23. Trip to Asia---First Two Days in South Korea

Trip to Asia---First Two Days in South Korea

Slept in a little late on Wednesday 10/28 (had stayed again at Cal Club) and headed to SFO around mid-day.  Flight left right on time at 1:55pm…about 12.5 hours, was smooth flight and we came in a few minutes early (about 6:45 on Thursday).  I was met at the airport by someone from one of the clubs I am visiting and he drove me about 65-70 miles to my hotel (basically east of Seoul).  It was drizzling slightly and chilly but the traffic was light.  I think I slept about half of the drive.  Hotel is nice, answered some emails, and got to bed around 10:30pm (+13 hours ahead of EDT).  BTW, a few of you emailed me back after my last post to say “congratulations on hole in one”.  Obviously, them folks read the cover email and not the blog.  Their names shall be kept a secret (there probably is a privacy law prohibiting the release of the names) but rest assured, it will be noted on their “permanent record cards” along with transgressions in grades 1-12 (I am safe in that regard, no more room on my card).

Friday morning woke early (too early, but the eyes had toothpicks in them).  Did some work (planning next trip etc etc) and took taxi to Haesley Nine Bridges around 11am.

Haelsey Nine Bridges October 30, 2015:  Long time readers of these works of literature (which is exactly what they are…you can add your choice of adjectives) will recall my journey around the world in May 2014 to complete the 2013 Golf Magazine Worldwide Top 100 listing.  Course #97 for me was Nine Bridges located on Jeju Island about 50 miles off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula.  About six years ago, Haesley opened on the Peninsula under the same ownership and management.  It is a very private club (seven figures US$ to join) and currently has 150 members (are Korean citizens) of which, some 40 are also members of Nine Bridges on Jeju. 

Haesley was included as #72 on Golf Digest’s initial Worldwide 100 Greatest published in early 2014.  It had never before appeared in any of the other World 100 listings.  I believe GCD will be issuing a new Worldwide list in the upcoming 3-4 months, and it will be interesting to see how Haesley moves (if at all).

Haesley is among a new class of courses built in the last 5-15 years in the Far East which are focused almost as much on the clubhouse as on the golf course itself.  Shanqin Bay on China’s Hainan Island is another example and this trip will bring me to at least two other examples.  The latticed woodwork that flows through the building (while providing structural support) is close to overwhelming (see pic below).  The main clubhouse incorporates some 245,000 sq. ft. of floor space (including underground parking).

If you are interested, go to:

 http://www.archdaily.com/490241/nine-bridges-country-club-shigeru-ban-architects

Being somewhat of a traditionalist (i.e. old f--t), I find myself somewhat “taken aback’ by this trend (and make no mistake, there are certainly prime examples of it here in the USA and in Europe).  On the other hand, some of the grand old establishments of yesterday that are still standing were, when built, the functional equivalent of what we see with this trend today.  Yes, I am talking about clubhouse such as the R&A in St. Andrews, Newport CC, Winged Foot, National Golf Links of America, Seminole, Congressional, etc…they are all magnificent structures today, but were they viewed as “over-the-top” when they were built?  And if they were, it is interesting how over time they have become, for lack of a better term, “more normal.”

It should also be noted that both eras have produced their share of understated clubhouses at great clubs…such as Peachtree, Cypress Point, Fishers Island, Camargo, and Somerset Hills of yesteryear and Sand Hills and Chechessee Creek of this era.

In any case, It was fun being treated like royalty!  Had a very good lunch with Chris Ahn, who is CEO of both Nine Bridges clubs (on left in oil above), and had the opportunity to meet Chairman Sohn.

Played with Mr. Nick Park (on right in pic above), a very fine young man (46 years old but looks like he is 25…perhaps in comparison to moi).  I very much enjoyed the course.  It is in great condition and fits very naturally into its very hilly terrain.  The greens are in superb condition…due in part to the installation of sub air and hydronics systems under all 18.  Additionally, Rick told me that in the event of cold weather overnight, the greens are all covered with mats to avoid frost.  Yes, this is a routine practice with Bermuda greens to avoid keep the temperature of the soil and grass up to avoid death of the Bermuda…but these greens are Bent grass and can easily survive frost.  So no expense has been or is spared here.

The course is very very good.  The greens are tough…lots of double breaks and very subtle…our woman caddy read them superbly.  Started off with three straight pars and thought I might do something good today.  That started to fall apart on #5, a slightly uphill par 5 (545 yards from tips) after a perfect drive and 3-wood…when I hit a so-so 8-iron to a pin sitting on top of a knob at the front of the green…only a perfect shot would have worked with this pin setting and mine was far from that.  Got back on my game starting on 7, and was playing well until after good a birdie on #15 (stiffed an 8 iron to 2’)…and I got hit with what I thought was simply a PBFU (Post Birdie F--- Up), but it seemed more like a jet lag crash…total in scope.  Finished out with three straight double bogeys (would have been worse without equitable stroke control...non-golfers, don’t ask, too complicated).  I was simply exhausted.

There are a good number of superb holes at Haesley, including #4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16 and 18 (I think regarding 16 and 18…as noted I was too exhausted to see straight!  Holes 9 and 10 are very very dramatic:

--#9 is a 440 yard, down hill off the tee, then a second shot into a green with a large lake fronting the green (two tiered green with tier on left about 4’ lower then right tier…sitting on top of a stone wall) and the lake comes into play on both your tee shot (which requires some thought regarding what club to play off the tee) and approach;

--#10 is a drivable short par 4 of 357 yards, doglegs left and and about the only flat hole on the track.  It has an island green and the fairway is also an island.  Great risk reward hole with real trouble all around the green

This is a course that you really need to get top know, as there are pin placements that you simply must avoid hitting toward. 

Bunkers were a little disappointing…very low edge around them.  Otherwise, excellent course.   Have to see some of the others here before I decide for sure if it is Top 100 material or not.  My immediate sense is no, but not that far off.  Too many “conventional” holes I think.  More as I think about it.

Got plenty of sleep that night and on October 31, had the day off (not my idea…very hard to get a tee time at a private club on weekends as many of the members want to play on those days).  Need the time to catch up on sleep…and had a very good dinner at a very small restaurant (that I would never be able to find again) with people form Whistling Rock, which I play tomorrow 11/1.

More in a couple of days…

22. Central CO October 22-24, 2015

Central CO October 22-24, 2015

YES…a hole in one!!  By my step-son, Clark Woolley on the 7^th hole of Lakota Canyon Ranch (went off on 10 so it was our 16^th hole of round), New Castle, CO (about 200 miles west of Denver) on October 24, 2015.  Hole played about 187 yards, slightly uphill, against a slight breeze.  Hole is a punch bowl and no part of the flagstick was visible.  Clark, who is a superb athlete, hardly plays any golf (I think this was his 3^rd round of the year) but can really launch it (hit a 7 iron, which is pretty strong even with a 10% reduction in yardage because of altitude…I figure the hole was playing about 175 yards adjusting for uphill/wind/altitude).  Twosome playing ahead of us was on 8^th tee (about 50’ above 7^th green) saw it go in and cheered!!  This was Clark’s first, and no doubt about it, he nailed it.  He was happy as can be, and when we got to the clubhouse 30 minutes later, no one was around for him to buy drinks.

Pat and I were in CO to see Clark, his bride Alexander, and their daughter Sarah (3 years 8 months) and son Owen (just past his 1^st bday) in their new home on Glenwood Springs, CO (about 50 miles west of Vail and 40 miles north of Aspen).  They moved there from Washington, DC and love it.  It was wonderful seeing all four of them for a few days.  Pat is flying back to NC, and I am heading west with my usual crazy itinerary.  Planning to play between now and November 12 the following courses:

USA

Seattle GC

Harding Park, San Francisco

Pronghorn GC—Fazio, Bend, OR

Crosswater Club, Bend, OR

South Korea

Anyang CC

Whistling Rock

Haesley Nine Bridges

South Cape

Jack Nicklaus GC Korea (host of President’s Cup 2 weeks ago)

Singapore

Singapore Island CC-Bukit Course

Indonesia

Bali Handara

Nirwana Bali

China

Spring City-Lake Course

Spring City-Mountain Course

Stone Forest- C Course (Leaders Peak)

Stone Forest-A Course

Mission Hills Haikou—Shadow Dunes

Mission Hills Haikou—Lava Fields

Sheshan International (host of HKSB Championship Nov 5-8)

Hoping for good weather and on time flights!!  If I can get all of the above in, will have made some serious progress on my bucket lists.

Clark and I played two local courses near their home, Ironbridge (which is literally in their backyard as they live off the 17^th tee, and joined the club), and Lakota Canyon, about 20 miles west of their home.  Both were built on mountainous terrain, which presents a lot of challenges for golf architects.  Outside of nanny goats, I doubt anyone had walked either course since they opened.  Par 5’s are a very real design challenge as it is difficult to find a stretch of land over 550 yards in length without a gorge intervening…and these gorges often create long carries without the possibility of a reasonable layup.

Weather was beautiful both Friday afternoon 10/23 (Ironbridge) and Saturday afternoon (Lakota).  Given the heavy rains Thursday through Friday morning, both courses proved to drain quite well.  Ironbridge is the tougher of the two (and at times too tough and bordering on unfair), and Tom Lehman has been renovating it to make some of the holes “softer”, which I applaud.  Lakota (designed by James Engh) is the better of the two courses and very forgiving (too much so) with slopes along both side of most fairways and greens typically surrounded on three sides by large mounds, causing many misdirected shots to kick towards the fairway or green.  Of course, the views on both are simply spectacular.  Both play to about 7100 yards from the tips (par 72) and we played both from about 6300.  Finishing late in the afternoon on both days, it became very chilly once the sun started hiding behind the mountains, but we got both rounds in.  In summary, both are good courses, but not  “top100 quality”…remember with some 15,500 course in the USA, the top 100 represents the top 0.6% and with some 35,000 courses in the world (I am guessing), the top 100 worldwide represent the top 0.3%...fairly lofty territory.

Lakota was #46 on Golf Week’s 2006 Top 100 Modern Courses in the USA list, but on the merged list of Modern and Classic, that came out to #105.  In 2007, Lakota dropped to #97 on the Modern list and then dropped off. 

Am now flying to Seattle, hoping the rain does not start till late this afternoon…

Seattle Golf Club October 25, 2015:  Made a very short visit to Seattle to play Seattle GC.  Main reason was to finish a mini-bucket list---playing every course that has hosted a Walker Cup Match.  There will have been 45 matches played to date, 23 in GB&I and 22 in the USA.  The 23 held in GB&I have been hosted by 13 different clubs, and I had played all of these 13 by 2013.  The 22 held in the USA have been hosted by 18 different clubs, and with my playing Seattle GC, I have now played all 18.  Additionally, I have played the announced venues for future Matches (2017, 2019, and 2021). 

To be completely forthcoming, I should point out that a Match had been originally scheduled at The Town & Country Club in St. Paul, MN to be played in 1940, but that Match was cancelled due to the start of World War II hostilities.  I have not played Town & Country, but since that Match was never held, believe that does not blemish my completion of the Walker Cup venues.

Seattle GC was founded in 1900 and hosted the 1952 US Amateur as well as the 1961 Walker Cup Match (which, as a historical note, was the last important Amateur event played by Jack Nicklaus before he turned professional in late 1961).  In terms of Top 100 listings, its only appearances were on Golf Week’s first six Top 100 Classic Course listings (from 1997-2002) including a peak of #79 in 1999.  However, it never appears on my “merged” Golf Week lists.

Seattle is a beautiful and superb club and is generally regarded to be the most prestigious Golf Club in the State of Washington.  The golf course (which was redesigned about 20 years ago by Arnold Palmer) is very very good, and is one I could play every day without being bored.  The greens are difficult and while the course is relatively short by today’s standards (6836 yards par 72), the climate in the Seattle area makes the course play much longer.

TPC Harding Park October 26, 2015:  Harding Park Golf Course (named after President Warren Harding) was completed in 1925 (originally designed by Sam Whiting, who also designed The Olympic Club’s Lake Course which sits directly across Lake Merced) and has been a municipal course owned by the City of San Francisco ever since.  About 12 years ago, an extensive renovation led by Sandy Tatum was completed which extended the course to its current 7169 yards.  Since then, it has hosted the President’s Cup (2009, and scheduled for 2025), the 2005 American Express Championship (part of the WGC series), and the 2015 Cadillac Match Play (also part of the WGC series).  The 2020 PGA Championship is scheduled for Harding Park.  Its only appearance on a “Top” listing was in Golf Digest initial “200 Toughest Courses in the USA” list published in 1966.  As you will recall, that list was purely alphabetical.

The course is very good and while its condition is very good for a municipal course, it is too wet, soft and slow to be considered to be in very good condition.  Played it with two members of California Club (where I stayed the nights of 10/25 and 27) and we were the first group off and finished playing in about 3:30.  Then back to Cal Club for lunch with a former club president who shepherded Cal Club’s phenomenal renovation completed in 2008.  Then it was off to Bend, OR to see a couple we met at our ISAGS trip to South Africa in March, and play 36 holes on Tuesday.

Pronghorn Golf Club (Fazio) October 27, 2015:  After my flight was delayed, arrived at our friend’s house around 9:30pm.  My first time here in the Oregon high desert and was interested in seeing Bend as I had heard wonderful things about it.  It is very late in their season and getting in 36 will require some luck, as there usually are frost delays here this time of year.  Sure enough, frost was on the ground Tuesday morning but we were able to tee off on Pronghorn Fazio by 9:45am.  This gave us time for a quick “drive-by” tour of Bend which is an old lumber mining town that is now a premier “destination town” for golf and skiing with tons of other activities.  Oregon’s Cascade Mountains provide a fabulous backdrop for a neat neat area.  Got the sense that the Chamber of Commerce boasts are pretty accurate.

This upscale club opened in 2004 with a course designed by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio’s course opened in 2006.  In terms of my Top 100 listings, the Fazio course was on the Golf Week merged list in 2010 and 2012 (highest rating was #88 in 2010).  Plan was to play the Fazio and the Crosswater Club (20 miles south of Pronghorn) as both have been on my USA Top 100 lists (always keeping bucket lists in mind) rather than both at Pronghorn.  The Fazio course is very private and the Nicklaus course is open to the public.

The Fazio course is really very very good…one of the best Fazio tracks I have played (note:  I am not a big Fazio fan).  It is not in the same league as Gozzer Ranch (ID) which I played last year, and Wade Hampton (NC) is clearly better (in my always humble opinion) but otherwise it is one of the best Fazio’s I have played…in the same league as Diamond Creek (NC), Estancia (AZ), John’s Island-West (FL), and Martis Camp (CA) among others.  Back better than front and best holes are #7, 12, 14, and 15 and most interesting is #8:

            #7…tough 496 yard par 4 that starts with a fairly mundane looking tee shot and a superb setting of the approach (in that regard, similar to the brilliant #15 at Gozzer Ranch);

#8…187 yard downhill par 3 created by blasting out tons of volcanic rock which uncovered a long, deep lava tube underground (now visible from the “crater” created by the blasting and excavation) and created a green setting surrounded on three sides by a 10’ high wall of lava rock;

#12 is a short 500 yard par 5 that gets very interesting in its final 100 yards due to a small green (with a “false left side”) hidden behind a large fairway bunker positioned about 65-80 yards from the center of the green (and at the base of a small hill that blocks any view of the green if you lay up short of the bunker);

#14 is a short/drivable 312 yard par 4 uphill to a very very narrow but deep (56 yards) green that slopes from front to back over a crest and surrounded by small dunes left and right; off the tee, the player must decide whether to try to carry a very large bunker in the center of the fairway about 75-100 yards short of the green center;

#15 is a tough tough 515 yd par 5 favoring a draw off the tee and a fading second to a raised green angled from right front to back left.

At 7456 yards (par 72), this is a big course which includes a 676 yard par 5 ninth hole. 

While it would be hard to consider this to be a “natural” course, it is really very well done.  We were the first played off and finished in exactly three hours…and it was off to Crosswater.

Crosswater Club October 27, 2015:  Located in Sunriver, OR about 20 miles south of Bend.  Opened just over 10 years ago, Crosswater was completed just over 20 years ago.   It is a very big course…stretching to 7683 yards (par 72).  The Little Deschutes River crosses the course seven times and results in a lot of wetlands coming into play.  It was designed by Robert Cupp and in terms of Top 100’s, it has been:

            --on Golf Digest’s USA list in 1999 and 2001 (peak rating #80 in 1999)

            --on my merged Golf Week USA list 1997-2002 (peak #58 in 2001)

It is relatively flat, obviously long, and very tough.  But it is also somewhat dated.  Good course but not Top 100 quality today.  It did however win the “battle of the par 5’s” having extended its 12^th hole to 687 yards, thereby beating Pronghorn’s #9 by 11 yards.  I played from the White/Senior tees…6138 yards total and 572 yards on this 12^th…and somehow did not reach #12 in three.  Not my style of course (although I sunk a 6 footer on 18 for a 79). 

We played Crosswater in three hours but it was chilly and damp especially on the back.  Got all 6 USA courses in over the past 5 days.  Actually made the 36 today with plenty of time to spare. 

List Status:

OK…where do we stand?  First, now have played:

            --785 courses over my lifetime;

            --125 courses to date in 2015 (94 of which were new for me)

            --166.5 rounds to date this year

In terms of bucket list, aside from completing all Walker Cup Match host courses, the following improvements (items in italics) in my lists were made:

1.     Worldwide Top 100 Ever from seven sources: 263 courses on list, 245 played, and 18 to go (Asia—11, Australia/NZ—5; Europe and Caribbean 1 each).

2.     US Open Venues: 54 in total, 52 played and two to go (Skokie-IL and Brae Burn-MA)

3.     1939 “First Top 100” (spoof): 101 courses (two tied for 100 spot), 81 played, 5 no longer exist, and 15 to go (England-6; USA-1; Cont Europe-3; S Africa-2; Canada-1; Sri Lanka-1; Vietnam-1)

4.     USA Top 100 Ever from five sources: 338 courses on list, 293 played, 2 no longer exist, and 43 to play

5.     Men’s Major Venues Ever:  total of 121 courses, 93 played, 1 no longer exists, and 29 to go (2 US Open...see #2 above; 27 PGA)

6.     “Cups”—Walker, Ryder, and Presidents: total of 69 courses, 56 played, and 13 to play (RC-12; PC-1)

The next 16 days or so will make major improvements in #1 and a small improvement in #6 if the trip goes as planned.  Will feed you updates as the trip proceeds.

Flight back to San Francisco went smoothly and again stayed at Cal Club.  It is now Wednesday mid-day as I get ready to fly to Seoul this afternoon.

Interesting Ride:

Made good use of Uber on this trip as I did not rent cars in Seattle or San Francisco.  Sunday night on my ride from SFO to Cal Club, I asked my driver a few questions…they are summarized below with his answers in italics:

1.     Where are you from?  Beirut Lebanon

2.     How long have you been driving for Uber?  Two years

3.     Do you have another job?  I am studying at U of Cal (Berkeley)

4.     What field and what degree are you seeking?  Masters degree in Nuclear Engineering.

5.     What do you plan to do when you get the degree?  Go back to Beirut.

You can draw your own conclusions, but my bet is that he has a federally funded grant paying his way for his studying here.

21. Continue Trip from MA to NC October 3-9, 2015

Continue Trip from MA to NC October 3-9, 2015

Medford Village CC October 7, 2015:  Medford Village lies in NJ about 15 miles from Philadelphia.  In 1969, Golf Digest published it’s first USA Top 100 (and perhaps the first Top 100 ever…as GD’s 1966/67 efforts were “200 Toughest” listed alphabetically, and the 1939 World list from golfclubatlas.com was a spoof).  GD’s 1969 list was intended to be the top 100 “Tests” in the USA, and Medford Village was in the 51-60 bracket.

Simply put, its inclusion is a prime example of the poor quality of lists way back then.  People didn’t travel like they do now, there was no internet (Al Gore was busy inventing other things), and the editors (I doubt there were panelists then) were in many cases just guessing or going off course ratings.  Not to mention the sacrifices your truly must make to complete his stupid bucket lists J

At 7135 yards (par 72), Medford Village is a long test.  It is flat, tight (every fairway lined with trees…a wee bit claustrophobic), over watered, and boring (for a top 100…compared to most to the 15,000 or so courses in the USA, it is OK to good).  One surprise...completed in 1964, its greens are very small for that era.  In any case, I am pleased to have it in my rear view mirror.

Plainfield CC, October 7, 2015:  Plainfield CC was founded in 1890 as a tennis club and evolved into more of a golf club over the decades.  I had played it once before in 1986 and hardly remembered it.  In those days it was choked with evergreens.  In fact, I could not recall a single aspect of the club or course during my visit this week.  In recent years Plainfield went through a set of brilliant renovations that included the removal of hundreds of trees and opened up the course and its vistas. 

Plainfield hosted the 1978 US Am (won by John Cook) and the 1987 US Woman’s Open (won by Laura Davies) as well as the 2011 and 2015 Fed Exp Cup Barclays.  The grandstands from the 2015 Barclay were still being disassembled on 10/7, about three weeks after the event.

The course was designed by Donald Ross and opened for play in 1921.  It has been a mainstay on the USA lists, only missing two early Golf Week lists and appearing in 56 of the 58 Top 100 lists.  When looking at the full Golf Week classic/modern lists and including the 1966/67 200 Toughest from GD, Plainfield has appeared in 59 of 60 (only missing the 1966 GD Toughest).  Its highest rating on a USA list was #34 (GD in 1985) and its highest current rating is #37 on my Golf Week merged list.

I must confess to have mixed emotions about Plainfield.  No question that the tree removal program and renovation have revealed the brilliance of the Ross design.  The land is excellent (with rolling fairways creating strategic decisions on many shots), the greens and bunkering are among Ross’ best (with more false fronts than my Junior High School classes), and the course is very fair, while being a real test.  It also was stretched to 7110 yards (par 72) for the PGA tour Barclays event…and that took some creative positioning of tees.  While these tees created a test worthy of the Fed Ex Cup playoffs, I believe they had a negative affect on the “flow” of the course, and I wonder if the club will come to regret this quest for hosting (every five years) such an important event.  Must say that I am not quite sure how I come out about Plainfield.  It is a brilliant design with one of the best sets of greens to be found anywhere, and I love the open vistas…but I am not enamored with the “feel” and “flow” with some of the new tees. 

One final point, it condition was good, and reflected the stress created by having such a large event three weeks prior with tons of play since, and heavy rains the previous weekend.  My strong sense is that on a regular basis, the playing conditions are excellent, firm, and fast.

Hollywood Golf Club, October 8, 2015:  The club was founded in 1898 and in 1916 its course underwent a major renovation under the guidance of Walter Travis (think Garden City GC and Ekwanok).  More recently, Rees Jones led a restoration project in 1998, and Tom Doak led one than was completed in two years ago.  It hosted the US Woman’s Senior Amateur won by Joan Higgins last year. 

While Hollywood has regularly been on Golf Week’s USA Top 100 Classic list, it has never been high enough to make the GW merged top 100.  It was, however, #59 in the spoofed 1939 World 100.

Over the years I had heard numerous positive comments about Hollywood.  The late Robert “Bobby” Jacobson won the club championship 25 times in a period of 28 years.  One of Bobby’s sons was a member of Quaker Ridge when I played there and Bobby’s golf exploits were legendary.  A friend in Pinehurst was a very senior partner at the Wall Street firm founded by Bobby as speaks in glowing terms about him.

On the other side of the coin, if you remember the demise of Bear Stearns, Hollywood GC was reputed to be where Bear Stearns’ chairman, Jimmy Cayne, spent a fair amount of time playing bridge while Bear fell apart in 2007-08.  While I played the course, I did not get a chance to see its bridge room.  Think that was the right choice.

The course is brilliant.  Sitting within a mile of the Atlantic (in Deal, NJ at the north end of the New Jersey Shore) it has a sand base, perfect for a great golf course.  The condition was just plain perfect…firm and fast with greens that were receptive to good shots but not to others.  The course was laid out on a large plot of land and has accommodated a stretching to 7,040 yards (par 71) without contorting the layout or flow of the 18 holes.  The greens and bunkering are fabulous, and the fairways are quite wide, creating strategic decisions for the player.  This is another “hidden gem” and certainly one that a golfer could play every day without getting bored. 

Best holes are:

            --#3…462 yard par 4 with green sharply sloping from back left to front right, places a real premium on the approach shot (do not be above the hole) while giving the player several strategic alternatives for the approach (since the front of the green is wide open albeit with a mild false front)

            --#4…150 yard uphill par 3 to a green with 7 deep bunkers in front and on both sides of the green…and a green sloping severely from back to front (thereby protecting the back of the putting surface and a very deep sharply sloping false front)…no place to hide on this one!  (See pic)

            --#12…460 yard par 4 from raised tee and then flat to green…with a mere 39 bunkers (yup, I did count them) guiding your way through a split fairway..a brute of a hole

            --#13…334 yard par 4 doglegging sharply left with perfectly place fairway bunkers (including a Principal’s Nose bunker) forcing a player to decide what direction and distance to play their tee shot.  Green is very narrow up front and widens in back, while sloping sharply from back to front and left to right (reminding me of the 3^rd green at Winged Foot West)…a great drivable par 4

            ---#14…438 yard par 4 uphill of tee to fairway that crests and then flows down hill to large green sloping from back left to front right and fronted by an angled stream (that was a mouthful).  Fairway protected by bunkers left and right near the crest of the hill.

This was a wonderful way to complete by tour of New Jersey...especially with the help of a 10’ par putt to allow me to bring it home with 79 strokes.

Had to run after the round to try to avoid as much of Washington DC’s traffic as possible.  Drove down to Williamsburg VA for last round of journey the next morning.  But looking back, amazed that I actually got in all 10 rounds at the 10 courses that I had originally planned (plus a bonus 9 holes at Montclair GC) despite some horrendous weather along the way.  Patience, and flexibility pays off.

Stonehouse Golf Club, October 9, 2015:  Stonehouse is a Mike Stranz creation that in 1998 was rated #31 on Golf Week’s USA Top 100 Modern courses and #62 on my merged Golf week list.  Simply put, it ain’t no longer.  It is in terrible shape, requires immense drives (you wouldn’t dare try to walk it) from green to tee, has deep holes around sprinklers and drains in the fairways that are like potholes in NYC, etc etc etc.  This course is awful (to put it nicely) and I am pleased to have it in my rear view mirror. Enough said.

Roaring Gap Golf Club, October 11, 2015:  Pat and I made a quick trip to the NC mountains on Sunday to visit friends and play Roaring Gap GC, a wonderful Donald Ross creation (restored by Kris Spence a few years ago) with a fascinating history.  The Tuft’s family (founders of Pinehurst) and Donald Ross created Roaring Gap as a summer retreat for members of Pinehurst.  In late Spring, much of the staff from Pinehurst would move to Roaring Gap for the summer months, and members of both would be served by the same staff they knew from Pinehurst.  A little event known as the Great Depression created some problems with that business model, but Roaring Gap continued on as a separate entity controlled by the wealthy families of Winston-Salem, NC (big $$ there being associated with Reynolds Tobacco which was not as drastically affected by the Depression as other companies).  With Winston a mere hour away, Roaring Gap is a perfect weekend retreat for escaping the hot NC summers in the mountains (3600’ elevation).

While Sunday was a glorious day, it had rained heavily the day before, so the course was not playing its usual fast/firm conditions.  But the bones of the course are obviously superb, and I hope to get back when it is playing as it normal does…question is, when?, since we are in Boston from Late May thru early Oct each year.

Status of Bucket Lists

1.     --Worldwide Top 100 Ever from seven sources: 263 courses on list, 244 played, and 19 to go (Asia—11, Australia/NZ—5; Europe, USA, and Caribbean 1 each).

2.     US Open Venues: 54 in total, 52 played and two to go (Skokie-IL and Brae Burn-MA)

3.     1939 “First Top 100” (spoof): 101 courses (two tied for 100 spot), 81 played, 5 no longer exist, and 15 to go (England-6; USA-1; Cont Europe-3; S Africa-2; Canada-1; Sri Lanka-1; Vietnam-1)

4.     USA Top 100 Ever from five sources: 338 courses on list, 291 played, 2 no longer exist, and 45 to play

5.     Men’s Major Venues Ever:  total of 121 courses, 93 played, 1 no longer exists, and 29 to go (2 US Open...see #2 above; 27 PGA)

6.     “Cups”—Walker, Ryder, and Presidents: total of 70 courses, 56 played, and 14 to play (WC-1; RC-12; PC-1)

Next Trip—West coast quickie on way to Asia…South Korea, Bali, China, and Singapore…Oct 25-Nov 12!!!  Stay tuned.  Hoping to make a small dent in some of the above lists.