Southern California Trip

The major theme of 2019 was change and opportunity.  That theme continued in an unexpected way into 2020 with my improvised trip to Southern California.  At the end of 2019, I had planned on traveling to Houston in early 2020 but a change of events had me looking for alternative destinations.  The most obvious destination to me was Southern California, but only if I could get on a few of the bigger name courses in the Los Angeles area that I had yet to play.  Through the help of some friends and very generous golf professionals, I was able to set up some places that had been on my bucket list for a very long time.  

Before my trip even started, I was presented with a challenge that I turned into opportunity.  North Carolina was going to see a snow storm for the first time in 2 years on the day before I was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles.  The biggest course I was playing on the trip was scheduled right after I got off the plane on the first day.  A delay or cancellation would be disastrous.  I had to play that course on Friday or I wouldn't be able to play it at all.  Thankfully American Airlines gave me the opportunity to change my flight for no fee, so I flew out a day early with the blessing of my very generous boss.  This created an opportunity for me to play a course I had always wanted to check out: Saticoy Country Club in Oxnard.  Located about an hour north of Los Angeles, Saticoy is a 1960's design that has seen recent bunker work by Thad Layton.  

Saticoy, Par four 3rd Hole

Day two of my trip was in Los Angeles and began at Rancho Park's Par 3 course.  Designed in 1948 by William Johnson and Billy Bell, the par 3 is a nice compliment to the regulation course and makes great use of  a tight piece of property.

Rancho Park Par 3, 5th Hole

My day continued in the Los Angeles area at another golf course, and that's all I can say.  Here's a possibly random sign.

On the third day of my trip, I headed South to the San Diego area for a day of the best courses in the area.  My day began at the recently renovated North course at Torrey Pines.  Renovated last year by Tom Weiskopf, the North has always been the lesser of the two courses at the facility, and the major goal of the renovation was to make the course tougher.  I never saw the old version, but the locals I played with said that Weiskopf succeeded in a big way.

Torrey Pines North, Par three 8th Hole

A tremendous storm blew in as we were standing on the 15th tee, the drop-shot signature par three on the North.  The wind was blowing 30+ mph and it was raining sideways.  My playing partners sought shelter and said they were going to stop until the storm subsided.  I kept going (insert Caddyshack rain reference here) and hit 3 wood to the fringe of a downhill 170 yard par three!  I finished and, because it was still raining and no one else wanted to tee off, I was able to get right out on the South course, which gave me more time to play the third course of the day. 

Torrey Pines North, Par three 15th Hole in the driving rain and wind

I headed over to next year's US Open venue: the South course at Torrey Pines, and had to endure a few holes in the rain before I was rewarded with plentiful sunshine for the rest of the day.

Torrey Pines South, Par three 16th Hole

My third course on day three was my first Max Behr design: Rancho Santa Fe Country Club.  Despite the course being walking only and me being on my third round of the day, I managed to play most of a very enjoyable golf course.

Rancho Santa Fe, Par three 3rd Hole

My second day in the greater San Diego area began at the long time PGA tour host La Costa Resort & Spa and their Champions course.  My one memory of the course was in 1996 when Tiger and Tom Lehman faced a sudden death playoff in the rain, and Tiger hit it to a foot on the 1st playoff hole, the par three 16th Hole.

La Costa, Par four 4th Hole

The second course I played on day four was a course I had heard a lot about and was very excited to see: Goat Hill Park in Oceanside.  Goat Hill Park is a feel good story where Links Soul founder John Ashworth and many other locals saved the course from extinction.  The Park is a real community gathering place now where people can bring their dogs with them when they play and also play disc golf alongside people playing real golf.

Goat Hill Park, Par four 16th hole

The last round on day four was a bucket list round at Bel-Air Country Club.  A George Thomas design recently renovated by Tom Doak, Bel-Air is a triumph of engineering as much as golf design.  The course was routed through several canyons and requires the use of three tunnels and an elevator to play the course!  I loved everything about the design.  While not long, it is extremely challenging and forces you to place your drive in the proper spot to give you a chance at birdie.

Bel-Air, Par three 5th Hole

Here are two pictures that tell a cool story about my experience at Bel-Air.  The first picture is looking back down the 18th hole with the 17th green in the background.  Notice the tennis courts on the right side of the picture.

The 2nd picture below shows where my drive on 18 ended up after I snap hooked it into the 17th fairway.  185 yards away and my only option to get on the green was to hit it over the tennis courts!  My oh so helpful caddy felt the need to point out that if I pulled my shot I would hit a 15 million dollar house(top left corner of picture) with plenty of windows and lots of witnesses!  Seizing the moment, I hit 4 iron right over the tennis courts (fence to the right of the house) to about 20 feet.  A very memorable moment on a very memorable course!

After my round at Bel-Air, I headed East to the Palm Springs area.  I began my first day in the desert with the most famous course in the area: The Stadium course at PGA West.  The current final round host of the Bob Hope PGA Tour Tournament is famous for its rock encircled version of the 17th at Sawgrass, also designed by Pete Dye.

PGA West Stadium course, Iconic Par three 17th Hole

The PGA West theme continued at the Nicklaus Private course for my second round on day five.  A very bold and difficult layout, the private course really forces you to execute with precision or suffer the consequences.

PGA West Nicklaus Private Course, Par three, 7th Hole

The final round of my first day in the Palm Springs area came at the Pete Dye designed Mountain course at La Quinta Resort.  I was paired with three other singles and, though that can be a problem sometimes, we got along very well.  Thankfully none of them felt the need to move back to play my tee, which happens way too much.

La Quinta Mountain Course, Par three, 16th Hole

The last day of my trip began at the Nicklaus Tournament course at PGA West.  A little more playable than the Private course.

PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course, Par four, 8th Hole

The only thing that really didn't work out well on the trip was my second round at the PGA West Private Courses.  I made a tee time on the Palmer Private course and was very excited to play the course where David Duval eagled the 18th hole to shoot 59 at the Bob Hope.  When I arrived that morning I was told my tee time had been moved to the Nicklaus course, which I had played the day before.  I ended up getting out on the Weiskopf course but didn't get to play the Palmer.

PGA West Weiskopf Course, Par three 6th Hole

The last course I played on the trip was The Madison Club in La Quinta.  Designed by Tom Fazio, Madison is a super high end Discovery Land Property.  If you are not familiar with Discovery Land properties, they are known for their high end "comfort stations"  If you are looking for a golf course where you can get soft serve ice cream and beef jerky on the 5th hole, Discovery Land courses are the place to be!

The Madison Club, Par three, 7th Hole

The Madison Club, Par three, 17th Hole with 16th green on the far left

SCORECARDS

FLAGS

So that's a wrap on my bucket list trip to Southern California.  With everything currently going on, I feel extremely fortunate I was able to have this experience when I did.  I don't even want to think what would happen if my trip were a month later.  As usual a big thanks to all those that helped make this happen.  I am very grateful for the kindness of my fellow PGA Professionals and my friends that help me make my golf dreams come true.

Florida Panhandle Trip

Our quest for warmer temperatures in the Winter took us to the Florida Panhandle in January where an unexpected cold snap brought us temperatures that were pretty normal for North Carolina in January!  We made the best of it and had a very good time visiting a part of the country that is still recovering from Hurricane Michael.

We drove on this trip so our first stop on the way down was at the Davis Love III designed Kinderlou Forest Golf Club in Valdosta, Georgia.  This former host of a Korn Ferry Tour event is a great tournament venue because of the extremely wide corridors around the course.  I was pleasantly surprised by the design.  The front nine is wide open and the back nine plays into the trees.

Kinderlou Forest, Par Five 2nd Hole

Our second stop on our first day was the highlight of the trip, Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee.  A.W. Tillinghast renovated the original nine and added nine holes to the design in the 1920's.  As usual for the architect of many of the best courses in the country, the design is very solid and is on an amazing piece of property.  The course is unlike anything in Florida and is a welcome change.

Capital City Country Club, Par four 13th Hole.  One of the best holes in Florida!

Day two of our trip began at the Hurricane ravaged Panama Country Club in Lynn Haven.  The course lost several thousand trees from Hurricane Michael and had to be rebuilt.  Unfortunately the trees were used as defining the corridors of the design and it feels a little lost without them.

Panama Country Club, Par three 7th Hole

Next up on day two was the exciting new concept from Davis Love III Design at Origins Golf Club.  The course can be played as a 10 hole par three course, a six hole regulation course, and also has footgolf.  I played both the 10 Hole DLIII course and the six hole Heritage course.  I made my second Hole in One on the 8th hole of the DLIII course.  118 yards with a Pitching Wedge.  My wife actually got to witness this one.  She was having surgery the day I got my first hole in one and insisted I go play golf instead of waiting in the hospital and driving the staff crazy.  She takes credit for that one and now she got to witness this one.

Origins Golf Club, Par three 8th Hole where I made my 2nd Hole In One!

We finished our day at the Tom Fazio designed Camp Creek Golf Club in Panama City Beach.  This beautiful course is everything you hope for in a Fazio.  Lots of width, great scenery and a course that is very satisfying to play.

Camp Creek Golf Club, Short Par Four 13th Hole

Our third day in Florida began in the Destin area at two courses that are part of the Sandestin Resort.  First up was the private Burnt Pine Golf Club designed by Rees Jones.

Burnt Pine Golf Club, Par five 5th Hole

After a wet round at Burnt Pine we headed over to the Robert Trent Jones II designed Raven Golf Club.  I really applaud the decisions made at this course.  They had forward tees that featured yardages under 100 yards for four of the five par 3's.  This is not something you see very often and my wife was delighted because she could actually hit 8 and 9 iron off the tee instead of the usual driver or 3 wood.  She made two birdies on those par 3's, something she hasn't done in a very long time.  I really wish more courses did this for forward tee players.

Raven Course at Sandestin, Par three 4th Hole

Day three continued at Shark's Tooth Golf Club in Powell.   The course was the most playable Greg Norman design I have ever seen.  I particularly enjoyed the par threes.  Though sometimes long, they were all designed to give you a place to miss while still having an opportunity to make par.

Shark's Tooth Golf Club, Par three 12th Hole

For our final day in the Panhandle we headed West to Pensacola for a round at Pensacola Country Club.  Jerry Pate completely renovated this course after it sustained significant damage from Hurricane Michael.

Pensacola Country Club, Par three 7th Hole

The Jerry Pate theme continued on day four as we traveled West to Mobile for a round at The Country Club of Mobile that just completed a major renovation by Pate.  The results were very good.  He created several new holes including a delightful short par four downhill 8th hole.

CC of Mobile, Par Five 3rd Hole in foreground, Par four 16th Hole in background

We broke up the long drive home from Mobile by stopping in Atlanta to check out the new reversible nine hole Bobby Jones golf course designed by the late Bob Cupp.  We played the clockwise Magnolia course.

Bobby Jones Golf Club, Green in 2nd for Magnolia(White Flag) and 7th for Azalea(Red Flag)

SCORECARDS

FLAGS

And that's a wrap on my first trip in 2020.  Special thanks to my lovely wife for being a trooper and playing in less than ideal conditions.  We went all the way to Florida to get up and play every morning in overcast conditions with temperatures in the 40's.  She never complained and actually played very well.  In five round she made six birdies, the most I have ever seen her make on a golf trip.  I can't say this enough, if you give forward tee players proper tees, it always them to have the same opportunities for birdies as lower handicap players!

2019 Year in Review

Life is full of surprises, and 2019 was proof of that for me.  As an obsessive-compulsive who loves to plan, I hate surprises.  But how you handle these unexpected situations goes a long way towards your long term happiness as a person.  I took the potential bad situation I was given in 2019 and turned it into several opportunities.

Ohoopee Match Club, my favorite course played in 2019

Plans did have to change, and I hated that, but overall I was very happy with how 2019 turned out.  I went places I hadn't planned on going when the year began.  I was given opportunities to play courses I had been trying to play for years, and I was able to have an experience that I had always wanted to in my professional life.

TEXAS 

Austin Country Club, Par five 3rd hole

My year in golf travel began with a trip to Texas where I played golf in what I call "The Big Triangle" of Dallas, Austin, and Houston.  Four courses designed by Coore & Crenshaw and a municipal course on the verge of extinction were some of the highlights.  Write up is here: Texas Trip

Bluejack National, Par three 12th hole

While I was in Texas, I got some news that dramatically changed my plans for 2019.  The golf course where I had been the Head Golf Professional for the past four years was closing on February 1st.  The news wasn't exactly a surprise given that we had lost our greens in the summer of 2018, and the debt holding organization that controlled us was facing a decision to spend a lot of money to re-grass the greens in the hope that it would entice a new owner to come forward.  They instead decided to shut the course down.

RIP to the course where I spent seven of the last eight years of my working life

In the months that followed, lots of people asked me why I stayed there for so long if I knew the end was coming.  The answer was simple:  For the only time in my life, I had a job where I was working four days a week, Wednesday to Saturday. And, because I had worked there for so long, I had four weeks vacation.  So, when you have spent your entire life as a golf professional working six days a week and sixty hours a week, and somebody gives you an opportunity that will allow you to do what makes you happy (traveling around the country to play golf), you stay there for as long as you possibly can!

RIP to the golf course that was far from the best in the area, but was still a fun place to play.

FLORIDA SPRING TRIP

PGA National(Champions), Par three 17th Hole

While I was looking for a new job, my focus shifted to courses within driving distance.  I started with rescheduling my trip to Florida from March to February.  A great day in Fort Myers and a visit to a PGA Tour venue 10 days before the tournament were some of the highlights.  Write up is here: Florida Spring Trip

Country Club of Orlando, Par three 17th Hole

ALABAMA TRIP

Mountain Brook Club, Par five 9th Hole

The month of March saw the first of many trips that I hadn't planned on taking in 2019 but were on my long term agenda.  I headed to Alabama to play all of the noteworthy courses in the state that I hadn't yet played.  The trip took me to a couple sites on the Robert Trent Jones Trail and the Huntsville area.  Trip review is here:  Alabama Trip

Old Overton Club, Par four 11th Hole

TENNESSEE TRIP

Spring Creek Ranch, Par three 13th Hole

After a couple weekend trips to Maryland and Georgia to finish March, I began the month of April with a trip to the Nashville and Memphis areas of Tennessee.  Donald Ross courses were the main motivation for the trip, but a visit to a very historic PGA Tour venue was also a great surprise.  Trip review is here:  Tennessee Trip

TPC Southwind, Par three 8th Hole

PITTSBURGH TRIP

Allegheny Country Club, Par five 10th Hole

April included a long weekend trip with my wife to Pittsburgh which was a highlight of the year because of our visit to PNC Park and some fantastic courses on wonderfully undulating property in the hills west of Pittsburgh.  Trip review is here:  Pittsburgh Trip

PNC Park

OHIO DONALD ROSS TRIP

Springfield Country Club, Par three 9th Hole

Before starting my new job in May, the last trip I took was to Ohio to play several Donald Ross courses.  This trip was on the agenda for 2019 but had to be shortened by a couple days from what was originally planned.  This trip pushed me over the halfway point in my quest to play every course designed by Donald Ross.  Trip review is here:  Donald Ross Trip  

Maketewah Country Club, Par four 17th Hole

MISCELLANEOUS STATISTICS

Now that we're about at the halfway point of my golf year, let's talk about my favorite part of this blog post, the statistics.

New Courses Played:       190

States Played in:               15

9 Hole Courses played:    27

Top 10 Courses by Architect

29   Donald Ross
11   Tom Fazio
8     Jack Nicklaus
7     George Cobb
7     Tom Bendelow
6     Pete Dye
6     Robert Trent Jones
5     Bob Cupp
5     Dick Wilson
5     Rees Jones

Top 10 Courses by State

34    North Carolina
20    Georgia
17    Florida
16    Texas
14    Colorado
14    South Carolina
14    Virginia
11    Tennessee
10    Alabama
9      Ohio

Milestones Reached

1.  200 golf courses played designed by Donald Ross
2.  100 golf courses played designed by Tom Fazio
The irony is not lost on me that I reached the above two milestones in the same year
3.  50 golf courses played in GA
Z-I played a course that starts with Z in 2019, leaving X as the only letter I haven't played.

Favorite Course:                 Ohoopee Match Club
Least Favorite Course:      Red Bird
Most Overrated:                 PGA National Champions
Most Underrated:               Frost Creek

Favorite Par 3:  15th Hole-Highlands Falls
Favorite Par 4:  8th hole-Springfield(Ohio)
Favorite Par 5:  18th Hole-Ironbridge 

What's in a name

A fun breakdown of golf course names from 2019

(41)Landforms: Bridge, Canyon, Cliff, Crest, Farm, Field, Forest, Fort, Glen, Hill, Mountain, Point, Pointe, Ranch, Ridge, Shore, Town, Valley, Vineyard, Woods (34)Water: Bayou, Beach, Brook, Cove, Creek, Falls, Harbour, Lake, River, Sound, Spring, Stream

(11)Trees: Aspen, Cedar, Cypress, Hickory, Holly, Loblolly, Oak, Pine

(11)Animals: Bear, Bird, Eagle, Elk, Frog, Horse, Ibis, Lion, Turtle, Wildcat

(9)Directions: North, South, West

(9)Colors: Blue, Gold, Green, Grey, Red, White

(8)The word "National"

(7)Object/Man Made: Boot, Bridge, Cabin, Feather, Fork, Gate,

(5)The word "Old"

(5)The word "Links"

(3)States: Georgia, Texas, Virginia

(3)Food: Apple, Cherry

Alphabet-All letters except X, Y

Best Scores

66- Athens, Burlingame, Smokey Mountain
67- Kingwood, Nassau, The Vineyards
68- CommonGround, Cummings Cove, Dayton, Maggie Valley

Worst Scores

81-Ohoopee Match Club
79-Austin Golf Club

NC MOUNTAINS

Highlands Falls CC, par three 15th Hole

As I began the process of finding a new job in February I was noticing several jobs available in the Mountains of North Carolina.  I have always wanted to work in the Mountains for a season but year round jobs or relationships had always prevented me from doing it.  With the encouragement of my very supportive wife, I was able to find a position at Highlands Falls in the Mountains of Western North Carolina.  Details of the golf courses I played while in the mountains this summer are available here: Mountains Post

CC of Sapphire Valley, Par three 8th Hole

COLORADO TRIP

Cherry Hills CC, Par four 14th Hole

My annual trip with my buddy from Florida centered on Colorado this year but an unexpected snow storm gave us a surprisingly pleasant detour to New Mexico.  One of Flynn's best courses was the highlight of the trip but a course we played in the mountains with snow everywhere was the real surprise of 2019.  Our journey through Colorado is here:  Colorado Trip

Frost Creek, Par four 10th Hole

NORTHEAST ROAD TRIP

Atlantic Golf Club, Par four 1st Hole

For our big vacation this year, my wife and I took a road trip to Long Island with stops along the way in Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey.  We had great weather for my wife's first and most certainly not last, visit to The Hamptons.  Trip review is here:  New York Road Trip

Montclair #1, Par five 6th Hole

9 HOLE COURSES

Terrace Nine at St. Clair Country Club

My goal of playing one hundred 9-hole courses really took a step forward in 2019.  I played 27 new 9-hole courses, more than double what I played in 2018.  9-hole courses are mostly forgotten and dismissed in the world of golf and 2019 was another reminder that this thinking is wrong.

Vestavia Country Club Par 3 Course

ECLECTIC EIGHTEENS

Since I played a record 190 new courses this year, one eighteen hole eclectic didn't seem like enough so I decided to do one for par 3's, 4's, and 5's this year.  It was tremendous fun putting it together.

Par 3's 1 to 9

Par 3's 1 to 9, from Top L to R Cherry Hills Par 3, Montour Heights, Allegheny, Mountainbrook, Nassau, Capital City Crabapple, Sewickley Heights, Frost Creek, Springfield 

Par 3's 10 to 18

Par 3's 10 to 18 from Top L to R Cordillera Valley, Atlantic, Bluejack National, CC of Orlando, Jefferson Landing, Highlands Falls, Ohoopee, Westhampton, Dayton

Par 4's 1 to 9

Par 4's 1 to 9 From Top L to R Cherry Hills, Zanesville, Old Edwards, Old Toccoa Farm, Aspen Glen, Highlands Falls, Frost Creek, Springfield, Vestavia

Par 4's 10 to 18

Par 4's 10 to 18 From Top L to R Crestmont, The Bridge, Spring Creek Ranch, Westbrook, Atlantic, Boot Ranch, PGA National Champions, Maketewah, The Foundry

Par 5's 1 to 9

Par 5's 1 to 9 From Top L to R Crestmont, CommonGround, Austin CC, The Frog, Smokey Mountain, Montclair #1, Ohoopee, Edgemont, Mountain Brook

Par 5's 10 to 18

Par 5's 10 to 18 From Top L to R Allegheny, Lakota Canyon Ranch, Atlanta Athletic Club Highlands, Atlantic, Trinity Forest, Cherokee Town North, Pradera, Cherry Hills, Ironbridge

SCORECARDS

Scorecards had to be 3 pictures this year with 2 bonus pics of my cats helping

PENCILS

FLAGS

White-lots of courses with just White flags this year

Red

Yellow

Blue

Checkerboard

Miscellaneous

2020

Unlike previous years, I don't have very much set in stone for 2020.  The two trips I do have on the books are a trip to the Panhandle of Florida with my wife and my traditional trip to Texas in February, this time concentrating on the Houston area.  I am hopeful that a trip to the Midwest with my wife will work for 2020 and a trip to Bandon with friends will also happen in 2020.  Beyond that I will embrace what the year brings me and enjoy every course I get to play!