Sisterhood of the Traveling Refugee Sunday Bag

Nice looking shop.

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Not pictured is the tv with masters coverage and the golf simulator. Pretty sick

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More solo from simulator league tonight

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Also @RyanNas your TM 4 hybrid is in that jazz cup headcover and it’s an absolute murder weapon

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Just read through the Golfer’s Journal online preview about the bag. Just awesome stuff all around.

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The TSB made its way to Southers Marsh in Plymouth, MA, an executive course routed over and through a working cranberry bog. 24 folks came out for our Boston Golf & Social skins game, and it was a truly wonderful time.

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The bag has been successfully handed off outside of Boston and is in good hands in Gig Harbor, WA. Thank you to @RobbieVogel for going out of his way to hand it off and roll a few putts with a fellow New Englander. He made me feel welcome and opened the door for me to get involved with Boston area crew.

Oregon bound on Saturday. After reading through the guest book this morning I felt the weight and reach of the project. Could not be happier to carry this bag with pride. Updates forthcoming!

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MA residents will appreciate that this was taken at the granite links putting green - zoom in and you can see Boston’s skyline behind us

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December 2020, the US Postal Service makes an attempt to ruin Christmas, but the Refugee spirit was just too strong to let that happen.

The story begins with new friend and refugee @mnkinn12, who shipped out the Traveling Bag from Oregon to NJ on Dec 15th (big thanks to Matt for spending the extra money for 2-Day Priority Mail). Our original plan was for my wife and I to drive down and spend Christmas at the in-laws in Southwest Virginia before heading to Sweetens on the 28th. After 10 days, an unsuccessful visit to the post office, a very unfriendly and unwelcome stop at the local USPS sorting facility, and a very persuasive last ditch effort to have the postman check his truck a second time, the box finally made it to my hands yesterday at 4pm. This was just the beginning.

We threw the box in the car and took off heading south on Christmas Eve. The good weather and daylight lasted an hour. We proceed to drive through the dark pouring rain and fog for the next 5 hours as we traversed Maryland and Virginia. With about 90 minutes to go, both the mountainous terrain and snow commenced. The snow and visibility got so bad we had to pull off the road. There we were wife, shih tzu named Beast, and me at a Sheetz somewhere south of Roanoke, during a blizzard as the clock struck midnight on the 25th of December. Merry Christmas she said, with a hint of “we could be sleeping in a warm bed right now if it wasn’t for that damn bag”. The snow finally slowed, and we triumphed through the hairpin turns up the mountain finally arriving to the house at 2am.

And so, this Christmas morning was pretty damn special. The last box I opened was the one from Matt and a present from all of you fellow refugees. I can’t wait to read through all the journeys and stories that came before me. They should help me survive the next few days with my mother in law.

The journey continues next week with my new closest companion, the Traveling bag, as I make the Rite of Passage to Sweetens Cove on the 29th & 30th. Until then, Merry Christmas to all!

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Thanks to Andy for reaching out a few days ago, and unless he sneaks in a round somewhere on New Year’s Day the first round of the new year for the beloved bag is set for 1/2 at Sedgefield! It is the off-season here so it won’t be lush or green and it might rain, but it will definitely still be a good time. I’ll see about taking her for a loop at another local course, but it may have to make a hasty departure out west to brave the US parcel courier logistics system. Will make sure to take a photo of the bag with Mr. Ross.

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The last week with the Traveling Sunday Bag has been incredible. Reading all the journal posts as well as looking through all the tees, markers and scorecards really makes you feel part of something special that is the Refugee community. Then spending a couple of days with the TSB at Sweetens just felt like I had finally found home.

Somehow Sweetens Cove surpassed all the hype in my head. The place has a spirit to it that’s tough to describe- but you can feel it from the moment you pull up to the Shed. The TSB and I made 7 loops over the two days and got to walk with some great people including; a Dad from St. Louis and his two sons who started getting serious about the game this year, a couple of buddies from Southern Illinois, an SC OG, a golf obsessed refugee like us all and his older sister who is new to golf but plays fast and fun, and two brothers from Chicago with their father who was deservedly proud as they conquered the last of 36 holes with the sun setting over the Sequatchie.

Some other highlights and darkly comedic lowlights included hitting the tree in front of the green on 3 (which I assume was Rob Collin’s middle finger rising out of the Tennessee earth), watching my traj rocket on 6 meet up with a flock of blackbirds (RIP my little friend), making a 2 on the 10th from the Birdhouse with the Refugee bag #inTheNest, and then having my wife come out and walk along with me/putt around the himalyas/caddy the last loop during which I 3 putted 7 times and almost aced 9 (pured the wedge that never left the front right pin, heard the crack of the stick, in disbelief and endless excitement we ran up to the green to see a 3 foot putt left. It was one hell of a moment that we won’t ever forget).

I will definitely be returning to SC someday because the place is everything golf should be: welcoming, fun, communal, spiritual, challenging, and stunningly beautiful. The Traveling Sunday Bag shares a lot of the same qualities and I am thankful to have experienced them together to close out 2020. Before turning the page to a new year, I made an addition to the TSB. A couple of maps that show all the places the bag has accompanied us so far that we can continue to fill up throughout the year. I can’t wait to see what it looks like at the end of 2021. It’s on to Greensboro next…Cheers!

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When were the maps added? That’s a great addition

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Just got home from a delightful round with the artist formerly known as Andy1288 @Flex, thank you so much for making the trip down and you and Sean are welcome back anytime! If he’s on here please feel free to tag him, also s/o to my man Grant who is not a Refugee. It was a cloudy and soggy day at Sedgefield and none of us played particularly well, but the rain held off and the laughs were as plentiful as the bogeys.

I am going to take some time tonight and tomorrow to go through the journals and the goodie bag and add some bits and bobs of my own. At some point tonight or tomorrow I want to do a custom stamped ball marker for the Traveling Sunday Bag, or might abbreviate to SOTTRSB, we’ll see, going to take some time to come up with a design so I’ll post a photo later when I get around to it.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to leave my mark on something that represents the community values the Refuge has been built on, and I hope to take it for some more loops one day during the golf season here so it can see courses lush and green. I have to say I love the half/partial set concept, I went with 8 clubs today and it was a blast. I fully plan to make myself a Sunday bag for this upcoming golf season.

My photo skills aren’t as good as Andy’s, but here’s a few quick pics from today, starting with the obligatory blessing from Mr. Ross.

This is what Wyndham Beach looks like in the off season, much less tropical

Edit:
Just made this for a bit of fun, will add it to the goodie bag. Obviously don’t expect it to be used or anything, but it was a fun excuse to break out the hammer and stamps.


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You have a lovely wife for a man who wears white belts.

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It’s criminal that this burn only has 10 likes so far. Casualty of the paywall?

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Just got confirmation from @Slim the bag arrived safely in CA courtesy of UPS, ready for a trip up the coast to Bandon with a stop along the way at a Mackenzie gem. Normally I would have held onto the bag a bit longer and looped a few more local courses, but it’s the middle of winter and conditions are not great, so I’ll hope to have the bag back one day when it is warm and green.

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What days will it be at Bandon?

10th to 14th

Cool, maybe I’ll see you out there.
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TSB at Mackenzie’s Northwood. On the way to Bandon…

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