 30-40 mph for us on the Blue Monster
My first ever round of golf in Florida would be on the challenging Blue Monster Course at Doral. As you can see in the photo, there was a little bit of wind to contend with. Fortunately, the wind would die down and I would roll in my first Florida birdie on the 17th hole.
After hitting the scene in Miami Beach and visiting the 14th best bar in the world, The Broken Shaker, we got up early to play golf at Adios Golf Club. Adios is a private establishment that is more well known for it's club than it's course. Although, both are top notch. Sean and I would agree that Adios was one of our favorite golfing experiences to date.
Our trip was indeed building up some steam as we headed to the airport to pick up Ashley Mayo of Golf Digest. The next morning our power trio would go for 36 at Streamsong. Click on the images below for the exclusive "By the Numbers" recap.
Ashley let's me know I've only got 6 inches for birdie!!
The Biarritz swale on 16 swallowed up several of our shots.
With the golf in our rear view mirror, it was time to set our sights on the PGA Merchandise Show's Demo Day. Demo Day is hosted on a 360 degree driving range at the Orange County National Golf Center. With just about every golf vendor in attendance, you can hit the latest sticks with the latest gadgets until your arms fall off. Here is what we found.
Long Drive Champ, Jamie Sadlowski brought his iPhone in his back pocket and hit this 7 iron 320 yards.
These things exist, not sure what they are or how they're gonna help, but they exist.
The Golf Board comes in orange! ...and has a cooler for those who are interested in drinking and boarding.
The Big Max Trolleys fold up so nicely that you can almost put them in your back pocket. The Blade!!
With Demo Day in the books, Sean and I got serious and headed over to Orlando's finest miniature golf facility, Pirate's Cove, to round out a solid day. Check out the pirate video recap below.
For day 2, it was time to head over to the convention center and check out the scene. Orange County convention center is massive and we had some serious talking and walking to do. Here is the best of what we found.
First time PGA show residents, Holderness & Bourne have some of the finest golf polos around. You'll have to wait until March to get these babies.
That's a Dalmation golf bag cover from MiniZoo Golf Bag Covers. Your bag with some bark.
Who amongst us hasn't wanted to do this. Jones just gets it.
For me, the biggest hit of the show was Taylor Made's release of the M2 line. I smoked this 3 wood like a Cigar on my birthday!!
Keegan Bradley has his own beer now. Finally.
Sean Ogle goes yard with Cobra's latest driver while Red Bull pumps the dope beats.
Somebody has got to sort all of these balls. Thanks to the volunteers!
One of my favorite gadgets at the show was the reasonably priced ($349) Swing Caddy 2. 107 club head speed, not bad for this hacker
The view of the showroom floor. Lot's of action down there.
Loudmouth still loud.
The Classic line up of Jones Golf Bags. Classic Jones!
Co-founder John Bourne of Holderness and Bourne tells it how it is.
That's a wrap from Orlando and the 2016 PGA Merchandise show. A big thanks to my friend Sean Ogle of Breaking Eighty and everyone else who took the time to make this newcomer feel important. Until next time, Orlando!