Be your own man. A perfect phrase to kick off the second season of this crazy blogging….. well, thing. It is no coincidence I am writing this article, the first of season 2, on the 1 year anniversary of a fantastic trip my friend Alex and I took last year, with what felt like the heart and soul of the Alberta Golf Tour, to the Waste Management Open. No offence to any Tour players that weren’t there but we had a great time and it was lots of fun so I’ve deemed those that were there the heart and soul.

Truthfully, I am only writing these articles at all because of that trip. One year ago we were introduced to the easy going atmosphere the AGT boasts, the loyal members, and it introduced us to AGT Prez Leah and her wonderful hubby Cody. But what we didn’t know was how a Monday afternoon round at Wigwam’s Gold Course would change the entire landscape for Alberta’s golf community. Bold statement I know.

This Monday afternoon round with Leah and Cody was filled with very average golf, too many drinks to count, and even a putt-off on the practice green to end a dramatic 3 hole match on the Gold Course’s closing stretch. Other members of our group, having finished much ahead of us (isn’t Leah a stickler for pace of play?), flocked to the putting green to watch the gut wrenching action as Team Cody and Alex would prevail over Leah and I. Or at least that’s how I remember it. We retired to the pub with more drinks (Alex will tell you all about the jalapeno mojitos), the Oiler's game streamed on a mobile phone, behemoth shots of some rye or whiskey (or both who knows), and Cody calling out his partner to “be his own man”. The magic words that have now inspired a second season of your favourite Golf Life Alberta blogger’s work.

If you’re wondering the meaning or context behind the phrase it was lost somewhere in the haze of that night. But scholars maintain that its translation was actually lost 100’s of years ago. Even in our epic defeat on that fateful Monday, Leah has graciously allowed me to use this platform to have some fun with Alberta's golf community (the golf Alberta community landscape altering moment I mentioned earlier. Yes, I am full of myself).

While I think the podcast had some fun at the expense of my picks’ performances week to week last year I think a shift in focus to content a little closer to home is what this platform is all about. This is Golf Life Alberta after all. Neiler knows it’s time to be my own man and leave the Tour picks to the panelists. But mainly it comes down to not being lumped in with the likes of the Chamblee’s. Having one is enough.

Follow and interact with myself and Golf Life AB on Twitter as we get fired up for the 2019 golf season and start producing content for Golf Life AB on a regular basis!