I wrote in Wednesday’s Herald about my experience playing on Pinehurst No. 2 this past week. Man, it was one of the most incredible things I have ever done. For those of you who didn’t see it, here is Wednesday’s column. Enjoy!
On Wednesday, I walked where the best of them have walked. I sat where the best of them have sat and I played where the best of them have played.

I, along with Sports Editor Alex Podlogar, attended Media Day in Pinehurst in preparation for the 2008 U.S. Amateur. We got to meet several local golfers participating in the Amateur, see Pinehurst and the history behind it.

The most special part about it, to me, was the free round of golf we were given on famed No. 2. You know, the same course where Payne Stewart made the famous putt on the 18th hole to win the 1999 U.S. Open and the one where Michael Campbell outlasted Tiger Woods to win the 2005 U.S. Open by two strokes. Yeah, that one.

As excited as I was about it, I was extremely nervous at the same time. Why? Well, it was my first time ever playing golf.

I’d been working with my father these last few weeks to tune up my game for Pinehurst, but nothing can really prepare you for playing your first ever 18 holes on Pinehurst No. 2.

I got so nervous, that at one point, I contemplated not going. Then, I sat down and thought about it and said to myself, “How could you turn down the opportunity to play Pinehurst No. 2? Your kids (when I have them) would never let you live this down.” So, I decided to play, and can at least say I did it for the children. It really was something you couldn’t pass up.

Knowing that Woods and other golfing legends have played on the same course, walked on the same grass, sat at the same table in the media room, used the same toilet in the bathroom, I knew that I was going to be in for a really long day.

I was also nervous about the fact that Editor Billy Liggett, Alex and Jon Owens had all been playing golf for a long time and that I was going to completely embarrass myself in front of these guys — and then I feared that they would never let me live it down at work.

Finding out that we were playing under USGA regulations, meaning that we were playing through high rough, sloping greens and extremely narrow fairways, didn’t really help my spirits all that much either.

However, I fought through the adversity and kept my nerves at ease once I got there, and I really don’t think I embarrassed myself too badly.

On the first few holes, I would hit the snot out of the ball with my driver, only for it to land somewhere in the woods. I stayed positive, though and didn’t get too frustrated. I even told myself, “Ryan, if the object of the game was to see how many balls you could lose in the trees, then you would be champion of the world.”

Once I threw (I mean, chipped) the ball back onto the fairway, I pulled out good ol’ Seventh Heaven (my nickname for my 7-iron) and I hit a ground ball single up the middle. OK, sorry for the baseball reference, but that’s exactly what I did. I hit the ball on the ground and for the first few holes I had a hard time getting the ball to go airborne.

I probably triple-bogeyed every single hole that I played on. I surely didn’t birdie once, no hole-in-ones, no eagles, just a lot of big numbers. But hey, it was my first time ever playing and it was No. 2. That’s my excuse anyway.

While I won’t go into details about my overall score, I will say that I don’t think I’m going to be turning pro anytime soon. Still, it was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life.

Others might remember this time as the time they played one of the greatest courses of all time. Some might remember it as the greatest day of their life, but not me. I think I’ll just remember it as the day that I played golf for the first time, and it was on Pinehurst No. 2. What an experience it was.