Friday, February 18, 2011

My Other Cardboard Collection

Today I received a handful of emails from local golf courses announcing that they are FINALLY open for business, which means that golf season has officially begun.  After a week's worth of 50+ degree weather, all of the winter's snow has melted away, leaving behind the greatest sight for a golf-addict's eyes: grass.  Beautiful, wonderful, lovely brown grass.

My golf clubs have been howling at me since I winterized them in the garage for the past few months.  They (and I) have spent the winter longing to get outside and pound some golf balls.

I wanted to kick off the golf season by showing off some golf-related trading cards, but I could only find one.

While a card featuring MJ on the course ain't too shabby, it fails to demonstrate how elated I am for spring to be here.  So I would also like to feature the other golf-related pieces of cardboard that I collect: scorecards.

A few years ago, I decided to start collecting scorecards from all the courses I played.  Some people collect ticket stubs from sporting events and musical performances.  I collect reminders of my successes (and failures) on the golf course.

My collection is spread throughout my house in cabinet drawers and in my garage.  And I'm sure that there are a handful of scorecards still in my golf bag.  Therefore, I will display a small sampling of my collection now, and will post others as I dig them out (and as I add more to my collection in the future).

First up are the cards I brought home after a two-day, four-course tour of Des Moines, Iowa, that I took last summer.

The best course I played during those two days was The Tournament Club of Iowa.  This is the yardage booklet that I bought in the clubhouse.

Tournament Club of Iowa Yardage Book Cover
Two holes from the yardage book.
I also played at Toad Valley, Terrace Hills, and Rolling Hills golf courses while I was out there.

Toad Valley
Toad Valley
Terrace Hills

Terrace Hills

Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills

I also had the opportunity to play a few other high-quality courses last summer.

I played The Golf Club at Red Rock over the 4th of July weekend while in South Dakota with my wife and her family.  It was spectacular.

The Golf Club at Red Rock
I started the day with a birdie, which was a first for me.

The Golf Club at Red Rock
I also played at the Blackstone Country Club in Denver with my cousins.

Blackstone Country Club
The back-nine of Blackstone is the toughest I've ever played.

Blackstone Country Club
Over the Labor Day weekend, I traveled out to Gothenburg, Nebraska, and played one of my all-time favorite courses, The Wild Horse Golf Club.  I love the layout and the lack of trees and water hazards on this course is a BIG selling point for me.

Wild Horse Golf Club
Because there were very high winds (I'd estimate sustained gusts of 30+ mph) that day, I was one of the only people on the course.  I ended up playing two rounds that day.

Wild Horse Golf Club
The final scorecard I'll show off today is from the home of the only professional golf tour stop in Nebraska, Champions Run.  I had the pleasure of playing this course every week during the summer of 2009 with one of my coworkers for free.  It is a gorgeous course and to be able to play it for free was an amazing opportunity that I'll not soon forget.

Champions Run
Champions Run
I can't wait to show off my other cards and I am excited to add more scorecards to my collection.

And if you need to find me this weekend, I'd suggest checking the golf course first.

1 comment:

Play at the Plate said...

I started playing golf when I was in the Navy. We could play this amazing Marine Corps course for $10. I remember one hole...if you got a good slice, you could hit it in the ocean. I did that more than once.