Drew Franklin
Managing Editor at KentuckySportsRadio.com and former two-year letterman on the Madisonville North-Hopkins High School golf team; has an odd obsession with road trips.
Mac Cruickshank
Drew's equally spontaneous and fun-loving friend; not a golfer, but also has an odd obsession with road trips.
OUR GOAL
Play one round of golf across 18 different states (one hole per state) with "the turn" being a night out in Las Vegas.
Don't laugh. We're completely serious.
THE COURSE
Since it's very clear the easiest way to accomplish this feat is to stay east, we're going west. Because we're not in the business of taking the easy way.
We will hit the open road, golf clubs in hand, to play one hole of golf in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Together, the 18 states will make up the longest 18-hole round of golf ever played.
Here is our tentative route:
It looks miserable, doesn't it?
We like to call it "scenic."
WHEN?
We will tee off at the crack of dawn somewhere in or around Memphis, TN on Saturday, June 8.
Expected completion date is Saturday, June 15 in Lexington, KY. We hope.
COVERAGE
Our plan is to post photos, videos and lengthy journal entries from our travels on 18Holes18States.com from start to finish. We will also be active on all social media -- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, SnapChat, (Insert Trendy New Social Media Here) -- while using the #18Holes18States hashtag.
Through our already established audience and promises from other media to promote the trip, we expect to attract a large online following. This is something we believe a lot of people will really enjoy keeping up with and we expect other major outlets to pick it up once word spreads.
Important to note: We have no intentions to use MySpace but could be talked into it, if anyone can help me retrieve my password.
WHAT WE NEED
Gas ain't cheap and hotels aren't either. We estimate roughly two-thousand dollars in expenses for transportation and lodging alone. Even the smallest, roach-infested motels will be a big hit to our itty-bitty budget.
So, in order for this trip to happen, we'll need sponsorship(s) to get us from Point A to Point B to Point C to Point D and so on, preferably with a little food in our stomachs.
WHAT WE OFFER
Your brand/product will be plastered all over our website and social media. Sponsor(s) will have their logo at the top of 18Holes18States.com and potentially a banner ad linking back to their site. There will also be plenty of product placement in photos, videos and journal entries. For example...
Apparel company: We'll find a way to work that logo into as many photos and videos as possible.
Energy drink: You'll get tired of hearing your brand mentioned. What about an "Energy Drink Count" for the trip? My guess is 87 cans consumed between the two of us.
Car rental: We'll nickname the vehicle and thank you every chance we get.
Hotels: Each night's stay will be mentioned on the site with photos.
Golf equipment: You could be the big winner. When we record that hole-in-one on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale, it's all because of those sleek new (insert your brand) irons and the performance of that shiny new (insert your brand) golf ball.
Product placement will be big.
OUR CREDENTIALS
Drew Franklin
-- Responsible for 4,321 blog posts on KentuckySportsRadio.com, the largest independent team-specific college sports website on the internet. KSR averages over 200,000 hits per day.
-- @DrewFranklinKSR has 23,037 loyal and interactive Twitter followers -- none of those spam accounts or porn-bots. Plus, 3,700 Instagram followers and 1,530 follows on Vine.
-- Blogged for a 10-day College Basketball Road Trip on CBSSports.com in 2010
-- Covered the 2013 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, CA for TennisChannel.com
-- Shot 52/37 in the 2003 regional tournament to keep it in the 80s.
-- Participated in a Google+ Hangout for PGA Tour at The Masters; blogged from the IZOD Social Hub at the MAXIM Clubhouse in Augusta for the week.
-- Photobombed by Rickie Fowler:
Mac Cruickshank
-- Again, not big on golf but big on making history
-- Never been to California
-- Did we mention he has an odd obsession with road trips?
CONTACT US
If you're interested in helping us make this happen, or if you would like to tell us how idiotic it sounds, contact Drew at drewfranklin@kentuckysportsradio.com or on Twitter at @DrewFranklinKSR.
Let's do this.