Hey Everyone,

A few quick notes

• Half Swing Series: We’re less than a week away from our first Half Swing Series event at Butter Brook on May 30. There are three spots left for the two-man aggregate. $150 a person. Sign up with a friend or as a solo, and we’ll find a partner for ya! Full details and sign-up here.

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• Five things about Big Cedar: Some big-picture thoughts about my four-day trip to Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

A Few Fresh Thoughts and Tips After a Golf Trip

Last week I went to Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri with my buddies Dan, Eliot, and Roberto to play golf. The Ozarks are beautiful and the weekend was a blast. It was my first trip to a golf resort with a group of friends. I went to Pinehurst in 2022 with my wife, which was also incredible, but I was playing golf with strangers. I also did some trips in high school to Myrtle Beach, Bermuda, and Ireland with Eliot and our dads. I was a dumb teenager along for those rides.

While I don’t claim to be an expert, here are a few things I think are worth keeping in mind if you’re planning a golf trip.

1. Start with a date. This trip was a 40th birthday gift from my wife. The initial plan for the trip fell through, but the dates had been set. So I started reaching out to friends to see if they wanted to join me for the trip. It was a whole lot easier to ask people and get responses when the dates were set instead of polling people and trying to figure out the best time for everyone. I know this can be tough because setting a date might mean putting down the cash for the lodging, but if there’s a way to set the date and not expose yourself financially, do it.

2. Play a little less golf than you think you should. Shopping hungry is always a bad idea. Making tee times for a golf trip can be like shopping hungry. Especially when you’re calling in the dead of winter, and the image of warm weather and endless golf seems delightful. We were limited in our tee times because I called three months in advance and a lot of people had snapped up tee times. From Thursday to Sunday, I played 104 holes of golf. 72 were on 18-hole courses. It was probably the right amount, and we also had one morning free to just chill, grab breakfast, and sleep.

3. Try to get everyone there at the same time. Eliot and I arrived on Thursday, and Dan and Roberto arrived on Friday. This was partly due to schedules and how many nights people were able to travel. This might just be a “me problem” but with tee times being limited at Big Cedar, the rhythm of the trip was different for the different arrivals. Eliot and I played 13 holes on Thursday night and 18 more Friday morning before Roberto and Dan joined us, and we played nine holes in the evening. We had Saturday morning open because there was literally no available tee time on any of the five courses. I liked having that Saturday morning free after cramming in 40 holes in 24 holes. However, Dan and Roberto were itching to play.

4. Don’t over-plan. There’s the sense that you have to fill every minute with something. Food or golf usually fill most of the itinerary, but sometimes those down moments hanging in the room or sitting around before the next scheduled round or meal is often the best. Golf is a social sport, but you’re never in one place with everyone at the same time. So give yourself a bit of freedom within the schedule; it’s also nice not to feel like you’re rushing to a tee time or meal.

5. Eight seems like the right number. The groups we encountered which were more than eight felt overwhelming. We got to chatting with one guy in the shuttle who told us he knew just three people in the group of 12 he was with, and he didn’t seem super enthused about it. Eight is a good size for dinner. Eight is a great size for some sort of trip-long game. Eight allows pairings to get mixed up so people play with different folks along the way. I’m sure there’s way to do trip bigger than eight, but for now, eight seems perfect.

6. Play some sort of match/game. We saw some groups in matching “team” shirts… not for me. However, during the last three rounds, we played quota, both individually and in pairs. Quota is great because it makes it easy to pick up if you’re making a double bogey. Because there were four of us, we paired up and had a team quota with a different partner each round. Then we also kept our own quota for the 54 holes, too.

   To play quota you take your course handicap and subtract it from 36. So a three handicap would have 33 points.

   Bogey = 1 point

   Par = 2 points

   Birdie = 4 points

   Eagle = 8 points

   At the end of the round, you figure out the difference between your point total and the quota. For the team version, you combine quotas and points.

   I liked it more than match play because you had to stay in the hole, even if your partner made par, your bogey putt mattered because you could earn a point.

7. Just do it. Whatever your excuses, whatever you have that might get in the way, book a trip and do it. Ask your friends. Ask your parents. Ask your siblings.

Double Click(s)

1. Video of Scottie Scheffler’s arrest came out. I would have loved to see the body cam footage; alas, there isn’t any…

1. Looking for a cheap golf trip? Andy Johnson is sending you to Michigan.

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Tee time offerings to join me on my quest

When I’m not golfing…

I’m reading…

• I remember when fidget spinners, puddy, and Axe Body spray were the popular items for middle school boys… now they’re into expensive cologne? This NYTimes piece When Did Teen Boys Get a Nose for $300 Cologne? was wild.

I’m listening to…

• The Kings of Leon have a new album out called Can We Please Have Fun.

• Don’t Forget Me by Maggie Rogers is awesome.

• “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish has been served to me a few times on Spotify this week. Good tune!

I’m eating…

• At Big Cedar Lodge, each of the courses had some great comfort stations. All the snacks were free and they also offered free bison dogs, which were very good.

• I also had some blackened catfish down in Missouri and some of the best asparagus I’ve ever had.

I’m watching…

• The NCAA Women’s Golf Championship was a great watch. Stanford is a dynasty… The men’s starts on Friday, and the final three days will air on Golf Channel from Monday-Friday. Future major champion and Wellesley native Michael Thorbjornsen is playing his final tournament for Stanford. Yes, he will win a major. I think he’ll win more than one. I put together a “Six storylines to watch” for Amateur Golf.

Old stuff: 

I'm (shamelessly) plugging...

• Bay State Picks: Best courses you can walk for less than $60.

• Bay State Picks: Nine-hole courses to play before or after work

• Bay State Picks: 18 public golf that is worth your time

• Bay State Picks: Easy 18-hole public walks

• Bay State Deep Dive: Myopia Hunt Club

   

• "On Course" New England Journal Podcast

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  • WATCH HERE (and subscribe!)

• Amateur Golf Podcast

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