The Golf Channel Comes to Visit

As I think back to some of my dreams as a young teenager, appearing on the Golf Channel was certainly near the top of the list. So when I was recently asked to be a guest on the Golf Channel's Morning Drive, it was truly a dream come true. I couldn't wait to share this year's project for The Dapper Drive, called the Ultimate Golf Road Trip, with viewers.

Excited? Absolutely. Nervous? No doubt about it. This is the Golf Channel we're talking about here! I had been interviewed for newspapers, magazines and on podcasts, but never before on live television.

Time to clean the RV

As the day drew near, I spent some time preparing, brainstorming questions that might be asked and thinking through how I'd best answer each. As I was thinking through some questions the afternoon before the interview, I received an email from the NBC producer with the subject line, "Interview in your RV?"

The Golf Channel producers had huddled up that morning and decided they wanted to shoot the segments in front and inside of our Winnebago View. My answer? Of course! What better way to describe our mode of living and transportation than showcasing it front and center during our interview.

So with the new plan in place, my wife Brittany and I frantically spent a few hours cleaning the RV (mostly dog and cat hair!) before heading for the NBC Golf studios in Orlando, Florida. Given we were asked to be at the studio bright and early, and because we travel full-time in our Winnebago View, we were given permission to spend the prior night in the NBC Golf parking lot.

RV park? Well, not exactly! Our sleeping quarters in the NBC Golf Studios parking lot

Sleeping in a parking lot might seems strange to some, but it's become quite the common theme for us in our 2017 travels. The compact nature of the View allows us to fit into a single parking space, making it ideal to spend the night wherever we need to be the next morning (usually a golf course and, in this case, NBC Golf studios). I'll admit we get frequent visits from security guards and some strange looks at times, but people generally lighten-up whenever they catch a glimpse of our cat sunning himself on the dash! It's always a great conversation starter, too.

The Big Day Arrives

After a good night's sleep in the parking lot, we awoke early to get ready for the interview. The morning started with a quick briefing in the "holding room" before a trip to the makeup area for a little touch up. Relax guys, it's totally normal! I think Brittany enjoyed capturing this moment -- me getting powdered -- a little more than she probably should.

National television means a quick stop in the makeup area

Before we filmed our segments outside with Golf Channel contributor Matt Ginella, we toured the facilities at Golf Channel Studios. It was awesome to see the space where it all goes down. I was personally amazed at how compact each of the two studios were relative to the amount of different sets each can handle and how spacious they look on TV.

Capturing the moment with Brittany in the "holding room" before going on air.

In Studio One, where Golf Central and Morning Drive segments are filmed, we had the opportunity to chat with some of the Morning Drive regulars -- Paige Mackenzie, Cara Robinson and Chantel McCabe.

Photo opp with some of the Golf Channel Morning Drive crew!

Each were super welcoming and awesome to spend some time with talking golf and travel. A quick stop in Studio Two, where teaching shows are filmed, and it was off to do some filming of our own in front of the Winnebago!

NBC Golf Studio two, where the Golf Channel teaching shows are recorded

Outside, we got the RV into position while the crew set-up their equipment. Due to some audio issues, we had a few extra minutes to get to know Matt Ginella a bit better, while also introducing everyone to our dog, Ella, and cat, Mr. P. To our delight, the entire Golf Channel crew loved these two, and an especially friendly dog-loving staff member even volunteered to look after them so Brittany could capture all the behind-the-scenes action on camera.

The Golf Channel crew prepping, while our dog Ella supervises

Action! Cameras Rolling

Once everything was up and running, Matt and I got into position and the cameras started rolling! We began segment one talking about The Dapper Drive brand, and specifically the idea behind The Ultimate Golf Road Trip -- a year-long project where Brittany and I are traveling America in our RV to play Golf Digest's ranked top 100 public golf courses. The concept of living and traveling full-time by RV intrigued Matt, and the conversation evolved toward all sorts of travel questions from, "Can you cook in this thing?" to "How much will this epic golf and RV trip cost?"After filming segment one, into the RV we went!

Recording segment one in front of our Winnebago RV

Segment two took place with Matt and I continuing our conversation from the comfort of our Winnebago View dinette! It was pretty entertaining watching the crew try to cram several large cameras and accompanying gear into our 24' living space.

Golf Channel camera crew setting up inside our Winnebago View

Matt and I talked a bit more about the golf specifics of the Ultimate Golf Road Trip, including the Florida golf courses we'd played to date -- TPC Sawgrass (watch Episode 1), Streamsong's Blue & Red Courses (watch Episode 2), and Bay Hill Club (watch Episode 3) -- as well as the courses we were looking forward to traveling to in the year ahead. We also tackled pitfalls of life on the road, discussing some of the challenges faced by full-time RVers.

Getting ready to record segment two inside our Winnebago View while laughing at Matt Ginella's endless off-air jokes

So was it as awesome of an experience as I dreamt it would be? Well, I'd say it was even better. Being able to bring our entire little family in the RV made it that much sweeter, and without a doubt, an incredible day that Brittany and I will remember forever.

Selfie with Golf Channel contributor Matt Ginella. What a day at NBC Studios!

Below are links to each of our Golf Channel Morning Drive segments. Going forward, we will be making monthly appearances on the Morning Drive via FaceTime to provide golf and travel updates!