2016 US Open Predictions

Last year, for my 2015 US Open predictions, I correctly predicted that Jordan Spieth would finish atop the pile at Chambers Bay.  However, this does not mean you should empty out your bank account and run to Vegas with this year's picks.  However, if you do manage to cash in, my usual fee is just 10%.

Top 5

• Jordan Spieth - Comfortably holding the #2 slot in the World Golf Rankings, Jordan will also finish the 2016 US Open comfortably in second place.  Enraged with jealousy, Phil Mickelson will send out a tweet demanding a recount of Spieth's strokes.
• Dustin Johnson - Just one year removed from the devastating events at Chambers Bay, DJ will display his ability to forget the events of the past and play like the golf animal he is.  Unfortunately, Oakmont's greens will send him several 3 putt reminders on Saturday and he will fall down the leaderboard.  In the end, DJ will back door it with a fine Sunday that sneaks him into the top 5.
• Jason Day - Jason's ability to hit the long high ball gives him an advantage over most of the field this week.  Combined with his growing mental advantage, his skills will be too much for the rest of the field.  Jason Day will comfortably raise the trophy on Sunday after winning by 3 shots. 
• Justin Rose -  After his US Open win at Merion in 2013, Justin has played with an edge that few other players have.  With a near ode to his 1998 hole out finish at the Open, Rose lips out from the fairway on Oakmont's difficult 18th.  He finishes in 3rd place.
• Brooks Koepka - Nobody in the field may be trending stronger than ole Brooksy right now.  With two second place finishes in his last two events, Brooks wil be a force to reckon with.  After sharing the lead going into the weekend.  Brooks ends up slipping down the stretch and finishes alone in 4th place.  In a consolation victory, Brooks wins convincingly in an online poll as "Best looking golfer at US Open"

Notables:

• Phil Mickelson - With just about everyone in the world expecting Phil to finish in 2nd place in a US Open for the 7th time, he will actually finish in 22nd place.
• Bubba Watson - Watson will shoot himself out of the tournament in his Tuesday practice round by complaining about the green speeds and general difficulty of the course.
• Ricky Fowler - Fowler will suffer a minor Friday evening injury to his swiping finger in an intense barrage of Snapchats.  While not a limitation to his play, the Band-Aid on his finger will prove a difficult distraction to overcome.
• Rory McIlroy - Unfortunately, it's more of the same this week for Rory.  Plenty of birdies offset with some big numbers.  The 8 Rory makes on Saturday is too much to shake off.  However, Rory handles it in stride and cracks the top 10.  In a seamingly meaningless side competition, Rory wins the "Tightest Golf Shirt" event.

Story Lines:

• The biggest victor in this year's open is Oakmont.  In a return to a more classic US Open test after the previous year's at Pinehurst and Chambers' Bay, Oakmont shines.  The lightning fast greens and deep rough provide a terrific challenge for the players and the golf massochists of the world rejoice.  Jason Day takes the trophy at +4.  Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont in 1973 looks even more improbable.
• The 300 yard par 3 8th hole at Oakmont paves the way for the 1st 600 yard par 4 in 2025.
• Billy Horschel decides to upgrade his Octopus pants from the 2013 US Open at Merion to Sharknado pants for his Sunday round at Oakmont.
• In a surprise invitation by USGA Executive Director, Mike Davis, I am invited to play Oakmont on the Monday following the competition.  I shoot a spiritied 112 with 45 putts.

Philadelphia

After receiving an invitation to play the historic East Course at Merion Golf Club, a full scale golf trip was planned.  Sean Ogle of Breaking Eighty and I were coming to Philadelphia to take on one of the nation's greatest sporting and golfing towns.  We arrived at our accomodations just off of the 1st fairway at Merion and had time for an evening stroll to preview our round the next day.  The home we were staying in actually served as the USGA headquarters during the 2013 US Open.  A couple of lucky dogs indeed !! 

A quick preview stroll of Merion's 10th hole.

After a fantastic day on the course, we decided to hit the showers.  If you ever have a chance to play Merion, I highly recommend the showers.  I can only describe the feeling as stepping under a waterfall of golf history.  

For our second round, we had the privilege of stepping out onto one of the area's most exclusive clubs at Gulph Mills.

One of the days many missed opportunities would come on the par 5 7th in the form of a short missed eagle putt.

After a tense match with the women, it came down to the 18th hole.  Just look at the competitive ferocity Sean displays as he rolls in his putt for par on the uphill 18th hole.  Victory would be ours and the series would be tied.  Unfortunately, our gracious hosts for the first several days would have to depart before a deciding match could be played.  Looks like a return trip will be necessary.

Move over Tiger Woods' fist pump.

With 2 rounds in the books it was time to jump on the Tilly train and visit the final resting place of Mr AW Tillinghast, Philadelphia Cricket Club.  We were fortunate enough to be guests of Mark and John of the Philadelphia Golf Association and we had one of the final tee times before Senior Player's Championship took over the course.  You can view all of the photos from our round here.

I suffered a sandy fate at the par 3 10th hole.

With the halfway point behind us, we decided to head into town to get our tourist activities on.  On the menu was Rocky, steaks, and the Phillies.

The dueling steakhouses of Geno's and Pat's.  Serious decisions must be made.

Our round at Rolling Green would go into extra holes as we upgraded from 18 to 27.

The opening hole at Aronimink inspires excitement.  I couldn't get to the 1st tee fast enough.

An old caddy shack between 7 and 11 adds some character to the golf course.

The course at Aronimink was a pleasure to photograph and a fine way to conclude an all world trip to Philadelphia.  

Sean starts the trip off right by ripping one down the middle.  You can see how close the dining area is to the 1st tee in this photo.

Bobby Jones completed the Grand Slam of Golf on this very green.

It was the men vs the women for an all out death match at Merion.  Sean and i would succumb to the rough and suffer a devastating defeat in what would later be coined "The Massacre at Merion"

The opening hole at Gulph Mills lets visitors know they are in for a delicious test of golf, aka a testy treat.

Our foursome for 2 great rounds at Merion and Gulph Mills.

The clubhouse comes perilously close to the 2nd green at Philly Cricket Club.

One of the more classic yet unique tee markers that I have encountered..

Not a golf course

Polishing my model poses in front of the rocky steps.

For our fourth round of the trip, we were headed out to Rolling Green.  The William Flynn design did not disappoint.  Our host Mike was as knowledgable as anyone could be about the golf course and taught us the finer points and strategies of the classic design.  We made plenty of double bogies anyways.

The unique walking bridge on the long par 3 14th hole at Rolling Green.

With great weather for our first four rounds, thunderstorms were predicted for our final round at Aronimink.  The golf gods would side with us and push away the storms until after our departures.  A perfect segway into this clip from one of my favorite shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  It is important to note that there is golf featured in this clip.

Top scene from always sunny

The 18th hole at Aronimink was the 99th hole of the trip.  Looks like we will have to come back to make it an even 100.

The 2016 Golf Digest Think Young Play Hard Invitational

After waiting 365 days since the 2015 Golf Digest Think Young Play Hard (TYPHI) Invitational, the time was finally here to return to Las Vegas for more lessons in golf, life, and gambling.  We packed our golf costumes, boarded the plane, and arrived just in time for a warmup round at Southern Highlands.  Our time at Southern Highlands was spectacular and involved hooking a drive into Floyd Mayweather's backyard.  We then hustled off to the Think Young Play Hard kickoff party.  After chipping balls onto floating greens and eating approximately 15-30 chicken tenders, I became aware that an ill advised bet had been established between several of the revelers. The bet was that it was not possible to jump onto one of these floating greens.  This party had officially been kicked off.

The par 5 9th at Southern Highlands.

With the opening ceremonies in our rear view mirror, it was time to focus on serious golfing business.  I was fortunate enough to be paired up with World Series Champion, Cody Ross.  We decided it would be proper to plan our parade route and place all of our prize winnings on black in advance of actually winning the tournament.  Sound strategy.

Power foursome makes the turn at Royal Links on Day 1.

One of the best parts of the tournament is that there are activities on many of the holes.  There was a $50k hole in one opportunity on the 3rd hole.  Unfortunately, Matt Lemman of Jones Golf Bags would slam dunk an ace on the 14th hole.  There are also plenty of long drive and closest to the pin competitions and a chance to win a GoPro by hitting an actual GoPro out of the bunker to within a circle.  That's an inch from GoPro glory.  I blame the wind.

Next up was the winner take all no limit poker tournament with a $12,000 watch up for grabs,  Naturally, our entire crew busted out early and decided to distract Instagram sensation, Paige Spiranac from her Puttskee session.  I would then attempt to show Paige how to properly model for Golf Digest cover shoots.  

Got out-modeled by @PaigeSpiranac again last night. #modelhard #ThinkYoungPlayHard @GolfDigest pic.twitter.com/f59VfGUDkD

— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) April 23, 2016

Ross Photo Bomb #1

Ross Photo Bomb #2

Unfortunately, our team would come in second place in a sudden death playoff and the winners would be the ones that would be jumping into the pond on the par 3 9th hole.  Congratulations to the champs! 

“I never learned anything from a match I won.”

— Bobby Jones

With the 2016 Think Young Play Hard tournament behind us, it was time to focus on the post tournament bonus round.  Here are your 2016 participants, folks.

Penalty hat for 3 putts.

T Rex hates bogies so much.

LittleBallBigBall of Instagram joined us and paid the price.

Although Golf Digest's Carley Strauss had never heard of Blue Steel, she appears to be a natural in the modeling game.

After a solid round of even par in some tough winds at Royal Links, Cody and I were near the top of the leaderboard and poised to make a serious run for the title.  More importantly the fine folks over at GolfBoard provided us the opportunity to hang ten on the golf course.  

Cody and I demonstrate Tony Hawk type prowess on the GolfBoard

"I am pretty good at golf, I am really good at skee-ball, but I am absolutely awful at Puttskee" - Four time National Skee-Ball Champion, one time TYPHI Champion, Joey The Cat.

The final round of the tournament was hosted at Bali Hai Golf Course and would feature me ruining all of Cody's photos.  Cody would not be distracted as he led our team's charge to the top of the leaderboard with an eagle on 15.  I added in a couple of birdies and we found ourselves tied for the lead at -3 at the end of regulation.

Golf Digest's Ashley Mayo would get into the Sunblock, the SPF 5000 sunblock, for those that live directly on the sun.  

Good times at the Champions Celebration.

Since @PaigeSpiranac couldn't play today, we replaced her with the most obvious option. T Rex. #holdontoyourbutts. pic.twitter.com/5UghuV3LQN

— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) April 25, 2016

Even though Sarah Moodie (Smooderoo) weighs about 85 pounds, she actually drove this one over the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

T Rex rolls one in for par.

Thanks to all of the wonderful people at Golf Digest for putting on a fantastic tournament.  Thanks to the friends that made the trip and thanks to the sponsors who made the 2016 Think Young Play Hard weekend great.  Until next time!

Whether it's for bogie or birdie, 1st or 2nd place, remember to celebrate like hell and #ThinkYoungPlayHard  Photo by Jeremy Lusk.

A First Timer's Visit to The Masters

When I was 12 years old I watched my first Masters on television.  At the time, I had barely picked up a golf club and I figured that courses like Augusta National were something that I was only allowed to see on television.  That all changed when I was the lucky winner of 2 Saturday tickets in the Masters "lottery" for the 2016 Masters.  I decided to bring my friend John, he was ecstatic and so was I. The plan was to golf, watch golf, golf some more, and then watch some more golf.  Sleep was not figured into the agenda.

The 2016 Masters agenda started off on Friday with a 36 hole golf fest at Reynold's Plantation located in nearby Greensboro, GA.  My golf buddy John and I got up early to play the Great Waters and The Landing courses.  We took great pleasure in knowing that just down the road, the world's best were playing in the same windy conditions that we endured.  After wrapping up 36, we hurried off to bed like a couple of kids on Christmas eve.  In the morning we would be headed to The Masters for the first time.

Having obsessively watched and read about The Masters tournament and Augusta National over the years, I felt that I had a pretty good idea of what to expect and just as I expected, my expectations would be exceeded.  Parking at The Masters is free as the lot is actually owned by Augusta National. We were able to find a parking spot with relative ease.   We popped a quick selfie to document that we actually made it to The National, (that's what the locals call it), and since no phones are allowed inside, we left our gadgets behind and headed into the gates.

The only photo taken on Augusta property captures the excitement. Holderness and Bourne polo ensures that I am looking sharp!

There had been discussions as if I would actually weep when I first laid my eyes upon the grounds of Augusta.  Fortunately, I was able to hold it together.

We had conveniently arrived 7 hours before the leaders (Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth) would tee off.  This provided us just the right amount of time to walk the back nine and play some virtual golf, we used our imaginations instead of our golf clubs.  After taking a quick glimpse of 18 green and muttering a few dumbfounded phrases, we headed down #10 to hit our imaginary tee shots.

 First Impressions:

• Augusta National is much larger and more spacious than it appears on television. Everything will make sense once you see it.

• The television coverage does not adequately capture the scale of the elevation changes and slopes.

• Amen Corner is just as glorious as I had pictured it in my dreams.

• Scoreboards are everywhere and actually add a great deal of atmosphere to the course.

• The place smells different. A mixture of pine, bbq sandwiches and freshly cut grass. Somebody should make an "Augusta" pine tree air freshener.

• People are super nice and extra polite at The Masters. Just being at Augusta National brings out the best in everyone.

• The tees and greens are much closer to each other than I had imagined. The Mackenzie architecture is very enjoyable.

• Since the course was configured with the patrons in mind, there are many great places to watch live golf.

One of my favorite policies at Augusta National is in regards to the seating. If you decide to bring your own chair, you can place it wherever you would like on the property and then carry on exploring the rest of the golf course. When you come back, your chair will be waiting for you. Someone may be sitting in it, but just let them know that this is your seat and they will gladly pop up in an instant and thank you for your kind and sharing spirit. Again, people are super nice and extra polite at The Masters.

After carding a virtual 41 and 39 on the back nine (I holed out for bogey on 15).  It was time to watch the pros play actual golf.  While there are many great spots to take in the action at Augusta National, here are some of my favorite spots on the property.

• Hole #6: As is the case with most holes, you can get right next to the players as they hit their tee shots into the drastically downhill par 3. We watched Hunter Mahan come 1 foot from making an ace. We groaned.

• Hole #16: We snatched up a couple of chairs on the hillside. From this vantage point you can watch all of the action on the par 3 as well as the play on 15 green. We saw some birdies and a couple of "other" scores. One of the best vantage points in all of golf.

• Amen Corner: From the unique arrangement, you can watch the action on 11, 12, and 13 all from one spot. I knew this coming in but was surprised to find it actually was all "right in front of you." Golf Digest's Ashley Mayo informs me that there is an area behind 12 green where there are no cameras or microphones. Players take this opportunity to vocalize their frustrations.

• #2 green: You are right in the middle of the front nine and will get to watch a fair number of eagle putts.

While I was most excited to watch the golf and see the course, I was also looking forward to getting my hands on the reasonably priced concessions. Here are your Selections at The Masters.

• Masters BBQ Sandwich: Classic deliciousness, will repeat. Consumption total: 1.

  • Consumption total: 2

  • Grade: 9/10

  • Price: $3.00

• Masters Pimento Cheese: After much hoopla, this crowd favorite let me down.

  • Consumption total: 1

  • Grade: weird/disgusting

  • Price: $1.50

• Masters Egg Salad Sandwich: Oh ho man, Egg salad is the leader in the clubhouse:

  • Consumption total: 2

  • Grade: 9.5/10

  • Price: $1.50

• Masters Cookies: I went with the chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. I love cookies.

  • Consumption total: 5

  • Grade: 9.4/10

  • Price: $1.50

• Masters Georgia Peach: Peach yogurt in between sugar cookies. A slice of golf heaven and your Selections at The Masters champion.

  • Consumption total: 1

  • Grade: 9.6/10

  • Price: $2.00

• Masters Carrots: Health effort that was met with curious looks:

  • Consumption total: 1 bag.

  • Grade: 7/10

  • Price: $1.00

Other things that happened at The Masters:

• We convinced Ashley Mayo that Shaquille O Neal just walked by her at Amen Corner.

• Plots to break into the exclusive Berkman's Place were conceived. We pinpointed it's location on the map but no action was taken.

• When Jordan Spieth hit his drive right on #17. We capitalized by making our first Master's television appearance. That was me in the yellow pants.

• We estimated that we'd probably hit #12 green only once out of every 6 attempts.

• We annointed Rory McIlroy the winner of the "Tighest golf shirt" contest.

• We exceeded our golf shop budget. Not only do I recommend establishing a healthy budget, I also recommend exceeding that budget. Coffee mugs and hats for everyone!

• We drank from the fountain on 17 in hopes that the mystical water would lower our handicaps.

• The bathroom attendant informed me that "A stall does it all" as he rapidly ushered patrons through the men's restroom.

Lee Wybranski makes some mighty fine posters.

Plenty of great options in the golf shop. Get a head start on 2016 Xmas shopping.

After spending approximately 12 hours on the grounds at Augusta National, we were ushered off of the property and left the course changed men.  This was easily one of the most enjoyable days of my golfing life.  A big thanks to every one who played a part in my 1st day at The Masters.

On Masters Sunday, I like to golf in the AM and Masters watch in the PM.  We teed off at the somewhat nearby Sea Island Golf Club and headed to a local restaurant to watch the conclusion of the Masters.  Golf fans will know what happened next as we tuned in to CBS.

As a Jordan Spieth fan, I was shocked to watch the events that unfolded.  However, I was inspired to see how Jordan reacted and I look forward to his response over the long term.  As golfers and humans, we can all learn a lot by watching this 22 year old.  We also learned quite a bit about the 2016 Masters champion, Danny Willett.  With an outstanding final round, Willett won the Masters just as much as Spieth gave it away.

I will look forward to returning to Augusta and The Masters.  Perhaps a practice round, where I can take pictures!

UPDATE: I made a return visit to Augusta National during a practice round in 2017. Even though we only had a few brief moments in between the rain, I was able to snap the pictures you see throughout this post.

2016 Masters Picks

With my first visit to August National Golf Club on the horizon, I am turning in my picks early this April.  The favorites heading into this week are more clear than in previous years.  I see the A list contenders as Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Rory McIlory, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, and Adam Scott.  In an effort to see even deeper into the 2016 Masters storyline, I offer up the following advanced predictions.

• Vegas odds are 2:1 that I will shed a tear when my eyes are first laid upon Augusta National Golf Club.  I will keep it together.
• Jordan Spieth will valiantly attempt to defend his title, however the par 5, 15th hole will serve as his week long nemesis and ultimate undoing.
• The swashbuckling Swede, Stenson, goes low on Thursday and Friday and leads heading into the weekend. However, a wild succession of water balls will sink his chances.
• No, Tiger Woods will not participate in this years Masters.  However, the vast number of references and montages will make you think otherwise.
• Rory McIlroy sets a new record for number of Masters eagles in 4 days with 5.  Rory simultaneously balances that out with 5 double bogies.
• Adam Scott plays solid golf all week and finishes 3rd.  Looks confusingly at his putter after a birdie miss on Sunday's 18th hole.
• Jordan Spieth's Texas Barbecue is rumored to be one of the most delicious meals ever consumed at the Champions Dinner.  Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance to confirm the allegations.
• As a contributing writer to Ashley Mayo's "Overheard at The Masters," the 2016 version will be one of the most viewed internet snippets of all time.  Move on over David After the Dentist!
• Bubba Watson hits it into the woods on #10 again.  However, he makes bogey this time and never recovers from the ensuing mental tailspin.
• Sleeper pick:  Ryan Moore is only one off of the pace going into Sunday.  Finishes solo 4th.  After prediction comes true, controversy erupts over Ryan Moore's qualifications as a legitimate "sleeper pick."
• Jason Day finishes second for a change.  Remains #1.
• Rickie Fowler wins the Masters by 2 shots and posts a record 16 selfies of himself doing rad $hit in the green jacket.  Including but not limited to the following action items.
  • Ricky begins his Masters victory lap by skydiving in the green jacket and successfully using the coat tails as his parachute.
  • After his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Ricky accepts a triple dog dare to scuba dive in the green jacket.  Mako sharks look on enviously.
  • Ricky's high tops, no pants, and green jacket selfie generates wild enthusiasm while drawing serious criticism from golf's governing bodies.
  • Golf Boys 3.0 Green Jacket edition proves that even Augusta glory can't improve your rap game.

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.

Vlog 8 was supposed to be a travel vlog from my time in Florida. But I screwed up all the sound in 3 days worth of video. So instead? You get "pirate caddies". // The Desk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZdqb... // Music: Ross Budgen https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQKGLOK2FqmVgVwYferltKQ // ---Build a Business, Live Anywhere, Achieve Freedom--- http://www.seanogle.com // Like golf?

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.  

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.  

Who amongst us hasn't wanted to do this.  Jones just gets it.

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!

Josh Bills Gets his PJKoenig on!

Back in October of 2015, I took the trip of a lifetime to the amazing Cabot Links and the new Cabot Cliffs course.  My partners in crime for the trip were Ashley Mayo, Jeff Blind, and Jeff Filer.  Ashley and the Jeffs are arguably some of the finest playing partners on the continent.  Cabot Links is also some of the finest golfing property on the continent as well.

On the second day of golf, amidst the swirling 35 mph winds, the sun popped through the clouds creating the crepuscular rays you see in the picture below.  Not being a group to miss a fantastic photo opportunity, Jeff Blind captured the shot like a seasoned National Geographic photographer on assignment.  

Although we had already captured what could be argued as the golfing photo of the year, we proceeded onwards and captured another gem only a day later.  After hitting our tee shots on the magnificent 16th hole at Cabot Cliffs, Ashley Mayo went slightly over the green.  Just 2 yards further and Ashley's Titleist would have plummeted 50 feet down into the rocks, waves, and man eating sharks below.  Fortunately for all parties involved, we captured her par saving chip on the photo below.  This shot would end up inside of a foot.

The story does not end here folks.  In fact, this is where the story begins.  Weeks later, an artist named Josh Bills would enter the situation.  He had seen some of the pictures from the trip and was interested in turning them into works of art.  I was very excited to see what Josh's talents could do.

Having grown up in Ohio with a passion for the game, Josh has taken his talents from the golf course to the golf canvas.  Blending his love of golf architecture and fine art, Josh is able to create amazing oil on canvas paintings of golf courses.  His work has been commissioned by famous golf courses to adorn their hallways and he was going to turn the the pictures we took above into paintings.  It was truly an honor.

Josh works mostly at night and documented the process along the way.  As the magic unfolded on the canvas, he kept me updated with his progress.

Ashley Mayo gets dressed up to pose with her original Bills!

The final works of art are best experienced in person and are truly fantastic.  A big thanks to Josh for immortalizing Ashley and I on canvas.  These pieces will be on our walls for years to come!

If you are interested in owning your very own painting by Josh Bills you can visit his website, contact him directly at jrbgolfs@gmail.com or give him a call at 614-284-3155.  Here is also a link to all of Josh's paintings that are currently for sale.  To learn more about the man behind the art, check out his recent interview with Graylyn Loomis.

The original photo above with Josh's painting below