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2013 Memories Ease the Pain of Winter

by Jeff Skinner

As 2013 winds down I have been whining about the end of my golf season for a few weeks now.  But at the same time I’ve been quietly daydreaming about the wonderful season that just passed.

It wasn’t so much the year I had on the course but I really did spend a lot of time at so many events this year.  I spent so much time on the road in June and August that my game suffered tremendously.  Yes, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

My Summer of Golf started with the Wegman’s, U.S. Open, Travelers and U.S. Women’s Open in June.  In August I hit the PGA, U.S. Amateur, Barclays and the Deustche Bank.  The event part of my season was topped off with a trip to The Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village and what a great finish it was.

Along the way I so many encounters with people in the game and each one of them gave me some memorable moments.  Sorry, but this is where I name drop.

I bumped into Catriona Matthew at the Wegman’s.  Watched Justin Rose win it and Philly Mick lose it at the Open.  I chatted with Hunter Mahan, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Chris Stroud at The Travelers.  I was able to ask questions of Stacy Lewis, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer and Yani Tseng at the Women’s Open but the highlight of the week was my on course conversation with course architect Tom Doak.

After spending July trying to find my missing short game and watching Phil Mickelson capture his amazing Open Championship I hit the road again to drink Summer Shandies and watch Jason Dufner make history at Oak Hill.  A trip to The Country Club was next for the U.S. Amateur and it felt like a journey into the past.

The FedEx Cup playoffs started with me at the Barclays listening to Jordan Spieth and drinking vodkas in the over-the-top clubhouse.  My trip to the Duetsche Bank proved fruitful as I got Tiger Woods to actually give a lengthy answer to a question and got a laugh out of Adam Scott.  My brother and I weren’t disappointed to spend some time at the Gosling’s Dark n Stormy pavilion.

The travelling was topped off with a wet week at The Presidents Cup with my brother and my son and we had a ball.  The player’s press conferences, the Captain’s Picks and the entire atmosphere at Jack’s Place was something none of us will ever forget.  Oh yea, I was flying high for a week after I chatted with the head golf guy at the USGA, Mike Davis.

All that travelling gave me some great memories to get me through the winter but I find myself thinking less about that and more about the fun on the course with all my playing partners. The time I spent playing with my brothers, my sons and my buddies is what comes to my mind the most in this off season. 

Hitting the road is fun and watching the pros play is great but those days spent with friends on the course is what it’s all about.  Winter can’t end fast enough.

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2 Comments

  1. Quite a golf season, Bro, will be hard to top as far as variety and number of great events visited.
    I’m sure you’ll try to outdo yourself, though.
    A week or two in Pinehurst just might do it, as you offer first hand witness to Philly Mick slaying the U.S.Open demons at the sight of his first runner-up finish.
    Can’t wait to get back to the course with you, Ty and Matt. What’s the plan for MB?

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