154. Boston Summer Part 3...September 1-->
After returning from Utah and Montana, I actually stayed put for about two weeks. Had some guests coming to play Brookline and lots of catching up to do...not to mention planning my next trip(s). I still had 10 courses left to play in WA and two in OR...so that was my main focus. After several days of calling and emailing the outline off a good trip was in place and I was busy filling in slots on the itinerary.
Return to OR/WA--Trip #19, September 11-Sept 17: I left Boston on an early flight west to Seattle on Saturday September 11...arriving there before 10:30am west coast time. Secured my car rental and was off on a drive of about 3:30 (180 miles) to the northwest corner of OR...about 100 miles or 2 hours NW of Portland. You may be wondering why I chose to fly into Seattle...availability of a nonstop flight...which got me to my destination, Astoria Golf & Country Club, earlier that if I had flown into Portland. I had been trying to play Astoria for a couple of years and between COVID and its busy calendar, it proved very tough...but this day would prove that it was well worth the wait and effort. The club was founded in 1923 and purchased its current land from a cranberry company. The land features dunes that run north-south, parallel to the nearby coastline (while you cannot see the coast from the course, you for sure can "feel" it). A plan was presented to have most holes run over the dunes...from east-west and west-east but the founders dismissed that proposal and the Club's President and course superintendent collaborated on a design running mainly between the dunes. Three holes (#2, #4, and #17...all par 3's) run in the East-West or W-E direction. It works...and in fact works superbly well!
I teed off around 2:45pm. The course played very firm and fast which made it so so much fun...had a strong 39 on the front but then faded to a 43 on the back to shoot 82 from 5500 yards. Ended up with 3 birdies but 6's on the par 5's. My favorite holes were #3 and #15...the former a 373 yard par 4 (from the tips) with high dunes impinging from both sides. When you stand on the tee the hole looks frighteningly narrow, until you realize most wayward tee shots will bound off the dunes into the narrow band of fairway. The club's website has a couple of good pics of #3 (go to www.astoriagolf.com/about-the-club/club-history). Not well known other than on the west coast..this was a Hidden Gem for moi. Not to be missed if you head to the Northwest!
Now the tough part of the day and entire trip was about to begin. I had to drive to Spokane WA from Astoria...as I was playing in Spokane at 8:30am Sunday. I drove some 300 miles (about 5:15) to Kenniwick WA that evening, stayed in Kennewick and then had to get up early to drive another 2:30 (150 miles) to Spokane early the next morning...and who accused me of being nuts?? The drive Saturday evening got interesting as I went through Portland and had to get off the Interstate after a wrong turn. I found myself driving past what appeared to be miles of "junk" piled about 10-15 feet high along the side of then street as I was in the midst of one of Portland's homeless encampments; I quickly found a way back onto the correct Interstate and moved on. Arrived at my hotel at 11:55pm, managed to get about 4 1/2 hours of sleep...and then hit the road about 5:00am heading to Spokane.
The stop in Spokane was to play Kalispel Golf & Country Club (formerly Spokane CC) which had hosted the very first US Women's Open in 1946 (won by Patty Berg) and the US Junior Amateur Championship in 1969. The club was founded as Spokane CC in 1898, eventually moved to its current location in 1910 and was renovated by Robert Muir Graves in 1988. As a result of a gender discrimination lawsuit, the club declared bankruptcy and was then purchased by the Kalispel Tribe of Indians in 2015. IMO the course is too soft and wet (overwatered IMO) and overtreed but that is my sense about many courses in the Northwest. Was good to get this first US Women's Open into the "played" column, and now have one more to play...Muskogee CC in OK.
After completing that round I had to move on...and drive another 155 miles (3:00) to central WA to play the Lakes and Desert nines at Desert Canyon. I just barely made my tee time at 3:30, and by hopping around the course was able to finish the round by 6pm. Desert Canyon opened in the early 1990's and was designed and built by its owner, Jack Frei. It sits above the Columbia River which, along with the Cascade Mountains provides a spectacular backdrop as the course meanders up and down the high desert hills and slopes. In 1997, the first year that GolfWeek published Top 100 Classic and Top 100 Modern (both for USA) lists, Desert Canyon was #65 on the Modern list and therefore #130 on my Merged Golfweek list. It has not made any other Top XXX list. My sense it that while it is spectacular and wild, it is way too much, too over the top in terms of design. Fun to play one time...but not worth return visit.
After the round I had to drive further west...another 85 miles (1:30 or so) to the rustic resort town of Cle Elm. All in all, a total of some 390 miles driving on Sunday (7 hours) plus 36 holes of golf, and 870 miles (about 15 1/2 hours of driving) Sat-Sun (and 54 holes of golf). Rest of trip should be easy in comparison.
Had good dinner and excellent night's sleep and the good news was that I was only about 10-15 minutes from my first round on Monday, at Suncadia Tumble Creek. Tumble Creek, designed by Tom Doak, opened in 2005. In 2020 and 2021 Tumble Creek ranked #344 and 332 respectively on Golf Week's Merged Top 400 USA lists. It is in a spectacular setting without being over the top. The hills are very manageable, the greens are very difficult to read but much "calmer" than most of Doak's work. There is tons of width...real choices regarding how to play each hole and this is a very fun course to play. Me thinks it would be in my personal USA Top 200, but sitting 80-90 miles east of Seattle, it is not clear how well known it is. My favorite hole was #4, a 607 yard (from tips) par 5 that plays downhill off the tee, doglegs left, and then is uphill to the green. The back half of the green slopes towards the back so be careful. The smart play to me seemed to be to hit your second shot to the portion of the fairway that sits to the right of the green...leaving a fairly simple 3rd into the green. In many ways this hole reminded me of the famous par 5 #4 at Bethpage Black. I played very well with the exception of holes 8, 9, and 12, and had a 42 - 43 = 85. All in all a really good course.
Had lunch at Tumble Creek then drove into Seattle to Broadmoor Golf Club just east of the City. This is one of two old money "WASP" courses in Seattle...the other being Seattle Golf Club (which I had played in 2015 on my way to South Korea). Broadmoor GC stretches to just 6466 yards from the tips and is 100% land locked by surrounding homes, making lengthening this course essentially impossible. But it sits on a marvelous piece of land, and flat lies are a very rare commodity on these fairways. Additionally the fairway slopes require the player to be able to hit draws and fades and even some straight balls...or face the possibility to running into trees that line every fairway. The course was in perfect condition as was about every course played on this trip (Seattle gets almost no rain during summer months). I had a 41 - 45 = 86, definitely tiring on the back nine.
Broadmoor has hosted 4 USGA championships (2 Women's Am's, a Senior Women's Am and a Girl's Jr. Am). Sitting close to downtown Seattle, I doubt the members give much of a thought to the land locked situation...this is a first class place in every way, and highly convenient for members who work downtown. That ain't easy to find in most major cities.
After the round, I drove about 20 miles east to Sammamish in order to stay overnight near my first round on Tuesday 9/14.
I was to play Aldarra Golf Club at 8:20 Tuesday morning. Aldarra was completed 20 years ago and was Tom Fazio's first design in the Northwest. It is built on a 560 acre property that formerly was the Boeing family's farm replete with spectacular views in almost every direction. Also very tough...course rating and slope from tips are 74.9/151. In contrast to Broadmoor and Seattle Golf Clubs, this is the "new money' course in Seattle (and there is a lot of that stuff in these parts). See below for a view of the downhill par 3 13th hole...not too shabby (btw...had good par here).
Played well on front and tired again...41 - 45 = 86. Seattle area was in the midst of a fairly intense drought and they greens here definitely showed signs of stress. Enjoyed the course...but have to say I liked Tumble Creek more...although Aldarra is MUCH closer to Seattle.
Back in the car for a 100 mile (1:45) drive all the way to northwest Washington...needed to catch ferry for my next course, San Juan Golf & Tennis Club (no...not in Puerto Rico...near Friday Harbor on San Juan Island...look it up on GPS). Ferry took a little over an hour (great nap opportunity) and the course was a 5 minute drive from the dock. This is a 9-holer that was on Golf Digest's 1967 USA 200 Toughest list, the second Top XXX list ever published. It was cold and drizzling when I teed off and that lasted a max of about 10-15 minutes...not a soul on the course...which is not exactly the most enticing track I have ever seen (think the appropriate phrase is "cow pasture"). But 9 holes would go quickly and I had a score of 39. Drove back to the ferry after saying thanks to the two people at the course...and had two naps...one waiting for the ferry and then another on the ferry. Then drove another 67 miles (1:20) to my hotel. Interesting day...probably the only person to ever set foot on Broadmoor, Aldarra, and San Juan within 24 hours...and might bet that record might never be tied!
Was past the half way mark...this trip was planned for 11.5 courses and I had played 6.5. Wednesday would start playing Mill Creek Country Club north of Seattle where my tee time was 7:45am...first off!! Mill Creek hosted the 1984 US Girl's Jr., hence my need to play it. Designed by Ted Robinson, it opened in 1975. Robinson also designed Sahallee Country Club in Seattle which hosted the 1998 PGA Championship and which I played in 2013 (before these Posts commenced) and simply hated! Must be frank at this point and admit that Mill Creek made the late Mr. Robinson's courses 0-2 IMO. The land here is very hilly and the course is full of abrupt doglegs and turns, offers almost no playing options, and every fairway is lined with homes. I had a 44 - 41 = 85 and that took some very lucky shots. Another course that is good to have in the rear view mirror.
By 10:15 I was back in my car and headed south to Portland, OR. I had two courses to play there but due to previously scheduled events at both, I could not arrange to play them consecutively, so I was about to become an expert at Interstate I-5 between Portland and Seattle. The drive was 217 miles and took about 3:45 as I was going from north of Seattle to south of Portland. I was heading to Willamette Valley CC whose head pro, John Grothe had been extremely helpful to me as I planned both this trip and my July 2021 OR/WA trip. The week of that prior trip, Willamette was hosting an annual invitational, and could not accommodate me. Was pleased to get here and see what looked like a first class course and club. Designed by Shirley Stone it was founded in 1962 (9 holes), the second nine was built the following year, and the club struggled in many ways for about 5-7 years before being on firm footing. Today it is thriving and well respected.
The course is challenging, great fun, played very fast (although a little to green for my taste) but a little on the flat side; I responded with some very good golf after a shaky start. I was 5 over after six holes and just 2 over the rest of the way in for a 41 - 38 = 79. Amazing how my game reacts to my sense of the course!
After the round I had a chance to talk with HP John Grothe, thank him for his assistance, tell him how much I enjoyed the course and club, and pass best regards to him from friend in Boston, Fergal O'Leary, who had played here previously.
But now, it was time to get back in the car and head up to Washington for two more tracks up there. Fortunately it was only about 165 miles (2:15) to where I was staying that night.
Thursday morning Sept 16 I was off to Gold Mountain Golf Club, a municipal facility with 36 holes in Bremerton (southwest of Seattle). Gold Mountain opened with 18 holes (Cascades Course) in 1971 and the second 18 (Olympic Course) opened in 1996. I was playing its Olympic Course which had hosted two USGA Championships (2011 US Junior Amateur won by Jordan Speith, and 2006 US Amateur Public Links...note that the US Publinks Championship was discontinued after 2014). I quickly learned that Gold Mountain was far from your typical "muni." I played it with two local men in their late 60's or early 70's (former dock worker and high school golf/basketball coach) and a woman who was probably in her mid 50's. All three were very good players and had very strong "senses" of the game. The course itself was in superb condition and is extremely well designed. Flat lies are not to be found here and the green setting are very deceptive and require a fair amount of local knowledge and imagination. I loved the course, the setting, and most of all the strong love of the game that permeated the entire facility. This place is a poster boy for great munis.
The Olympic Course was designed by John Harbottle III who work was mainly in CA, OR, WA, and ID. His best known other designs include Big Canyon (CA) (Post 127), Banbury GC (ID), Brentwood CC (CA), Broadmoor GC (WA) (see this Post above), El Caballero (CA), Eugene CC (OR) (played prior to this blog's inception), Fircrest GC (Post 152), both courses at LACC (CA), etc etc etc (the list goes on and on)...many of which were restorations. All in all...a really enjoyable morning. Only thing wrong was I neglected to keep score as we were playing very quickly and I was having so much fun talking about the course and this great game with my playing companions.
Get there!! Really worth it.
After finishing up at Gold Mountain, I had a short drive south to Tacoma Country Club. The Club was founded in 1894 and moved to its present location in 1906. Apparently there are no records indicating who its original architect was, but John Steidel is credited with a major renovation of the course in 1983. Tacoma has an incredible record of USGA Women's events...having hosted the Grand Slam of four US Women's Amateur Championships (shown below in chronological order):
1961 US Women's Amateur
1984 US Women's Senior Amateur
1994 US Women's Mid-Amateur
2007 US Girl's Junior Amateur
I found it to be a very good course even if very flat. I had a 39 -39 = 78 for my best score of the trip...was swinging the club well. And then made the north-south run on I-5 for the last time, this time it was a mere 142 miles (2:15). I was scheduled to play Columbia Edgewater Country Club which sits next to the Columbia River and Oregon's airport. I had trouble securing a tee time there but eventually contacted a member who is a Golf Digest Panelist and all was set for first thing on Friday 9/17...then the day before he found out that COVID had struck his family and he of course could not play. However the Head Pro contacted me and advised that given the circumstances, I could play early on Friday as an unaccompanied single.
Went off on hole #10 and finished my round in about 2:30...had a 40 (back nine) - 39 (front) = 80 to close out the trip. Course was very flat and a little tight, but in perfect condition. Played 11.5 rounds on 12 courses (remember...San Jan was a 9 holer). Returned car 6 days after renting it and put a total of 1764 miles on it (average of 294 miles/day...but perhaps more tiring was having to stay in different hotel every night). The good news was that between my July trip and this September trip, I played all the courses I needed to play in WA and OR (and even added the two courses at Silvies Ranch). I have now played 26 courses in OR (including 6 at Bandon) and 18 in WA.
My flights home were through Seattle airport (saving me another journey on I-5) and I reached home just past midnight. Great to be back w Pat!!
Return to MI--Trip #20, September 28-29: I was able to schedule a trip of less than two days back to Michigan to play the five courses I was not able to play in July. The plan was theoretically doable, but subject to problems...but I knew 4 courses would be easy, so why not plan for five and try to clean up the full state. The real key was that Delta had a very early morning flight from Boston to Detroit (departing at 5:30am and arriving Detroit at 7:39am) as well as a very late flight back (departing at 10:50pm and arriving BOS at 12:41am)...and the late sunset in Michigan would also prove very helpful. I arrived Detroit on time on the morning of Tuesday 9/28. After collecting my golf bag and rental car, it was north to Flint Michigan to play Flint Golf Club a drive of some 80 miles (1:15 going against the rush hour traffic).
As I left the Interstate to take local roads to Flint GC, I was shocked at the condition of this once thriving city. Flint has gone through a series of emergencies over the past 20 years, culminating with the 2015 discovery that its water supply had been contaminated with lead poisoning for about a year. While the situation has been remediated, the impact on the people of Flint is likely to be long lasting.
I was scheduled to play at 9:45am and the course was fairly empty when I arrived. almost as if the club had essentially lost its soul. It was founded in 1910 and in 1918 hired Willie Park, Jr. to built a new course. Park had already designed London's Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club, Chicago's North Course at Olympia Fields Country Club...and had won two Open Championships (1887 and 1889) as well. Flint also hosted the 1968 US Girl's Junior Championship...at a time when I lived about an hour away. But today the course is a mere shell of its former self due to declining club membership and lack of funds. While there are glimpses of its wonderful bones, and its greens are still massive and interesting, it was sad to see this...but not quite as sad as the state of the neighborhood where it sits.
I played quickly, and had a 42 - 42 = 84, and headed west to Grand Rapids, a 115 mile drive (1:55) in order to play Egypt Valley CC, which had hosted the 2010 US Junior Amateur Championship. The club also hosted a Senior Tour event from 1994-2004. Egypt Valley has 2 courses...Valley and Ridge...both designed by Arthur Hills. The club goes back to 1921 as the Masonic CC and in 1931 became Green Ridge CC. The Club moved to the current location and had Hills design 36 holes in 1989. At that time the club was renamed Egypt Valley CC, as that neighborhood in Ada, MI had become known as Egypt Valley in the 1950's. When the 2010 US Junior was held there, it was played on a "composite" course consisting of the back nines of Ridge and Valley. This made it difficult for me to play the "Junior Championship" course (known at the club as the "Classic Course") without interrupting other groups of players. But it worked well this Tuesday afternoon in late September as all 36 holes were relatively empty.
The Classic Course consisting of some very hilly holes (mainly on the back 9 of Ridge) as well as some relatively flat holes (mainly on the back 9 of Valley). I started on Ridge and had a 44 - 41 = 85. I thought the course was very good but not great, and was in perfect condition.
After the round, it was back in the car to drive to Ann Arbor, where I was staying that night to be near my first round Wednesday. But I would like to comment on Grand Rapids compared with Flint...the two central Michigan mid sized cities I had visited this day. The differences were remarkable. Grand Rapids appeared to be thriving, it was very clean with modern buildings throughout and older as well as new houses that were obviously well maintained. The contrast with Flint was stark to say the least and while I have no direct knowledge of the underlying causes in both cities...it would make a fascinating "case study" as both had been thriving some 50 years ago.
I was met for breakfast Wednesday September 29 by Jay Hults, of Detroit and Plum Hollow CC (see Post #88). Jay had set me up at Egypt Valley with a member. and having not seen each other for a few years, this was a great time to catch up. After breakfast we both drove over to Barton Hills CC and Jay walked the first 9 holes with me while I played them. I had heard a fair amount about Barton Hills but had never seen it. The Club was founded in 1917 and its Donald Ross designed course was completed five years later. It hosted the US Women's Am in 1998 and the US Women's Mid Amateur in 2008. In 2012 a major restoration was completed by Ron Prichard and more recently Tyler Rae has been regrassing the greens and approaches.
I thought the course was for certain deserving of a Top 200 in USA. The greens are outstanding as is the routing, and the back nine is really really special (especially if you can manage to keep your ball on the 15th green).
After the round I had a very interesting discussion with HP Pat Markley, and then headed some 40 miles east to Pine Lake Country Club, located in Orchard Lake, MI. Pine Lake was founded as The Automobile Club of Detroit in 1902. Fifteen years later seven holes were built and by 1919 a full nine was in place and the club was renamed Pine Lake CC in 1921. Willie Park, Jr. added another nine holes shortly thereafter.
When I teed off on #1 I had clear sailing for at least 4 holes ahead, but I hit a "wall" of groups by the time I reached hole #6...and play was very slow from that point on. When I completed the front nine (had a 39), there were three other groups on the 10th tee and a member suggested I go over to hole #13 which appeared to be empty. Things looked clear at that point and I became hopeful that finishing here might be possible, but the starter had seen me drive my cart to #13 and politely (but firmly) informed me that the club has a rule against "hopping around" and asked me to leave. I apologized, advised that I was unaware of that rule and departed quietly. Sooo, I need to play the back 9 here, hopefully in 2022, and accompanied by a member. Reality is that if I had waited and played Pine Lake's back nine, I could not have arrived at Lochmoor some 36 miles away in Grosse Pointe and played more than 2-3 holes before darkness set in.
I headed straight over to Lochmoor CC and was able to tee off right away and finished its 18 holes right around sunset at 7:19pm. Lochmoor was founded in 1917 and its membership included some of the great pioneers of the US automobile industry. Its course was designed by Walter Travis and later was renovated by Larry Packard with help from Charles Allison. Like Pine Lake, Lochmoor is very very flat. It hosted the 1962 US Junior Amateur as well as the 1925 Western Amateur.
I was very tired at this point and had over three hours until my flight departed, so I took a good shower and then drove to Detroit Metro airport and arrived home around 1:15am. Total miles driven in two days (including drives from home to BOS airport and back) was 478 miles. Ended up playing 4.5 of 5 courses and will have to return to play Pine Lake's back nine. But given that Detroit is a "hub" for Delta Arlines, I should be able to tie it into a necessary 2022 trip to California.
Pat and I had planned to head down to Pinehurst around October 7th but I had a small problem. My car needed some repairs and had been in the shop for about two weeks at this point....as some of the parts required were on back order. If I took a rental car down to Pinehurst, I would need to drive th car back to MA and then drive my car south...three trips between Pinehurst and Boston was too much even for me...and one way rentals were close to impossible to secure, so Pat headed south and I waited in MA and checked on the parts orders 2-3 times/week.
Pat left Boston early on October 8 and I had started planning a trip to the midwest starting Sunday October 10. I had decided to start the trip in Kansas City, where I had 5 courses on my "to do list"...and as it started to become clear that my car would not be ready for at least two weeks, I expanded my itinerary first to Tulsa, OK, then the Branson area in southern Missouri, then and finally to Arkansas and Tennessee.
Journey to Kansas/Missouri/Oklahoma/Arkansas/Tennessee 24 New Courses--Trip #21...Oct 9-22: The evening of Saturday Oct 9 I flew into Kansas City, collected my baggage and rental car and headed south to Overland Park KS (just 27 miles) to my hotel for the next 4 nights. Almost had a huge problem on the escalator in car rental building at KC airport...lost control of luggage (should have taken elevator) but caught myself and avoided tumbling down the escalator.. (and two young men behind me stopped the luggage from tumbling down)...scary but aside from one slight ache, no harm done.
Early on Sunday morning I had a 32 mile drive north to Leavenworth KS to my first golf course of this journey...Leavenworth Golf Club, which sits some 6 miles south of Leavenworth's US Penitentiary. Fortunately I was only here to go to the Golf Club.
This place was certainly better than Kissena Park Muni (where I played most of my golf from age 10-18), but not hugely better. However, credit where credit is due, this track hosted the 1964 US Girl's Junior Championship, marshaled by the guys and gals in blue blazers for sure! Founded as a very private club in 1920, it is now open to the public, but memberships are available. I never had a sole in front or behind me, and played in 2 hours...happy to check it off and move on....real good news is was that prior night's tumble did not affect my golf swing! Then drove about 35 miles south to Brookridge Golf & Fitness, close to my hotel.
Arrived early at Brookridge and was able to go right off...which was good thing as otherwise probably would have been caught in rain on the back nine. Course was OK but has too many ordinary golf holes, but really liked hole #8.
It rained all night and the next morning the forecast for Jefferson, MO was intermittent rain all day. This was a 300 mile round trip but I wanted to get this course checked off and done...and fortunately is was the only course I has scheduled on Monday (was also fortunate to have a course to play on Monday 10/11). Off I went and it was still raining as I pulled into the club's parking lot. Jefferson is the capital of MO and I think this is the top club in town. It had hosted the 1972 US Girl's Junior.
Given the amount of rain, the club said no carts...perfectly understandable. On went my rain suit and off I went, with the two guys in the pro shop shaking their heads in disbelief. Real problem was the wind which was a steady 15mph with guts at 20+...not fun. I just said to myself..."think you are in Scotland." Course was very very good...almost a Hidden Gem. Routing is similar to Muirfield's...except there it is the back nine that runs clockwise around the front nine. The winds forced me to slow my swing down and after a slow start (6 over thought 7) I ended up 42 - 40 =82 on this par 72. Was very pleased...and very wet...although for the most part the rain had stopped after I had played 12 holes, and I was allowed to use a cart (cart paths only) on the back nine. Think they were feeling sorry for this 76 year old. Know I was feeling sorry for him.
After a long drive back to KC, I had a good shower and nap...and then a good dinner and excellent night's sleep.
Tuesday morning I was playing Kansas City CC in the morning. This is a wonderful old Tillinghast track on a 95 year old course (club founded in 1895 and moved to present location in 1926) and has historically been KC's old money club. Tom Watson has been a member for decades. A former Assistant Pro at Brookline, Andy Fisher has been head pro here for about 10 years and is loving it. On a confidential basis he advised that the club was going to retain Tyler Rae, one of the best young architects around, to do a major restoration the club. I can write about it here as it was announced about 2-3 weeks later. That should be great fun and a wonderful experience for Andy.
I went off the first hole around 9:15 and finished 18 before noon, really enjoying the course and club. And fired a strong 39 - 41 = 80 with a terribly stupid double bogey 7 on the par 5 17th...thanks to a poorly planned approach shot! Course played firm and fast and is one you could play every day.
Somewhat surprisingly, KCCC has never hosted a USGA Championship, but way back in 1901 it hosted the very first Trans Mississippi Amateur and since World War II has done so another seven times.
After short drive I played Blue Hills CC across the state line in MO. Blue Hills was included in the original 1966 and 1967 Golf Digest listed of USA 200 Toughest Courses. It is long (7364 yards from the tips), difficult with heavy rough, and over treed. The course also weighed heavily on dogleg left par 4/5's (8 compared with only 2 turning right. Additionally many of the holes were uphill off the tee making for numerous blind tee shots. Frankly, all in all I found it to be fairly unimaginative. I had a 40 - 43 = 83.
The weather forecast for the next day (10/13) was not looking great, so having played KCCC and Blue Hills fairly quickly, I decided to try to play Indian Hills CC late on the afternoon of 10/12. Indian Hills CC was founded in 1926 and in 2001 hosted the US Girl's Junior. It is another Tillinghast design but seemed to have very few Tillinghast features remaining. For example, there are no cross bunker on par 5's or the long par 4's. I did think the greens were well designed, in excellent condition, and difficult to read. I was able to finish the round well before sunset so played 54 this day, which would make Wednesday much easier. Has a 41 - 42 = 83. I was very tired at this point.
Sleeping in the next morning helped big time. Had one more track left in the KC area...Milburn CC which was established in 1917 and was designed by William Langford who lived to be 90 years old despite having to fight polio as a child. His portfolio was extensive and his best courses included Lawsonia-Links (WI) (played prior to Blog starting), Happy Hollow (NE) (Post 152), Wakonda (IA) (Post 84), and Skokie CC (IL)(Post 52).
In some ways Milburn felt like the mirror image of Blue hills, with 9 fairways turning or doglegging right versus 4 turning left and one straight hole.The course was very wet due to the overnight rain. Play moved along until hole #13 and was slow for the final 6 holes. I shot a mediocre 43 - 44 = 87.
Milburn CC has gone through two big disasters with its clubhouse burning three times in 1932, 1947, and 2010. In 1960 it hosted the US Junior Amateur.
Having played all of my to-do's in the KC area, it was time to drive south to oil country and Tulsa, OK...a drive of about 240 miles and just short of 4 hours. I was surprised that the fastest route include a stretch of about 80 miles on mostly 2 lane roads...one gets so used to being able to drive on Interstates. I arrived at my hotel in Tulsa around 9pm fairly tired but looking forward to the next three days here.
At this point I had played 7 of the 24 courses scheduled for this journey and taking inventory of my bucket lists, was down to 55.5 USGA Championship venues remaining and 48 course left from the Golf Digest original 1966/67 lists of "200 Toughest". Calculations like that would lift my spirits when I was tired...good progress was happening. Finally, I had completed my to-do for the great state of Kansas!
Back in September Pat and I hosted a wonderful couple from Southern Hills CC at Brookline who had arranged play by having their HP Cary Cozby contact Brookline's HP Brendan Walsh. During our day together at Brookline they offered to reciprocate and I advised that they would hear from moi. So I was set up to play Southern Hills at 8:30am on Thursday 10/14. The night before I set my alarm for 6:00am and woke to turn off the alarm . I then made the awful mistake of lying back down "for a minute" and the next thing I knew my phone was ringing, it was 8:10, and my host Bob K. was asking "where are you"?
You've never seen a 76 year old move so fast. I arrived at the club at 8:35! Good news is that we were able to tee off around 8:50 (Bob is a LONG TIME member and a wonderful, deeply respected gentleman). The weather could have been better...rain overnight and very nasty that morning...but the course looked and played fabulously. I simply loved the restoration that Gil Hanse had led.
Originally designed by Perry Maxwell, the course was one of very few build during the Great Depression (opened 1936). Most of the golf course construction during that decade was funded by the US Government as part of a huge public works program. As an Economics major during my college days, I find it very interesting that about the only two great golf courses designed and built in the US during the 1930's were Southern Hills CC here in Tulsa and Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, NC. Aside from the fact that both were the work of Perry Maxwell, their construction shows the industries that continued to succeed (albeit at a lower pace) during the Depression...oil and gas in Tulsa, and tobacco (R. J. Reynolds) in Winston-Salem (the latter saying something about consumer preferences in hard times as well as the impact of addiction).
I had played Southern Hills the first time in 1979 and then a few times in the late 1990's and never appreciated what I was missing. The thick stands of trees between most fairways made the course narrow and somewhat cramped, removing many "options" for playing holes, made it impossible to grow proper rough due to the shade and the trees blocking the flow of fresh air, and eliminated the great vistas that were possible on this incredible wonderful piece of land that bumps, flows and heaves in every direction...to the delight of eyes that can see it!
We played with one of Bob's very good friends, Ed, who had been a very good tennis player in his earlier years and could really play the game of golf (as can Bob). Ed is now 83 years old, with a very slight frame and was blowing his ball by mine by dozens of yards. For caddies (because of the rain no carts were permitted this day) we had two young pros, one of whom plays on the Korn Ferry Tour. It was a super enjoyable day of golf, and I hit the ball well. We played from about 5750 yards...long for me especially with the slower than normal conditions and I had a 44 - 43 = 87. This is a great great track, built on superb land and with outstanding greens and green surrounds...and the overall club is at least as great as the course itself. Runs like a charm. And remember from Post #153...this is one of only 6 courses to earn a spot on every USA Top 100 on my spreadsheet..and deservedly so along with Inverness, LACC-North, Pebble Beach, Riviera, and Pinehurst #2. I would expect nothing short of an outstanding PGA Championship this coming May.
Its Championship history is worth reciting...9 USGA Championships (including 3 US Opens) and 4 PGA Championships (next year will be its 5th PGA Championship). I had heard outstanding reports about this restoration from other panelists and golfers whose opinions I deeply respect, and they proved to be all true. Was very special to have the opportunity to revisit this shrine.
After an excellent lunch, it was time to move on to Tulsa CC, located north of downtown Tulsa. Both of our caddies at SHCC (Zander and Cory) joined me for this 18. The HP at Tulsa, Scott Karpe was a very fine young pro and he lent me a copy of the Club's Centennial anniversary book to read. Southern Hills was formed when some TCC members decided in the 1930's they wanted a club that was less crowded. TCC was founded in 1908 and its current course was designed by A. W. Tillinghast and opened in 1920. Restorations were made by Jay Morrish in the late 1980's and Rees Jones ten years ago. Unfortunately for Tulsa CC, its neighborhood has been on the decline in more recent decades and this seems to have taken its toll on the club's fortunes, especially compared to Southern Hills. It still is a very very good course and shows many of Tillie's brilliant calling cards.. I had a 43 - 42 = 85. TCC has hosted three different USGA Championships (1960 US Women's Amateur, 2008 US Senior Women's Am, and 2015 US Girl's Junior Am). Additionally as the home course for Tulsa University's golf team it has always enjoyed a lot of play by the really fine young amateurs, college players, and pros in the golf rich city.
That evening we (Zander, Cory and I) were off to a superb steak dinner with Bob and his wife Kathy. Great way to end a superb day...that started with my oversleeping!
Managed to get a bit more sleep that night and Friday morning it was Oaks CC, about five miles west of SHCC for Zander, Kathy and me. Oaks is also a Tillinghast 1920 design and was restored by Bill Bergin in 2014-15. Part of the property sits up a a high bluff offering wonderful views of downtown and surrounding areas. The club hosted the US Girl's Junior Championship in 1960.
After playing Oaks I drove about 50 miles to Muskogee, OK which lies southeast of Tulsa and is home to Muskogee CC, site of the the 1970 US Women's Open and won by Donna Caponi. Interestingly, the day prior to this when I was at Southern Hills I was introduced to the gentleman who was Caponi's caddy that week...and told him I was going to play it and he had a chuckle over my plan to play all the USGA host venues. I played here w Zander and felt the front nine was OK and the back nine was very good. It was also clear that the economy of Muskogee has declined over the past 50+ years and that impacted the overall condition of the course which was OK but certainly below that of the average of the courses I have played over the past 5-10 years. The club was founded in 1903 but the golf course was not opened until 1908...at this same location. In 1924 Perry Maxwell renovated the course and converted the sand greens to bermuda grass. They were changed to bent grass in 1936. As with Oaks, I was pretty much golfed out at this point and did not keep score...but can tell you my game left much to be desired at both courses that day.
After the round Enjoyed a good conversation with Muskogee's very young pro, Bridger Ryan, who is a very good guy. Then I said good bye to Zander and was off to southern MO to the town of Branson, the home of Big Cedar Lodge. The drive was some 170 miles and took a full 3:45. I arrived at my hotel in Branson at 10:15pm...and then had to do my laundry! Got to bed at 12:30pm and had zero problem getting to sleep.
First course played there was the morning of October 16 at Coore & Crenshaw's Ozarks National, which opened 2019 and is maintained to play very firm and fast and succeeds quite well. The fairways are extremely wide...but you better be on the proper side of the fairway (based on pine location and hole shape/slope) if you want any decent shot at the pin. The greens here are very large, generally have relatively steep slopes, and have multiple sections...you need to be in the proper section and not leave yourself a downhill putt. While the width of the holes can lull the player into thinking the course is easy, if you make a mental error by not carefully planning each shot, the punishment is swift, substantial and frankly deserved (as I learned on holes 9 and 11) 😢.
I started off hot as can be. Sunk an 8' putt for par 5 on #1, then three putted par 3 #2 for a bogey, birdied par 4 3rd hole w outstanding approach and canning a 4' putt, then birdied the par 4 4th by sinking a 50' putt, and parred holes 5-7...so I stood one under through 7 holes. Guys I was playing with (including one who played for Vanderbilt and has reached the semi-finals of the North-South Amateur in Pinehurst, were wondering who this guy was. I got too cute with tee shot on the short par 3 8th and found myself in a bunker some 8 feet below the level of the green, but almost got it upon and down (bogey)...and then I failed to check my alignment for my drive on #9 and blew in into awful stuff right. Gave myself an 8 here...probably would have been a 10, so had a 39 on the front with a triple bogey on #9!!. On back had a 43 with a double bogey 7 on the par 5 11th hole...again was aligned right off the tee and while I was in the fairway still paid the price! So it was an 82...and what it could have been. As I have said before, I do not think the word "if" came into the English language until the game of golf started being played (absolutely true in the USA).
Loved the golf course...yes there are better Coore Crenshaw tracks IMO (Sandhills, Friar's Head, Shanqin Bay as originally built, Old Sandwich, and a few others...but this is pretty tough company). The par 3 12th hole reminded me of Tom Doak's #6 at Cape Kidnappers and the par 3 17th reminded me of Brookline's short downhill #12.
Golf carts were allowed but had to remain on paths, and after 18 holes I had walked just over 9,000 steps, WITH A CART!
After a quick lunch, played Jack Nicklaus' 9 hole par 3 Top of the Rock...very scenic but not in the same class as the best par 3 courses such as Pinehurst's Cradle. Had a decent 30, then headed back to room for a much needed nap, decent dinner and some good sleep later than night.
On Sunday October 17, I was able to sleep late and played Tom Fazio's Buffalo Ridge Springs at 11:40am. It was completed in 1999 as Branson Creek Golf Course, then changed its name to Branson Creek before adopting its current name. I was playing it about 27 hours after playing Ozarks National...and the daylight portion gof those 27 hours was full of sunshine and fairly windy...yet Buffalo Ridge Springs was much slower and softer than Ozarks National. It also is tighter and offers fewer options and risk/reward choices. Finally it has a good number of long walks from green to next tee. As with Ozarks National, the views are spectacular.
I shot a 43 - 40 = 83. Note that this course has not made any USA Top XXX list and has not hosted any event of consequence. It is very good but not one I would have travelled to without having to play Ozarks National.
Monday morning I played Tiger Woods' designed Payne's Valley, dedicated to the late Payne Stewart. This is the third Tiger Wood's design that I have played and overall I liked it a lot, except (and you may find this hard to believe) that I thought it's fairways might be too wide! It is great fun and its greens are massive and wild with relatively steep slopes and lots of interior contours...you really need to be careful what side of the pin you aim for...and then of course hit it where you are aiming. Four putt greens here are not unusual. Its views are almost as spectacular and varied as Ozarks. I had a 43 - 40 = 83. In summary better than Buffalo Ridge Springs but not as good as Ozarks National. Opened in 2020 and finishes with a par 3 19th hole featuring an island green constructed in a limestone outcrop and a large waterfall behind the green. Great fun and I had an"X".
Finally, I played Gary Player's 13 hole par 3 Mountain Top course. I was 4 over par with 1 birdie (on #9), 7 pars, and 5 bogey 4's. It was fun (like Jack's par 3 course here) but not as good as some of the new par threes build around the USA and world in recent years.
It was time to move on...to the State of Arkansas. The afternoon of Monday 10/18 I drove about 90 miles (1:45) from Branson to Fayettville, AR which is an highly energetic city. The University of Arkansas is here and relatively nearby are Bentonville, home of Walmart Corporation, and Springdale, home of Tyson Foods. Blessings Golf Club's course was originally designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and opened in 2004; recently Kyle Phillips completed a major renovation of the course. The entire venture has been led and funded by JohnTyson who is chairman of Tyson Foods.
I had heard a fair amount about Blessings over the years and then about 2-3 years ago I hosted fellow Global Golf Centurians Club member John Sabino at Brookline, along with his friend Dr. Stephan R., MD who is an Oncologist at University of Arkansas and a member of Blessings. Stephan has been trying to get me to Blessings since then but I always knew I wanted to play in as part of a trip to play some other courses in AR as well. Happily, Stephan was able to join me this morning at Blessings.
I arrived around 7am and was given a quick tour of the outstanding clubhouse and practice facilities by Head Pro Justin Sellin. Stephan arrived shortly thereafter and we soon were teeing off on #1. I had been told that Blessings might be the most difficult golf course in the USA...and if it is not, it certainly in among the most difficult five in the world (other four IMO in alpha order probably Carnoustie-Scotland, Maridoe-TX, Oakmont-PA, and Shinnecock Hills-NY, but I should also note that I strongly believe that designing a very very difficult golf course is fairly easy...building one that is also fun to play takes superb architectural skill).
While this track plays to 7950 yards from the tips, it for sure can be stretched another 500+ yards if necessary.
I actually liked holes 2-5, especially #5 which is a brutal but very interesting par 5. But the next 8-9 holes were in the hills with long, tough walks from green to next tee. The last 4-5 holes are on top of a plataeau, the terrain used for #2-5.
After the round, it was a thanks and good-bye to Dr. R. and a thanks to Justin, then a drive south of some 65 miles (just over an hour) to Ft Smith to play Hardscrabble Country Club.
I arrived at Hardscrabble on time but had a hell of a time finding the pro shop which is a good 200 yards from the clubhouse. After that, I was fine and had no problem hitting fairways. Hardscrabble was built in1926 by Perry Maxwell and was apparently one of his more interesting designs. The course was rebuilt in the late 1960's and some five holes were eliminated...including several of the more interesting ones. Then some 25 years ago Jay Morrish and Carter Morrish renovated the course. In 1979, the club hosted the 1979 US Senior Women's Amateur, which is why I was here (although in 1998 I made several trips to Ft Smith to visit one of Atlantis Plastics' injection molding plants...but never played the course in those days). For about a dozen years it was a regular stop on the Nationwide Tour.
Playing from about 5500 yards I fired a nondescript round of 42 - 43 = 85. Classify this baby as a good but definitely not a candidate at this time for any Top XXX list...but it was on the original Golf Digest "200 Toughest" lists in 1966 and 1967.
After thanking HP Jon Burton, the tough part of the day was ahead of me. I had a drive of some 190 miles south to Texarkana, AR...but most of the drive was on a two lane roads through the foothills of western AR. As I ventured along this route, I was reminded about the movie "Deliverance"...yes I know that took place in Georgia and not Arkansas but to this guy raised in Jamaica, Queens, NY, there was not much of a difference. Good news is that I negotiated this drive successfully without having to engage in any new experiences...and arrived in Texarkana some 3:45 after leaving Fort Smith.
I actually had been to Texarkana once before to attend the opening ceremonies for a new golf course on the Texas side of the city. The year was 2002 and the course had been designed by Hank Haney. While I (happily) did not invest in this project, as an investor in the Hank Haney Golf Ranch near Dallas, I was invited to this opening (probably hoping I might invest after this visit). But that was another golf course. Texarkana CC goes back to 1914 with a nine hole track. In 1922 William Langford and Theodore Moreau arrived and build an 18 hole course for the club and this course is for the most part unchanged for these almost 100 years. While not as well known as the likes of folks names Ross, Tillinghast, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Raynor, etc., the firm of Langford and Moreau was as creative as any...and probably should be considered the authors of today's most respected design rules. They generally used the earth as they found it...but when they saw a need to "liven up the place" were not afraid to give it a shot, and the results were brilliant. A visit to Lawsonia Links (WI), the outstanding 9 holes at Culver Academies, or the wonderful Skokie CC (IL) will confirm what I am claiming here...and provided proof that if you want to get to be known in as a golf architect, you are better off doing your stuff on one of the USA's two major coastlines and not the midwest.
In any case, a number of things struck me about Texarkana. First, it sits in a neighborhood that clearly has seen far better days economically and this certainly has affected the club's fortunes. However, the club sits like an oasis in this neighborhood and its long driveway entrance lined with tall pine trees is very impressive. Finally, on a number of holes the brilliance of Langford and Moreau's work shows through...great bones still can be seen even when the skin covering these bones is in serious need of some plastic surgery. Best examples here of this was hole #4, a 437 yard par 4 that turns right to left around large grass bunkers in the left rough and hole #14, 441 yards, doglegging L-->R and then uphill to the green. My game deserted me this morning and I struggled through a 45 - 44 = 89. As with Hardscrabble I was here because Texarkana was also on both the 1966 and 1967 Golf Digest "200 Toughest" lists.
After the round I had to get to Little Rock to play Pleasant Valley Country Club, which hosted the 1979 US Girl's Junior on its Blue and Yellow nines (Pleasant Valley has 27 holes). Pleasant Valley opened in 1968 and was designed by Joe Finger. The 1979 Girl's Junior was scheduled to be played at CC of Little Rock, but CC of LR's greens had major issues and the event was switched to Pleasant Valley. As an aside, CC of LR has never had another USGA Championship. I had a good front nine and simply awful back (41 - 48 = 89) after starting the back nine with four 6's in a row. Was ready to move on... and had two days left on this journey.
Had to drive 165 miles (about 2:35) to Memphis to play two courses there on Thursday October 21. The first was TPC Southwind which was home to the Danny Thomas Classic from 1989 to 2021.
Southwind was designed by Ron Prichard and opened in 1988. It hosted the Danny Thomas St Jude as well as the Fed Exp St Jude from 1989 through 2021...the last three years of which it was also hosting a World Golf Championship event at the same time. Starting in 2022, it drops its WCG association and becomes part of the Federal Express Tour Championship Playoff series.
By playing it, I have now played every course to host:
A. the Tour Championship or Players Championship (there have been eight courses and five courses respectively);
B. any of the "preliminary" playoff events that lead into the Tour Championship (e. g. Barclay's, BMW, etc., etc.)
C. any of the WCG events since their inception...except that here I am missing Chapultepec in Mexico City and Mission Hills-Olazabal in Shenzhen, China. Am hoping to play both of those in 2022 but nothing in the way of firm plans exists now.
Regarding the architecture at TPC Southwind, I shall refer you back to one of my mother's (and almost all mothers' everywhere) favorite expressions: "...if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything."
I had a good discussion after my round with the new HP Larry Antinozzi, who was raised in lower Westchester County NY, regarding golf courses in Westchester. For the record, I had a miserable 46 on the front 9, an "X" on #10, and a birdie 2 on the somewhat famous par 3 #11...at that point I stopped keeping score.
After the round I headed northeast to Spring Creek Ranch, which is really "out in da sticks." Spring Creek is a Nicklaus design that opened around 2000 and from the tips plays to 7426 yards. It is big and long and tough, and a good golf course, but you had better carry a handicap of about 6 or less if you want to enjoy it...or be ready to park your ego and go play the appropriate tees for your game (shortest being 5361 yards, just a tad long for moi).
I arrived at Spring Creek at around 12:30, well ahead of my designated tee time. Upon introducing myself to HP Matt Brock, he said he had no record of me on his tee sheet. I then explained what I was trying to do (Spring Creek Ranch has been on the Golf Digest USA Top 200...always around #165-170...starting in 2015) and my golf background; he finally allowed me to play by myself almost immediately. I was on the first tee in about 60 seconds.
The course is good, but as explained in earlier blogs, I am not a huge fan of Jack's architectural efforts from this part of his career. And if you think I was tired this morning... In any case, I got it in, thanked the HP profusely and got out of Dodge for a 165 mile drive back to Little Rock. A power nap along the way helped and I arrived at my hotel in Little Rock around 5:45pm., and immediately had a real nap!
At 8:00am on the morning on Friday 10/22, I was the first player off on Chenal CC's Founders Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (opened 1990). And I felt like a new person. This would be a long day but it marked the conclusion of a long and grueling trip.
From 1997-2000 the Founders Course was included on GolfWeek's USA Top 100 Modern Courses and as such on my "GolfWeek Merged Top 200". In fact, it was the last course I needed to play to have completed the GolfWeek USA Top 100 Modern and USA Top 100 Classic lists EVER, so I was celebrating another milestone this morning...so another Bucket list completed...finishing the 100Modern/100Classic EVER list. Since GolfWeek started publishing the USA Top 100 Modern and Top 100 Classic in 1997, they have published a total of 25 annual sets...and a total of 154 different Classic Courses and 270 different Modern Courses have appeared one or more times...so a total of 424 different Courses. Of those there are two courses (both Modern) that no longer exist which I did not play before they closed. So there are 154 Classic and 268 Modern Courses, or 422 in total that still exist...and I have played all of those 422. To the best of my knowledge, no one else has completed this bucket list.
That said, Founders is a good but certainly not great course. It is a typical course from the 1960's through 1980's era...penal and not strategic. But glad I played it and another bucket list is DONE! Had a 43 - 40 = 83 for the round.
Then drove 50 miles to Hot Springs, AR in order to play Hot Springs CC's Arlington Course. There was an event about to start on the Park Course that day so the clubhouse area was overrun with golfers...making it look like it would be impossible for me to play. But the HP (Barry Howard, a wonderful gentleman who has been here for about 30 years), took me out to hole #11 and I had a free run from 11-18, then playing 1-10 took a while. But got it done on a very good track, designed by Bill Diddel in 1927 and in one of Coore-Crenshaw's earliest restorations...dating back to the mid-1990's. Had a 44 - 42 = 86.
Got my car packed up and headed to Dallas-Ft Worth airport...my last drive of the trip...310 miles (4:40). Stayed in a hotel near DFW and was up early to catch a 7:03 flight that brought me to Boston at 11:50am on Saturday 10/23.
This was a monster trip...in 13 days, I played 24 courses totaling 419 golf holes, or 32.23 holes per day. I also drove 2377 miles in my rental car, or almost 185 miles/day.
And it brought me to the following positions:
Lifetime as of 10/23: 1,370 different courses, or 23,975 golf holes (equal to 1,331.94 18 hole equivalent courses).
2021 as of 10/23: 128 different courses played, of which 109 were first time played for moi, and the other 19 were courses I had played before this year.
It is Monday December 20, 2021 as I write these words. Since October 23, I have played 18 additional courses...but that information is for another Post or two. Think this was is long enough as it is.
Happy Holidays to all.
