As we enter the next thirty years of the Golf Trip, we realize that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Players and pairings may come and go, but the traditions of the Golf Trip remain steadfast. There may come a day when Greg “The Loguemeister” Logue is not handing out the tee times and pairings for the for the first round at Pine Needles. But that day is not yet here and won’t be for the foreseeable future. As we tread the hallowed grounds of Mid Pines and Pine Needles, we become acutely aware of the traditions that surround us. And we soldier on, ever in pursuit of the inscrutable Turtle.
Our thirty-first Southern Pines Invitational begins on April 21, 2022. A couple of new faces will adorn the player page, and a couple new pairings will emerge. For reasons yet unknown, Richard “Purple Rain” Matlock and defending Turtle champion Mike “The Viceroy” King will share their talents with new partners. Matlock will team with The Loguemeister, forming a dynamic Mendoza-Line duo. That opening paves the way for the entrance of Garrett “Big Bird” Lischer, who will occupy Matlock’s former spot as King’s partner.
Ford “Floyd” Little has traded his partner from last year for a real golfer in the person of Ken “Co” Parent. Parent arrives sporting the highest quota on the board, so he will begin the week as the Templeton Cup favorite. We may get a real time test of how home track handicaps translate to Southern Pines courses.
The Wood contingent has also shuffled the deck. Nathan “George” Forman and Matt “Marv’ Thornbury couldn’t be enticed for a return trip. Michael “The Chairman” Wood and son Abe “The Ghost” Wood will reunite to man the ramparts together.
And, finally, returning after a year in absentia is Jonathan “Mayhem” Greer. He will reunite with Carlton “The Senator” Logue, who paired with his dad last year. Both are hoping the reshuffle leads to big things.
The balance of the field remains intact from a year ago; the updated player page can be viewed here.
And as always, we provide you with the essentials of the Golf Trip experience: The Golf Trip Invitation; Room Assignments; Tournament Rules; Initial Quota Sheet; and Tee Times and Pairings.
Good luck to everyone. Take time to smell the azaleas while you’re here.
--C. D.-- 4/10/2022
4/1/2021
Editor's Note: Due to Covid-19, the 2020 Golf Trip was rescheduled to April 22, 2021. A note regarding the postponement from the Tournament Director is available here.
It is fitting, I suppose, that we have a 21st Century website for our Thirtieth Annual Golf Trip.
Midway through the 2019 Southern Pines Invitational, the venerable old website finally breathed its last, refusing to allow the second round scores to be posted on the Real Time Leaderboard. Like a mosquito preserved in amber, the site persists in that state--viewable but not viable. And so it shall remain--a testament to technology that has outlived its usefulness, and an archive of our past endeavors. But out of the fulsomeness of that obsolescence, this new, and we hope improved, website has emerged. We have tried to adhere to the basic architecture of the old site, with some new and better features. For now, the old website is still available here for posterity and perhaps some historic perspective on our first thirty years.
For the Thirtieth Anniversary of our annual trek (delayed by a year), we will once again journey to the hallowed Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in historic Southern Pines, North Carolina. There we will celebrate our achievement in the Pine Needles Wine Cellar, in the midst of the finest golfing adventure a man can imagine. We will be joined by newcomers Ford “Floyd” Little, Jamey Harris, Joe Huie, and Nathan "George" Foreman, who will experience for first time the wonders of the Pine Needles and Mid Pines golf courses that have lured us back lo these many years.
Tour regulars Michael "The Hoser" Moser, Clark "Goober' Lindsey, Jonathan "Mayhem" Greer, and Adam "Tormund" Hatmaker were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. And the siren song of Mid Pines was not enough to entice the return of Dennis “Wilford Brimley” McClane, and Mike “Hoppa” Penland, leaving us with a fourteen man field.
The rest of the players remain as they were in 2019, with the new and improved profiles available here.
As usual, other links of interest are available here: Initial Quotas Chart; Tee Times and Pairings; Tournament Invitation; Tournament Rules; and Room Assignments.
Here’s to remembering our next thirty years:
“For my next thirty years I'm gonna watch my weight.
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late.
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers.
Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years.” --Tim McGraw.
--C. D.-- 4/10/2021
