Welcome.

Let’s start with an introduction. My name is Mike Dillon. I’m 32 years old, I live in Hoboken NJ, and I’m a golf-obsessed, newly minted dad. My daughter Julia arrived on December 1, 2021 and like many first time dads, I was filled with existential questions - Am I capable of caring for another human life? Will I be able to balance the demands of my career with those of my home life? How is this going to affect my golf game? I’m only half joking on that third one, but the purpose of this blog is to answer those questions and document the journey.

So who is this blog for? I think most readers will fall into 1 of three buckets:

1) Those looking for updates on my daughter Julia and my journey through parenthood (likely many people).

2) Those looking for updates on the status of my golf game (probably very few people).

3) Those looking for a combination of 1 and 2, as well as my thoughts on sports, pop culture, food and life in general (hopefully more than a few people).

My goal is to create 1 post per week, at least at first, containing a combination of points 1, 2 and 3 listed above.

So what’s the deal with the name - “five by eight”? I want to reach a 5 handicap index by the time Julia is 8 months old.

5 handicap? Currently I am sitting at 9.7; my career low was 7.1, so 5 would represent a huge improvement. Aim high.

8 months? Julia will hit 8 months by the end of July, which happens to coincide with the expected end date of my paternity leave. I am fortunate enough to work for a company with an extremely progressive family leave policy - I get 8 weeks fully paid leave, and will likely tack on a week or two of vacation time on top. So I’m going to put the deadline at 7/31/22 (subject to change, I make the rules here). Here’s an obligatory picture of Julia:

Now I am sure you are thinking - this jerk just had a baby and all he can think about is his handicap? And of course this thought crossed my mind as well. The reality is, I don’t really care about achieving this goal, but it creates a cool narrative for the blog, one that I hope keeps people engaged and coming back for more. But if I can provide some cool golf content or share some insight on my experience as a first time dad, then mission accomplished.

What I ask of you:

1) Be Kind (sometimes). Full disclosure, this is my first time writing or publishing in any capacity, so it will be a learning experience. Having said that, I can be extremely self-deprecating (especially about my golf game), so don’t hold back on a good roasting in the comments if you see fit. Which brings me to my next point -

2) Be Engaged. I know there are a lot of guys in a similar situation as me right now - I am certain that the cross section of golf nuts / young dads is pretty big. So feel free to share with someone in your life who meets either one or both of these descriptions. Hopefully I don’t sound like a click baiting, YouTuber here, but sound off in the comments as well! I welcome any feedback, but more importantly, I’d love to create a place where we can share anything from swing thoughts to stroller recommendations.

Hit ‘em straight.