Random thoughts, musings, and other ideas on the fringe.
This is the third in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. Southern Pines Golf Club, revamped under new ownership after becoming the…
One of my more interesting failures from my rounds in this weekend’s inaugural Lexington Mid-Am Championship was consistently choosing the wrong side in the epic struggle between an invariable pre-shot routine and my perceived pace of play. Cold, emotionless analysis indicates that I would rather be known as a lesser-skilled or poorer golfer than a…
The golf trip to Southern Pines in August 2020 will mark my 8th consecutive year as a golf trip captain. Add in random long weekends and overnight golf excursions that pop up from time to time, and I’ve spent a lot of time chasing this crazy game far and wide. Each trip has been fun…
Last month, I attended my second consecutive Louisville Golf Expo. While this regional golf show is far cry from the glitz and glamour of the PGA Merchandise Show held annually in Orlando, Florida, this year’s improvement over last year’s experience indicates that the Expo will be around for a while. Sure, there aren’t any elaborate…
We don’t spend a lot of time writing about the PGA Tour here at OneBeardedGolfer.com, because, frankly, there are lots of professional journalists and media types with better access, more resources, and actual talent for writing. Everyone once in a while, a story jumps off the greens that grabs us and requires our two cents.…
It’s been kind of fun week here at OneBeardedGolfer.com for random acts of needless publicity. First, Matt Ginella answered a One Bearded Tweet on his #AskMattG mailbag segment on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program, which was a complete hoot for The Wife and I. Now, ESPN Senior Golf Writer Michael Collins has chosen another…
We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog reading to bring you this breaking new report: The One Bearded Golfer got a shout-out this morning on the Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program. Prior to the regular “Ask Matty G” segment, wherein Matt Ginella answers questions on golf trips and golf courses from his Twitter followers (@MattGinellaGC), my…
2015 was a mixed year on the golf course for us here at OneBeardedGolfer.com. There were plenty of highlights, laughs had, and memories made on some fantastic golf courses. But getting the ball from the tee to the hole efficiently continues to prove elusive. The Good Despite the arrival of the One Bearded Baby, I…
One of the side benefits of keeping an official golf handicap through the USGA’s national Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) system is that it makes you a member of the enormous network of over 9,000 golf clubs that use the GHIN system. The simple, user-friendly functionality of the system is easy to utilize for…
With an arctic blast moving through central Kentucky this coming week, my earnest start to the 2015 golf season is on hold at least one more week. Rather than bemoaning the circumstances of the present, it seems like the perfect opportunity to look back at the best golf course experiences I had last year. This…
As we count down the days until the golf season begins, the Kentucky Golf Association (“KGA”) is already carrying the banner for creating excitement and enthusiasm for golf in the Commonwealth. In addition to the traditional championships one would expect from a state golf association, the KGA has added an amateur series at some fantastic…
Battling a small bout of winter greys and feeling an episode of cabin fever coming on, John Mark and I were borderline desperate to get out onto a golf course. I certainly wanted to take my swing that I’d been working on so diligently for a test drive. Luckily, we able to take advantage of…
Just as the Tour professionals take a little time off after the FedEx and Ryder Cup competitions, I needed a brief hiatus from The Blog, and from the links, as I turned the corner from summer to fall 2014. In other words, I got sucked into and mesmerized by the MLB Playoffs this year, even…
The midpoint of 2014 has come and gone, so it’s time for a brief look back at the best and worst of my golf world. The best and worst of the first half of 2014: Best Investment: Golf lessons. I’ve flirted with getting down to a single digit handicap this spring, which is probably a…
The first half of 2014 has come and gone, and as the heat of another Bluegrass summer engulfs us here at the One Bearded Golfer Blog, it is time to check in my progress towards my New Year’s Golf Resolutions. I will buy a new pair of golf shoes. Progress Grade: A+. My feet continue…
We’re only 18 hours from the Woodford Wag 2014 Charity 5k/2k to raise money for the Woodford Humane Society. Please, if you love animals, care about our community, want to make you and me feel better about ourselves, or just have too damn much free cash flow, please take a second and check out the…
Sometimes, I literally can’t wait to get on the golf course. Try as I might not to think about it too much, the anticipation tends to overwhelm my mind, and eventually trying to concentrate on anything other than golf becomes futile. This is my Golfer’s Syndrome. Over the past year, I’ve done a lot of…
We’re a little bit past the quarter pole on 2014, which means it’s a perfect time to examine my progress on my New Year’s Golf Resolutions from January. I will buy a new pair of golf shoes. Progress Grade: A+. This was the first and easiest item crossed off the to-do list. Despite my initial…
If Keith Richards can outlive Elvis by four decades, and they can play professional ice hockey in Phoenix, then I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that The Wife has decided to give golf another try. This was her decision, of her own volition. I neither pushed her into it, nor discouraged her from embarking on…
While thoughts of golf will move in and out of my mind the next few days, The Blog and golf game may suffer because I’ll be distracted. Unlikeliest of unlikely hot streaks, my University of Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Wisconsin Badgers tonight to move on to the National Championship Game Monday night against the UConn…
The University of Kentucky defeated Michigan tonight in a classic of an Elite Eight contest to earn a trip to Dallas and next weekend’s Final Four. So, for those of us in the Bluegrass State, it looks like the earnest start of the golf season will have to wait one more week.
A very special Valentine’s Day guest column from The Wife: As long as I’ve known my husband, he’s been an enthusiastic golfer. It became the norm that he would take a day on a weekend and play, generally once every two months, with a fraternity alumni tournament sprinkled in here and there. Of course, this…
I didn’t even consider taking up the game of golf until after high school. And if it weren’t for my brother, Dan, I may never have given it a try. Until that time, I was a baseball player that didn’t have the time or money to invest in golf, and was (ignorantly) afraid that the…