Ryder Cup Thoughts

     I don't know how I feel about this year's Ryder Cup.  I have been incredibly busy with all I am doing right now that I haven't had the time to pay much attention to it even though I call myself a golf writer. Quite frankly, tournament reporting is not my cup of tea.  I write mostly about travel and golf courses and I feel that is where my stories are. I suppose I should pay more attention, but it is more convenient when the venue is here in the United States.  After all, it's 6:00 AM here in California and the coverage is on.
     I'm off to the TV to watch.
     By the way, my video on Catalina Island Golf Course is up on You Tube and on my website http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com.  Check it out, it is a great course in a unique setting.  The course also has a very important history as it is the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi.  Take a look at the video at http://youtu.be/5QIxV0Oj8dw.  Enjoy the Ryder Cup coverage and don't forget to hit 'em long and straight. Please don't leave that birdie putt short.  I made two at Catalina Island, YAHOO!!!

What a great place for a golf course. The course is located in the canyon above the city of Avalon.

A Hearty THANK YOU!

     This post will be extremely brief.  I want to thank all of you for reading this blog. We achieved a milestone today in a fairly short time. Today marked my 3,000th visitor and reader.  Again, Thank You very much and I want to say that the best is yet to come.

Thank You! Keep coming back, there's more to come.

Get Fit and Play Better Golf

     I know that I am the last person to preach fitness and its importance in golf.  It's really funny though that I don't take my own advice. You have to tune up your body in order to play good golf.  It is just that simple.  Do I do this, no. I have decided that it is time to return to the gym and work out, not only for my golf game but for my overall health.
     Three years ago I took up the banner and ran with it. It was time to loose weight and get more fit.  Not literally, I am allergic to running and always have been. I'm not built for speed, being a plow horse not a race horse.  My PE coach used to time me with a calendar in the mile. I am bulky and built low to the ground. I don't run. However, I don't mind walking on a treadmill for thirty or forty minutes. As a result of going to the gym and taking care of myself, I lost 60 pounds.
     I'll have more of this story in my next post. In the meantime, don't forget to go to my website at http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com and check out the site.  I am going to be playing Catalina Golf Course on Tuesday of next week and will have a video of it up for you to look at the following week. I am excited about playing there, as you know.
     That's it for today.  Remember, hit 'em long and straight. Please don't leave that birdie putt short.

Me at 300 pounds before I lost the 60 pounds. I felt great after the weight loss.

CATALINA!

  It is official! 

Twenty- six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me
Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance, romance, romance

Actually, romance isn't waiting for me there and it is only 22 miles, but golf is waiting. I am finally going to play Catalina Golf Course.  Thank you Mark!
     You probably didn't know that Catalina Island had a golf course.  It does, and a good one at that.  It is a 9 hole track, 18 from a second set of tees, set in the canyons above Avalon the main town on Catalina. I have been told that it is the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi River that has been in continuous operation since it was opened as a three hole course.  I don't want to totally get into the history of the course, but I do want to let you know that I have been invited to play the course and do a You-Tube video and feature it on my website.  I will also let you know what the course was like here on my blog. 
     Catalina and I go back about 18 years to the first Carnival Cruise I took there in 1996 with my family.  Each time I have been there it has been on a cruise ship as a port of call. I have been there several times and have yet to totally explore the island. I'm told that there is a lot to see, especially the buffalo.  That's another story. Let's face it folks, I am a golfer, not a naturalist.  I tend to focus in on what golf options there are in a location. On this trip we took a golf cart tour and it stopped at the course. at the time I didn't stop in, but I did say, hmmm--I have to play this course some day. 
     I have been to the course several time and have chatted in depth with Mark the pro there.  He is a great guy to talk to. You can tell he really knows his course taking the time to talk about it at great leangth. Every time I go up there, he remembers me and always cordially invites me to experience his course. To this point I have been unable to play the course for a number of reasons while I'm there. I have decided it is time and so in a couple of weeks, again on a cruise I am going to play the course and take pictures.  I only hope that what I produce is as good as it can be. 
    I have some other stories that I will share with you as the time gets closer about my visits to Catalina Golf Course.  I have to run now.  Don't forget to visit my website, http://the-golf-course-travel-bag.com.  If you would also be so kind to take a look at my new video about The Golf Course Travel Bag and myself on You Tube, I would truly appreciate it.  don't make me beg. Here is the URL http://youtu.be/2VSgOYis-M8
 and I hope you will enjoy it as well as my other videos you can find on my website.  Just remember to hit 'em long and straight...don't leave that birdie putt short.  One last thing, it's only 22 miles.

Yes Virgina, there really is a golf course on Catalina Island. Move your finger when you take the picture, will you.  Sorry, I'm not used to taking pictures with a phone.  Isn't that what a camera is for?