$5 and a Pipe: Golfing in Hay Springs, Nebraska

I was cruising west on U.S. Highway 20—just me, my clubs, and a long stretch of open Nebraska road. You pass a lot of quiet towns on this route, but Hay Springs stood out for just how still it felt. A few homes, a school, and a main drag that’s seen better days. The only restaurant looked closed the day I passed through, and there wasn’t much in the way of open storefronts or foot traffic. It’s the kind of place where time doesn’t move fast—and maybe that’s the point.

I figured I’d stretch my legs and take a quick look around. That’s when I saw the sign: “Hay Springs Golf Course.”

Now I’ve played a lot of golf in a lot of places, but something about a course tucked into a town this quiet felt like a hidden gem—or maybe a forgotten one. I turned off the highway, followed a short gravel road, and there it was—a nine-hole course spread out across the prairie like it had been there forever. No fancy clubhouse. No gate. Just the wind, the flagsticks, and a rusty pipe at the first tee.

That pipe? It’s the payment system. Five bucks. Drop it in. That’s your green fee.

This 9-hole, community-run course is the kind of place that reminds you why you fell in love with the game in the first place. As there’s no pro shop, there’s no tee time needed or even possible, no starter barking at you to keep pace, and definitely no one trying to sell you a $48 polo. Instead, you’ll find a quiet course surrounded by Nebraska prairie and a payment system that runs on the honor code.

And honestly, as I stood on that first tee with modern irons in hand, I couldn’t help but think—I really should’ve had a set of hickory shafts in the trunk. This place begs for the old-school game. You want to swing something with leather grips, wear a newsboy cap, and pretend you’re teeing off in 1925.

What sets Hay Springs apart, though, isn’t just the simplicity. It’s the sand greens.

Yes—sand.

Back in the early days of American golf, sand greens were the norm. Maintaining turf in dry, rural areas just wasn’t feasible, so courses improvised. A sand green is a flat circle of oiled sand. After each putt, you’re expected to drag a mat to smooth out the surface. It’s like raking a bunker and putting on it. Weird? Absolutely. But also kind of wonderful.

According to Larry Bohannan’s piece on sand greens, there are only about 100–150 sand green courses left in the United States. Hay Springs Golf Course is one of them. You’re not just playing a round—you’re stepping into a living time capsule.

There’s no pro shop, no beverage cart, and definitely no GPS—because there’s no one there to offer it. You bring your own gear, play at your own pace, and maybe wave at a local driving by in a dusty pickup.

So if you’re cruising through the Nebraska Panhandle with your clubs in the trunk, swing by Hay Springs. Bring your own golf balls, smooth out your sand putts, and don’t forget your $5 bill for the pipe.

This is golf the way your grandpa might’ve played it—and that’s exactly what makes it special.

Towel Distance Indicator (TDI): Ultimate Way to Judge Hotel Quality

Forget thread count. Toss out the minibar. Don’t even get me started on “complimentary breakfast.”

The true measure of a hotel’s quality? Towel distance.

How far do you have to go, soaking wet and freezing, to grab a towel after a shower? That’s the only rating system that matters.
I call it the Towel Distance Indicator (TDI), and once you see it, you’ll never walk into a hotel bathroom the same way again.

I’ve been testing this for years — from no-name motels off the interstate to high-end hotels with $12 bottled water. The results are clear: The farther the towel, the fancier the place.

Let’s break down the TDI scale.

TDI: 0 Feet – Towels In the Shower

Distance to towel: On a shelf inside the shower or stacked in the corner, practically getting wet with you.
You don’t even have to lean — just pivot and grab. Is it efficient? Yes. Is it unsettling? Also yes.
This is peak chaos energy. There’s no middle ground here — it’s either budget efficiency or design-gone-wild minimalism.

Examples:

  • Motel 6 – The towel may be folded on top of the toilet or wedged into a shower shelf.
  • OYO Hotels – Bold moves, like putting everything in one room.
  • MicroHostels or ultra-budget stays – Designed by people who said, “What if… towels were just part of the shower?”

TDI: 1 Foot – Towels Within Reach

Distance to towel: 12 inches. You can grab it from the shower without moving your feet.
This is the “I see you, weary traveler” tier. Not luxurious, but the people who built the bathroom actually took a shower before finalizing the design. Legendary.

Examples:

  • Super 8 – I stayed in one just last night. Towel was right there. Beautiful.
  • Red Roof Inn – Tightly designed, straightforward, no fuss.
  • Quality Inn – Budget-friendly and sometimes surprisingly towel-efficient.
    You’re not paying for luxury — you’re paying to stay dry. Mission accomplished.

TDI: 3 Feet – The Towel Shimmy Zone

Distance to towel: 2 to 4 feet. The towel is out of reach but within your line of sight.
You’ll do the patented “shower shimmy” — arms wrapped, cold tile beneath your feet, followed by sliding across the now soaked floor.
These are the Goldilocks hotels. Not too basic, not too bougie, but definitely a choice was made.

Examples:

  • Holiday Inn Express – You get a pancake machine and a towel shuffle.
  • Fairfield by Marriott – Classy on a budget, but the towel bar is just barely uncomfortably out of reach.
  • Hampton Inn – Dependable, comfortable, and for some reason the towel’s always on the back of the door.

TDI: 5+ Feet – Fancy but Flawed

Distance to towel: 5 feet and beyond. You’ve got to leave the comfort of steam and walk across the bathroom to find your towel.
These places are stunning — rainfall showers, designer tile, and lighting that makes you feel like you’re in a skincare commercial. But nobody considered being wet when they designed them.

Examples:

  • JW Marriott – You’ll feel pampered until you realize your towel is on the far wall.
  • W Hotels – Towels folded in an artisanal basket next to the eucalyptus diffuser.
  • Kimpton – It’s luxury, if luxury means wandering the room post-shower in search of cotton.
  • Grand Hyatt – You paid $600 and you still need a sherpa to lead you to the towel. At least the floor is heated. That’s something.

Final Thoughts: Trust the TDI

Next time someone brags about their hotel, ask them just one question:

“What was the TDI?”

That’s it. That’s all you need to know.

Because while stars and prices often lie or can be gamed, the Towel Distance Indicator tells the truth — every single time.

Playing White Pines East – A Hidden Gem Just Outside Chicago

On a recent trip to Chicago, I had the opportunity to sneak in a round at White Pines Golf Club, and wow—what a great find! I’m Josh Holmes, primary golfer for Foreme Golf, and this time I teed it up on the East Course, one of two 18-hole layouts at this historic 36-hole facility located in Bensenville, Illinois.

White Pines is just minutes from O’Hare International Airport, making it a perfect stop for traveling golfers or locals looking for a well-maintained, accessible course. The East Course, designed by Jack Daray and opened in 1928, offers a solid test of golf. It plays 6,371 yards from the Black tees, with a par of 70, a course rating of 71.1, and a slope of 127—challenging enough to stay interesting, but fair and playable for all skill levels.

The tree-lined fairways, subtle doglegs, and occasional water hazards make it a course that rewards accuracy and smart play over raw distance. I especially appreciated the course conditions—firm but fair greens and well-kept bunkers made for a great overall experience.

East Course – Black Tees Overview:

  • Yardage: 6,371 yards
  • Par: 70
  • Course Rating: 71.1
  • Slope: 127

And I can’t talk about White Pines without mentioning breakfast at the 37 Bar & Grill. I stopped in before my round, and it didn’t disappoint—good food, fast service, and a great view of the first tee. Whether you’re starting your day or wrapping up your round, it’s a perfect spot to relax and fuel up.

Watch the full round here: https://youtu.be/HjaNhbVYhVI

If you’re ever in the Chicago area with your clubs, White Pines deserves a spot on your must-play list—especially the East Course. It’s affordable, easy to access, and a whole lot of fun.

50 Years of Microsoft—and 18 Years of Shenanigans Along the Way

Today, Microsoft turns 50.

I’m sitting in the middle of the celebration here in Redmond, watching Brenda (no last name needed—she owns the stage) walk us through a timeline of Microsoft logos. We’re talking everything from the funky, retro 1975 original to the slightly metal, vaguely aggressive version, all the way to the clean, modern four-square logo we know today.

It’s not just a history lesson—it’s a full-on nostalgia trip. And as someone who’s been here for a touch over 18 years, I’ve seen a few of these logos fly by in real time.

From BASIC to Copilot: The Microsoft Tech Journey

1975 – BASIC for the Altair 8800
Microsoft’s first product was a version of BASIC. It ran on the Altair 8800, which looked more like a piece of lab equipment than a computer. But hey—it worked. It also helped kick off the personal computing revolution.

1980s – MS-DOS, Windows, and Big Hair Energy
We licensed MS-DOS to IBM and the rest was history. Windows 1.0 showed up in ’85 and brought the mouse and GUI into the mix. Suddenly, we were all clicking on stuff and pretending we were fancy.

1990s – Windows 95, Office, and a Little Thing Called the Internet
Windows 95 dropped like a bomb. The Start button! Plug and play! And that launch video with the Friends theme? Chef’s kiss. Office became the gold standard for productivity, and Internet Explorer… well, let’s just say it made some waves.

2000s – Enterprise Time and the Xbox Move
.NET Framework showed up. Windows Server and Active Directory became the backbone of IT departments everywhere. And then we launched Xbox and crashed into the gaming world like we meant it.

2010s – Cloud, GitHub, and Cross-Platform Hugs
Azure matured into a cloud powerhouse. Office 365 changed how businesses worked. GitHub joined the family, and Microsoft leaned into open source like never before. I may or may not have said, “Told you so,” a few times.

2020s – Copilot Everything and AI Everywhere
We’re now living in the age of AI copilots. GitHub Copilot. Microsoft 365 Copilot. Copilot in Windows, in Azure, in Security, in the kitchen (okay, not yet). All powered by Azure OpenAI. We went from BASIC to building language models that write code, documents, and poems—sometimes all at once.

My 18-Year Tour Through the Chaos

Let me rewind a bit. I joined Microsoft back in 2006 as an Architect Evangelist in Michigan. Great role, great people. But I realized pretty quickly that I had more fun—and got more traction—talking to the folks who really didn’t like Microsoft. So, naturally, I leaned into that.

By 2008, I was full-time open source—PHP, Rails, Node.js. Yep, Microsoft was doing open source back then. And yep, people were skeptical. It was a fun time to be in those conversations.

In 2010, I moved to Ireland to be the technical evangelist for all of Microsoft tech. One person, all tech, the whole country. You learn to juggle fast in roles like that.

In 2013, I came to Redmond to join the IE dev marketing team. I was part of the effort to modernize a browser with a bit of… reputation baggage. Let’s just say we had to do a lot of convincing.

After 10 months, I joined TED (Technical Evangelism and Development). That team was full of big ideas, even bigger personalities, and we helped push the boundaries of what developers could do with Microsoft’s tech stack. I stuck with TED until 2018.

Then I made the jump to the Edge browser product team—just in time for the browser reboot. I became the acting Group Product Manager for Developer Experiences, and yes, I was one of the eight people who voted to move to Chromium. That was a big deal. You’re welcome. 😎

In 2019, I moved to CSE (Commercial Software Engineering), which eventually evolved into ISE (Industry Software Engineering), where I still hang out. These days, I help companies solve gnarly problems with cutting-edge tech. The tech keeps changing, but the gnarliness remains beautifully consistent.

Cheers to the Next 50

Watching the logo timeline roll by today, I’m thinking less about the tech and more about the people—folks I’ve worked with, battled bugs with, defended tab spacing preferences with.

Microsoft isn’t perfect, but it’s constantly evolving. And if the last 50 years are any sign, the next 50 will be even weirder, wilder, and more fun.

I’m here for it.