What does it take to be content in life? The right focus. The right perspective. Bucket lists seem to be contradictory to seeking contentment. Yet, I have one. Loosely. I haven't written it down, I don't pine over it. But I do know that I've wanted to play Bandon Dunes courses since I first caught glimpse of them in a Golf Digest magazine in 1998 while riding in a white van on the way to our national tournament. I remember looking at the images of this walking only course on the coast of Oregon and thinking it looked like my ultimate playground. I turned to my friend Tim and said, "One day, we have to play this!" No plans were made. Initially, finances were the limiting factor... But by the time we reached a financial point where this was feasible, life had become fairly intense and doing something like this wasn't even possible for either of us.
Fast forward 18 years... and we did it. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations! There is something mystical about the Oregon coast and forests. Cool, cloudy, misty. The fog rolls in and out. The light coming through the dense fog of the marine layer creates a metallic radiance. Friendly deer frolic about. It feels like heaven. I played well enough to enjoy my rounds. I had flurries of excellence mixed in as well as struggles and recoveries. The real story however was the atmosphere. The beauty. The fellowship. I travel with some truly great guys who are completely fun to be around. We walked 30 miles through three days, and consumed copious amounts of great food!
Now that I've tasted golfing heaven... will I be content in coming months? I've gotta focus on the gratefulness of the ability to have experienced such a magnificent trip, without having disdain for the lesser courses I will now encounter.
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