Author: Sean Ogle

I’ve been to a lot of golf resorts over the last decade. None of them were like the Four Seasons Punta Mita, located about 45 minutes outside of Puerto Vallarta. I first heard about this resort about five years ago when a group of entrepreneurial friends were doing a retreat there. All it took was one look at the website to become completely enamored. The location, the luxury, the golf – it’s seemingly a place that has it all. And ever since then, I’d been wanting to visit. I got close a couple years ago, and then well, we all…

I’ve never given my socks much thought. I’ve always worn whatever was cheap and clean, and that’s about as far as I’ve gone with it. The idea of spending $20+ for one pair of socks seems preposterous to me. Until I put on a pair of Kentwood socks. To date I’ve now worn three different styles of them. The first was the Men’s Classic Low ($21.95). Honestly, I didn’t think there would be much difference in these and the no show nike socks that I can get for a few bucks a pair. Boy was I wrong. These are so comfortable, and…

I played Erin Hills in October 2013, and expected the pros to get absolutely dominated during the 2017 US Open. Clearly that didn’t happen. This post was updated in April 2022 for accuracy. If Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run are the head cheerleaders in the area, then Erin Hills is more like the hot girl next door. She doesn’t get as much attention, but if you give her a chance, you might love her even more. I drove out to Hartford, Wisconsin from Kohler and while it only took an hour and 15 minutes, it felt like I was in…

This post was originally published in August 2013 and was updated for accuracy in April 2022. More so than perhaps any other course in Oregon, there’s a mystery around the Fazio Course at Pronghorn. Oregon has gained a reputation over the last decade of being a world class golf destination, and I know quite a few people here who have played the best of the best. People have played Bandon. Many of the people I grew up with have played the Eugene Country Club. Crosswater and Pumpkin Ridge are reasonably accessible, as is the Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn. The Fazio…

This post was originally published in May 2013 and updated in April 2022. We all know we should hit the driving range more often. But the fact remains with busy schedules and rising costs, if given the choice between playing 9 or hitting the range for an hour or two – I’ll almost always head to the course. For a long time whenever I went to the range it was just this repetitive experience of grabbing a ball, taking no practice swings, and then knocking it out there. I could be 100 feet off of my intended target, but still feel like…

This post was originally published in January 2014. Quite a few things have changed since then, this has been updated in April 2022 to reflect those changes. A few months ago when a client of mine asked me to come down to Los Cabos speak at a workshop they were hosting, you can imagine my response. Eh. Cabo? December? By then it’s going to be cold and miserable in Portland, not so sure I want to miss that for great weather, beautiful scenery, and some golf. JOKING. Obviously I jumped at the chance to head down there, especially considering I’d…

I originally played The Bull at Pinehurst Farms in October 2013. It’s gone through some ups and downs since then, but I’m excited to see it’s open and thriving here in 2022. This post has been updated for accuracy. “Good morning!” said the man lining up the golf carts to get ready for the day’s play. “Morning, beautiful day isn’t it?” “Absolutely!” I found out about 10 minutes later that the man moving the carts was the owner of the course Dave Bachman Jr. In stark contrast to the nearby Kohler courses at Whistling Straits and Blackwolf Run, The Bull…

This post was originally published in April 2013, and has been updated as of April 2022. Ever since I first heard about Pronghorn Golf Club I’ve wanted to play the courses there – more so than any other course in Oregon (including Bandon Dunes). There was just something about the exclsuive nature of the resort when it opened that was captivating, not to mention it’s setting in the middle of 20,000 acres of BLM land about half an hour outside Bend. What does this mean? It means despite being just 20 minutes from Bendm, it feels like it’s in the middle of…

Bucket list golf courses come in various forms. As a kid, Pronghorn golf club was my bucket list golf course. It seemed like one of those places that would be impossible to ever play, as someone who didn’t grow up around golf. 10 years ago, I finally played it, and doing so was the impetus for pretty much everything you see here on Breaking Eighty. It’s what inspired me to want to learn more about golf architecture and to pursue playing more of the best golf courses in the world. For some of us, our bucket list course may be…

The Meadow Valleys Course at Blackwolf Run was the second round I played on my first ever golf road trip. It’s a wonderful experience, and shouldn’t be missed on a trip to Kohler. This post was originally published in November 2013, and has been updated in March 2022 for accuracy. After a beautiful (and difficult) round at The Bull at Pinehurst Farms in the morning, I made the 5-minute drive over to Blackwolf Run. I’d be playing the River Course the next day, but I was pretty excited to play Meadow Valleys as I’d heard numerous times that it was…