Chasing the little round ball across the continent

We like to golf. We aren't super great at it, but we still like to do it. Because one day -- and you never know when it will be -- you will hit everything right and have the best score you've ever had. The next day you will likely be back to normal, but you will remember that best round forever.

Golf is also a good way to get some exercise, especially at our stage of life. And it's a good way to learn how to overcome frustration. And there is a lot of that to overcome.

We decided to bring our golf clubs along on this trip, at least for part of it. Although they took up a lot of room in the Road Warrior, they fit and we did play quite a bit, especially considering some of the long drives we made from place to place.

Golf locations from coast to coast!

In all, Phil played ten rounds and Ann played nine over a ten-week period. We golfed on the Atlantic Coast and the Pacific Coast. We golfed at sea level and 7,000 feet above it.

We golfed in swamplands and in high deserts. And although we didn't have that one "best day ever," we did have a lot of fun and see lots of wonderful places.

Our first outing was at a very familiar course, Myrtlewood in Myrtle Beach, SC. We've played the course many times and it was a good first round for the year. Playing with our very good friends who have relocated to MB was a huge bonus. The course is right along the Intercoastal Waterway and the surrounding area used to be forest and marshland but now has been completely developed.

Going south to Hilton Head, we tried the Bear Creek course. It is a good test with several hard holes, especially for ladies. It's a somewhat typical coastal Carolina target golf course with some links-style holes thrown it. There are a lot of choices to play golf in HIlton Head, if we go back we probably will pick another course.

It was almost two weeks before we played again, but we got back on track by playing three times in the Austin/Central Texas area. First outing was with Phil's cousin and his wife at the ColoVista course along the Colorado River. It was early in April so the season was just underway but the course really wasn't in very good shape at all. There were some interesting holes but overall a disappointing course.

Prickly Pear cactus in bloom along the ColoVista course.

We made up for it a few days later at the Forest Creek course in Round Rock. It's a nice track with nice people and we had some of our better scores there. Definitely a place to go back to when in the Austin area. This was a good day for Ann.

Phil met up with a couple of his old UT LBJ School buddies at the Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin. This is the course where we started playing together and we had many rounds there with friends in the 1980s. It's under threat of development now because it occupies some very expensive real estate in west Austin. There is a strong local movement to save it and we hope it stays forever.

At Lions Muni, repping Boncoskey Public Affairs!

Our next outing was at the Marty Sanchez Links in Santa Fe, NM. It was chilly and the wind was gusting to 30 mph at times. The course was at 6,400 feet above sea level and it just had a different feel than playing at sea level. Ann had a good day here, Phil did too. We would go back, just maybe not in what we learned is the windiest month in New Mexico.

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Looking east towards Santa Fe from the 18th hole at Marty Sanchez Links.

A few days later we played at the Pagosa Springs Golf Club in Colorado. That course is at 7,600 feet and the ball definitely does fly a little farther at that altitude. It was the first week they were open but the course was in pretty good shape. It was cool there as well, the previous day's high was 27 and it only got up into the 50s when we played. But we enjoyed the course. An added bonus was some really good barbeque at the clubhouse!

Heading back to the clubhouse at Pagosa Springs.

We played once on the Pacific Coast right before we came home in early May. Pebble Beach not being in our budget we instead played the Pacific Grove course which is also situated right on the water. It's a really beautiful older municipal course with some amazing views of Monterey Bay and a historic lighthouse on the property. We loved it and would play there again. Phil had his best day of all here.

Point Pinos lighthouse at Pacific Grove.

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The view from the tee at #17 on Pacific Grove. Yes, the road is right next to the teebox.

Our last golf at high altitide was at the Lake Tahoe Golf Club, at 6,300 feet. It's a really pretty course in a spectacular setting that is less than half the cost of the more famous Edgewater course in the Tahoe area. We definitely recommend it.

Teebox at Lake Tahoe.

Less than a week later we played our final round of the road trip at the Cross Creek Golf Club outside Dallas, OR. The people were very friendly and let us go out early as we were just a twosome. The course itself was in pretty good shape, with some issues on the fairways but was a nice location to play.

A fairway at Cross Creek.

One of the denizens at Cross Creek.

After we finished that round, we drove to a UPS store in Salem, OR, packed up our clubs and shoes in big boxes, and shipped them home. We aren't really going to have time to golf on the last leg of the trip and wanted the clubs back home when we arrived in early June.

It was great to experience different venues and different golf environments across the country. We will take our clubs with us on future road trips and find new courses to play. Another reason to have a large SUV!