6/9/08-Day 1

Good Morning

Wow, the time has come to put our preparation to the test. Day 1 of our 50 day golf tour of public golf courses in all 50 states. Day 1 was a huge success. We played Woodstock Country Club in Woodstock, Vermont in the morning. Bill promptly beat me 4 and 2. The staff at the course was very friendly and went out of their way to make sure everthing went smoothly. The golf course was a tough challenge, only 6000 yards with 6 par 3's but if you strayed from the fairway the 2 inch rough or huge trees would make sure you were punished and I was punished a bunch!! When you are in Vermont this course will be a treat!

After doing some film work for the Golf Channel and making several wrong turns, we arrived late for our afternoon round at Eastman Golf club in Grantham, New Hampshire. We were met in the parking lot by Mark Larrabee, Head Professional and he helped get us to the tee and meet our special guest Joe Giradono. Joe is a prostate cancer survivor and avid golfer who told us his story of how diligent screenings and check ups saved his life. Joe has lost 2 sisters to cancer and his brother is currently battling prostate cancer. His original plans were to play a few holes and head back to his Boston home; but Bill and I kept him so entertained he played all 18 holes. Playing with Joe and hearing his story certainly ended our long day on an heartwarming note.

As for the golf, I will have to find the scorecard, but it looked like I made a comeback to capture the afternoon match.