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!
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