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or more than 10 years I had savored the short but sweet Jackson Hole golf season, arriving at each fall with great memories and some good photos from rounds with friends. At the end of every summer season, I’m left wondering where the time went and wanting more warm weather days. Then, into the garage goes the clubs (along with my fly rods, bikes, camping gear, etc.) and out comes the ski gear along with a determination to make the best of a long cold winter. But not last year. In the fall 2016, I kept my golf season going, stepping out of the comfort zone of a great job and extensive community involvement to embark on a six-month, 21,000-mile journey to play 74 courses in 22 states. Between my final round of golf in Jackson in September and my first round in the valley in late April of 2017, I played some of the nation’s finest courses from coast to coast including Bandon Dunes, The Olympic Club, Whistling Straits, Arcadia Bluffs, Shinnecock Hills, Maidstone Club, Bethpage Black, Sea Island, Torrey Pines and Streamsong, just to name a few. The motivation for such an extensive adventure was both the culmination and combination of several lifelong passions and the result of a tragic event. A dear friend of mine, Alexander Razzolini, died in a freak accident on the South Fork of the Snake River on August 30, 2016. Alex was a passionate young man that I respected very much. He lived life to the fullest and his happiness was not a reflection of his income, social status or material items, but rather his passion for life, the outdoors, friends/family and involvement with the youth of our community. You often hear the phrase “Life is too short.” Well, this time it really hit home. It made me think about my life and all the things I still wanted to do. I decided to make every minute of my life count from here on out and to not waste another second. Combining passions, obsessions, professions My love for golf started at an early age. My father introduced me to the game at age five and I have fond memories of the two of us playing together in Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles. He encouraged me to enjoy the game of golf and make the most of the relationships that could be made and strengthened on the course. It wasn’t until 2015, when I joined my first club, Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, that I fully understood what dad meant and my obsession for the game truly began. While golf is my current obsession, one of my greatest passions is photography. I began 16
ISSUE 10| 2017 • JHGOLFERMAGAZINE.COM
California During my travels I had the opportunity to play all over California including Monterey Peninsula, Palm Springs, San Diego and Los Angeles. There is great golf all over this state so don’t feel like you have to play the top names to have a 5-star experience. My highlight has to be meeting Tom In San Francisco, a complete stranger who invited me to play one of the most exclusive private clubs in the country, The Olympic Club. I was staying with a friend after my first week of being on the road, so I went to my car to grab my dirty laundry and a neighbor, Tom, walked out of his house with golf clubs over his shoulder. We immediately started a conversation and built a friendship based on our mutual love of the game. Fifteen minutes later, I was in his car on my way to play the Lake Course at The Olympic Club.
Cleaning clubs along the California coast. shooting at the age of 15 and have done some commercial work, weddings and have had a few images published, but I still considered it a hobby. Professionally my background is in advertising, marketing and hospitality. With my love of photography and my professional background, I’ve always been very involved in social media, particularly Instagram. Last fall, these lifetime pursuits combined with life events to inspire a decision to embark on a personal and professional journey to play golf across the United States. The primary goal of the trip would be to build my portfolio of golf course photography, but I also wanted to have the experience of a lifetime and share it with friends and family through a dedicated Instagram account, “GolfInYourState.” By the end of the trip I had a following of more than 5,000 people from seemingly every corner of the golfing world. Have clubs, Internet access, will travel It all began with a ridiculous amount of research on the more than 15,000 golf courses in the United States. I focused on the “Top” lists from major golf publications such as Golf Digest, GolfWeek and Golf Magazine, which identified the nation’s top-ranked public and private courses nationally and in each state. The initial plan was to play all public courses while camping and living out of my car. As my
followers increased on social media, I began receiving invitations to play some of the most exclusive clubs in the country, which I accepted with gratitude. Yes, I camped the entire journey with the exception of days spent with family and friends, which were plentiful as I visited with more than 120 familiar faces throughout the journey. Perhaps the smartest decision I made in the planning process was to partner with a rooftop tent company in exchange for photography. Not only did this save me a ton of money on accommodations, it enabled me to essentially sleep anywhere from established campgrounds, public and private lands, roadside pullouts or anywhere I could park my car. I was always looking for unique and beautiful places to sleep for the night but mostly I ended up in golf course parking lots. Waking up in the Torrey Pines parking lot at sunrise was particularly spectacular. I’m still trying to process all I learned, the more than 20,000 images I shot and the memories created during this trip, and probably will be for a long time. To follow along, please check out the images on my Instagram account. Below are some highlights from a few of my favorite states out West, in particular those that offer the easiest fall escape for fellow Jackson Hole golfers looking to extend their golf seasons.
Oregon Oregon has been getting a lot of attention in the golf world primarily because of Bandon Dunes, a golf destination that should be on every golfer’s bucket list. But there are numerous
small, unknown courses that will blow your mind if you are willing to brave the weather. I, like so many others, found myself waiting on rain in Oregon. For days, a massive storm refused to pass while visiting friends, but finally, deciding I could wait no longer, I broke out the rain gear and was treated to some of the most memorable golf of this entire journey at Tetherow in Bend, Oregon. Idaho Most initial and final rounds of the year for Jackson Hole golfers almost always take place in Teton Valley, Idaho, or a bit further down the highway in Rexburg or Pocatello, where there are several fine public courses. And if you look beyond the west side of the Tetons, you will find great courses in Sun Valley, Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Twin Falls that, despite relatively close proximity to Jackson, have much longer golf seasons than we do. Idaho wasn’t on my original list of places to play on this trip as I had been there, golfed that many times. But while crossing over the bridge to Twin Falls on the first day of the trip, I looked
down upon the jewels on the banks of the Snake River and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play Blue Lakes for my first round of the journey. Nebraska Known more for its agriculture than for its golf, Nebraska is often overlooked as a golfing destination despite some world-class options. Courses like The Prairie Club, Sand Hills Golf Club and Dismal River should be on a short list for your next golfing adventure. My experience in Nebraska was second to none. I met some of the nicest people along my journey during my time here. I was invited to play a municipal course that was still under construction on a hospitality day for its donors and volunteers. I met a gentleman, and fellow golf traveler, at a bar and after a few whiskeys and some storytelling he invited me to camp in one of his cornfields and pheasant hunt with his family the following day. New Mexico A little rough around the edges with a polished feel, New Mexico golf is outstanding. I suggest you check out the Sante Fe Golf Trail, which
Waking up to sunrise over the Nebraska plains at Wild Horse Golf Club.
ISSUE 10 | 2017 • JHGOLFERMAGAZINE.COM
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