A few years ago, people were asking whether Claire Hogle might become the next Paige Spiranac. It turns out Spiranac is still firmly on top of the golf-influencer world. Hogle, now 27, has kept making golf content more than four years after first catching people’s attention.
The former Cal State San Marcos golfer still describes herself as a big golf fan, and she’s clearly comfortable with the approach that’s worked for some of the sport’s most popular online personalities. In a recent clip, she swings her way out of a bunker and makes the shot look like a pretty enjoyable afternoon.
For me, that’s part of the fun of golf content. It isn’t always about where the ball lands; sometimes the interesting part is watching someone work through the shot. Hogle seems to be doing well, and she’s earned recognition from other golf creators. Spiranac called her a “beautiful golf fairy” after seeing her bunker shot.
I had a multiview on for much of the day yesterday, though I was distracted by a major household project: bringing out my wife’s Christmas decorations. We’re extending the festivities into another weekend because she decided we needed new trees. Most of the decorations are up, but the outdoor ones—and two new trees—are still waiting.
I did catch Matthew McConaughey and Arch Manning helping Texas beat LSU in Death Valley, handing Lane Kiffin’s team its fourth loss. That’s a tough result to carry into the SEC season. I also saw some of No. 16 Oregon’s convincing win over Michigan, and Penn State added another victory with a 42–14 win against Minnesota.
There were other games on, too, but the Christmas-decorating operation took up most of my attention. So here’s my yearly question: do you put up your Christmas decorations before or after Thanksgiving?
Have you heard about people putting mustard on Christmas tree cakes? It sounds terrible, but I haven’t seen anyone try it and say it tastes as bad as you’d expect. I’m starting to think I may have to test it myself.
It’s going straight to the top of my unusual food combinations list. If the trend hasn’t reached my area and I can find the snack cakes, I’ll give it a shot and report back. I’m not sure who first thought of this, or whether someone is just trying to sell more cakes, but I’m curious enough to find out. If you’ve tried it, let me know what you thought.
Chris B. from Johnson City sent a note about Bigfoot and some fall grilling.
He lives near Johnson City, where Daniel Boone and David Crockett high schools meet for an annual rivalry game called the Musket Bowl. The area also has plenty of Bigfoot fans. Chris said he’ll watch the occasional Sasquatch documentary during the winter, and YouTube recently recommended one about Daniel Boone supposedly killing a Bigfoot that was attacking his son.
Chris has taken his family camping around Mount Mitchell, Mount Pisgah, Cosby and Townsend, but says they’ve only encountered familiar wildlife such as deer, bears and coyotes. He has, however, picked up some Sasquatch-themed shirts and socks.
He also sent along a look at his fall cooking. He made New York strip steaks in a cast-iron pan with compound butter, barbecue meatballs decorated with little flags printed by his son, and chicken wings that his daughter enjoyed. The wings came in three flavors: Bold, Buffalo and Fajita.
Thanks for the note, the food pictures and the documentary tip. If Bigfoot is involved, I’ll probably have to watch it. And I won’t hold being an Ohio State fan against you—though I may enjoy it a little when they lose.
Warren, a Gen X reader, wrote from Florida. He said his family hasn’t visited Disney in almost 12 years, even though they live in the state; they usually vacation elsewhere in Florida. He also said recent flooding has kept him from grilling. A plane crash two weeks ago was followed by more than a foot of rain, and some local roads are still underwater. He shared a lunch from a Latin American restaurant he’s been visiting for years.
Thanks for checking in, Warren. We had a good time at Disney. The little one was eager to ride anything he was tall enough for, which made the trip fun.
Last week, I wrote about a reported Bigfoot sighting in New Jersey and asked readers to send in their thoughts and stories. That opened the floodgates a bit. I’ve received quite a few messages, and I’m still working my way through them. Here are some reactions to the couple’s reported encounter; I’ll get to other readers’ Bigfoot stories later.
Doug thought the sighting could have been a prank pulled on an unsuspecting driver.
Bob was skeptical, arguing that people sometimes mistake what they see and asking why no Bigfoot has ever been hit by a car, given how often other animals are struck on rural roads. He took that as evidence the creature doesn’t exist.
Kevin wondered whether the sighting happened near a cannabis dispensary.
Walter, who worked as a state ranger in New Jersey’s Penn State Forest and Bass River State Forest, said he never saw Bigfoot during his years on patrol. He did see bears, and he suspects too many people are using marijuana and making things up.
David said people claim to have seen Bigfoot but rarely produce a photo or video, leaving him unsure what to believe.
Paul asked what local animal could walk like a person, pointing out that New Jersey doesn’t have gorillas or monkeys. He suggested the witnesses take a polygraph test.
Sankarshan offered a different explanation, referring to ancient Vedic teachings that describe hundreds of thousands of kinds of humans across Earth and other planets. He suggested Bigfoot might be one of those forms.
Bill believes Sasquatch is real and said the absence of recent sightings of God doesn’t stop billions of people from believing. He added that people believe in different things, then joked that he’d believe in another cold Coca-Cola. He left open the possibility that Warren Buffett had inspired the comment.
Erica said she believes there are things people can’t yet explain. She hasn’t seen Bigfoot and doesn’t want to, but she has experienced things she can’t account for and thinks the New Jersey couple may have seen the creature.
Mike disagreed, saying he and generations of hunters, friends and loggers have spent time in the deep forests of the Pacific Northwest without seeing anything. If Bigfoot existed, he believes someone would have found it by now.
Arturo’s view was brief: no pictures, no proof.
That’s all for this week. I have plenty more Bigfoot messages to get through. Enjoy your Sunday. The Panthers have an important divisional game today, and there’s a full slate of football, including another international matchup and an extra college game after Friday’s FAA ground stop.
