Epic Experience at TPC Scottsdale

(this is me on 16 - man, if you could just see the grin on my face in this moment)

I took advantage of being in Scottsdale, AZ last week to sample a few of the region's great courses. I was particularly looking forward to playing the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale though, as I love playing where the pros play. The stadium at 16 was built for next week's WM Phoenix Open, and I was really looking forward to getting a taste of what the pros would experience the following week.

I got a bit more than I bargained for when I was told I'd be playing with Kevin Lucas, a current Web.com Tour pro, who was practicing to qualify for the tournament. Not intimidating at all for a 13 handicap who plays maybe 25 rounds a year. No pressure, right? HA!

(here's Kevin about to crush it)

Kevin was a great guy though, really friendly, and complimented all his playing partners when they made good shots. He himself shot an amazing 7-under with not a single bogey - a real treat to witness.

To get to play a PGA-caliber course, setup for tournament conditions is always a great experience. To get to do that and play alongside a touring pro made the experience so epic I'll likely never be able to replicate it. It was as close as I'll ever get to being inside the ropes, so to speak. And for the record, I did make some good pars, including 16 and 17, thank you very much.

We at EGM would love for our followers to give Kevin a follow on Instagram (@KevinLucas23) and wish him all the best in his golf career. A genuinely good dude who has a lot of game.

Unfortunately I didn't have an EGM photographer with me that day (I'm still kicking myself) but here are a few snapshots and another video I took in between shots...