Travel

A golf and turfgrass researcher shares how a misspelled “not rocet science” philosophy discovered at a Sannomiya sporting goods shop has inspired recent birdie-making success and breakthroughs in turfgrass data visualization, including animated bubble charts presented at a seminar at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

A turfgrass professional recounts a whirlwind week traveling across Japan visiting golf courses in Chiba, Hyogo, and beyond, sampling local delicacies like giant oysters and whale sashimi, and finishing 5th in a golf tournament played in extreme heat.

After nearly skipping July entirely, the author played one golf match in Hanoi, won multiple skins to go undefeated for the month, and celebrated with a spicy egg curry at a Nepalese restaurant in Japan. Looking ahead, August promises a busy schedule of matches across East Asia, with the author planning to compete using only a half set of clubs.

A turf scientist shares a lighthearted collection of July musings, including tasting notes for Buckfast Tonic Wine, a review of the Japanese golf magazine Golf Today, and an update on his data visualization work with heatmaps and scatter plots during a sabbatical in Japan.

A golfer recounts a turbulent June of matches across Thailand, Australia, and Asia, finishing the month with a 3-5-1 record in individual matches after a painful collapse at New South Wales GC, then consoles himself by ranking his five favorite hotels of the trip, from a two-story suite in Adelaide to a rooftop pool studio in Phuket.

A golf turf professional recounts a week traveling through South Australia and Melbourne, highlighting experiences like planking at Jacob’s Creek in the Barossa Valley, attending a social gathering, and playing the renowned Melbourne sandbelt golf courses, where he improved his record to three wins against one defeat.

A turfgrass specialist attending the Australian Turfgrass Conference in Adelaide plays a round of golf at Adelaide Shores, examines Santa Ana and Legend couch grass at Adelaide Oval, and makes a pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Cathedral to visit the memorial for renowned statistician Sir Ronald Fisher, whose ashes are interred there.

After a short sabbatical in southern Thailand involving golf, writing, and fresh oysters, the author returns to Bangkok refreshed and reflects on two years of extensive international air travel — cataloguing dozens of destinations across Asia, Europe, and North America from a pile of accumulated boarding passes.

A golf enthusiast recaps their May matches across Asia — with wins in Vietnam and Thailand and narrow losses in Sri Lanka and the Philippines — while also sharing climate data comparing Bangkok, Melbourne, and Sydney temperatures in preparation for upcoming golf and turfgrass seminars in Australia.

A turfgrass writer documents heading to a Thai island for a self-described sabbatical to focus on several writing projects, reflecting on a productive similar retreat in Italy that yielded over ten published articles on turfgrass science and agronomy.