Thanks to my buddy Pat Green, just over a week ago, I was getting ready tee off on the golf weekend of my life and dreams.
Along with about 200 people, we traveled to Pebble Beach, California to participate in The Pat and Kori Green Foundation, Texas National. This every even year event offers the chance to play and experience the finest golf courses and resorts in America but more importantly, raise money and awareness for organizations that are very near to Pat and Kori’s heart.
This particular trip, the focus was on The Ben Hogan Foundation and The Gladney Center for Adoption. Gladney exists to give children loving, caring families here at home and around the world. That’s the heart of our mission. The mission of the Ben Hogan Foundation is to honor and enhance the legacy of Mr. Hogan by promoting the game of golf through expansion of Ben Hogan Learning Centers in association with The First Tee and through college scholarships for students involved in The First Tee and Northern Texas PGA.
Friday morning and afternoon was the most intense warm up round you could imagine. Spy Glass Hill Golf Course is one that I and many a golf fan is well aware of. I had played this course many a time on Playstation EA Sports Tigers Woods PGA Tour Surprisingly, it was just a little different. A gorgeous track but very ungenerous if you find yourself playing out of the rough.
If you’re a fan golf, then you may have dreamed of stepping onto the #1 at Pebble. Let me tell you, it’s beyond surreal. The number one is a driver to the corner of the dog leg right and then about an 8 iron into the green. Two putt and you’ve just scored a par on one of the most herald and historic courses in the game. Jitters are off and you’re on to #2. It was all new to me and I made sure to not preview the course as I wanted to enjoy that gasp of air when I first saw the Pacific Ocean from the #3 tee box.
From #3 to #18, its the view not the layout that will cause you to scramble for bogey. We were lucky enough to avoid the fog and instead were blessed with full sunshine and an upper 70 degree temperature.
After the two day tournament, I had a few birdies in my bag, several pars and more 5, 6, 7’s that I would care to mention. Our foursome walked off 18 at Pebble finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack.
That evening we celebrated at the gala back at The Inn At Spanish Bay. The entertainment included comedian John Reep, Pat and I meandering our way through an auction and topped off with Pat Green concert.
In all, the entire weekend raised over $200,000 for both of these wonderful organizations that Pat and Kori champion. I hope that you’ll look further into both The Ben Hogan Foundation and The Gladney Center for Adoption. Then I hope you’ll consider taking it a step further and consider grabbing your own foursome and joining us when we do it all over again in 2020.
See You Down The Road…
J. Frazell