golf trip Archives • GolfStinks

Take Your Golf Life Back

October 20, 2015 | By Chris Chirico | 2 Comments

Feel like you went nowhere this golf season? — Feel like your game went nowhere this golf season? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Let me start by saying, I love playing golf. We all do. If not, we wouldn’t be here, reading this right now. But year in and year out, my golf experience seems to get worse and worse. Now, that doesn’t mean for a second that I enjoy golf any less. It’s just the experience surrounding it that gets worse. What do I mean? Well, let me give you a few examples:

I didn’t get any better – Despite a little extra time at the driving range and a little extra work on my swing while at home over the off-season, it translated to exactly nothing. Luckily, I don’t play golf to be a pro – I play for fun. But when you put in the extra time and effort, you do hope it shows on the other side. But….nope. Ah, I guess that’s to be expected by now.
I didn’t get to play with my usual golfing buddies…not once – Ever since I started playing, the other GolfStinks guys and I have played pretty regularly together. But this season? It just seems like life got in the way even more than normal. I suppose the job, kids, life-changing events, etc.., they all force golf into the backseat.
I barely played at all! – Talk about life getting in the way of golf. I played exactly 18 holes of golf this season – two 9-hole rounds, both with my kids. Not that I’m ever going to complain about playing with my kids, but I wanted to get out more often and get out with my regular golfing buddies.

Well, the one good thing that came out of this season is, after all these years, I’ve finally found the one thing about my golf game that is consistent – I continue to play less and less golf every year. I mean, at this pace, I might as well just throw the clubs on Craigslist and call it a career. Granted, the season isn’t quite over yet. We played into November last year. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but we played. So there are still a few potential weekends to go. Otherwise, the only thing I can think of to potentially save this season is maybe a little golf trip to a warmer climate. Hmm?

I’m sure it isn’t just us GolfStinks guys who have had their golf outings cut down significantly. So what do you say stinky golfers? I think we need to put life aside on occasion. Skip out on a commitment you never wanted to make in the first place and go play golf like you wanted to begin with. There have been times when I have called out of work sick or left early to go play golf. Why did I stop that? I think it’s time for all of us to make a shift in our thinking toward golf. It’s time to take our golf life back.

What’s Your Favorite Season For Golf?

October 8, 2014 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

Sleeping Giant Golf Course, Connecticut (*Photo by Greg D’Andrea*)

Well, we’re into my favorite part of the year – autumn. You can have the spring and summer. Being a native New Englander, I live for the cooler temperatures, crisp night air, the changing of the leaves, breaking out the jackets and sweaters. This is the weather I wait all summer for. So not surprisingly, it’s also my favorite season for golf. Besides the cooler temperatures and no humidity, making your round of golf much more comfortable, it’s the changing of the leaves that can help make your favorite course even prettier, or bring an ordinarily dull course much more to life. But what about you? What’s your favorite golf season?

Is it spring? I can understand why may golfers are fans of the spring time. The spring usually means the beginning of the golf season. A fresh, new start. The winter chill is gone, temps are rising. Trees and flowers are blooming and the courses are drying out. It’s a chance to get a good bunch of golf in until the real summer heat and humidity kick in.

Maybe it’s the summer? The summer is probably the time of year when you have the most consistent good weather. Some of us can’t think of a better way to beat the summer heat than to head out for a ride in the old golf cart, grab a couple of beers from the Mofobete, and hope to whack your ball into a shady spot. Just, no one writing this post. But others…sure. But mid-summer golf, for me, can be summed up in five simple words once uttered by Stinky Golfer Pete after a missed putt – “It’s too hot to miss.”

For me it’s the fall. For all of the reasons mentioned above, and then some, the fall is far and away my favorite time of year for golf. Really, who wants to sweat in places where you can’t quite get your towel to while in a public place? Who wants to play golf when you feel like you just stepped out of a hot shower each time you walk to your ball? I’d rather wait out the heat in order to play a little more golf in weather like this! Hey, it’s fall in New England. There’s a reason people travel here at this time of year.

Maybe you enjoy the winter for golf. Wait…what? OK, so no one (or very few anyway) are out playing golf in the snow. But for many golfers who live in the northern portion of the country, maybe the winter means traveling south to play golf. Maybe you have a second home or a timeshare. Maybe the winter is simply time for your yearly big golf trip. If you live in the south, then maybe you’re waiting for the cooler winter temperatures to play more often. Whatever the reason, maybe the winter’s your time.

No matter your choice or your favorite season, to each their own. Whatever gets you out on the course is good reason enough. Whether you prefer the heat or the cooler weather. Be it the lush green of mid-summer or the vibrant colors of the fall. Hell, maybe your out there in the freezing mid-winter temperatures. Whatever it is that gets you out there, enjoy it!

Swing ’til you’re happy! And take the poll below!

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We Need Our Golf Trips

July 21, 2014 | By Chris Chirico | 1 Comment

Here at Golfstinks, it’s generally assumed that any special occasion is to be celebrated, at least partially, with a round of golf. And this past weekend, the crew did it again. This occasion was a milestone birthday…my 40th. So some of the other stinky golfers pitched in and made a weekend out of it – golf at Lake of Isles, some casino time at Foxwoods, food, drinks, cigars…the whole package! It was a great weekend; we played a great course, ate some fantastic food and had an all-around good time. We discussed doing something like this more often. Not just for a special occasion, but three or four times a year – just friends getting together, hanging out, doing something we all enjoy doing. So it immediately begins to cross our minds – why don’t we?

Just my opinion, but to me, a round of golf is great bonding time between friends. But a golf trip, now that’s a different story. As we get older and our list of commitments, be it to our families or our jobs, continues to grow, the time to hit the links with our buddies becomes fewer and far between. We no longer have the time to get out on the course every weekend, or every other weekend. Heck, it’s not even once a month anymore. I’ve managed to squeeze in a couple of nine-hole rounds this year, but nothing more. So taking a weekend golf getaway can certainly be the remedy.

OK, so it’s not always convenient to get away for a weekend. Commitments with the family and the job don’t always allow for disappearing for a couple of days. And sure, it ain’t exactly as cheap as your regular eighteen hole round. But if it’s only, what, twice a year? Then how does that not make up for it? Consider if you are at the point where you’re getting together with your buddies less than once a month to play a round. Then one or two golf trips per season can possibly even end up saving money vs. what you were previously playing. Further, the weekends away obviously create better memories than just heading over to your local track. When I think back on my best golfing memories, they’ve all occurred on trips, if not specifically golf trips.

Look, if you work hard enough and dedicate as much time as you do to your job and, most importantly, to your family, then you owe it to yourself to give yourself a break. And not for nothing, but your job and your family owe you the time to yourself as well. Why not use that time to create more good memories for you and your friends while still holding onto something that you love, but don’t get to do nearly as often as you once did? Take the trip…you owe it to yourself.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Golf Vacations 101: Three Lessons for a Great Trip

May 28, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | 1 Comment

Hello my fellow stinky golfers…class is in session! Today we’re going to learn the basics of taking a vacation for golf. If you’ve never traveled for golf before, then this will serve as a guide to help you plan an awesome, stress-free trip! Let’s begin…

Lesson 1: Your budget
Contrary to popular opinion, it is possible to take an inexpensive golf vacation. Start by choosing a two-night stay instead of flying somewhere for a week or ten days. You can easily play 54 holes of golf or more staying just 2 nights: Drive to your destination early in the am (let’s assume the trip is 5 hours or less). Play 18 holes that afternoon; 18 holes the next day; and 18 more early on the day you head home.

To get the most bang for your buck, go to a ski resort (I’m not joking – see my post HERE). These days, many ski resorts feature golf courses (and often very nice courses) to help supplement them in the summertime. You will save on lodgings (the GolfStinks crew rented a 3-bedroom condo for $250 a night at a ski resort two summers ago) and enjoy off-season rates on food and other amenities.

Lesson 2: Packing and getting there
It’s always a good idea to pack light – especially if your clubs are tagging along. Renting golf clubs should only be an option in two instances: If you are spontaneously asked to play a round and your clubs aren’t with you; or if you have flown to a vacation spot knowing you will only be playing one time during your stay. For all other situations, bringing your own clubs is worth it.

If you’re driving to your destination, consider renting a minivan and going with your entire foursome (you’ll thank me later) – the GolfStinks crew has done this before and it made life way easier. If you’re flying, consider renting a minivan once you arrive (unless you’re staying at a golf resort and not really planning on exploring on your own). And consider vacationing during the week instead of on weekends. You’ll find less crowds (both on the road and at the course) and save on greens fees too.

Lesson 3: Enjoy yourself
This is the most important lesson. If you’re like me, there are a lot of things that can distract you from having a good time while on vacation – traffic; lines at the airport; and perhaps most importantly, having a bad round! The trick is to not let any of this stuff bother you. Planning ahead and being timely can help most of this. And as for the poor play – remember, you play golf because you love it, not because you’re great at it. If you find yourself getting frustrated out on the links, just remember you are on vacation and the goal is to enjoy the time you’re spending with, well – whoever it is you’re with – the golfing part is just an added bonus.

Not being a great golfer doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go on a golf vacation. But as with any trip, proper planning and the right frame of mind will go a long way in determining how much fun you have. There are plenty of great golf getaways out there – from taking a pilgrimage to the cradle of golf (Scotland) to staying closer to home. Regardless of where you want to go, if you plan it right, there’s no reason not to take a golf vacation this year!

To help visualize proper vacation planning, I’ve embedded my short video below about efficiently packing your clubs and other tips for golf travel:

Will This Brutal Winter Delay Golf Season?

February 17, 2014 | By Chris Chirico | Leave a Comment

Living in CT all my life, I’m just used to the snow. Be it three inches or three feet. When you’re a New Englander, you accept that you’re going to have this kind of weather, so you don’t complain when it happens. You just accept that your garage or tool shed will include either a snow-shovel, snow-blower or both. You accept that you will need to carry a snow-brush and ice scraper in your car. But what you don’t expect is to have to replace these things due to overuse in one season! So coming off another winter storm, a storm which covered the snow from the last storm which was already covering the snow from two storms ago, you begin to wonder…when exactly is golf season going to begin this year?

I know it’s a bit early still – I normally don’t play my first round of golf until April at the earliest. But here we are in mid-February. We’ve had six snowstorms in the past six weeks and talk of a seventh this week. So when exactly are the courses going to be ready to play? I mean, if the famous Eisenhower Tree at Augusta National has been lost to ice damage, and that’s down south, what kind of damage are we going to be looking at here in CT?

If old Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction is correct, then we’ll still be seeing snow well into March. Heck, wasn’t it just last year when we were still getting snow in April? So who knows what to expect?! All I know is, for one reason or another, my golf season gets started later and later every year. I was hoping to put an end to that trend this season, but with no end in sight to the winter combined with the groundhogs input, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not that will actually happen.

So what to do? Wait it out until the conditions are optimal? This would be preferred. Or do I head out to the course and play on a wet, muddy, sloppy course where my ball is going to get plugged after every iron shot and a divot as deep as the abyss will be left after each stroke? I hate playing when the course is like this. Not to mention, it does too much damage when the course probably has enough problems already. Maybe I’ll just take an early golf trip until conditions here are better suited for a round? Now that sounds like a plan…if finances allow.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Take Your Golf Life Back

What’s Your Favorite Season For Golf?

We Need Our Golf Trips

Golf Vacations 101: Three Lessons for a Great Trip

Will This Brutal Winter Delay Golf Season?

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