Well, the trip is over.
We are home.
Looking back and thinking about how long we were gone; realizing that we are finally home is a funny feeling. After awhile, being on the road becomes normal and you don't even really think about how long you have been gone. You just look ahead to the next destination and you keep going.
In any case...the drive home from Jackson Hole was not easy. We ran into weather problems right away and one particular storm followed us the entire 2500 miles home. The first day, we left Jackson about 10:30am, made it about 100 miles in 3 hours, due to very difficult driving conditions rolling through the national forest. As soon as we hit good pavement, I met a very nice Wyoming State Trooper who decided going 73 in a 65 was unacceptable. We made it to Rock Spring, Wyoming only to find out that I-80 had been closed for the next 2 hours. After two failed attempts to try other routes, we got back onto a very slick Interstate 80 and made it as far as Laramie, Wyoming. The next morning, we made a quick stop at Enterprise, drove through 100 miles of crummy weather and eventually hit dry pavement and sunny skies in Nebraska. We drove a total of 800 miles on that Monday to make it all the way to Iowa City, Iowa.
Mike was hellbent on getting home the next day and we had a good play at it. We left our hotel at 9am, flew through Chicago and made it to South Bend, Indiana at 2pm. We stopped for a burger near the Notre Dame campus. Once we got back on the road and having realized the time zones changed and it was really like a 2 hour stop, we put the hammer down trying to get home.
We turned south in Pittsburgh to get onto the PA turnpike. Mike and I finally pulled into my parents driveway in Villanova at 1:30am. We unpacked my stuff faster than a NASCAR pit crew and Mike tore off. On the power of a Starbucks, a 5 hour energy and a Mountain Dew, Mike headed back to Ridgewood arriving at 3:30am. The two of us drove 1000 miles in 1 day.
So the trip was 8500 miles total. We visited 23 different states, played 21 different golf courses, skied 6 days and saw countless friends, club members and characters along the way.
A few friends of mine have asked me what my favorite stop was and a few other people told me to do a "top ten plays" kind of thing. Well...how about a top 5 places?!
#5: Clemson - As an alumni...how could I not have made this a part of my trip?!
#4: San Francisco Golf Club - SFGC was my second favorite course that we played after Cypress. The night before (details excluded) out in downtown San Fran gives San Fran a leg up on some of the other big cities we visited. And it was a Monday!
#3: LA - I referred to it as la la land. And it was, LA is like no place I have ever been to before. We played Riviera, Bel Air and LACC all in 36 hours. Downtown LA, Santa Monica and Studio city were all awesome.
#2: Jackson Hole - I have said this before (after my first visit 2 years ago) but I will continue to visit Jackson Hole for the rest of my life. That's how awesome I think the town and resort is. Best skiing in North America and the Mangy Moose might be my favorite pub in North America (sorry Tiger Town tavern).
#1: Cypress Point - Trying to determine a number 1 wasn't really that difficult. Cypress Point was by far and away the most beautiful place I have ever seen, this trip or any other time for that matter. The golf course is spectacular and the scenery is unbeatable.
So now to return to the real world. How does that work again?
I have another ten days or so before I return to work. Time to start writing thank you notes I guess.
And thanks for reading all this time. It was cool to hear from people who I don't normally speak to that much tell me how much they enjoyed reading about the trip. I also had a few people tell me that "your Facebook posts have made me want to strangle you recently!"
Thanks for all the help from people who hosted us or helped us get on different courses. It was absolutely amazing.
If you ever get the chance to do a trip like this, do it. We live in the greatest country on earth.
So ends the trip of a lifetime...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Jackson Hole
After 3 days of skiing and 3 nights at the Mangy Moose Saloon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming...I am exhausted.
Not that I wasn't tired before!
And now we have to tackle a 2500 mile trip home!
The last three days were some of the most memorable days of the trip. Jackson is truly an old western town with some modern flair. The mountain is a beast too. The steepest and deepest in the country. Nothing else even comes close or so I'm told. They have had 200 inches of snow so far this season and most everyone we talked to was disappointed with that?!?
So we arrived on Wednesday evening after driving 6 hours from Sun Valley, Idaho. The drive which was only 250 miles was slow going at best. We checked into our hotel (The Inn at Jackson Hole, right in Teton Village...the base of the mountain) at about 10pm. We crashed.
The next morning, we got right to it. The conditions were perfect. Sunny skies, 30 degrees and the snow was well groomed and I thought there was plenty of it. We finished the day with a few (more than a few!) beers at the Mangy Moose Saloon. This après ski bar is right at the base of the mountain and is the spot for drinks after a long day of skiing. We had the best plate of nachos you have ever had and we made a few friends. We were the last to leave.
Friday morning was another perfect morning for skiing. The light was a little flat all day (meaning it's tough to see the the height and depth of the snow). Regardless, Mike and I got in 4 runs before we stopped for lunch.
And lunch was a treat because we had been invited to the Shooting Star Golf Club by Head Golf Professional Matt Morman. The club van picked us up at 11:30 and drove us the mile over to the club. Matt gave us the full tour of their amazing clubhouse. The golf course was obviously under snow but the property was impressive nevertheless. After lunch with Matt and his first assistant, Kali, we were dropped back off at the mountain.
Following an afternoon session on the mountain, we of course went back to the Mangy Moose for some root beers.
For dinner, we went to downtown Jackson to the Sweetwater Restaurant. Kali met us for dinner and so did my friend Lyndsey from Villanova! Lyndsey had been in Salt Lake on business and decided to come hang out with us in Jackson for the weekend!
After dinner and a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, we all headed home in anticipation of fresh powder for Saturday morning. Lyndsey and I met early for skiing but Mike got up really early and met Kali for hiking/skiing the Glory Bowl, a backcountry pass that requires avalanche gear.
So Mike survived but had energy for only two runs on the mountain in the afternoon. As for me, I put in a super full day making almost 15 runs. I skied with Lyndsey and a bunch of her friends for most of the day. Following skiing, we again all hit up the Mangy Moose pub. Mike and I successfully helped close the bar again. I think Mike's credit card was swiped 7 times in 3 days at the Moose.
So this morning, we left Jackson to sunny skies but that could be the last time we see the sun for a few days. After a very slow drive through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, we made to Interstate 80 only to find out that it was closed. After failing miserably at some alternate routes, the highway finally reopened around 330pm. Mike and I then drove over 200 miles in the worst weather imaginable with absolutely terrible road conditions. Wind, snow and ice made driving scary. Visibility was 50 yards at some points and my nerves were shot. We eventually accepted defeat and found a hotel in Laramie, Wyoming...home to the University of Wyoming Cowboys. After having a beer and some food at "the Library," we checked into the Hampton Inn in Laramie.
So here in lies the problem. We are sitting here watching it snow. We also discovered a nearby ski resort. We also know the forecast for the next few days across the Midwest is crummy at best with snow expected just about everywhere.
So the short term plan seems to be skiing at the Snowy Range Ski Area tomorrow morning before we continue to head east. Who knows though!
Thanks again for reading and wish us luck on our drive home.
Check out some of the amazing pics from Jackson Hole below.
Reed
Not that I wasn't tired before!
And now we have to tackle a 2500 mile trip home!
The last three days were some of the most memorable days of the trip. Jackson is truly an old western town with some modern flair. The mountain is a beast too. The steepest and deepest in the country. Nothing else even comes close or so I'm told. They have had 200 inches of snow so far this season and most everyone we talked to was disappointed with that?!?
So we arrived on Wednesday evening after driving 6 hours from Sun Valley, Idaho. The drive which was only 250 miles was slow going at best. We checked into our hotel (The Inn at Jackson Hole, right in Teton Village...the base of the mountain) at about 10pm. We crashed.
The next morning, we got right to it. The conditions were perfect. Sunny skies, 30 degrees and the snow was well groomed and I thought there was plenty of it. We finished the day with a few (more than a few!) beers at the Mangy Moose Saloon. This après ski bar is right at the base of the mountain and is the spot for drinks after a long day of skiing. We had the best plate of nachos you have ever had and we made a few friends. We were the last to leave.
Friday morning was another perfect morning for skiing. The light was a little flat all day (meaning it's tough to see the the height and depth of the snow). Regardless, Mike and I got in 4 runs before we stopped for lunch.
And lunch was a treat because we had been invited to the Shooting Star Golf Club by Head Golf Professional Matt Morman. The club van picked us up at 11:30 and drove us the mile over to the club. Matt gave us the full tour of their amazing clubhouse. The golf course was obviously under snow but the property was impressive nevertheless. After lunch with Matt and his first assistant, Kali, we were dropped back off at the mountain.
Following an afternoon session on the mountain, we of course went back to the Mangy Moose for some root beers.
For dinner, we went to downtown Jackson to the Sweetwater Restaurant. Kali met us for dinner and so did my friend Lyndsey from Villanova! Lyndsey had been in Salt Lake on business and decided to come hang out with us in Jackson for the weekend!
After dinner and a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, we all headed home in anticipation of fresh powder for Saturday morning. Lyndsey and I met early for skiing but Mike got up really early and met Kali for hiking/skiing the Glory Bowl, a backcountry pass that requires avalanche gear.
So Mike survived but had energy for only two runs on the mountain in the afternoon. As for me, I put in a super full day making almost 15 runs. I skied with Lyndsey and a bunch of her friends for most of the day. Following skiing, we again all hit up the Mangy Moose pub. Mike and I successfully helped close the bar again. I think Mike's credit card was swiped 7 times in 3 days at the Moose.
So this morning, we left Jackson to sunny skies but that could be the last time we see the sun for a few days. After a very slow drive through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, we made to Interstate 80 only to find out that it was closed. After failing miserably at some alternate routes, the highway finally reopened around 330pm. Mike and I then drove over 200 miles in the worst weather imaginable with absolutely terrible road conditions. Wind, snow and ice made driving scary. Visibility was 50 yards at some points and my nerves were shot. We eventually accepted defeat and found a hotel in Laramie, Wyoming...home to the University of Wyoming Cowboys. After having a beer and some food at "the Library," we checked into the Hampton Inn in Laramie.
So here in lies the problem. We are sitting here watching it snow. We also discovered a nearby ski resort. We also know the forecast for the next few days across the Midwest is crummy at best with snow expected just about everywhere.
So the short term plan seems to be skiing at the Snowy Range Ski Area tomorrow morning before we continue to head east. Who knows though!
Thanks again for reading and wish us luck on our drive home.
Check out some of the amazing pics from Jackson Hole below.
Reed
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Oh Sun Valley...
Mike and I left Lake Tahoe on Monday morning and arrived totally exhausted in Sun Valley around 8pm.
Armed with a 2 day lift ticket that we bought online at Liftopia.com, we headed to Sun Valley Ski Resort early Tuesday morning. We put in a full day on a nearly empty mountain. You have to understand that Sun Valley is really in the middle of nowhere. There are no other towns north of Sun Valley in Idaho. Basically, you hit Canada before you hit another town.
It is a very high end town with some amazing homes and the nicest ski lodges I have ever seen. The ski area is run at a loss by the owner (some oil guy). By spending his billions, even if some of his business endeavors are in the red, he avoids paying too much in taxes. I don't quite understand it but it made more sense when our host explained it. Speaking of our hosts, Mr. Roger "Cowboy" Purington and his wife Anne Dickinson were super nice to open their home to us for two nights. They are members at Ridgewood and spend a good deal of time in Sun Valley, their second home.
Tuesday evening, we went to the Pioneer Saloon for a steak dinner followed by $2!!!! beers at a bar called Whisky Jacques. Our tab was $17...awesome. I guess we had one $3 beer.
Wednesday morning, after a slow start, we went back over to the mountain for some more skiing. After a solid 10 or 12 runs on the 3000 foot vertical mountain, we were done. I don't think there were even 500 people on the mountain today. There just was nobody there. Like your own private mountain. I highly recommend Sun Valley to every ski enthusiast.
What I do not recommend is doing the drive from Sun Valley to Jackson Hole in the dark. 260 miles in the snow on roads covered in snow with the GPS as our only link to the outside world. Cell phone service was intermittent at best. Don't worry Mom...we drove slow and were very careful.
We just got here around 10pm...a 6 hour drive with one Subway stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We are staying in Teton Village at the Inn at Jackson Hole. We are right at the base of the mountain and we will be here through Sunday. Neither one of us had enough energy to even walk 300 yards to the Mangy Moose Pub. Don't worry though, I'm sure we will spend plenty of time there over the next couple days.
That's it for tonight, check out some pics from Sun Valley below.
Reed
Armed with a 2 day lift ticket that we bought online at Liftopia.com, we headed to Sun Valley Ski Resort early Tuesday morning. We put in a full day on a nearly empty mountain. You have to understand that Sun Valley is really in the middle of nowhere. There are no other towns north of Sun Valley in Idaho. Basically, you hit Canada before you hit another town.
It is a very high end town with some amazing homes and the nicest ski lodges I have ever seen. The ski area is run at a loss by the owner (some oil guy). By spending his billions, even if some of his business endeavors are in the red, he avoids paying too much in taxes. I don't quite understand it but it made more sense when our host explained it. Speaking of our hosts, Mr. Roger "Cowboy" Purington and his wife Anne Dickinson were super nice to open their home to us for two nights. They are members at Ridgewood and spend a good deal of time in Sun Valley, their second home.
Tuesday evening, we went to the Pioneer Saloon for a steak dinner followed by $2!!!! beers at a bar called Whisky Jacques. Our tab was $17...awesome. I guess we had one $3 beer.
Wednesday morning, after a slow start, we went back over to the mountain for some more skiing. After a solid 10 or 12 runs on the 3000 foot vertical mountain, we were done. I don't think there were even 500 people on the mountain today. There just was nobody there. Like your own private mountain. I highly recommend Sun Valley to every ski enthusiast.
What I do not recommend is doing the drive from Sun Valley to Jackson Hole in the dark. 260 miles in the snow on roads covered in snow with the GPS as our only link to the outside world. Cell phone service was intermittent at best. Don't worry Mom...we drove slow and were very careful.
We just got here around 10pm...a 6 hour drive with one Subway stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho. We are staying in Teton Village at the Inn at Jackson Hole. We are right at the base of the mountain and we will be here through Sunday. Neither one of us had enough energy to even walk 300 yards to the Mangy Moose Pub. Don't worry though, I'm sure we will spend plenty of time there over the next couple days.
That's it for tonight, check out some pics from Sun Valley below.
Reed
Monday, February 6, 2012
Lake Tahoe
Saturday afternoon, we left our friend Andrew and Mayacama Golf Club. After driving for 250 miles, 4 hours and about 5000 vertical feet, we made it to Lake Tahoe where it was 30 degrees colder than when we had left Santa Rosa.
Mike's high school friend Jared (along with his gf Carrie) would be our hosts for a couple of nights. They both work at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort and since neither one of them were out of work when we arrived, we settled in at one of new favorite bars, the Bridgetender in Tahoe City. Mike and I spent enough time in that bar in two days to become "regulars."
Our first taste of skiing was great too! We were very worried about the snow conditions because the word on the street was that conditions were poor. Tahoe was relying on one major storm and very little snowmaking capabilities to cover their terrain.
Turns out it wasn't bad. Squaw Valley was about 75% open and that was plenty for us. We arrived and got half price loft tickets thanks to Jared and Carrie. Our first run of the day was at 9:15am and we went strong right up until the start of the Super Bowl, which out here, was a 3:30pm start.
We hit up a few different bars right at the base of the mountain to watch the game. I was rooting for a massive power outage in the greater Indianapolis area so that neither team could win. In the end, I guess I am glad it was at least a good game.
Following a final trip to the Bridgetender bar, we called it a night. This morning, we (somehow) got right up and hot the road. We are currently 254 miles into our 10 hour drive to Sun Valley, Idaho. This has easily been the most boring drive we have done, at least since going through West Texas. The scenery is gorgeous with plenty of snow capped mountains to look at. If you're so inclined, look up Interstate 80 in northern Nevada. We are literally in the middle of nowhere, somewhere near Battle Mountain.
Tomorrow and Wednesday, we will ski at the Sun Valley Resort and stay with a Ridgewood member that Mike knows.
Check out a few pictures from Lake Tahoe!
Later,
Reed
Mike's high school friend Jared (along with his gf Carrie) would be our hosts for a couple of nights. They both work at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort and since neither one of them were out of work when we arrived, we settled in at one of new favorite bars, the Bridgetender in Tahoe City. Mike and I spent enough time in that bar in two days to become "regulars."
Our first taste of skiing was great too! We were very worried about the snow conditions because the word on the street was that conditions were poor. Tahoe was relying on one major storm and very little snowmaking capabilities to cover their terrain.
Turns out it wasn't bad. Squaw Valley was about 75% open and that was plenty for us. We arrived and got half price loft tickets thanks to Jared and Carrie. Our first run of the day was at 9:15am and we went strong right up until the start of the Super Bowl, which out here, was a 3:30pm start.
We hit up a few different bars right at the base of the mountain to watch the game. I was rooting for a massive power outage in the greater Indianapolis area so that neither team could win. In the end, I guess I am glad it was at least a good game.
Following a final trip to the Bridgetender bar, we called it a night. This morning, we (somehow) got right up and hot the road. We are currently 254 miles into our 10 hour drive to Sun Valley, Idaho. This has easily been the most boring drive we have done, at least since going through West Texas. The scenery is gorgeous with plenty of snow capped mountains to look at. If you're so inclined, look up Interstate 80 in northern Nevada. We are literally in the middle of nowhere, somewhere near Battle Mountain.
Tomorrow and Wednesday, we will ski at the Sun Valley Resort and stay with a Ridgewood member that Mike knows.
Check out a few pictures from Lake Tahoe!
Later,
Reed
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Our last round
So after a very tiring and challenging round at the Olympic Club, Mike, Andrew, Dave and I went to the Beach Chalet Restaurant right on the beach overlooking the Pacific.
Following dinner, we drove north over the Golden Gate bridge to Santa Rosa. Our friend Andrew had set us up at Mayacama Golf Club for Thursday and Friday night.
After a few glasses of wine, all four of us crashed...hard. With two of the club owned casitas, we all had a big comfortable bed to pass out in. Golf the next morning was not until 11am so we all got some much needed sleep.
Mayacama is awesome. A terrific Jack Nicklaus design that has found it's way in to the top 100. The experience was awesome, staying on property, playing golf, having a few bottles of wine with a few members and just the place in general. To give you an idea of what Mayacama is like....the members share golf lockers but they each have their very own wine locker in the basement of the clubhouse.
The golf course was immaculate too. Not a blade of grass out of place. I finally played well too. Shot 1 under 36 on the front and 1 over on the back for an even par 72. Last round of the trip was my best...good way to go out.
After a wild night in Santa Rosa (we can get in trouble anywhere), we left midday today to drive to Lake Tahoe. The drive to Tahoe is roughly 3 hours and every inch of it is uphill. The temperature dropped 35 degrees from when we had left Santa Rosa.
We are staying with one of Mike's high school friends for the next few nights. We will ski at the Squaw Valley resort tomorrow before we head to Sun Valley on Monday.
Check out a few pics from Olympic and a few pics from Mayacama below.
Thanks as always for reading and wish me luck on the slopes tomorrow!
Reed
By the way...that wraps up the golf portion of the trip. I played 21 rounds and Mike played 19. Totally unbelievable. Thanks to all our hosts and thanks to Peter Millar for outfitting us with golf clothes!!!
Following dinner, we drove north over the Golden Gate bridge to Santa Rosa. Our friend Andrew had set us up at Mayacama Golf Club for Thursday and Friday night.
After a few glasses of wine, all four of us crashed...hard. With two of the club owned casitas, we all had a big comfortable bed to pass out in. Golf the next morning was not until 11am so we all got some much needed sleep.
Mayacama is awesome. A terrific Jack Nicklaus design that has found it's way in to the top 100. The experience was awesome, staying on property, playing golf, having a few bottles of wine with a few members and just the place in general. To give you an idea of what Mayacama is like....the members share golf lockers but they each have their very own wine locker in the basement of the clubhouse.
The golf course was immaculate too. Not a blade of grass out of place. I finally played well too. Shot 1 under 36 on the front and 1 over on the back for an even par 72. Last round of the trip was my best...good way to go out.
After a wild night in Santa Rosa (we can get in trouble anywhere), we left midday today to drive to Lake Tahoe. The drive to Tahoe is roughly 3 hours and every inch of it is uphill. The temperature dropped 35 degrees from when we had left Santa Rosa.
We are staying with one of Mike's high school friends for the next few nights. We will ski at the Squaw Valley resort tomorrow before we head to Sun Valley on Monday.
Check out a few pics from Olympic and a few pics from Mayacama below.
Thanks as always for reading and wish me luck on the slopes tomorrow!
Reed
By the way...that wraps up the golf portion of the trip. I played 21 rounds and Mike played 19. Totally unbelievable. Thanks to all our hosts and thanks to Peter Millar for outfitting us with golf clothes!!!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
San Fran Golf: Episode 2
What do you do for an encore after you spend a day playing Cypress Point?
You play 36 in San Francisco. A morning round at the Alister Mckenzie designed California Club. Then an afternoon round at the Olympic Club. Olympic will host the 2012 US Open in June.
All four of us played well this morning at the Cal Club...amazing considering how late we stayed out in downtown San Fran the night before...drinking root beer. The Cal Club was a terrific layout and it definitely reminded us of Augusta in the way the green complexes were designed.
This afternoon was a different story. I think our favorite part about Olympic was the hamburgers we had before the round. Olympic hamburgers are famous because they are skinny and on a hot dog bun. Delicious!!! Then we started to play golf....and our caliber of play declined extremely quickly. Three straight days of playing 36 finally caught up with us. Only sleeping about 3 hours a night for the last few nights didn't help either. It was great to see an Open venue course though. Olympic stretches to 7100 yards and plays at a par 71(most likely par70 for the open). 7100 yards doesn't sound long but I promise it is. Even though we were all deliriously tired, we had a blast.
After golf, we headed to the Beach Chalet restaurant for dinner. The restaurant overlooks the Pacific and we got to see a fantastic sunset. Following dinner and a 1.5 hour drive, we arrived at Mayacama Golf Club in Santa Rosa. Our friend Andrew is an assistant professional here and he hooked us up with two of the casitas for the next couple nights. Tomorrow will actually be the last round of golf for us on our trip. It is sure to be a great last golf day. Forecast is for 65 and sunny. Ted, the pro here is scheduled to play with us and a few Mayacama members will play with us too.
So as we all sit here drinking beer and wine, some very tired eyes look back at all the pictures I have taken on the trip. We all have to pinch ourselves over this week and this trip because it has been so amazing.
Anyways, more tomorrow night. Thanks as always for reading.
Reed
Olympic pictures tomorrow night...my iPad camera thing wasn't working for some reason tonight.
Oh and by the way...Mike almost had a hole in one on a par 4 on # 7 at the Cal Club today. One of the best shots of the trip!
You play 36 in San Francisco. A morning round at the Alister Mckenzie designed California Club. Then an afternoon round at the Olympic Club. Olympic will host the 2012 US Open in June.
All four of us played well this morning at the Cal Club...amazing considering how late we stayed out in downtown San Fran the night before...drinking root beer. The Cal Club was a terrific layout and it definitely reminded us of Augusta in the way the green complexes were designed.
This afternoon was a different story. I think our favorite part about Olympic was the hamburgers we had before the round. Olympic hamburgers are famous because they are skinny and on a hot dog bun. Delicious!!! Then we started to play golf....and our caliber of play declined extremely quickly. Three straight days of playing 36 finally caught up with us. Only sleeping about 3 hours a night for the last few nights didn't help either. It was great to see an Open venue course though. Olympic stretches to 7100 yards and plays at a par 71(most likely par70 for the open). 7100 yards doesn't sound long but I promise it is. Even though we were all deliriously tired, we had a blast.
After golf, we headed to the Beach Chalet restaurant for dinner. The restaurant overlooks the Pacific and we got to see a fantastic sunset. Following dinner and a 1.5 hour drive, we arrived at Mayacama Golf Club in Santa Rosa. Our friend Andrew is an assistant professional here and he hooked us up with two of the casitas for the next couple nights. Tomorrow will actually be the last round of golf for us on our trip. It is sure to be a great last golf day. Forecast is for 65 and sunny. Ted, the pro here is scheduled to play with us and a few Mayacama members will play with us too.
So as we all sit here drinking beer and wine, some very tired eyes look back at all the pictures I have taken on the trip. We all have to pinch ourselves over this week and this trip because it has been so amazing.
Anyways, more tomorrow night. Thanks as always for reading.
Reed
Olympic pictures tomorrow night...my iPad camera thing wasn't working for some reason tonight.
Oh and by the way...Mike almost had a hole in one on a par 4 on # 7 at the Cal Club today. One of the best shots of the trip!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Call of Duty 5: Operation Cypress Point
Words can not adequately describe the beauty and experience of the Cypress Point Club.
The four of us teed off around 7:45 this morning on a near perfect day. The sun was out, waves were crashing and the clouds that remained painted the perfect setting as the sun rose up over the golf course. (well I tried, see the pics below to see what im talking about.)
The 4th ranked course in the country really lives up to it's ranking. It is definitely my most favorite course I have ever played. (sorry Merion, my old favorite). And no offense to anybody...but Cypress is way better than Pine Valley. PV is a great golf experience but the setting at Cypress is second to none.
After lunch at the Inn at Spanish Bay, we drove to a course in Carmel called The Preserve. Once you get to the security gate, you still have 10 more miles to get to the clubhouse. Because we took our sweet time this morning, we didn't even tee off until 3pm. We played a super fast 15 holes. The Preserve was pure too. This top 100 course designed by Fazio was laid out in this canyon surrounded by redwoods, Spanish moss and all kinds of wildlife...deer, turkeys, eagles and even a bobcat.
After a drink at the 19th hole, we are on our way back to San Francisco. We will play our third consecutive day of 36 holes tomorrow. Cal Club in the am followed by Olympic in he afternoon.
Ok...so enough of me blabbing. Y'all just want to see the pictures anyway.
Andrew said it best by the way when talking about Cypress....
"I know that God's country is Clemson, South Carolina but this has got to be it too."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Hope you enjoy the pics.
Reed
The four of us teed off around 7:45 this morning on a near perfect day. The sun was out, waves were crashing and the clouds that remained painted the perfect setting as the sun rose up over the golf course. (well I tried, see the pics below to see what im talking about.)
The 4th ranked course in the country really lives up to it's ranking. It is definitely my most favorite course I have ever played. (sorry Merion, my old favorite). And no offense to anybody...but Cypress is way better than Pine Valley. PV is a great golf experience but the setting at Cypress is second to none.
After lunch at the Inn at Spanish Bay, we drove to a course in Carmel called The Preserve. Once you get to the security gate, you still have 10 more miles to get to the clubhouse. Because we took our sweet time this morning, we didn't even tee off until 3pm. We played a super fast 15 holes. The Preserve was pure too. This top 100 course designed by Fazio was laid out in this canyon surrounded by redwoods, Spanish moss and all kinds of wildlife...deer, turkeys, eagles and even a bobcat.
After a drink at the 19th hole, we are on our way back to San Francisco. We will play our third consecutive day of 36 holes tomorrow. Cal Club in the am followed by Olympic in he afternoon.
Ok...so enough of me blabbing. Y'all just want to see the pictures anyway.
Andrew said it best by the way when talking about Cypress....
"I know that God's country is Clemson, South Carolina but this has got to be it too."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Hope you enjoy the pics.
Reed
San Francisco
Mom! Send money! No wait, I think I'm good. Ok, ok..yeah yeah, send money!
We arrived in San Francisco last night at 8pm after a 400 mile drive up the coast. We met up with Dave and Andrew at the Argonaut Hotel in downtown San Fran right near the Fisherman's Wharf. Very nice hotel.
After a night out (all details excluded), we woke up at 6:30am this morning to drive over to San Francisco Golf Club. We were the first group off...and it was awesome.
We had lunch at a place called Joes, recommended by our caddies. After a terrific sandwich and some interesting characters...we headed to Lake Merced.
They will host the 2012 US Girls Junior. It is a tough layout. Both San Fran courses were not long on the scorecards but they play extremely long because the ball doesn't fly in the cool damp air and you get absolutely no roll. Very different from when I was hitting 300 plus in Texas.
So we played another top 100 in San Fran GC, # 33 I believe. And we will play two more today. Cypress and the Preserve.
So 36 more today. It's a good thing we get some exercise out of this. Our diet hasn't exactly been....lean. We still have yet to eat at Wendy's or McDonald or any type of fast food chain. So we have that going for us, which is nice. (movie line. Anyone? What movie?)
Read about Cypress tonight...I will be calling the next issue of the blog...."Call of Duty 5: Cypress Point."
K,cya bye.
Reed
We arrived in San Francisco last night at 8pm after a 400 mile drive up the coast. We met up with Dave and Andrew at the Argonaut Hotel in downtown San Fran right near the Fisherman's Wharf. Very nice hotel.
After a night out (all details excluded), we woke up at 6:30am this morning to drive over to San Francisco Golf Club. We were the first group off...and it was awesome.
We had lunch at a place called Joes, recommended by our caddies. After a terrific sandwich and some interesting characters...we headed to Lake Merced.
They will host the 2012 US Girls Junior. It is a tough layout. Both San Fran courses were not long on the scorecards but they play extremely long because the ball doesn't fly in the cool damp air and you get absolutely no roll. Very different from when I was hitting 300 plus in Texas.
So we played another top 100 in San Fran GC, # 33 I believe. And we will play two more today. Cypress and the Preserve.
So 36 more today. It's a good thing we get some exercise out of this. Our diet hasn't exactly been....lean. We still have yet to eat at Wendy's or McDonald or any type of fast food chain. So we have that going for us, which is nice. (movie line. Anyone? What movie?)
Read about Cypress tonight...I will be calling the next issue of the blog...."Call of Duty 5: Cypress Point."
K,cya bye.
Reed
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