Y’all, 2020 was a bear! With COVID-19 dominating the headlines and turning life upside down, nearly everyone was affected in some way. I won’t get into it any more than that since this is a golf space.
Obviously with all of this golf travel was affected. We made a couple trips to see family in New Hampshire (taking as many precautions as possible) but that was it as far as longer trips. I was able to make some day trips armed with hand sanitizer and masks. I’m ready for all of this to be over!
New Courses Played
I played 16 new golf courses this past year. I’ve listed them all below. Some have links to the posts that have already gone up on the site. Look out for the others in the coming weeks! Compared to 20 new courses in 2019 I am not too displeased with my progress.
Of these courses, only 1 was from my quest. Guest policies tightened due to the pandemic so I took that in stride and tried not to let it get to me.
- Monroe Country Club
- Dr. Charles L Sifford Golf Course at Revolution Park
- Dedham Country & Polo Club
- Worcester Country Club
- Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club
- Belgrade Lakes Golf Club
- Hooper Golf Course
- May River Golf Club
- The Country Club of Charleston
- Balsam Mountain Preserve
- The Aiken Golf Club
- Blue Hill Country Club
- Wannamoisett Country Club
- Camden Country Club
- Greensboro Country Club (Farm)
- Columbia Country Club (Ridgewood/Tall Pines)
Tally of New People Met
Along with everything else, COVID changed some travel plans. I also didn’t do the best of tracking who I played with. I’m not sweating it. To all of you that I did play with, I can say it was a wonderful experience and I’m glad we could tee it up.
It was great to participate in two No Laying Up gatherings and met more great folks. I’m so thankful for that community.
Highlight Experiences
There are so many, but here we go.
- Meeting up in Charlotte with some NLU people right when COVID was popping off in early March. I’m glad we could get a full day in before the world changed.
- Meeting and playing with people from the online golf community further convinces me that people are inherently good. Shoutout to all the new people I could tee it up with. This means you Matt, David, Jesse, Luke, Brad, Randy, Dave, Ben, Paul, Jeff, Brian, Andy, Thomas, Ryan, Joe, Lee, Josh, John, Jake, and CJ. If I forgot anyone, I apologize. Please call me out in the comments.
- All of the other new people I met when randomly paired up. The two women members at Abenaqui were a highlight. Such a fun day!
- Another NLU meet up in Aiken in October was a blast. Masks, social distancing, and hand sanitizer didn’t dampen everyone’s enthusiasm.
Best New Course Played
Wannamoisett Country Club for sure! I’ve wanted to play this course since my teens. It certainly lived up to the hype.
Best Surprise
Many clubs vied for this title. Aiken and Camden were certainly in the running. But for me it has to be Worcester Country Club. A great combination of interesting holes and plenty of challenge.
Best Revisit
No doubt this was Biltmore Forest in Asheville. The renovation has made this Donald Ross gem a real force. With that, Donald Ross sweeps the yearly awards. I didn’t see that coming.
Golf Stats
For the second straight year, my average score went up (79.3). As I got to the end of 2020, I decided I needed more practice time and to get in better shape. I’ll be working on that in 2021. Additionally, I’m planning to diligently track basic statistics so I can know what to work on.
Some numbers from the year…
- 18-Hole Rounds – 54
- 9-Hole Rounds – 11
- Total Birdies – 35
- Total Eagles – 1
- Lowest Score – 72
2020 was certainly a challenging year. So many people experienced immense loss and we were not exempt from that. One thing that kept me in good spirits was golf.
With masks and hand sanitizer, it was one of the few safe activities out there. Thank you all who made the walks extra enjoyable.
Finally, I want to thank everyone who helped out with my golf quest this year. It is impossible to do this without you. I say these words every year but they stay 100% true.
Thanks for reading in 2020 (all 7,988 visitors) and I hope I can tee it up with you in 2021!