It’s year in review time again! This edition is focused on all things golf from 2024. If you’re newer to the site, here is the link to the 2023 version.
2024 was a productive year for seeing new courses, as you’ll read below. I adhered to my 2023 practice of not requiring myself to photograph every new course I saw, which allows me to take in the surroundings and company a bit better. While I may sacrifice being able to review every hole of a course, I believe the tradeoff is worth it.
I knocked off nine 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 34 new golf courses in 2024. As you can see below, I still have some tours to catch up on (links provided for the ones already posted). Hopefully, those will be coming out in the early part of 2025 so that you will something to get you through the winter.
- Stillwater Golf & Country Club
- Timuquana Country Club
- Tidewater Golf Club
- Legends Golf Resort (Heathland)
- Legends Golf Resort (Moorland)
- Atlanta Athletic Club (Riverside)
- Barefoot Resort & Golf (The Dye Club)
- Grande Dunes (Resort Course)
- Pine Lakes Country Club
- Lake Toxaway Country Club
- The Tree Farm
- The Loxahatchee Club
- Warwick Country Club
- Webhannet Golf Club
- Charles River Country Club
- Concord Country Club
- Myopia Hunt Club
- Sedge Valley
- Brown Deer Golf Course
- Wade Hampton Golf Club
- Piping Rock Club
- Baltusrol Golf Club (Lower)
- Bellerive Country Club
- Commonground Golf Course
- Colorado Golf Club
- Colorado Golf Club (Short Course)
- Cherry Hills Country Club
- Quaker Ridge Golf Club
- Plainfield Country Club
- Boulders Golf Club (South)
- Dobson Ranch Golf Course
- Ocean Forest Golf Club
- Old Barnwell (Kid’s Course)
- Waterfall Club
Tally of New People Met
I’m somewhat blown away by the number this year – 98 new playing partners! That’s up from 69 the previous year. It is somewhat explained by playing about 14 more rounds, but still! Meeting new people remains one of the best things about golf.
2024’s group of people included the following…
- Former college and NFL quarterback
- NH native living in NY that was helping his father sail a 94-footer from Florida to Myrtle Beach
- USGA Mid-Am participant
- Old college golf teammate
- Retired financier, now teaching high school
- Club champions
- Manager of a private social club manager in TD Garden
- Son of a PGA Tour caddie
- Writer for pgatour.com
- Wealth managers
- Creative directors
- Sports agent
- Male model
- Many more from my No Laying Up and adjacent communities
In addition to these new folks, I played with 31 repeaters. 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. I’ve said it before and I’ll continue saying it, I’ve been blessed to meet many people through this and it has enriched my golf life.
Highlight Experiences
I did a pretty poor job of chronicling this stuff in 2024. A positive reflection on that would be that I was having too much fun to write it all down. Here’s what I have…
- Quick trip down to Jacksonville to see my friend Damon and play some new courses in January
- Playing AAC and getting to hear some stories from Kurt about his college and NFL playing days
- The Ope-In event that again benefitted a cause important to an all-around good guy. An annual visit to Wisconsin is not something I had on my bingo card, but I adore the state now!
- Another buddies trip to Old Barnwell. Great group of guys and a great time! Thanks Luke!
- NLU’s NIT event at Dobson Ranch in October. It was great to meet so many “online” friends in person and play a lot of golf.
Favorite Golf Shots
I’ve got to get better at either golf or tracking this 😂.
- Timuquana – 15th hole: 7-iron into a stiff breeze to kick in distance to save par after going in the trees.
- Tree Farm – 4th hole: Three-wood to win the closest to the pin (about 18 feet).
Favorite New Course Played
Classic – Myopia Hunt Club: The familiar saying about older courses is “if they built that today, they’d be laughed at”. I think Myopia would be very well-received with the current state of golf course architecture. It’s no surprise it has stood the test of time.
Modern (Post 1960s) – Wade Hampton: Mountain golf without all of the quirky/unfair bounces. An absolutely pristine setting and superb routing from Fazio.
Best Surprise
I’m going off the beaten path here. Pine Lakes Country Club in Myrtle Beach was a wonderful surprise. It’s never going to be on any Top 100 list, but who cares? 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
Old Barnwell is an easy answer since I get to see it often, luckily. We’ll go with Mimosa Hills for this slot. Donald Ross just knew what he was doing.
Golf Stats
My relationship with stats continues to evolve. If it’s a postable round, I will keep them in the GHIN app. Otherwise, I just don’t care to track them. I know my game took a dip in 2024, but the stats aren’t necessary for me to know that I need to hit more greens and drive the ball better.
Some numbers from the year…
- 18-Hole Rounds – 70 (includes the 15-hole Kid’s Course at Old Barnwell)
- 9-Hole Rounds – 1 (Alternate shot)
- Total Birdies – 49
- Total Eagles – 0
- Lowest Score – 74
- 18-Hole Scoring Average – 80.684
- 9-Hole Scoring Average – N/A
I hope your 2024 in golf was as enjoyable as mine. Golf continues to be one of the best things that has ever come into my life, surpassed only by my wife. I hope to see you on the course in 2025!