127. Go West Old Man...
By early February it was time to hit the road again. I had several areas of concentration that were available...but a bunch of these (Michigan with 5, Washington/Oregon with 8, and the Rockies with 4) were not exactly in hospitable of climates this time of year. And with some of the others (Phoenix, California, and Texas) I had to be careful about the schedules for the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, and Women's Tour as visiting an area when a tour was in town would create major difficulties for securing tee times.
After some study and poking around regarding accessibility and availability, I decided to spend the week of February 4-8 wandering around Phoenix and California. Phoenix and Scottsdale had three tracks I needed to play, and California a total of 5. Additionally Las Vegas had one, and there were two others in Arizona within about 100 miles of Phoenix that were possible. But I did not want to leave until early February 4 (the morning after the Super Bowl), and I promised Pat to head back Friday night February 8. Those constraints, less daylight in the northern hemisphere this time of year, and heavy play in these areas during February, meant my maximum number of courses would be nine (including one on Monday February 4). My target areas became the California Desert, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Phoenix/Scottsdale...including one course about 110 miles east of Phoenix.
After numerous emails and quite a bit of help from some friends, my itinerary was set...but daunting. I would start off departing Raleigh-Durham airport at 5:32am on Monday February 4, which would require setting the alarm for 2:15am...remember, the Super Bowl ended around 10pm, and we had to get home from a party!
Mission Hills Country Club (Tournament Course) February 4, 2019: Since early 1972, the LPGA Tour has played a tournament at Mission Hills' Tournament Course. The event was founded by entertainer Dinah Shore and Colgate-Palmolive's chairman David Foster, and attracted lots of attention by initially offering a purse more than double the purse of the then US Women's Open or LPGA Championship. The event's official name included "Dinah Shore" through 2000 and has been commonly referred to as "The Dinah Shore" throughout. Since 2015 the event's official name has been the "ANA Inspiration" after the Japanese airline All Nippon Airways became its official sponsor in late 2014. As The Dinah Shore became a Women's Major in 1983, I needed to play the course for my Women's Major Venue bucket list.
After connecting flights at Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, I arrived in Palm Springs, CA around 10am. Fortunately, I was able to catch some sleep on both flights, check into my hotel room early, and catch a short nap there. My tee time was 1:34pm, and I hoped the course would not be too crowded as sunset was at 5:18pm.
The Tournament Course opening in 1971 and was designed by Englishman Desmond Muirhead (who, with Jack Nicklaus, also designed Muirfield Village located outside of Columbus, OH). Mission Hills has two other courses which opened in 1979 and 1988. Since 1971 the California Desert (located about 125 miles east of Los Angeles) has grown tremendously and now includes some 120 courses. One of the course's great attributes is the fabulous views of the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains to the southwest of Palm Springs. Somehow the course is perfectly located...not too close and not too far from these mountains which provide a wonderful backdrop.
Muirhead moved a lot of dirt to convert dead flat desert terrain into a rolling course with hills up to 50-75 feet in height. It also is built around three large and two small artificial lakes. From the back tees it plays 7250 yards and for The Dinah Shore about 6770 yards. By far its best known hole is the par 5 #18, a flat dogleg left to an island green that stretches 98 yards from front left to back right (more below). The course is way too green and overwatered for my tastes, and has a number of very good holes, although I still am trying to figure out its par 4 6th hole. The greens are very well contoured and demanding.
My hopes for a relatively empty course were dashed when I arrived. I played the front nine with a couple who were fun golfers but it was slow for our threesome...and the course was totally jammed in front of us. However, a number of golfers were only playing nine holes and the back nine moved somewhat faster. I just managed to finish at 5:28, ten minutes after sunset, in not a lot of light, and playing through two groups (with permission) on the last two holes. My game was rustly at first and then improved after 7 holes...shooting a 41 - 39 = 80.
After the round, I headed to dinner with two old friends from Quaker Ridge (Michael F., another certifiable golf nut, and Mickey T.) at a wonderful Italian restaurant (Mitch's on El Paseo, in Palm Desert) where we told all sorts of golf stories of which at least 3.2% were true. I was able to get to bed by around 10pm (almost 23 hours since I awoke). Today was easy with just 18 holes and not much driving. The next four days would be tougher.
The Madison Club, February 5, 2019: After my last visit to the California Desert two years ago, I wrote the following (Post #71):
To my mind, desert golf to date is divided into three “eras”:
1. startup phase that featured Thunderbird, Tamarisk, La Quinta, and Eldorado;
2. “growth” era bringing huge developments with courses by Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus and others, which started with La Quinta Resort and PGA West and received nationwide attention with the advent of the televised “Skins Game” each Thanksgiving weekend; and
3. “over the top/boom-bust” era that has seen a new “king of the hill” club open about every five years proclaiming to be the latest and greatest (in order: Vintage, Quarry, Stone Eagle, and Madison Club) and today's world with no “full” clubs in the desert.
I am not sure which of the four is presently "king" but Madison is certainly in the running. Rumored to have cost around $200 million (when completed in 2007), Madison is the creation of Discovery Land Company, which specializes in extremely high end clubs with courses maintained in "perfect" condition, beautiful to behold, generally designed by Tom Fazio (as is Madison), and offering the very highest standards in amenities. Food stations abound serving just about everything one could hope for (although I did not see my Fiber One offered). Some might call the offerings "over-the-top" but I shall avoid such crass statements.
Although I am not a big "fan" of most Discovery Land clubs, the golf course here is certainly one of their finer offerings. It stretches to a hefty 7426 yards (at sea level) and one never has the feeling of playing in the desert. Rumors also claim that Fazio moved some five million cubic yards of dirt to build it. If true, and assuming the course covers 200 acres, that means an average of 15' 6" of dirt for all 200 acres! Think about that!! Only course I have ever seen on a similar scale is Shadow Creek in Las Vegas (played in 20122 before I commenced blogging).
Although I am not a big "fan" of most Discovery Land clubs, the golf course here is certainly one of their finer offerings. It stretches to a hefty 7426 yards (at sea level) and one never has the feeling of playing in the desert. Rumors also claim that Fazio moved some five million cubic yards of dirt to build it. If true, and assuming the course covers 200 acres, that means an average of 15' 6" of dirt for all 200 acres! Think about that!! Only course I have ever seen on a similar scale is Shadow Creek in Las Vegas (played in 20122 before I commenced blogging).
I was the guest of a friend of a friend. Originally from South Africa, Colin H. now splits his time between The Desert and a northwest suburb of Los Angeles. He is a wonderful player and even better gentleman. We played in some tough winds (a strong storm had hit overnight with wind gusts of 60+mph resulting in downed palm trees) but we were lucky that the winds calmed down to more manageable speeds (10-15mph) by our 8am tee off.
I played from 6048 yards...a fairly long course for me especially with 10-15mph winds but hit it very well (41 - 39 = 80)...with sixes on the par 5 8th and short par 4 9th marring what could have been a very good round. All in all I was very pleased with my game, and it was great to meet Colin.
This will never happen, but if Madison got real firm and fast, and widened its fairways to increase options and angles, IMO it could really be special. Favorite holes were #9 (despite my stupid double!) and #12. But who knows...these are a matter of taste...and I was glad to be able to see it and play it.
So why was I here?...Madison was on the Golf Week Modern 100 in 2018...and you will of course recall that I am trying to be the first to play the Golf Week Modern 100 + Classic 100 EVER (since you asked, as of today, this totals 411 courses, of which 9 no longer exist...so really 402).
So why was I here?...Madison was on the Golf Week Modern 100 in 2018...and you will of course recall that I am trying to be the first to play the Golf Week Modern 100 + Classic 100 EVER (since you asked, as of today, this totals 411 courses, of which 9 no longer exist...so really 402).
After the round, had to rush off for Newport Beach, CA, a drive of 127 miles.
Big Canyon Country Club, February 5, 2019: Fortunately (and miraculously), hit zero traffic going from La Quinta in the Desert to Newport Beach in Orange County. I arrived at Big Canyon a little early and had no idea how wet the course would be...this was a week of teeming rains in Southern California.
I was here as the guest of a member (Kit) who is a close friend of a fellow Golf Digest Panelist (Doug). Kit is an attorney with his own firm in the area, and was already at the club when I arrived. We were just about the only non-ducks out on the course this day...and there were some real water flows on this course (think of the club's name and the rain...). For obvious reasons, it was cart path only this day, and BCCC was a tiring course to play in these conditions.
From the back tees it plays 7061 yards (par 72) and features many uphill approach shots to raised greens...and on this days there was zero roll. The course winds through canyons with high end homes lining most fairways. It opened in 1971 and was also designed by Desmond Muirhead (architect at Mission Hills) and Ted Robinson, Sr. Known for decades as a high end club in Orange County, in recent years it also has hosted two USGA Championships (2000 US Women's Mid Amateur and 2014 US Senior Amateur).
On the front nine I put together a very smooth 46, followed by a somewhat improved (but still very ugly) 43 on the back...allowing me to break 90 by a hair. Of course, all of my scores here are based on ESC or "equitable stroke control" where a golfer at my level cannot take a score higher than a double bogey. This procedure prevents (or at least makes it more difficult for) golfers to maintain artificially high handicaps in a "get rich scheme". Given the stakes I generally play ($2 or $5 on the front, back and combined 18) getting rich or poor is tough, but golf can be played at very meaningful stakes.
Overall I liked the course but it was hard to really judge in these conditions. Some of the rain storms I saw on the news (and for brief periods experienced in my drive) would have put about any course underwater so judging the conditions based on this day would be unfair. But at least I got this one in...continuing my fortunate streak weather-wise (knock on wood). This trip would prove to be a tough one as days are still short in early February, I had some tough long drives between courses, I was dodging the West Coast's typical winter rainstorms the first two days, and would face a cold front and frost delays the next three days.
After the round I had a short (6 mile) drive to nearby John Wayne Airport to catch a 7:30 flight to Sacramento, CA. Frost delays and a a tight schedule were to be my issue the next day. I was scheduled for two private clubs, the first (Granite Bay GC) in Sacramento's suburbs just northeast of the city, and the second (Winchester CC) some 25 miles further northeast and lying half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
My flight was on time but was be a long day even without delays.
Granite Bay Golf Club, February 6, 2019: I was up early and the weather was very cold...in the high 30's which pretty much guaranteed frost. I was scheduled to do off around dawn (7:00am) but that was not going to happen. Two weeks ago I had been setup for for an early start by an assistant pro (Michael Berry) and that made scheduling this day possible.
Upon arriving I learned that they we're projecting an end to the frost delay at 10am...which meant getting in 36 would be impossible (with a 5:30pm flight to Phoenix). But experience taught me to just plow ahead and hope for the best. I knew nothing about Granite Bay (or Winchester) except that both had briefly appeared on the Golf Week USA Modern Top 100 in the late 1990's or early 2000's. Both were designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Granite Bay has a neat men's locker room with sections named after some historical greats of the game (Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, etc.).
I met the Greens Superintendent who asked who had set up my game...a question I answered honestly. At that point he mentioned that the rains had made the course impossible to rate, there was some ongoing construction, and that my request should have been reviewed by him. I knew I was stepping into an issue between the pro shop and course maintenance and I knew to tread carefully (even though I had followed correct protocols...at least this one time). I told the superintendent that I always ignore ongoing construction since it was obviously temporary, and if the course was overly wet I would not submit a rating as I fully understood the extent of the rains. Then as soon as possible I teed off on #1 before anyone changed their mind!
As many of you know, I am not a huge fan of R T Jones, Jr.'s architectural efforts. And for the first two holes at Granite Bay I sensed another disappointment. The first is a decent but ordinary par 4 protected by water left, and the second a very difficult and tight dog leg right par 4 (422 yards) to a blind green sloping sharply from front to back. I thought the green was way too difficult to hold (in normal conditions) for the hole.
To my surprise, what followed was a series of very good to superb holes over the rest of the course...with the best being #3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 16-18. After a very weak bogey, double bogey, double bogey start, I ended up shooting a semi-respectable 42 - 41 = 83. I was also able to play in 2:15 even with cart path only rules. A call to Winchester revealed that most tee time bookings had canceled and that the course was wide open...perhaps 36 might be possible.
After the round I found Michael Berry...who was originally from NY and was a baseball player who had switched to golf. He asked if I was a Mets fan and I told him "no...Brooklyn Dodgers." That brought a chuckle. I told Michael how much I liked the course and asked him to tell the superintendent I planned to submit a very very good rating for a really fine course (even with the questionable second green). That seemed to smooth his day. I really meant it...this unheralded track is really good...not great..but really good. As I have written before, highlights for these trips almost always center on finding "hidden gems."
Had to run to get to Winchester if I was to make the 5:50 flight.
Winchester Country Club, February 6, 2019: About 40% of the way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe lies Winchester CC. It opened in 2000 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. It sits at about 1800' in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and is intertwined among some 400 real estate lots. Not surprisingly, the development went through bankruptcy about 10 years ago and was subsequently sold to a Colorado developer. I had the sense that the project is on stronger footing and so long as the real estate market continues to be OK, will eventually be built out. There are a good number of beautiful homes overlooking the course...creating long cart drives from green to following tee.
Given the rains that had hit California this week, this round was not productive in terms of evaluating the course (but it did allow me to "check off" another course from there GolfWeek USA Top 100 Modern EVER list). It was soaking wet with water run-offs visible all over the course. Built on very hilly terrain it would be very difficult to walk, and my guess is that in decent conditions it would be reasonably good, but not close to a Top 100 level. I teed off on #10 and had a horrendous back nine and a good front (46 - 39 = 85 in order of play). The back nine is generally on flatter (but not "flat") land on rather open fields while the front nine is very hilly and cut through forests. I was able to play in about 2:25 as the course was almost empty, and hence had no problem catching my flight to Phoenix which departed Sacramento at 5:50pm.
Must say the Sacramento airport terminal is fabulous. Opened in 2011 and is actually not crowded. On the other hand, arriving in Phoenix was a big contrast. The terminals there have a tough timer handling the traffic...certainly at this time of the year.
I was staying with Rich & Sally L. in their home in Paradise Valley. Rich is an old Citibank friend and they had finished their new house about 2 years ago, and it is simply fabulous. But it was late when I arrived at their home and Rich and I were playing the next morning at 8am (although it was almost certain that frost would delay the tee off).
Whisper Rock Golf Club (Lower), February 7, 2018: I was here in April 2017 (Post #75) and played the Upper Course designed by Tom Fazio with Rich and my old neighbor from Purchase, NY, Chip W. I remembered starting very well (I was one over through 6 but finished with an 81).
My schedule for Phoenix both 2/7 and 2/8 was tight but very doable unless I faced some sort of weather delay...and frost was just about guaranteed for both days. I has lucked out so far this trip, but it was looking like the end of the lucky road as our tee time was moved back from 8:00 to 9:40.
The Lower was the first course built at WR, and was originally designed by Phil Mickelson. From the back it plays 7390 yards, but I moved up just a bit and played it from 6021 yards. Both courses have been on GolfWeek's Top 100 Modern, but neither has made the Golf Week Merged 100. The Lower is not as dramatic as the Upper, but it tests one's game just as well or even more so. The greens can be very tough...but the degree of difficulty is clearly a function of the day's pin placements. Every green is loaded with sites that would be brutal to get near, and punishing to miss. Fortunately, on this day most of those locations were being rested.
After a double bogey on #1, I started to shoot lights out and was even par for the rest of the front nine. After playing 10-16 two over, I messed up with doubles at 17 and 18 turning what should have been a great round into an 80...I think that is spelled "g-o-l-f"!
As I stated in Post #75, as good as the golf courses are at Whisper Rock, the club is even better. Absolutely superb without going over the top is tough to accomplish...but this place does it.
When we finished 18 I had to run if I was to get down to Superstition Mountain in Gold Canyon, AZ (about 50 miles to the southeast). As I was stopped at a light I checked my emails, which included an email from the head pro at Mirabel, GC, located about 2 miles from Whisper Rock, advising that due to the frost forecast for Friday, they they would have a shotgun start will everyone teeing off around 11am...which meant I could not get in 36 tomorrow. I quickly pulled over to think through my golfing schedule for the next 30 hours and realized there was a way to get in all three rounds. I quickly called Mirabel to see if they could accommodate me in about 30-60 minutes...and their answer was yes!! Then I called Superstition Mountain and they said yes to Friday afternoon. Deal done and also saved me over 100 miles of driving!! Said it before and I'll say it again...always have to have a plan B and be flexible...there usually is a way.
Mirabel Golf Club, February 7, 2019: The property where Mirabel sits was originally to house a tough, high end daily fee course designed by Greg Norman, called Stonehaven. After Stonehaven was fully built and in the grow in stage (approximately 2000), the entire development was sold to Discovery Land Company (same company that developed and owns The Madison Club in the California Desert...see above). Discovery Land decided the course was too tough for its concept, brought in Tom Fazio, plowed Stonehaven under, and built Fazio's course in its stead. So, $8 million or $15 million later (depending on whose account you believe), Mirabel Golf Club opened for play as a very high end private club...and seems to be doing very well.
I arrived around 1:0gr and was off tee #10 shortly thereafter, playing nine holes with a couple who were members, and the front nine by myself. My good play continued and in the afternoon I avoided costly double bogeys and had a superb feel with my putter. The result was a solid 37 - 39 (in order of play) = 76. Hit 13 of 14 fairways, 9 of 18 greens, and required just 31 putts. The course is very good, but not one of Fazio's best. It is beautiful to behold, but to my mind, does not excite a golfer's senses. Lots of folks worship Fazio's work, I am just not one of them.
All in all, could not complain about the day. Despite the frost, got in all 36 holes (and had a doable 36 for the next day), two good rounds, and finished it off with a wonderful dinner with Rich at their other club, Paradise Valley CC. Tomorrow is to start off with a long drive east past Globe, AZ, then to Superstition Mountain, followed by a dinner with an old roommate from business school, and then, unfortunately, a long night on a red-eye.
Apache Stronghold Golf Resort, February 8, 2019: The drive east to Apache Stronghold was about 100 miles and took almost two hours but it was worth it. I arrived around 8am and my start was delayed by frost but I was able to start play around 9:15.
Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 1999, the course is owned by a Casino (next door), and there ain't much else around it. The course is built in true AZ desert land, filled with natural desert washes and rolling land. This is a wonderful minimalist design...very little "dirt" was moved in constructing it, but the brilliance of its design is unfortunately camouflaged by poor playing conditions due to lack of sufficient cash flow. At one time (shortly after it opened) it was included on GW's Top 100 Modern list, but given economic realities, the clear likelihood is that those days are long gone.
I played fairly well (38 - 41 = 79) and wished I had more time to study and appreciate the beauty and simplicity of this design. In some ways it reminded me of my favorite AZ course...Coore & Crenshaw's We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course...but one had to look through the conditions to see that. Best holes are #4, #7, #13, and #14...simply loved the setting of the short dogleg left #13 to an elevated green, built on found naturally formed for this hole! In any case, if you are an architecture buff, it is worth the journey through some beautiful desert natural desert countryside.
After the round I had a 75 minute drive back west to Superstition Mountain, the last of nine courses on this five day journey.
Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club (Prospector), February 8, 2019: Superstition Mountain boasts two Jack Nicklaus courses. Prospector was the first build (opened 1999) and was designed by Jack and his son Gary, while Lost Gold followed and was designed by Jack and his son Jackie. Those were the days when Jack Nicklaus and Lyle Anderson owned the Phoenix golf scene.
In 2002 Prospector hosted the Senior Tour's Tradition Championship, won that year buy Jim Thorpe, hence it's place on one of my bucket lists (Senior Tour Venues Ever).
I arrived around 1:00 but frost in the morning moved my 2:20 tee time back to 2:50pm...and with sunset scheduled for 6:05pm, 18 holes was looking dicey at best. I was playing alone and was able to finish the front nine by 4:40. Luckily, a number of groups dropped out of play after 9 holes,. and I bolted around the back before running into a group at 15...so I rushed ahead of them to 16, played 16-18, then got back to 15 to finish the 18 holes by 5:45pm. Had a so-so 41 on the front (slow play never is good for my game), started the back with bogies on 10 and 11 and played the last seven even for a 37 on the back (total 78). Not a bad way to finish the trip.
The course is good but, with the exception of Muirfield Village in Ohio, I am just not a Nicklaus golf architecture fan. It is located right next to Superstition Mountain and there are stunning views on some of the holes. And its conditioning was very good.
Had time to thank the golf staff, take a quick shower and re-sort my luggage. Then drove west for dinner in Scottsdale with Dick Ardern. Dick and I spent two years in Pittsburgh together at Carnegie Mellon University's business school. He went off to IBM (where he spent all of his career before retiring), and we had not seen each other since March 2000 when we had try chance to play Cypress Point Club together. Next time you see me be sure to inquire about my round and how I played #16 that day!
After dinner it was time to head to the airport for my 11:59pm flight to Charlotte, followed by a flight to Raleigh Durham and arrival home on Saturday February 9 around 10:30am. Was great to see Pat after these five days and good to have knocked 9 courses of my list! One thing for sure...golf was not on my agenda for Saturday or Sunday. Sleep was required!!
OK...time for an update:
Total Courses Played 1,128
Bucket Lists underway:
Senior Tour Majors Ever--4 to go
Women's Majors Ever--6 to go
Amateur Majors Ever--5 to go
Tour Important Ever--6 to go
Five "Cups"--1 to go
World Top 100 Ever--2 to go
USA TOP 100 Ever--2 to go
GOLF WEEK 100 + 100 Ever--20 to go
Total to go (excluding double counts)--44
Big Canyon Country Club, February 5, 2019: Fortunately (and miraculously), hit zero traffic going from La Quinta in the Desert to Newport Beach in Orange County. I arrived at Big Canyon a little early and had no idea how wet the course would be...this was a week of teeming rains in Southern California.
I was here as the guest of a member (Kit) who is a close friend of a fellow Golf Digest Panelist (Doug). Kit is an attorney with his own firm in the area, and was already at the club when I arrived. We were just about the only non-ducks out on the course this day...and there were some real water flows on this course (think of the club's name and the rain...). For obvious reasons, it was cart path only this day, and BCCC was a tiring course to play in these conditions.
From the back tees it plays 7061 yards (par 72) and features many uphill approach shots to raised greens...and on this days there was zero roll. The course winds through canyons with high end homes lining most fairways. It opened in 1971 and was also designed by Desmond Muirhead (architect at Mission Hills) and Ted Robinson, Sr. Known for decades as a high end club in Orange County, in recent years it also has hosted two USGA Championships (2000 US Women's Mid Amateur and 2014 US Senior Amateur).
On the front nine I put together a very smooth 46, followed by a somewhat improved (but still very ugly) 43 on the back...allowing me to break 90 by a hair. Of course, all of my scores here are based on ESC or "equitable stroke control" where a golfer at my level cannot take a score higher than a double bogey. This procedure prevents (or at least makes it more difficult for) golfers to maintain artificially high handicaps in a "get rich scheme". Given the stakes I generally play ($2 or $5 on the front, back and combined 18) getting rich or poor is tough, but golf can be played at very meaningful stakes.
Overall I liked the course but it was hard to really judge in these conditions. Some of the rain storms I saw on the news (and for brief periods experienced in my drive) would have put about any course underwater so judging the conditions based on this day would be unfair. But at least I got this one in...continuing my fortunate streak weather-wise (knock on wood). This trip would prove to be a tough one as days are still short in early February, I had some tough long drives between courses, I was dodging the West Coast's typical winter rainstorms the first two days, and would face a cold front and frost delays the next three days.
After the round I had a short (6 mile) drive to nearby John Wayne Airport to catch a 7:30 flight to Sacramento, CA. Frost delays and a a tight schedule were to be my issue the next day. I was scheduled for two private clubs, the first (Granite Bay GC) in Sacramento's suburbs just northeast of the city, and the second (Winchester CC) some 25 miles further northeast and lying half way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
My flight was on time but was be a long day even without delays.
Granite Bay Golf Club, February 6, 2019: I was up early and the weather was very cold...in the high 30's which pretty much guaranteed frost. I was scheduled to do off around dawn (7:00am) but that was not going to happen. Two weeks ago I had been setup for for an early start by an assistant pro (Michael Berry) and that made scheduling this day possible.
Upon arriving I learned that they we're projecting an end to the frost delay at 10am...which meant getting in 36 would be impossible (with a 5:30pm flight to Phoenix). But experience taught me to just plow ahead and hope for the best. I knew nothing about Granite Bay (or Winchester) except that both had briefly appeared on the Golf Week USA Modern Top 100 in the late 1990's or early 2000's. Both were designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. Granite Bay has a neat men's locker room with sections named after some historical greats of the game (Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, etc.).
I met the Greens Superintendent who asked who had set up my game...a question I answered honestly. At that point he mentioned that the rains had made the course impossible to rate, there was some ongoing construction, and that my request should have been reviewed by him. I knew I was stepping into an issue between the pro shop and course maintenance and I knew to tread carefully (even though I had followed correct protocols...at least this one time). I told the superintendent that I always ignore ongoing construction since it was obviously temporary, and if the course was overly wet I would not submit a rating as I fully understood the extent of the rains. Then as soon as possible I teed off on #1 before anyone changed their mind!
As many of you know, I am not a huge fan of R T Jones, Jr.'s architectural efforts. And for the first two holes at Granite Bay I sensed another disappointment. The first is a decent but ordinary par 4 protected by water left, and the second a very difficult and tight dog leg right par 4 (422 yards) to a blind green sloping sharply from front to back. I thought the green was way too difficult to hold (in normal conditions) for the hole.
To my surprise, what followed was a series of very good to superb holes over the rest of the course...with the best being #3, 4, 6, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 16-18. After a very weak bogey, double bogey, double bogey start, I ended up shooting a semi-respectable 42 - 41 = 83. I was also able to play in 2:15 even with cart path only rules. A call to Winchester revealed that most tee time bookings had canceled and that the course was wide open...perhaps 36 might be possible.
After the round I found Michael Berry...who was originally from NY and was a baseball player who had switched to golf. He asked if I was a Mets fan and I told him "no...Brooklyn Dodgers." That brought a chuckle. I told Michael how much I liked the course and asked him to tell the superintendent I planned to submit a very very good rating for a really fine course (even with the questionable second green). That seemed to smooth his day. I really meant it...this unheralded track is really good...not great..but really good. As I have written before, highlights for these trips almost always center on finding "hidden gems."
Had to run to get to Winchester if I was to make the 5:50 flight.
Winchester Country Club, February 6, 2019: About 40% of the way between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe lies Winchester CC. It opened in 2000 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. It sits at about 1800' in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and is intertwined among some 400 real estate lots. Not surprisingly, the development went through bankruptcy about 10 years ago and was subsequently sold to a Colorado developer. I had the sense that the project is on stronger footing and so long as the real estate market continues to be OK, will eventually be built out. There are a good number of beautiful homes overlooking the course...creating long cart drives from green to following tee.
Given the rains that had hit California this week, this round was not productive in terms of evaluating the course (but it did allow me to "check off" another course from there GolfWeek USA Top 100 Modern EVER list). It was soaking wet with water run-offs visible all over the course. Built on very hilly terrain it would be very difficult to walk, and my guess is that in decent conditions it would be reasonably good, but not close to a Top 100 level. I teed off on #10 and had a horrendous back nine and a good front (46 - 39 = 85 in order of play). The back nine is generally on flatter (but not "flat") land on rather open fields while the front nine is very hilly and cut through forests. I was able to play in about 2:25 as the course was almost empty, and hence had no problem catching my flight to Phoenix which departed Sacramento at 5:50pm.
Must say the Sacramento airport terminal is fabulous. Opened in 2011 and is actually not crowded. On the other hand, arriving in Phoenix was a big contrast. The terminals there have a tough timer handling the traffic...certainly at this time of the year.
I was staying with Rich & Sally L. in their home in Paradise Valley. Rich is an old Citibank friend and they had finished their new house about 2 years ago, and it is simply fabulous. But it was late when I arrived at their home and Rich and I were playing the next morning at 8am (although it was almost certain that frost would delay the tee off).
Whisper Rock Golf Club (Lower), February 7, 2018: I was here in April 2017 (Post #75) and played the Upper Course designed by Tom Fazio with Rich and my old neighbor from Purchase, NY, Chip W. I remembered starting very well (I was one over through 6 but finished with an 81).
My schedule for Phoenix both 2/7 and 2/8 was tight but very doable unless I faced some sort of weather delay...and frost was just about guaranteed for both days. I has lucked out so far this trip, but it was looking like the end of the lucky road as our tee time was moved back from 8:00 to 9:40.
The Lower was the first course built at WR, and was originally designed by Phil Mickelson. From the back it plays 7390 yards, but I moved up just a bit and played it from 6021 yards. Both courses have been on GolfWeek's Top 100 Modern, but neither has made the Golf Week Merged 100. The Lower is not as dramatic as the Upper, but it tests one's game just as well or even more so. The greens can be very tough...but the degree of difficulty is clearly a function of the day's pin placements. Every green is loaded with sites that would be brutal to get near, and punishing to miss. Fortunately, on this day most of those locations were being rested.
After a double bogey on #1, I started to shoot lights out and was even par for the rest of the front nine. After playing 10-16 two over, I messed up with doubles at 17 and 18 turning what should have been a great round into an 80...I think that is spelled "g-o-l-f"!
As I stated in Post #75, as good as the golf courses are at Whisper Rock, the club is even better. Absolutely superb without going over the top is tough to accomplish...but this place does it.
When we finished 18 I had to run if I was to get down to Superstition Mountain in Gold Canyon, AZ (about 50 miles to the southeast). As I was stopped at a light I checked my emails, which included an email from the head pro at Mirabel, GC, located about 2 miles from Whisper Rock, advising that due to the frost forecast for Friday, they they would have a shotgun start will everyone teeing off around 11am...which meant I could not get in 36 tomorrow. I quickly pulled over to think through my golfing schedule for the next 30 hours and realized there was a way to get in all three rounds. I quickly called Mirabel to see if they could accommodate me in about 30-60 minutes...and their answer was yes!! Then I called Superstition Mountain and they said yes to Friday afternoon. Deal done and also saved me over 100 miles of driving!! Said it before and I'll say it again...always have to have a plan B and be flexible...there usually is a way.
Mirabel Golf Club, February 7, 2019: The property where Mirabel sits was originally to house a tough, high end daily fee course designed by Greg Norman, called Stonehaven. After Stonehaven was fully built and in the grow in stage (approximately 2000), the entire development was sold to Discovery Land Company (same company that developed and owns The Madison Club in the California Desert...see above). Discovery Land decided the course was too tough for its concept, brought in Tom Fazio, plowed Stonehaven under, and built Fazio's course in its stead. So, $8 million or $15 million later (depending on whose account you believe), Mirabel Golf Club opened for play as a very high end private club...and seems to be doing very well.
I arrived around 1:0gr and was off tee #10 shortly thereafter, playing nine holes with a couple who were members, and the front nine by myself. My good play continued and in the afternoon I avoided costly double bogeys and had a superb feel with my putter. The result was a solid 37 - 39 (in order of play) = 76. Hit 13 of 14 fairways, 9 of 18 greens, and required just 31 putts. The course is very good, but not one of Fazio's best. It is beautiful to behold, but to my mind, does not excite a golfer's senses. Lots of folks worship Fazio's work, I am just not one of them.
All in all, could not complain about the day. Despite the frost, got in all 36 holes (and had a doable 36 for the next day), two good rounds, and finished it off with a wonderful dinner with Rich at their other club, Paradise Valley CC. Tomorrow is to start off with a long drive east past Globe, AZ, then to Superstition Mountain, followed by a dinner with an old roommate from business school, and then, unfortunately, a long night on a red-eye.
Apache Stronghold Golf Resort, February 8, 2019: The drive east to Apache Stronghold was about 100 miles and took almost two hours but it was worth it. I arrived around 8am and my start was delayed by frost but I was able to start play around 9:15.
Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 1999, the course is owned by a Casino (next door), and there ain't much else around it. The course is built in true AZ desert land, filled with natural desert washes and rolling land. This is a wonderful minimalist design...very little "dirt" was moved in constructing it, but the brilliance of its design is unfortunately camouflaged by poor playing conditions due to lack of sufficient cash flow. At one time (shortly after it opened) it was included on GW's Top 100 Modern list, but given economic realities, the clear likelihood is that those days are long gone.
I played fairly well (38 - 41 = 79) and wished I had more time to study and appreciate the beauty and simplicity of this design. In some ways it reminded me of my favorite AZ course...Coore & Crenshaw's We-Ko-Pa Saguaro Course...but one had to look through the conditions to see that. Best holes are #4, #7, #13, and #14...simply loved the setting of the short dogleg left #13 to an elevated green, built on found naturally formed for this hole! In any case, if you are an architecture buff, it is worth the journey through some beautiful desert natural desert countryside.
After the round I had a 75 minute drive back west to Superstition Mountain, the last of nine courses on this five day journey.
Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club (Prospector), February 8, 2019: Superstition Mountain boasts two Jack Nicklaus courses. Prospector was the first build (opened 1999) and was designed by Jack and his son Gary, while Lost Gold followed and was designed by Jack and his son Jackie. Those were the days when Jack Nicklaus and Lyle Anderson owned the Phoenix golf scene.
In 2002 Prospector hosted the Senior Tour's Tradition Championship, won that year buy Jim Thorpe, hence it's place on one of my bucket lists (Senior Tour Venues Ever).
I arrived around 1:00 but frost in the morning moved my 2:20 tee time back to 2:50pm...and with sunset scheduled for 6:05pm, 18 holes was looking dicey at best. I was playing alone and was able to finish the front nine by 4:40. Luckily, a number of groups dropped out of play after 9 holes,. and I bolted around the back before running into a group at 15...so I rushed ahead of them to 16, played 16-18, then got back to 15 to finish the 18 holes by 5:45pm. Had a so-so 41 on the front (slow play never is good for my game), started the back with bogies on 10 and 11 and played the last seven even for a 37 on the back (total 78). Not a bad way to finish the trip.
The course is good but, with the exception of Muirfield Village in Ohio, I am just not a Nicklaus golf architecture fan. It is located right next to Superstition Mountain and there are stunning views on some of the holes. And its conditioning was very good.
Had time to thank the golf staff, take a quick shower and re-sort my luggage. Then drove west for dinner in Scottsdale with Dick Ardern. Dick and I spent two years in Pittsburgh together at Carnegie Mellon University's business school. He went off to IBM (where he spent all of his career before retiring), and we had not seen each other since March 2000 when we had try chance to play Cypress Point Club together. Next time you see me be sure to inquire about my round and how I played #16 that day!
After dinner it was time to head to the airport for my 11:59pm flight to Charlotte, followed by a flight to Raleigh Durham and arrival home on Saturday February 9 around 10:30am. Was great to see Pat after these five days and good to have knocked 9 courses of my list! One thing for sure...golf was not on my agenda for Saturday or Sunday. Sleep was required!!
OK...time for an update:
Total Courses Played 1,128
Bucket Lists underway:
Senior Tour Majors Ever--4 to go
Women's Majors Ever--6 to go
Amateur Majors Ever--5 to go
Tour Important Ever--6 to go
Five "Cups"--1 to go
World Top 100 Ever--2 to go
USA TOP 100 Ever--2 to go
GOLF WEEK 100 + 100 Ever--20 to go
Total to go (excluding double counts)--44
