Tommy · Toledo, OH Est. on the first tee

A personal field guide to my favorite game

I'd rather be on the course.

Eighteen holes, one swing at a time, and a slightly optimistic relationship with my scorecard.

Walk the front nine

"The most important shot in golf is the next one."

01 — Why this game

There's nothing quite like a clean strike off the tee on a still morning.

Golf is the rare thing that's impossible and addictive at the same time. Four hours of chasing a small white ball, and somewhere in there is one shot so pure it brings you right back the next weekend.

It's quiet and it's social. It's a walk with friends that happens to keep score. Half the appeal is the course itself — the smell of cut grass, the dew burning off, the way a good hole makes you think two shots ahead.

And it never lets you win for long. The moment you think you've figured it out, it humbles you. That's the whole point. You're never really playing the course. You're playing yourself.

02 — Scored honestly
Hole 1 · Par 4
Mornings I'd skip sleep to make a tee time
∞and counting
Hole 2 · Par 3
Pure shots I still think about
7maybe 8
Hole 3 · Par 5
Balls donated to the water hazard
∞RIP
Hole 4 · Par 4
"This is my year" promises made
12per season
03 — What's in the bag
/ DR
The Driver
Pure joy or pure heartbreak. No in-between. Worth it for the one that splits the fairway.
/ 7i
The 7-Iron
The honest club. Does exactly what I tell it, which is rarely the problem.
/ WG
The Wedge
Where rounds are saved and egos are restored. The short game is the real game.
/ PT
The Putter
Four feet that feel like forty. The longest walk in golf is to a missed tap-in.
⛳

Some people collect stamps. I collect reasons to play one more round.