For Business...and Pleasure

For the last 5+ years, I have worked for one of the nation's largest oil & gas producers. Our main focus is to pull gas and liquids from the ground and put it a pipe for refineries. For the first 4 years on the job, I reported all of the spending on US capital projects. About a year ago, just before my company went through a massive expansion through acquisitions, I was moved to focus solely on our Permian (West Texas/East New Mexico) area which has quickly become the most active region in the world for my company. It's fun to see more of the operations side of a region that has 25 rigs running on a daily basis.

We have operations in Australia, Chile, Argentina, Egypt, UK, United States and Canada...which brings me to the subject of this post. Our Canada operations are based in Calgary, Alberta. The Calgary office recently lost their capital reporting accountant and are in need of someone to come up for a few weeks to run the reports and analysis. My 'bat phone' lit up a few weeks ago and within a few hours, I had my flight and hotel stay for two weeks in downtown Calgary. My tasks for the two weeks are pretty simple: get the work done efficiently and timely, and once that is done...PLAY SOME GOLF!

Calgary is similar to Denver with the layout - mountains to the west, plains to the east. My timing couldn't be any better as the company's golf tournament will be played on the only Friday I will be in Calgary. You're crazy to think I wouldn't be signed up to play. The course we are playing is to the east of town, so it looks to be a fairly flat course but at a good elevation.

For the weekend, I am renting a car and heading west to the 'young' Rockies. Numerous co-workers have told me to go see this lake or this mountain lodge, etc. Thanks but no thanks. My car is going to Stewart Creek on Saturday and then Kananaskis on Sunday for 36 holes of awesomeness. With daylight lasting for a good 15 hours, I should have plenty of time to enjoy the rounds. That's 72 holes of golf for the weekend with 54 holes of golf in a 2 day span...in the sheer Rockies, at high elevations...life will be pretty incredible. I sure hope I remember to take plenty of photos to remember this trip.

Kananaskis:

Stewart Creek:

Oh yeah, I get home on Thursday around 9:30pm and head straight to Galveston for a little weekend beach party. The weather in Calgary: low 70s. The weather in Galveston upon my return: mid 90s.


Numerical Summary for the week:

4 - hours spent at a Slip-N-Slide party yesterday. Yes, a bunch of 20 and 30-somethings got together on an inflatable slip-n-slide and I have to tell you...it was a lot of fun. I was given the task to provide music for the party and I succeeded with my wide selection of old school hip-hop. Thanks Snoop and Biggy.

12 - as in noon, which has been the average tee time for me the last few rounds. Nothing strains the body more than playing golf in heat index north of 100 and humidity around 80%. Hey, at least I know I am not the only idiot out there sweating profusely while hitting a small white ball around the course.

33 - days until the first Baylor football game. With baseball being the only sport going on right now, I am so ready for some football.

What's In the Bag

Yea, I know it's been over a month since my last post. Since this is a golf blog and maybe someone out there is actually following me for golf purposes, I figured I would divulge what is in my bag and my choice for various golf items.

Driver: I did some research (as posted here) and I finally settled on the Titleist 910 D3 in 8.5* with an Oban Devotion 7X shaft. It took Titleist about a month to finally send me the correct driver, for some reason they thought I was right-handed, but ultimately my lefty driver arrived in the mail Friday and was in play today. The first few holes were shaky, but I didn't miss a single fairway on the back nine.

Fairway Wood: My fairway wood and hybrid are my throwback items. I had the worst time finding a fairway wood that was easy to hit and consistent off the tee and off the fairway. I tried the Titleist 909f, Callaway X Hot, Adams Super Hybrid, and TaylorMade Burner. Finally, the TaylorMade V Steel was on a website, brand new for $59...sold.


Hybrid: Nothing has been able to replace the Sonartec MD 19* in the past 4 years. Nothing.
Irons: (4-GW): My choice in irons has gone from blades to muscle backs to cavity backs. Irons for all skill levels have become easier to hit. I am a firm believer that unless you are on TV every week for golf, there is no need to be playing blades. I have progressed from Cleveland CG1, to Titleist AP2 and now found THE set in the Adams CB2. Forgiveness is as important as workability in a set of irons. Do NOT forget that.

Sand/Lob Wedge: Since my irons came with a 50* gap wedge, I went with a 58* sand/lob wedge that is perfect around the greens. Cleveland is one of the few wedge companies that have various sole designs in left hand. Their DSG wedge is perfect for bunkers and deep bermuda grass.

Putter: The flat stick is something I either love or loathe. If it's hot, then I am posting some low numbers. However, recently, the putter has been a woman going through menopause. Hot one minute, cool the next. I have a couple in reserve (SeeMore mFgp reserve, Bettinardi B330, and a custom Slighter Snubnose), but the TaylorMade Kia Ma has taken the top spot.

Bag: I sport the Adidas University bag with the Starburst Jr Golf Tournament logo. We gave each of the 1,000+ kids a bag in last year's tournament. The shipment was so large that we had to store them in an 18-wheeler.

Balls: For the longest time, I used Titleist Pro V1x. For the longest time, Houston experienced numerous months of consistent rain. I switched to the TaylorMade Penta upon its release because it didn't spin as much in the wet conditions. Now, Houston is in a drought and I have switched back to the Pro V1x due to firm/dry conditions.

Shoes: Puma Special Edition. These are some of the smoothest shoes Puma has put out. Love the design to them and they are quite comfortable.

Belts: Um, you can't have Puma Special Edition shoes without the matching belt!!


As you can see, I thoroughly enjoy the world of golf. Some may say it is a little obsessive, but I just utilize the skills God gave me. I am always up for a round so if you need a fourth, let me know.

Stay tuned for next post when I discuss my future work trip to Calgary, Canada!


Numerical Summary for the past 30 days:

6 - rounds of golf played in the last 6 weekends. It's a streak I hope to continue in this ridiculous heat.

72 - holes of golf played with the same Titleist Pro V1X. It's a number 2 with a Compass Bank logo on it obtained in my dad's Chamber Golf Tournament. It's still going strong and has led to some great scores.

5 - average hours each week spent at the pool. Hey, I figured after I get all my chores done, put in my practice time on the course, I need some R&R. It's blazing hot outside and sure the pool isn't cold anymore, but man, it sure beats watching TV inside.