A Look Back at 2024: A Golf Season Well Traveled

The 2024 golf season was, by all accounts, memorable!

While the number of rounds I actually played was down from years past, the quality of courses and photo shoots I was blessed to be a part of was phenomenal.

I paid for a handicap again this year through the WSGA, but I did not keep or post scores. This means I’m still playing to an 8.0 index and get absolutely waxed in most competitive situations. This is obviously on my list of things to change in 2025… Ha!

I still played around 40 rounds, though, and got in 44 photo shoots at many of the Midwest and country’s most scenic settings for golf.

I used to do these annual wrap-ups regularly, but didn’t last year.

Maybe inspired a bit by WGA Contributing Writer Brian Murphy, I wanted to take the opportunity to put one together, as well, as I really enjoy looking back at them years later and seeing how far things progress over time.

If you haven’t yet, check out Brian’s year in review, “All In,” linked below:

2024: The Year of the Golf Trip… And Fog

A little over two years ago I was part of a reorg in my professional career that moved me out of the sales world and into operations and analytics. The unforeseen (at the time) consequence of this transition was that I now have to account for all my paid time off (PTO/vacation days).

While I never thought I took advantage of the lax policy in my previous role, I am still learning how to best utilize what I have and balance it between family with my wife, Kelly, and our 7-year-old son, Charlie, almost 6-year-old daughter, Quinn, golf and other needs.

It was in this vein that I focused my vacation days in 2024 toward golf and family trips (versus lots of half-days in the past). While this meant I was not able to play as many of the Wisconsin golf courses that I enjoyed getting to regularly in the past, it also meant some really epic trips to some of our country’s great golf destinations.

Some of my favorites of the season included Florida for the PGA Merchandise Show and Cabot Citrus Farms, BOYNE Golf in Northern Michigan, Nebraska for Dismal River and Landmand Golf Club, French Lick Resort in Indiana and, of course, time spent at local legends like Sand Valley Golf Resort, SentryWorld and Kohler.

2024 was also the year of morning haze. I had very few photo shoots affected by heavy fog in the past (with the majority of those coming at Sand Valley Golf Resort), and this season was completely fogged out for several hours at Pine Hills Country Club and had to find low angles that would work especially at the Karoo Course at Cabot Citrus Farms, Sedge Valley, Landmand, Dismal River and the Pete Dye Course at French Lick.

While photographing in fog can lead to some interesting images, I would not choose it for places like these where oftentimes you get one chance to shoot.

My Top 10 Golf Experiences of 2024

No. 10: Local Golf with Friends from Across the Country

While I did not play much local golf this season, I did have the opportunity to play a number of rounds with friends from around the country while they visited.

The #1 state in the country for public golf, Wisconsin is on everybody’s list these days and I always enjoy showing off what our area has to offer.

The Wisconsin visits started early this season with a late-April round at North Hills Country Club with Daryl Boe (Instagram: @thequestfor3000) of South Carolina.

Daryl and I have been in touch for several years through Instagram, finally met in person at last year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando and he made it a point to visit during a work trip as part of his quest to play 3,000 different golf courses.

Only one person alive has played more than Daryl and this was a special round as it was course number 2,500. We had a lot of fun and I’m excited to catch up with Daryl again next at the 2025 PGA Merchandise Show and look forward to more golf together soon – hopefully at his home course, too!

Next up, Golf Digest regular Jimmie James visited on his way to a Sand Valley trip.

Following retirement from ExxonMobil, Jimmie made it his goal to play all top 100 golf courses (according to Golf Digest) in America in 365 days. He did it using just his network and invites, and even wrote a wonderful book, Playing from the Rough, about it which you can find on Amazon (linked below):

I learned a lot from Jimmie, who is one of the most interesting people I’ve ever come across. He is not only a solid player but as genuine, intelligent and gracious as anyone I’ve met. I certainly hope our paths cross again someday.

Billy from Carolina Pines (instagram: @carolina_pines_golf) has become a good buddy of mine over the past few years and has been incredibly helpful in my journey to become a better professional photographer and video content creator.

Making his first visit to the Dairy State, Billy and I got out with my friend and WGA Contributor, Dario, and my coworker and friend, Alex, for an evening 18 at The Club at Lac La Belle that was about as much fun as golf can get.

Timing left us hustling down the home stretch to allow for a little time to get out the drones. It was a killer sunset with unbelievable color – wish we’d have teed off 30 minutes earlier and had a little more time to shoot it, but it was fun seeing him in action!

No. 9: The 2024 Writer’s Cup at Destination Geneva National

2024 was another great year of partnership with my good friends at Destination Geneva National, including several photo shoots, articles and even our annual Wisconsin vs. Illinois Writer’s Cup this past September.

The good guys in red (aka Team Wisconsin) took home the Reid Hanley Cup this year following 27 holes of competition played across the Palmer and Player layouts. It was a nice bonus getting to spend the time playing with Dario, as well.

By the way, if there’s an award for most improved golfer of 2024, Dario wins that hands down.

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No. 8: The Opening of Sedge Valley

The day following my 36-hour adventure to French Lick with my wife, fellow golf course photographer and friend/sometimes business partner Cody Retlich and I made our way to Sand Valley Golf Resort for the pre-opening media day at Sedge Valley.

I have been excited for Sedge Valley for a long time. I am a huge fan of Tom Doak’s design and the promise of a unique course layout always intrigues me.

“Unique” is an understatement at Sedge Valley, which boasts a 5,829-yard scorecard with five par threes, multiple drivable par fours and just one par five.

There is nothing that feels “small” about it, though – just wonderfully challenging golf holes including a number of half-pars. I never even thought about it being “short” until counting strokes at the end of the round and thinking to myself “that did not feel like an 81.”

Cody and I took advantage of day one photographing Mammoth Dunes, played Sedge and The Sandbox that afternoon and were up early to shoot Sedge. It was probably the worst photography conditions of the year at Sedge, though we had good lighting for about 20 minutes total that yielded a handful of solid shots.

Sedge quickly became my favorite course at my favorite golf resort in Wisconsin because of its fun factor… Not that every course on-property [or in the Dream Golf portfolio] doesn’t also have that in spades!

No. 7: My Maiden Visit to Eagle Springs

For years all my rankings have been asterisked with “I have not played Eagle Springs yet.”

That finally changed this season as my friend Sam Beckman of Emergency 9 Golf and I made our maiden visit to this under-the-radar nine-hole gem in Eagle, Wisconsin.

Just 45 minutes from Menomonee Falls and downtown Milwaukee, Eagle Springs embodies “pure” golf.

Spending the morning photographing the course and talking with Co-Owner Matt Krug, I was floored by the course’s history and architecture, and especially the brilliance of its hole designs.

The oldest course in the state of Wisconsin, Eagle Springs was founded in 1893 and worked on little-by-little over time from its original A.G. Spaulding design to where it is today – by four generations of the original ownership team that came before Matt and his wife, Anne, and now by Matt and his team including Superintendent Mark Deutschmann (who worked previously at Old Elm).

While everybody talks about the Volcano second hole, the entire course is mesmerizingly well thought out and fun.

This is a must-play for any golf enthusiast in Wisconsin and I could not say thank you enough to all the folks on Instagram (eg: @munisandmonsters) who have been goading me on to get there for years.

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No. 6: French Lick Resort

I have been wanting to visit French Lick Resort in Indiana for the past decade, and have almost made it happen multiple times but it’s always seemed to fall through at the last minute.

Our original plan was for this to be a team trip, but as the dates approached it looked like things would fall through again.

This would have been extra bad this year as Midwest Golfing Magazine was counting on me using French Lick for my quarterly feature, “The Best of the Midwest.”

It came together with a couple days’ notice, which was not enough time for any of my writers to join but fortunately for me my wife, Kelly, was able to go and work from the hotel.

I am pretty sure she regretted it quickly as we got a flat tire at the Wisconsin/Illinois border, and the 7-hour road trip soon turned into 13. We got to French Lick at 5 in the morning, and I was out on the Pete Dye Course shooting by 6:30.

Other than that, we had an absolute blast together at this legendary resort. The lodging, food and beverage operations, casino, amenities and especially the golf were sensational!

No. 5: The PGA Merchandise Show and Cabot Citrus Farms

One of my favorite weeks of every year, the PGA Merchandise Show is always a wonderful opportunity to catch up with golf friends from around the world and play a little golf while it’s still freezing cold here in Wisconsin.

As always, I came home sick, but starting off the trip at Cabot Citrus Farm’s pre-opening media day was an indelible experience and an awesome time with WGA Contributors Troy, Brian and Gregg.

No. 4: The Sand Hills of Nebraska

Ever since my first visit to the Sand Hills of Nebraska back in 2013, I’ve been dreaming of getting back.

The region is otherworldly with its topsy-turvy terrain, vast open expanses and world-class golf designed by many of the world’s top architects.

The wait was well worth it as my friends Dan, Will, Dario and I spent three days playing at Landmand and the Dismal River Golf Club.

Golf in Nebraska is every bit as good as I remembered it and then some. If you are looking for a unique, thrilling golf trip in 2025, you should really check it out!

No. 3: BOYNE Golf

BOYNE Golf blew me away.

Along with WGA Contributors Brian, Troy and Rich we enjoyed seven of BOYNE Golf’s ten world-class courses during this trip and were overwhelmed by the quality and diversity of golf found at their destination in Northern Michigan.

No. 2: Podcasting

I have always been intrigued by podcasting as a way to get my thoughts out there and connect with others who love this great game of golf.

I even spent a ton of money on a podcast development course several years back but to this point had never been able to put anything into practice.

While I would still love to put together my own program, in 2024 I was thrilled to play a part in several that are doing well including Milwaukee Uncut and Golfer’s Anonymous.

Richie Burke’s Milwaukee Uncut podcast clips of our golf shows have received millions of views across social media channels this year, and it’s been so much fun to be a part of a regular crew on their show alongside Richie, professional player and Wisconsinite Harry Ott and Bally Sports’ Stephen Watson as we discuss everything great about Wisconsin golf. From the state’s best courses, holes and destinations to the validity of a hole-in-one on a par three course, these episodes have exploded in popularity.

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For Golfer’s Anonymous, host Noah Kortkamp and I have done two shows together so far talking one-on-one about Wisconsin golf, especially about the build-up to and follow-up from his team’s Wisconsin golf trip during the summer of 2024.

Noah has a fun, engaging style that I’ve really enjoyed mixing it up with.

For ongoing links to all WGA podcast content, check out “Podcast Central,” linked below:

No. 1: Epic Wisconsin Golf and Photo Shoots

While I did not leave myself much time to enjoy my usual Wisconsin rounds, I did get out to some spectacular in-state courses in 2024 including some really memorable rounds.

My top 5 (that I haven’t already mentioned) include:

#5: My Annual SentryWorld Photo Shoot

One of my closest partners, I have been privileged over the past handful of years to spend a lot of time playing and generating content at the host site of the 2023 US Senior Open, SentryWorld in Stevens Point.

One thing I’m looking forward to is being able to post similar photos of decades worth of renditions of their world-famous “Flower Hole” – new patterns and colors for the 45,000-plus flowers on this one par three are installed each season.

Here is the Flower Hole from 2022-2024:

#4: Pine Hills Country Club with Brian, Rich and Dario

My number one private club in the state of Wisconsin, I missed playing Pine Hills in Sheboygan in 2023 and could not have been more excited to get back this year.

Leaving the house before 4 in the morning, I got on-site to find thick fog. So thick we could only see about 25 feet in front of us. We ended up sitting in the basement of the club for several hours watching the Scottie Scheffler incident unfold at the PGA Championship.

When it finally did dissipate we had about 45 minutes to shoot prior to our round. The good news is that the course is every bit as great as I remembered it, even if we didn’t get to collect as much content as I would have liked.

There’s always next year, right?

#3: Minocqua Country Club with Keith, Charlie and Ryan

Having been told in the past by my good friend, Glen, that Minocqua Country Club is “The Tobacco Road of the Midwest,” I just had to check it out for myself.

We had a beautiful day for golf at MCC, and the company made it even better alongside @thesweetspotgolf (link to Instagram) Keith Lally, friend and coworker Ryan Riedel and Stevens Point Country Club Superintendent Charlie Beyer.

This course is spectacular, and I’m beyond excited to see my photos featured soon on their updated website.

#2: Erin Hills with Jeff and Julius

A day spent on my favorite Wisconsin course with my best golfing buddy, Jeff, and all-time favorite caddie, Julius Germany, is tough to beat!

We had a fantastic day at Erin Hills, starting out with a killer sunrise and followed up with world-class golf at the host of the 2017 US Open.

I put together “My 5 Favorite Holes at Erin Hills” afterwards, which you can check out below:

#1: Whistling STraits with Sam

Having gotten to know Emergency 9 Golf Owner and Architect Sam Beckman a few years back through his work at Glen Flora Country Club, I am elated that my home club, North Hills Country Club, has hired him to carry out a thoughtful renovation project that will restore greens sizes and style to be more in line with the course’s vintage and land.

Sam and I could not have asked for a better fall day on the Straits Course, and – again – the conditions allowed for a beautiful morning photo session with low winds that increased to a three- to five-club level by the end of our round…

Exactly what you hope for on a vaunted championship venue like this.

I also had my favorite shot of the year during this round – a 140-yard approach from the beach beside Lake Michigan that I managed to hit to easy two-putt distance to keep a solid round alive.

The last time I fully reviewed the Straits Course was in 2014 (link to review), so I am hoping to put out a new one in the near future using my favorite shots from this year’s and 2022’s photo shoot. The 2022 images can be found in this article, “Summer’s Sunrise Over Whistling Straits,” which were images I took during that year’s WSGA “Wisconsin Captured” campaign.

We are blessed to have such incredible golf properties here in Wisconsin, aren’t we?

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Looking Ahead to 2025

2025 will start off with a bang, including my seventh visit to the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando in late January. Along with the Show – one of my favorite golf-related weeks of the year – @brianm40, @giljohat, @dariomelendez and I will also be spending time at Streamsong Resort and Cabot Citrus Farms to check out the new Chain, Blue and Black Courses at Streamsong and Mike Nuzzo’s new design, The Roost, at CCF.

I am hoping to see a lot more of my work in more regional and national publications, which will start early as one of my shots of the 17th on the Arnold Palmer Course at Destination Geneva National will be featured as the cover shot for GolfWeek’s Ultimate Guide (total circulation close to 1MM).

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I am also excited to continue working with my friends at Midwest Golfing Magazine, where I am the Director of Photography and a Social Media/Content Consultant for their quarterly publication as well as the Milwaukee Golf Show.

The Milwaukee Golf Show will be held March 14-16 this year, by the way, and I hope to see a lot of you at the MOSH Performance Center and Luxe Golf Bays in Franklin during that time.

The 2024 Show, headlined by a change in venue, free golf on the third floor of Luxe, free parking and a great resurgence in both attendance and vendor participation, was a massive success that we’re excited to build on this spring.

Please be sure to give us follows on Instagram and Facebook for the Milwaukee Golf Show and Midwest Golfing Magazine:

Turfgrass professionals can also look forward to more of my articles in 2025 in the industry’s Grass Roots Magazine – a quarterly publication from the Wisconsin Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (WGCSA).

The articles we worked on together last year turned out great, including one on Jimmy Humston at The Lido at Sand Valley and Eric Leonard at the recently renovated TPC Wisconsin.

Please feel free to check out the TPC Wisconsin article in the link below:

There’s also a really cool project that Cody Retlich of Midwest Aerial Productions and I worked on together for Maple Bluff Country Club that I’m excited to see come to fruition. Keep your ears to the floor for that as well as a full course review after I’ve had a chance to hopefully play the course in 2025!

Making Dreams a Reality

In the realm of family life, Charlie finished up his fourth year of Junior Golf this season at North Hills and Quinn finished her first. They both love it and we’re barreling toward being able to bring them out more regularly some day.

One of my ultimate dreams for this is to be able to play golf with the whole family on trips (or at least me with one or both of the kids while Kelly spends time with the other and/or shops and spas).

We’re getting there and it’s so much fun watching their enjoyment of the game and development in it grow!

Happy New Year!

2024 was fantastic, and I can’t wait for all the incredible experiences and opportunities 2025 has to bring next.

If you are a decision-maker at a golf property or brand and are interested in partnering with WiscoGolfAddict for photography or content purposes, please reach out via email at paul@wiscogolfaddict.com and let’s make this the year – I’d love to work with you.

Happy New Year, everyone.

-Paul and the team at WiscoGolfAddict.com