VA Road Trip

My wife and I took to the road in October of this year to visit family and see golf courses in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and North Carolina.  We discovered hidden gems and courses that will be very well known soon.

United States Naval Academy Golf Course, the best course I played on the trip

Our trip began near where I grew up in Virginia.  Even though I grew up in the area, I never played Front Royal Golf Club.  When I was a kid, I dismissed it as a nine hole course, and therefore not worthy of playing.  How silly was I to deprive myself of such a fun course on a wild piece of property.

Front Royal Golf Club, Par three 3rd green looking down on the 4th hole

The second day of the trip was purely about numbers.  If you follow my blog, you know I am approaching 2000 golf courses played, and I decided to spend a day playing executive and par three courses in Northern Virginia.  Some were in good shape, some were not.  Some had interesting architecture, others did not.

Lake Ridge Golf Club, Woodbridge, VA

Virginia Golf Center, Broad Run, VA

Oak Marr Golf Center, Oakton, VA

Burke Lake Golf Center, Fairfax Station, VA

The third day of the trip began with a real hidden gem, the Gibson Island Club, in Maryland.  This nine hole course is what remains of an eighteen hole course designed by MacDonald & Raynor.  Roughly seven of the original holes remain, and their work is as strong as ever.  A new redan themed par three is currently being built and there is a master plan to implement more Raynor-themed improvements.

Gibson Island Club, 8th green and 9th hole

The second course of the day was the real star of the trip, The United States Naval Academy Golf course was originally designed by William Flynn, and was very recently restored by Andrew Green.  Green is known for his massive restoration projects like Oak Hill and Congressional, but his work at USNA might be his best.  

United States Naval Academy, Par three 12th hole in foreground with par four 14th green in background

We headed to Delaware to see friends on day four which allowed me to play some rounds in the Bethany Beach area.  Once again I hit a couple executive and par three courses, along with the newly opened Plantation Lakes Golf Club designed by Arthur Hills.

The Salt Pond, Bethany Beach, Delaware

Bethany Bay Golf Club, Delaware

Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club, Millsboro, Delaware

We began the drive back to South Carolina on the fifth day of the trip.  We stopped in the Richmond area to check out the newly opened Cutalong at Lake Anna.  This course was designed by Tom Clark, with help from former Golf Digest editor Ron Whitten.  Every hole has an inspiration from a famous architect, and the designers did very well with the different themes on a wonderful piece of property.

Cutalong at Lake Anna, the Redan themed short par four 10th hole

Cutalong at Lake Anna, The Biarritz themed par three 12th hole

\I headed into Colonial Williamsburg to finish out day five for a round on the soon to be closed Spotswood executive course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.  I am always sad to see courses close.  This one had some very good short par threes.

Golden Horseshoe, Spotswood Course, Williamsburg, Virginia

The final day of the trip brought a return to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and a round at Kilmarlic Golf Club in Powells Point.  The course was designed in the 1990's by Tom Steele, and is one of the best in the Outer Banks.

Kilmarlic Golf Club, Par three 2nd hole

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Chicago Trip

One of the things that fascinates me about life is it's uncertainty.  You really never know when one little thing can change your life, or in my case, give you an opportunity to play the #1 course on your bucket list.  

That bucket list item was the genesis of my trip to Chicago in late September of 2021.  I built my trip around playing the amazing Chicago Golf Club and had a wonderful trip playing a great variety of courses from both the classic and modern design eras.

Chicago Golf Club

The trip began at a course that was a mandatory stop for me because of its current status.  Calumet Country Club, designed by Donald Ross, was supposed to be turned into a trucking depot by its new owner, but delays and fights with the city have resulted in the once private course now being open to the public.  With its fate unknown, I had to make a trip down to play it since I might not get another chance.

Calumet Country Club, Par three 2nd hole

Since I arrived in Chicago on a Monday and private courses are mostly closed on Mondays, this day would be devoted to public courses.  After Calumet, I headed to Lemont which is home of the very famous Cog Hill #4, but I wasn't in the town to play Cog Hill.  My destination was the Pete & P.B. Dye designed Ruffled Feathers Golf Club.  This course has the distinction of being the only Pete Dye designed course in the Chicago area.

Ruffled Feathers, Par four 7th hole

My last destination on day one was mandatory given where I was going on day two.  Downers Grove golf course in the city by the same name is home to the original Chicago Golf Club, the first eighteen hole golf course in America.  Nine holes have survived and I found it a delightful and surprisingly hilly walk.  I made eagle on the par five third hole with a dramatic second shot up a very steep hill using a three wood from 225 yards.  I hit it to two feet.  Those are my favorite kind of eagle putts!

Downers Grove, Par three 6th hole

Day two of the trip began at a popular site for big tournaments, Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove.  Owner Jerry Rich had major input in the design and the course has hosted the Solheim Cup and the NCAA Men's Championship, among other tournaments.  I love Mr. Rich's commitment to hosting tournaments for college and amateur golf.  It definitely provides a tournament-worthy challenge.

Rich Harvest Farms, Par three 14th hole

Next up on day two was the Tom Fazio designed Stonebridge Country Club in Aurora.  A real estate development course with some nice variety in the property.

Stonebridge, Par four 10th hole

The final course on day two was the reason for the trip and the #1 course on my bucket list for the past five years.  Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton was originally designed by Charles Blair MacDonald in 1894, and redesigned by his protégé, Seth Raynor in 1922.  The course is a must see for any student of golf architecture because it is absolute proof of what can be done on a small, relatively flat piece of property.  

Chicago, Par three 3rd hole, Biarritz

As a devoted fan of the architecture of MacDonald/Raynor/Banks courses, what really impressed me about Chicago is how good each of the template holes were.  Almost every hole can be seen at all the other designs by these three and yet Chicago has a near perfect example of every template.  Some might be the best, others top three, but they were all amazing.

Chicago, Par four 12th hole, Punchbowl.  This was my favorite hole on the course because of the perfection of the punchbowl element and the front left part non-punchbowl part of the green was also spectacular.

Day three of the trip took me to the Northern suburbs.  My day began in Lake Forest for a round on the Charles Alison designed Knollwood Club.  Larry and Roger Packard redesigned the course in the 1970's so there isn't a lot of the original design left, but the routing remains, and there are still a couple very good Alison par threes that survived.

Knollwood, Par four 13th hole

I stayed in Lake Forest for my next round at the Onwentsia Club.  This course began life in 1892 as a seven hole golf course and was expanded to eighteen holes by Henry J. Whigham, son in law of Charles Blair MacDonald, later on.  The front nine is on the interior of the property, and the back nine wraps around the front.

Onwentsia, Par three 9th hole

I made the drive down to the very busy Medinah Country Club for round number three.  I wasn't there to play the #3 course which has hosted many major championships, which I played many years ago.  Instead I was there to play the #1 course which was originally designed by Tom Bendelow, and was recently redesigned by Tom Doak.  He did a splendid job with the renovation.  The course has everything I love about Doak designs, including a wonderful short par four, pictured below.

Medinah #1, short par four 3rd hole

I stayed in the Northern suburbs to begin day four.  This time I was in Highland Park for a round at Bob O'Link Golf Club.  The original course was designed by Donald Ross, and Charles Alison redesigned the course seven years later.  The course feels like an Alison design with his trademark bunkering.

Bob O'Link, Par three 8th hole

Major championship host Kemper Lakes Golf Club was next on the agenda on day four.  Designed by long time Chicago area architects Ken Killian and Dick Nugent, the course is right next to the headquarters of Kemper Insurance, and incorporates several large lakes in its design.

Kemper Lakes, Par five third hole

Day four ended in Oak Brook with the twenty-seven hole Butterfield Country Club designed by Langford and Moreau and redesigned by Steve Smyers.  The course has great movement in the property and I was able to play all twenty seven holes.  I found the Red nine, which is not part of the championship White/Blue rotation, to be the most fun with several quirky holes.

Butterfield, Blue nine, Par four 2nd hole

The last day of the trip also began in Oak Brook, this time at the famously men's only Butler National Club.  The course was designed in the 1970's by Tom Fazio and his uncle George.  Tom has returned in recent years for various improvements throughout the course.  It has a reputation of being the hardest course in Illinois, and while I found the rough to be very penal if you missed the fairway, the greens were plenty large and held shots.  

Butler National, Par three 4th hole

I headed to Wheaton next for a round at Cantigny Golf Course.  The three nines at Cantigny- Hillside, Lakeside, and Woodside, were designed by Chicago architect Roger Packard.  I played the Hillside nine, and while shorter than the other two, Hillside had some very challenging holes.

Cantigny, Hillside nine, Par three 5th hole

I found myself in the very rare position of having nowhere to play after my nine on Hillside.  I had hoped I would be able to get off on one of the other nines, but it being a Friday, they were booked up.  With a couple more hours to kill before my flight, I pulled up Google Maps on my phone and looked for a course on the way back to the airport.  I settled on Lombard Golf Course, a fun little nine hole course with a very interesting finishing hole.  See below.

Lombard, the short, 255 yard, Par four 9th hole.  There is a very busy road to the left of the hole and to the right is the large fence pictured here that protects the 7th tee.  I questioned the logic of having the fence, and then I watched a guy in the group in front of me pop it up right on the other side of the fence.  You can see his golf cart in the picture.  A unique and interesting hole to finish out a great trip.

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Northern California Trip

I had no idea I would be traveling to Northern California when 2021 began, but a new job and relocation provided opportunities that were too good to pass up.  I experienced three seasons in five days as I spent time in Lake Tahoe, the Monterey Peninsula and the Bay area.  I saw a nice variety of courses, and played a course I should have played 16 years ago.

Clear Creek Tahoe, my favorite course on the trip

The trip began in the Lake Tahoe area with a round at the Tom Fazio designed Martis Camp Club.  The course is one of Fazio's best and has great variety.  

Martis Camp, Par four 9th Hole

Martis Camp Club, Par three 17th hole

The second course I played on day one was Coyote Moon Golf Club.  Designed by Brad Bell, this course is located in Truckee on the Northern side of Lake Tahoe.  It features many severe elevation changes like the par three below.  The 13th hole is a 230 yard par three that drops so much from the tee that I hit nine iron (140 club) over the green!

Coyote Moon, Par three 13th hole

My last stop on day one was Incline Village and their championship course.  The championship course was designed by Robert Trent Jones, and the Mountain course, higher in elevation, was designed by Trent Jones Jr.  The course is a solid, trademark effort from Trent Jones and is enjoyable to play.

Incline Village Championship Course, Par five 5th Hole

Day two began at Edgewood Tahoe Resort where they had just completed playing the American Century Celebrity Tournament.  The course was designed by George & Tom Fazio and it was a rare treat to play the course with all the stands and camera towers still up.  

Edgewood Tahoe, Par five 16th Hole

After a lovely early morning round at Edgewood, I headed north along the lake to the town of Glenbrook for a round at the nine hole Glenbrook Club, reported to be the first golf course in Nevada.  The course was everything I love about nine hole courses - quirky, fun, and makes you think.  The first hole is a very short par five but in order to hit it in two you have to play down the far right side otherwise you are hitting a massive hook around trees to a green that is not very receptive.  

Glenbrook Club, the short but strategic Par five 1st Hole

Glenbrook Club, Par five 2nd hole with Par three 3rd hole in background

The final course on day two was the highlight of the trip.  Clear Creek Tahoe in Carson City was designed by the wonderful team of Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw.  It makes great use of the land and features one of their strongest sets of par threes.  The development struggled through bankruptcy when it first opened in the early 2000's but is now flourishing.  It is great to know that this place will be around for a very long time.  

Clear Creek Tahoe, Par three 2nd hole

Clear Creek Tahoe, Par three 17th Hole

I headed to the Monterey Peninsula for day three.  I had not been on the Peninsula for sixteen years and it was wonderful to return.  One of the best places on earth.  My day began just east of the Peninsula in Carmel for a round at The Preserve Golf Club.  The course is credited to Tom Fazio but was actually  designed by J. Michael Poellot, with routing help from the great Sandy Tatum, which explains why I liked it so much!  A dramatic piece of property with a very memorable eight mile entrance drive, the Preserve really surprised me.

The Preserve, Par four 1st Hole.  A very dramatic way to begin your round!

The Preserve, Par four 3rd Hole

With some time to kill between rounds, I headed to Pebble Beach to check out the newly redesigned Peter Hay par three, now re-named The Hay.  The course was renovated by Tiger Woods design team and is a great place for kids and beginners.  Every hole is under 100 yards and it features a replica of the seventh green at Pebble, see below:

The Hay, Par three 2nd hole.  A copy of the 7th at Pebble Beach

The main reason for this trip was up next on day three.  16 years ago I had the pleasure of playing the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula with my father.  After we finished, there were several hours of daylight left, and I wanted to head out to catch the back nine of the Dunes course with its oceanside holes.  I made the mistake of asking the cart kids instead of the golf shop and they talked me out of it.  I finally returned after many years, and now got to experience the Dunes course newly renovated by the Jackson/Kahn design team.  

Monterey Peninsula Dunes Course, Par three 10th Hole

They did a great job of bringing variety and interest to the front nine which is mainly routed through the homes.  I eagled the drivable par four fifth hole. I holed out from the greenside bunker with a foursome that was letting me through watching.  The course hits the dunes on the ninth hole and stays in the dunes through 16.  

The signature par three 14th hole, pictured below, is across 17 mile drive and features a new tee back in the rocks.  

The 14th hole is on the ocean side of the famous 17 mile drive

New back tee on the 14th Hole

There is a pull off viewing area right next to the tee so you have curious tourists watching you as you play!

Public viewing area near the 14th tee

Tourists looking down on the back tee on 14.

The amazing Par three 14th hole at Monterey Peninsula Dunes

My long day in the Peninsula ended with a twilight round at Bayonet Golf Club.  I played the other course here, Black Horse, on my trip sixteen years ago.   Bayonet sits on the old Fort Ord and the original course was designed by General Robert McClure.  Gene Bates carried out significant renovations in the last ten years.  The course hosts many tournaments and is very challenging.

Bayonet Golf Club, Par three 17th hole

The fourth day of the trip began at the only 11 hole golf course in the country, Gilroy Golf Course.  After playing Gilroy, I have now played courses with 5,6,7,9,10,11,17,18,19,20, and 22 holes.   I am hopeful to add 12 this year and there is an eight hole course in Ohio and a 21 hole course in West Virginia so I'm getting closer to a complete count from 5 to 22.

Gilroy Golf Course, Par three 8th hole

A six mile drive from Gilroy brought me to my next destination, CordeValle Golf Club.  Host of the 2016 US Women's Open won by Brittany Lang, CordeValle is a Robert Trent Jones II design that makes great use of its wonderful setting.  My only complaint about the course was when my caddie mind-fucked me on the ninth tee by telling me all the bad things in front of me.  The hole was 430 downhill into a stiff breeze with a split fairway that had a hazard running down the middle.  After hearing about all the places I didn't want to be, I promptly hooked it into the shit.  Other than that little hiccup, it was a delightful course.

CordeValle, Par four 8th Hole

CordeValle, Par four 17th hole

I headed North to the San Francisco area for my afternoon rounds.  First up was the historic Olympic Club.  Home to the many time major host Lake course, but I was here to experience the wonderful par three Cliffs course, which sadly might no longer exist soon.  The club is contemplating a master plan for the Ocean course that would see new holes where the Cliffs currently sits, and a new par three course near the clubhouse.  The Cliffs sits on the only property on the ocean, and I understand why they would want to place holes here on the most dramatic property.   Especially given that I was the only one playing the Cliffs the entire time I was there.  Still though, it's a magnificent little course with amazing views and a constant wind that makes the experience incredibly fun. 

Olympic Club, Cliffs Course, 3rd hole in foreground with 4th hole in background

The sun peaked out for about 5 minutes to allow me to get this shot of the 5th hole in the foreground and the 4th in the background.

I made a very short drive from Olympic to my final destination on day four, Lake Merced Golf Club.  The course was originally designed by Willie Lock in 1923, with changes by the great Alister MacKenzie in 1929.  The course is embarking on a renovation by Gil Hanse that will begin this fall.  Some holes will stay, but others, like the 3rd pictured below, will disappear for new holes.  The master plan looks great, and I'm sure Gil will do great work.  But it's still hard to say goodbye to a cool par three like the 3rd.

Lake Merced, par three 3rd hole, soon to be NLE

The final day of my trip began at one of the smartest places on earth.  Palo Alto and the Stanford University Golf Course.  Stanford was designed by George Thomas and Billy Bell, the same designers of the big name courses in Southern California - Riviera, Bel-Air, and Los Angeles Country Club.  The course features a very strong routing that makes its way through canyons and hollows.  Not quite as demanding as their more famous designs, Stanford is still a very solid course with lots of interest.

Stanford, Par four 11th Hole

Stanford, Par three 14th Hole

I had some time between rounds so I decided to check out the par three Emerald Hills Golf Course in Redwood City.  The course was built on the side of a hill and is more of a walk than I expected.  I probably should have stripped my bag a little before I headed out.  I enjoyed the course and the variety of shots it required, but I also had to remind myself that I was at a par three course where people learn the game.  I was stuck behind a couple who practiced on one green for fifteen minutes.  Then I waited behind a guy in jeans who only had one club for ten minutes, then it was a guy who repeatedly looked back at me on the tee a mere 90 yards away while he preceded to practice putting on the green for ten minutes with the next hole wide open.

Emerald Hills, 1st Hole

The next course I played requested that I not mention it on social media so I will respect their wishes.

The final round of the trip was at one of the most fun courses in the state of California, Green Hills Country Club designed by the master, Alister MacKenzie.  I call him the master because he just knew how to design a course that was superior architecturally, and tons of fun at the same time.  The picture below is of the opening hole.  If you aren't excited for your round looking down at this tee shot, then you don't play golf!  The course winds up and down some amazing property very close to the San Francisco International Airport.   A lesser architect would have struggled with this property yet MacKenzie dealt with the changes in elevation perfectly, using a dramatic finishing hole to get back to the clubhouse on top of the hill.

Green Hills, the all world Par four 1st Hole.

Green Hills, the very uphill finishing hole, Par four 18th Hole

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