Gus Gutoskey
THE LOGO BALL TRAVELER
My name is Gus Gutoskey and I am The Logo Ball Traveler. I live in Fort Wayne, IN and play most of my local golf at Coyote Creek Golf Club (http://www.ccgconline.com/), the club where Arnold Palmer cashed his first check as a Professional Golfer at the Fort Wayne Open in 1955. After nearly 40 years of work in Information Technology for two Fortune 100 corporations, my full time job is now traveling to play golf and then writing about it. I've played golf since the mid-1960's and have been traveling to play golf since 1989. For the longest time, my hobby has been playing golf courses that are new to me. I have now played over 1100 courses in 48 states. To document my travels, I obtain a logo golf ball from each course. My display of logo golf balls is the document of my life. This site is the result of 25-plus years of collecting logo golf balls--for just the courses I've played.
The game of golf has allowed me to see our country and meet a diverse group of people in all U.S. geographies. This site also allows me to share what I have learned about travel golf with anybody who is interested. I've become adept at planning and executing long golf trips as this site will show.
Have a question? I'll do my best to answer.
My name is Gus Gutoskey and I am The Logo Ball Traveler. I live in Fort Wayne, IN and play most of my local golf at Coyote Creek Golf Club (http://www.ccgconline.com/), the club where Arnold Palmer cashed his first check as a Professional Golfer at the Fort Wayne Open in 1955. After nearly 40 years of work in Information Technology for two Fortune 100 corporations, my full time job is now traveling to play golf and then writing about it. I've played golf since the mid-1960's and have been traveling to play golf since 1989. For the longest time, my hobby has been playing golf courses that are new to me. I have now played over 1100 courses in 48 states. To document my travels, I obtain a logo golf ball from each course. My display of logo golf balls is the document of my life. This site is the result of 25-plus years of collecting logo golf balls--for just the courses I've played.
The game of golf has allowed me to see our country and meet a diverse group of people in all U.S. geographies. This site also allows me to share what I have learned about travel golf with anybody who is interested. I've become adept at planning and executing long golf trips as this site will show.
Have a question? I'll do my best to answer.
WHAT THIS SITE IS ABOUT
The LogoBallTraveler site is the result of my desire to impart some of the knowledge I’ve gained as a traveling golfer. I will mainly write about my golf travels but occasionally, I will wax nostalgic. Like most golfers with sites such as this, I am passionate about the game of golf. I like just about everything about it. In addition to my need to play the game, I like watching it, reading about it, and discussing it. I like fiddling with my swing, adjusting my equipment, and utilizing technology aids. I like the natural beauty of the golf landscape and the creativity of the architects. And I like nothing more than traveling to play golf.
THE LOGO GOLF BALL IS THE VEHICLE
I am always looking to play courses that are new to me. And when I do, I obtain a logo golf ball. It wasn’t until 1994 that I began documenting my golf travels with logo golf balls. When I began obtaining a logo ball from each new course I played, it occurred to me that I had some catching up to do. I needed to obtain logo balls for the 70-some courses I had played before I decided to use logo balls to document my golf travels. Since I had been logging my rounds for a long time, I knew all of the courses I needed to contact to bring my collection up-to-date. I visited all the courses in the vicinity of my home I had once played. When visiting my parents’ home in Wickliffe, Ohio, I stopped by each course I had played as a youngster. For the courses that weren’t in close proximity, I simply made phone calls. I made many tiny credit card purchases which included the cost of shipping and handling. And slowly, small packages appeared in my mailbox. I was persistent and eventually, my collection was nearly up-to-date.
WHAT?! YOU DON'T HAVE LOGO BALLS!
Amazingly, not all golf courses sell logo golf balls. I am still on the hunt for logo balls from twenty-three golf courses (four of which no longer exist). I have been successful in the past in badgering golf courses to begin carrying logo balls. A yearly phone call to these courses with a pronouncement that I will not play a course that does not sell logo golf balls sometimes works. When I make a tee time at a new (to me) course, the first question I ask is "do you sell logo golf balls?" No logo ball, no round for me.
MY BUCKET LIST
If anything, I am definitely driven to meet goals in the game of golf. Here is my current thinking or my "Bucket List."
THE LOGO BALL TRAVELER'S HALL OF SHAME
Occasionally, I will play a course that has just run out of logo balls and I will need to make a call to the course to have one dropped in the mail. Courses are surprisingly helpful when this happens. To date, I am without logo balls for the following golf courses. They are all on The Logo Ball Traveler's Hall of Shame:
The LogoBallTraveler site is the result of my desire to impart some of the knowledge I’ve gained as a traveling golfer. I will mainly write about my golf travels but occasionally, I will wax nostalgic. Like most golfers with sites such as this, I am passionate about the game of golf. I like just about everything about it. In addition to my need to play the game, I like watching it, reading about it, and discussing it. I like fiddling with my swing, adjusting my equipment, and utilizing technology aids. I like the natural beauty of the golf landscape and the creativity of the architects. And I like nothing more than traveling to play golf.
THE LOGO GOLF BALL IS THE VEHICLE
I am always looking to play courses that are new to me. And when I do, I obtain a logo golf ball. It wasn’t until 1994 that I began documenting my golf travels with logo golf balls. When I began obtaining a logo ball from each new course I played, it occurred to me that I had some catching up to do. I needed to obtain logo balls for the 70-some courses I had played before I decided to use logo balls to document my golf travels. Since I had been logging my rounds for a long time, I knew all of the courses I needed to contact to bring my collection up-to-date. I visited all the courses in the vicinity of my home I had once played. When visiting my parents’ home in Wickliffe, Ohio, I stopped by each course I had played as a youngster. For the courses that weren’t in close proximity, I simply made phone calls. I made many tiny credit card purchases which included the cost of shipping and handling. And slowly, small packages appeared in my mailbox. I was persistent and eventually, my collection was nearly up-to-date.
WHAT?! YOU DON'T HAVE LOGO BALLS!
Amazingly, not all golf courses sell logo golf balls. I am still on the hunt for logo balls from twenty-three golf courses (four of which no longer exist). I have been successful in the past in badgering golf courses to begin carrying logo balls. A yearly phone call to these courses with a pronouncement that I will not play a course that does not sell logo golf balls sometimes works. When I make a tee time at a new (to me) course, the first question I ask is "do you sell logo golf balls?" No logo ball, no round for me.
MY BUCKET LIST
If anything, I am definitely driven to meet goals in the game of golf. Here is my current thinking or my "Bucket List."
- Play every course that has ever been on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play" List. There have been 213 courses on the list since 1996. I've now played 202.
- Play every course on Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" List. I've played 91 of these courses.
- Play golf in every state. 48 states down, Alaska and Hawaii to go!
- Shoot my age. I need a few more years to accomplish this.
- Shoot under par for 18 holes. I am a mental midget. You know how it goes...every time you are on the cusp of a career best, your head takes over. I DID THIS!!!!! Finally, on July 29, 2018, I shot 71 at my home course, a 36-35 71. I parred every hole on the front nine, parred 10 and 11, birdied 12, and ended with pars on the last six. WHAT A RUSH, 53 years in the making!
- Play golf in the British Isles.
- This one is my favorite: Play 730 different golf courses in one calendar year, covering every state. Yep, that's an average of two courses a day. Each of these courses has to be courses I've never played before. There is a serious expense associated with this item. I need some sponsors. Any takers?
THE LOGO BALL TRAVELER'S HALL OF SHAME
Occasionally, I will play a course that has just run out of logo balls and I will need to make a call to the course to have one dropped in the mail. Courses are surprisingly helpful when this happens. To date, I am without logo balls for the following golf courses. They are all on The Logo Ball Traveler's Hall of Shame:
- Parkview Golf Club, Mayfield Heights, OH (this course is now closed and the site of one of Progressive Insurance's buildings)
- Crooked Lake Golf Course, Columbia City, IN (this course is now closed)
- Lake Forest Golf Course, Ft. Wayne, IN (this course is now closed)
- Peru Municipal Golf Course, Peru, IN
- Pistol Creek Golf Club, Berlin, CT (this course is now closed)
- Twin Lakes Golf Club, Arab, AL (this course is now closed)
- Paris Country Club, Paris, TN
- Greene Country Club, Fairborn, OH (this course is now closed)
- Carlinville Country Club - Carlinville, IL
- On the Hill Golf Course - Edwardsville, IL
- Highlands Golf Course - St. Louis, MO
- Whispering Oaks Golf Club - Marshfield, MO
- Links at Oklahoma City - Oklahoma City, OK
- Sayre Municipal Golf Course - Sayre, OK
- Las Lagunas Golf Course - Santa Rosa, NM
- Quail Run Golf Club - Santa Fe, NM
- Tees N' Trees Golf Course - Barstow, CA
- Shandin Hills Golf Course - San Bernardino, CA
- Santa Anita Golf Course - Arcadia, CA
- Glendora Country Club - Glendora, CA
- Indian River Golf Club - West Columbia, SC
- Green River State Park Golf Course - Green River, UT
- Hidden Creek Golf Club - Lima, OH