Over 31 days we lived a life the most people only dream about; traveling the globe getting paid to play golf in the world’s most extreme golf climates. In each location we were received a package of adidas golf products that were designed to meet the challenges of the specific environment that we were about to face. We ate at posh restaurants, flew in helicopters, hobnobbed with famous athletes, gave TV, radio, and print interviews, and even signed a few autographs. Going back to a normal life after an experience like the one we had has been an adventure its own way. It is hard to describe the bittersweet feeling of being home. It feels like waking up from a great dream. At first it is vivid and detailed and feels tangible, but once you fully wake up you have to go back to living your regularly scheduled life. After the initial shock wears off you start to appreciate simple things like putting your clothes away in a closet, waking up and knowing where you are, and most importantly sleeping in your own bed.

After some reflection I can see that the briefness of the adventure is also what made it so special. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will be forever grateful for. I came home with a suitcase full of new adidas golf apparel, 40,000 frequent flier miles, some close friends, and memories that I will tell my grandchildren. I can’t thank adidas Golf enough for allowing me to live my dream if even for just a glimpse.

Our adventure kicked off November 19th at 5:30am in Carlsbad, California. Over the next six hours we went through a whirlwind of interviews before the entire company came out to see us off. One of the most special parts for us about launch day was having our family in the crowd for our big send off. After our ceremonial tee shots, a helicopter swooped us up and we were on our way.

Death Valley California was the first stop on our adventure. Death Valley was so isolated that internet and phone coverage was lost 60 miles before we hit our destination. When we played golf at Furnace Creek Golf Course, the low elevation, dry climate and heat was very different from the golf we play back home and the first test for our ClimaCool apparel.

Nothing that we have ever seen or experienced in our lives could have prepared us for La Paz, Bolivia. The second we stepped off the plane our bodies reacted to the altitude and we became dizzy and lightheaded. The landscape of the city of La Paz was set in the middle of the Andes Mountains and the indigenous culture we encountered was completely unique to the region. The La Paz Golf Club gave us our first taste of the elements as we teed off in rain and hail. In most cases our caddies would offer two to three clubs less for the shot that were accustomed to hitting for that yardage. One of our biggest challenges was learning to trust our caddy’s club selection and not our eyes.

The simplicity of La Paz ended the moment we landed in Argentina. Everything about Buenos Aires was bigger and faster paced. We went from having the course to ourselves to playing golf inside the ropes with Andres Romero, his agent, a slew of reporters and grand stands filled with golf fans.

The coldest winter we have ever spent was a summer in Ushuaia. We landed to sub zero temperatures and snow falling from the sky. By the time we teed off the next day, 3 inches had accumulated. The cold weather wasn’t going to stop us; we threw on our ClimaWarm apparel, found some orange golf balls and a crew to shovel the greens and teed it up.

In less than six months, the eyes of the sports world will be on South Africa for the 2010 World Cup. The pride of hosting this event was felt throughout the nation and the energy and excitement about the adidas brand was evident everywhere we went. The consistency of high quality golf courses we played in South Africa rivaled that of the Monterrey peninsula. The social clinic that we had with the children was the most rewarding experience of our entire trip.

Australia is the driest continent on the planet and home to Alice Springs Golf Club, the hottest golf course in the world. Located in the remote Northern Territory, the lush green course is surrounded by red desert. While playing golf in Alice Springs we realized how extremely valuable CoolMax Extreme technology is to a golfer. Our ClimaCool apparel passed its final exam with flying colors allowing us to focus on our game and not the extreme conditions we were playing in.

We want to thank adidas Golf for providing us the opportunity to experience the trip of a lifetime. We have traveled the world, playing golf in environments we couldn’t have imagined and made some close friends along the way. We want to thank Mark Hepler, Soledad Giminez, Andrew Kalis, Sandra Kriqe, Aaron Russell, Damien Hanger and Rod Woodford for all of their hard work and effort in making this adventure possible. Finally we want to thank all of the people that have followed us over the past 31 days. Your comments, questions and support have meant the world to us. We entered this trip with faith that adidas Golf products could perform at the highest level. We are leaving with absolute certainty adidas Golf apparel and footwear is equipment for your body. We are proud to be part of a team that manufactures the best performance golf products in the world.

Alice Springs adidas Golf Outfit

This is our final round in the Southern Hemisphere for our global adventure. Throughout our trip we have faced every possible element nature can provide; we have put our adidas golf products to the test in rain, snow, sleet, heat, and hail. Today’s round at Alice Springs Golf Course provided us with a test that had all of the feeling of a surprise final exam. We came to Alice Springs expecting to play the hottest golf course on the planet, but when we finally put the peg in the ground on the first hole it was clear that we were in for so much more. Just off the West Coast of Australia Cyclone (better known as a hurricane to the North American audience) Lawrence has now reached what meteorologists call a stage 5 (larger than the infamous Hurricane Katrina that devastated America’s Gulf States) and with it added elements of 20-30 mph winds and rain into what would normally been just a day with 100+ degree heat. Today more than ever our adidas golf ClimaCool apparel proved to be the 15th club in our bags.

Even though we have faced all of these elements in some form over our adventure the extreme nature of Alice Springs’ geography made them different than anything we have previously encountered. Because Alice Springs is such a dry desert climate (the average annual rainfall is around 6mm) the light but steady rain that fell seemed to evaporate the second it hit the ground. Normally after the first sprinkles we would be reaching for our ClimaProof apparel, but the dry environment made it almost refreshing. Once more we were blown away with the quality of the course; the glowing red mountains that surrounded the lush green fairways reminded us that we were a world apart from the golf we play at home.

Teaching Alice Springs Jr. Clinic

This is our last day of this amazing adidas Golf ClimaTech adventure and it only seemed fitting that we conducted a kids golf clinic. Young people are the future of golf, and today we met five stars of tomorrow. Similar to the aspiring phenoms we met in Bolivia and South Africa, these were children with blossoming potential.

Today I learned from the kids what it was like to be starting golf all over again. No fear of a first tee shot, hitting it left or right or missing a 3 foot putt. Instead, just pure excitement when the ball got airborne and advanced more than 50 yards. All of the sudden just hit it and find it seemed so simple and to make so much more sense.

When we were standing on the driving range I realized something. Every swing was different, there were both boys and girls of all various shapes and sizes, but they had one thing in common: everyone was excited and loved to play golf. It seems hard to believe that 13 years ago I was standing in their place on some driving range in Toronto at a junior camp. I picked up a golf club and almost instantly became hooked. As soon as I hit my first ball into the air, I knew that this wasn’t just going to be a summer fling. Little did I know all these years later, golf would have molded me into the person I am today.

Alice Springs Golf Club

For me, giving back to junior golf is the most rewarding thing I can do. Sharing my knowledge, passion and spirit for the game, is something I will always try to pass down. Golf has provided me the opportunity to travel the world, earn a golf scholarship to the Ohio State, represent my country on our National Team, make some of the best friends I have today, work for an amazing company, and for the past 30 days experience the trip of a lifetime.

Heating Up

I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day! It is amazing to think of where we have been and what we have experienced in the last 29 days. I’m sitting here packing up my 3 very, very oversized luggage bags as I write this to you – jumping on top of them will ensue shortly. I have my outfit laid out and ready to go for Alice Springs Golf Club – the hottest golf course on earth. At 40 degrees, I’m going to need some serious help to stay cool out there. Josh and I will both be decked out head to toe in ClimaCool, and I promise you it will be the ultimate test for CoolMax Extreme.

Alice Springs brings a new meaning to hot. I’m pretty sure all those other “warm” locations were just the teasers leading up to this big day. One foot out the door and it feels as if somebody has cranked on the oven to full blast.

Going My Way?

I’m an animal lover but that term brings a whole new meaning here in Australia. None of them behind bars or in cages, just animals in their natural habitat up close and personal. The kangaroo population in Australia is 44 million – that’s double the number of humans. 7 out of the 10 deadliest snakes in the world live in Australia: the driest and hottest continent on earth. Luckily I have yet to come to face to face with any taipans!

Wild Horse

In the outback, there are no speed limits on the open roads, but I also learned there are no rules for the animals either. We drove 4 hours to King’s Canyon today and it seemed as if every 5 minutes there were new creatures crossing the road, standing at the side, or grazing the desert nearby. What surprised me most was the overpopulation of camel that tops about one million. These massive creatures wander the desert roads as if they were part of traffic. Because they are the healthiest camels on the planet, they are exported for races in Abu Dhabi. The list doesn’t stop there; we also came across wild horses with their new born colt, wallabies, cows and donkeys. I should make mention of the insect that seems to be most prevalent in Alice Springs; commonly known as the fly. If there are two kangaroo per individual in Australia, there must be at least 1000 flies per person that spend the majority of their day buzzing around your head. Thanks to the best investment I’ve made all trip – my bug net, I’ve kept calm and collected with these little pests!

Bug Protection

There is something so special and authentic about seeing these animals so happy and free. It seems as if our wildlife resume is getting longer and more diverse as we travel from country to country. Thank you to Australia and the outback for providing me a country size “not so” petting zoo.