151. How I Spent the Months of April and May 2021
Word to the wise…do not get behind…it gets very hard to catch up!
My last entry was posted November 14, 2020 and at that time I had played (most of) course #1262, Bright’s Creek in Hendersonville, NC on November 5, 2020…and that was a time limited 14 holes. Between November 5 and March 29, I played CCNC’s Dogwood andCardinal a total of 13 and 6 “complete round equivalent” times respectively and once each at Forest Creek-South, Pine Needles, andDormie (all of which I had played numerous times previously). Something to do with something called COVID I think.
I also graduated from my Cardio Physical Therapy class. That program was a huge help and it pushed me to extend my walking routine. Walked nine holes with an electric pull cart on January 7, eighteen holes with electric pull cart on January 19, and carried my “Sunday bag” for 18 holes on March 5!! I will be the first to tell you that walking up the sharply uphill par 5 18th on CCNC’s Dogwood course was not exactly a picnic, but I did make it without crawling!
I tried to play some private clubs near Charlotte, NC but COVID is keeping golf tee time demand at record levels and many clubs have so much member demand they simply do not have the capacity to allow Panelists to play. And this is a world-wide phenomenon; similar tales have emanated from places as varied as Great Britain and China.
During this period, I also kept busy working my spreadsheet and a new effort, entitled “Fescue”, developed and maintained primarily with a good friend from Los Angeles, Tom Brown. It came about as I was looking for a list of new courses being developed around the world as well as important renovations/restorations…and we quickly ascertained that no such list existed. I started a spreadsheet which at first had 9 projects on it. Tom built todays’ version of Fescue and did the majority of the research; the list now totals over 720 projects in about 75 different countries with completion dates of January 1, 2020 forward. Go to https://fescue.github.io
Received my first Moderna shot on February 4 and second in March making me ready to go by around March 18 and allowing me to return to my crazy travel routines in full force. To summarize, from March 29 through August 27 (152 days by my count) I have played 87 different courses (69 for the first time and 18 that I had played before) in some 25 different states. I now stand at 1330 courses played in my lifetime and have made some serious progress towards completing my crazy bucket lists.
During this time, I have failed to keep you informed and/or bored…and for that I apologize. No way I can catch up in the detail I have used in the past…problems with memory and lack of typing skill are just two of the reasons. But I will try to give you some highlights as well as interesting details where I can.
Texas Trip March 28-April 2--Trip #1:
My assault on various bucket lists commenced with a flight to Dallas the evening of Sunday March 28. I flew out of Charlotte and the flight arrived DFW at about 12:30am on Monday. Fortunately, I had rented a car early enough otherwise I would have been SOOL (sxxx out of luck) with no car. As it was it was impossible to secure a car for a one-way rental. Squeezed for cash during the pandemic all the rental car companies cancelled order for new fleets and sold as much of their older cars as possible. With the vaccine program going well and people feeling safe enough to travel, there just ain’t enough cars out there (and the current semiconductor industry issues will keep things tight for a while).
The morning of March 29 I played Maridoe Golf Club with good friend Dave W. and his brother Paul (most of this trip was with Dave W. and either his brother Paul and/or their good friend Leigh E.). Dave had been a long-term Golf Digest Panelist (which is how we met), but in April he accepted a position on GOLF Magazine’s Panel and resigned from Golf Digest’s. I will keep it simple with Maridoe…it is super hard…right up there with the likes of Oakmont, Carnoustie, Winged Foot-West, etc. From the back tees (which I did not play…otherwise I would still be trying to finish 18 holes) it plays to a course rating of 80.5 (I cannot recall previously seeing any course that high) and slope of 155 (the maximum allowed). I had a 41 – 45 = 86 and felt “beat-up” after the round. While I would not characterize the courses as unfair, it sure is close…and IMHO the 10th hole crosses that line. It hosted the 2021 US Women’s Four Ball Championship in April. Its site was previously home to Columbian Golf Club and Honors Golf Club and then was purchased by oil/gas billionaire Albert Huddleston who retained Steve Smythers to build an all new course (hoping it will someday host a US Open…good luck with that). It is known as the “in” course for professional jocks in Dallas. I cannot imagine why a mere mortal would want to join…but in golf egos explain a lot.
Next course for me was Coore & Crenshaw’s Trinity Forest. As you may recall, since I conquered the World Top 100 from All Sources (EVER) list in 2018 for the second time, six courses (3 in the USA and 3 overseas) that I never played have made new World Top 100 lists. Trinity Forest was one of these six so playing it brought that task list down to 5. I had heard very mixed reports regarding Trinity Forest…some loving it and others hating it (might even be the new “king” of the “high standard deviation in ratings” category). It very much reminded me of The Old Course at St Andrew’s and was VERY firm and fast. Loved the greens (especially #17) and the angles/options.
At the start of the round I had a real scare. Went out with a caddy and a cart but half way through the first hole I felt exhausted and a little short of breath. The caddy called for a cart to get me, I went back and rested in the clubhouse for 20-30 minutes and by then felt fine. So I told the caddy let’s give it another try (this is a walking only course)…and I was perfectly OK for the rest of the round and the months since.
The afternoons after the above two rounds were very special. Caught up with Tim Cusick, my long-time swing coach who is now working to help launch the PGA’s new headquarters in Frisco (some 40 miles north of Dallas). Tim is also teaching part time in Dallas and was able to quickly spot some of my latest swing flaws and get me headed in the right direction. The second afternoon included a tour of the Frisco construction site where a future PGA Championship site designed by Gil Hanse is growing in alongside another interesting course designed by Beau Welling (in its later stages of construction). Both should open in 2023 and are highly anticipated. The PGA and its partners are investing some $500 million on this site which is expected to totally change the economy of Frisco, TX.
Wednesday March 31 was spent playing Las Colinas Country Club (opened 1963 and designed by Joe Finger), a classic example of what was wrong with the architecture of the 1950’s through 1980’s, and The Vaquero Club, completed in 2001 by Tom Fazio and Discovery Land (champions of “over-the-top” concept in golf clubs). Las Colinas hosted the US Women’s Amateur in 1969 and Vaquero made one appearance (2007 where it placed #163) on my Merged version of Golf Week’s USA Top 100 Classic and Top 100 Modern. Vaquero is a fabulous facility…but the golf course did not get my juices flowing. My architectural preferences run in different directions…but hosting a Women’s Am is not small potatoes and making any USA Top 200 list (given there are some 16,000+ courses in the USA) also ain’t small potatoes.
That evening Dave and I drove past Austin deep into Hill Country. Thursday would be centered around Boot Ranch and Escondido. I had an interesting reaction to Boot Ranch. It was designed by Hal Sutton and opened to acclaim in 2006. As I hit balls on its vast (34 acre) practice range waiting for the overnight frost to burn off, I marveled at the huge expanse of land they had to work with. While I really liked almost all of the course’s 18 holes (best being #2, 10 and 11), it was too hilly to walk and the great distances from green to tee also discouraged walking. The “flow” of the course and the overall design suffered because of that. Somehow it may well be that too much land can “spoil” a course. The best counter example is of course, Merion Golf Club’s East Course which sits on a mere 110 acres and sits well within almost everyone’s World Top 10 or Top 20. My “interesting reaction”: limited land forces an architect to go deep and think hard about alternatives…excess land availability can promote sloppy and careless design.
I generally enjoyed Escondido (designed by Tom Fazio and opened in 2007) and played it well (41-39 = 80) but found too much repetitiveness among the holes. Both courses have only appeared on Golf Week’s USA Top 200 Modern (and thus my merged Golf Week Top 200 or 400 lists). Boot Ranch has appeared seven times (most recently at its best position ever…192 on the Merged list) and Escondido has appeared eight times, most recently in 2021 at #336 on the merged list and having hit it best position in 2015 (#328).
Dave and I then drove back to Houston (a long haul after 36 holes) and had to get ready for Houston’s River Oaks Country Club the next day. Although I played poorly at River Oaks, I really really liked the course and it was a fun day. First, as we arrived at the club’s parking lot, I realized we would be playing with Andres P., Scott W’s (Alan W’s son’s) father-in-law whom I met at the wedding in Buenos Aires almost 20 years earlier. Andres is a superb player (was Senior Club Champion at Pine Valley a number of years ago) and a wonderful guy. Second, the course is much better and tougher than I expected. The greens are very tough as are the slopes close to the greens (being a yard or two off here can extract a big punishment). In that way, it very much reminded me of Augusta National…and the entire facility is magnificent…much larger than I expected.
While River Oaks hosted the 1940 Western Open, it has never hosted a USGA Championship. And shockingly, its only inclusion on a “Top” USA or World list was in 1966…that very first list of “200 Toughest” published by Golf Digest. Never again.
After a couple of drinks, it was off to the airport to get home. This brought me to 1269 lifetime but more important, got me back interested in getting some of the lists done!
Savannah GA area…April 5 and 6—Trip #2
This one could be called a quickie. On Monday 4/5 I drove down to Sea Island to play the new Plantation Course designed by Davis Love III. Sea Island now has 54 holes and I have played 36 (Plantation and Seaside) including all of the holes (or restorations thereof) that have hosted a USGA Championship (6 Senior Women’s Ams, the 2004 Mid Am, and 1963 Senior Am). The Seaside 18 (which I played in 2011 has been included on 36 USA lists…with a high of #76 on Top100golfcourses.com’s 2010 listing) is a regular stop for the PGA Tour. Its highest current listing is #176 on Golf Digest’s 2021 USA Top 200.
While I generally liked the course (good greens create interesting angles on approach shots…and require fairly extensive course knowledge), I found that on four of the holes it was difficult to understand overall hole design and the direction the fairway moved. Not sure that is a plus.
Early the next morning, I quickly played Savannah Country Club, which hosted the 1985 US Women’s Senior Am. This track has seen better days and I was pleased to have it in my rear-view mirror.
While there were other courses I need to play in the Hilton Head area, they were not available due to member demand.
Scottsdale, AX, Las Vegas, NV, and SW UT…April 19-21—Trip #3
Hitting three different cities in three days to play 5 different courses was a tough schedule. I left on an early nonstop from Charlotte to Phoenix and played the Chiricahua Course at Desert Mountain in the northern part of Scottsdale. Desert Mountain has seven golf courses, six of “regulation” length and one par 3 course (“No. 7”), all of which were designed by Jack Nicklaus. I had previously played Apache and Renegade in 1966, and Cochise (2017..Post #75). In 2013 Chiricahua was rated #195 on Golf Digest’s USA 100 Greatest, which placed it within my bullseye.
I played with three members who could hardly believe my stories…especially since I played like a dog (a wounded dog, actually) and shot 44 - 46 = 90. As I have said many times (especially since my recent surgery), these course visits are to see the courses, not my game! A few good holes (best being 12 and 14 IMO) but if it wasn’t for the Golf Digest listing, was not worth the effort. After the round I headed back to the airport to fly to Las Vegas. The trip went smoothly except the LV airport was packed when I arrived and I waited some 45 minutes for the bus to car rental, but eventually reached my hotel.
In the morning on April 20, I played Las Vegas National, which might shock those of you who have played it. But the history of this place is astounding. It was one of the Rat Pack’s primary hangouts…yes, I mean Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Sammy Davis, Jr. Plus, it hosted 6 Women’s PGA Championships (1961 through 1966) and the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions twice (1981 and ’82) when it was part of the Stardust Hotel or Stardust CC. Suffice it to say it has seen better days. But I did shoot a 43 – 39 = 82 which was encouraging.
That afternoon it was over to the Wynn Hotel which now includes the Wynn Golf Club…designed by Tom Fazio and his son Logan and constructed on the acres previously occupied by the Desert Inn’s golf course (which was totally bulldozed prior to the construction of Wynn). I had to play it because of my self-made rules…it is occupying land that previously hosted The Tournament of Champions from 1953-1966. While this course is certainly superior to Las Vegas National, it rates highest in the “over-the -top” category…which is a negative indicator in my book. But I got it done…and sank perhaps the longest putt of my life with a 102-footer on the par 5 third hole. Other than that tidbit, I have no highlights worth reporting (and I refuse to describe the waterfall behind #18 green as a highlight). But…this day completed my course requirements in southern Nevada.
Following the round at Wynn, I drove 135 miles (2:10) to Sand Hollow Resort in southwestern Utah. I was scheduled to play Sand Hollow the morning of 4/21 and then play Coyote Springs in NV on the way back to LV for my red eye flight back to Charlotte, NC. Now, remember how I started the description of this trip…about it being a “tough schedule”? Truth is I overslept on 4/21 and missed my tee time at Sand Hollow. I was able to secure another time for Sand Hollow later in the morning, and would not be able to play Coyote Springs. I needed to play Sand Hollow as it had made my merged Golf Week Top 400 list in 2019, 2020, and 2021, while Coyote Springs had never been on a “Top” listing and has not hosted an important event. Would have liked to play both but it was not “necessary”. Instead, I had a couple more hours of necessary sleep! I very much liked Sand Hollow. Not as great as Gamble Sands in WA but very good and certainly should be included in a USA Top 400. I had a 44 – 41 = 85 and then drove back to the LV airport and headed home!
Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri…April 26-28—Trip #4
The following Monday I was off to Nashville early and that day was able to play the North Course at the Legends Club of Vanderbilt University, which had hosted the 1997 US Girl’s Junior Championship (back then North was called “Ironwood”). I played with 3 members and had a 43 – 44 = 87 on a difficult course in excellent condition. It is one of a growing number of outstanding US college/university golf facilities available to the best young golfers in the world (as they attract students from throughout the world). Given the state of the US education system today, one can question the use of these funds for athletic facilities…but on the other hand they usually are fully funded by wealthy alumni for this specific purpose. Opened in 1992 and designed by Tom Kite and Bob Cupp, this is a very good course but IMO not deserving of a place on a USA or World Top 200.
On Tuesday 4/27, I first played Hillwood CC, which had hosted the 2015 US Senior Women’s Amateur. Hillwood opened in 1953 and was designed by Dick Wilson. In 2011 it underwent a major restoration under the watchful eye of Bruce Hepner, who spend 17 years working for Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf before starting his own firm in 2010. After dealing with the subtle but difficult slopes of the second green (enhanced I would guess by the conversion of their greens to Bermuda) and playing the wonderful par 4 dogleg left par 4 fourth hole, it was clear this is a superb track and worthy of the title: Hidden Gem. I shot a 43 – 40 = 83. IMO for sure a USA Top 200 and perhaps even Top 100.
After a quick lunch it was over to Belle Meade CC, which hosted the 1955 Senior Amateur, and was included in Golf Digest’s “USA 200 Toughest” listings in 1966 and 1967 (the start of the “Top 100” listings phenomenon). The course was originally designed by Donald Ross in 1921 and then renovated by Rees Jones in 2003. Hillwood and Belle Meade lie some 2 miles apart and I would guess they are strong rivals (Belle Meade people made a specific point about their greens still being bent grass…and IMO they were not as good as Hillwood’s)…and while I enjoyed Belle Meade I must say Hillwood seemed IMO to be far superior…despite Belle Meade’s link to Donald Ross. Most likely a function of a Hepner’s work compared to Rees Jones’…but I will leave it at that.
Having been able to play both fairly quickly, I then drove about 125 miles in 2 hours to play another Golf Digest 1966/1967 200 Toughest listing…Kentucky Dam Village. Since first pursing these two lists I have always wondered about this course because of its unusual name and its generally unknown history. Then last year I learned that it was designed by the late great Perry Maxwell (think Southern Hills, Old Town Club, Prairie Dunes, all built after spending years as a partner of Dr. Alister MacKenzie…and renovations at places like Augusta National, Pine Valley, Merion, Colonial, and National Golf Links of America). I arrived with about 2 hours 15 minutes left before sunset and was able to play it in about 2 hours. Clearly the maintenance efforts of the State of Kentucky (where Maxwell was born and raised) over recent decades leave much to be desired…but this was built on an interesting piece of land and has wonderful “bones”. Given its condition it is not deserving of a USA “Top 400” status…but worth visiting for Maxwell admirers, of which there are many. Had a 42 – 41 = 83 with a few “gimme” putts and was very glad to have played it…it is covered with Maxwell’s fingerprints.
Ended the long day with a 95-mile drive to Cape Girardeau in southern Missouri. On Wednesday morning I played Dalhousie Golf Club, completed in 2003 and designed by Jack and Gary Nicklaus. This is a high end very private club and it is hard to believe it is part of the same sport as Kentucky Dam Village! While I liked Dalhousie…I would vote for Maxwell’s creation if it could get just 5% of the TLC that places like Dalhousie get regularly. Dalhousie is a tough course and I had a 43 – 44 = 87 but would hate to add my score without equitable stroke control. Not sure I would want it as a steady diet. In any case, Dalhousie hosted the US Women’s State Team Championship in 2015 and has been on my Merged GolfWeek USA Top 400 list four times between 2014 and 2019 with a high rating of #270 in 2014. I then had a long trip back to Pinehurst (driving and flying) but overall was glad I knocked off some hard-to-reach tracks.
Arizona...May 4-8--Trip #5
This was to be a trip that by all rights should have never worked out as it did, but I got lucky. I left our home in NC early on Monday 5/4 and flew to Phoenix after connections in Chicago. Upon arrival in AZ, I drove a few miles south to San Marcos Golf Course in Chandler, AZ. San Marcos opened in 1913 the year after Arizona gained statehood in the United States. It was the first golf course in Arizona and therefore the state’s oldest course today. Sixty years after its opening, San Marcos hosted the 1973 US Women’s Senior Amateur. The course was fairly empty and after an ugly double bogey start, I ended the round with a 42 -42 = 84, completing play in about 2 hours (partly by hopping back and forth on the back nine). But got it all in with sufficient time to perhaps play Moon Valley CC, sitting about 35 miles northwest of San Marcos.
I had called Moon Valley’s pro shop and they said I could play so long as I finished before sunset (at 7:12pm). I arrived at 4:30pm and was able to convince the gentleman cleaning carts that I had the pro’s permission to play (and did not even have to use a half-truth). Moon Valley opened in the early 1960’s and was originally designed by Dick Wilson, and later renovated by Bob Cupp. It was for many years owned by Ping Golf and for almost 20 years hosted the LPGA’s Standard Register Ping event. In 1966 and 1967 Golf Digest included Moon Valley on its “USA 200 Toughest Courses” lists, hence my need to play it. Beat sunset by a good 15 minutes and even shot a very good 40 – 38 = 78 playing from 5285 yards (remember that these days I am playing at yardages of about 5200-5500 yards).
Felt great about having played both, but not so good about a late-night drive north to Sedona, AZ (about 100 miles and two hours). Drive went well despite a huge cow that somehow partially blocked the frontage road on Interstate 17 (fortunately I saw it just in time).
First thing the next morning I was scheduled to play Seven Canyons Golf Club, a Tom Weiskopf design. Sedona is a beautiful town dominated by huge red rocks and the course sits very close to these monster boulders. Somehow, Weiskopf was able to shoehorn 18 holes into very limited acreage and the course is interesting and fun, if a bit confining. In 2013 the course was rated #200 in the USA by Golf Digest. My game was awful and I had an ugly 49 – 46 = 95.
After the round I had to hustle north to Forest Highlands to play its Meadow Course. I had played Forest Highland’s highly rated Canyon Course in early November 2012 (just before it closed for the season) and was now playing Meadow at the start of its 2021 season. I played with one of the assistant Pro’s and enjoyed the course, but IMO, while Meadows is good it does not compare with the superb Canyon Course. Canyon is very dramatic and Meadow feels “quieter”. Both were designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 1988 (Canyon) and 1999 (Meadow). Meadow was rated #362 on my Merged Golf week list for 2011 but that was it only appearance on a “Top XXX” list. Canyon has appeared on 52 Top XXX USA lists and was as high as #32 on the 1999 Merged GW list (its current highest rating is #125 on Golf Digest). Meadow has hosted the 2014 US Girl’s Junior Championship and the 2019 US Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship.
After the round I drove south to Scottsdale (about 135 miles taking 2:10). I would be staying for two nights at the home of Dave and Elena F. Dave was admitted into our Global Golf Centurions Club last year and has been making huge progress towards finishing more extensive lists such as the Golf Magazine World 100 EVER. They live in Toronto and Scottsdale and are wonderful folks, even if Dave is almost as certifiably crazy as moi.
The morning of Thursday May 6, Dave and I played Silverleaf…another high-end club in Scottsdale with a member who is a close friend of Dave’s (Dave is a former member of Silverleaf). Silverleaf was designed by Tom Weiskopf and opened in 2002. While I liked the course, there were some aspects that I found questionable. In particular, on a number of holes the greenside bunkers were located a good 5-8 yards from the green’s edge. I asked our host member who said they had shrunk some greens but had not redone the bunkers at that time. Normally, such changes would be made as part of the same project and was not aware of any plans to move the bunkers. But the course is in excellent condition and has a good number of wonderful holes…but in a place like Scottsdale it takes more than that to stand out.
In any case, I had a 41 – 40 = 81. Silverleaf sat at #352 on the 2020 GolfWeek Merged USA Top 400, which is the only list it has made.
After the round I went back to Desert Mountain, this time to replay Renegade (which I had played in 1996). It had recently been renovated by Jack Nicklaus and the person responsible for dealing with panelists had asked me to take another look at Renegade when he set me up to play DM’s Chiricahua course on April 19. I was very glad I played it as I came away very impressed with Renegade. Each hole has two sets of greens and one can play the “regular” greens or the “Nicklaus” greens. In total, playing the Nicklaus greens increases the course’s overall length by 711 yards to a monstrous 7933 yards! Additionally, the Nicklaus greens are better protected and more difficult to putt. I really liked the course (though it is way too difficult for this 76 year-old)…but would thought it would be better if Jack would eliminate some of the bunkers guarding green fronts to give players the option of using their ground game to reach the green. I played well and had a 41 – 43 = 84 (playing a total of 5344 yards to the regular greens!!).
That evening I had dinner with two couples who were old friends from my NY days…one from Citibank (Richard and Sally L.) and one who were neighbors in Purchase, NY from around 1988-1993 (Chip and Daryl W.). They are very good friends here in Phoenix and it was wonderful being with them and sharing old war stories. Would have been even better if Pat could have made this trip and met them.
Friday May 7 was the final day of this trip and I was scheduled to play Scottsdale National Golf Club’s “The Other Course” in the morning followed by its now infamous “Bad Little Nine” par 3 course with Dave F. In 2014 David Parsons , founder of Go Daddy and Parsons Xtreme Golf (“PXG”…you must have seen the ads) purchased The Golf Club of Scottsdale for $600,000 and has since invested another $250 million on the property including:
--renovating the original course called The Mine Shaft (designed by Jay Morrish and Dick Bailey) which now is a 7579 yard par72 course occupying some 290 acres;
--building The Other Course designed by Jackson Kahn Design…which has opened to almost universal acclaim;
--building The Bad Little Nine, without question the most difficult par 3 course in the world (total yardage…972 yards…with holes ranging from 79 to 153 yards and averaging 108 yards/hole).
Obviously the latter two projects necessitated the purchase of additional land.
If you really want to understand these two new courses, I suggest you go to https://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/scottsdale-national-golf-club/ to read Ran Morrissett’s description…far better than anything I could ever write.
I loved both Scottsdale National courses. TOC is simply brilliant and fun…and it is astounding to think that the land was dead flat because its rolls, bumps, and slopes seem so natural. And the finishing touches and details and nothing short of outstanding. While I certainly would not want to play the Bad Little Nine every day, it was fun to try this one time and I hope to have another shot at it. And I could absolutely play TOC every day!!
I had a 39 – 42 = 81 on TOC and probably triple digits on the Bad Little Nine! TOC was ranked #79 on Ran Morrissett’s 147+1 World Custodians list this year, and #35 on that lists USA candidates. This brought me down to 4 courses to re-complete the World Top 100 from All Sources (EVER) list and only one course (Sheep Ranch) to complete the USA Top 100 from All Sources (EVER) list.
Late that night I flew back to NC on a red-eye, and attempted to recover from this adventure over the weekend. Eight courses in less than 4 days, plus about 600 miles of driving ain’t easy on this old body. But I am making progress and having fun.
Wichita, KS…May 12-13-Trip #6
The following Wednesday morning I was back at Raleigh-Durham Airport for a two-day (one night) trip to Wichita, Kansas. There were two courses in Wichita I had yet to play that had hosted important events. On the afternoon of 5/12 I played Rolling Hills CC, which hosted the 1950 US Women’s Open. I shot a 41 – 45 = 86 and the course was good.
The club was started in the 1920’s as a group of men started to play regularly at Westlink Golf Course. By 1948, Rolling Hills had been formally incorporated and had purchased a new property and build a golf course. Two years later the 1950 US Women’s Open was hosted there and won by probably the greatest woman athlete in history, Babe Zaharias. During that event, the LPGA was founded!!
In 1963 the course was renovated under the direction of Floyd Farley and further improvements were made during the 1990’s.
The following morning I was at Crestview CC’s North Course which sits about 15 miles east of Rolling Hills. Crestview hosted the 1980 and 1991 US Girl’s Junior Championships. The club was founded in 1921 and in 1969 moved to a new course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. It also hosts the Korn Ferry Tour’s annual Wichita Open. This part of Kansas is loaded with good golf including Wichita CC and world-renowned Prairie Dunes and Flint Hills, all of which I had previously played.
This was my last trip prior to driving north to Milton, Mass. May 20-23.
Trip from Pinehurst, NC to Milton , MA…May 20-23—Trip #7 The morning of Thursday, May 20 I left our house on my annual drive north around 9:30am. This would be another long day. I would drive from Pinehurst to Charlottesville, VA (256 miles or 2:15), play one regulation 18 hole course and a 6 hole par 3 course, then get back in the car for a drive to my hotel in Malvern, PAS , just outside of Philadelphia (250 miles or 4:30).
My golf for this day was at the Boar’s Head Resort at the University of VA in Charlottesville. The course had recently been renovated by Davis Love III and was in very good condition. It is built on an excellent piece of land that rolls and pitches beautifully and Love made great use of the land’s movements.
Many of you may recall my email after that round…from which I will quote below:
I played it alone and went off the back nine, followed by some skipping around the front nine (playing the front in the following order: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 3, 4). In summary, I did it, but I didn’t!! Explanation follows.
I was hitting it very well and had a 4 over 40 on after nine. Because of the hopping around I did on the front nine, I basically lost track of how I was playing…but kept my score as the nine progressed. As I finished at the 4th green (note order of play above), I checked my score on the back and it added to 36…giving me a 40-36 = 76….equal to my chronological age.
It was then that I realized that on two holes on the back nine there was a group on the next tee when I approached a green…wanting to play my round quickly (I had a 4:30 drive left to get to Philadelphia) I quickly took my first putt and in both cases that left me with a putt of about 5’ for par…which I “gave” myself in order to get to the next tee before the group ahead finished teeing off. This enabled me to play the round in about 2:45…but also means that I really did NOT shoot my age (I did it, but I didn’t!!). As the old saying goes, “haste makes waste.”
No question not knowing where I stood on my last few holes help me score very well yesterday!
No question that I was hitting the ball very well.
After the round I played the 6-hole par 3 course then drove up to Malvern, PA. At 7:50am on 5/21 I was playing Applebrook GC in Malvern, designed and nurtured by its long-time member Gil Hanse. I simply loved this course and it showed in my scoring. Had a 2 over 38 on the front (with two 3-putt greens) but then followed with a 6 over 41 on the back for a 79 with birdie 2’s on three of Applebook’s five par 3’s. Was great to follow up on the day before. The course is built on an excellent piece of property and sits beautifully on top of the land. No question this one deserves the title “hidden gem.”
After the round, I drove to my brother’s home in Philadelphia for dinner with Dave and Rosemary, which was a wonderful evening, even if I was a little bit tired. All is well with them and Dave at age 78 continues his teaching efforts at U of PA Law School and handing cases for the law firm he co-founded. For the most part we both avoided politics so the dinner was quite civil. Was great to see them and hear that all are in good health.
Finished the day with a 100-mile (1 hr 40 min) drive to Westchester to get some sleep after two long days.
Saturday morning 5/22 I was at my old haunt and club, Quaker Ridge playing with an old friend Dr. Mark S. It was special spending a few hours with Mark. The course was in magnificent condition and the renovation of its clubhouse was proceeding well at this point in history (more on this topic in a later post). Hit the ball OK but could not score…amazing how tough this track is in a very subtle way. Had a 44 – 43 =87 and more importantly caught up with some other long-time friends including playing with Brad F. and seeing Steve S. and Michael F. (who I would be seeing the following week at Brookline). Love coming back to this place.
After finishing up at QR, I drove backwards to Monclair NJ. Montclair Golf Club consists of 4 nine-hole courses; in 2015 I had the pleasure of playing the 2nd, 3rd and 4th nines (which had hosted the 1973 US Women’s Am and the 1985 US Amateur). I wanted to play the 1st nine mainly to “complete” this club which also hosted a Metropolitan Open and two Met Am’s. Setting this up became much easier when I learned last year that our new neighbors, Mark and Cindy S. were members of Montclair for years. For sure the 1st nine is Montclair’s weakest but it is still good (the others are excellent) and had superb lineage having been designed by Donald Ross. I was able to quickly play the 1st nine and the staff at the club treated me as if I was a very special guest. Good way to end the day, and had a good 41 for 9 holes.
Spent the night at a hotel in NJ and then on Sunday morning drove into northwestern Connecticut to play Tom Fazio’s Bull’s Bridge, which I had been reading about for two years…but because of COVID had not been able to play. John Steinbrenner, who writes for the virtual golf magazine Global Golf Post, and I had been talking about playing sometime in the northeast and I suggested Bull’s Bridge which he had not seen yet as well. Bull’s Bridge is located in Northeast Connecticut (South Kent). It opened for play in 2004 and was designed by Tom Fazio. The site offers some phenomenal views and natural beauty but has a few questionable (IMO) holes dictated by the hilly terrain. In particular, I found the first two holes too downhill for my taste in golf courses…but from that point on, the courses is really very very good. I would guess that in mid-October, this place is s sight to be seen.
After the round I drove the rest of the way to our house in Milton, MA. Pat had flown north and arrived as couple of days earlier.
This seems like a good place to complete this post.
On a year-to-date basis I had played a total of 38 courses, of which 32 were for the first time for me, and 6 were replays. All of the 32 new courses were played between March 29 and May 23 (56 days). Brought me to a lifetime total of 1293. Good progress but lots more work to be done…
