Postcards: Aiken County, South Carolina

One shot at a time.

Nov 15, 2024

I sent my mom a text around 5:05 a.m. after getting to the airport a little early. It felt a little sentimental that early in the morning, but I simply said: “Thank you for teaching me at a young age, I’m so glad I can do stuff like this now.”

Since being a fiery 12-year-old on the course, I’ve tried to change my relationship with the game. What started as feeling purely competitive has now turned into something that helps me clear my mind. Yes, despite the bad shots and missed putts. I’ve really taken to a tagline from my current favorite golf brand Gumtree Golf & Nature Club —

“Lose your ball, find yourself.”

And at the end of our final round while I had some time before a shot, I looked at the sun beaming into the trees and thought, “Yep, maybe I’m closer than I think living that mantra.”

The two courses we played were The Tree Farm and Old Barnwell, both are held in high esteem by golf nerds like myself.