Just talked to Randy. We spent some time trying to express how good the Bash was and what to answer to the question: "How was your trip?". That is other than "Pretty good". I agreed on posting some of the expressions that came up.
My trip to the US was sort of a self-engineered dream package. This is what I did.
Day 01. Played
Pasatiempo (by Alister McKenzie)
Day 02. Played
Pebble Beach and
Spyglass Hill
Day 03. 4 Hours with Ben Doyle. 3 hours practice.
Day 04. 3 Hours with Ben Doyle. Played
Poppy Hills.
Day 05. 3 hours with Ben Doyle. 4 hours practice.
Day 06. Travel
Day 07.
Bash on the Beach
Day 08.
Bash on the Beach
Day 09.
Bash on the Beach
Day 10. Travel. Visit to World Golf Village
Day 11. Practice at TPC Sawgrass. Played
TPC Sawgrass Valley course.
Day 12. Played
TPC Sawgrass Stadium course.
Getting more golf in 12 days would be pretty hard. So how was my trip? And how good was Destin?
I will say this. Even though playing all those courses was a super experience, the bash at Destin was the REAL DEAL. The experience of playing all these great courses was great, but the Bash was GREATER.
That is one way of saying how good it was.
I'll go with what Yoda and Randy told about Homer. Homer thought that the greatest thing about his book was all the great people he got to meet through it (exact quote anyone?). Not G.O.L.F. itself, but all the great people.
That is probably why many of us cherish TGM. We love the game of golf, we love exploring Homers work. When we meet others who play or practice along with Homers prescriptions and with people sharing the same mindset - that's when the truly great experiences emerge. Doing all that on a great golf course helps, but it is not a requirement.
Another expression that came up during my conversation with Randy. It is not about showing up at the bag drop, getting a complementary sleeve of logo balls and saying "So far so good, I wonder what the cart girls look like". It is more about about setting up to hoganize the ball, sending the sound waves of solid ball compression across the fairway to a recipent who is smiles back and seeing his mind respond; Now that's what Homer was talking about. Or: Now that really sucks. That guy need some extensor action. Good thing he knows it.
I know.
Now I know. I was at the bash in Destin. Spending 18 hours a day doing nothing but a complete nose dive in Homers system. With 17(?) other guys there to do the same thing.
And it was G-O-O-D.
Did I tell you how good it was?
And that even if this great lobster at the Crab Trab would have been excluded.
