NO CHALLENGE IS TO BIG!

DJ Gregory: PGA Tour 2008

This is truly and unbelievable story. This is one of the most inspiring videos I have ever seen. There are no excuses for giving up on your dreams if you are able.

Take one day at a time and enjoy every minute!

Dan Patrick

Yes, this is Dan Patrick. He was a sportscaster for ESPN and now he works for NBC and writes a colum forSports Illustrated. He was in town to meet with some ad people and wanted to come by my office. he is a fan of the gold equipment we make. I was able to spend and hour and a half with him doing a club fitting. He was hilarious. He was such a down to earth guy. He is a lot taller than I thought he was. He is a 6 handicap golfer.

It has been such a blessing and adventure since I have been in my current position. I have truly been blessed to use a talent learned as a child to become my profession.

Giant Swing

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

For all of you that grew up in Gilmer Texas, this would have been the best addition to the Yamboree Grounds. How many children would have broken themselves on this?

Customer Service Award

On August 26Th, Adams Golf held its national sales meeting at the W hotel in Dallas. Every August all of our outside sales reps come to Dallas for a yearly recap of sales and to announce our new products for the upcoming year. During the meeting sales awards are given out to all the top salesmen and then they give out several corporate awards. I was very shocked and surprised to be awarded the 2008 Customer Service Award. I was introduced and presented the award by the CEO.

California Trip

During the last week of June, Jill and I were able to go to Florida with my family and also travel to Oakland California for Jill's brother wedding. We flew into Sacramento and meet Jill's family on Thursday night. Friday we all drove down to Oakland for the wedding ceremony. The wedding reception was held Saturday in Oreville.



Jill and I had an awesome time flying from one end of he coutry to the next. It was awesome tospend time with both of our families.

COLD PLAY - VIVA LA VIDA

Vacation

From June 20 - 28 The Bishop Family made our normal trek to Florida for vacation. This was a very special occasion! Everyone was able to go except Jennifer's husband, Jody. I was happy to have Jill join our vacation. There were 9 adults and 3 kids staying in a 4 bedroom, 4 1/2 bath condo. The condo we had this year was absolutly crazy! In the living room there was a 50+ inch plasma tv, it was well used. In Mom & Dad's master, they had a 40+ plasma for them to enjoy. Jennifer and Noah flew into Dallas the Wednesday before we left. She rode with Mom & Dad to Florida. They left Thursday and took 2 days to get there to enjoy the drive and to make it easier on Noah. Brian, Katherine, and Ava left on Firday and drove half way friday and arrived Satrday before we check in tothe condo. Brent, Sheri, and Beck Left Friday as well. They drove half way as well. As Noah was only 2 months old. Jill and I flew in on Saturday morning to Pensacola. We were only able to stay till Thursday, more on that later.

Saturday: We checked into the condo around 3. We all settled in and started unpacking and exploring our the condo. Mom & Dad did their annual grocery shopping for essentials and non-essentials (JUNK FOOD). Part of our week was foreach couple/family to cook one night. Saturday night we had pizza and crashed. I brought DVD and we watched Jumper.

Sunday: Everyone slept in and starting roaming and exploring the building and heading to beach. The kids were a constant center of amusement. Noah and Ava were so cute. Ava called Noah "my buddy" all week. We could seat and watch them all day. Jill spent about 2 hours laying out and relaxing. She is a real sun worshiper. Sunday night Jill and I asked to do our diner night. We decided to have "BRINER"! We cooked Jill's world Famous Pancakes, eggs and sausage. It was really fun to be able to do this for my family. After dinner, Mom and Dad organized a Family Home Evening. It was really nice together together as a family.

Monday: Dad and I left before anyone was awake to play golf. We played the Perdido Key GC. Dad and I always play golf in Florida. There have been several years I have not touched the ocean because I would rather play golf. We had a good day at the course. I played well and Dad worked on his game. We got to play alone and that is always nice because we do not have to be bothered watching other people who do do not play as well as us. After golf we headed back to the condo to meet up with the family. Most had been spending the day on the beach. Ava and Noah got their first taste of the ocean. It was awesome to see their reaction. Brent & Sheri cooked diner. They cooked Hamburgers, Brats, and fries. Brent loves to grill! The food was so good.

Tuesday: Dad and I were able to play Pensacola CC. This is the oldest country club in Florida. I was able to get us on to play thru one of the members I had met through work. We teed off around 8:30. While we were warming up on the range, the Blue Angels, who are stationed out of Pensacola, were flying their morning practise runs. They flew right over the driving range for 30 minutes. At one point one of them did a straight dive down on top of the range and banked up about 200 feet above us! What a way to start a round of golf! We played with 3 other gentlemen. It was a really good time. Above is a picture of Dad and I on the 18th tee box. It is a par three that goes out into the bay. I had to hit my ball 30 yards right of the green tohave the wind push it back onto the green. We both made par. After our round, we headed to Winn Dixie to order 8 pounds of shrimp for the guys shrimp night. Every year the boys have shrimp night and the girls have there nice diner night. While Dad and I played golf, everyone else went to the Outlet mall in Gulf Shores. They spent 5 hours walking around.

Wednesday: Dad and I were suppose to play golf, but i had a gout flair up and was not able to walk. Jill and I decided to go to see a movie, Love Guru. We all met at Lambert's Thrown Rolls for diner. After diner we all raced back to the condo to surprise Mom with a birthday cake. Every year vacation is around Mom's birthday. She was really surprised.

Thursday: Jill and I had a 9:30 flight back to Dallas. We were traveling to Sacramento CA for Jill's brothers wedding in Oakland.

The rest of the Family stayed in Florida thru Saturday when they headed back to Texas. We all had the best time being able to gather together and spend time as a family again. We truly have the best parents. I am so greatful for Wes and Kath for spoiling and loving us.

I AM A CHAMPION!

On May 16 - 18, I competed in the 2008 Canyon Creek Country Club Match Play Championship.

Match Play:

The Way It's Played: In this sense, match play is a whole different game than stroke play.

In stroke play: golfers accumulate strokes over the course of 18 holes. The golfer with the fewest strokes at the completion of the round wins.

In match play: each hole is a separate competition. The player with the fewest strokes on an individual hole wins that hole; the player winning the most holes wins the match.

The stroke total for 18 holes simply doesn't matter in match play. Stroke play is more a player vs. the course approach; match play is directly player vs. player, or side vs. side. There is one opponent you must beat, and that's the opponent you're facing in the match you're playing right now.
Conceded Putts: In friendly rounds of golf, golfers often ask for and give "gimmies," very short putts that one simply picks up rather than holing out. Gimmies, needless to say, are illegal under the Rules of Golf, but many recreational golfers use them anyway.
In match play, however, conceded putts are perfectly legal. Your opponent can concede a putt to you at any point, whether it's 6 inches from the cup or 60 feet. But conceded putts almost always come, of course, on very short putts.
Conceded putts should only be offered, they should never be requested. That's why in some match play matches you'll notice a golfer lingering over a very short putt - the golfer is hoping his opponent will tell him to just pick it up.
Fellow-Competitor vs. Opponent: This is a semantic difference. In stroke play, the golfers you are playing against are your "fellow-competitors." In match play, the golfer you are playing against is your "opponent."

Friday: Was a shotgun start, where I started on hole #2. I was freaking out going into my first hole. I was really focusing on some negative thoughts. I was one of the Golf Pros at my country club for 7 years. I was worried I would get beat in the first round and get embarrassed. Then on top of this, since January I had developed a severe problem with my chipping game. I was really causing me some problems. So I knew I would just have to hit a lot of greens to avoid having to chip. It was a close match thru hole #9, then I proceeded to birdie #10, #12, and #15. I finished on hole #17 winning 3 & 2.

Saturday: I teed off in the morning on hole #1. We were tied thru 4 holes then I birdied #5, #6, #7, #9. He birdied #13 and then I bogied #14 to be up 2 thru #15. We tied #16, then he hit his tee shot to 2 feet on the par 3 #17 to birdie and take the match to 18. I was able to bogey the hole to win the match 2 up.

Sunday: I teed off in the morning as well. At this point I was no longer worried about getting embarrassed by not playing well. This match was probably the funniest competitive round I have played. I was very relaxed and was playing a very strong golfer. I knew him real well from when I was a pro at the course. We really had a good back and forth going on the front nine. I won #2 with a par, he won #5 with an eagle to my birdie. I was so laid back the eagle did not even phase me. Normally I would have taken that personal and tried to do something heroic, but that was not my game plan. We tied #6-8. I was able to hit it to 3 feet on #9 and make birdie to go 1 up after 9 holes. On #10, was the turning point of the match. I teed off first and hit my shot down the left side of the fairway and my opponent tried to play a smart shot with an iron and pulled his shot out of bounds. He had to re-tee hitting his 3rd shot from the tee box. He made a double bogey and I made a par to go 2 up. We tied the 11Th and 12Th holes them I made a par on 13 to go 3 up. On 14 we both hit good shots to tie with pars. We went to the par 5, 15Th hole with me 3 up with 5 holes to play. I hit my drive down the left side into the rough with a clear shot to the green for my second shot. My opponent hit a good drive down the right center of the fairway. He was farther from the hole, so he hit first, He tried to lay-up short of the green, but pulled his shot into the left rough behind some trees. I had my 3 wood out ready to go for the green in two from 275 yards. After seeing his shot I pulled out my 5 iron and layed-up to about 100 yards of the green. This allowed me to hit my third shot first. I proceeded to hit my ball 2 feet from the hole. My opponent did not have a clear shot at the green. the best he could do was to hit it slightly over the back and try to chip in to tie the birdie I was going to make. He missed his chip and then missed the putt he had left. He picked up my ball marker and conceded the put and the match. I won 4 & 3 on the 15Th hole.

I was such a high to be able to compete again and to be able to play so well was just the icing on the cake! I never thought I would be able to win and have so much fun doing it. It is nice to know I am as good as I thougtht I was. It has been so long since I competed I really have doubted my abilities. I look forward to a lot more golf in the future!

It is amazing what a homemade swing taught by my father, playing between the ears as taught by my mother and practiced repeatedly can accomplish!

Virginia

On May 3rd, I left for a business trip in Virginia. I was going to working at a Senior Amateur tournament 60 miles West of Richmond, Virgina. It was a a golf course names Spring Creek Golf Club. The best part of my trip was that unknown to my sister and her family that live in Buena Vista, Virginia, my mom was traveling with me to surprise them. We had planned this trip for a month and had to lie to all of our family in order to pull this off. We arrived at 12pm in Richmond and then traveled to the course I would be working at to ensure my supplies had arrived. Once that was done, we took the 95 mile drive to my sisters house. I had made arrangements to stay with them Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before traveling back to Texas on Tuesday. As we were driving to my sisters house, I spoke to my sister and she mentioned having to run some errands with her family. She said the house was unlocked and to go in and relax. Unfortunately they had not left the door unlocked as they had thought. So my mother and I stayed in their 5Th wheel camper. We ended up having to wait almost 2 hours before my sister and her family came home. Once they got home I meet them around the front of their house and they took me inside. While inside I texted my mother to come around to surprise them.

As you can see, we were successful in pulling off our plan! It was really special to my mother and sister so happy.

At the top is a picture I was able to take at sunrise on Monday morning in route to the golf course. It is a panoramic view of the Shenandoah Valley. You must drive around it to get to and from my sister's town.

My New Friend

I would like to introduce a very special person who has entered my life. She is 5'4' & 3/4, and the 3/4 matter. She is a Doctor of Physical Therapy at a hospital. She specializes in pediatrics (infant-18 yrs.). She is from Winter Haven, Florida. She is one of 4 kids. Her father is an Citrus Dealer in Florida, and her mother is a professional mom. She graduated from BYU and then PT school from Elon University in North Carolina. She is very athletic. She plays volleyball, basketball, and she and her friends have even ran a marathon. She has a pretty good jump shot, but she can't seem to shoot over me. It is wonderful to have a her in my life. She is very smart and quick witted. Not many things get by her. It is nice to have someone with similar beliefs and goals in my life right now. She has really helped me get my smile back. So please welcome my new friend Dr.D.

The Hunt Begins!

Your never too old or big to hunt for the Golden Egg!

It looks like someone is about to get run over!

Perfect example of sibling rivalry!

Easter 2008

The World Famous Bishop Easter Egg Coloring!

GRANDMA'MA

On Thursday February 14h, I had the privilage of fitting Larry Johnson aka "Grandma'ma" for golf clubs. He is a former Charlotte Hornet & New York Knicks NBA basketball player. He was also on the UNLV Men's Basketball team that played Duke in the National championship game in 1991. The CEO of my company and his agent know each other. His agent called me on the Monday before asking to bring in one of his clients. I was excited because I have always been a huge basketball fan.

He was a really awesome individual! He had a really good swing for someone so tall and not playing on a regular basis. I was very impressed by how down to earth he was. He was nice enough after the club fitting to take pictures and sign hats for the staff of my company.

I am truely blessed to be in the place I am at in my life. With all challenges come great rewards!

A New Beginning

On Feburary 6th, I offically started the next chapter in my life. It was the day my divorce was final. I was married for 5 1/2 years. We had some very good times together, and I will look back on these years as very important life lessons. There are some many things I learned about relationships, but I also realize I have much much more to learn.

2007 was the hardest year of my life. I have never had such a time in my life where it felt like my life was being pulled in two completely different directions. On one hand I was married to a person I committed to spend the rest of my life with. I have been exteremly blessed to have a job and career most people dream of having. I have a job that I really feel at home at. I enjoy my co-workers, and I have had the oppurtunity to meet some very interesting people. I get to travel, talk and play golf. I don't know of a better opportunity to use the talents with which I have been blessed. Then mid way thru the year my marriageand relationship began to unravel. I no longer knew or understood the person I was married to. It became imposible to communicate any further. The burden of the marraige became more than the commitment I was getting from my now ex-wife.

I had to make the hardest deciision of my life after spending Thanksgiving with my family and seeing what I want and knowing that having a family was no longer an option with my ex, I contacted an attorney and filed for divorce. Then after spending Christmas mith my family and talking with friends, I recieved the most wonderful revelation of all. We are here on earth to be happy and to have strong, healthy relationships with people that want the same goals. I had a very comforting feeling come upon me confirming the choices I was making.

It has been a long lonly road the past year, but as my grandmother told me on several occasions "Anyone can hold a tiger by the tail that long!" I will not look back and say thes were the worst years of my life but some of the most educational. What I learned about my self and overcoming adversity, will forever be etched in my heart.

I want to thank all those who inspired, encouraged and loved me through this most trying time in my life. I can only hold to the rod and look for the good ahead of me in life. For as long as I see the good in all things I know that my Heavenly father will guide me the rest of the way home.