My top 5 moments of the 2014 Golfdom Summit

The 2014 Golfdom Summit is over, and I’m relieved. It’s a big event for our team to pull off… but pull it off we did, with some people saying this was our best Summit yet.

That’s a bold statement, considering we had Annika Sorenstam as our keynote speaker last year, and the first year, we played Pinehurst No. 2.

But I’ll take it… and even agree. We’re getting good enough at this event that it’s becoming dangerous. Just ask any of this year’s attendees.

Before I get to the formal reporting on the event, I thought I’d give you a random stream-of-thought review, in the form of a “top 5” moments. Here we go, my top 5 moments of the 2014 Golfdom Summit…

5. Getting the band back together: It’s rare to get all of the Golfdom team in the same room at the same time, but we pulled it off this year. Clark Throssell, Karl Danneberger, Mark Woodward, Joel Jackson and Matt Neff were all in attendance. That accounts for the entire columnist team from Golfdom. And it was nice to see all those guys in person and say “thank you” for their hard work for the year.

It was Neff’s first Summit, and Karl and Clark’s first in a few years. But I think that after participating in this year’s Summit, all of them have already scheduled the time to be there next year, too.

4. Texas Hold ‘Em: For a few years now, I’ve packed my poker chips and brought them with me. With so many guys there, that if you start murmuring “Hold ‘Em?” at the party, you’ll end up with a decent game as an after-party.

This year, we had two good games. And I came out as the winner of both of them! Sure, I’ll have a target on my back next year, but that’s fine… I love playing cards, and as long as I’m playing, I don’t mind losing… but it sure is better to win!

3. A special guest: At the post-golf barbecue, I had a chance to recognize a few people, including Eric Johnson and Josh Lewis of Chambers Bay, wishing them best of luck on the 2015 U.S. Open… Conrad Broussard, who recently was named Troon Golf’s superintendent of the year…

And Ron MacGregor, brother of North Coast Media’s Craig MacGregor. Ron is a decorated soldier and retiring from the U.S. Army next month. I recognized him last, and guess what? He received a standing ovation from the room. A very cool moment, to say the least.

2. Golfing with friends: I played like a dog, but my group was a ton of fun. The aforementioned Broussard, Jerry Corbett of Quali-Pro, and Troy Murray of Jacobsen were my foursome.

Troy might be the best golfer I’ve ever played with. Conrad is a stick as well, and Jerry had the driver working. I added a few putts and one sand save, and not much else. And we still shot a 10-under.

Just a great group to spend a few hours with, chasing the golf ball around.

1. Ferguson’s keynote: Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press was our keynote speaker, and he had the difficult challenge of following last year’s keynote speaker — Annika Sorenstam. No easy task.

And then I made the mistake of telling him, about an hour before I was to introduce him, about how great Annika was last year. What was I trying to do, psyche him out? Give him the jitters while standing on the 18^th tee?

Doug made a joke about it and then went on to wow the crowd. He treated the room like exactly what it is — a small, private, invite-only crowd who can keep a secret. He played with the crowd when they asked his opinion on hot-button topics… and then gave his honest opinion.

And afterwards? He joined us for a beer on the rooftop bar and answered more questions one-on-one, about favorite golfers, least favorite golfers, future stars, you name it.

The perfect ending to a nearly perfect event.

Look for information on the 2015 Golfdom Summit in the upcoming months… and bring your poker money!

Photos: Golfdom Staff