Adding Up My Calendar

[Tom_Doak]

I just looked back at my calendar for the year.  It was a pretty frazzled year.  I am including the details here so all of you can see just how stable life is for a golf course architect.

I made a total of 23 trips this year, ranging in duration from one day to 27 days.  I was on the road 157 days in all.  Here's the breakdown:

January - 12 days - Las Vegas (with my wife), Bay of Dreams, Aetna Springs, SFGC
February - 5 days - Santa Fe
March - 13 days - Bandon, China
April - 19 days - Los Angeles, Oyster Harbors, Vermont (with my wife), Florida, Bandon
May - 16 days - Sebonack, Yeamans Hall, Common Ground opening, China
June - 9 days - Upper Peninsula, Bermuda, NJ/PA (golf with client)
July - 18 days - Bandon, Italy (with my family), Scotland (Renaissance Cup), Milwaukee
August - 7 days - Ohio (family reunion), Oyster Harbors, Sebonack, Shawnee
September - 20 days - Colorado, New York, Belgium (with my wife), Amsterdam, India, China
October - 15 days - Japan, Los Angeles, Bandon, SFGC, Detroit, Florida
November - 6 days - Florida, Kansas City, Michigan State/Ball State classes
December - 17 days - Amsterdam, Madrid, Florida

And with all of that, all we really did was finish building two golf courses and rebuild a few bunkers!

[Jason Topp]

My wife travels for work about 40 days a year and that gets tough at times. I cannot imagine her gone 157 days.  The kids would drive me nuts.

Of course it gives me ammo to convince her to take the next golf trip so I may come out ahead in the end.

[JESII]

tom,

That's only slightly less than Tiger traveled last year I would bet...

[Roger Wolfe]

Next time your wife can't go... count me in!!

[Garland Bayley]

Didn't see any New Mexico in the list.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Garland,

Santa Fe is NM, no?

[Garland Bayley]

Garland,

Santa Fe is NM, no?

  

I thought that meant he took a road trip in his Hyundai!

Actually, when you are looking specifically for New Mexico, or NM, you can overlook Santa Fe.

[Tony Weiler]

Tom D, in the Conf. Guide you indicated your love for both golf, and travel.  It still appears that you travel for pleasure, correct?  When you travel so much for work, does it become less "pleasure" to also travel?  Your last year was a lifetime of travels for most.  Tony

[Jim_Kennedy]

Thankfully you aren't using your personal jet, yet,  or your carbon footprint would rival Gore's.

[Garland Bayley]

What's wrong Tom? There aren't airports large enough at Banff and Jasper? Connections bad? No layovers in Calgary on the way to China?

Rob Rigg told me to ask you when you are going to play the gems there.

[Keith Buntrock]

Nobody goes to Bandon, Italy, and Scotland in the same month without going to Milwaukee.

[Steve Lang]

   TD,

Ms Sheila says her heart goes out to you.. stop whining.. she used to travel 150-200 days a year, 46 states & DC, plus some international.. for like 15 years.. doing environmental work..

you gotta do what you've got to do.. and so how many languages do you speak?

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Great year Tom. It is great you are on top of your proffession. cheers

[Tom_Doak]

Steve L:

I'm probably going on 15 years of this kind of travel myself.  In fact, it was a bit of a down year; I've had many years of 175-180 days, and my associates occasionally push 200.

Anthony:

There is a huge difference between being somewhere new, and spending time in airports.  I still love to see new places:  this year's included Santa Fe, Lake Como, the Cinque Terre, Madrid, Hong Kong, and the Great Wall of China.  It's the getting there and getting back part that sucks, and it will continue to do so until all of our kids are out of the house.

[JC Jones]

Tom,

Did you see any golf courses in the UP?  Or were you scoping a new project?  I only ask because it seems rather random among all of your other travel.

[Tom_Doak]

JC:

I actually went to look at a potential new project in the U.P.  Sadly, it doesn't look like it is going to happen.  It was quite a site.

[JC Jones]

JC:

I actually went to look at a potential new project in the U.P.  Sadly, it doesn't look like it is going to happen.  It was quite a site.

That is too bad.  When I was up there this summer I couldn't help but notice all of the wonderful land up there, largely sandy, that would be great for a golf course. 

[Jason Hines]

150-200 is pretty normal for me as well.  Of course none of it involved GCA, just oats, granola and snack bars.  Honestly, this is pretty common in sales.

Jason

[Ben Sims]

In the C-17 I was averaging 180-ish.  The worst part was not ever being able to count on being available for birthdays, a concert or ballgame. I miss the worldwide travel for sure. Getting stuck in Naples, Kaiserslautern, Seville', etc. But I don't miss getting shot at. And getting to do what I love AND be home every night sure is nice.

Here's to the road warriors. Nice year Tom.

[Ash Towe]

Tom,

We need you back in New Zealand.  Perhaps they also need you in Aussie to sort out St Andrews Beach.

[Mark_F]

Perhaps they also need you in Aussie to sort out St Andrews Beach.

Ash,

Me winning $50 million in the lottery could be the only thing that sorts that place out...

[Jonathan Cummings]

It's the getting there and getting back part that sucks, and it will continue to do so until all of our kids are out of the house.

Tom - ??  The getting there and back will suck less when the kids are gone??? 

[Ronald Montesano]

I get it, Jonathan.  You only watch the kids grow up once...when they are on their own and his influence is mitigated, he'll enjoy the travel more.  However, I do sense your point that the leaving stinks while the returning is a bit better.

[George Pazin]

My schedule compares very favorably:

Jan: Pittsburgh
Feb: same
March: same
April: same
May: same
June: same
July: same
August: Burgh, Maryland!
September: Burgh
Oct: same
November: same
December: same

 

Next year I have to find a way to Texas, and in 2011 to Australia.

[Kyle Harris]

Ahem. And Philadelphia.