The 50 States of Golf

In addition to many states, my golf travels have taken me across the world. Here I am at Cruden Bay in northeast Scotland.

Writing has always been my profound passion, with golf a close runner-up. The game has invariably been there for me throughout the peaks and valleys of life; there’s something about a brisk walk down a fairway that does more for my well-being than almost anything else in my existence. I love the camaraderie, the sound of a tee shot striped down the middle, and the sights of the course. I love the sound of a putt dropping in a cup, the sight of morning dew as you tee off before the rest of the world is stirring, and the conversation. Besides, where else do you get the opportunity to speak to another human being—or three—for four hours in a trapped environment? From the inevitable first tee “what do you do for a living?” question to the 18th green handshake, sometimes accompanied by a “what’s your phone number?” query, golf represents perhaps the greatest opportunity to get to know someone. A first tee introduction has led me to several friends. Something all golfers have in common is their tendency to self-deprecate. This is in fact the hardest game in the world, and a golfer will let you know as such. As the great Bobby Jones, one of the early pioneers of the game, once said: “Golf is assuredly a mystifying game. It would seem that if a person has hit a golf ball correctly a thousand times, he should be able to duplicate the performance at will. But such is certainly not the case.”

My first golf memory took place on April 13th, 1997, when I was five years old. My family and I were watching a 21-year-old Tiger Woods take home—in dominating fashion—his first Masters Tournament. My dad looked over at me and declared: “You’ll be seeing this guy out here for a long time.” I vowed to go to Augusta National Golf Club that April day; here we are 26 years later, and I have never been. That’s not for a lack of trying, though: I’ve submitted entries into the Masters Tournament ticket lottery each of the past nine years. A close friend of mine—not an avid golfer—traveled to Augusta National last year via the ticket lottery for the first time and described it as a “life-changing” experience. It may be tough to understand for the non-golfer, but it’s about more than just hitting a little white ball in a field. This is especially true at Augusta National, a place considered the mecca of the sport.

Though a great bulk of my family and friends enjoy the game, I foolishly told my mother back in 2018: “I'll never marry a golfer”. Within a year, I was engaged to one. I met her family and soon realized I had come across more folks obsessed with the game. In fact, the first ideological belief not related to Catholicism or children my now wife and I bonded over was the opinion that every golfer should take a pilgrimage to the Old Course at Saint Andrews in Scotland, the home of the sport, before they die. As of the time of this post, we have not made the trek. However, we have a legitimate excuse: our daughter was born on the Friday of the 2022 Open Championship, which was held at, you guessed it, Saint Andrews. Funny enough, we discussed going to that tournament a few years earlier. Our daughter’s birth was one of a couple of instances that would have prevented us from making the trip. Indeed, the love for golf is passed down from one generation to the next.

The apex of my golfing “career” came at 17 years old, when I won my golf club’s junior championship. I remember walking down the 18th fairway in the final round with a two-shot lead, knowing I could play the final hole safely and walk away with the trophy. After tapping in a putt for the victory, I’ll never forget looking over at the clubhouse and seeing my parents standing there among the crowd of a few dozen. They were—and still are—as enthralled by the sport as I am. That I’ve been able to share many more moments with them on the course since is the magic of golf. 18 months ago, my younger brother shattered his ankle in a freak accident playing his first pickup game of football in years. Half a year later, he parred his first hole back on the course. Again, the magic of golf.

Now you understand my obsession. I live and breathe the game; whenever there’s an opportunity, I will go out of my way to learn about the history of the game and its hallowed grounds. This leads me to a newfound goal of mine, to tee it up in all 50 of the United States of America. I began tracking this quest in 2019; four years later, we’ve taken the collective total from eight to 18 states. I will be sharing with you in the coming months and years all the tales I have from these travels. You might be wondering: why the heck is visiting every state to play golf a priority? Seems a little obsessive, I know. If you know anything about me outside the margins of my books, it’s that I’m a bit of a geography nerd. As a child, I studied suburban Minneapolis maps like my life depended on it. So, coupling my affinity for geography and my passion for golf, I have decided to take on this task. Thanks for following along, and I hope to teach you a thing or two about the game and the places it has taken me. I’d love to hear your feedback and stories as well. As they say in golf, hit ‘em straight!