By Kenton Brooks
Dylan Dethier may have found the most unique way to see the country.
The 18-year-old Williamstown, Mass., native packed his clothes and golf clubs to play at least one round in each of the 48 contiguous states.
He was at the Muskogee Country Club on Thursday.
Taking a year off before starting college, Dethier estimates he’s traveled 22,900 miles through 27 states since the trip began on Sept. 1 last year. He thinks he’ll have 35,000 miles on his car by the time he finishes in late May or early June.
So far, it’s been a trip of a lifetime.
“Hopefully, I’m getting better by playing but this is more about the experience and travel,” he said. “I’ve been meeting all kinds of people from all walks of life, from the wealthiest to those who have lost their jobs. I’m just seeing the whole range of the United States.”
While he took three weeks off for Christmas, Dethier has not even thought about turning around and going home.
“I’m pretty set on finishing it,” he said. “Some people have told me it’s dangerous, but I’ve made it here so far.”
Dethier has made it so far by staying with a “friend of a friend of friend,” in cheap hotels or spending the night in the back of his Subaru Outback.
“There’s enough room to lie down in the back,” he said about his car.
Dethier and his older brother Evan came up with the idea for the trip in trying to think of ways to spend the year before going to his hometown’s Williams College, where he will try out for the Division III men’s golf team. The idea didn’t exactly meet the approval of his parents, David and Nancy.
“At first, they weren’t quite sure what to think of it but they eventually came around and got excited about it,” Dylan said. “They think it’s great that I’m getting out and seeing a lot of different places. I text message them every night, tell them I’m alive and where I am. I talk to them on the phone every day.”
The younger Dethier, a 4-handicap golfer, probably told his parents about shooting a round of 76 on the par-71 course at the Muskogee Country Club.
“It’s nice out here,” he said. “The greens are quick and in great shape. I had a lot of fun.”
One of the people he met and played in a group with on Thursday was Muskogee’s Mike Ross.
“He’s a great kid,” Ross, a general contractor, said. “I’m glad to have him in Muskogee. He’s a pretty good player and a real ball striker.”
After striking balls in Oklahoma, Dethier was on his way to Colorado. His plans include Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee before going to the east coast and back home to play on his hometown course to finish up his trek.
“Hopefully, I can turn this into a book by the time it’s all said and done,” Dethier said.
