With the ridiculous amount of information on the Internet in 2017, why would someone create a blog about golf? Well… the thought has been something that has been stewing in my head for the last several months.

Like many golf enthusiasts, I inherited the golfing bug from my father. I grew up in a town in Georgia that was built around three golf courses. Our secondary mode of transportation was a golf cart, which dubbed us the “Golf Cart Capital of the World.” Needless to say, I spent every day during my childhood summers at the local golf course.

Eventually, playing baseball took over my summers while in high school and college, but I always worked to squeeze in the late afternoon round that ended at dusk. Unfortunately, golf was put on the back burner when I went to grad school in 2012. Luckily, that would all change in 2016…

My baseball teammate (and college roommate) invited me to Biloxi, Mississippi with his father-in-law and golfing buddies for a guy’s weekend. We played 36 holes a day for three days straight along with some gambling at the tables at night. It was the first time I had been on a “golfing trip.” That weekend changed the way I viewed golf. It was no longer just hitting balls outside on a summer day; it was friendship, beer, memories and community. It was the understanding that golf is carried through generations and countries. It was the desire to learn more and see more; And it was the realization that I had the ability to do just that.

You see, traveling the world to see everything golf has to offer would prove difficult for your average golf enthusiast. However, my wonderful wife has put me in a unique situation that places the world at my fingertips (mostly). My wife is a Flight Attendant for a major carrier, which allows me to fly standby to almost anywhere in the world. As an added bonus, my baseball teammate who took me to Biloxi is ALSO married to a Flight Attendant for the same airline.

Last year, our travel privileges carried us to Royal Troon in 2016 for the The Open Championship. Those travel benefits will also get us to Royal Birkdale next month for the 2017 Open Championship (more posts to follow about trip planning). After going to the Open in 2016, I have decided to take my passion for golf a step further.

I’m just a guy from a small town in Georgia that is overwhelmed by this ability to travel the world to enjoy my hobby. My goal with Par Hopping is to take you with me on my journey to experience everything golf has to offer. I hope to show you first hand experiences of my travels around the world, but mostly I hope to inspire you to go out and experience it for yourself.