HSI XVI

San Francisco, CA
June 2016

⬅ HSI XV

HSI XVII ➡

Jump to memorable moments

HSI XVI Players

Sheebz was the champion of HSI XV so he was responsible for planning our sixteenth version of the trip. Back in 1998, Sheebz moved to California for his job and he hadn’t been back to the Bay Area since then. The location for the trip was going to be San Francisco and the Northern California area.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Sheebz and JJ were on flights that arrived early in the morning into Oakland. They got their bags and then went to get the rental car. After picking up transportation, we went to the grocery store to pick up some key refreshments that would be needed for this trip. Then we went to the Black Bear Diner to get breakfast while waiting for Nick and Powell, who were on the same flight. Once those two arrived, it was time to get this trip started.

The practice round was first and was at a course that was just a few miles from the airport – Monarch Bay Golf Course. We went straight to the course to get ready for the practice round. JJ hid Sheebz’ four iron and that put Sheebz into a tizzy concerning his most reliable club. JJ came clean and the round started. It was apparent very early in this round that the weather for this trip was going to be some of the best ever.

When the practice round was over, we headed towards our rental house in Oakland that was found on Airbnb. It was a very cool on the side of the hill that looked down over East Bay. It was a nice little three bedroom house with a patio on the back with a very cool view looking down into Oakland. We got cleaned up and got an Uber to take use down to Jack London Square for Champions dinner.

We went to Scott’s Seafood for Champ’s dinner. It was a cool seafood place and the weather was nice enough that we were able to sit on the patio to enjoy our dinner. It got cold quickly, so we headed inside to finish our meal and have some drinks. Sheebz picked up the tab and then we headed to another part of the square for more drinks and a game of bowling. When bowling was over, we headed back to the house to prepare for our first round of golf the next day.

Thursday, June 23, 2016

When Sheebz lived in California, he lived in Pleasanton. For our first round of this trip, we drove east past Pleasanton to Livermore to golf at Poppy Ridge Golf Course. The drive took about 45 minutes and we stopped in Pleasanton on the way for a Starbucks. We got to the course and hit some balls before starting our first round. This was a course with few trees and open fairways. It was a tough course. The average score for all three players was 97, the highest of the week.

When the round was over, we took the ten mile drive to The Golf Course at Wente Vineyards. This was a course that was being built when Sheebz lived in California and it was the one course that he really wanted to play. The course is built through the winery and up the side of a hill. We sat on the patio and had lunch before starting our round. The course was a very cool layout and the holes were laid out through the grapes in the winery. A stray shot would end up in the grapes. The scores were only slightly better at an average of 95.

At conclusion of the round, we started heading back towards the house. We stopped in Pleasanton and went to Pick 6 Sports Lounge for dinner and drinks. It was a cool little bar and we stayed there for a few hours. Once we had enough, we got in the car and drove back to the house. The next day was a big day.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Today’s round was at Tilden Park Golf Course. This was a 30 minute drive to Berkeley and we drove over the mountain northeast of Oakand to the course. This course is located in the Berkeley Hills and there were some cool views from some of the holes. Once we got on the course, we realized that this was going to be one of the slowest rounds that we had ever played. And the holes were very close to each other so there was a chance that balls could be hit at you from almost any direction on many of the holes. This round took us almost six hours. It was our only round this day, so we had plenty of time.

When the round was over we stayed at the course for a late lunch and a beer. Then we went back towards the house. On the way, we got out at an overlook and got some amazing views of Oakland and San Francisco. After getting cleaned up at the house, we got an Uber and headed into San Francisco to watch a San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies baseball game at AT&T park. We visited a couple of bars close to the stadium before heading into the game. It was an interesting night. It just so happened that this weekend was gay pride weekend in San Francisco. It was LGBT night at the stadium and the fireworks after the game were set to the music of Prince. An incredible night and a great game. One of the best stadiums I’ve been to.

After the game we walked a long way around the city before we got an Uber and headed back to the house. It was an amazing day.

Saturday, June 25, 2016

The final day of HSI XVI would be a big one. Our rounds today were in San Francisco so we drove into the city for our first round at Presidio Golf Course. This is a semi private course where we got a small glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge from part of the course. This was a very cool course that was crammed into a small part of real estate so the holes were pretty short and the course was hilly.

When this round was over we drove about twenty minutes to the course where our final round would be played, TPC Harding Park. The course was different than the morning course as it was more open with wide fairways and tall trees. It was just a few miles from the ocean so the breeze and temperature made it extremely comfortable. Before the round we had a very underwhelming lunch at the course before we played our final round. We finished the round with two holes that went straight west into the setting sun. It made for some incredible views.

After the round we were hungry, thirsty, and we didn’t want the San Francisco experience to end. We drove down to Fisherman’s Wharf and had dinner at Franciscan Crab Restaurant. This restaurant was set right on the San Francisco Bay and we enjoyed some great cocktails and seafood. After dinner we drove back to the house. Everybody was exhausted after a very long day. JJ even decided to take a nap. on the ride home.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

This morning Powell took an early Uber to the airport to catch an early flight while the rest of the guys hung around the house to prepare for the trip back. We held the trophy presentation on the back patio of the house and then headed to the airport for the trip home. A very successful trip.

As the winner, Nick will have the responsibility to plan HSI XVII. We did not discuss any specifics about location, but we liked the idea of going in the summertime so that opens up possibilities of going north.