The 19th Hole

It has been a while since I made a post. Like many of you, I have been busy. I want many of you guys to get to know me through my posts and hope that I am able to share some details of my life outside of golf from time to time. I am more than a golf lover and a competitive player. I work full time as well as fixing to finish my second degree in a year and a half. While I do intend to write a blog per month, sometimes the grind of keeping up with work, school work, working out, practicing and playing in golf tournaments all over the south east….things sometimes get real and I fall behind!

So I decided to kick off my 2020-2021 season in Dahlonega, Georgia. The course is Achasta Golf Club and our tour stops here every year with well over 80 golfers looking for the win. I have played this course well in the past (3rd, 5th, and 2nd place finishes) three years, but I have never won this tournament. This course is really fun! I always enjoy my round here win or lose. I do believe the public can play here and you should play this track if you are ever in the Blue Ridge mountains.

The chilly mountain air hit me when I arrived at the course for player check-in. It was not long before the fog that rolled over the range turned into rain clouds. The misty rain started while I was stalking my birdie putt on #1 and continued on and off throughout the whole round. I thought my day was doomed because I realized that I forgot my umbrella at home because the weather channel app assured that there was a zero percent chance of rain for Dahlonega. HAH! Thankfully, I had this awesome Adidas goose down vest and some fresh new golf joggers that kept the water wicking off of me.

Outside of a triple bogey on the par 3 (#3), I put together a solid (+5) over par on the front and I had two birdies on the back to ultimately finish with a 75 and win by 5 strokes. I was very happy with how I putted. I had soooo many 1 putts either to save par. The only three putt (which I try to eliminate) came on #3 after my tee shot hit the green and had so much spin that it spun off of the green and trickled off into the green side creek. What should have been a chip shot and 1 putt, turned into a horrible chip shot and three putt 🙁 Oh well…..I still got the “W.”

The next weekend I had a two tournament weekend in Nashville. I started off Saturday in Lewisburg, Tennessee and also played Sunday at Old Hickory Country Club. Holy shit was this a great course! The clubhouse was amazing (pics below) as well as the bone in pork chop, mac-n-cheese, and loaded baked potato that we got served for dinner after the round. The layout was perfect and OMG the greens…..they were some of the fastest that I ever played.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd another one! (insert my DJ Khalid voice)

I got the win on Saturday in Lewisburg coming down the stretch. I made the turn with a 3 shot lead and was coasting. I lost three shots on one hole and was T-1 thru 14. I tried not to look at the leader board but also knew that I probably should pay more attention than I normally do in case it came down to hitting a golf shot to get into a playoff and give myself a chance.

I was standing on #17 tee box (par 3) one shot behind the leader. The leader just happened to be in my group so I had a good idea what was going on. His tee shot hit the left side of the green and took a huge bounce left into a nasty green side bunker. I played last and was the only player on the green with a 20-25 uphill putt. I was able to get the one shot back as the leader ended up with bogey and I parred to be back at T-1 standing on the par 5 #18. THIS…….is why I compete. To be in the hunt on 18 with a chance to win the tournament. This is when this great game becomes more like chess.

I saw that the player that I was tied with pulled 3W to hit off of the tee. I knew he was playing for a par as you were not getting on this green hitting a 3W off of the tee on this long par 5. As I assed the yardage of my potential second shot provided that hit a great drive, I saw a fairly straight fairway with the green in sight. The green was protected by bunkers left and right as well as a creek all along the front and right. The huge clubhouse patio sat at the back of the green which had people all around it watching us come in. I knew the player who would chance getting on in two opposed to laying up would win. I also knew that I did not really feel like playing it safe and going into a playoff hole. I pulled driver and piped one about 300 yards in the left rough. I knew the other guy would have to hit driver off the deck to stand a chance at hitting the green in two. I found myself sitting 214 out with danger lurking all around the green. It’s in that moment that you have to grab your balls up and hit the shot. Whether good or bad you have to live with the consequences. I hit a 4i just right of the pin and rolled up about 15-20 feet on the right fringe. I knew and he knew that I had it unless he holed out his 3rd from about 120 out to force a playoff. Highly unlikely! I barely missed the eagle putt and tapped in for my birdie and the second win for the season. Man……I love this game!!!!!!!

W.C. “Dub” Sampley

On August 12th, 2020 we laid my grandpa to rest. He was 87 years old. He was the only father figure that I had growing up. He was my hero. My grandpa was married to my grandma for 64 years. It would have been 65 years the day following the funeral, but God had other plans.

I felt like this blog would be incomplete without paying tribute to such a special man that taught me the game. He served in the Korean War and Vietnam War. He spent 22 years serving our country in the United States Air Force. My grandpa LOVED golf and he was a hell of a golfer. I knew he was good, but I think that I lost perspective on just how good. Hearing stories from his golf buddies at the funeral home reminded me of how good he was. He was easily a scratch player.

Thinking back, he had been around the game his entire life. He told me stories of how he caddied at Signal Mountain Golf Club when he was 8 years old. He spent several years doing that and learning to play the game. The Air Force allowed him a lot of opportunity to play all over the world. I think he may have been a little bummed when his only grandson decided to take up contact sports over boring ole’ golf. He used to take me golfing once a year from the time I was about 5 years old until I hit around 14 or 15. I just never got into it until later in life.

Luckily, he has been able to come see me play on the amateur tour a couple of times in the past three years. He has shared tips and taught me certain shots that would help me on the course. He would always call me after he knew I had a tournament to ask how I played, usually followed by him telling me that I needed to play better or do something different. HAH!

I am lucky that I now have stories to go back and put with all of his trophies that he left to me. I am lucky to have gotten the last few years to share the love for this game and his favorite past time. I am extremely lucky that I got to share my first, and his first time at The Masters together. I will always hold these moments close to my heart. I hear his voice at every tournament telling me to…”keep your head down, swing smooth, and I will watch where it goes.”

~Rest in Peace Papaw~