I'd also like to say hello.
I'm an amateur with no real professional interest in golf course architecture. A student of everything, I picked up golf. Professionally I'm an attorney in Washington, DC. Since that and the weather keeps me from playing golf as much as I'd like, I've done the next best thing - and become a serious study of the game, particularly architecture and aesthetics. I've been lurking on the board since I picked up golf 3 years ago. I've fallen in love with the architecture of golf, and since I'm a passionate reader and studier, I've read as much on it as I can.
Golf, unlike any other sport, provides a unique and differente challenge on each playing field - but it does so much more than that, because it, even more so than baseball, is a true pasttime. For urbannites, it may be the only time they get to really commune with nature. For others, it becomes the backdrop for friendship and family.
For me, it is all of the above. I started playing golf as a way to reunite with my father. Since then, I've come to see the game in a variety of lights - as a way of forcing myself to get some modicum of exercise, as a way to clear my thoughts and think, to connect professionally, and to enjoy the company of friends and family.
I will try to contribute to this board in a thoughtful and positive way. I look forward to getting to know you all.
- Justin