NEXT STEPS
Today—December 16, 2024—marks the end of the Letters to a Future Champion book project, four and a half years after my positivity exercise during the Covid lockdowns provided an education and reconnection experience I could have never imagined possible.
Rupert at Pebble Beach Golf Links
The experience of research, reflecting, writing, designing, self-publishing, warehousing, and fulfilling was amazing in and of itself, but the stories of people re-engaging in the game and with mentors from their pasts have been the most fulfilling part of all. It truly was a team effort from the all-important approval and participation of the Pulver family to the design/production team who pulled it all off through the magic of Zoom, to friends and family who helped move hundreds of boxes of books, fill orders, and spread the word. Together we pulled off a boot-strapping, organic mini-miracle. And on top of that, we were able to donate well over $13,000 to the Saratoga WarHorse charity and their rehabilitation programs for American veterans. Thank you ALL!
So, what are the next steps for me?
Pre-surgery training at The Pilates Institute (photo by Natasha Lafayette)
I’ve been encouraged to write another book, perhaps a cookbook or even a travel book with a view through the eyes of our beloved miniature schnauzer, Rupert, but for now my next adventure will literally be steps… steps with a new, partial right knee. Wear and tear (plus genetics) have me headed for a robotic procedure with Dr. Andrew Pearle at HSS this week, with the target being a return in time for the first CBS Golf event of 2025 at Torrey Pines. Heck, if Lindsey Vonn can return to ski racing after her partial knee replacement earlier this year, I can surely be back out calling golf from the green grass of the West Coast! Pre-hab has been rewarding and productive thanks to the watchful eye of Natasha Lafayette at the Pilates Institute in Saratoga Springs and a home exercise program designed by Alison Synakowski. Now we double down on post-op PT with the same intensity I brought to my playing days and that I now bring to television prep.
2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
2024 was a remarkable year where I had the privilege to walk with and watch Scottie Scheffler make the jump to being a generational player, Xander Schauffle take his first major (“Not today, Dottie”—a story for another time), Davis Riley win at Colonial shortly after his sister had collapsed with a mass on her brain, and the tear-jerking victory of Robert MacIntyre with his dad on the bag in Canada—so many wonderful stories and all part of what would be easy to take for granted. I do not. I’m simply grateful for the front row seat I have to watch superior athletes excel at their craft.
Now it is time to get my wheel fine-tuned and take the steps to be able to do it all again for 19 tournaments in 2025. Almost 22 years of calling golf on television and I can’t wait to get back at it again with our outstanding team—in front of and behind the cameras—at CBS.
A blessed holiday season to all and thank you again for your encouragement and support.
