Trip Planners To Pinehurst: Where's Matty G?: Golf Digest

Trip Planners To Pinehurst

Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Comments

You can't say Golf Digest isn't doing its part to spread the love in this shoulder-slouching, rock-kicking economy.

We've just launched another essay contest, and this one will allow six winners to stay and play at a U.S. Open venue this summer--free of charge!

No, it's not the highly publicized, ridiculously popular Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge. That contest received over 70,000 entries and has been whittled down to four finalists. Voting is underway and eventually one lucky guy will join three celebrities (including his Airness, Michael Jordan) and experience a round of humility as he tries to break 100 at Bethpage Black a few days before the 109th U.S. Open. Vote here. (I voted for the fireman.)

The buddies contest is different. We're trying to identify six of the game's best buddies-trip planners, and we're going to send them to Pinehurst in July. They'll get three rounds of golf, caddies, spa treatments, food, loaded gift bags and more. One round will be played on Pinehurst No. 2, where Payne Stewart won the Open in 1999, Michael Campbell in 2005, and yet another in 2014.

I've done 13 Ambushes so far and it was on about the third one that I started to notice a trend: The trip planner of each group, the one who dots all the i's and crosses every t, the selfless, tireless organizer of all things to make sure his or her group is fed, watered, sleep deprived, golfed out and bailed out of jail, if necessary--never gets to actually enjoy the trip.

And so we've conceived this contest to give back to the givers. We're pampering the planners. At over $3,000 per person of value and scorecards full of priceless memories, this is a great opportunity to help us find the ones who are most worthy of the greatest gift a man or woman can get--a free buddies trip. Especially one that he or she doesn't have to plan.

But to give back to the givers we need you to let us know who they are. In 100 words or less, you can nominate yourself or your favorite trip planner. Click here for the full story and the entry form.