It’s a shame @MerchCzar didn’t throw a couple bucks on me as well.
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Coincidence that the “oldest” is Benjamin? I think not 
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In a Kuchar-adjacent move, I realize I completely forgot to slip you a bit out of my winnings from you. Fully regret the error. 
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This is such a good take
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Please… that’s nonsense. I’m just glad I could pull through for one of the Vibey Boys.
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You honor me 
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Brother, I wanted too, but that Pete Rose rule was in effect!
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I’ve loved reading all of these posts, and feel compelled to pile on. Apologies for any redundancies! Here are my top 5 takeaways from the NIT:
- @JCO is a super dude and a great inaugural champion. I think @Hwhite told me to bet on him during our Wednesday practice round - guess I should’ve listened! After briefly meeting him at the Donnybrook, he was a great host at White Oak and was really good to chat with during the non-golf events.
- Every time Randy or Bruce (JB pro) addressed the group before our rounds, they led with “Lady and gentlemen” - astute on their part, but equally special to have @ChickPhilA in attendance, and for representing the fairer sex in the best way possible by winning her flight and leading her team to the Birdhouse. Congratulations!
- Tournament golf is not for the weak or unprepared. I fully expected to bring home the trophy. Let’s just say, I have a LONG way to go.
- Fun golf is where I thrive. From winning a skin and nearly acing the meaningless 24th hole at the White Oak event (s/o to Harrison, Damon and Clint for putting that together), making 3 birds during the cross country round (wow, @tron, solid pins all weekend but super job on the cross country layout!), and the victory in the emergency nine alt shot round when @Fluff and I took on @kevjones and @BabblingBrooksKoepka. Such a blast when the pressure was off. Going to try to figure that mental approach out for the next go round…
- The NIT made one thing 100% crystal clear for me in a very tangible way. The NLU guis are ABSOLUTELY authentic. @MerchCzar wears his heart on his sleeve and invests real time in getting to know people. Playing with @Randy in R2 was a blast - he’s the consummate tournament organizer, professional golf influencer and host. TC made the White Oak event uber enjoyable for me and was especially accommodating to my wife, who joined us for the walk. Playing the cross country round with @Soly showed his competitiveness and his skill. You could tell he was just happy to be out there among us. I didn’t get to spend much time with DJ, but watching how dedicated he was to caddying during the final round was pretty special.
I think I hit my limit on S/Os, but can’t not mention my sincere appreciation to all of my playing partners and AirBnB mates - it was great to meet all of you and I hope we have the chance to tee it up again in the near future.
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I know, I know. I had to take advantage of the Chez comparison.
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I think what stuck out most to me this weekend was just how present everyone was. Phones were mostly away and folks were just looking for good conversations (#vibes). It can be hard to travel long distances and go meet up with mostly total strangers so I really appreciate how willing everyone was to meet new people, strike up a random conversation, and keep this community inclusive and thriving. And of course shouts to New Belgium for providing some social lubrication!
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All of this.
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I’m easily going to run out of likes in here today.
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Quick Dispatches from the Road (Home):
New Orleans’ Bourbon St. as a semi sober guy by himself is not really my scene. I was 16 and on a church trip the last time I was here so I may not have this whole thing figured out yet.
Found a little bar tucked away and watched the Saints manhandle TB12 and the Bucs with a few locals getting off shift. Chill. Perfect.
Heading on to Austin today still basking in the weekend good time vibes.
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quick thoughts:
the golf was good
the Event was good-er
the HANG with all you guis was All-Time.
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I mean what else is left to say that hasn’t been said much better by others. I came in hoping to be paired up with one of the NLU boys for a round but getting to play with guys like @phegs32 @Lazstradamus @BunkiePerkins @Hitchings21 @anon29849602 @jskovgaard along with several others made for a truly great weekend.
I’m bummed I couldn’t quite track down @mintbucket to take our flight title … but it gives me something to work towards next year.
And definitely appreciated building on friendships with guys like @Very.chipper and @chrismarz who I had met only a few weeks before at the Big Cedar event.
Finally, thanks to @Privatecollection and all the NLU boys for making his inaugural event such a great event.
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I can’t undersell how impressed I was with @bmasters for toughing it out in the final round even when things were clearly not going his way. Lesser guis including Jason Day and me would’ve felt a twinge somewhere and headed for the drink cart. Props to @anon29849602 for staying positive for his man, too. These two will be heard from again.
But damn, was @JCO a deserving champion. It’s an absolute embarrassment to my ancestors that I didn’t do the research and find out @Hwhite the Lurker was on his bag. Like lighting money on fire NOT getting some cash down on Clint.
@ChickPhilA could win the Refuge Presidency in a landslide.
My one-way travel companion and housemates know who they are, and they’re always a joy to hang with.
It’s a pleasure each time I get to meet more of you, and I always leave looking forward to the next event. Even @Double_Bogey_Dave is of course a good man outside the Oval Office.
Finally, @Privatecollection remains a Queen, deserving of all the kudos she receives, and the NLU boys continue to make me proud to have been inspired to join this community by them. Just great guys. Even @Soly.
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I saw the Duffer walking around all evening Thursday not knowing who he was until I heard that unmistakable voice. The fresh shave was mind blowing to comprehend.
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I can recommend some great restaurants in Austin if you want!
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Had a phenomenal time at the event this weekend, even though my (now memorialized) struggles with tournament golf continued. Looking forward to the upgrade to a Precision Pro rangefinder so that I can much more accurately determine how far my chunked iron shots from the fairway are going; I think that’s going to be a major improvement to my game. My brain is absolutely fried—didn’t get back to DC until about 2:30am this morning—but just wanted to hit some quick notes and contribute to the deluge of posts.
All of my playing partners in the tourney rounds were great, I hope that I was able to help y’all be a little more successful than I was. Really enjoyed the opportunity to finally get a round in with @Lazstradamus after a few near-hits, hang out with @bmb430 again after playing with him during his qualifying round at the Alamo duel, and to watch @Soly put together a round and pick his brain a bit. Also many thanks to @LukeBoatright for organizing all of the non-NIT logistics and making it easy for me to just say “yes”, drive down, and have a great time.
Don’t want to write a novel, but I just want to echo what @jsteve15 said in that I really appreciate how present everyone was. It was a pleasure to get to know you all, and I can’t wait to see y’all again whenever we run into each other. If anyone makes their way up to the DC area I’d be happy as hell to grab some food and find a round. Don’t be strangers.
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I lost my flight to a man with a towel clip on the belt loop of his plaid pants. I’m still struggling with this fact internally.
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