1002.  1st Round the World Golf Trip, May 2014--to Complete Golf Magazine World 100

Email 5/1/2014:

Wanted to convey some quick thoughts etc. before my departure in 3 days,

1.  A close friend and old fraternity brother (who is not a golfer) asked me what activity will take more time during my trip...golf or flying?  Very good question...especially given the source!!  My immediate thought was that it had to be golf...but then I realized that my total scheduled flying time (scheduled departure to scheduled arrival) is 66 hours 45 minutes (corrected from prior email).  As I am playing a mere 14 rounds on this trip, that comes out to an average round of 4 hours 46 minutes 4.3 seconds (approximately).  Hopefully, I can play faster than that...even with necessary naps during rounds.  Of course one way to correct this situation is to add more golf to the trip, but even I am not foolish enough to do that.

2.  Another old friend asked if I will be sending out updates on a regular basis during my travels so that he can track me, sort of "like we track Santa Claus on Christmas eve."  I need help here...who is this guy Santa Claus?  Has he played the Top 100?  Does he do it every year?  And in December?  Maybe he's just doing the Top 100 in Australia and New Zealand.

3.  Just came back from a doctor's appt...routine annual visit...told him of my upcoming trip and he loved it.  I have concluded, that due to Medicare reimbursement rates, he is trying to cull out Medicare patients from his practice.

In any case, you can be assured that my reports will be distributed so long as wi-fi is available (no way will I pay those outrageous rates for cellular data overseas!!).  So you can depend on frequently receiving these guaranteed cures for insomnia and constipation.

Email 5/4/2014:

It is 8:52am EDT on Sunday May 4 as I am writing this...the journey has commenced.  Since the distribution list has grown considerably in the past two months, I would like to cite brief "rules of the road" that I hope and trust all of you will adhere to.  If I insult a track you love or a club you belong to, apologies for my opinions.  Am fairly candid in this writeup and would appreciate it if you didn't pass it around.  Also, while I have been fairly diligent in responding to your replies to these emails, that will be much tougher over these next 16 days given the tightness of my itinerary.  So, if you don't receive one of my brilliant replies (yes, I know what you are thinking..."Rudo, you have yet to do anything brilliant"...true with the exception of marrying my wonderful bride), fear not, all is probably OK, but given my schedule, replies may be late or even never.  Me typing capacity is somewhat constrained as I "hunt and peck". And btw, speaking of my wonderful bride, we celebrated our 6th anniversary yesterday...I spent most of it packing while Pat got to play golf. Probably more than fair.

This past week I faced a major decision as to whether or not proceed with the trip.  On Saturday, I learned that "24" was starting a new season after a hiatus of about 3-4 years (during which I suffered considerably).  First show is 8-10pm EDT on May 5 and my scheduled journey encompasses the first three episodes.  After careful thought and consideration, and of course in part recognizing the needs of you, my audience, I decided to proceed with the journey.  Am recording "24" and hopefully my schedule might allow some viewing along the way.

I am aboard a US Air flight from Charlotte, NC to Denver, CO where is I am scheduled to play Colorado Golf Club, a Coore-Crenshaw design which recently hosted the Solheim Cup.  In my (always) humble opinion, Coore-Crenshaw is simply the best architectural firm the world today.  While I am not a big fan of Golf Week's practice of publishing two top USA top hundred lists (one for "Modern" courses...opened in 1960 or later...and one for "Classics"...opened prior to 1960), the concept of a Modern/Classic distinction may be very appropriate in evaluating golf course architects.  Here I think a cutoff of something like1945 would be more appropriate than 1960.

While I think GW Classic/Modern course differentiation had validity originally  (GW's ratings commenced in 1997), two trends seem to have obliterated this Modern/Classic distinction:

--while Modern courses built in the 1960's -1980's tended to be built on inferior pieces of land (due to cost considerations or just plain lack of availability in easy to get to locations), many of the really great tracks built of the past 20-25 years (starting with Bandon Dunes) have been built on land sites ideally suited for golf, much like many of the world's great courses built primarily from the late 19th century thought the start of the Depression, and

--the more recent trend in restoring and renovating old great courses...often to restore their original features (e.g. Pinehurst #2) or to bring them more up to date given the increase is distance the balls travels...stretching tees back, moving fairway bunkers, etc. ...has, since these restorations/renovations are of course done by today's architects, brought into the design of many Classic tracks, many of the features that today's architects put in their new Modern designs.

Enough for now.  Time to nap.  Next chapter Sunday night earliest (and not sure access to Wi-Fi will allow me to send this out), or maybe tomorrow.

Email 5/5/2014:

One down and 13 to go.  Played Colorado GC, about 25 miles south of Denver.  Huge piece of property and superb Coore Crenshaw track that fits beautifully on the land.  Greens are very very tough.  Ran at about a stimp of 11, and they are typically 12+ in summer which would be brutal. Very difficult course to play first time because of the impact of the land slope on breaks...not to mention the incredible subtlety typical of C-C courses.  My putting was horrendous...didn't sink a single putt longer than a kick-in, and greens were very true.  Actually, talked to old friend Bill Friesell a few minutes ago.  Bill suggested that I take a gimmee on all putts within 6 feet (which, of course, has been the key to some of Bill's great rounds).  In fact, if I just took it a little further, and gave myself anything within about 550 yards, me thinks I could save a lot of time and $$ on this trip.

Absolutely this is a course that would be high on my "play every day but always on the same course" list...the test of fun and fair.  And maybe after a while I could figure out the greens. Best holes are 2, 4, 8, 11, 16, and 18. #2 is short uphill par 3 with very small green.  Do not be long...and I was able to prove that it is easy to chip back and forth from left to right side of green.  Obviously, that was done intentionally so that I could see how the green reacted to chips from both sides.  Hole reminds me of C-C's #12 at Dormie Club near Pinehurst...but this one is a little longer (154 from champ tees), tougher and even better.  Signature hole is #16, a brilliant downhill par 5 that bends L to R, and offers alternative fairways, L and R, with the right fairway being more aggressive and risky.  Green is outstanding.  Hole has a feel somewhat similar to #15 at Seminole.  Picture that is attached is of par 3 #11 which plays 214 yds from championship tees, and 173 from the tees we played.

Not surprisingly, views are fairly spectacular...with the Rockies visible on all holes, and Pike Peak visible on about 6 holes.  

This part of trip merely a warmup for the main events to come.  But am making progress on my two USA bucket lists. Time to get the butt in gear...on to Gothenburg, NE.

Email 5/6/14:

A long day (Monday), but a fun one.  Two down, 12 to go.

Drove over to Wild Horse, about 35 miles, and played as a single at 9:30am.  This place is neat.  Very good but not great golf course, although I am here at wrong time of year.   Fescue has not come up yet, and just looked at pictures on their website http://www.playwildhorse.com.  In height of summer the track is loaded with high fescue, making it real pretty and looks much tougher than it played.  It is located in Gothenburg, NE, just north of I-80, about 30 miles east of North Platte (note that Sand Hills GC, #3 on my best in USA list is located 60 miles north of North Platte).  Getting back to course condition, the general manager, Don Graham told me they cut the fairways for the first time this year on May 1. The latest previous first fairway cutting was April 10.  Just wanted to add that for you "global warming/Al Gore/settled science" fans. 

Designed and built by Dan Proctor and Dave Axland.  Course is just over 7000 yards from tips and has tons of room behind most tees to extend it if they wanted to do so.  By end of round wind was a fairly constant 15 mpg or so...nothing to block it (nearest tree is in next county...nothing wrong w that on a golf course).  Course well designed for its settings...for most part, big wide fairways, but given greenside bunkering and green shapes and slopes, you better be on the correct side of the fairway, and some room to run it in on every green.  Bunkering is perfectly placed  Started on #10, and best holes are:

---11 (short uphill par 3), 

---12 (long downhill dogleg 4 w semi-blind tee shot and very good green complex), 

---13 (190 yd from back par 3 slightly uphill w wonderful green setting),  

---14 (shortish par 5 that doglegs left...wide wide fairway with perfectly placed fairway bunker to intimidate short hitters like moi who have to lay up...this was first birdie of trip so i had to love it)

---16 (445 yd par 4 that turns right slightly to raised green...very tough in prevailing left --> right wind)

---  2 (par 4 of 431 yds that turns slightly right to a very good green setting...fun to play w wind) with Principal's Nose in the fairway (non-golfers...don't ask)

---  5 (short par 4 turing left to green set on a hill with high dune protecting and blocking right side to green...trouble off tee is to left, which is where you want to be on drive to shoot at pin)

---  7 (short uphill drivable par 4...364 from back, with perfectly placed bunkers about 85 and 15 yards short of front of green, forcing player to think about both going for it and laying up)

---  8 (tough, long uphill par 4, with  brutal fairway bunker protecting left side of fairway)

---  9 (185 from back par 3  beautifully bunkered)

Note on above...the course is at the base of the Nebraska Sand Hill region...fairly flat with just enough rolling terrain (so "uphill" is a relative term)...about like Pinehurst #2.  Importantly, turf is firm and strong w great sand base.

What I really loved about this place is its wonderful simplicity.  Just golf, in good but not manicured shape, semi-private, surrounded by farms, railroad tracks nearby (one almost constant criteria for great tracks is the ability to hear a train while playing...true with most old courses as that was the only way to get there when they were built...and here you can see them and they are long long freight trains), no perfectly manicured/dressed golfers (believe it or not, I may have been the best dressed out there...plenty of frayed collars out there)...simply put, pure golf with zero pretenses, and no multi-million $$ clubhouse to "impress" you.  

Thinking back to the course, my guess is that it is really special in the summer with the fescue up, very fast and firm (it was reasonably so yesterday but remember this is very early in the season due to global cooling), and the wind blowing (which it was yesterday).  Not in the same league as Sand Hills GC, but very very very few tracks are.  So glad I came here..reminds me of what golf is all about (as I am about to head to The Broadmoor Hotel!!!).  Also, shot a 79...Co GC was 88 :-(...so that may have affected my view of the place.  And I remembered how to putt.

Drive to Broadmoor was 375 miles...took almost 5.5 hours w stop for lunch at my favorite lunch spot..Subway.  Now I understand why Pat didn't want to come on this trip :-)

Most importantly, to answer the question you are all asking yourselves...I did get to see the 2 hours of "24" last night.  Tough thing getting the heart rate up that high at 6000 feet!!

Pictures attached...but don't bitch about quality or lack thereof...at least no thumbs visible (on these).