- Name: Chris Pearson
- Residence: Austin, TX
- Hometown: Louisville, KY
- Age: 33
- Family: Engaged with a baby girl due in February 2015
- Occupation: Software architect (with a focus on website development and design)
I started playing the game in the early 90s after my stepdad, a fairly avid golfer himself, bought me a set of junior sticks (Bullet—remember those?). From 1997 to 1999, I spent my summers in the caddy program at Valhalla, and that's really where I discovered the social component of golf that so many of us here find so enjoyable.
Off to college (Georgia Tech) in the fall of 1999, I took up the game a bit more seriously and even made a couple of trips over to Augusta to see the Masters. Despite playing club golf for school and going out 2–3 times per week, I was still mostly focused on maximum distance and low scores. Architecture was not on my radar, and I viewed courses through the very narrow lenses of conditioning, prestige, and exclusivity.
Upon graduation in 2003, I quit playing golf entirely in order to "be a responsible adult" and get my start in business. After 11 years away, I returned to the game in May of 2014 and went on what I consider to be a fairly epic golf binge for a non-retired person.
Since May 28, I've played roughly 95 times, and I hit balls and/or putted on most of the days I didn't play. I literally didn't work a minute for 6 months. (Despite this manic obsession, I've only managed to get my handicap down to around 6, which is pretty much where I was when I stopped playing in 2003.)
Regardless, I've had the architecture bug since August, and at this point, I'm all-in on playing every noteworthy course I can. Thanks to a couple of early connections on here, I've already gained a few notches in the belt, and I love the fact that this forum is more or less the key to a ton of courses that would've only been pipe dreams before.
In the future, I hope to catch a game with as many of you as possible, and if you're ever in the central Texas area, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM!