A memorable day at Sunningdale New during its Gil Hanse restoration, followed by an evening at Queen’s Club with Peter Fleming and great stories.
A reflective Isle of Wight journey: trains, ferries, tennis, Fox Norton, and lessons on relevance, second acts, and the quiet wisdom of showing up.
Golfing my ball at The Richmond Golf Club — 79 on a sunny winter day with Dr. David Ford and David Bradley. One step closer to single digits.
We’d booked the weekend using a generous gift certificate from Sally and Taylor, choosing The Pig at Combe and, within it, the Stream Cottage. The Pig is a boutique hotel chain with nine or so locations scattered around beautiful England.
I began this series on the practice ground — a quiet bench, scuffed turf, the same wind that never quite settles. It feels right to finish it here as well. The surroundings haven’t changed much. Only the seeing has.
Cathy and I have recently started a modern golf coaching programme that reminded me of your old truths. Nick Lloyd calls it his “Coaching Development Program,” but what struck me was how much of it would sound familiar to you.
In this letter, I meditate on the paradox of striving—the gift of never being fully satisfied, whether in a golf swing or in life’s larger pursuits. Here, I introduce two guiding phrases that capture the spirit of this restlessness: to live consciously optimistic and blissfully dissatisfied, grateful for today yet always reaching for what could be.
I read a piece in The Athletic about the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and as a British expat living in Britain, I felt ashamed. I wish I could say it wasn’t true, or that it was exaggerated. But the accounts rang all too true.
I’ve been pondering competition across different generations. Your advice to “Take Dead Aim” now reads differently. As a younger man, I heard it as a command to be bold. Today, it feels like a call to clarity—cut through the clutter, stay steady, and keep competing against the only opponent who never leaves: me.
So I write to you, Harvey, from the practice tee and from this quieter house. Both ask me to trust that openness—whether in a hip, a swing, or a life—can be the very place where possibility begins again.
Dear Harvey: I’ve drafted a series of letters called ‘Staying in the Game (Fractals)’. I want to share four fractals with you, beginning with summaries
Dear Harvey, This past April, Uncle Charlie McDowell and his good friend, Jim Logue, hosted a gathering of Van Patten descendants at Pine Valley Golf
Dear Harvey, It was a splendid day in Richmond this Sunday for the annual Rube and Victory Shield Matches between The Richmond Golf Club and
Dear Harvey, It has been four years since we hugged goodbye and Cathy and I moved to London. I thought it was time to reflect
Dear Harvey, Today, I want to reflect on life’s journeys, joy, and the concept known as the arrival fallacy. The season’s final major, the 153rd
Dear Harvey, How can tennis help your golf? That is the question I will attempt to answer. I look forward to your perspective as well.
Dear Harvey, This is about the power of sport! I hope this letter finds you in spirit, and in good spirits. I want to share
Dear Harvey, I recently enjoyed a casual round at The Richmond Golf Club with Bill Boucher. Bill will be the club captain in two years,
Dear Harvey, I’m writing about tuxedos, templates, and transitions on Fit as a Fiddle Friday. I visited my daughter and son-in-law for a fall weekend
Dear Harvey, It’s Fit as a Fiddle Friday, the first day of November 2024. Let’s discuss the ‘it’ factor from the perspective of the great
Dear Harvey, After the 12-hour flight back from Autodesk University in San Diego, it was great to get outside and golf my ball this weekend.
Dear Harvey, It is Make it a Great Monday and truer words have never been spoken than your famous quip, “If you play golf, you
Dear Harvey, I’m writing to share about functional movement, vibration, and foam rolling on a Fit as a Fiddle Friday in Palma, Spain. As I
Do you remember when we lost Eric Liljenwall suddenly and at way too young of an age? Shortly after his death, I spent quality time with Eric’s youngest son, Guy, shuttling him to junior golf tournaments and caddying for him.
Woking GC is one of three ?W?s? in Surrey County that are all highly regarded. The others are West Hill and Worplesdon.
Okay, let’s be honest. I’m not getting to scratch. I came to the game too late (age 42), and even so, I would need to
Dear Harvey, Before Emily and Kyle’s wedding, I came down with appendicitis. Ouch! I thought I had pulled an abdominal muscle working on a more shallow angle
Dear Harvey, This is an unusual note titled ‘Stick-to-it-ness, Tattoos, and the Supernatural.’ Got your attention? I promise it is all tied to golf. I would
Dear Harvey, Where do I start? We had a wedding. Middle daughter, Emily, is now a Cazzetta. It was a fantastic weekend and a special
Dear Harvey, It has been some time since I posted a note your way. My apologies. Let’s start with the final playing of the WGC
Dear Harvey, Check, check! First, we took in the traditions of the All-England club. The village of Wimbledon is one away from our home in
Dear Harvey, Fantastic trip to Austin for Lucy’s graduation, Emily and Kyle’s engagement, and Jim Herndon’s Celebration of Life. Full heart, tired body. Hit the
Harvey on practice tee at Austin CC Dear Harvey, Flashback to early April when Cathy joined me in Barcelona for a sales meeting. I failed
Dear Harvey: “Few better golf weekends anywhere,” says Tom Coyne when I shared our trip to Cornwall with him. He should know! After our fun-filled Saturday playing
Dear Harvey, Cathy and I headed to Cornwall last weekend. I could not recall anticipating the first tee as much as this one at Trevose
Dear Harvey: Greetings from Bridgnorth, England, home base for an impromptu golf retreat with my colleague Grant McLeod. [Dear Harvey: (Uncle Charlie) McDowell trumped by
Harvey on the practice tee at Austin CC Dear Harvey: How superb is the new 5G in heaven? Much better than
Dear Harvey, I enjoy sharing stories about my mom’s four younger brothers: Uncles Pat, Charlie, Archie, and Woody McDowell. They are all special to me.
Dear Harvey, Cathy and I are back in Austin for a stretch, and we were thrilled to see so many friends at the club yesterday.
Dear Harvey: Thanks for writing The Little Red Book, the number one selling golf book. Since joining Austin Country Club, 20 years ago, I have
Harvey on the practice tee at Austin CC Dear Harvey, Our social life in Richmond is picking up steam! Last Sunday, I played another round
Harvey on the practice tee at Austin CC Dear Harvey, Like in the States, the Pandemic brought a boom to golf in the UK.
Dear Harvey: I Googled ‘golf courses close to train stations’ (in London) and found ten such places. Today’s adventure was Earl’s Court to Sudbury
Dear Harvey: We have had an incredible second week in the UK thanks to excellent planning by Taylor. We took the train to Edinburgh (with
Well, I said my goodbyes to Harvey and started the final preparation to depart to London for several years. We sold the Highlander at Carvana.
Why do men have a hard time sharing their feelings? Yesterday, Cathy and I went to a memorial service for Dan Bates. He passed away
Dear Harvey, What a fun day and evening we had recently celebrating you, at the ‘I Knew Harvey Invitational’ golf competition and dinner. Special shout out to
Dear Harvey, Last Saturday,I met a kid.She said, “Let’s putt.”And so we did. “Dime a hole,”Said the kid.Cleaned me outIs what she did. Her hands were soft,Her