59. 1 STROKE SHORT. TRANSITION. TRAVIS 2.

ASGA Transition

Golf has been something I was interested in since I was around 12 years old. I watched it on TV. I played nearly all the other sports then, but not golf. The first round I ever played was at 19 with a friend and borrowed clubs. Amazingly I parred my first hole, a par 4, barely missing a birdie putt. I putted it out for the 4. My inner thought was, "I am a natural golfer and should have started earlier in life. Maybe this will be my career instead of law or business." However, I made 7 on the next hole and did not break 100 in a round for almost 3 years. I really never got much better until around 45 when I finally broke 90. I was playing 20 or 30 times per year by then. The most ever.

When I retired 10 years ago, I ramped up my playing time to 85 rounds per year and quickly broke the score of 80. Then I joined ASGA at the very end of 2013 and in 2014 jumped up to 115 times per year. In 2015 was able on three different courses to shoot 3 strokes over par which remains my best. It was 73 on a par 70, 74 on a par 71 and 75 on a par 72. On these three miracles for me, I was just 1 stroke over my age and in fact once was just 3 months away from my next birthday when I came up 1 stroke short again.

Now I am moving in the opposite direction, I get older and shoot higher each year. This year my best is 79.  I am a few days away from my 78th birthday and that gives me almost a year to shoot 78 when I am that age and finally shoot my age. My luck might be that I shoot a 78 this week and come up a stroke short again. When I was on that streak of lowering my score, I was dreaming of a par round and even when I was in my most imaginative time I thought "Why not 59?"  

In preparing for my last NEWS story as the President it crossed my mind to count the number of stories I have written during my last 2 years as back to back President. I decided that Obituaries would not count. I counted the other stories and was surprised to see that a magical golf number had been there all along. It was 59 postings. Maybe writing about golf is my skill over trying to shoot a low score. It is too late to apply at GOLF DIGEST, but it is not too late for me to thank you all for allowing me to serve you and for you all to put up with my stories. It was fun to do. After all I have kissed the Blarney Stone as Bill Burke likes to remind me.

Thursday the 11th, I presided over my last meeting as the current president and handed the golf club gavel over to Sam Mihalik, the newly elected President. I believe we have a great board to carry on our amazing history.  ASGA is 45 years old this year. The transition is complete. Carry on Mr. President.

I am signing off and standing down. I will continue to serve on the board as Past President.

Sincerely yours,


Travis McWhorter, Past President

Please scroll down to read about Travis Eckert. A true ASGA legend.

ASGA Life Member Travis Eckert Passed Away October 29, 2021

Travis Eckert

ASGA members Sam Mihalik and Lynn Hammer have reported that Travis Eckert, Life Member of ASGA died October 29th at age 89. His memorial service will be Nov 16th at  3:30 PM , First Methodist Church, Austin. Travis was formerly a very active member and golfer having served on the ASGA Board as  ASGA’s Voting Representative to the City of Austin’s Parks and Recreation Department, Golf Division from 2004 through 2016.

His health had kept him from playing much the last few years. He had originally scheduled to attend the most recent Annual meeting held October 26tth at Jimmy Clay but had called and canceled due to health issues. He was so looking forward to visiting his ASGA friends and meeting new members one more time he told me on the phone when he accepted my invitation to come as my guest. Sadly, he died 3 days later.

As the official Travis 2 per my first meeting on the ASGA Board in 2015 after being elected to the board, I met Travis 1 for the first time. He with his beautiful smile said it would be easier if we used that designation. It worked well in the board meetings.  Travis also was the founder of the hole-in-one program and so many times after I introduced myself to new ASGA members they would stop listening after Travis and say "I want to join the hole-in-one pot and hand me $5. It was harder to explain that there were 2 Travis' so Travis 1 told me to take their money along with their name and he would add them after I texted him who they were. I gave him the money when I saw him next. We became good friends sharing the name. He gave me so much good advice as a new ASGA person. You can read about his life in the obituary article below. He was one of a kind and a very kind one.

On behalf of the ASGA Board the family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers. We will celebrate his great life in many ways. His memories will be a forever part of ASGA.

Travis McWhorter

 Below is a link to the obituary that appeared in The Statesman.
https://www.statesman.com/obituaries/p0161841