Vote for #GolfChat Questions and Submit Your #GolfChat Questions for Next Week
From now on, you’ll be able to vote for the #GolfChat questions you want to see most next week. And submit the #GolfChat questions you want to see each week.
Vote and Submit Your #GolfChat Questions Below.
Second Hour of #GolfChat at 10am PST
We decided to move #GolfChat to 10am PST instead of Noon PST. Be on the lookout for #GolfChat to start Tuesdays at 10am.
Our 2nd hour of #GolfChat will always be at 5pm PST. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Theme Week:
Destination #GolfChat Questions
10 AM PST
#Q1 As always, what’s the most interesting thing that happened in golf this week? #GolfChat
#Q2 What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled specifically to play golf, and was it worth it? Submitted by @crissb #GolfChat
#Q3 When planning golf trips, do you stick to known courses or take a chance on “hidden gems?” Submitted by @brewcee #GolfChat
#Q4 After the courses themselves, what is the most important factor on a golf getaway or buddy trip? Submitted by @GetawaysGolf #GolfChat
#Q5 What is your favorite family-friendly golf resort or destination? Submitted by @alwaystimefor9 #GolfChat
#Q6 Conversely, leaving the family at home, what is your favorite buddy-trip resort of destination? Submitted by @MitchLaurance #GolfChat
5 PM PST
#Q1 As always, what’s the most interesting thing that happened in golf this week? #GolfChat
#Q2 What’s the farthest you’ve ever traveled specifically to play golf, and was it worth it? Submitted by @crissb #GolfChat
#Q3 When planning golf trips, do you stick to known courses or take a chance on “hidden gems?” Submitted by @brewcee #GolfChat
#Q4 After the courses themselves, what is the most important factor on a golf getaway or buddy trip? Submitted by @GetawaysGolf #GolfChat
#Q5 What is your favorite family-friendly golf resort or destination? Submitted by @alwaystimefor9 #GolfChat
#Q6 If price weren’t a factor, where would you most like to play golf anywhere in the world? Submitted by @MitchLaurance #GolfChat
Bonus #GolfChat: How much is “too much” to pay for a round of golf when on vacation? Submitted by @GetawaysGolf
Golf Chatter Bio: @GetawaysGolf
Real Name: Darin Bunch
Location: Bakersfield now, Oregon Coast soon
What Do You Order from the #GolfChat Bar?
I’m always looking for a smooth Scotch (like a good Highland Park) or whiskey (like Penderyn from Wales), but too often get sucked into a Fireball-a-thon that usually ends in pouring shots into friends’ mouths from the balcony of whatever hotel happens to be hosting us.
How Did You Get Into Golf?
I started knocking it around with high school friends in the little town of Lindsay, Calif., but got serious when I went to work for the newspaper in Las Vegas and lived around the corner from an all-night driving range where I could hit balls for hours after getting off work at 2 a.m. Then my friend (and no Golf Connections podcast cohort) Mitch Laurance got me into playing 100-year-old hickory clubs about five years ago, and I’ve never looked back — I have about 100 clubs in my collection and have taken the hickories everywhere from Scotland to Hawaii with points in between.
What Are You Doing in Golf and Why?
I started knocking it around with high school friends in the little town of Lindsay, Calif., but got serious when I went to work for the newspaper in Las Vegas and lived around the corner from an all-night driving range where I could hit balls for hours after getting off work at 2 a.m. Then my friend (and no Golf Connections podcast cohort) Mitch Laurance got me into playing 100-year-old hickory clubs about five years ago, and I’ve never looked back — I have about 100 clubs in my collection and have taken the hickories everywhere from Scotland to Hawaii with points in between.
Favorite #GolfChat Topics?
I most like to hear about the places #GolfChatters have played and loved — or places that are on their bucket lists. I’ve been lucky to experience some incredible golf courses, but I’m always looking for more to put on my own list of someday must-plays. I’m also big on golf being “fun” and I think too many amateur players beat themselves up from the wrong sets of tees, which sucks the fun out of the game. So I’m always advocating playing from a shorter set of tees — some of the most fun I’ve had has been playing from 5,500-5,800 yards.
Favorite Golf Quote?
“I don’t care if you putt from the rough,” Matt Damon says in “Good Will Hunting.” I’m also a big fan of the phrase Haggis Bag, but I’m not sure how that applies here : )
Favorite Golf Destination and Why?
I’ve had the good fortune to play both the Old Course and Cypress Point — and I’d go back to either in a heartbeat. But my favorite course for pure enjoyment is Tobacco Road in North Carolina because it fosters such creativity from the mind of the late Mike Strantz. That said, if we’re talking full-fledged destinations, Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast has to be No. 1 with a bullet. And Nebraska — with multiple days at The Prairie Club included — runs a close second.
How Do You View the State of the Game of Golf?
I’m bullish on the industry, obviously; otherwise I wouldn’t be going to work later this year on the new Pacific Gales resort course in Oregon south of Bandon Dunes. But I think golf needs to work on multiple tracks to grow — High-end bucket-listers that hardcore golfers aspire to play; Interesting and affordable local courses where you can play in four hours or so; Short courses where people new to the game can learn in a pressure-free environment. On a single trip to Scotland, you can run the gamut of these philosophies — and if they’ve been doing it successfully there for years, we can certainly duplicate it here in America.
Who Are Your Favorite #GolfChatters and Why?
Well, I know @zebwelbon, @aspittle, @golfbybryan and @tonyjdear from beyond #GolfChat, so you can’t go wrong with any of them as friends. And everyone who loves the history of the game should be following my buddy @MitchLaurance (and listening to his Golf Connections podcast, on which I’m the producer). As for others, @seanmrivers knows more about Montana than any golfer should, but I don’t hold that against him. And I’m still part of the army of #GolfChatters who are trying to help @ReGripped find his way onto Cypress Point despite the fact that I’ve never actually met him in person.
Favorite Golfers and Why?
I’ll watch Phil Mickelson anytime he’s in the hunt. After that, I care more about the drama of a golf tournament and love to see players like Jordan, Rory and Rickie battling it out. I also love Kevin Na and think he’s gotten one of the worst raps of all-time on the PGA Tour for slow play. I’ve seen Jason Day play five-hour rounds and nobody says a word, but if Kevin Na did that, he’d be a poster boy once again because most people simply don’t like to watch his struggles. I think he’s an external exemplification of the internal struggle each of us has when we step over the golf ball.