Category: Matt Kuchar - HOPE JOY GOLF

Tees2greens.com archived blog Posts

I remember finding a golf blog and message board site called tees2greens.com and fell in love - I commented on posts and messages and got to "know" a few other posters on the site. A while later, I got a message that if I wanted to I could have my own blog on the site...it was the most amazing offer and back in 2009 I wrote my first blog. I loved bantering with the head blogger, Sam Johnson, and I was thrilled to share my love for golf. The website had a great run, but all good things come to an end. The webmaster gave me a chance to download all my posts and here they are. A few years later I started hopejoygolf.com and restarted blogging. Life and technology created some starts and stops, but finally, 2025 is reenergizing me to blog again. I'm still a work in progress, but for now, if you're here, check out some of my thoughts back in my beginner blogging days.

Summer Golf Adventures...

1/5/2016

Posted Jul 03 2012, 01:14 PM by Cathy Erickson
Wow…it’s been a busy few weeks in my world and one thing I’ve really missed is doing my weekly golf writing therapy. There’s a lot on my mind so I’d better get to it!

First of all...congratulations to Webb Simpson on his US Open win!! Honestly, I didn't see that one coming. He had been under the radar for most of the year but he played steady, solid golf with the fewest mistakes. Great guy, great champion.

Rumor has it that Sam Johnson went on vacation and didn’t take his golf clubs. This girl, on the other hand, has clocked quite a few miles on the Callaway travel bag, most recently on a trip to Nashville, TN, just 2 weeks ago. Back in 2010, I wrote about my first time to Nashville and the courses I played there. I was excited to be back, but not super excited to arrive to average temperatures of 95+ degrees – this Minnesota girl is not used to that kind of heat!

Some Highs and Lows in My Golf World

1/5/2016

Posted May 15 2012, 09:05 PM by Cathy Erickson
Last week was a little like riding a golf roller coaster for me. On Friday, one of my favorite golf friends and role models, Steve Anderson, passed away after having a massive stroke on Tuesday morning. I met Steve and his family when they came to manage our local golf course several years ago. Steve made you feel like you've been friends for years even if you had just met.

His love for the game and his passion for the business of golf allowed him to make a positive impact wherever he went. I was so grateful that I was able to stay in touch with Steve after he moved on to another golf course, and in this past year he really helped us as our curling group took over golf operations at our course last season.

Who is Number One?

1/5/2016

Posted May 11 2012, 12:20 PM by Cathy Erickson
Or maybe the bigger question is...do we really need to care? I've pondered and studied the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) a few times of the past few years. It is a Numbers Nerd's dream of points, averages, and weightings that determines who should be considered the best golfer in the world...for the week. But the thing is, it's really not about the best player "that week" because the rankings take into consideration months worth of a player's statistical finishes, weighted by the strength of field and their final position in the tournament.

I'm a believer! PGA Tour golf is getting exciting again!

1/5/2016

Posted Mar 08 2012, 12:23 PM by Cathy Erickson
There's nothing like good old fashioned competition to make things more exciting. And in 2012 I think that's what we're getting on the PGA Tour. Usually, the first few months of the season (or just about every tourney before the Masters) are often not much to write home about. I remember discussions about shortening the PGA Tour season by taking tourneys off the front and back end because football, basketball, and hockey are what people are really interested in during fall & winter. Many players opted out of these tourneys, and if there wasn't a great field, it didn't get a whole lot of coverage.

Match Play Madness

1/5/2016

Posted Feb 21 2012, 10:32 PM by Cathy Erickson
Sixty-four of the top players in the world are in Arizona for the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and play starts Wednesday. Missing from the field are Phil Mickelson (who is on a family vacation) and Paul Casey (who is still recovering from an off-season injury). It is player's Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) that qualifies him for the tourney, so there may be some international players that are less familiar to those that just follow the major Tours.

But have no fear, there are all kinds of A-listers ready to take on their first opponent . The top seeds are: Luke Donald (1), Rory McIlroy(2), Lee Westwood(3), and Martin Kaymer(4)...they are the top seeds in their respective brackets. Steve Stricker is the top American seed (5), with Webb Simpson right on his heels (6). Tiger Woods is 20th on the OWGR, and 5th in his bracket. Interestingly, not that long ago he was outside the top 50 on the OWGR list.

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

1/4/2016

Posted Nov 27 2011, 10:53 PM by Cathy Erickson
Wow, it's the Sunday evening after Thanksgiving and I'm having one of those "where did my YEAR go??" We're coming up on December at the end of this week and before you know it we'll be singing Christmas carols and making resolutions for 2012. My year is a combination of a blur and vivid moments of both special and challenging experiences.

I feel like I'm at a point where I need to catch up a bit and also look forward to the holiday season and to the next year...I've just started my golf off-season and I hope to make the most of it.

The Measure of a Man

1/4/2016

Posted Aug 24 2011, 11:53 AM by Cathy Erickson
A favorite song of mine by a group called 4Him, is called Measure of a Man…

It’s been on my mind lately as I have been hearing bits and pieces about the upcoming President’s Cup and the selection process that will happen in about a month. The “filler version” of the Ryder Cup in off years definitely has its share of great players, drama, and talent, but it’s felt to me like it was almost “gimmicky”…”the Tie”, Michael Jordan, I don’t know…maybe it just hasn’t been around long enough to be revered yet, at least not in my mind anyway.

My best golf therapy is right here!

1/4/2016

Posted Jun 14 2011, 02:02 PM by Cathy Erickson
Hi Golf Friends...man, it's been awhile since I've written and I can tell - I've missed the "therapy" I get when writing about my favorite thing in the world. Life's been a challenge lately, but this past weekend I was on the course and my happy place reminded me that I can't forget what keeps me grounded. So many golf thoughts came to mind that I couldn't help but feel a renewed spirit...so here I am!

I'm going to have to "scatter shoot" like Sam this week because I've got a lot of golf on the brain! Where to start?!

Yep, it's my favorite week of the year!!

1/4/2016

Posted Apr 06 2011, 11:08 AM by Cathy Erickson
It's finally here...Masters Week. Are you already anticipating a memorable Sunday final round like I am? Now there's a lot to take in before we get to Sunday, pre-tournament interviews, expert picks, the par-3 contest, live streaming coverage on http://www.masters.com/, early round coverage on ESPN, along with probably a zillion tweets, countless blogs, and some you tube videos. I hope I can keep up!

I'm terribly jealous of the fact that a few of my golf pals headed to Augusta for the practice rounds this week. I tried to be happy for them, really, I did, but jealousy is a powerful emotion! I hope they got some great photos!!

Is it too early to talk about the Masters?

1/3/2016

Posted Mar 17 2011, 08:36 AM by Cathy Erickson

Oh, I'm there...and now my brain has burned into it the beautiful views from Augusta National since I visited http://www.masters.com/ and saw a nice flyover of part of the course. Can you smell the azaleas? I can.

As I say every year, Masters week is my favorite week of the year. I'm usually busy with our last curling event of the season and hopefully watching our final snow melting, but I can already guarantee you that I will be home on the couch for the duration of the final round and will not be answering my phone. Last year I had the TV on and my lap top streaming Augusta's live coverage just to make sure I didn't miss a thing.

There are already 98 players who have qualified to play this year (April 7-10, 2011), with 17 of them being first time Masters participants. There are 19 different categories in which player can qualify to play. Major winners, top money earners, PGA Tour winners, and top 16 finishers in last year's Masters are just some of the ways a player can get their invite. Tiger Woods still leads the pack by qualifying in 7 of the 19 categories. Zach Johnson is right behind him with 6 qualifying categories, followed by a small group, including Matt Kuchar and Steve Stricker, meeting 5 of the qualifiers.

I love the Masters.

Escaping Minnesota...

1/3/2016

Posted Jan 20 2011, 10:42 AM by Cathy Erickson
What started out as an impulse decision to buy tickets to a concert has turned into a 6 day trip to Phoenix, Arizona the first week in February...and I couldn't be more excited! My plans have evolved a few times since buying the concert tickets (I am now going solo), but it's safe to say that I'm going get to wear my brand new Callaway Golf Shoes in a few weeks!

This has been an interesting experience...and being the deal shopper that I am, I have been finding moments of triumph and panic as I started making plans.

As the Calendar Turns

1/3/2016

Posted Dec 30 2010, 10:43 AM by Cathy Erickson
I don't know about you, but this last week of December is a time for me to say good-bye to the current year and prepare for the next. My mental photo album gets sketchier every year (this is what happens when you get older), but I still have a pretty good slide show of great golf memories this year. And at the same time I find a part of my brain already getting ready for the season ahead, even though it's at least 5 months away. And it's that "resolution" and "goal setting" time of year, so pondering some golf goals seems appropriate, too.

Who could have predicted that? 2010 Crystal Golf Ball Results

1/3/2016

Posted Dec 16 2010, 09:52 AM by Cathy Erickson
Happy Holidays! Well, now that the Tour season is officially over, I guess it's time to dig out my "predictions" post from back in January to see how I did. I was nervous...I couldn't really remember what I said, except for that I was sure Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar were mentioned. Okay...let's see how I did!

Good-bye September, Hello Ryder Cup!

1/3/2016

Posted Sep 30 2010, 12:42 PM by Cathy Erickson
What in the...? It's already September 30! It seems like just yesterday I was looking forward to my favorite golf month of the year and now, just like that, it's over. I had some fun days golfing this past month, and even though we had a few rainy days, I was able to get out on the course for at least 9 holes whenever I didn't have to work late (which was too often if you asked me!).

The sun setting earlier has been a total drag. By 7pm it's very hard to see the golf balls and there is a definite chill in the air by that time, too. How can daylight savings time not be until November 7??? This does not help golfers in Minnesota at all!! If we could get that extra hour NOW, I'd be a lot happier.

Don't listen to them...it's okay to like the end of the season!!

1/3/2016

Posted Sep 23 2010, 05:42 AM by Cathy Erickson
There is really nothing better than having your favorite golfers being in contention coming into a Major or an end of season event like the Tour Championship...or the FedEx Cup finale. I'm thinking back to Greg Norman's hey days...it was like an emotional roller coaster for me - the highs of seeing him winning and crushing blows of seeing a few heart breaking losses.

It's sort of hilarious that I am STILL picturing Larry Mize in the purple striped shirt jumping and running after knocking his chip in at the Masters all those years ago. But that is what being a golf fan is all about.

Matt Kuchar for Player of the Year!!

1/3/2016

Posted Sep 15 2010, 10:03 PM by Cathy Erickson
It's been a hectic few weeks in my little part of the world...just as I am entering my favorite golf month of the year my work world gets very busy. Usually I'm sort of giddy when it comes to talking about school taxes, but this year has been a combination of challenging and maddening...not to mention overwhelming enough that it's elbowing into my golf time!

September means great golf!

1/3/2016

Posted Sep 01 2010, 09:35 AM by Cathy Erickson
Holy cow, it's September 1. How did this happen? I am not ready to head into the downward slide of the golf season yet! It's funny, last night as we were playing in our weekly "Scramble Tuesday" event, it was like Mother Nature decided to let us know September was on the door step. It was hot and muggy as I left my office yesterday afternoon and my house felt like someone had left a heat lamp on all day when I walked in.

Bunker Schmunker

1/3/2016

Posted Aug 17 2010, 12:06 PM by Cathy Erickson
Just when you think golf is going to go all boring on us because we don't have Tiger to swoon over, you get the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits. I'm guessing anyone with at least a slight interest in professional golf is still chattering away about how things played out over the past week.

Obviously the story of the Championship is Dustin Johnson and the infamous bunker shot on the 18th. Funny thing...I wasn't even watching it! My fantasy team pegged all its hopes on Rory McIlroy and when he missed his birdie putt on 18 I knew I was sunk...already late for a family dinner, I headed to my Aunt's instead of watching the end. I walk in the front door and everyone is leaning forward in their seats staring at the TV...and there I see DJ and Nick Watney in a room and Dustin is not looking like he just won a Major...it's then that I get the full story...wow!

The Best Golf Week of the Year!

1/3/2016

Posted Apr 07 2010, 08:36 AM by Cathy Erickson
We're just a few short hours from getting our first live golf action from the 2010 Masters...the Par-3 contest. I don't know about you, but I'm almost giddy with anticipation. Five days of golf heaven for me - the beauty, the tradition, the drama, and the reverence for the game.

Once again, though, life is getting in the way of my happy place. If you remember last year, I had my refrigerator catastrophe elbowing into my Masters time. I was not happy! This year, it's a curling event on Saturday that requires more attention than I had hoped to give. But I promise you, I will be on my sofa on Sunday afternoon for arguably the best 5 hours of golf of the year.

Is there hope for the Hope?

1/3/2016

Posted Jan 19 2010, 11:10 PM by Cathy Erickson
I've been pondering the state of the professional golf world lately. I'm hardly an economist, but it's hard not to notice that tough financial decisions are being made every day...from Fortune 500 companies to you and me. I'm eating out less, keeping my thermostat a little lower, and trying really hard not to buy new golf shoes (unless it's a REALLY good deal!).

Golf is back, and I couldn't be happier!! Well, almost...

1/3/2016

Posted Jan 14 2010, 08:00 AM by Cathy Erickson
I can't tell you how much fun I had watching golf last weekend, even if it was just for one day. I headed down to the Twin Cities last weekend to visit my brother and his family, and along with that came a big screen TV and the Golf Channel (if it's possible to be in love with a big screen TV I definitely am!)! I watched a re-run of part of Friday's round and then got to see Saturday's round later that evening. Hawaii is a beautiful place!

My 2010 Crystal Golf Ball...

1/3/2016

Posted Jan 06 2010, 01:39 PM by Cathy Erickson
It's Here!! The 2010 PGA Tour season starts this week! I realize for some golf fans the PGA season starts with the Masters and ends with the PGA Championship, but after finding an exploded case of Diet Coke with Lime in the back of my car on Monday (yes, it was THAT cold in my garage!), I need the warm thoughts of golf and Hawaii to replace the dread of having to clean out my car...thank goodness there were no golf clubs back there!

Did I really say that? Crystal Golf Ball 2009

1/2/2016

Posted Dec 15 2009, 08:39 AM by Cathy Erickson
I thought it might be a good time to check out how I did on my predictions for the 2009 PGA Tour season. Back on January 6, 2009 I made the following guesses in italics (see the 2009 Predictions Thread in the forums):

I think I can only improve from my predictions from last year - they were not good -

This is a true story. I'm awful at making predictions, but there is something fun in getting the chance to guess right every once in awhile!

Three Days of Golf Heaven (part 2)

1/2/2016

Posted Aug 18 2009, 07:09 AM by Cathy Erickson
Thursday morning my brother and I were up and at the course by 9:00am (the parking pass was awesome!). It was another warm day in MN and the winds had already started to pick up. We checked out the pairing sheets and realized that all of the players we wanted to see were all on one side in both the morning and afternoon. We knew Tiger was on the back side and had just teed off, so we made our way to the green on the par-3 17th hole to watch for the morning.

2013 Crystal Golf Ball!

1/2/2016

Posted Jan 08 2013, 12:11 PM by Cathy Erickson
It's a Tuesday and we still don't know the winner of the first PGA Tour event of the year. The wind and rain in Hawaii has delayed golf since Friday, but this shortened 54-hole event should conclude today. As of right now Dustin Johnson holds a 3-shot lead over Steve Stricker going into the last 18-holes. Hmmm, Sam Johnson's favorite player and my favorite player going head to head...this could get interesting! I just read that Stricker is in a lot of pain in his left leg, so this hilly course isn't exactly what the Dr. ordered, but hopefully he can hang in there (GO STEVE!!).