It’s time for the 2023 Year in Review – Golf Edition. If you’re newer to the site, here is the link to the 2022 version.
2023 was a bit different in that I didn’t feel the need to photograph every new course I saw. There were some special get-togethers where I was more focused on the people than making sure I got every tee, approach, and green photo. All in all, it was a great year of travel and meeting new people.
I knocked off six courses from my quest and remain thankful for the people who have helped along the way. Additionally, I was able to see some more places from my extended list of courses to see.
New Courses Played
I played 29 new golf courses in 2023, down just a bit from 2022. They are listed below with hyperlinks for the tours already posted. Look out for some others in the coming months!
- Old North State Club
- The Wildewood Club
- Saluda Valley Country Club
- TPC Sugarloaf (Stables/Meadows)
- The Patriot Golf Club at Grand Harbor
- Rich Harvest Farms
- Sunset Ridge Country Club
- Skokie Country Club
- Cheraw State Park
- Highland Links Cape Cod
- Lake of Isles (North)
- The Links at Lighthouse Sound
- Bayside Resort Golf Club
- Brae Burn Country Club
- York Golf & Tennis Club
- The Golf Club of New England
- Bald Peak Colony Club
- Portland Country Club
- Shoreacres
- The Golf Courses of Lawsonia (Woodlands)
- North Shore Country Club
- Canyata Golf Club
- Old Barnwell
- Surf Golf & Beach Club
- Arcadian Shores Golf Club
- The Country Club of Asheville
- The Links at Stono Ferry
- Asheville Municipal Golf Course
- Mount Hood Golf Course
Tally of New People Met
I played with 69 new people for the year. Meeting new people is one of the best things about golf. You won’t always get along with everyone, but I have found the “hit” rate on golfers is pretty good.
2023’s group of people included the following…
- Local county amateur champion with a +5 handicap
- Golf course superintendent
- A father/son duo on a trip
- An elderly gentleman who played only with a three-wood
- Course record holder
- Hilarious Canadian buddies in Myrtle Beach
- College baseball writer
- A guy in his 90s with 20 holes-in-one and who has shot his age 2,150 times
- Two longtime military veterans
- Many more from my No Laying Up and adjacent communities
In addition to these new folks, I played with 31 repeat people. The friends I’ve been able to make through golf have truly made my life better.
Among both the new and repeat player tallies are many from the No Laying Up and adjacent communities. What started as a Twitter account I followed, has grown to a podcast, YT channel, and a message board. I’ve been blessed to meet many people through this and it has enriched my golf life.
Highlight Experiences
It was a year with a little bit fewer rounds, but still with plenty of highlights. Here’s a sampling of them.
- Winning an event with my friend Luke at my home course in cold conditions.
- An event called the Ope-In that benefitted a cause important to an all-around good guy. Good times were had in Wisconsin, a place I’ve visited 3 times in the last 3 years!
- Rapid-firing movie quotes with Pat, Nick, and Travis at Lawsonia Links.
- Buddies trip to Old Barnwell with Aiken added to the mix. Great group of guys and a great time!
- NLU/Fliers Club event at Highland Links where we played 27 holes, won the wedge shootout, and most importantly, met some more great people.
Favorite Golf Shots
It was an up-and-down year of golf course performance, but some shots stood out.
- Mid Pines – 13th hole: Believe it was a bit into the wind (236 yard on the rangefinder) and I put driver (🤣) to 20 feet
- Lawsonia (Woodlands) – 3rd hole: Lipped out an 8-iron that landed a foot in front of the pin
- Lawsonia (Links) – 5th hole: Second shot on this par five was from 224 yards with a 3-wood into a stiff breeze that ended up on the green.
- Wildewood CC: Hooded 7-wood from 200 yards in the left woods to 12 feet
- Lawsonia (Woodlands) – 1st hole: 54* chip through a V in a tree next to the green
- Old North State – 10th hole: One hop and in pitch shot from mulch well below the green
- Sedgefield – 2nd hole: On a hill and well above the green, delicate pitch shot to 3 feet
Favorite New Course Played
Classic – Shoreacres: Raynor, man…he didn’t even use the lake! Instead, he focused on a ravine and did an excellent routing anyway.
Modern – Old Barnwell: A microcosm of what golf course architecture is today. Wide and bouncy with a variety of holes with a birdie or double waiting almost everywhere. I’m excited to see how this course evolves.
Best Surprise
A difficult task again because I always like to know a little about where I’m going. Let’s go with Bald Peak Colony Club. I’d always wanted to see this course because my grandfather had talked about it since I was young. It lived up to that hype and a very enjoyable host added to the experience.
Best Revisit
Yeamans Hall. It’s one of my favorite places in golf.
Golf Stats
Stats were something I thought more about in 2023. Not so much about keeping more, but if I wanted to keep them. About 3/4 of the way through the year, I stopped keeping performance stats. This new direction is under evaluation for 2024. Listed below is the data I have.
Some numbers from the year…
- 18-Hole Rounds – 56 (plus one 21-hole outing on the original 7-hole loop at Old Barnwell)
- 9-Hole Rounds – 4
- Total Birdies – 50
- Total Eagles – 1
- Lowest Score – 73
- 18-Hole Scoring Average – 79.896
- 9-Hole Scoring Average – 43.000
Cheers to 2023! I enjoyed playing with new/repeat folks and seeing new/repeat courses. This game is awesome and I want more people to experience it. Just keep the pace and tend to the course!