What does Napa have in common with Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, and Lake Tahoe?
They’re all destinations that make way more sense with your significant other than with your childhood best friend.
Turns out sipping Rosé with your girlfriend is probably more relaxing than sharing a bathroom with your buddy who washed down his ‘sampler’ BBQ plate with a monster cookie. Hey, you can’t win them all.
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting on the back porch of an 8-acre property overlooking the hills of Napa as the sun is setting. It’s a crisp 63 degrees, just enough warmth to avoid a jacket. So, I figured what a time to write a few thoughts down…
Napa, Napa, Napa
If you look back on some of the older Chronicles, I’m usually hesitant to fully embrace the city that we’re in for the week.
Louisville was bleh. The Quad Cities were meh. Tahoe was overhyped. Greensboro was forgettable.
But Napa is different.
I really didn’t want to succumb to the charm of Napa because it’s so widely credited, but damn. Napa is spectacular.
The weather is ideal. The topography is beautiful. It’s walkable. The food is *chefs kiss with my hands gesture*.
They’ve got a river running through the middle of it, one of the most important ingredients to a city that Murda likes. And if you hadn’t heard, they make decent wine.
My only qualm? Their mall situation is terrible. Riedel and I hit up the outlets this afternoon and left after 30 minutes — a record that will never be broken.
If I could avoid spending $50 on every single dinner, I might entertain the idea of returning, but I’m not liquid enough to even pretend.
World no. 1
There is an unmistakable buzz when Scottie Scheffler is on property.
We teed off before the pro-am at about 6:30 this morning, and people were lined up before we even started warming up because SS was teeing off at 7 am.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed from being (somewhat) around him a couple of times this year:
- He is in and out. He’s there early or late. But never in between. He isn’t going to spend 8 hours at the golf course. He isn’t going to waste even a minute being unintentional. He’s there, he works, and he disappears. This is typical of all the best players; you almost don’t even notice they’re present until Thursday rolls around.
- He spends a ton of time putting. I watched him today stroll around the putting green for an hour, hitting random putts. For an entire hour. That might not sound like a long time, but when you watch him and see his intensity, you’d change your mind. Meticulously inspecting each putt. Getting frustrated with every miss. And relaxing a bit after each make.
- Whether it’s Monday or Sunday, there is always a group of people following him. Now, that group is much smaller before the tournament begins, but there is always a noticeable group of people surrounding him. It has to be a weird existence — never being able to play golf without dozens of people carefully observing every step, breath, and swing. It must be exhausting at times.
Golf Course
Tight. Winding fairways. Overhanging trees. Thatchy rough. Quick greens.
It’s a pretty cool little place. It reminds me of Riviera Country Club if it were born in Austin. I don’t really know what that means, but it makes sense in my head.
Things Going On
Since the last time we’ve convened, Murda has been all over the place.
I went on a date in Houston. I then immediately flew to Canada for a few weeks to visit my brother. I then caught wind of a Ryder Cup social media contest, so I hopped on a flight to NYC for a 20-second video. No, I’m not kidding.
And now I’m in the final stages of the interview process and should hear back soon if I got the position.
I spent a few days warming back up in Houston. I played one round of golf — shot 4 under on the front. And then we flew here.
It’s amazing how quickly time flies. It feels like we were in Greensboro two weeks ago.
That’s all I got. Ball In Air just before 9 am tomorrow, can’t wait.
Peace,
Drew Murdock aka Murda
