156.  Final Post of 2021

I was able to get in the two additional courses yesterday.  More on those details in a few minutes, but I also realized that if I am going to reform and stay current with my Posts, then I needed to get this Post #156 published ASAP, so here goes.

Pat and I were up in MA from 12/19 through the morning of 12/29.  Was a very good trip...saw both Hunter and Ann as well as Clark and Alex...as well as the eight g-kids (everyone together for Christmas Boston POPS).  Then on Wednesday we flew back to Raleigh-Durham and had the 1:15 drive to home from RDU.  Arrived home about 3:10.  I quickly unpacked, changed clothes and repacked for a 30+ hour trip to northern Florida.

To fill in some gaps, one on my key bucket lists is to play every course that has ever hosted one of the USGA's 15 current Championships and two "Cups" (Walker and Curtis).  There are 440 courses that fit that bill and as of 12/29/2021 twelve of those (1) no longer exist, and (2) I have played them (I believe there are three that no longer exist which I was able to play.  Of the net of 428, as of 12/29/21 I had played 384.5), leaving me with 43.5 to go.  I would like to complete this bucket list before the US Open starts in June 2022.

About 3 weeks ago a friend sent me an email and accompanying article saying that one of the 43.5, Timuquana CC, would be closing for an 8 month restoration commencing January 2, 2022.  With about 3 weeks left in the year, and a family trip to Boston occupying 10 of those days, things did not look very good.  

But I was able to cobble together a plan that worked.  I got back in my car at 4pm on 12/29/21 and headed south...stopping about 40 miles north of Amelia Island, FL. The drive went quickly and smoothly until I reached the southern most 50 miles or so of I-95 in South Carolina...and then traffic slammed to a crawl for most of the next 60 miles.  I reached my hotel at 10pm...about an hour later then I expected, but I made it!  

Thursday morning I was awake by 5:30am and by 6:25 was on my way to Amelia Island Resort's Oak Marsh Course.  I arrive at Oak March by 7:30am and was in the first group off, along with another single golfer.  I very much wanted to play the course as quickly as possible and he was seeking a more relaxed round, so after 10 holes I asked him if he would mind if I jumped ahead and he replied, "that is good, I understand." I ended up playing the front nine with him in 1:20 and the back nine in 0:55.  Course opened for play in 1973 and was designed by Pete Dye.  In 1988 it hosted the USGA's 2nd US Women's Mid Amateur Championship.

This is not one of Dye's better courses.  But in a way the par 3 16th reminded me of Harbour Town's #17, and Oak March's #18 reminded me of Harbour Town's #18.  The course condition was well below average when compared with the other courses I played this year.  All in all, I was glad to have it done, and my game was awful (44 - 43 = 87).  

After the round, had a drive of about 60 minutes to Timuquana County Club in Jacksonville.  Not surprisingly, the area is very flat and this is an old, traditional club...founded in 1923.  The club sits on the St. John's River (which runs through Jacksonville) and next to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station.  Note that the course is not adjacent to the River so it does not directly affect play, but you can "feel" its presence. Timuquana has hosted the 2002 US Senior Amateur (and playing it now completes playing all the US Senior Ams for me) and the 2019 US Women's Four Ball Championship.  It also has been a regular on the GolfWeek Top 200 Classic Course list thereby making my Merged Golfweek Top 400 list.

Clubhouse looked like a smaller version of Oakland Hills' clubhouse.  Course was designed by Donald Ross...and me thinks this is one of the ones where he spends a fair amount of time.  Has wonderful subtleties to it.  Given that it will be heavily torn up starting Monday or so (Bruce Hepner's firm leading the restoration), the fairways were dormant Bermuda...and in absolutely perfect condition...and the greens just as good.  Could play this course every day and never be bored.

The course was fairly busy but I was able to get off the first tee around 11:30am.  There were twosomes, threesome and foursomes on about every hole and play was moving in about a 3:45 pace.  On the 5th tee a twosome of members reach the tee as I was about to hit and I asked if they wanted to join me.  Good guys and long term members (one swam for the club's swimming team when he was 5 years old...probably some 60 or 70 years ago).  We finished the round at 3:45pm and I ended up with a 46 - 41 = 87.  Awful front and good back...actually started played better when they joined me on 5th hole...didn't want to embarrass myself I guess.

On 18 they took a pic of some handsome guy with the 18th green and clubhouse in the background.  You cannot see it, but the St John's River sits behind the clubhouse.

Went to the pro shop and thanked the staff and told them how much I liked the course.  Then hit the road...had 406 mile drive ahead of me, that should have taken 6:03.  Well, left the club at 3:55 pm and pulled into our driveway at 11:00pm exactly...even you liberal arts majors can do the math (and there were no time zone changes).  I-95 was bumper to bumper from about 10 miles short of the GA/SC line to the state line (I-95 is 3 lanes each way in GA and two lanes in SC)...and then stayed heavy until I passed I-26  (which one takes to Charleston, SC).  Drank lots and lots of Diet Pepsi and never felt tired...but felt like a dishrag when I got in the house.  Wifey fast asleep...smart girl!!  Unpacked and cleaned up some stuff and was asleep around midnight.  Trip was 840 miles and 36 holes in the space in 32 hours.  Good way to end the year..  Hope you will excuse me for not typing this Post last night😆.

OK...we can put 2021 in the record books.  End it with 1387 course lifetime after playing 127 new courses in 2021 (and that was with playing ZERO new courses until March 29).  

Will do my year end summary in early 2022...and need to start planning my 2022 trips...have some bucket lists to FINISH!!  

Happy New Year