An Updated Itinerary

A new post!

It's been over a month!

Here we go!

1/14 - Leave, Drive to Clemson.

1/15 - Sage Valley? Clemson vs Duke @ Littlejohn Coliseum 6pm

1/16 - Peachtree? East Lake? in Atlanta

1/17 - Shoal Creek?

1/18 - Old Waverly? Drive and stay in Mobile, AL

1/19 - Drive to New Orleans, Stay in the Big Easy

1/20 - Drive to Houston and/or Austin.

1/21 - Dallas...Colonial and Shady Oaks

1/22 - Vaquero and Brook Hollow (Dallas National?)

1/23 - Drive West

1/24 - Drive West some more.

1/25 - Playing Desert Forest in Scottsdale (Mike flies to Orlando for the PGA Show.

1/26 - Drive to Palm Springs - Club at Morningside

1/27 - Farmer's Insurance Open at Torrey Pines - watch some PGA Tour golf.

1/28 - Riviera, pick up Mike from the airport

1/29 - Bel Air CC/LACC

1/30 - Drive the California coast!

1/31 - Monterrey Peninsula - Pebble? Cypress?

2/1 - Spyglass?, Monterrey Peninsula CC?

2/2 - San Francisco - Olympic? California Club?

2/3 - Mayacama GC, Drive to Tahoe

2/4 - Ski at Squaw Valley

2/5 - Ski at Squaw Valley

2/6 - Drive to Sun Valley, Idaho

2/7 - Ski Sun Valley

2/8 - Ski Sun Valley, Drive to Jackson Hole, WY.

2/9 - Ski Jackson Hole

2/10 - Ski Jackson Hole

2/11 - Ski Jackson Hole

2/12 - Drive to Denver

2/13 - Drive to Kansas City

2/14 - Drive to Indianapolis

2/15 - Drive to Pittsburgh

2/16 - Home.

The trip is less than a month away now. The Peter Millar Clothing company is on board. Next thing we need to do is nail down a couple more places to play golf. This week and next, we will be working on confirming golf in Atlanta, Monterrey and San Francisco.

This itinerary is so aggressive. It leaves very little room for downtime. We will fight daylight, fight traffic and fight weather. Mike and I are extremely excited about it all. We look forward to a time when this blog can be a daily thing. Please forward this link to anyone who might be interested in the trip. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Reed and Mike

The Itinerary

Itinerary - Check it out!

Saturday, January 14th: (day 1) Driving…
Depart Villanova, PA destined for Clemson, SC
*estimated total drive time of 11 hours –697 miles
Pick up the car in Spartanburg, SC


Sunday, January 15th: (day 2) Clemson, SC
Main event: Clemson vs. Duke 6:00 PM – Littlejohn Coliseum

Plan A:
August National Golf Club (Clemson to Augusta, 109 miles, 2 hrs, 30 minutes)
Plan B:
Hang out in Clemson…play Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards and/or Falls

Monday, January 16th: (day 3) Drive/Golf/Drive
Depart Clemson, SC destined for Atlanta, GA
*estimated total drive time of 2 hours – 120 miles
Plan A:
East Lake or Peachtree or both
- Stay in Atlanta the night of the 16th.

Tuesday, January 17th: (day 4) Drive/Golf/Drive
Depart Atlanta, GA for Birmingham, AL
*estimated total drive time of 2 hours, 41 minutes – 146 miles
Plan A:
Shoal Creek Country Club
Depart Birmingham, AL destined for Mobile, Al
*estimated total drive time of 4 hours, 15 minutes – 260 miles
Stay in Mobile the night of the 17th.

Wednesday, January 18th: (day 5) Mobile/Golf
Plan A:
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Magnolia Grove
Depart Mobile, AL destined for New Orleans, LA
*estimated total drive of 2 hours, 20 minutes – 146 miles
Stay in New Orleans the night of the 18th.

Thursday, January 19th: (day 6) New Orleans/Drive
Plan A:
Day of leisure in the big easy!
Plan B: Golf at New Orleans CC?
Depart New Orleans, LA destined for Houston, TX
*estimated total drive of 5 hours, 45 minutes – 345 miles
Stay in Houston the night of the 19th.

Friday, January 20th: (day 7) Houston/Golf/Drive
Plan A:
Champions Gate and/or Houston Country Club/ Redstone Golf Club
Depart Houston, TX destined for Austin, TX
*estimated total drive of 2 hours, 50 minutes – 167 miles
Stay in Austin the night of the 20th.

Saturday, January 21st: (day 8) Austin/Bball/Drive
Plan A:
Main Event: Texas vs. Kansas (Austin, TX – 3:00PM)
Plan B:
Golf at Austin Country Club
Depart Austin, TX destined for Dallas, TX
*estimated total drive time 3 hours, 30 minutes – 198 miles
Stay in Dallas the night of the 21st.

Sunday, January 22nd: (day 9) Dallas, TX
Plan A:
Colonial and/or Dallas National
Stay in Dallas the night of the 22nd



Monday, January 23rd: (day 10) Drive
Depart Dallas, TX destined for Scottsdale, AZ
Stop in ?
*estimated total drive time 17 hours, 20 minutes – 1071 miles

Tuesday, January 24th: (day 11)Drive
Plan A:
Finish driving to Scottsdale
Stay in Scottsdale the night of the 24th

Wednesday, January 25th: (day 12)Scottsdale, AZ
Plan A: 36 holes
Whisper Rock/GC of Scottsdale
Stay in Phoenix the night of the 25th.

Thursday, January 26th: (day 13) Drive/Golf
Depart Phoenix, AZ for Rancho Mirage, CA
*estimated total drive time 4 hours, 14 minutes – 258 miles
Plan A:
Play golf at the Club at Morningside


Friday, January 27th: (day 14) Drive/San Diego, CA
Depart Rancho Mirage, CA destined for San Diego, CA
*estimated total drive time 2 hours, 15 minutes – 122 miles
Plan A:
Main event: PGA Tour Event@ Torrey Pines
Stay in San Diego the night of the 27th.

Saturday, January 28th: (day 15) San Diego, CA
Plan A:
Golf at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club
Depart San Diego, CA destined for Los Angeles, CA
*estimated total drive time of 2 hours – 120 miles
Main event: UCLA vs. Colorado –7:00 PM
Stay in LA the night of the 28th.

Sunday, January 29th: (day 16) 36 in LA
Plan A:
LACC/ Bel Air CC
Stay in LA the night of the 29th


Monday, Jan 30th: (day 17) Drive the coast!
Depart Los Angeles, CA to Carmel, CA
*estimated drive time 6 hours, 40 minutes – 350 miles (Rt. A1A)
Stay in Monterrey, CA the night of the 30th.

Tuesday, Jan. 31st: (day 18) Monterrey Peninsula
Plan A:
Cypress, Pebble, Spyglass, Monterrey Peninsula
Stay in Monterrey, CA the night of the 31st.

Wednesday, Feb. 1st: (day 19) Monterrey Peninsula
Plan A:
More golf, where?
Plan B:
Death Valley National Park
Depart Monterrey, CA destined for San Franciso, CA.
*estimated total drive of 2 hours, 15 minutes – 120 miles
Stay in San Francisco, CA the night of the 1st.

Thursday, February 2nd: (day 20) Golf in San Fran (36)
Plan A:
San Francisco GC, Olympic, Harding Park
Stay in San Francisco the night of the 2nd.

Friday, February 3rd: (day 21) Drive/Golf
Plan A:
Depart San Francisco, CA destined for Santa Rosa, CA
*estimated total drive time 1 hour, 15 minutes – 65 miles
Play golf at Mayacama Golf Club afternoon on the 3rd.
Stay at Mayacama Golf Club the night of the 3rd.

Saturday, February 4th: (day 22) Drive
Depart Santa Rosa destined for Lake Tahoe, CA.
*estimated total drive time of 4 hours
Stay in Tahoe the night of the 4th.

Sunday, February 5th: (day 23) SKI
Plan A:
Squaw Valley Ski Area
Stay in Tahoe the night of the 5th.

Monday, February 6th: (day 24) SKI
Plan A:
Northstar Ski Area
Stay in Tahoe the night of the 6th

Tuesday, February 7th: (day 25) Drive
Depart Lake Tahoe, CA destined for Salt Lake City, UT
*estimated total drive time 9 hours, 20 minutes – 564 miles
Stay in Salt Lake City, UT the night of the 7th.

Wednesday, February 8th:(day 26) SKI
Plan A:
Snowbird Ski Area
Stay in the Salt Lake City Area the night of the 8th

Thursday, February 9th: (day 27) Ski/Drive
Plan A:
Park City Ski Area
Depart Salt Lake City, UT destined for Jackson Hole, WY
*estimated total drive time 4 hours, 55 minutes – 275 miles
Stay in Jackson Hole, WY the night of the 9th.


Friday, February 10th: (day 28) SKI
Plan A:
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Stay in Jackson Hole, WY the night of the 10th.

Saturday, February 11th: (day 29) SKI
Plan A:
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
Stay in Jackson Hole, WY the night of the 11th.

Sunday, February 12th: (day 30) Drive
Depart Jackson Hole, WY destined for Aspen, CO
*estimated total drive time 9 hours, 11 minutes – 497 miles
Stay in Aspen the night of the 12th.

Monday, February 13th: (day 31) SKI/drive
Plan A:
Aspen/Snowmass
Depart Aspen, CO for Vail, CO
*estimated total drive time 2 hours - 102 miles
Stay in Vail, CO the night of the 12th.

Tuesday, February 14th: (day 32) SKI
Plan A:
Vail Ski Area
Depart Vail, CO destined for Denver, CO
*estimated total drive time 1 hour, 55 minutes – 97 miles
Stay in Denver, CO the night of the 13th.

Wednesday, February 15th: (day 33) Drive
Depart Denver, CO for Kansas City, KA
*estimated total drive time 9 hours, 32 minutes – 603 miles
Stay in Kansas City the night of the 14th

Thursday, February 16th: (day 34) Drive
Depart Kansas City destined for Indianapolis, IN
*estimated total drive time 8 hours, 30 minutes – 494 miles
Stay in Indianapolis, IN the night of the 15th.

Friday, February 17th: (day 35) Drive
Depart Indianapolis, IN destined for Pittsburgh, PA
*estimated total drive time 6 hours, 20 minutes – 320 miles
Main Event: Pitt vs. West Virginia (Pittsburgh, PA)
Stay in Pittsburgh the night of the 16th.

Saturday, February 18th:(day 36) Drive home.
Depart Pittsburgh, PA destined for Ridgewood, NJ
*estimated total drive time 7 hours – 380 miles


This is ROUGH. Give us feedback. Where did we miss? Where should we stop? Who should we see? Ask us why were stopping in certain places? We left out who we are staying with to protect the innocent! And because we haven't asked everyone yet!

Our first sponsor?!

We recently had the Peter Millar Clothing company here at Baltusrol for an outing. I spoke with the President and CEO of the company. They have verbally agreed to outfit us for the trip.

More info when it becomes available.

New contacts...new stops.

Played golf at Baltusrol today with a Colonial Country Club and Southern Hills Country Club member. Colonial is one of the best clubs in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and Southern Hills is the best course in Oklahoma.

Both gentlemen encouraged me to come visit them on my trip and ya know what, I might just have to take them up on the offer.

I think my original route didn't have me going north to Tulsa but a chance to play a course like Southern Hills could drastically alter my plans.

Colonial is of course home to an annual PGA Tour tournament. Dallas was already on my route. The only tough thing about Dallas is deciding where I want to play. Right now, the idea is to play Dallas National, Colonial and Brook Hollow. I also have a good friend at the Vaquero Club.

The golf part of this trip is really taking off. My contacts in the golf world are excellent and the courses I am planning on playing are phenomenal.

Here is the list so far (in order of the trip route).

- Walker Course at Clemson
- The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards/Springs/Falls (one of them anyway)
- Robert Trent Jones golf trail in Mobile, AL
- Dallas National
- Colonial
- Brook Hollow
- Vaquero Club
- Southern Hills
- Desert Mountain (Scottsdale)
- Club at Morningside in Palm Springs
- LACC
- Bel Air CC
- Mayacama Golf Club (Santa Rosa, CA)

I think that is a pretty amazing list of courses. I am starting to think I need more days for this trip. The more I talk about it with people, the more ideas I get and the more offers I get. Gotta keep planning.

To do list:

- Research cameras...I want a new digital camera for the trip
- Email the travel editor at Golf Digest
- Email my contact at Peter Millar to pitch sponsorship idea.
- Review route, lay out an actual itinerary.

Tigers are 6-0!!!! Later.

Reed

Time to brainstorm...

One mind is good, two minds is better.

Got together with Mike Harger tonight. Mike is an assistant professional at Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, NJ. Mike is my partner in crime on the trip of a lifetime.

We decided to have a planning session. Naturally, it started with a few beers at Hooters. Then we got serious...time to plan.

Couple things came out of the brainstorming session.

First, we need a pretty decent trip outline in order to at least attempt to follow a schedule. We are more interested in visiting friends, seeing certain places and going on adventures. If plan A doesn't work, we need plan B. If plan B doesn't work, time for plan C.

The sponsorships are important to go get. Peter Millar and BMW are the most important two to go after. We need a car and we need clothes. OUR contacts are excellent with those two companies.

I want to continue to publicize the trip. Golf Week and Golf Digest need to get on board. Promoting this trip will help us get sponsors on board.

The last thing that came out of the planning session is that we have a lot more work to do. All of this takes follow up and all of this takes time. Maybe in a few weeks, once the golf season calms down, we can actually get to work on the details, the sponsors, the promotion and the route!

Can't wait to get started. Stay tuned.

The sporting event aspect...

Check it out. Remember that dunk? Ridiculous. Tiger at Torrey. Unreal.

I have pinpointed 5 or 6 sporting events that I really want to go to on my trip. This really helps me plan the actual day to day itinerary of the trip too. Gotta be in a certain place at a certain time in order to get to the game!

So here are the games and events I am thinking about.

Leave Jan 12th/13th?

Saturday, Jan. 14th - South Carolina vs. Florida (bball - Columbia, SC - 7:00pm)
Sunday, Jan. 15th - Clemson vs Duke (bball - Clemson, SC - 6:00pm)
Saturday, Jan. 21st - Texas vs Kansas (bball - Austin, TX - 3:00pm)
Wednesday and Thursday Jan. 25 and 26 - Farmers Insurance Open (PGA Golf - Torrey Pines Golf Course - La Jolla, CA)
Sunday, Jan. 29th - Cal/Stanford (bball - Berkeley, CA - 5:30 PT)
Thursday, Feb. 16th - Pitt/West Virginia (bball - Pitt, PA)

Home the 17th?

I have also looked into a Lakers game (against the Clippers) on Jan 26th, a Denver Nuggets game on Feb 6th or 8th, a Chicago Bulls game on Feb 14th and a Notre Dame game on Feb. 15th. Might seem as if I am a huge basketball fan...that isn't necessarily the case. I do love college basketball but not so much the NBA. IF the NBA has a season, its more about the experience of attending a game at those places than the actual game itself. Then we get to hockey. I love the NHL and would really love to go to a Blackhawks game, Avalanche game, even an LA Kings game. So, I have to look at the NHL schedules too at some point.

I am excited just thinking about all this. Clemson vs Duke! Cal/Stanford! Pitt/West (by god) Virginia, backyard brawl! Are you kidding me baby! (in honor of Dick Vitale...who should be jealous of this schedule by the way).

Switching gears...

I am still trying to think of ways to publicize and market this trip. I know have a twitter account (haha I know), but in all seriousness, it might be pretty useful. User name is @ReedClemson07.

I am also spending some time finding contact information for people at Golf Digest. Might try to generate some press through that magazine. Sports Illustrated might not be a bad one to go after too.

I don't really need publicity. In fact, I might not want it. I do, however, think people will be interested in reading about this trip, seeing or hearing about the places I go and maybe, just maybe, some form of media will decide that's worthwhile.

Goodnight,

Reed

An interesting development...

I mentioned this once before...

As I write more updates on the trip, more and more people ask me about the trip or tell me how cool it sounds.

My immediate reaction is thanks but my secondary reaction is, oh good! People are actually reading. So, thanks!!!

The development happened this past week when a friend of mine from Clemson read my most recent post that had to do with taking a fall trip down to school for a football game. He loved that idea but mentioned how he wanted to take a big road trip this winter. I said, dude, read the other posts of the blog! That is the idea!!!

After reading the initial posts, he was on board no questions asked. My friend mike just so happens to be a golf professional as well. He also has those winter months off. He snowboards and is excited about that part of the trip as well.

One point he made...my connections are good, but add in his connections and this trip gets better and better.

We chatted about the trip over a few beers the other night and we both realized how much work needs to be done to plan the trip.

At some point, I will write a new post that will attempt to organize the planning process. That will provide me with an outline to move forward with the planning. It's with one thing to talk about it, it's another thing to actually make phone calls, get sponsors, tee times, bball tickets, ski equipment and the car!

As always, if you have any ideas or comments, let me know. I'm open to suggestions for this trip!

Reed

Why go?

It's about freedom. Work feels like jail sometimes. I live here, work here, and play here. Hitting the road this winter is about being free. Going where I want to go, doing what I want to do and playing wherever the heck I feel like it.

Being a golf professional certainly has its perks but a flexible schedule is not one of them. Now that the first hint of cold weather is here, its planning time for my two precious fall excursions.

The first is a trip to Clemson. This has to happen sooner rather than later. The plan is to fly to Charlotte on Friday, November 11th. Drive to Clemson, hit up Tiger Town Tavern as soon as I roll into town (right after I see my little sis of course). Go to the Clemson/Wake Forest game the next day. AND if the scheduling works, Auburn plays Georgia in Athens the same afternoon. If I can make it out of bed the next morning, I will play golf with the boys either at the Cliffs or the Walker Course. Sometime that night, I will drive back to Charlotte and fly home. GOD'S COUNTRY.

The second trip is to Bermuda. I play in the Bermuda Goodwill Golf Tournament every year. The second week of December is a great time to play golf in Bermuda because the weather is still good, the golf courses are in great condition and the tournament field is really good. Mid Ocean might be one of the best golf courses on this planet. Port Royal isn't bad either. My team stays at the Coral Beach Golf and Tennis Club. We stay in a cottage about 50 yards from the beach. You haven't lived until you try kite surfing on Elbow Beach or tried to drive a scooter on the wrong side of the road in Bermuda.

If there is a third trip before the new year, I hope its as good as the other two.

I don't ask or get too much time off but when I do, I make the most of it. That is why in January and February, "this trip" will be the trip of a lifetime.

What do I need to bring?

How do you pack for a 35 day road trip? What do you bring? What don't you bring? What if I get somebody to come with me? That's twice the amount of stuff. Jeez!

First off, I definitely need an SUV. That much is apparent. If as much gear is needed as I think, no way it fits in a sedan or my sports car. Come on BMW gods! I guess that is the first of many serious phone calls I will have to make in order to turn this dream trip into reality. "Uh yes sir, that's what I said. I need to borrow your car for a month and put 10,000 miles on it." Maybe its time I explain the BMW connection. My friend, Matt, is a PGA Tour player. He lives in Greenville, South Carolina, which just so happens to be near one of the largest BMW plants in the U.S. Well, Matt has a sweet sponsorship with BMW. They basically give him whatever new model he wants like every six months. Now, I don't know the details of the arrangement. All I know is...its awesome. In any case, Matt currently has an X5 that is just sitting in his garage. I happen to know that his wife Kelly drives a Range Rover and Matt drives a blacked out BMW 5 series with an M3 engine. Point being, the X5 just sits there. Matt and Kelly are on the road 75% of the year anyway. I asked Kelly if I could use it and she said yes. I am thinking I should officially ask Matt at some point too.

Anyways, let's assume I have this X5 for the trip to start planning the packing.

Breaking it down into categories here:

Provisions

Clothing

Equipment

Emergency Equipment

(Non-Essential) Essentials (ha!)

Misc.

Lists may be helpful later on. Here it goes.

Provisions:
- A case of water
- A case of Diet Coke
- Natural Valley granola bars
- Largest box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch I can find
- Gum
- Cool Ranch Doritos
- Cooler for all of the above.

Clothing:
- Golf Polos
- Regular polos
- Button downs
- Jeans
- Golf slacks
- gym shorts
- khaki shorts
- t-shirts
- boxers
- socks
- running shoes
- boat shoes
- sandals
- boots
- golf shoes
- skiing gear - gloves, hats, goggles, ski jacket and pants, neck warmer, etc
- long underwear
- under armour cold gear
- warm socks
I am gonna need more than one suitcase. Hmm.

Equipment:
- Golf clubs
- extra golf balls
- football and a basketball (just to have, who knows)
- Skis, poles, boots, helmet (might need to invest in a ski rack for the top of the X5)

Emergency Equipment:
- Full size spare tire
- Jumper cables and car emergency kit (wrench, jack, flashlight, flare, etc)
- A shovel (never know when you might need to dig yourself out of 15" of snow).
- An extra 3 iron...just in case somebody attacks you???

(Non essential) Essentials:
- Emergency case of Bud Light
- Emergency bottle of Jameson
- Emergency bottle of Grey Goose
- Flask. Koozie X 4.
- Towels, shaving kit, toothbrush, deodorant, etc.
- At least 12 of my favorite hats.
- Ipod with "The ultimate road trip playlist."
- My Ipad, which has a GPS app. (I will and am planning on getting lost at some point)
- A road atlas.
- My cell phone
- Cash, checks (just in case)
- Visa card

I can't believe what a great commercial all this would make for multiple different companies. Give a PGA Professional a BMW X5, let him travel all around the country and let VISA finance the whole thing while he visits places Bourbon Street, the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale, the Staples Center, Vail and Aspen. Come on, home run! Right?! I wouldn't even care if I got paid to do the commercial...I am only in it for the experience of the trip. (let me be clear on something...if offered money, I wouldn't decline. haha.)

I hope I can get through the next few months. I am so excited for this trip already. Problem is I have a massive amount of work to do in order to pull it off. And a few very busy months of the Baltusrol golf season still to go.

One other thought for the night;

My fantasy team TE, Jermichael Finley, is a boss.

Later,

Reed

Random thoughts...And a preview of Austin, Texas.

Couple of random things tonight.

First, a different way to calculate the cost of gas...courtesy of my father.

"I checked the miles per gallon (mpg) for an X5 and learned it's 16 city and 23 highway. So, using the 23 divided by 10,000 miles means 435 gallons. At $3.50 per gallon, that's $1,522, so add an oil change and let's call it $1,600.

I looked at standard SUV rentals, too: Enterprise is $1,270 and Avis is $933. One trick is to pick a non-airport location, to save the concession fee. National is a PGA Tour sponsor, but all I could find was a terrible quote of $4,300. Maybe your Enterprise connection would match or beat the Avis quote. Enterprise was unlimited miles, but I couldn't find whether the Avis quote was for unlimited miles."

Second, I was given a great recommendation by one of the members at Baltusrol. He said, use the Rand McNally website to plan my trip. After a brief look this afternoon, the website is full of great stuff.

www.randmcnally.com

A different Baltusrol member offered me this use of his son's Ritz Carlton condo in Aspen. A third Baltusrol member told me that I must ski Alta. Forget Park City. Fine by me.

And now an idea...

I wonder if anybody would be interested in meeting me at certain points along my trip? Say for instance, you wanted to go skiing out west for a few days this winter. Well, why not coordinate with me and plan your trip for when I am going to hit that same stop along my route. Meet you in Jackson Hole, 2nd weekend in February?! I'll pick you up at the airport, I already have a place to stay. Done. Just a thought.

Another thought...The Phoenix Open is scheduled for January 30-February 5th. That is the best spectating experience for a golf tournament. Might have to make that a stop. Could be tough scheduling. This trip gets more and more complicated.

Also tonight...my second preview.

Day # 8: University of Texas (Austin, TX)
Estimated mileage to this point: 1800 miles. Number of Oil Changes so far: None. Funds left: Not worried yet. Overall Health: Just fine. Morale: Excellent.

The home of the Longhorns. I would have really loved to go to a football game at UT but I will settle for Texas hosting Kansas in basketball. This should be a big time game. Both teams are annually ranked in the top 10. It's a Saturday so I am hoping for college Gameday to be there. I will need tickets but Stub Hub and/or scalping should do the trick.

After the game, sounds like the place to go in Austin is 6th Street. Austin is well known for its art and music. Sounds good to me, anywhere I can sit on the back patio of a bar, listen to live country music and drink a good Budweiser, that's the place for me.

Check out what 6th Street has to offer:

www.6street.com

Austin is also home to the Barton Creek Golf Resort. This could be a great place to play, with 4 courses and a hotel on property, I might have found the place to stay while I am there. Check it out.

www.bartoncreek.com

Next Stop: The BIG D - Dallas, TX.

This could get expensive...

Everything is expensive these days and this trip will be no exception. Tonight, I thought we could take a quick look at the finances of this trip. If nothing else, I can get a ballpark estimate of how much this trip wil cost.

Let's break it down first in to the following categories.

Gas

Food

Lodging

Golf costs

Skiing costs

Event tickets

Misc.

Ok, so in effort to over estimate everything...

Let's assume the trip is approximately 10,000 miles roundtrip. If the BMW x5 averages 350 miles to a full tank of gas, I would have to fill up approximately 28.5 times. Let's say a full tank of gas costs about $65. That means my total expenditure on gas for the trip is approximately $1900. Yikes!

Hopefully lodging includes some type of continental breakfast so to determine food costs, I will estimate paying for two meals a day. If I am gone for 30 days, that means paying for 70 meals. If one is some sort of fast food and one is a more expensive meal that most likely include a few (or 12) adult beverages, I would say anywhere from $20 a day on food to $50. If I average those two costs out to $37.50 per day on food times 30 days, that means total food costs will be approximately $1200 for the trip. After looking at this number, I'm thinking it might be sort of low, anyways, moving on.

Lodging could be tough to calculate. My goal is to stay with as many familiar faces as I can on this trip. However, I don't know anybody on some of these stops. For instance, I don't know a soul in the entire state of oklahoma, new Mexico, Utah, and Nebraska. Once again, if I estimate being gone 30 days and I stay in a hotel for 20 of those nights. Some nice and some cheap, averaged at a $100 bucks a night, that is $2000. Now, that's definitely a lot. Yikes!

Golf costs are easier. I am a PGA professional so I shouldn't have to pay for greens fees anywhere. I already have equipment and clothes. The only expense I may encounter is caddie fees or cart fees. I am going to estimate $500 just for the heck of it.

Skiing costs are harder to figure and more expensive. Season ski rentals (skis, boots, poles and a helmet) cost $230 from buckmans ski shop. That's a good price. I would definitely spend more than that on daily rentals from the resorts. Tickets can be expensive though. If I ski 8 days and tickets average $100' that is $800. I really only anticipate spending about $600 due to a pretty excellent connection at Jackson hole. I know the owners and I am very much hoping that they can help me out with tickets and lodging. Add in a miscellaneous $170 and skiing costs total an even $1000 for the trip.

I am also hoping to go to half a dozen college basketball games. If i spend $30 a ticket and go to 6 games, that is $180. Throw in another $100 for other possible event stops. Lakers, mavs, avs, who knows?

And now for the miscellaneous expenditures. Visa should sponsor my trip...it's everywhere you want to be!!!!! This is tough, in effort to simplify this category, I am going to allocate another $1000. This should cover errors in the other calculations. It should also cover my impulse t-shirt and hat buying problem that i tend to have.

Ok, let's add it up.

Gas = $1900

Food = $1200

Lodging = $2000

Golf = $500

Skiing = $1000

Events = $280

Misc. = $1000

A grand total of $7880. Honestly, not as bad as I thought. I have been referring to this as a 10,000 mile and $10,000 trip. I am not sure I will hit either one of those numbers. In any case, I think I need to be prepared to spend at least 8 grand.

Happy labor day! I can't believe summer is over....

And so the word gets out... (preview - Jackson Hole)

As I start to talk more about the trip...the shear size, magnitude and volume of this adventure have me freaked out a little bit.

Here is why...

Every person that reads about this trip or hears about it from me has an additional idea.

Which is great...

But,

it is overwhelming.

Overwhelming but awesome. A friend of mine suggested that I go to Alta in Salt Lake City instead of Park City. Great advice, because Alta is a skiing only mountain. Didn't know that. Another example came from my father this morning. He has a friend in Dallas who has season tickets for the Mavericks. I will definitely be working that connection.

New idea for tonight. I am going to start profiling a few of the places I plan on visiting. Two reasons for doing this. One, it will show readers where I plan to go. Two, (hopefully) this will show sponsors that I have an ability to promote their place or product.

Day # 24 - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Jackson, WY)
Estimated mileage to this point: 6850 miles Number of oil changes on the X5 so far: 2
Funds left: Hmm, getting low. Overall health: Decent

http://www.jacksonhole.com/

Jackson Hole is right at the base of Yellowstone National Park. It is actually a busier summertime destination, but the skiing is truly unbeatable. Resort owners John and Karen Kemmerer are actually Baltusrol Golf Club members. This connection makes Jackson Hole one of my favorite destinations already. With some familiar faces in Jackson, my stay is sure to be enjoyable.

Above is a picture of me from February 2009 at the top of Rendezvous Mountain in Jackson Hole. Jackson's most famous trail is Corbet's Couloir. Written words can not explain this trail and do it justice. Click on the link below for a look at Corbet's Couloir.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MFFYYp_zAU&feature=related


After a day of skiing, 9:00am to 4:00pm, I will ski right over to the Mangy Moose Pub. Located right at the bottom of the mountain, I will be able relive all my falls in the comfort of a nice warm pub.

http://www.mangymoose.net/

An ice cold local beer and a plate of their nachos will make your sore legs seem much better. The super nice, super cute waitresses aren't bad either.

One other thing to mention about Jackson Hole. The resort has it's own Air Force...

A group of renegade skiers, who were in search of deep powder outside the conventional boundaries of the resort used to hide and run from ski patrolmen. These skiers formed a group called the Jackson Hole Air Force, an exclusive club reserved for the craziest, most insane, skilled skiers that the mountain had to offer. You don't join, you're invited.

Check out this video from a film company called Teton Gravity Research (TGR). It gives you an idea of what Jackson is like.

http://www.tetongravity.com/videos/The-Big-One-Trailer-608706.htm

Next (planned) stop: Vail, Colorado.



The college football season starts Saturday. Thank god. So excited. (I know that is nothing trip related, but it seemed like something I just had to throw out there.)

Spot the damn ball!

Later,

Reed

Exploring the idea of sponsorships...

So I spent almost 3 hours yesterday planning the day to day itinerary of the trip. The actual routes and stops are subject to change. I may not know where I am going until I get there! However, I am going to try to stick to a predetermined route.

So quickly and roughly, my plan starts on Jan 13th and takes me to Richmond, then Columbia, Clemson, Tallahassee, Panama City, Mobile, New Orleans, Austin, Dallas, Norman, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Sedona, Phoenix, Palm Springs, Los Angelos, San Jose, Lake Tahoe (Squaw Valley, Heavenly), Salt Lake City (Snowbird, Park City), Jackson Hole, Vail, Breckenridge, Denver, Lincoln (NE), Chicago, South Bend, Columbus, Pittsburgh and HOME. It includes the following college basketball games: South Carolina/Florida on 1/14, Clemson/Duke on 1/15, Texas/Kansas on 1/21, Oklahoma/Baylor on 1/24, and UCLA/Colorado on 1/28. Not all the schedules are out yet, so I plan on growing this list. I plan on playing the following golf courses...Walker Course at Clemson, the Vaquero Club, Dallas Athletic, Colonial, Desert Mountain, Club at Morningside in Palm Springs, Los Angelos Country Club, Bel Air Country Club, and Riviera. I also want to go to a Lakers game, a Dallas Stars game, and a Colorado Avalanche game. I already mentioned the skiing resorts. I plan on getting in at least 8 days of skiing.

So I said before that this trip is probably going to be a month long (30 ish days?) but after mapping out a rough route, I am thinking it will take more like 35 days. My first draft has me returning to Philadelphia on 1/14. That's 31 days if I stick to the schedule.

OK...I have to switch gears.

One of the things that I have seriously considered for this trip is the need to incorporate some company sponsorships. This trip takes money and resources and equipment. I can certainly reach into my savings and come up with these things. However, I want to look into some mutually beneficial corporate sponsorships that will help me get across the country and back.

The first and probably most important need for this trip is a car. I just so happen to have a friend, a PGA Tour player that has a super sweet deal with BMW. He has an X5 that just sits in his garage. I have been offered the use of this car. Hopefully, his wife is serious about that. If not, I am hoping that my friend can contact his contact at BMW and we can come up with some sort of arrangement. I am not asking for a free car, simply the use of a car for 1 month. It's a true win-win in my mind. BMW gives me an X5 and I give it the ultimate test drive, then report back to them, give them promotion along the way. Hell, it would make a great commercial. I can see it now...

PGA Professional Reed Lansinger in his brand new 2012 BMW X5 sport utility vehicle... traveled 10,000 miles in 31 days through places like (and show pictures or footage of me) in New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix, LA, Lake Tahoe, Jackson Hole and Chicago. Pictures of me in the car driving through wind, rain, snow, sun, cities, near beaches, next to mountains, through the plains. BMW...THE ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE!!!!.

A true home run for BMW..all it would cost them is the use of a car for a month.

So now on to a few other sponsorship ideas...

- Taylor Made (I am already sponsored by them) Provide me with golf balls for the trip.

- Adidas (I am already sponsored by them too) Provide me with golf shoes for the trip.

- Peter Millar - some clothes for the trip. They also kind of sponsor me. I also know all the top execs at the company, so this could actually work.

- A ski company or Ski Shop such as Buckman's. I will need skiing equipment for the trip and a rack for the car.

- A hotel chain. I am going to be overnight in more than 20 different towns. There is opportunity there for some hotel chain to help me out. Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn, Hilton, whatever!!!

- There could also be association with a magazine like Golf Digest. Say I contact an editor at the magazine and tell them about this trip. Write an article or two for them, tell them about the places I am going. If nothing else, it's a cool story for Golf Digest and for me, maybe a little publicity. Maybe even Sports Illustrated would be interested. Golf, skiing, college basketball games, a few professional sports games, cross a few things off my sports bucket list, sounds like a great back page article to me.

- There is even a possibility to do something with a credit card company. VISA...its everywhere you want to be! Come on, this trip is perfect for that slogan.

- I need more sponsor ideas...let me know if you have any ideas. Or any contacts to make any of these a reality.

I can throw all the company logos on the blog. Any reader on here will see exactly who is helping me with the trip even without reading a word.

It's tough not to get too excited about this trip. I have so much planning and work to do though, so it seems like a dream right now. Wish me luck!

The Trip of a Lifetime

So I have this idea...

The purpose of this blog will be two fold. First, it allows me to organize my thoughts on this trip. And second, once the trip begins, I hope to use the blog to keep you up to date on my progress and share with everyone where I go, what I do and who I see.

The idea comes from the road trips I have done each of the last few winters. When it gets colds up north, I get a few months of from work. Being a PGA Professional has its perks. Two months off in the winter is especially nice. With that time, I usually drive to South Carolina, Georgia and Florida and make the rounds visiting as many friends and family as I can.

Last year, I did a 15 day, 3000 plus mile road trip. It was my most ambitious trip ever but it also turned out to be my best trip ever. I went all the way to Miami and came back. Stopping in Richmond, Clemson, Orlando, Miami and Charleston.

So as this summer winds down and football season is now only a week away, I get to thinking about my winter. What can I do this winter with my time off?

Hence, an idea.

I want to put together an even more ambitious trip than last year. I want to go all the way to the left coast and back. Take a southern route out and a northern route home. Play golf, watch college basketball and visit PGA Tour stops all the way out, ski all the way back. The timing of the trip is yet to be determined but my guess is mid January to mid February. I have no doubt that this trip will take over a month to do, cost as much as $10,000 and be one of the toughest driving challenges I have undertaken.

Right now, all I have is the idea. As I start to plan, I can think of so many possibilities. I am also open to any other ideas. Feel free to share.

The two biggest things on my mind right now....

1. Can I get someone to go with me?

2. I need a car to do this trip. (I have one but don't feel like putting 7,000 miles on it one month. Plus my car is not good in the snow.)

I guess that is it for now. As I said before, please feel free to contact me with ideas. Where should I go? What should I do? When? Thanks ahead of time.

Reed