Now On the Tee

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

2012-01-23T07:58:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to throw up a quick little update here as I attempt to honour my pledge of posting more in 2012.

There will be some positive changes coming to the blog this year, one of which you may have already noticed. I have started using the extra large photo feature now available through the Blogger platform, so the pictures within the posts are much bigger than they used to be. Clicking the photos now brings you to a slideshow of sorts, where you can easily thumb through all of the photos within that post and you can revert back to the post itself by clicking somewhere outside the photograph.

I've gone back and redone every post I wrote in 2011 and eventually will go through every post on the blog to make sure the photos are the same size throughout.

Another possible change in the future is to move to Blogger's new Dynamic Views template - this allows each of my readers to customize their experience at Now on the Tee from a user interface standpoint.

For now though, I'll be sticking with what I have, as Dynamic Views is far from a completed project and it's still lacking many of the features (widget support being the most important) that I need to make the change.

I also wanted to make a shout-out to fellow GCA'er Mark Saltzman, who recently started a blog called One Golfer's Travels. If you thought I was lucky in 2011 with the courses I played, wait till you see the courses Mark got to experience last year! I've placed a link to Mark's site in the right sidebar under My Favourite Blogs.

My review on Bandon Trails is about half done and you can look forward to seeing it soon.

2011 Year in Review

2012-01-16T02:46:00.008-05:00

Yours truly on the stunning par three 11th at Pacific Dunes

I have always enjoyed writing my annual "Year in Review" posts, as it gives me a great chance to reflect on what happened both on and off the golf course in the previous twelve months. It was certainly a landmark year for seeing great golf courses, one that will truly be hard to top in the future.

Please indulge me as I look back on a wonderful year on the links...

The Game

Generally speaking, my golf game was decent in 2011 and my handicap actually improved over the course of the season, as I ended the year at 1.8 from a season starting handicap of 2.7.

That said, there was some disappointment in the fact that I didn't break par once in 2011 after getting into red figures three times the previous year. I did shoot two even par scores of 72, with one coming at my home club and the other at Glencairn in Halton Hills.

In my 2010 Year in Review, I mentioned that there was a good chance that I'd step back from playing competitively on the Niagara Men's Amateur Tour and I was true to my word. I just didn't have the time to give up six full weekend days for the Tour in 2011 and I have no regrets whatsoever about stepping back, although I will concede that my game lacked some sharpness due to the lack of tournament rounds.

If you take away the four rounds I played in the King's Putter event at Bandon Dunes, I only played 10 tournament rounds in 2011 versus 16 in 2010.

The tournament highlight, without doubt, was the 2011 Gentlemen's Invitational at St. Catharines G&CC, our three day member guest event. This marked the fourth consecutive year that I've played in the tournament, all with my wife's uncle Henry. After coming close in previous years, we finally broke through this year, winning the championship in the 3rd flight on the strength of a wonderful last round score by Henry and taking home some nice hardware.

Henry (R) and I accepting our silver championship platters in June 2011

I had a rough year in club events, losing out in the quarterfinals of both match play competitions at St. Catharines G&CC and finishing a disappointing T3rd in the A Flight of our club championship.

Another personal highlight was organizing the first annual "Turkey 2-Ball" at St. Catharines, a 24 man, 12 team best ball competition among the better players at the club. I think it went off without a hitch and I look forward to the second installment in October 2012.

The Courses

2011 provided an embarrassment of riches for me, as I was able to play 15 different golf courses for the first time, with an incredible 12 of them ranked as top 100 courses by either Golf Digest, Golf Magazine, Golfweek or ScoreGolf.

The 2011 golf season started on a supremely high note, as I travelled all the way to Bandon, Oregon to play all four world-class courses at the Bandon Dunes Resort in March. I was part of a 32-person delegation from Golf Club Atlas, playing in the annual King's Putter competition, which left the comfortable confines of California for the first time in history in order to experience the gorgeous Pacific coastline in Southwest Oregon.

I played all four courses twice during my stay - I've already written full course reviews of David McLay Kidd's Bandon Dunes and Tom Doak's Pacific Dunes, so you know how I feel about the first two courses built at the resort. I'll eventually provide full reviews on the sublime Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw collaboration at Bandon Trails as well as the Tom Doak/Jim Urbina designed Old Macdonald. There is now a fifth course nearing completion at the resort, a 13-hole par three course designed by Coore & Crenshaw named Bandon Preserve. The quality of golf available at Bandon Dunes is, in my humble opinion, unrivaled anywhere in the world.

The picturesque par three 5th hole at Bandon Trails

That's me trying to get out of a cavernous bunker on the Alps hole at Old Macdonald

I took a road trip of sorts in May around the Canadian Victoria Day holiday, venturing 10 hours southeast through New York State. My first stop was in Cooperstown, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I spent a few hours taking in the exhibits and snapping photographs and also got the chance to play the sporty Devereux Emmet designed Leatherstocking GC just down the street. Leatherstocking sits near the bottom of the Golfweek Classic 200 list but this quirky gem is a blast to play. Look for a review in the not too distant future.

Checking out the first induction class at the National Baseball Hall of Fame

The elevated par four 16th tee at Leatherstocking, with the stately Otesaga Hotel in the distance

I'd drive another five hours or so, crossing over the Hudson River on the spectacular George Washington Bridge as I made my way toward Long Island and my eventual destination, Southampton. I stayed at the lovely Southampton Inn for a couple nights while in town and was lucky enough to play three of the top four private clubs in town.

My room at the cozy Southampton Inn

First up was the historic and absolutely awesome National Golf Links of America. This C.B. Macdonald masterpiece, built in 1911, is pretty much on every top ten ranking list in golf and is notable for its use of 'template' holes found on many of the great courses in Great Britain. My day at NGLA was one of the more magical golf experiences of my life and you can definitely look forward to an extensive review in the months to come.

Smiles galore at National Golf Links of America - a birdie on 'Narrows', the 15th hole, doesn't hurt either!

After a great dinner in town with my two playing partners, I retired to my room to get some shuteye for an epic day that would follow. First up was a charity event for the Southampton Lions Club at the Jack Nicklaus and Tom Doak collaboration, Sebonack GC. This 2006 design has made its way into the top half of most US top 100 lists and is extremely private so it was quite a treat getting to play such an exclusive place. The course was covered by a heavy fog for about an hour and I really didn't get a chance to appreciate the great opening holes until seeing them from high above the course in the clubhouse after our round. I'll have much more about Sebonack in my forthcoming review of the course.

After a late lunch, we took the quick five minute drive from Sebonack to Southampton GC to get in another quick 18. Southampton is a 1925 Seth Raynor design that has just undergone a truly marvellous restoration by Brian Silva. Raynor's trademark bunker style is prevalent throughout and many of the templates seen at NGLA are the inspiration here as well. Southampton will be another course getting a full review here in the months ahead.

Jaws drop to the ground on the gorgeous 18th tee at Sebonack

The par three 2nd hole at the newly restored Southampton GC

After another great dinner, I said my goodbyes and headed west down the Long Island Expressway, getting off in Farmingdale, NY. That can only mean one thing - a midnight trip to a parking lot at Bethpage State Park to wait in line with a bunch of other golf nuts to play the most famous muni in all of golf, the vaunted Black Course at Bethpage. I wanted the whole "Bethpage Experience" so I slept in my car, or tried to anyway before getting summoned to the clubhouse a little after 4:30am to get a tee time. It was one of the most unique and rewarding experiences that I can remember and I can't wait to retell the story in all its glory in a full review that will be coming soon. It was a perfect day in every regard, as the quality of the course exceeded my already high expectations and it made for a fitting conclusion to one of the greatest golf trips of my life.

An early morning look from behind the 18th green at Bethpage Black

I finally got the chance to play the highest rated course in Canada according to ScoreGolf in mid-June, the National Golf Club of Canada. This George & Tom Fazio design is renowned for its toughness and I can fully attest to that, putting at least two sleeves of Titleists in the various water hazards around the course on the way to my highest score in 2011. You can look forward to a full pictorial review down the road.

The difficult par five 4th hole at the National GC of Canada

My third and final trip of the year was another road trip, this time with my wife, my son, my mother-in-law and my wife's uncle Henry and aunt Diane joining us. Our home base was at the Easton Town Center near Columbus, Ohio and while the girls and my 2 year old shopped, Henry (my member/guest partner) and I played golf at some pretty great places.

The highlight was two rounds bookending the trip at Muirfield Village GC, the Jack Nicklaus & Desmond Muirhead collaboration that has been home to the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament for over 30 years. MVGC is a great test with a cool layout and some of the most incredible conditioning I've ever seen and this trip took place during a remarkably brutal hot spell that saw temperatures over 100 degrees. Thank goodness for their famous milkshakes, which were as good as advertised!

The wonderfully-designed par five 5th hole at Muirfield Village

Another highlight of our Ohio trip was playing Nicklaus' home course growing up, Scioto CC. This 1916 Donald Ross gem was a true pleasure to play and one of the finest parkland designs I've ever played. I knew it would be good, as it resides near the bottom of most American top 100 lists but I came away thinking it is a bit underrated. A cool members club and an understated gem of a golf course.

The tantalizing par five 8th hole at Scioto

We also played the highly-rated Longaberger GC, an Arthur Hills public course in the neighbouring town of Nashport. It was good, not great, with some very odd routing choices but I enjoyed the day and some of the holes are very strong.

The very cool second shot at the par four 8th at Longaberger

Stay tuned for full reviews of Muirfield Village, Scioto and Longaberger, hopefully coming around springtime.

We also played The Medallion Club and Wedgewood G&CC while in the Columbus area. Neither are highly rated but Wedgewood, a Robert Trent Jones Jr design, was a pleasant surprise - excellent conditioning and a pretty natural site equalled very good golf. I played a great round at the Jack Nicklaus II designed Medallion, shooting a 73 for the low round of my trip. It's a great club with a wonderful staff but I found the course overly tight and devoid of options, making it about average in my books.

Overall, our trip to Ohio was wonderful - my family loved it and the Easton Town Center was a big hit for all the shopping and great restaurants within such a small area around our hotel. And that's saying nothing about the people, who without question are some of the kindest and most generous people I've ever met in my life.

I'd love to go back someday!

15 new courses and nary a dud in the bunch. Luckiest guy in the world for sure.

Looking Ahead

After such a prolific year in 2011, things will be much quieter in 2012.

From a tournament perspective, nothing much will change. I'll continue to play in my normal club events, like the two major match play championships and our club championship as well. The member-guest event is likely a certainty as well as Henry and I try to win the overall title after our 3rd flight victory in 2011.

As far as travel goes, I have absolutely no firm plans as I write this today. What I do know is that I will likely have only one major, week-long golf trip in me this year plus one long-weekend type trip as well.

The long weekend trip will almost certainly see me return to the New York area, this time to play the highly respected West Course at Winged Foot GC. I was fortunate to win a round of golf there in a charity auction and I hope to take advantage of it sometime in the late spring. While there, I'd love to get in a couple more rounds to make the trip even more worthwhile, perhaps playing Bethpage Black again or if I get really lucky, perhaps I can get out to Southampton again. We'll see.

The 9th hole at Winged Foot (West)

As for the main trip, time will tell. Again, nothing is set in stone right now but there is a very awesome possibility that may end up coming to fruition at some point and I continue to keep my fingers crossed.

I'd say there is also a very slim chance of repeating our Columbus vacation again in 2012 - I'd be delighted if we can make it work but I'm going to leave that up to my wife. I think she'd prefer a beach vacation with no golf clubs in sight and if that's what she wants, she will get it. After my awesome 2011, I owe her and my son bigtime!

If anything firms up from a travelling perspective, I'll certainly keep my readers advised.

As for the Now on the Tee site, I need to do better. I'm writing less and less each year and I plan to reverse that disturbing trend in 2012. It's a bit daunting sometimes, especially since I go overboard with most of my posts, with thousands upon thousands of words and countless photographs for each review. Perhaps I need to streamline the way I write and make it a bit less intimidating for both myself and my readers.

Regardless, I pledge to do my best to exceed my meagre post count from last year! I have a year's worth of reviews to catch up on so there is plenty of content, that's for sure!

Happy new year to all my faithful readers. I'd love to know what is in store for you on the golf course in 2012 either through email or through the comments section.

Pacific Dunes

2011-12-28T00:36:00.006-05:00

Pacific Dunes
Bandon, OR, USA

6633 Yards (Par 71)
Course Rating/Slope: 73.0/142
Course Architect: Tom Doak (2001)
Career Rounds: 2
Last Played: March 20, 2011.
Low Score: 75 (+4)

ACCOLADES -
- Golf Digest Best New Upscale Public Course 2001
- Golf Digest Top 100 in America 2011/12: #15
- Golf Digest Top 100 Public in America 2011/12: #2
- Golf Digest Top 75 Resorts in North America 2009/10: #3
- Golf Magazine Top 100 in the World 2011: #19
- Golf Magazine Top 100 in America 2011: #11
- Golf Magazine Top 100 You Can Play 2010: #1
- Golf Magazine Top Golf Resorts 2010: Platinum Medal
- Golf Blog 100 Top 100 in USA: #10
- Golfweek Best Modern Courses 2011: #2

"Every architect dreams of building among the sand dunes, in the same terrain where golf was conceived in the British Isles. For me and my associates, Pacific Dunes is that dream come true.

I suspect that any golfer would have found some of the same holes, like the par-4 13th along the ocean, but it was an enormous responsibility to find the best possible routing on a site of such potential. The rippling fairways are mostly as we found them; so are the natural bunkers at the 2nd, 7th, 11th, 13th, 16th, and 18th holes, which guided our routing. Our layout is short enough to give every golfer hope, but its rugged nature will test every facet of your game.

It was the highlight of our careers to participate in the creation of Pacific Dunes at what is rapidly becoming one of the great golf resorts in the world, and we had only one chance to get it right."
- Tom Doak, Golf Course Architect, Renaissance Golf Design

Tom Doak was only 11 years old when he first realized that he wanted to design golf courses for a living. He had just played golf with his father at the recently completed Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, South Carolina and the Pete Dye design captivated him.

Doak would go to school at Cornell and wrote letters to many of the top golf clubs in the United States, including Pine Valley, Merion and Seminole requesting to visit and study their designs. He would soon join Pete Dye's staff as a labourer in 1981 and was part of the crew that helped build Long Cove in South Carolina.

Doak would eventually qualify for a traveling fellowship awarded to outstanding graduates and he ended up spending about a year in Great Britain, studying all of the great designs and 172 golf courses in all. A great majority of that time was spent at the home of golf, St. Andrews, as a caddy.

He would return to work for Dye upon completion of his post-graduate studies and would eventually start writing, first for Golf Magazine as a feature writer then on his own, publishing his thoughts on architecture in "The Anatomy of a Golf Course" in 1992 and his reviews of other courses in "The Confidential Guide", released to the public in 1996.

By this point, Doak had built a few golf courses on his own, including High Pointe near Traverse City, Michigan and Stonewall, a private club in Pennsylvania.

It was actually Doak who would contact Mike Keiser when word got out that he was looking to build a golf course at Bandon. Keiser let Doak visit the site and he fell in love with the tall and shaggy dunes on first sight, prompting him to write a letter to Keiser saying how much he'd love to be involved in the project.

Keiser certainly had his concerns with Doak, who had ruffled many feathers after the Confidential Guide was made public. But he still went on a couple of golf trips with the young designer, visiting Stonewall and eventually playing golf in Ireland together. Keiser would award the Bandon Dunes commission to David McLay Kidd but agreed to let Tom Doak build a second course at the site when the time was right.

It was just another stroke of genius from Keiser, as Doak and his crew would design one of the greatest courses in the last half century at Pacific Dunes and become one of the forerunners in the minimalist movement that gained steam throughout the first decade of the 21st century.

PHOTO CREDIT -
Many of the photographs shown in this review were taken by yours truly before heading to the airport on my last day in Oregon. I didn't take any pictures while playing, as the weather was far too unpredictable during my stay. With that said, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to fellow Golf Club Atlas members Tim Bert and Kyle Henderson, both of whom have been kind enough to allow me to utilize their photographs of Pacific Dunes as showcased in their respective photo tours at GCA. If you're looking for more commentary on PD, please check out the links below:

- Tim Bert Pacific Dunes GCA Photo Tour
- Kyle Henderson Pacific Dunes GCA Photo Tour

All yardages provided are from the back tees at Pacific Dunes, which measure 6633 yards in length, with a course rating of 73.0 and a slope rating of 142.

1st Hole: 370 Yards Par 4

The tee shot at the first paints a pretty clear picture of what you're going to see at Pacific Dunes - severely undulating fairways and partially blind shots as well. It's an easy opener if you can hit the ball straight off the tee, as it will set up a short approach to a small green that sits much lower than fairway grade.

The small green requires an exacting approach but it's a relatively gentle opener.

The clubhouse at Pacific Dunes

1st Tee

Approach to the 1st

Partially blind approach from right side

Looking back toward tee from behind 1st green

2nd Hole: 368 Yards Par 4

You are faced with an elevated tee shot at the second and what a glorious sight it is! The player gets his first look at the golf course in all its beauty, as you can see the ocean in the distance and the incredible landscape on which the course was placed.

The main obstacle on the second is the "Shoe" bunker located right in the middle of the fairway in the landing zone, so named for the man who spent days building the bunker with only a shovel. The bunker dictates all of the strategy off the tee and allows the player to decide on the best route to the green. The options continue on the approach, as the green contains an incredible amount of undulations which can propel the ball in every direction.

This is a wonderful par four and starts a pretty incredible stretch of world-class golf.

2nd Tee

Zoomed in shot from 2nd Tee

Approach shot from short of the "Shoe" bunker

Approach into the 2nd

Gorgeous look back down fairway from behind 2nd green

3rd Hole: 499 Yards Par 5

The first three-shotter at Pacific Dunes features an elevated tee shot to a very wide fairway. The prevailing wind is into the player here and despite the modest length of the hole, reaching the green in two shots is no bargain.

The greensite is tremendous here, with lots of little knolls and slopes taking the ball into many different directions.

Tee shot at the 3rd

Zoomed in view from the 3rd tee

Landing area down the left side of the 3rd fairway

Approach shot from left side of fairway

View from the front left of the green at the 3rd

4th Hole: 463 Yards Par 4

This must be one of the most photographed holes in modern golf and for good reason. The ocean runs hard down the entire right side of the golf hole and slicers likely lie awake at night worrying about this tee shot the next day! Most players will attempt to bail out left but that will leave a very difficult approach over bunkers to a green that slopes sharply from left to right. The ideal line is from the right side of the fairway so the player must gamble with the cliffside if they want to attack.

A stunning golf hole and a very difficult par as well!

Tee shot from the middle deck

A look from the back tees, as the angle of attack changes and becomes much more difficult

Approach shot from right side near the cliffside

A popular area on the left side of the fairway, bringing bunkers into play

A look from behind the 4th green back toward the tee

Another gorgeous look down the length of the 4th from behind the green

5th Hole: 199 Yards Par 3

This par three was the first hole Doak built at Pacific Dunes and features a natural valley that must be navigated off the tee. Approach shots to the left will kick sharply toward the green and a shot that lands about 15 yards short can work very well here.

Tee shot at the par three 5th

Another look from the 5th tee

A look from behind the 5th green toward the tee and the ocean

6th Hole: 316 Yards Par 4

A common trait among the best golf courses in the world is having a truly great short par four. The 6th at Pacific Dunes certainly qualifies and it is on a short list of the best I've ever played.

The hole looks innocent from the tee, as the player sees the very wide and inviting fairway well below from the elevated tee and pulls out driver with confidence. Most tee shots will find that fairway.

However, there is much, much more to this hole than just finding short grass and it's never more evident once you see what's ahead of you on the approach. Any shots coming from the left side of the fairway face a near impossible short pitch to a green that's long but incredibly narrow and features a dramatic falloff both in front to a massive and deep bunker and in behind to a chipping area that's about 15 feet below green level.

I fell victim to this hole on my first play, hitting left off the tee, going long on my approach then hitting my chip onto the green and over, down into that cavernous bunker. I'd eventually pick up in frustration! Thankfully, I'm a quick learner and played a long iron off the tee the second time around down the right side, which set up a straight-forward pitch into the length of the green and I'd make a satisfying birdie three.

One of the great, natural short par fours in golf.

The elevated tee shot at the short par four 6th

The ideal approach on the devilish 6th hole

Middle of the fairway but the difficulty level has now increased substantially on the pitch approach

A look back down the 6th from the narrow putting surface

7th Hole: 464 Yards Par 4

The long and difficult 7th hole contrasts nicely with the short and devious 6th. There is ample room off the tee here but the approach is long and difficult and likely necessitates a long iron or perhaps a fairway metal into a green that features blowout bunkers left, a natural sand ridge to the right and a series of natural, fescue covered mounds out in front.

It's visual overload and one of the prettier inland holes at Pacific Dunes. Par is a wonderful score here, as the green is one of the toughest to read on the entire course.

Tee shot at the par four 7th

Zoomed in look from the 7th tee

Approach shot into the 7th

Another look from the fairway on the 7th

A view from the left side of the fairway and a look at the "seven sisters", a name for the gnarly bunkers that make their way up toward the green

Looking back from behind the 7th Green

8th Hole: 400 Yards Par 4

The fairway is quite wide and inviting here but there is tremendous interest at the green, which is crowned slightly and offers many ways to access it, with the conventional approach from the front left or using the slopes right of the green to bring the ball onto the surface.

Tee shot at the 8th

The approach from the middle of the fairway

Yours truly in a bit of a predicament in the shore pines left of the fairway...I'd somehow make par!

A look from the back right of the green

9th Hole: 406 Yards Par 4

The par four 9th features two different greensites, one lower left and the other, upper right. The tee shot is quite intimidating and features what must be the longest forced carry of the day over a multitude of sandy hazards to a blind fairway. Shots hit left may get the old "member's bounce" and tumble well down toward the lower green but you'll need to be much further right if you're playing to the upper green.

Neat golf hole and the two green sites gave Doak two wildly different options for the 10th tee shot as well.

Intimidating look from the 9th tee; the lower green requires a drive over the left bunker in the distance while the upper green requires a tee shot well right of that

Approach into the lower green at the 9th

A good look at both the lower green on the left and the upper on the right

Gorgeous look from the approach area to the lower green

Looking back from the lower green on the 9th

10th Hole: 206 Yards Par 3

The two green sites on the 9th offered Doak the opportunity to build two very different tee shots on the par three 10th, which are dictated by the pin placements of the day. If the pin on the 9th is on the lower green, you will be playing the lower tee on the 10th, which is a full 206 yard shot, usually into the wind and usually requiring a fairway metal to a green sitting in a natural bowl. If the pin on the 9th is on the upper green, the tee shot at the tenth is a much more modest 170 yard shot from a very elevated tee but the angle is a bit more difficult, as the green sits slightly diagonal to the player from here.

The hole is stunning from both tees and make sure to get your camera out for this one!

Tee shot from the lower tee on the 10th

Tee shot from the shorter, upper tee deck at the 10th

A slightly different look from the longer, lower tee at #10

A look at the 10th green from front left, with the 11th green in the background

Looking back toward the lower tee from behind the 10th green

11th Hole: 148 Yards Par 3

Similar to the wonderful 17th hole at Sand Hills, only with the ocean in full effect, sits the glorious 11th at Pacific Dunes. A little touch of poetry!

Doak throws convention out the window by having two par threes in a row but what else could he do when presented with land this good? Wind is a major factor here, even though most players will utilize nothing more than a short iron to navigate earth, sand and sea. The bunkers needed a lot of work but the mastery of Doak and his Renaissance team is in full effect here, as you'd never guess that this hole wasn't completely natural.

Another photogenic stunner.

The spectacular 11th tee shot

That's me trying to hit the smallest green on the course...thanks to David Elvins for this great photo!

Looking back toward the tee from the 11th green

Another view from behind the 11th green, looking back toward the tee

12th Hole: 529 Yards Par 5

The second three-shotter at Pacific Dunes and perhaps the easiest birdie opportunity on the course. There is a wide fairway and the green is slightly offset to the left with a sizeable dune framing the back of the green. The putting surface is shallow but very wide, meaning approach shots from the right have the optimal line into the green.

Tee shot at the par five 12th

A look at a deep fairway bunker down the right side of the fairway

A look from the middle of the 12th fairway

Approach shot from right of the green, which opens everything up for the player

Beautiful look from behind 12th green down length of the hole

13th Hole: 444 Yards Par 4

You know you are playing one of the greatest holes in all of golf when the Pacific Ocean, which runs hard down the entire left side of the hole, isn't even the most spectacular hazard!

That title is reserved for the massive and completely natural sand dune on the right side up near the green. This hole is sensory overload but you have to maintain your composure because a big score is always lurking with this much trouble. Wind plays a major role here as well, as this is likely the most exposed area on the entire course and thankfully, Doak realized that a large green would be necessary to help offset the difficulty of the elements.

Spectacular in every way...

The tee shot on the glorious 13th

Another view from the tee on the par four 13th

Approach shot on the 13th

Looking at the green from right of the fairway, with the massive dune looking ominous in the distance

Another great look at the 13th, this time taken near the 14th green

Looking back down the 13th from behind the pin

Another beautiful view from behind the 13th green

14th Hole: 145 Yards Par 3

One of my favourite par threes at the resort. The yardage certainly doesn't intimidate but it's a very tough green to hit, with wayward strikes seeing balls propelled either well left or even worse, down the huge hillside right of the green.

Tee shot at the par three 14th

A second look at the 14th from the tee

15th Hole: 539 Yards Par 5

This is a pretty straight-forward par five that is definitely reachable for longer hitters. Like most of the holes at Pacific Dunes, the fairway is wide, with some centreline hazards but the difficulty and strategy lies near the green, as there is a prominent knob near the right front portion of the green that must be avoided to give yourself the best chance at birdie. The green is slightly elevated in front so many balls tumble back down the slope and leave tricky pitch or chip shots off short grass.

Tee shot on the par five 15th

Landing area off the tee on the 15th

Looking back down the 15th from behind the green

16th Hole: 338 Yards Par 4

This may be one of the most unheralded holes at Pacific Dunes, an innocent looking mid-length par four that doesn't really bare its teeth until the approach. The fairway features many uneven lies and that doesn't help the second shot, which must be hit to one of the most narrow putting surfaces on the course, with a large falloff area short and right of the green, which also sits at a slight diagonal to the player.

Here's a prime example of a shortish hole that can really come up and bite you if you aren't giving it your full concentration.

16th tee

A great look at the heaving fairway on the 16th at dusk

Another great look at the approach on the 16th, with the prominent falloff short right

17th Hole: 208 Yards Par 3

A par three that plays much shorter than the yardage due to the redan characteristics of the design. Shots played short right will see the ball bump and roll sharply to the left and this is likely the smartest way to play the hole, as attempts to reach the pin on a direct line bring an enormous front bunker into play.

Tee shot on the par three 17th

Another look from the 17th tee, with much more room on the right then it appears

Late-day shot near the 17th green

18th Hole: 591 Yards Par 5

The player must deal with a long par five finisher, one that is most certainly a three-shotter for all but the finest players in the world. There is a cavernous bunker down the left side near the corner of the dogleg that likely eats many balls and must be avoided at all costs if you want to finish on a high note.

There are other bunkers to contend with up the entire length of the hole and approach shots that are hit slightly left may get a generous kick back toward the pin on the right. A worthy finisher and pars will always be welcomed.

Tee shot on the long and difficult 18th

Immense bunker running down the left side...is that a skeleton in there?!

Approach shot into the 18th

A look from back right of the 18th green

I went to the resort with the highest of expectations for Pacific Dunes, having heard nothing but accolades from people whose opinions I greatly respect and I was even more excited after reading Stephen Goodwin's fascinating book "Dream Golf - The Making of Bandon Dunes".

All I can say is that the course had me from the moment I hit my first shot.

The routing is very bold and I'm sure Tom Doak had some reservations about having a front nine with only one par three and one par five then following it up with a back nine with FOUR par threes, including two in a row, three par fives and only two par fours. It was a brilliant choice, as each hole flows beautifully from one to the next and feels just right.

Like Bandon Dunes, there are some spectacular golf holes, most notably #2, #4, #6, #7, #10, #11, #13 and #16. Unlike Bandon Dunes, there is nothing average or below average - there isn't a real weak moment on this golf course in my opinion.

The best compliment I can give Renaissance is that the inland holes are just as strong or perhaps even stronger than the ocean holes.

Like BD, Pacific Dunes plays well for players of all abilities and every green is accessible either through the air or by ground, a necessity with all the wind you'll deal with on an oceanside golf course.

I found the conditions at PD to be a bit slower than any of the other courses at the resort. I believe Bandon Dunes features bent grass on the greens while Pacific features fescue throughout the course. The greens weren't in bad shape but they were noticeably slower and bumpier than the other courses but it never hindered my enjoyment in my two plays. Again, like BD, the views are overwhelmingly beautiful on the oceanside holes but the real difference between Bandon and Pacific is on the quality of the inland holes: BD's are above average but Pacific's are almost all brilliant.

Like all the courses at Bandon, Pacific Dunes is walking-only and what a glorious walk it is! The routing ensures minimal walks from green to tee and other than a bit of difficulty getting my riksha up the hill between the 13th green and 14th tee, there are no issues whatsoever navigating the course by foot.

Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf knew this opportunity provided by Mike Keiser was a once-in-a-lifetime shot at building a course that not only could stand the test of time, but also put their firm on the short list of designers you want to employ if you have a special piece of land and want to get the most out of it.

They succeeded in brilliant fashion.

Along with Coore and Crenshaw's Sand Hills and David McLay Kidd's Bandon Dunes, Doak's Pacific Dunes proved to the world that a different approach to design was not only more cost-effective but ultimately could provide the golfer with more options and a much more enjoyable playing experience versus other modern designs from the 1970s through the '90s. I'm quite certain that people will look back at these courses decades from now and know that golf design changed for the better because of the efforts of C&C, Kidd and Doak.

All of the courses at Bandon Dunes are wonderful in their own right but I believe Pacific Dunes is the crown jewel at the resort and easily can take its rightful place amongst the best golf courses in the world.

Mingay on Architecture; Other Small Updates

2011-12-13T16:57:00.000-05:00

I received a link earlier today through Facebook from golf course architect Jeff Mingay to a timely blog article he wrote about the supposed need to continually lengthen golf courses due to technology.

Jeff argues that variety is much more important than length and there is a lot of other great stuff on his blog, which he's been updating since October. Check out Jeff Mingay: On Golf Architecture and I've also included a link down in the right sidebar.

As aluded to in previous posts, I put my clubs away for the season in mid-October, as usual, but I can now definitely say the golf season is over in the Niagara Region, as our course officially closed late last week. We had a horrific spring, with cold temperatures and plenty of rain keeping players off the course and the summer was also below average. Arguably, the finest golf weather was seen in November this year and many players played right through to the second week in December, a record for our club I'm sure.

I have a lot of writing to catch up on. I will have my long-promised writeup of Pacific Dunes up sometime tomorrow and will also start working on my annual "Year in Review" post soon. I was able to see some great golf courses this year and meet even better people on my travels and I'm anxious to recap a wonderful 2011 on the links.

More to come, I promise!

Putting the Clubs Away - 2011 Version

2011-11-09T08:29:00.001-05:00

October will always be a hellacious month for me, with my wife's birthday on the 4th, my son's birthday on the 20th, my wedding anniversary on the 28th and an inventory count at work around Halloween.

This year was especially busy, as we had two separate birthday parties for my newly-turned three year old and then celebrated my fifth anniversary with my wife.

That said, no posts in October here is pretty disgraceful!

Despite weather that continues to be unseasonably warm, with temperatures again today soaring well into the 60's, my clubs have been put away for over three weeks now.

For the second consecutive year, I birdied my last hole of the year, this time on the par five finisher at LochNess Links in Welland in monsoon conditions in the Niagara Cup final. I was paired with young Brandon M from our club in a two-ball against Brian E and Doug W from LochNess and they systematically destroyed us, making about 9 birdies to our 2 or 3 to win all three points in our match. Perhaps this was revenge for Brian from LochNess, as I've had some significant wins against him in past Niagara Cups, none bigger than our epic battle at the Battlefield Course at Legends on the Niagara back in 2008, documented here.

Despite getting smoked, it was enjoyable to watch them take the course to its knees in such poor weather. They are both great guys so I'm as happy as one can be after losing so convincingly!

The previous weekend was glorious - temperatures in the mid-70s for the entire Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend, which closed with the inaugural Turkey 2 Ball Invitational, a 24-man best ball competition made up of some of the best players at my home club.

I ran the event and the only way it would have been a bigger success was if I won the damn thing! In the end, it was my good friends Ryan and Harris who took the first title, shooting a gross best ball score of 70 (-2) to win by two shots on a course that was playing long and difficult.

It will definitely be an annual event and perhaps we'll do something similar in the spring to start the season off in style!

Lots of course and trip reviews to come, along with my annual post recapping my golf year. 2011 was pretty special so there will be a lot to cover in the weeks and months to come.

The Home Stretch

2011-09-30T07:56:00.003-04:00

I'm still plugging away, albeit very slowly, on my Pacific Dunes review and suddenly realized that I haven't posted once in September.

So here I am.

The summer and fall have produced great weather, somewhat making up for a horrible winter and spring. In fact, earlier this week we had temperatures in the high 20s, which is near 80 on the fahrenheit scale.

The temperate climate we enjoy in between Lakes Ontario and Erie allow us to play right through November and in rare cases, into the beginning of December. However, I typically put my clubs away after the Canadian Thankgiving holiday on the second weekend in October and I will be holding true to that again in 2011.

So that means I have two more weekends and five rounds of golf left in me to round out one of the best years of golf in my life.

My game has been remarkably consistent over the past couple of months. I still don't have any subpar rounds in 2011 but I've strung together a pretty shocking amount of rounds in the mid-70s lately, bringing my handicap down to a season-low 1.5.

In fact, I haven't shot a score over 79 since I was in Ohio in mid-July, a stretch that's seen me play close to 30 rounds, easily my longest such streak of sub-80 rounds in my life.

And there is actually something to play for at the end of the year. I've put together a season-ending tournament for the lower handicap players at my home club, something I'm calling the Turkey 2 Ball Invitational, a 10 team, two-man best ball competition.

The entry fee is $125.00, with $25.00 of it going to a skins game and the rest will go into a pot to pay the top three teams at the end of the competition. We'll have a big draw party a few nights before the competition to set up the teams and the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

The event will run on Canadian Thanksgiving Monday and will be my last round of golf this year in all likelihood. I'll certainly have a big report on the event upon its conclusion.

State of the Game: Dog Days of Summer Edition

2011-08-15T08:11:00.001-04:00

My post count here at Now on the Tee has diminished quite a bit this year and much of that is due to the fact I'm not really writing about my golf game as much as in the past.

I recognize that it's a subject that only one person is really interested in and that's me. There's nothing worse than "that guy" who goes on and on (and on) about every shot he took during his round.

Talk about yawn-inducing!

That said, I have always liked documenting my tournament experiences for posterity purposes, especially my club championship results.

My game has been a bit mediocre this year - I'm not hitting as many fairways or greens and my chipping has been a bit off too. Putting has run hot and cold most of the year so round-to-round consistency has also been an issue.

With zero sub-par rounds to my credit in 2011, I made the difficult decision to play in the A Flight in the club championships instead of the Open Flight. We have a few kids that recently graduated from the junior ranks that are on full scholarships down in the US and I figured my chances of making the cut after two days were slim at best. Playing A would almost certainly mean I'd get to play all three days in the event.

I played average golf that weekend, opening with a poor 79 (+7) to sit in 6th or 7th place after day one. I'd need a good round the next day just to ensure I made the cut and my buddies jumped on me right away with the playful jabs, asking if I'd caddy for one of them if I missed the cut in "the ladies division". Har har.

I played a bit better on day two, shooting a 76 to comfortably make the cut but I was seven shots back of the leader going into the last round.

My target score was 69 (-3) but I knew that was highly unlikely considering that I hadn't finished below par all year.

I'd play a solid front nine but fall apart on the back, shooting 77 on the day to finish in a tie for 3rd place, a pretty disappointing result. If my game is in a bit better shape next year, I'll definitely be back in the open flight - I just seem to compete better against tougher competition.

My tournament season is now over and the rest of the year will just be regular golf. Of course, that means that my game has improved dramatically when I have nothing really to play for other than some skins money and a few other bets here and there.

My last five rounds have seen me shoot 77, 77, 72, 76 and 74 and my handicap index has dropped to a season-low 2.0. I made a little adjustment with my putter, adding some weight via lead tape and also a slight grip change and I've been consistently under 30 putts per round over the past two weeks.

I also got pretty energized by an incredible performance by one of my playing partners on Saturday. He just stepped off the Canadian Tour last year and went into the "real" workforce but came out on Saturday for only his fourth round of the year.

Showing how incredibly talented professional golfers are, he dropped an easy 65 (-7), making four birdies, two eagles and a single bogey - all I can think after a round like that is if THIS guy isn't good enough to make a living out of golf, just how good are the PGA, European and Nationwide guys? Just remarkable stuff and it was a true pleasure watching someone carve up our golf course.

Bandon Dunes

2011-08-09T23:35:00.002-04:00

Bandon Dunes
Bandon, OR, USA

6732 Yards (Par 72)
Course Rating/Slope: 74.1/143
Course Architect: David McLay Kidd (1999)
Career Rounds: 2
Last Played: March 18, 2011.
Low Score: 79 (+7)

ACCOLADES -
- Golf Digest Best New Upscale Course 1999
- Golf Digest Top 100 in America 2011/12: #28
- Golf Digest Top 100 Public in America 2011/12: #5
- Golf Digest Top 75 Resorts in North America 2009/10: #3
- Golf Magazine Top 100 in the World 2011: #60
- Golf Magazine Top 100 in America 2011: #32
- Golf Magazine Top 100 You Can Play 2010: #5
- Golf Magazine Top Golf Resorts 2010: Platinum Medal
- Golf Blog 100 Top 100 in USA: #27
- Golfweek Best Modern Courses 2011: #7

"The one that started it all. I was 27 years old when I first set foot on the property, and I knew in an instant I was looking at the opportunity of a lifetime. My mandate was to create the first genuine Scottish-style links course in America, and I believe there are few places outside the sand dunes along the Oregon coast where this would be possible.

I spent eight months on the ground with the crew at Bandon, designing the course in the field. A routing plan and basic sketches were all I needed. As is often the case, land that was largely unsuitable to any other self-sustaining use proved perfect for golf. The greatest challenge was not unearthing the golf holes but clearing the fragile dunes of the overgrown gorse and pine trees, neither of which are native but were choking out the indigenous plants.

As much as the course is my design, Bandon Dunes is the vision of one man, Mike Keiser. The resort has grown, with a second, third and fourth course in play, however I remain grateful for the opportunity and proud that the original Bandon Dunes course that my team and I built continues to earn accolades and entertain golfers."
- David McLay Kidd, Golf Course Architect, DMK Golf Design

I've already given a brief overview of the history at Bandon Dunes Resort in my previously written trip report. While developer Mike Keiser's story is fascinating in its own right, the thing that resonates with me most is the fact that Keiser was bold enough to enlist a complete unknown in David McLay Kidd to design and build his dream course on the Oregon coast.

The Scottish-born Kidd went right into golf design upon graduation from college in 1989, following in the footsteps of his father Jimmy, who had a prolific background in turf maintenance. David would eventually move to Gleneagles Golf Developments, a Scottish design firm and completed a few low-budget projects while there.

He'd get his big break when Mike Keiser came calling in the mid-90s. Keiser was considering a number of big-name candidates for his project on the Oregon coast and Kidd, likely thinking his firm didn't have a chance in hell of gaining the commission, decided to swing for the fences when articulating his vision to Keiser.

- a clubhouse emanating from a central village, set back from the coastline in order to build anticipation for the players
- no housing, no unnecessary structures, no cart paths and a walking-only course
- approaches to greens should be open, with no forced carries

Kidd yearned to build a true links course and this was music to Mike Keiser's ears. In December 1994, Keiser confirmed that Kidd and Gleneagles Golf Developments had won the commission to build Bandon Dunes.

The rest is history - the course opened in 1999 to rave reviews from players and critics alike, propelled Kidd onto the short list of superlative young architects in the business and put Bandon, Oregon on the map of great golfing destinations in the entire world.

PHOTO CREDIT -
Many of the photographs shown in this review were taken by yours truly before heading to the airport on my last day in Oregon. I didn't take any pictures while playing, as the weather was far too unpredictable during my stay. With that said, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to fellow Golf Club Atlas members Tim Bert and Kyle Henderson, both of whom have been kind enough to allow me to utilize their photographs of Bandon Dunes as showcased in their respective photo tours at GCA. If you're looking for more commentary on BD, please check out the links below:

- Tim Bert Bandon Dunes GCA Photo Tour
- Kyle Henderson Bandon Dunes GCA Photo Tour

NOTE: All yardages are from the back tees, which measure out to 6732 yards, with a course rating of 74.1 and a slope of 143.

1st Hole: 386 Yards Par 4

The opening hole features an intimidating tee shot, with the clubhouse and maintenance buildings running hard down the entire right side. The player can go well left off the tee to avoid the out of bounds and also the centerline bunker that's less than 100 yards from the green. Still, the ideal line off the tee is to hug the right side in order to set up the best possible approach into the elevated green, which is over 50 yards deep. There are a couple of deep bunkers left of the green that must be avoided at all costs.

There is talk that the green may eventually be moved a bit to the left in order to move play away from the buildings on the right.

The Lodge at Bandon Dunes

A distant look at the 1st Tee from the Inn

Approach to the 1st

Looking back from behind 1st Green

2nd Hole: 189 Yards Par 3

This hole originally was meant to play from behind the first green to a green that sloped severely from right to left toward a sandy waste area.

However, that plan got ditched early in the process and now the tee sits close to 150 yards away well left of the first tee. The waste area remains but now is in front of the golfer and directly in front of the green, with short tee shots rolling back down the slope in many instances. Wind is a real factor on this tee shot and the player will want to likely hit one extra club just in case.

Tee shot on the par three 2nd

3rd Hole: 543 Yards Par 5

You reach the highest point on the golf course here on the 3rd tee and it's here that the player likely says "wow" for the first time.

The hole itself is unremarkable but the view is anything but, as the raging Pacific is showcased in the background, as are many of the other holes on the course.

Breathtaking is an appropriate word!

There is a bunker on the inside of the slight dogleg off the tee but the hole plays straight away for the most part. Birdie is attainable on this mid-length three-shotter.

Tee shot on the par five 3rd hole

4th Hole: 410 Yards Par 4

The tee shot on the 4th doesn't reveal much other than some large ridges to the right of the fairway. It takes about a 200 yard walk into the fairway before Bandon Dunes finally pulls back the curtain and the Pacific Ocean is shown in all her glory. That second shot is a stunner and is the start of a remarkable stretch of golf right through to the 7th green. The green is open in front and encourages a low, rolling approach to a large, undulating putting surface with the ocean right behind.

Just stunning!

The visually intimidating 4th Tee

The ocean makes an appearance!

The beautiful approach into the 4th

The 4th Green with the 5th in the background

5th Hole: 428 Yards Par 4

This is one of my favourite holes at the entire resort and the ocean runs hard down the entire left side. There are little fescue-covered mounds right in the middle of the landing area off the tee, giving off quite the claustrophobic effect. The hole doesn't let up from there - the approach is hit toward a green that sits in an amphitheatre of dunes.

Again, the hole will accept shots that come in low and it's usually a must, as the prevailing wind is into the player here. This is a world-class par four, without doubt.

5th Tee

The 5th from just right of the fairway

Approach shot on the 5th

Looking back toward the tee on the 5th

Looking back through the dunes from behind the 5th Green

6th Hole: 161 Yards Par 3

Along with the 5th and the 16th, the 6th hole at Bandon Dunes is likely the most photographed on the course. Running in the same direction as the 5th, with the ocean on the left, this par three plays into the wind most of the time and features a deep green that falls off a bit on the right.

Other than the wind, there's not a lot protecting this hole but lets just say that nature provides a suitable defence.

The gorgeous par three 6th

7th Hole: 383 Yards Par 4

The routing is slightly awkward here, as the golfer walks back from where they just came from to get to the 7th tee. The course moves inland at this point and that may be a letdown for some but I strongly believe that the 7th is among the finest holes on the course.

The tee shot is deceiving, as the best line of play is much further left than one would imagine, as there is a hidden parcel of fairway that allows for the best approach into the elevated and severely undulating green. Kidd knew he needed something to keep the player interested after leaving the ocean behind and this three-tiered green certainly qualifies.

Tee shot on the par four 7th

Zoomed in shot from the 7th Tee

Looking back from behind the 7th Green

8th Hole: 359 Yards Par 4

The tee shot here will grab your attention, with a number of cross bunkers sitting right in the middle of the fairway about 200 yards away and a few more running down the right side. Hitting into one of those hazards is likely a one-shot penalty, as they are incredibly deep and reaching the green in one stroke is unlikely.

The par four 8th Tee

Approach shot on the 8th hole

9th Hole: 558 Yards Par 5

The closing hole on the front side returns to the clubhouse and is relatively unremarkable. The tee shot needs to avoid some centerline pot bunkers right in the landing area but a well-placed strike will allow the long hitter a chance to reach the open-fronted green in two shots. The green is interesting and features some nice undulations in addition to falling off quite sharply to the left.

Approach shot on the par five 9th hole

10th Hole: 362 Yards Par 4

Here is a very well-designed golf hole with much more strategy than it initially appears. Long hitters will pull driver and launch a shot straight for the green but the second will feature a short wedge shot to a green that's obscured by a ridge, rendering the shot blind. A more prudent play might be to go well left of the direct line to the green, which opens up the approach and allows the player to use that knob to their advantage. Solid mid-length par four and one of my favourites at BD.

Tee shot on the par four 10th hole

A partially obscured approach on the 10th

The 10th green

11th Hole: 384 Yards Par 4

Here's another interesting hole that features bunkers running down the left side. The player needs to flirt with those in order to set up the best approach into the very narrow, elevated green that features a deep sod-walled bunker in the front right.

Bunkers line the left side of the par four 11th hole

12th Hole: 199 Yards Par 3

The par threes as a whole at Bandon Dunes are very strong and the 12th may be the best of the lot, as the ocean again makes an appearance in the background. The tee shot is elevated but the greensite is where all the drama resides, with a sizeable dune just off to the right and a small but deep sod-faced bunker prominently positioned in the front-left of the relatively flat green. A true beauty.

The oceanside par three 12th

Greenside at the 12th hole

13th Hole: 553 Yards Par 5

Once again, the player leaves the ocean and moves inland to the most rumpled fairway on the course. Those fairway undulations provide the major defence on this long par five, which also features a wetland area off to the left. The greensite is slightly elevated and features a dramatic falloff on the right, making up and downs a rarity from that side.

Uneven lies aplenty at the par five 13th

14th Hole: 359 Yards Par 4

This mid-length par four is another of my favourites and is played uphill with cross bunkers splashed all across the landing area. Big hitters can launch shots over them and even challenge the green if the hole is playing downwind but most approaches will be played from between 150 and 100 yards to a green set beautifully into a large dune. This hole is one of the inland stunners at BD.

The uphill par four 14th hole

Approach shot into the 14th

15th Hole: 163 Yards Par 3

The 15th is the last one-shotter on the course, a little 163 yarder stunner to an elevated green benched into a dune and featuring perhaps the deepest bunker on the course in the front right. The ocean is once again visible in the background and overall, this might be my favourite par three at Bandon Dunes.

The tough par three 15th with deep bunker short right

16th Hole: 363 Yards Par 4

I can't think of many holes in the world that top this one, both for beauty and strategy. The ocean sits hard on the right and from the elevated tee, you can see for miles beyond the green right down the rocky coastline. Just an awe-inspiring view.

The hole itself is wonderful and features a huge chasm that cuts into the fairway about halfway down the length of the hole and past that sits a cliff of redshot clay. The player can go directly at the green, which runs the risk of hitting the clay or even worse, falling off the cliff into the ocean below. A more prudent play is to hit well left off the tee but that will leave a tougher approach into a green that features a bunker protecting incoming shots from that side.

This is a glorious golf hole and one that you will yearn to play over and over.

The spectacular par four 16th

The gorgeous 16th late in the day

Looking toward the ocean from left of the 16th fairway

Laying up short off the tee is no bargain!

The stunning approach into the 16th

17th Hole: 389 Yards Par 4

The player leaves the ocean for the last time and the routing leads them back toward the clubhouse. The 17th has been changed a bit over the years as the tee shot was a bit too difficult at first, with a number of bunkers left and a large chasm off to the right, ready to grab drives that go astray.

The approach is a beauty to perhaps the deepest green on the course and is slightly uphill as well and features some great undulations.

The par four 17th tee

Approach shot into the 17th

Short approach into the 17th green

18th Hole: 543 Yards Par 5

The 18th is a bit of a letdown, a medium-length par five with some centerline bunkers dotting the right side of the landing area. The approach is slightly downhill to an interesting greensite, with the large clubhouse looming in the background.

Landing area off the 18th tee

Approach shot into the 18th green

Interestingly enough, if you put a gun to my head, I'd likely say that Bandon Dunes is the most inconsistent golf course among the four at the resort, something you'll likely find a bit shocking considering how positive I've been throughout this review. In effect, it proves just how great all the courses are at Bandon. I'd say that BD features some of the strongest holes at the entire resort, with #4, #5, #6, #7, #10, #14, #15 and #16 all being superlative but it also features some of the weakest, specifically the closing holes on each nine.

The course plays well for players of all abilities and every green is accessible either through the air or by ground, a necessity with all the wind you'll deal with on an oceanside golf course.

BD plays firm and fast throughout as a true links should and the golf course is simply fun to play. The views are overwhelmingly beautiful on the oceanside holes and Kidd did an admirable job making the inland holes interesting and unique as well.

Topping it off is the fact that BD is a walking-only course, as is every course at the resort and while the routing is awkward at times, I can say that BD is a treat to walk either with a bag on your back or alongside a caddy.

The original course at the Bandon Dunes resort arguably is one of the most important designs in the past 25 years. The minimalist approach taken by Kidd continued the trend started a few years earlier by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore at the sublime Sand Hills GC and kickstarted a new era in golf design, one that would be perfected a couple years later at Bandon with the completion of the second course, Tom Doak's Pacific Dunes.

While I still think the other three courses at the resort are more consistent from 1-18, there's no doubt in my mind that my impressions could change on future visits and I'd still evenly spread out my rounds when booking my next visit. Bandon Dunes is easily one of the finest courses built in the modern era and it is a must-see for any architecture aficionado.

Columbus Trip Recap; Club Championship on the Horizon

2011-07-28T07:48:00.007-04:00

It's been a wonderful year of golf travel for yours truly. A five-day trip to Bandon, Oregon in March was followed by another five-day road trip to Long Island, NY in May. The proverbial icing on the cake was the seven day trip to Columbus, Ohio that I made with my family last week.

The highlight from a golf standpoint were the two rounds we played at Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club, shown above, the home of the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour and rated inside the top 30 US courses by every major golf publication. It's a great track and the conditioning was incredible, especially when you consider how hot it was in the Columbus area, with humidex readings close to 50 degrees Celsius. Thank goodness for the milkshakes in the clubhouse after our round, which are as good as advertised.

Nicklaus' home course growing up was the Donald Ross-designed Scioto Country Club and what a treat it was to play there. While the course featured few trees upon its opening, Scioto today is a true parkland layout with towering trees bordering most of the holes on a wonderfully undulating property. I was very impressed with Scioto and think it may be a tad underrated, as it sits near the bottom of most top 100 lists for American courses.

The Arthur Hills-designed Longaberger Golf Club was the only public course we played on the trip. It's rated within the top 100 public courses in the US by all of the publications and I thought it was a strong test but was unimpressed with some of the routing choices. It is an incredible property and I think Hills went for home runs on every hole, perhaps at the expense of the routing. The course is practically unwalkable but I'll definitely admit there are some great holes out there.

We played two other courses on the trip that aren't on any ranking lists. Wedgewood G&CC was a pleasant surprise - it's a lovely Robert Trent Jones Jr design and I really enjoyed the course. Wedgewood is a prototypical parkland country club course, with beautiful trees on a rolling piece of property and I was told that Jones Jr moved a relatively small amount of earth to build the course. I had a lot of fun playing Wedgewood and it definitely was the biggest surprise of the trip, as I knew nothing about the course prior to playing it.

My best score on the trip came at The Medallion Club, a 27-hole private club designed by Nicklaus' oldest son Jack II. They market the club as having three distinct nines, with one being a parkland, another more links-style and a third that plays through marsh and meadow. It's a bit of a tale, as all three seem to feature long, unplayable naturalized areas just off the fairways, which tighten the courses considerably. I hit a bunch of knockdown drivers to keep the ball in play and shot a very good 73 (+1) but my partner in crime for the trip, my wife's uncle Henry, had a much tougher go. He's about a 15 handicap and was able to break 90 at Muirfield and Longaberger but couldn't break 100 at Medallion due to all the trouble left and right of the fairways. It's just too much for a private club in my humble opinion. The club is great, the staff are wonderful and extremely friendly, our hosts were incredibly fun and generous but the course was only average.

Plans to play the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University last week were scrapped due to a Nationwide Tour event being played. We also were supposed to play either The Golf Club, a Pete Dye design or Double Eagle, both of which are ranked highly in the myriad top 100 lists but games fell through at the last minute due to schedule conflicts. Perhaps another time...

I'll be writing extensive reviews of Muirfield Village, Scioto and Longaberger sometime in the autumn, as I still have to document my experiences at the four Bandon courses in addition to the five great courses I played in New York State in May.

Putting golf aside for a second, Columbus is a wonderful city and we had a great time on the trip. We stayed in the Easton Town Center, a 1.7-million square foot urban town center featuring pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, open-air gathering spaces, fountains, children’s parks, and more than 170 retail, entertainment and dining establishments. So there were plenty of things to do for my wife, my son and my mother-in-law (and my wife's aunt) while the guys were playing golf. Outside of Easton, they also spent a day at the Columbus Zoo and another day downtown, taking in the Science Center, among other things. The city is modern, clean and very safe and I can safely say that we'll be going back again sometime in the future. Gosh, I wish we had a Brio Tuscan Grille in St. Catharines! Great Italian!

My game has been getting better lately but I still haven't been able to finish rounds this year. Club Championship weekend is only two days away - with about four new guys who carry scratch indexes entering the Open Flight this year and the club making the curious decision to cut down to top 9 and ties in each flight after two days, I had a tough decision to make. You see, I've never finished better than 6th overall and last year, despite a very solid first two rounds of 76-76, I still found myself 11 shots back heading into the last day. I'd end up 17 shots back after all was said and done, finishing in a tie for 7th. Even when I played decently, I really can't compete with the best at our club.

So with my game a bit off this year, I have made the excruciating decision to drop out of the Open Flight and play in A flight instead. As a very competitive person, I can't tell you how much it upsets me but I have to be a realist - I'm just not a good enough player to go against these college scholarship kids and a couple of the great mid-amateurs at our club.

I'll have to get ready for some major ribbing from my friends for this decision. Open Flight plays from the tips but the other flights play from the middle tees, something I absolutely detest and I usually end up scoring WORSE even at the shorter yardage.

That all said, at least I'll have a good chance of being competitive and that's something I just can't say if I played Open again this year.

Tidying Up a Bit

2011-07-13T23:37:00.002-04:00

Just a little 'summer cleanup' going on here at Now on the Tee.

The right sidebar was becoming a bit of an eyesore so I've done a bit of restructuring, specifically to my course reviews.

There was a lot of redundancy in the links there, as I previously organized things by the respective magazine ratings. So I had different sections for Golf Digest (Top 100 in America, Top 100 Public, Top 100 International), Golf Magazine (Top 100 in the World, Top 100 in America, Top 100 You Can Play) and ScoreGolf Magazine (Top 100 in Canada).

That's all cleaned up now and I've just listed the ranked courses that I've reviewed one time by country. In addition, I've listed all of the other ranked courses I've played but haven't reviewed as well. This will give you an idea of what is to come in the form of writeups in the future.

Needless to say, I have a lot of catching up to do.

I also installed a new section called "Next on the Tee", which essentially shows if any new or notable courses are on my upcoming schedule. As you can see, I'm heading to Columbus, Ohio in a few days with my family and will be playing some pretty good golf down there. We're scheduled to play Muirfield Village twice and play single rounds at Longaberger and Scioto. Wedgewood G&CC was a late substitute for the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State University, as the Scarlet is hosting next week's Nationwide Tour event. We're also scheduled for one more day and we'll either be playing The Golf Club or Double Eagle. I have a strong preference there but I'll be happy with whatever is scheduled.

It's going to be a great trip.

Moving on, I'd like you to check out my friend John's most recent blog post on his golf trip out west. John is a North Carolina native and is currently serving in the U.S. Coast Guard and I had the distinct pleasure of watching his booming drives at Bandon Trails in March. John gave his side of the story on my 'bear sighting' while searching for a ball on the 12th hole at Trails, something I recapped in my Bandon trip report a few weeks back.

I've also added a link to John's blog in the right sidebar.

Speaking of which, where is my long-overdue and much-promised review of Bandon Dunes? I'm going to shock the world and promise that you'll see the rarest of things at Now on the Tee...

Two posts in two days!

Ah, who am I kidding? Well, either way, come back soon!

Your Tuesday Evening Smorgasbord

2011-06-28T23:43:00.004-04:00

It's a busy time for yours truly.

I played two more rounds of mediocre golf this past weekend, shooting rounds of 78 and 81 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. This came on the heels of a truly horrifying round at the National GC of Canada exactly one week ago. For those that don't know, the National is the top ranked golf course in Canada and it was the first time I had the honour of visiting.

I took plenty of photographs and will talk about my round and the course at length sometime down the road. I'm obviously way behind on my course reviews and will be writing them up in the order I played them so expect something in the early autumn on my day at the National. I'll say this much - the course humbled me and if there are fish swimming in the ponds out there, they'll be happily munching on my Pro V1s and Pentas for the rest of the summer.

In much happier news, my friend Jim Colton from Wegoblogger #31 was successful last Wednesday in completing his mission to walk 108 holes at Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club in Holyoke, Colorado. Jim has done an amazing job raising money for Ben Cox, a Ballyneal caddy who is paralyzed from the waist down after suffering a fall while skiing this past winter.

Jim had many pledges that were based on the amount of holes played so he was motivated to not only reach 108 holes, but exceed it.

And exceed it he did!

He finished his day by tapping in a short putt for par on the 11th hole around 9pm, his 155th hole of the day! The extra 47 holes added about $10,000 in pledges to the pot, which now is approaching $80,000 in much needed funds for the Cox family as they attempt to pay for Ben's medical procedures.

The support from Jim's friends and colleagues has been incredible but equally amazing has been the support from the the whole golf community.

A few golf courses, Ballyneal included, offered free rounds of golf after the Ben Cox 108 was announced as an enticement to people to donate money to this wonderful cause. What started as a generous gesture by a few great courses has turned into one of the most awe-inspiring golf raffles I've ever heard of.

There are now over 70 different golf prizes available, with many of the greatest and most private golf courses in the world represented. Go to Jim's website and look in the right sidebar under Ben Cox 108 to see if your favourite is listed. If so, you still have time to donate to this incredible cause: you get one raffle ticket for every $50.00 you donate and Jim will be conducting the final draw at Ballyneal on Saturday July 9th.

Don't delay! Get your donation in right away and maybe you'll be teeing it up at Pebble Beach, Merion, National Golf Links of America, Royal Dornoch, Riviera...the list goes on and on!

Congratulations again to Jim for this incredibly unselfish act of goodwill.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to a few great blogs and websites.

Clive Barber is a golf photographer who was born in England but currently resides in Toronto. Clive was kind enough to let me utilize some of his wonderful shots for my Scarboro Golf & Country Club review and I urge you to visit his official website to see his wonderful portfolio, which includes many of the great courses in the UK, Ireland and North America.

I also want to send a shout-out to a few of my Golf Club Atlas brothers in Jeff Shelman, Tim Bert and Joe Bentham.

Jeff has done a lot of sports writing and his skill is apparent when reading Only Golf Matters. Jeff resides in Minneapolis and you should definitely check the site out for his thoughts on the world of golf, some course reviews and much more.

Tim Bert started The Kingsley Golfer as an ode to the Kingsley Club, a private 'destination' club near Traverse City, Michigan. I haven't had the pleasure of playing Kingsley yet but it's high on my list of must-plays and I hope to be able to finally take advantage of an invitation to play from another member sometime next year.

Joe Bentham also has a unique story to tell as a caddy at the Bandon Dunes Resort in Bandon, Oregon and does it with good humour at Pacduneslooper. I actually got to hang out with Joe a bit during my time at Bandon, as he was caddying for another GCA'er in my group during my disastrous first round at Pacific Dunes, where I shot a hideous 89. Joe's currently caddying in the US Amateur Public Links Championship that's taking place at Bandon Trails and Old Macdonald and offering daily recaps of the action at the resort.

Speaking of Bandon, I'm putting the finishing touches on my first course review at the resort - look forward to seeing my thoughts on Bandon Dunes in the next day or two.

A Busy Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-20T18:05:00.002-04:00

It's kind of interesting how Now on the Tee has evolved over the years.

If you were to look back through the archive section of this blog, you'd find a lot of the early posts talked about life in general - lots of golf talk, yes, but also talk about day-to-day stuff like work, my girlfriend (and future wife) and even my poker exploits.

Eventually, I settled on golf as the main subject matter, with some of the other stuff sprinkled in on occasion. Most of my posts revolved around my inconsistent golf game and my unstated goal of becoming a scratch player, a level I've been fortunate enough to reach, albeit briefly, a couple of times over the past couple years.

Through some gentle needling by friends like Cal and Harris, I then realized that most don't give a rat's ass about the state of my golf game. Most were coming to my blog to read about my thoughts on some of the great golf courses I've been lucky enough to play and to check out the corresponding photo reviews.

Well, hopefully you'll indulge me for a quick second as I recap this weekend's Gentleman's Invitational at St. Catharines GCC, our annual three-day member-guest event.

This was the fourth year I participated in the tournament and all four have been with my wife's uncle Henry from Burlington. He's an avid player, a recent retiree and a really strong 16 handicap.

We've come close to making a dent in the tournament in the past, shooting a 61 (-11) in the first round of the two-man best ball event two years ago to take the early lead but we faltered down the stretch to finish 6th.

This year, we did the opposite.

We both had rough days on Thursday and our best ball score of 69 (-3) put us in the middle of the pack in the 54 team event, relegating us to the third flight.

I'd have a great day on Friday, shooting 73 (+1) on my own ball to help us to a seven under 65 on the day to put us into a one shot lead going into the last day.

I'd play a mediocre final round, shooting a 78 but Henry was off-the-charts awesome, shooting an 82 on his own ball to singlehandedly carry us to a five shot victory in our flight, giving us our first piece of hardware in our four years of participation.

We would have won every flight below us and the 2nd flight as well with our -16 overall score, which was good enough to place us 5th in the overall competition, our best finish ever.

The staff at St. Catharines always do a great job with this event and this year was no exception. The dinners are all fabulous - surf and turf stag night on Thursday, a couples dinner on Friday and a barbeque pig roast and prize ceremony on Saturday. Not to mention breakfast or lunch every day, cocktails (lots of cocktails) and lots of prizes, pari-mutuel betting, calcuttas, etc.

Many thanks to the professionals, the catering staff and the management at St. Catharines for yet another wonderful member-guest tournament. We'll be back next year looking to win the whole thing!

I was a bit worse for wear on Sunday morning but had to get in my Langley Cup match play event before the club aerated our greens the next day. It was ugly with a capital 'U', as I'd endure 3 three-putts and a costly four-putt on the pivotal 16th hole in an eventual 3&1 loss to good pal Andy.

I've never won the Langley Cup, the 0-8 handicap match play competition at the club and it's the one event I want to win most after the Club Championship.

I'm now out of all the match play competitions for 2011, likely the earliest that's happened in all my years at the club. Simply put, it's been a rough year for my game from a scoring perspective.

I did enjoy the rest of my Father's Day though. I got a beautiful card from my 2 year old son, some homemade sugar cookies from my wife, a barbeque dinner at my inlaws and it was topped off by Rory McIlroy's most-impressive US Open performance at the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club.

McIlroy has all the tools - he's long and accurate with the driver, hits pure iron shots and made every important putt using the tips he recently received from former major champion Dave Stockton. Most impressively, he just seems like a great kid with a good head on his shoulders.

He's very easy to root for and judging by the reaction he received at every turn at Congressional, I'm not alone in making that assessment.

Bandon Dunes Resort 2011

2011-06-14T00:19:00.006-04:00

"Ever since it opened in 1999, Bandon Dunes has been one of the stories in golf, an improbable tale that got better with each telling. On a remote stretch of the Pacific Coast, at the edge of beyond, a golf course had appeared - and not just an ordinary course, but a seaside course of great drama, purity and beauty. Early visitors to the place came back with stars in their eyes, claiming to have discovered a true American links."
- Stephen Goodwin, Author, "Dream Golf - The Making of Bandon Dunes"

Mike Keiser had a dream.

A very successful entrepreneur and founder of Recycled Paper Greetings, a greeting card company, Mr. Keiser wanted to build a great links course in the United States, one that would compare favourably to his favourites in Scotland and Ireland.

He looked long and hard for an appropriate parcel of land and eventually saw great potential in a gorse-covered piece of property on the Oregon coast. The 1,215 acre property in Bandon had been for sale at a price of $4.8 million - Keiser would offer half that amount - $2.4 million in cash, less than $2,000 an acre and a deal was signed less than a half hour later.

The purchase was completed in 1991 and it took eight more years for his dream to come to fruition when Bandon Dunes finally opened to great praise in 1999. Keiser would add three more courses over the next 11 years in Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails and most recently, Old Macdonald. All four courses are highly-acclaimed and the resort itself is generally considered one of the finest in the world.

I've been following the progress at Bandon for many years and was just biding my time, waiting for an opportunity to present itself so I could finally see what all the fuss was about.

That opportunity finally came in January this year, when the organizer of The King's Putter, an annual Ryder Cup style event put on by participants at Golf Club Atlas indicated that the waiting list for the 2011 tournament being held at Bandon was down to two people. I put my name on the list and found out a couple days later that there were a few cancellations - I was officially in!

The event took place in mid-March, just before Bandon increases their rates both for golf and lodging. The weather can be a bit sketchy at this time of year but in reality, it can be sketchy at any time of year so why not go when it's a bit less expensive, right?

Getting to Bandon is not easy - the running gag among architecture aficionados is that it's easier to get to Ireland or Scotland than it is to get to Bandon - and it's really no joke. The closest airport to Bandon is in North Bend, Oregon, approximately 45 minutes away by car so that certainly is reasonable. However, getting to North Bend is the difficult part, with only two cities offering direct flights into the airport (San Francisco and Portland) on only one major airline (United). Many people choose to fly into Portland and drive five hours while others fly to Eugene, Oregon, which is three hours away by car.

For my first time, I decided it would be best to fly right into North Bend but that meant an insane travel schedule, with three layovers and an evening in the Seattle-Tacoma airport just to get to my final destination. I saved money doing it this way and it also ensured that I'd get to play 36 holes on my first day at Bandon, which seemed like a good trade-off.

The trip got off to a rocky start, as our scheduled flight from Chicago to Seattle got re-routed to Spokane when a man started having heart troubles on the plane. Thankfully, there were nurses on board and they were able to keep him comfortable until we landed. We were delayed an hour and a half but I had a five-hour, overnight layover in Seattle so I was quite happy getting some extra shut-eye on the plane as opposed to an uncomfortable airport terminal bench.

I arrived in North Bend right on time early on a Thursday morning and was met at the airport by fellow King's Putter participant and GCA'er Will, who made the long journey by car from Vancouver Island. We hadn't met in person prior to this event but had corresponded many times by email and he kindly offered me a lift to Bandon, an offer that was graciously accepted.

I don't know if it was the good conversation or the fact I was half-fried from travel and lack of sleep but the car ride seemed much shorter than 45 minutes. We pulled up to the lodge and checked in - I would be rooming with another KP and GCA'er from the Chicago area but was told by reception that he hadn't yet arrived at the resort.

The Lodge at Bandon Dunes

McKee's Pub in the centre of the picture

It wasn't raining but the skies looked ominous and it was frigid, perhaps a shade over five degrees celsius (40 on the Fahrenheit scale). We grabbed our clubs, put on our raingear and jumped into one of the many waiting shuttles that provide transportation between the golf courses, the restaurants and the accommodations.

The ubiquitous Bandon Dunes Resort shuttles

This was to be my first round of 2011 and it was the first time I had even picked up a golf club in over five months so we hit the range for a quick warmup session prior to our game. Will and I were teeing off at Bandon Trails, the Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw collaboration that provided a third course for resort guests in 2005 after the highly-acclaimed openings at Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes.

By the time we got shuttled to Trails, rain had started to fall and the winds were picking up. We checked in with the pro shop and minutes later, we were standing on the glorious first tee, which showcases awe-inspiring views in every direction. Will has visited Bandon on multiple occasions but since it was my first time, the starter gave me a quick overview of what we'd be seeing out on the course before heading back to shelter.

As an aside, I will be providing detailed photo reviews of all four courses at Bandon in the near future so I'm going to try to keep this post as more of a trip report than a general review.

I pulled a three-wood from my bag for my opening tee shot and nailed a nice draw right down the middle. Will and I decided to play for a beer, with me giving him four shots in a match play format. We'd make matching pars to start our day, easily my best opening hole of the year score in my life as I'm used to matching par in trees hit most years. Thankfully, there aren't any trees on the first hole at Trails so maybe I'm on to something!

It didn't take long for the rust to show - I'd hit my tee shot on the lovely downhill par three 2nd into a sandy area well right of the green and end up making a triple bogey six on the hole. I'd follow that up with another triple on the par five 3rd when my tee shot was push-sliced toward the road and we couldn't find my ball.

By the time we reached the picturesque par three 5th, the weather had changed dramatically for the better, with glorious sunshine gleaming down upon us. I'd quickly find out that this would be a pattern at Bandon, with the weather seeming to change every 45 minutes, as if on cue.

The warming sunshine agreed with me, as I'd hit my tee shot tight on the 5th and make the putt for my first birdie of the year. I'd follow with a second birdie on the par five 9th hole to take a three-up lead through the outgoing side. Will would get back to within two after his first birdie on the awesome par four 13th hole, one of my favourites at the entire resort but that's as close as he got, with me taking a 3&1 victory after making par on the gorgeous par three 17th. I'd end up shooting an unsightly 86 in my first round of the year or an ESC 84 after taking two shots off for the triples. Trails is the hardest golf course at the resort in my opinion and demands more from an accuracy perspective, especially off the tee, than any of the three other courses.

We got shuttled back to the main lodge, grabbed a quick bite to eat at the little halfway house inside and moved to the first tee at Bandon Dunes, the David McLay Kidd design that started it all in 1999. We were paired with a couple of GCA'ers that were also partaking in the King's Putter festivities - Joel, a writer from Savannah, Georgia and another Canadian in Bryan from Toronto.

We again got wildly varied weather during our four hour round at Bandon, with wind, rain, cold and heavy cloud cover once in awhile making way for short, teasing glimpses of sunshine. While Bandon Trails is routed through dunes land, meadows and forests, Bandon Dunes is quite exposed to the elements, with many holes that play hard by the ocean, making wind much more of a factor. Will and I again played for a beer and this time, the match wasn't as close, as I played steady but unspectacular golf, making no birdies or doubles on my way to a 79 and a healthy match play victory.

Will drove me over to my Chrome Lake room and dropped me off. I had some time to get set up in the room and shower before dinner and I must say that I was extremely impressed with my accommodations, which were similar to the "casual luxury" found at Ballyneal.

There were two King-sized beds, a very much welcomed electric fireplace with leather chairs situated to take advantage of the warmth after a tough round, a HD television and plenty of storage space. There were also two washrooms: one with just a mirror, a sink and a toilet and the other with a mirror, sink, standup shower and a bathtub. Everything you need for a great golf getaway!

I called the shuttle service for a ride to McKee's Pub, as the plan was to meet up with many of the 30 other GCA'ers who also arrived a day early for dinner. McKee's is a two-floor Scottish-style tavern that sits off the first fairway at Bandon Dunes near the main lodge and offers a casual alternative to guests at the resort. McKee's was absolutely packed when we arrived and Will and I were fortunate to get a couple seats at the upstairs bar. Most of the other GCA'ers were already halfway through dinner, including Bill from Pensacola, Florida, the King's Putter organizer this year and a gentleman I had met and played with last year at Ballyneal.

From left: Tom, Pete, Bill, Mike, David, Kelly, Michael and John

I needed some carbs in the worst way after a gruelling 36 hole day and went against the norm by getting the Seafood Linguini - most everyone gets the house specialty meatloaf dish but I craved a big pasta dish in the worst way and boy, it was a good choice! Will made good on our bet and bought me a couple of draft beers, which definitely hit the spot and we finished the night talking to others about our thoughts on Bandon Trails and Bandon Dunes while also hearing about what to expect at Pacific Dunes and Old Macdonald, the two other courses I'd be playing on the trip. I got a ride back to my room from one of the guys and set the alarm for 6:00am the next morning - I had another 36 hole day ahead!

The actual King's Putter event was starting on Friday afternoon but most of the guys already at Bandon had lined up morning rounds and I was no different. I took advantage of the great buffet breakfast in the main lodge before getting shuttled over to Pacific Dunes, the second course built at Bandon and the most acclaimed on the property. The Tom Doak designed masterpiece, built in 2001, is ranked 16th in the world by Golf Magazine and is ranked right near or at the top of every list of public golf courses.

I was unbelievably excited about playing Pac Dunes but my enthusiasm was short-lived, as my game was an utter disgrace that morning. Playing with Brad from Calgary, Jed from San Francisco and David from Australia, I got off to a rough start by yanking a 4-iron off the short par four 1st hole on my way to an opening double bogey. I'd bogey the wonderful 2nd hole and hit my first green in regulation on the par five 3rd, only to three-putt that for yet another bogey.

Things would get worse. Much worse.

I'd go on to double bogey the next four holes in succession and that's being kind. Actually, I picked up on two of those four holes just to get out of my playing partners' way - I could barely get the ball airborne! It was pretty embarrassing but the guys I played with were great, even sticking it to me with some jokes like my buddies back home would do. It loosened me up a bit and I finally made my first par of the day on the 8th hole, getting up and down from right of the greenside bunker and bogeyed the 9th to shoot an ESC 49.

I'd fare much better on the back nine and start making some cleaner contact, shooting a 40 to save a little bit of face. The weather was actually decent that morning - a little bit of everything again but the wind was down and the rain stayed away until the end of the round.

We hopped on the shuttle and immediately went over to Bandon Dunes, as our first round KP matches were about to begin. I was teamed up with Tom from Los Angeles and we would be facing my Canadian compadre Will and his partner John, a Palo Alto native in a fourball match.

My struggles continued into the afternoon and I would go without a birdie for a third consecutive round. We had some crazy weather that afternoon, with heavy rains and a brief but very painful hail storm while we were on the oceanside 16th hole. We were able to seek some cover beside a huge dune left of the fairway and the sun once again would appear less than a hole later to take some of the sting away. I made some pars and helped our team somewhat but really, Tom carried us in a match that went right to the end. Will made some huge putts during the match, none bigger than the birdie four he rolled in on the 18th hole to salt away a 2up victory for their South squad.

It hurt a lot more than it looks!

We had a low-key dinner planned at McKee's that night with all the KP'ers but again, the place was overbooked and a number of us were relegated to the Gallery restaurant in the lodge. I had one of the better beef tenderloins of my life and we'd venture over to McKee's later that night for a few more beverages before calling it a night. I would find out that my scheduled roommate for the trip had to cancel at the last minute - the wonderful staff at Bandon allowed me to keep the whole room to myself for half price, an added bonus!

From left: Gray and Pete discuss Oregon wines at McKee's

Saturday was a big day for the KP - 36 more holes of match play, with the morning round taking place at Old Macdonald and the afternoon round at Bandon Trails. Old Macdonald is the newest course at the resort, a Tom Doak and Jim Urbina collaboration that was built based on the principles and design ideals of legendary architect C.B. Macdonald.

Old Mac, as it's affectionately known, seems to be the subject of most debate when it comes to discussing the best course at the resort. There definitely seems to be a "love it or don't get it" mentality and little room for middle ground amongst those who had played it so I was anxious to see it for myself.

The weather was absolutely horrific to start, with rain coming down sideways and temperatures around 40 degrees but this crew plays in everything! Things would let up somewhat during the middle portion of the round but generally speaking, the Saturday AM round saw the worst weather on our trip.

Old Mac was similar to Ballyneal for me in the fact that it's tough to blow up out there but equally as tough to put a really good score together. Lots of easy bogeys but not many routine pars are to be had.

I was paired with Bandon native Gray and we faced John from Palo Alto (my second match against him already) and Pete from the San Francisco area. I played a pretty solid front side, making my first birdie in over 60 holes on the par five 6th hole (named "Long") and went out in 38 shots.

I'd have trouble scoring on the back side, as we fell behind by 3 but Gray went all PGA on our opponents, making three consecutive birdies starting on the 14th to bring us back to within one. He was carrying me like a rented mule but his back gave out on the 17th and it was up to me to send the match to a deciding final hole. I had a three footer for par on the 17th and needed it for a halve to stay one down but I'd lip out on the high side to give our opponents the 2&1 victory. Fittingly, it would start to absolutely pour again as we finished the 18th hole and high-tailed it over to Bandon Trails for our next set of matches.

After grabbing a quick burger at the Trails End restaurant, I was off in another fourball, this time teaming with Joel, another San Francisco resident in a match against John, a North Carolina native in the U.S. Coast Guard and his partner Michael, a native of South Carolina now living in Manhattan.

Things finally started to click for me in this match, as I'd par my first five holes of the round and shoot a decent 39 on the front. The story of the week takes place on the 12th hole, a really tough and long par three measuring 242 yards.

We had just fallen two down in the match after I took three shots to get down greenside on the 11th and I continued my clutch play with a wayward 3-wood tee shot into the trees left of the 12th green.

I figured I was out of the hole but decided to take a look for my ball, just in case. Michael asked if I needed help but I just said I'd take a quick look.

Anyway, I'm peering into the trees and all of a sudden, I start hearing noises - branches being stepped on - I squint and try to get a closer look.

Then I see it: a burly black THING slowly lumbering toward me with a little white spot near the head. I start RUNNING from the trees as Michael looks on with concern. He thought it was a hive of bees but I stammer that I think there was a bear in the trees. All of a sudden, the bear continues with its walk and steps out of the trees!!!

Only, it's not a bear but a big, burly Bandon Trails ranger, wearing a black rainsuit with a floppy rainhat and the Bandon logo. As the colour returns to my face, the punchline to this joke is revealed...he holds up a ball, like George Costanza in that one Seinfeld episode...

"Who was playing the Titleist 8?", he asks.

The guys start howling in laughter and I can only laugh myself.

Thankfully, my sense of humour remains intact after that embarrassing moment!

I'd make birdies on the 15th and 17th holes but it was too little, too late in a 3&2 loss, my third consecutive defeat in King's Putter play. I shot a very respectable 77 that round, easily my best of the trip thus far but it wasn't enough.

Our group had a private room booked that night, with a wonderful buffet dinner and a couple of great guest speakers in Mike H and Joel Z. Mike's speech was touching and inspirational, as he discussed the bond between members of the group while Joel's speech, centered on golf in general with some Pete Dye sprinkled in, was informative and downright hilarious at times.

Jack Lalanne clone Joel Z mugs for the camera prior to his speech

It was a really great evening.

We had one more set of matches to go the next morning and with the South team ahead by a wide margin, it would take a comeback of epic proportions for my North team to prevail. Ben Crenshaw wasn't available to make his Ryder Cup motivational speech so we'd be on our own.

The respective captains decided on matchups during the dinner and I was pitted against my buddy Will in a Canada versus Canada match at Pacific Dunes, my nemesis from Friday morning.

I was extremely determined to get at least a point and I finally came through on Sunday morning. Everything came together - straight drives, accurate approaches and perfect putts. I made three birdies on the front side alone and five overall, including a decisive birdie two on the 14th to win my match against Will 5&4. I actually had a very good chance to break par but ended up shooting a 75 after finishing three over on my last three.

My North squad took half the points in the singles matches but our lack of success in the previous fourballs meant a resounding victory for the South, leaving the much-revered King's Putter in their possession for yet another year.

South captain Bill (L) accepts the Putter from North captain Tom (R) with legal consultant Will overseeing the presentation

It was a truly wonderful event and I am planning on taking part again next year, when the KP ventures into Canada for the first time, taking place at Now on the Tee favourite Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club!

I backed out of my afternoon round at Old Mac, as my legs were absolutely killing me, even after wearing my brand new TRUE Linkswear shoes for the trip. All of the courses at Bandon are walking only and I was woefully out of golf shape after my 5+ months of hibernation. Those that remained at the resort had a great dinner in the Tufted Puffin lounge that night and I headed to bed relatively early in order to prepare for my last day at Bandon.

I'd play Old Mac the next morning with David from Australia and Bryan from Toronto and while my golf game left much to be desired, I once again really enjoyed attempting the shots demanded at this course.

I absolutely loved every minute of my trip to Bandon and I wouldn't hesitate returning again at the same time of year. Yes, the weather wasn't great but it never seemed to be bad for more than three holes at a time and the March price point just can't be beat.

What do I think about the courses, you ask? Well, again, I will go over each in plenty of detail over the coming weeks but I'll say this: when I eventually return, I see no reason why I wouldn't equally split up my rounds between all the courses onsite. They are all truly that good!

There will actually be another course to consider when I make my return. The resort is building their fifth course just right of the first tee at Trails on some tumbling dunesland - it will be called Bandon Preserve and will be a 13-hole par three course designed by the Coore-Crenshaw team, offering yet another wildly different alternative to guests at Bandon. I can see many players looking for a low-key way to end their day venturing over to the Preserve for a quick round before dinner.

The golf at Bandon is without par, both from a quality and quantity perspective. The service is spectacular but not overbearing and the food and accommodations are all first-rate.

If you can honestly tell me that there is a better golf resort than Oregon's Bandon Dunes in this world, I'd have to see it to believe it. Bandon is pure golf at its finest and I can't wait to go back.

Falling Behind...Again!

2011-05-31T17:31:00.003-04:00

Another failed promise from yours truly. What a surprise!

I gave my word that I'd have my Bandon Dunes trip report up before I left for New York yet here I am making excuses once again for being behind! It's coming...I promise!

The NY trip was absolutely incredible and you can look forward to hearing about it sometime in 2013 when I catch up...kidding...kind of!

My game has come around a bit lately, especially with my ball striking but as you might expect, just when I start hitting it better, my putter starts getting testy.

Still, I was able to prevail in my first round Langley Cup match, giving five strokes to Darryl B and coming through with a tight 2&1 win. I now face good friend Andy in the second round. I got a first round bye in the Scratch Cup match play event and will have to play my second round matches in both events in June.

I know I've already written a couple blog posts about Jim Colton and his 108+ hole golf marathon coming up at Ballyneal in June to benefit local caddy Ben Cox but I want to once again post an update, as many generous people have donated items that will be auctioned off to those who contribute.

Check out Jim's blog post here. Just look at the places that have graciously donated items:

1. One foursome at Ballyneal, going to the person who most accurately guesses the amount of strokes over par it will take me to complete 108 holes (only one guess per number, so if your first guess is taken, you will be assigned the next closest number).
2. Another foursome at Ballyneal
3. A foursome of golf at Dismal River in Mullen, NE
4. A foursome of golf at The Kingsley Club in Kingsley, MI
5 & 6. Two pairs of golf shoes from TRUE Linkswear - one pair of TRUE Tours and one pair of their new TRUE Stealths, to be raffled off individually
7. A threesome of golf and lunch with a member host at Hudson National Golf Club in New York
8. Two nights accomodation at Fairmont St Andrews, full Scottish breakfast each morning and 18 holes of golf on The Torrance or The Kittocks
9. A threesome of golf and lunch at the Olympic Club (Lake Course), site of the 1955, 1966, 1987, 1998 and 2012 U.S. Opens. Also includes round at par-3 Cliffs Course, time and schedule permitting.
10. A threesome of golf and caddies at Skokie Country Club
11. A twosome of golf at Merion Golf Club's East Course, site of the 2013 U.S. Open. Includes tour of the club archives and lunch or dinner.
12. A foursome of golf at East Lake Golf Club, site of The Tour Championship.
13. A threesome of golf at Riviera Country Club, site of the 1948 U.S. Open, 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships and home of the PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open.
14. A twosome of golf at Erin Hills Golf Club, site of the 2011 U.S. Amateur and the 2017 U.S. Open

Incredibly, new items are being added almost on a daily basis! The golf community, especially those at Golf Club Atlas, have really come through for Jim and ultimately for Ben Cox and his family.

Godspeed, my friend.

Slowly but Surely...

2011-05-10T23:40:00.001-04:00

Just a quick follow up from last week's post on the state of my golf game.

I indicated that my ball position was too far forward and hoped that my ball striking would improve if I moved the ball back a couple inches.

The move seemed to work this past weekend, as I put up two identical scores of 76 (+4) from the back tees at my home club (73.1/131), easily my best rounds of the year in Canada. I made six birdies over the two rounds and won my first two skins of the year to top it all off.

An extra bonus was a great putting tip I read in the most recent issue of Golf Digest. I was having some issues flipping my right hand on right-to-left putts, not quite a "yip" action but too close for comfort. The tip couldn't have come at a better time - it said that the key to making sure you don't break down is in the angle of the right hand, not the left (or leading) hand. If you maintain the angle in the back of that hand, you'll have a consistent stroke.

The results came quickly - I must have made five putts over ten feet on Sunday alone and really gained a lot of confidence with the flatstick. So I'm hitting better iron shots and putting better, which hopefully means some better scoring ahead!

I'm less than two weeks away from my next golf trip, which will be taking me into New York state and specifically into Long Island. It will be a road trip so I hope to play some golf on the way down and on the way back and I'm still trying to finalize my itinerary. Hopefully I get things set soon.

That said, I still have my long-awaited Bandon trip report to write, along with individual reviews of each course at the resort. My pledge is to get the trip report up within the next two days and have the course reviews up soon afterward. Pretty ambitious stuff from a guy who has only been writing three posts a month but I really want to get everything up on this site before I return from New York.

Putting the Pieces Back Together

2011-05-02T08:25:00.002-04:00

Every year, I find it very difficult to put good rounds together early in the season. For whatever reason, I have trouble shaking the five months of rust off my swing.

This year is no different and in fact, it might be even worse, especially when you consider that I played eight rounds of golf in Oregon in mid-March.

I'm having great trouble with my iron play and my short game, especially on the front nine of my rounds. I'm able to figure some things out by the time I get to the back and salvage respectable scores but I repeat the process the next round.

Case in point: two rounds of golf this weekend, two front nine scores of 43 and two back nine scores of 37.

Well, at least I'm consistent!

The shocking thing is that I now own a 'sandbagger' handicap - my index has risen from 2.7 to 4.4 based on my 2011 rounds, however, my ACTUAL handicap now reads "2.3R". This means my actual index has been reduced due to the large discrepancy between my last 20 scores and my tournament scores from the past 12 months. I had two sub-par tournament rounds last year so they get incorporated into a formula to reduce my handicap, even though I'm having trouble breaking 80 so far this year.

It's actually kind of embarrassing but thankfully, I don't have any tournaments scheduled until mid-June, when I take part in the member/guest event. That is because I decided to step down from my duties on the Niagara Men's Tour for 2011 and won't even be playing the Tour for the first time since 2004. I have two more golf trips planned for this year so I decided to skip the Tour this year as a compromise to my wife and young son.

That said, I *think* I finally figured out my ball-striking issues yesterday on the back nine, simply moving the ball back in my stance. I went from hitting one green on the front to hitting 7 of 9 on the back and made crisp contact throughout the incoming nine.

I'm already looking forward to next week to see if I can finally put a full round together for the first time at St. Catharines.

A Golf Marathon for a Great Cause

2011-04-25T17:08:00.005-04:00

Regular readers of my site likely know the name Jim Colton quite well by now.

Jim is a friend of Now on the Tee, having maintained his own golf blog for a number of years while also developing his own golf course rating system and publishing the results on another site called Golf Blog 100. Jim upped the ante even further by writing a book about his golf addiction entitled One Divot at a Time...Diary of a Full-Fledged Golf Addict Volume I.

Jim is about the only person I know that loves golf as much as I do and he's dedicating his efforts this year to a greater cause. Please read the letter below, in Jim's own words:

Dear Friends,

Anybody who has ever been out to Ballyneal knows the caddies are a big part of the experience. Most are high school and college kids from the area. And "area" is defined loosely, because some come from up to two hours away just to earn a $75-$100 dollar loop and a chance to be an Evans Scholar. Over the years, seven Ballyneal caddies have earned scholarships at Colorado University through the Colorado Golf Association Eisenhower-Evans Scholarship Fund.

Since my first trip to Holyoke in 2008, I've had caddies that run the whole gamut - from caddies on their first loops to ones that who know every inch of the wild Ballyneal greens. Either way, every experience I've had there with the caddies has been a positive one. They are simply great kids - warm, down-to-earth, helpful and hard working - consistent with just about everybody else I've ever met in that region of the country.

Getting to know the caddies and building relationships with them over the years is one of the best parts of Ballyneal. Of course, it didn't take long for them to realize that I'm a golf-crazed maniac, and I get needled for it constantly. The caddies are constantly egging me on to play more holes...to keep chugging for 72 holes after just finishing my 54th, for example. Last year, two caddies, Nick Flaa and Gary Nelson, threw down the gauntlet and played 100 holes in a day. Their primary motivation was just to get under my skin. My gut reaction was to immediately go out and bring the record back to its rightful owner, but scheduling, conditioning and footwear issues forced me to postpone it until 2011. Now armed with three new pairs of True Linkswear shoes and about 25 less pounds of spare tire, I'm ready to take on the challenge and raise the bar even further. Six-full rounds -- 108 holes, is my number.

During the offseason, I started to make plans to use the marathon to raise money for the local Holyoke High School golf team and the CGA scholarship fund. To give back to the kids who had meant so much to me. But unfortunately, a much more pressing need became apparent recently. One of the caddies, Ben Cox, was seriously injured in a skiing accident in March. He suffered a broken femur and broken neck and is currently paralyzed from the chest down. But Ben is in great spirits all things considered and is ready to take on the long recovery process head-on. When I heard the news, I knew I had to switch the focus of the marathon. On Monday June 20th, I will be walking (at least) 108 holes of golf to raise money for Ben and his family as they begin to face this long recovery process.

If you've been out to Ballyneal and have enjoyed your time there, or have gotten any entertainment value out of this blog over the past five years, or you simply want to help, anything you can contribute on a lump-sum or per hole basis is greatly appreciated. You can e-mail me directly at jcolton31@gmail.com and I will provide more details on how to contribute.

Also, if you want to take an active role in this fundraiser, I'm willing to host anybody who can raise $500 or more on their own to join me at Ballyneal on June 20th for what I'm calling the "half-marathon" -- 54 holes in one day. My only request is if you see a single lefty in an orange hat coming up on your group, please let him play through.

Sincerely,
Jim

Update: Thanks to some very generous donations, we have a number of golf-related items to auction off to all those that donate $100 or $1/hole or more:

1. One foursome of golf at Ballyneal to closest guess on number of strokes over par for 108 holes
2. One foursome of golf at Ballyneal
3. One foursome of golf at Dismal River
4. One foursome of golf at The Kingsley Club
5. One pair of TRUE Tours
6. One pair of TRUE Stealths
7. One threesome of golf and lunch at Hudson National

What started simply as one man's plan to regain a record at Ballyneal has turned into something much greater.

If you're a walking golfer who has ever had the pleasure of playing with a caddy, I'm sure you'll agree that this is a truly great cause. If you have the means to contribute anything to Jim's effort, whether it's a lump sum or a dollar-per-hole pledge, please get in touch with him at the email address listed above. Every single dollar goes directly to Ben to help pay for his medical bills.

That's a cause I can get behind. Best of luck, my friend and you can count on my support.

Writer's Malaise

2011-04-20T08:28:00.046-04:00

I really don't know what it is with this weather but it's really starting to bring me down.

Residents of the Niagara Region have been fortunate enough over the past couple of years to be playing golf in the middle of March but old lady Winter really dug in her heels in 2011. Our course didn't open until April 7th, about three weeks later than last year and even then, chances to play have been few and far between because of the adverse conditions.

In fact, only three of us were willing to brave significant winds, a soaking wet course and unseasonably cold temperatures on Sunday in order to get a game in. We got everything during the round: wind, rain, sun, hail and even a brief snow flurry.

I *needed* that round of golf, weather be damned! I'm sure many of you out there know what I mean.

I also think this weather is having an adverse effect on my writing, specifically with regard to my blog updates or more appropriately, the lack thereof.

It's not like I don't have things to write about - quite the contrary in fact! Here is a sampling of what you might see here in the days and weeks to come:

- a 2011 Masters recap
- review of the brand new Golf Digest Top 100 Courses rankings for 2011
- review of the new GolfWeek Best Canadian Courses rankings, a first for that publication
- a post about friend of Now on the Tee, Jim Colton and his fundraising efforts for a paralyzed Ballyneal caddy
- a full report on my trip to the spectacular Bandon Dunes resort
- separate reviews of all four courses at Bandon

That's a lot of topics and I'll have to get out of this writing funk pretty quickly if I want to get everything covered in a timely fashion. While I don't want to offer any promises, I hope to provide plenty of reading material over the next couple of weeks.

Buzz Continues to Build for Cabot Links

2011-04-03T00:03:00.004-04:00

I'm finally back at my keyboard after a great little five day trip to Bandon, Oregon where I was able to experience the much-heralded Bandon Dunes Golf Resort for the first time.

And what an experience that was, something that I'll be documenting throughout the month of April here on this blog, with a detailed trip recap and individual reviews for all four golf courses at the resort. It's a remarkable place and I can't wait to talk about it further.

However, I'm writing today about another place that Bandon developer Mike Keiser is involved with and it is arguably the most anticipated golf course opening in Canada in many years.

I'm talking about Cabot Links, a Rod Whitman design which is being touted as Canada's first true links course.

Cabot Links sits hard by the sea on Cape Breton Island in the town of Inverness, Nova Scotia. The landscape looks truly incredible in photographs and is even more apparent in the brilliantly-conceived movie trailer put out by the club the other day.

This two-plus minute clip (click on the link above) was directed by Michael Robin, an Emmy-Award winning director/producer (L.A. Law, The Closer, Nip/Tuck) and features legendary Canadian actor Donald Sutherland as the narrator. I don't know if I've ever seen something like this done to build anticipation for a golf course opening but it's quite ingenious.

Similar to Mr. Keiser's recent soft-opening at Old Macdonald, Cabot Links will have ten holes ready for play on July 1, 2011 in a preview loop, with the full course scheduled to open in the spring of 2012. Like the courses at Bandon, Cabot Links will be walking-only and feature a robust caddy program.

I won't be able to get out to Cabot this year but I hope to make plans to visit next year when the full course is open for play. There is already talk that a second course could be on the way and if that ever materializes, you could make a case for Cape Breton Island being "Bandon East", especially when you factor in the fact that Highlands Links, one of our country's finest courses, is only about two hours away.

My congratulations go out to Ben Cowan-Dewar, friend of Now on the Tee and the main man behind Cabot Links. Cowan-Dewar runs a golf travel company (Golf Travel Impresarios) and is partners with Ran Morrissett in the great golf architecture website Golf Club Atlas. It took a big leap of faith to get Cabot Links off the ground, as he moved his entire family to Inverness well before the first shovel touched dirt.

It looks like we'll all be winners in the end, as all signs point to Cabot Links being the next great golf destination in Canada.

Golf Trip of a Lifetime: Volume Two

2011-03-17T13:10:00.090-04:00

This is another post written in the past...

I'm writing this post at home, one full day before my departure from the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, having grown frustrated from my complete inability to pack all of the warm clothes I'll need into my smallish carry-on suitcase.

My destination is arguably the finest golf resort in North America, Oregon's Bandon Dunes, which sits right on the Pacific coast.

That said, I've timed this post to appear just as I'm set to tee off at Bandon Trails, the 55th ranked course in the US according to Golf Magazine, for my first round in 2011.

This is a dream trip without doubt and I'm spending five days and four nights at the resort. If all goes as planned, I'll be playing ten rounds of golf in those five days, playing all four courses onsite at least twice.

They are all highly decorated. The original course, David McLay Kidd's Bandon Dunes, is currently ranked 33rd in the US according to Golf Magazine while the publication ranks the second course built at the resort, Tom Doak's Pacific Dunes, 10th in the US. The aforementioned Bandon Trails, a Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw collaboration, is the third course while the newest, Tom Doak and Jim Urbina's Old Macdonald, was just completed in 2010 and will hit the rankings for the first time later this year. Early word is that Old Mac ranks very highly among the four and maybe just a tad below Pacific.

I'm going to try to update my Twitter feed as much as possible over the course of the trip and maybe will even upload a crappy Blackberry photo or two of the course if I get the chance.

I will be bringing my lovely SLR for the trip and plan on taking as many photos as I can, weather-permitting of course. Upon my return, you can look forward to seeing detailed reviews and photo tours of all four courses at the resort.

Here's hoping for decent weather! Talk to you in a week!

Predator Ridge - The Ridge Course

2011-03-13T15:49:00.004-04:00

Predator Ridge - The Ridge Course
Vernon, BC, CAN

7123 Yards (Par 72)
Course Rating/Slope: 73.8/133
Course Architect: Doug Carrick (2010)
Career Rounds: 1
Last Played: July 26, 2010.
Low Score: 74 (+2)

ACCOLADES -
- ScoreGolf Best New Course in Canada 2010

The final stop on our 2010 golf trip to British Columbia was the Predator Ridge Resort in Vernon, just outside of Kelowna.

We arrived at the club well past midnight, grabbed our keys and drove out to the Peregrine Cottage that was assigned to us.

The accommodations were unbelievably spacious and comfortable and our only regret is that we didn't get any time at all to enjoy them, as we quickly hit the sack in preparation for our early morning tee time.

We were going to be playing the brand new Ridge Course at Predator Ridge and it was a bit of a coup, as the course wasn't officially going to be open to the public for about another week.

Doug Carrick and his team are behind the $10 million Ridge Course, which features eight completely redesigned holes from the old Peregrine course and ten brand new ones. The terrain is absolutely spectacular, with holes climbing up and down the mountainside, rock outcroppings galore and beautiful vistas of surrounding mountains and lakes always a constant.

Being our last round of the week and one that we needed to get done in a timely fashion in order to catch a mid-day flight, we decided to play the 6655 yard Blue Tees as opposed to the Blacks.

The course doesn't feature a "figure 8" routing, instead starting and finishing near the clubhouse on very open land in an "out and back" style. The first hole plays on this links-style land but a very long cart ride awaits in order to get to the second tee and right away you can see the character of the course change, as you move into more of a parkland setting, albeit on a mountainside with rock outcroppings at almost every turn.

The downhill par four second is a beauty and the two-shot third takes you right back uphill. The dogleg right par four 4th is another strong hole, as you get your first glimpse of the lake well down below.

The 244 yard par three 5th is just a gorgeous piece of business, falling straight downhill the whole way with the mountains and lake providing a memorable backdrop. Things get even more interesting on the 438 yard par four 6th, as a very large and intimidating rock outcropping obscures the landing area from the tee, making first-time play quite a challenge! I think we sat on that tee for at least a minute before figuring out our line! What a golf hole!

You continue your descent on the par five 7th, a lovely dogleg left that starts to climb from the landing area all the way to the green.

From there, you must deal with a tough 229 yard par three before concluding the outgoing nine on the visually stunning par five 9th, a reachable 509 yarder that features rock outcroppings on both sides of the hole. My attempt at reaching the green in two ended up hitting the rocks on the right and bouncing back over to the left, just in front of the green, where I'd make my first birdie of the day.

You begin to climb back up the hillside on the par four 10th, which again features an outcropping that comes into play just left of the green. The 11th is a lengthy par five that climbs the entire way uphill and features a narrow entry into a well-protected greensite.

The 12th is a picturesque mid-length par three measuring 171 yards with a large and undulating putting surface and the 13th is the last par five on the course, a lengthy 562 yarder with a bit of a halfpipe-styled fairway that runs between the outcroppings.

The 14th requires a precise touch both from the tee and green. Not long at only 396 from the tips, the tee shot plays downhill but the second shot is uphill to a partially blind green site, especially if you lay back too far, with a large outcropping on the left side always on your mind on the approach.

The 15th is the last one-shotter on the course, a little 165 yarder with water fronting the left side of the green and an outcropping in the back right that causes trouble for any players that decide to bail out.

The 16th is a bit of an awkward hole, a 336 yard par four that tumbles down hill with a greensite hidden behind the treeline and a water hazard on the left. A definite "position-first" hole.

The course moves back to open, links-style land for the last two holes and both are absolute brutes. The 17th is a 472 yard par four monster, featuring a diagonal carry across a water hazard with bunkers through the fairway on the right. This hole was very notable for yours truly - to this point, I had hit every single green in regulation. That's right - I was 16 for 16 and I never had hit all 18 greens in one round in my entire life. Well, that streak would continue, as I drove into the fairway bunker and with approximately 200 yards left, I proceeded to hit the lip on the bunker shot and barely escape the sand. It didn't take long for the smile to return to my face though, as I would hit my next shot to within ten feet and make the putt for the extremely satisfying par!

The 18th goes back the other way toward the clubhouse and the second shot is a doozy, uphill, over a little creek to a very elevated and expansive putting surface. I'd three-putt here, my fourth of the day and shoot a strange 74 (+2) despite 17 greens in regulation.

Almost all of the Doug Carrick courses I've played share similar characteristics and The Ridge Course is no different. You'll find plenty of elevated tee shots throughout the round, wide playing corridors, more than a fair share of uphill approaches and large and conservatively contoured putting surfaces. He designs fun golf courses and The Ridge definitely qualifies.

As usual with Carrick, the architecture is strong and he's done a very good job using the land given to him. The routing is a bit awkward in spots but I'd be hard-pressed to offer an opinion on what he could have done to make it better. The course is very playable for players of all levels and it's certainly a heck of a lot of fun.

The golf course was pretty much brand new when we played and I must say that I was extremely impressed with the overall conditioning. You can tell that the resort didn't rush people onto this course, instead letting it grow in and settle before having some play. The turf was nice and firm through the greens and the bunker edges didn't have that brittle look that you sometimes get with newly-designed courses. Bravo!

And I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the views, which certainly rank up there with the best our country has to offer. Simply stunning!

Unfortunately, the course really isn't walkable, with a couple significant green-to-tee transfers and a lot of downhill/uphill climbs throughout the round but I don't want that to deter any ardent walkers from experiencing this fine track.

My only personal regret was playing the Blue tees instead of the back deck. At just over 6600 yards and playing much less than that distance due to the elevation, I only used my driver on two or three par fours so I feel I would have gotten a stronger test from the tips. That's something I'll rectify in my next trip out west!

Predator Ridge's new Ridge Course recently took home the ScoreGolf award for Best New Canadian Course in 2010 and I will predict right now that the course will find a place somewhere comfortably inside the top 50 when the magazine comes out with their next country-wide rankings in 2012. It's a must-play for any visitors to the Okanagan region in British Columbia and I won't be surprised if it quickly becomes more popular than the original course at Predator Ridge. I look forward to returning, hopefully sooner rather than later!

The Peregrine Cottages at Predator Ridge

2nd Tee

2nd Hole Approach

Looking back from behind 2nd Green

3rd Tee

Approach shot on the 3rd

4th Tee

Approach shot on the 4th

The lovely 'drop shot' par three 5th

Cal having second thoughts about leaving Canada for Israel

Steve and Ryan check out the beautiful view

The captivating 6th hole

Approach on the 6th

Looking back toward the ominous outcropping on the 6th

The beautiful 7th hole

Second shot into the 7th

The par three 8th hole

The 9th Tee

Approach shot on the 9th

Looking back down the 9th fairway from behind

The 10th tee

Approach shot into the elevated 10th green

The 11th Tee

Approach shot into the par five 11th

Looking back down the 11th fairway from behind the green

The short 12th hole

The 13th tee

Approach shot into the 13th

The 14th Tee

Tough approach into the 14th

The par three 15th

Tee shot on the downhill 16th

Little pitch approach into the 16th

The 18th tee

An uphill approach into the elevated 18th green

Beautiful B.C. V2.0 - Sagebrush 2010

2011-03-02T03:06:00.006-05:00

The bulk of our trip out west in 2010 was going to be spent at Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club, a course I reviewed in detail last year.

Cal, Steve, Ryan and I started the trip by playing 36 holes out at Tobiano in Kamloops then made our way south to Merritt to prepare for three full days at Sagebrush.

The guys were generally impressed with Tobiano but they agreed with my earlier assessment that the course was overly difficult for low and high handicappers alike with the excessive amount of forced carries, making 5+ hour rounds the norm. We did, however, have much more fun playing the middle tees in our second round and pace of play was decent due to an empty course after some heavy rains.

We made the beautiful 15 minute drive north from Merritt to Sagebrush, with Nicola Lake shimmering in the early morning sunshine. I was very proud of what Rod Whitman, Armen Suny and Richard Zokol had accomplished with their work at the club and my only hope was that I didn't set my friends up for a letdown after talking the course up so much in the days and weeks leading up to our trip.

My friends shared my excitement as we finally reached our destination and after getting loaded onto a couple carts, we made our way up the hill from the parking lot to the pro shop to officially sign in.

Terry Donald, the President and General Manager of the club who I had met last year, immediately recognized me as we reached the pro shop and after renewing acquaintances, I introduced him to the guys. Steve wanted to meet with Norley Calder, the club's superintendent, so Terry got on his walkie talkie and summoned him to the pro shop.

We all chatted for about 15 minutes - Mr. Zokol wasn't expected for about an hour or so but Terry said he and Dick would be joining us for dinner later that night at the Hideout, the club's awesome "Halfway House on steroids" right on the fly fishing lake.

We said our goodbyes and headed right to the first tee, a reachable par five that climbs the whole way up the mountainside. Thankfully, the guys fell in love with the course on first site, loving the playability and shot options while also marvelling at the firm and fast conditions.

They loved the little touches too, like the bottled water and chocolate bar stations set up throughout the course, all complimentary of course!

We played the back tees in our first round and birdies were scarce. I made the first birdie of the day at the gorgeous par four 3rd hole and Ryan would make the only other birdie in our first round, making a deuce at the short par three 12th.

This was a very notable moment during the trip from a comedic perspective, as Ryan called the 122 yard hole "stupid", saying it was entirely too easy and felt "out of place" with the rest of the course. The rest of us vehemently disagreed, giving him various reasons why the hole works so well (uphill, with a heavily contoured green, penal bunkers and fall-off areas if you miss the tiny target) but he was adamant in his beliefs. The comedic part came throughout the rest of the trip, as Ryan would make a mess out of the hole every time, making two doubles and two bogeys before finally admitting he was wrong about his initial thoughts. Karma would smile on him in our sixth and final round two days later, as he'd finally make his first par there. I think we even applauded after that one!

There was one really unfortunate moment as well for Cal - on the 11th hole, a mid-length par four, he hit his drive and we all heard a strange sound at impact. It's the last thing you want to hear and then see when you basically just started a golf trip.

The shaft of Cal's driver was broken.

To his credit, he never got too upset. He certainly wasn't a happy camper for a few hours but really, there was nothing that he could do about the situation - you just have to get over it quickly and try to enjoy the trip. He'd use my driver for the rest of the vacation and thankfully, it would survive his freakishly fast clubhead speed and stay in one piece for the duration of our stay.

Despite perfect weather conditions, our scores in round one were pretty sad: Ryan shot 83, I shot 87, Steve was 88 and Cal was 89.

We made our way to the Hideout for lunch and the new food and beverage manager, Scott McDonnell, had some barbecue gourmet hot dogs and chips all ready for us. The Scotty Mac prepared lunches were a particular highlight of the trip, as he'd also make hamburgers and these ridiculously delicious barbeque roast beef and cheese sandwiches on the other two days.

We'd move up to the middle tees for our second round and I really got on track, making three birdies in a four hole stretch between the 11th and 14th on my way to a back nine 35 and a two over 74 overall. Steve birdied the 11th and the 13th and Ryan made a solitary bird on the 13th, leaving driver-less Cal as the only guy to get shutout on day one.

Our dinner at the Hideout that first night was off the charts. Scotty Mac prepared barbecue-grilled chicken wings as an appetizer for all the guests, which included a few Golf Club Atlas guys in Bob J, Sean L and Richard C. We all sat together that night, along with Terry Arnold and enjoyed beautiful steaks and some great Okanagan red wine. Dick arrived after we had finished eating and the guys got to sit and chat with him for an hour or so while I sat and had dessert with Bob, Sean and Richard C.

Just a great night!

We were back at the club early the next morning and went to the back tees again with a bit more success than our first go. I ended up shooting 77 with a couple birdies (#1 and #13), Ryan shot 80 with birdies on the same two holes while Cal finally got his first at Sagebrush with a three on the par four 11th.

We'd move up to the middle tees again for the second round of the day and I'd continue my decent play, making two more birdies in a round of 76. Ryan was having some major problems with his leg at this point in the trip and started limping noticeably but gamely played on.

Dinner that night was epic at the Hideout: the appetizer was barbecue-grilled lobster tails and as usual, it was steak for the main course. We kept to ourselves for the most part on night #2, as Terry and Dick were entertaining potential members from the looks of things.

Our last day at the club was notable for a match that I was playing against Ryan. We had been typically playing $10.00 straight-up matches but I was behind $20.00 to him at this point in the trip, not including poker losses, so he offered to play this match for twenty to give me a chance at breaking even.

I was game!

We started on the fifth hole instead of the first due to a group that had just teed off - Sagebrush only allows about 40 players per day on the course so you basically should never have to wait on a shot at any point. Dick suggested that we just head over to the 5th to avoid the only other group on the course at that point.

After making another frustrating double bogey on his nemesis par three 12th hole to go three down, Ryan asked if he could 'press' our bet, adding another $20.00 bet to the mix. Never one to back down from a challenge and sensing some weakness in Ryan's game, I happily accepted his offer.

Lets just say that Ryan stepped it up a notch. He'd birdie the 13th to beat my par then his bogey on the 14th was somehow good enough to win the 14th. I'm only one up now.

I'd birdie the 15th to easily beat his bogey but he'd finish par-birdie-birdie to win the last three holes of the back nine.

We'd move to the first tee to finish the last four holes of our round and as I teed up my ball, exclaimed:

"I can't believe I've blown a 3up lead to go one down with four holes left."

Ryan laughed and then delivered the perfect punch line.

"Yeah, even better is the fact that you're dormie on the press!"

I had completely forgotten about the press and the stunned look on my face was enough for Steve, Cal and Ryan to start laughing hysterically.

I'd birdie the first to show some life but Ryan would put me away with a birdie of his own on the 3rd to take both the overall match and the press and make me $40.00 poorer. This despite me shooting 75 versus Ryan's 76, another fact that made the guys howl in laughter.

After another great lunch, we'd play a low-key last round with no wagers on the line. Steve and Cal both came in with their best scores at Sagebrush, with Steve shooting 80 and Cal shooting 78. Ryan shot 77 and I came in with a 76. We took a few more photos as the sun started to fall before departing for the last time.

All of the guys absolutely loved Sagebrush and thankfully it exceeded their high expectations after I had talked so glowingly about it prior to our trip. In fact, they were already asking me if I'd be going back in 2011, hinting that they'd want to join me again for another excursion.

To think we still had one more course on our agenda - after dinner in Merritt that night, we made the late-evening two hour drive through Kelowna for our date with the brand-new Ridge Course at Predator Ridge.

More on that course in my next post! For now, please enjoy a look at some photos from our trip to Sagebrush!

1st Tee

Cal's approach to the 2nd

My approach to the 2nd

Steve on the 3rd Tee

Cal on the 3rd Tee

Ryan on the 3rd Tee

Me teeing off on the 3rd hole

Cal, Steve and Ryan on the 3rd Green

And now is the time when we dance!

Me on the 4th tee

Steve and Ryan on the 4th tee

Steve teeing off on the 4th

Looking at the 4th green from behind

Mugging for the camera on the 5th fairway

Hitting a bunker shot on the 5th

The 5th green from the side

Steve spots a small snake on the 7th green

Steve putting on the 7th

Steve with a precarious second at the 9th

My second shot to the 9th

The glorious 9th green

The 9th green

Putting on the 11th green

Steve and Cal having fun on the wild 11th green

Ryan, Cal and Steve enjoying themselves on the 12th tee

Yours truly with the 14th in the background

Cal with the 14th in the background

Steve with the 14th in the background

Ryan with the 14th in the background

The short par three 12th, Ryan's favourite ;)

13th Tee

Ryan takes in the view on the 13th

Steve on the 14th tee

Ryan on the 14th tee

Cal on the 14th tee

Cal trying to advance it from the thick stuff on the 14th

Steve's second on the par five 14th

Steve on the 15th tee

Ryan on the 15th tee

Cal on the 15th tee

Cal in the fairway bunker on the 16th

Approach shot into the par five 16th

I'm in a bit of trouble on the 17th, going out sideways

View of the 18th green from above

A look at the view from above

Hangin out as the sun sets

Dinner at Sagebrush with Terry D, Bob J, Sean L, Cal, Ryan and Steve

The Hideout

Steve and Cal

I love this place!

Beautiful British Columbia Version 2.0 - Tobiano 2010

2011-02-14T01:50:00.008-05:00

I was barely off the property at Sagebrush Golf & Sporting Club after my visit in August 2009 when I started to think about the possibility of returning with a group of friends in 2010.

There was a lot of interest from most of my buddies at the golf club but only three of them were willing to make the firm commitment to go when I finalized the dates in January - I needed to give plenty of notice to the chairman at Sagebrush, former PGA Tour pro Richard Zokol and it was pretty important to book by the foursome in order to make things work for both the accommodations and the car travel.

Being the Type-A personality that I am, it was no surprise to Cal, Steve and Ryan that I had written up an extensive itinerary for the trip, with complete cost breakdowns on the golf, accommodations and rental car, along with a timeline for all of our activities. Still, I think they laughed for ten minutes straight upon seeing the document.

I can take the ridicule though!

They were all completely on board with everything I had planned so we were set - on Wednesday July 21st, the four of us flew from Hamilton, Ontario to Kelowna, British Columbia to begin our five day golf odyssey in Western Canada.

We arrived in Kelowna around 10pm on Wednesday night, grabbed our minivan rental and immediately drove two and a half hours northwest into Kamloops. We had two rooms booked at a Ramada in the city and pretty much hit the sack immediately - we had a 36 hole day ahead of us at Tobiano in less than seven hours.

I had visited Tobiano the year before (click on the link to read my review) and my first impression wasn't overly positive. The scenery was jaw-droppingly beautiful but I felt the Thomas McBroom-designed course was entirely too hard for most players, with many forced carries and that usually means lots of lost balls and five hour plus rounds. In fact, I was only able to get 13 holes done in four hours before having to leave in order to make a dinner engagement - frustration doesn't even begin to describe my initial experience.

Still, I was eager to return to see if I was wrong about the place, especially after driving through the rest of the course and seeing that three of the holes I didn't get to play originally, specifically the 14th, 15th and 16th, might be among the best there.

Our first tee time was at 8am and we arrived early enough to hit some balls. The temperature was warm enough for all of us to be wearing shorts but the sky was looking pretty ominous as we started our day. Despite my warnings about the difficulty of the course, we played the back tee decks for our first round, which measure well over 7100 yards.

The first four holes weren't kind to me, as I started off by taking two penalty strokes on the 1st on my way to a double there and followed with bogeys on the 3rd and 4th holes as well to go +4 through four. Cal, Steve and Ryan all started off pretty well, going +2 through their first four and all were absolutely flabbergasted by the place. I mean, they completely and utterly were in love with the golf course!

Their impressions only got better on the awesome par four 5th hole, which runs downhill through some gigantic dunes and almost looks like a half-pipe from the middle of the fairway. All four of us made double there and made our way up to the 6th tee. At this point, they likely thought I was nuts when I kept talking about how difficult the course was about to get, as the wind really started to kick up at this point.

The 6th features a gorgeous plateau green and the guys just stared out toward Lake Kamloops with silly grins on their faces upon reaching the putting surface. It's truly a beautiful spot on the course and perhaps one of the most exposed areas at Tobiano - the wind was blowing hard and you could see the weather really starting to roll in as we hit the treacherous par three 7th and its 197 yard carry over a gorge.

Ryan was the only one to hit the green with his tee shot and made the only par in the group, with me bogeying and Steve and Cal throwing up doubles. I think this is the point where they finally started to believe my earlier warnings about the difficulty of the course and getting to the 8th tee, with a 220+ yard carry over a gorge into a three club wind didn't help matters!

We'd all completely blow up on this hole, with all of us making double bogeys or worse - if you aren't done in by the long carry off the tee, you'll likely get shafted by perhaps the toughest layup shot on a par five in the country, to a sliver of fairway that slopes about 25% toward the cliffside and certain doom.

It didn't get much better on the 418 yard uphill 9th, with Ryan making the lone par and Cal, Steve and I making yet another double.

The scores weren't pretty - Ryan shot a respectable 42 but Cal came in with a 46, I shot 47 and Steve shot 48.

Our moods got only worse - rain started coming down as we hit the 10th tee and by the time we drove out to hit our second shots, we were literally in the middle of a monsoon. The temperatures had dropped about 10 degrees as well and only Ryan and I had rain jackets in our bag. We tried to wait it out, putting our carts beside each other in order to thwart the rain coming in but it was to no avail - we were getting soaked.

So we decided to grab an early lunch and hoped that the storm would pass soon enough for us to complete our 36 hole day.

An hour or so later, after a great meal in the clubhouse, we made our way back to the 10th tee to start our back nine over again. It was still overcast and cool and we still dealt with some on-and-off drizzle but things pretty much went off without a hitch for the remainder of the day. Steve made the first birdie of the trip on the par five 16th and I followed up with one of my own on the par three 17th but it didn't help our scores much.

Ryan came in with a pretty solid 83 but I must say it was tough adding up the other three scores: I bogeyed the 18th to shoot 90, Cal was 93 and Steve was 98.

It was a massacre at Tobiano!

We checked in with the pro shop to make sure we were okay to head back out and were given the green light. There weren't too many groups out at this point in the day, especially with the weather still a factor so it looked like we'd be able to get around in decent time. Still, after our high scores, we smartly decided to move up to the 'Spur' tees, which measured a little over 6600 yards in order to minimize the long forced carries.

The strategy worked and we all started to score much better - I birdied the par five first hole right out of the gates and Ryan birdied the par three 3rd for his first of the trip. We'd even conquer the really tough 7th and 8th holes from the Spurs - all of us parred the 7th and only Steve bogeyed the par five 8th.

After nine holes, you could see the improvement in our scores: I shot 39, Ryan went out in 41 again, Cal was 42 and Steve was 45.

Cal made his first birdie of the trip on the par five 13th and by the time we got to the 14th tee, the sun came out and with it, the most glorious rainbow we've likely ever seen. In fact, at first it was a double rainbow but by the time we pulled the camera out for some photos, it had merged into just one. Still, the light at that time of the day was perhaps the most stunning I've ever seen on a golf course and it made for some ridiculous photos, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

The birdies continued, with Steve making a great deuce on the gorgeous par three 15th and me making a birdie four on the downhill par five 16th. The final scores in our second round were substantially better - I ended up shooting a solid 77, Ryan came in with a 78, Cal a 79 and Steve was 89.

We'd head back into the city and grab a nice dinner before making the hour long drive south into Merritt, a little town that we'd be staying in for the next three nights. We checked into the Ramada there and I proceeded to get smoked in a poker game that night, falling victim to Ryan's unbelievable tendency to one-out me on multiple occasions, much to the delight of all the guys.

I still slept well that night, knowing that we had three full days at Sagebrush to look forward to!

Check back in the next couple of days for the Sagebrush portion of this great golf trip but for now, enjoy some of our photos from Tobiano!

1st Tee

1st Fairway

Cal, Steve and Ryan on 1st Green

Approach on 5th Hole

6th Tee

7th Tee

Me on the 14th Tee

Ryan on the 14th Tee

Steve on the 14th Tee

Cal on the 14th Tee

Cal on the 15th Tee

Me on the 15th Tee

Cal on the 16th Tee

Ryan on the 18th Tee

Steve on the 18th Tee

Miscellany

2011-02-09T00:16:00.005-05:00

I decided to do a little housecleaning with my links, eliminating any to sites that haven't been updated in the last twelve months while also adding a number of new pages to both the 'Golf Links' section and the 'Golf Blogs and Other Favourites Section'.

I've added a link to ScoreGolf editor Bob Weeks' blog and also included a link to TRUE Linkswear, Rob Rigg's new shoe company in the Golf Links section. Weeks updates his blog a number of times a week and has some great insight into the Canadian and International golf scene. TRUE Linkswear may be the coolest shoe out there right now and I recently became the proud owner of two pairs. I will likely write a review on the shoe once I finally get the chance to wear them on the course in Bandon next month but I can tell you that they are unbelievably comfortable and look great off the course as well.

I've also added a few new links in my 'Golf Blogs' section, with the most notable being architect Ian Andrew's new Golf Design Blog, which essentially is a sequel to his very popular Caddyshack blog from a few years back. I've also added a link to Jeff Shelman's blog - Jeff is a friend of Now on the Tee and talks about random subjects, including golf in Minnesota.

You can also find a link to Pacduneslooper, which details the life of a caddy out at Bandon Dunes Resort. Finally, I've also added a link to Thomas Dunne's excellent golf and travel site called Out and Back.

You can find all of my favourite links by scrolling down in the right sidebar. If there are any other notable sites that I should be following, drop me a line either by email or in the comments.

In other news, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame announced today that two-time PGA Tour winner Richard Zokol will be enshrined later this year, an honour that is definitely overdue. I've had the pleasure of playing golf with Mr. Zokol at Sagebrush back in 2009 - he has always been a wonderful ambassador for golf in this country so hearty congratulations are in order. Well done, my friend!

I'll be back in the next few days with a brief recap and pictorial of my July 2010 trip to British Columbia with friends Cal, Steve and Ryan and follow that up with a full pictorial and review of the new Ridge Course at Predator Ridge in Vernon, BC, one of the courses we played on our trip.

Sand Hills Golf Club - Part Two

2011-01-31T00:25:00.002-05:00

Sand Hills Golf Club - READ PART ONE HERE

"The entrance road to the golf course is 55 miles long. One member called the journey the longest hour in golf - except that the land is stunningly beautiful, and along the way you cross west into the Mountain Time Zone and so arrive the same hour you left. Out here in the middle of central Nebraska’s Sand Hills, the grass-covered dunes unfold forever. There was no limit to the possibilities on this barren, crumpled land. With its native washes and blow-outs of sand, the dunes offered all manner of perfectly natural settings for tees, fairways, bunkers and greens. The hard part was narrowing down the choices and then puzzling through the connections in the chain."
- Bradley Klein, Senior Writer, Golfweek

"From the heaving terrain, to the firm, fescue fairways, to the natural "blowout" bunkers in the dunes, to the boldly contoured green complexes that allow for endless variety in chipping and putting, Sand Hills is the most natural site for golf in the U.S. Throw in the persistent breezes and the endless solitude that defines westcentral Nebraska, and you have a golf experience that is second to none. Sand Hills is difficult to get to - and even more difficult to get on. However, the layout's virtues and influence can't be underestimated. This is the greatest course of the last 50 years."
- Joe Passov, Senior Editor, Golf Magazine

Sand Hills had been inundated with rain over the previous week, taking in as much as 5 inches in a one or two hour span at one point but the course played impeccably, with all credit due to the tremendous grounds crew who worked all hours of the day getting the water off the course and tidying up the bunkers.

After spending two full days walking Ballyneal, we decided to use carts at Sand Hills in order to get around fast enough to play more than 36 a day. Our strategy worked, as we easily were able to fit in 54 a day during our two-day stay and got blessed with ideal weather and sunlight on our last day, giving me the opportunity to get some pretty spectacular photos.

Just like Ballyneal, Sand Hills has no course or slope rating due to the ever-changing wind conditions in the area.

1st Hole: 549 Yards Par 5

Perhaps one of the best opening holes in golf and certainly the best that I've played. The tee shot must be played over the native area to an inviting fairway but the average player likely hits it left more often than not, which is dead here. The ideal tee shot is hit toward the right fairway bunker which sets up a tough layup shot to a fairway that pinches in around 150 yards or so. Unless it's howling downwind, I really think laying up to wedge distance is the play, as fairway metals will only hit into the slope and fall back down the hill to a tough pitch distance.

The approach makes the hole - it is played well uphill to a green with a significant false front. And I mean significant - shots that come up short or spin back will roll all the way back down the hill, leaving the most awkward of pitch shots, the 40 yarder straight back uphill. I found out the hard way on my first go-around, when my wedge approach spun back down the hill twice on my way to a opening triple bogey. However, I'd learn enough from that to ensure all my approaches went to the middle of the green and I'd end up making three birdies on this hole over the rest of our stay. Just a wonderful par five.

2nd Hole - 458 Yards Par 4

The club constructed a back tee to the left of the 1st green, adding 40 yards of length for players looking for more of a challenge from the diamond tees. That tee shot, in my opinion, is the most intimidating on the golf course, as the fairway sits elevated from the tee and you can barely see any fairway from that spot. Only the longest of hitters can get the ball into the wider portion of the fairway past the dunes on the left.

It's a much more inviting tee shot from the other decks but this golf hole is a bear no matter where you play. The greensite here is absolutely spectacular, with the right side built up into a dune and featuring a dramatic falloff both to the left and down in front. The false front here, especially on the right side, comes into play often, making shots into a back or middle right hole location exceptionally difficult.

You could spend 30 minutes on this green and never tire of the shotmaking possibilities. For example, the pin position indicated in the photos is back right - if you are on the left side of the green, you can try to lag it up to the hole or try the more exciting approach of hitting it well past the hole, up the bowl and watch the ball come back 20 feet to the pin. There's the same feature on the left side of the green as well, making putting here a blast.

This hole was my nemesis for sure, as I didn't make a par in six rounds. I hit the green only one time in regulation - I proceeded to four-putt for double bogey! Toughest hole on the course from the back tee deck and one of the great holes I've ever had the pleasure of playing.

3rd Hole - 216 Yards Par 3

The first one-shotter at Sand Hills is a beauty, with options even available off the tee. The hole has been designed to accept a low, running shot in from the left side, as the green features a dramatic hillside on the left and everything slopes away from that to the right and to the back of the green. So you can play the hole as it's designed or take the modern approach and try to fly it directly to the flag. I found that you want to be past the flag here in order to leave yourself a make-able uphill putt. Too often, I was in the middle of the green and short of the flag. That would mean me aiming ten feet left while also barely breathing on the ball on 30 footers just to ensure I didn't go ten feet past.

4th Hole - 485 Yards Par 4

Like the 2nd, this hole features two 'back' or diamond tee decks, with one at 485 yards and the other at 449 yards. The tee shot is played downhill and you likely want to favour the right side in order to set up a better look at the green. Doing that, of course, comes with a cost if you miss, as there is a big bunker flanking that side of the fairway.

The most notable feature on this world class hole is the 30 foot deep bunker short and left of the green. Let me just say you do NOT want to be in there unless you're taking a photo for posterity. Look up hazard in the dictionary and there should be a photo of that bunker that goes along with it! The green sits elevated from the fairway and features dramatic falloffs both in front and to the right, with a very large collection area to the right with short grass everywhere. Shots can be played left of the green and will filter back toward the middle of the green so even if you go right on your approach, the smart shot is to play your pitch long past the hole and it should come back a bit off that slope.

5th Hole - 412 Yards Par 4

The 5th hole brings the first instance of a centerline hazard into the mix at Sand Hills. From the back tees, the hole plays at a slight angle and the tee ball must be played over the back of the 4th green and over the native area to a very wide fairway made smaller by the presence of a bunker right in the middle of the target area.

The ideal tee shot has to flirt with that bunker in order to get a clear view of the green, which sits slightly elevated from the fairway in the middle and even more elevated should you miss on the left side, as the fairway slopes off dramatically to the left, propelling many draws or hooks into the left rough.

The approach shot is played uphill to a longish but narrow putting surface featuring a subtle spine that runs down the length of the green in the middle, with the green flanked on the right by a large bunker. There is a lot of short grass around the green here as well, giving some neat options around the green.

6th Hole - 198 Yards Par 3

The 6th is another very strong par 3 with plenty of defenses. Off the tee, you have to carry over some native area and navigate both a large and intimidating bunker complex short left along with a smaller but equally devilish bunker protecting the front right portion of the green.

There is a lot more room than you think beyond that left bunker and shots that clear it will be kicked forward and right toward the putting surface. If the pin is right and you hit short of the little bunker, you will have a ticklish little pitch up the hill and it will be near impossible to stop the ball near the flag, especially if it's cut in front.

There is a tremendous amount of slope on this green and putts from the left side to a right pin will be well uphill. There are a couple ridges on this very large green and everything essentially falls from back right to front left, with some slight exceptions in certain areas. I found this to be one of the more difficult putting surfaces to read on the golf course.

7th Hole - 283 Yards Par 4

Sand Hills proves that you can not only have two great short par fours on one course but also that you can have two world-class short par fours in a row.

The 7th is likely on a short list of the greatest drivable par fours in the world. Only 283 from the back tees and 231 from the 'Circle' tees, it's likely reachable for the majority of players under the right conditions. But is taking driver here the smart play?

The hole features a very inviting fairway, with some fairway bunkers right off the tee that are pretty deep. But the real hazard here is the terrifyingly deep bunker complex in the front left. Hitting out of here onto the green is akin to hitting a ball onto the hood of a Cadillac and trying to make it stop. The green is elevated from fairway grade, is very small and it's pitched severely from left to right. There is also a false front to navigate and balls that fall off the green to the right will fall about 15-20 feet down the slope onto a lower chipping area.

The green looks so close from the tee and really tantalizes the player into giving it a go but I found that the smart play was to get it out short and right of the green, allowing for either a full wedge or a pitch into the green at an angle where the green slopes against the shot. Therefore, downwind, I'd hit a long iron or hybrid club while feeling comfortable hitting driver when the wind was in our face.

I also found that you could use the slope on the green to your advantage on the second shot if you were far enough to the right - you could play your pitch slightly long through the green into the fringe and the ball would come back off the slope toward the middle of the green.

If you do want to try to drive the green, you will have to flirt with that left greenside bunker or you have absolutely no shot of holding the green.

Putting is no bargain here - even though there aren't major contours, the pitch of the green means any putts played from the back left will be almost unbearably fast.

A world-class hole in every respect and easily one of my favourites on the golf course.

8th Hole - 367 Yards Par 4

The wonderful short two-shot 8th is played back toward the clubhouse and in the opposite direction to the previous hole. Obviously, the ever-changing wind patterns at Sand Hills allow this to be a hole that can be driven under the right circumstances if you're playing from the appropriate tee deck, as it's only 293 yards from the 'Square' tees and 236 yards from the 'Circle' tees.

Again, there is plenty of width off this tee and the smart and safe play is to aim well left of the cross bunkers and get the turbo kick off the kicker slopes down the left side of the fairway. This will open up shots played to a left or back pin but obviously will be problematic for a pin cut on the right side, as it brings that little pot bunker that sits in the front middle of the horseshoe-shaped green into play.

And therein lies the absolute brilliance of this hole. The green design here in its amphitheater setting is particularly inspired, with the ability to utilize the ground game to roll the ball onto the putting surface and use the slopes to move the ball either from left to right or from right to left, depending on the side of the green you want to work with. Similar to the bunker on the 6th hole at Riviera, you can work your ball around it here on the ground, even from the fairway short of the green. The aerial game can also work here but be careful, as the severe back to front and right to left pitch of the putting surface can result in many balls spinning back up to 40 feet and into that deadly bunker.

Over at Golf Club Atlas, a couple of people opined that they could spend 20 minutes on many of the greens at Ballyneal, trying many different types of shots and reasoned that they weren't inspired to do the same at Sand Hills. I'd argue that the second and eighth greens at Sand Hills come close to matching up to any green that I've played for fun factor, including the awesome 7th at Ballyneal and I spent plenty of time at all three during my trip, with a smile never leaving my face the whole time.

The 7th and 8th are both world-class short fours but if I had the time to only play one over and over again at the club, I'd pick this hole purely because of the great fun that can be had around the green.

9th Hole - 402 Yards Par 4

The 9th hole at Sand Hills doesn't get much press compared to the other holes on the course but it is a strong hole in its own right.

The tee shot is played uphill and the ideal line is to go up the blind right hand side to not only take the more direct line at the green but also to take advantage of the kicker slopes beyond the hillside. There is a centerline bunker slightly left of center that must be avoided and one of the defining features of the hole is the rather large spine that runs pretty much from the approach area all the way to the putting surface. Shots that go left will fall well below the grade of the putting surface and leave a more difficult approach.

Even from the middle of the fairway, you have to trust your yardage, with some of the natural undulations of the rippling fairway causing some blindness to front pin positions.

The green is very wide and falls off severely on the left side. While the green contouring is among the more subtle on the course, don't be fooled - even putts from the middle of the green hit toward the right side are treacherously fast and I'm sure many have seen a bold effort roll off the green into the collection area.

There may not be a more beautiful site than sitting on Ben's Porch at sunset and looking at how gorgeous the fairway undulations are on the 9th hole at Sand Hills.

10th Hole - 472 Yards Par 4

The long par four tenth features one of those heroic downhill tee shots that we all salivate over, with a pretty accommodating fairway but trouble does lurk in the form of fairway bunkers on both sides. The ideal line is to challenge the left bunker in order to get the turbo kick down and to the right. This fairway features tremendous undulations and a really well-struck tee ball can reach the lower portion of the fairway, necessitating a blind second shot back uphill.

The fairway rises to a certain point about 40 yards short of the green or so but then falls again toward the open-fronted green, allowing a running approach from all vantage points. Shots favouring the left side will also filter back toward the putting surface. This is one of the flatter greens on the golf course but it's pitched quite a bit from front to back.

This is one of those holes where the personality changes substantially depending on the wind conditions. Downwind, the hole can be played with a driver and a mid-to-short iron. Into the wind, this is a bear and only the best drive will give you a chance at reaching the green with a long iron or fairway metal.

11th Hole - 408 Yards Par 4

I think this may be one of the most unheralded holes at Sand Hills, a lovely mid-length two shotter played off an elevated tee to a pretty wide fairway that bends right to left around an immense natural blowout bunker. The second shot is played back uphill to a plateau green that falls away on the left side into some deep bunkers while there is short grass both behind the green and to the right. The slope on this green is deceiving and leaving your putt on the wrong side of the hole will scare even the best putters.

12th Hole - 417 Yards Par 4

The 12th is a straightaway par four with much more room than you think on the right side in the landing area. Despite the very wide fairway, positioning is crucial off the tee, as the fairway features a spine that runs essentially right down the middle of the landing area toward the green. This means even a slightly wayward drive will fall down into a lower bowl and take away precious views of the green and the flagstick. There is a very cool and unique bunker feature about 100 or so yards short of the green on the left, basically a serpentine trench that is very shallow but likely hassles anyone who goes long off the tee or short on their second for that matter! There is also a large and imposing bunker complex right of the green, with a putting surface that features subtle breaks but is very quick near the rear portion with a slight falloff area to the back left.

13th Hole - 216 Yards Par 3

This hole is a brute from the tips, as it plays from one dune to another perched up high above a lower fairway. There is a significant false front here and mishit shots can roll off the front of the green even if they are hit 20 feet on. More worrisome is the treacherous bunker short right that sits about 15 or 20 feet below the green and certainly bogey becomes an attractive score if the tee shot ends up there.

The green also falls off considerably in the back and features a large, short grass chipping area. This crowned putting surface is exceedingly difficult to hold for all but the best players from the back tees, although I may only be saying that because I didn't hit the green once in six tries despite using at least four different clubs during my time at SH. The hole must play easier from the other decks but it's definitely the one hole I really couldn't figure out during our stay.

That said, perhaps I should have just been happy with my ball rolling off the front edge and trying to get up and down for my par instead of stubbornly trying to get the ball on the putting surface!

14th Hole - 508 Yards Par 5

The 14th hole works as a perfect compliment to the tough and imposing 13th, giving players the opportunity to get a stroke back that they almost certainly lost on the hole previous.

If only it was that easy!

This hole is an absolute masterpiece of strategic design. The ideal drive must hug the left side of the fairway to give the long player a chance at a relatively open look to the green. Anything slightly pulled will be gobbled up by a huge bunker complex that runs down the left side of the landing area and most certainly turn the hole into a three shotter.

The right side of the fairway is very inviting off the tee but the angle it presents to the green is less than ideal due to a perfectly placed bunker right in front of the green.

Layups to the left will again open up the angle to the green but the land drops off severely about 100 yards from the putting surface, meaning a blind third into the smallest green on the golf course. And what a green it is! It is pitched severely from back to front and there is a large bunker left in addition to the one in front. Approach shots that bail out to the right are likely dead, as there is almost no room to land the ball on the green and have it hold. In fact, the best play may be to putt the ball and use the contours around the green to get the ball within two-putt range.

This is undoubtedly the finest short par five I've had the pleasure of playing and must be on a very short list of the best "half-par" three-shotters in the world.

15th Hole - 469 Yards Par 4

Here is yet another example of a hole where a certain feature dominates strategy all the way back to the tee, even though it doesn't necessarily come into play on that particular shot.

On the 14th, it was the front bunker that dictates how you play the entire golf hole and here on the 15th, you have an elevated green complex tucked almost completely behind a large dune that forces the player to be extremely accurate off the tee just to get a glimpse of the putting surface for their approach.

On first glance, you don't see how strategic the hole is. You have a very wide fairway and everything is pretty much right in front of you. The fairway is set at a slight angle from the tee, making the right fairway bunker more of a cross bunker and the player usually will be inclined to avoid the carry, if possible, instead hitting it toward the expansive left side.

You will immediately find this isn't ideal, as you'll have a completely blind, uphill approach over the dune and the huge blowout. The best line challenges the cross bunker and ends up on the right third of the fairway, which will, at the very least, offer a partial view of the green. Either way, you will have to execute on your approach, as you'll likely have a long iron or even a fairway metal second shot into a pretty large green.

Shots hit slightly left may kick right onto the green and there is a lot of short grass around the green to give players some options as far as getting up and down. This is a very challenging golf hole and just another example of how much thought must go into your shotmaking at Sand Hills - most long par fours allow you to wail away off the tee with no regard for position but here, you are challenged right from the start.

16th Hole - 612 Yards Par 5

The view from the 16th tee may be one of the most breathtaking on the golf course, as you are perched well above fairway grade and you can see the remarkable land that Sand Hills sits on for miles in any direction.

After soaking up the view, the player must contend with the longest hole on the golf course, albeit one that plays significantly shorter than the scorecard indicates due to its downhill nature. The drive must be hit toward the fairway bunker in the distance through the fairway on the right, which will bring the meat of the fairway into play. If you are looking for the chance to reach the green in two shots, your tee ball will have to flirt with the large bunker complex that runs down the left hand side. The fairway on the left will give a 'turbo boost' to drives and allow the hole to play much shorter then if played more conservatively.

The fairway dips and rolls throughout the landing area, with almost no chance of a flat lie on your second shot, making it a challenge even if you intend to layup. Adding more difficulty is the fact that any layup or shot toward the green will have to challenge the bunkers that pinch the left side of the fairway approximately 150 yards from the green. Players deciding to lay back from the sand will be forced into hitting a long iron third shot, certainly not the ideal choice!

The green is essentially bunkerless, with one lonely bunker that sits about 30 yards left of the putting surface but it usually will only come into play for those trying to hit the green in two shots. The putting surface pitches from left to right and slightly toward the back and there is a lot of short grass around the green to allow many options to get up and down. This is a really fun hole and yet another strong and unique par five.

17th Hole - 150 Yards Par 3

Ran Morrissett of Golf Club Atlas said it best when he called this stunner "a touch of poetry".

A wonderful, short one shotter with a small but very well protected green. If you don't have a birdie putt, you'll be hard pressed to avoid a bogey or perhaps worse, as deep, gnarly bunkers surround the putting surface.

The view from the dune behind the hole, with the 18th in the background, may be one of the most gorgeous views in golf and it's worth the climb...and the inevitable scrapes on your legs! Simply put, this is one of my favourite short par threes in golf.

18th Hole - 467 Yards Par 4

This wonderful journey ends appropriately with an epic, uphill par four. The dominant feature is obviously the massive bunker complex that runs down the left side and crosses in front of tee shots hit from the diamond tees.

The ideal tee shot carries the right corner of that bunker but long hitters need to work the ball a bit from right to left to avoid going through the fairway, as there are a couple of deep bunkers over there that will almost certainly bring bogey or worse into play. The second shot is entirely uphill to a large green and depending on your fairway positioning, a semi-blind approach may be required. This green is pitched severely from back to front and two-putts from the back of the green should be welcomed.

Make sure that you take one more look back at the remarkable landscape before departing for Ben's Porch, the clubhouse or, in an ideal world, the first tee again!

I think about our time at Sand Hills almost on a daily basis and I still can't believe my good fortune for having the chance to spend two full days and nights at such a magnificent club.

Their members must feel like the luckiest people on the planet. You truly feel like you're alone with nature while at Sand Hills and while it might sound crazy, I truly feel that playing this golf course is a spiritual experience.

While I have no illusions about the chance of revisiting Sand Hills at some point down the road, it really doesn't matter.

My memories of Sand Hills are so vivid even six months after the fact and I can assure you that the time I spent at this spellbinding piece of heaven will be cherished forever.

ADDENDUM
I posted this as a photo tour on Golf Club Atlas a number of months back and the resulting discussion was truly incredible, with ten pages of great analysis by many of the most astute architecture addicts around. If you're looking for more on this awe-inspiring place, check out that thread right here.

Bandon on my Mind

2011-01-17T00:14:00.010-05:00

My year-in-review piece, just posted a week and a half ago, had an entire section devoted to my 2011 golf travel plans. I wrote about potential trips to Long Island, New York and Columbus, Ohio, among others, to play a few of the great private clubs in those areas but nothing was set in stone at the time.

It's amazing how quickly other things can materialize out of thin air.

The very next day, I got word that there might be some openings in an event called "The King's Putter", an annual Ryder Cup-type event usually held in California between members of the architecture website Golf Club Atlas.

This year, the organizers went "off the board" with their course selection, choosing to hold the 2011 event outside of California for the first time ever, picking the much-heralded Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the Pacific coast in Bandon, Oregon.

I've dreamed of making the pilgrimage to Bandon for quite awhile, as the resort is home to three golf courses ranked in the top 100 in the United States and just opened a fourth last summer that arguably is the best of the bunch.

When I found out that the waiting list for the King's Putter was only two deep, I decided to sign up as a spare and hope for the best.

Well, two short days later, I received an email from the organizer, whom I met at Ballyneal last year, saying there were a few cancellations and I was in if I could pull the trigger. A quick look at my vacation schedule and a subsequent thumbs up from my better half was all the confirmation I'd need, as I have officially committed to visiting Bandon exactly two months from today!

The original course at the resort, Bandon Dunes (shown above), opened in 1999 to great acclaim. It was the first solo design by Scotsman David McLay Kidd and it's currently the 33rd ranked course in the US according to Golf Digest.

The second course at the resort opened in 2001. Pacific Dunes (shown above) is the course that propelled architect Tom Doak to the top of a short list of the world's greatest designers. It's currently the highest rated course at Bandon, currently sitting 14th on Golf Digest's most recent list of the best in America.

The world-renowned design team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, already revered for their astonishing work at Sand Hills GC in Mullen, Nebraska had the unenviable task of following up Doak's masterpiece and delivered another one of their own in 2005 with Bandon Trails, shown above. It debuted at #80 on Golf Digest's list of American courses in the most recent ranking, done in 2009. The course is notable for the fact it is the only one on the resort that doesn't feature any holes on the ocean.

The most recent addition to the facility came last summer with the opening of Old Macdonald, a Tom Doak and Jim Urbina collaboration that celebrates and is inspired by the work of the "father of American architecture", Charles Blair Macdonald. Ironically enough, Macdonald was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the city I grew up in but he'd go onto become one of the most pivotal figures in American golf, helping establish the United States Golf Association and becoming the first winner of the US Amateur before coming on the scene as one of the great architects of his time. Old Mac, as it is affectionately known, is already receiving great acclaim and most suggest it will be ranked right up with Pacific Dunes in the next set of rankings due out later in 2011.

The King's Putter features one round on each of the courses at the resort, with 18 holes on Friday afternoon, 36 holes on Saturday and 18 holes Sunday morning. My current plan will see me fly into Portland on Thursday evening, rent a car and make the five hour drive to Bandon in time to play an early morning round on Friday prior to the start of the event.

I'll stay onsite for three nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), which will give me enough time to play extra rounds on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning before heading back to Portland to catch the Monday night redeye back to Buffalo.

So, if all goes according to plan, I'll be playing 36 holes on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a final 18 holes on Monday, meaning seven rounds in four days.

The question I have for any Bandon experts out there (paging Mr. Admussen!) would be which courses should I play multiple times during my trip? As it stands right now, I'm scheduled to play Old Mac 3 times, Pacific Dunes twice and the other two courses just once but I likely can change that around if I'd like.

Either way, I'm already greatly anticipating this trip - these most likely will be my first rounds of golf in 2011 and I seriously can't imagine a more beautiful place to tee it up for the first time this year!

2010 Year in Review

2011-01-06T00:59:00.015-05:00

Like almost every post I promised in 2010, I'm late with my annual year in review, detailing the state of my game last year and the courses I experienced for the first time while also offering a brief glimpse into what may be on tap for 2011.

The Game

I was looking to bounce back from a rough year on the course in 2009, where my handicap soared to a 5 by year's end but the fact that my infant son became a toddler gave me hope. Those sleepless nights that are commonplace in the first year vanish for the most part and my scorecards became much easier on the eyes in 2010.

Again, I won't bore you too much with stats for fear of alienating readers Harris and Cal but my scoring average (77.64) was down over two shots a round from 2009 and my handicap, which was 4.1 at the start of the year, dropped to as low as 0.1 in the summer before finishing at 2.7.

It's the second time I've reached scratch status in three years and the 0.1 is as low as I've ever been so I definitely had a pretty hot stretch of play in the middle of the year.

After shooting a low score of 73 in 2009, I got back into red figures three times in 2010 and two of the three scores came in competitive play, making the rounds especially memorable. My two under round of 70 came in the second round of the Langley Cup and marked the first time I've ever broken par from the back tees at St. Catharines. The other notable subpar round was at our club's Men's Invitational, the annual member/guest tournament and I'll get to that in a bit. My third subpar round was a post-Club Championship 71 (-1) from the tips in early August.

The main reason for my success this year seemed to be iron play, usually a big weakness for me. I hit over 50% of my greens in regulation, easily my best year ever in that regard and a lot may be due to the new sticks I was forced to pick up in June. More on that a couple of paragraphs down...

I played 16 tournament rounds in 2010, the exact same amount as the previous year and overall played quite well but results, as usual, were lacking.

Harris and I continued our annual tradition of barely coming up short in the Ontario Better Ball qualifier. We played at the absolutely sublime Scarboro GCC, the only Tillinghast design in Canada and ended up finishing one shot out of an alternate spot for the tournament proper, made worse by the fact that we had to take a triple bogey on our card in a best ball format. A par or a bogey there and we make the tournament for the first time.

I once again participated on the Niagara Men's Tour and while I played quite decently for the most part, missing one of the six events and falling flat on my face in another doomed me to another mediocre finish. I'd end up 18th overall and card one top five (a 4th place finish in the first event) but the biggest story on the Tour for me this year was during the second event at Thundering Waters GC when my car got broken into in the club's parking lot after my round. Maybe you were all feeling sorry for me but I'm surprised that post didn't get any love from my readers - my clubs and wallet were stolen and the most disgusting thing of all was the fact that my SLR camera with photos of my son celebrating his first Victoria Day fireworks celebration was stolen as well before I could upload the pics onto my computer.

The police contacted me a month later, having found some stolen paperwork in a ditch about 50 miles away from Niagara Falls but none of my valuables were ever found.

I played in our Member/Guest tournament for the third consecutive year with my wife's Uncle Henry and we finished somewhere in the teens this year. We got off to a horrific start, with a triple bogey on our first hole in the handicapped best ball format and never could get back into the race. The highlight of the event for me was my scintillating final round, where I was bogey-free and five under par on my own ball upon reaching the 18th hole. I'd end up nervously three-putting for bogey but tie my personal-best score of 68 (-4) in the process.

I flamed out relatively early in the Langley Cup again, our club's match play competition for 0-7 handicappers, losing to eventual winner Brian B in the quarterfinals by a lopsided 5&3 margin.

The club also introduced a new match play event, one that may become more coveted than the Langley called the Scratch Cup. It's a true Club Championship match play event with no strokes given and again, I was ousted in the quarterfinals, this time by Brad B and again by a shocking 5&4 margin. Those were my two biggest match play losses ever in competition although Harris did beat me something like 8&6 in a friendly match down at PGA Village many years ago. Still don't know how in the hell that happened!

My most anticipated event of the year is always our Club Championship at St. Catharines, where I finished T7th this year. I actually played well this year, starting 76-76 but made a triple and two doubles in a nervous final round of 81 that ensured I wouldn't better my 6th place finish from the year previous.

Overall, it was a very strong year for my game and I'm very much looking forward to putting some more good numbers on the board in 2011!

The Courses

I only played seven new courses in 2010 but the quality of these new additions more than makes up for the lack of quantity.

As I mentioned earlier, Harry and I played in the Ontario Better Ball qualifier at Scarboro G&CC, the truly lovely A.W. Tillinghast design that continues to move up the ScoreGolf Top 100 in Canada charts, now sitting 49th in the rankings. The course, shown above, was recently restored by Gil Hanse and Ian Andrew and the results are astonishing, especially with the unique and memorable bunker work.

One of the major surprises of the year was finally getting the chance to play the 2nd rated course in Canada, the highly-esteemed Hamilton G&CC. We were fortunate to get the chance to play all 27 holes at the facility, warming up on Robbie Robinson's East Nine before moving on to play all 18 holes on H.S. Colt's West/South Course. The routing may be one of the best in our country and while we played in pretty nasty weather and on very-recently aerated greens, the experience was unforgettable.

Without question, the highlight of my golfing lifetime thus far was my trip to Colorado and Nebraska with Harris in June. First, we spent two days and nights at Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club in Holyoke, CO. We played five rounds of golf on this Tom Doak-designed masterpiece, rated 83rd in the world by Golf Magazine, enduring unseasonably cool temperatures and driving rain for much of the two days but nothing could dampen our spirits at such a memorable place. We met up with about 12 great guys from Golf Club Atlas for this part of our adventure and I can't speak highly enough about our experience both on the course and in their wonderful accommodations, nor can I wax poetic enough about the absolutely incredible staff they have at the club that even remember the guests by name. I only hope I get the chance to return someday in order to see the course in more ideal weather conditions, as the abundance of rain meant it wasn't quite playing as firm and fast as usual.

The second leg of our trip took us to the spellbinding Sand Hills GC, located just outside of Mullen, NE. Rated 11th in the world by Golf Magazine, playing Sand Hills for us was a spiritual experience and one that will be very hard to top in our lifetimes. We were fortunate enough to spend two full days and nights at Sand Hills, playing six rounds of golf while staying onsite. The meals were easily the most amazing I've ever enjoyed at a golf club and both the membership and the staff treated us like their own while we visited. We also had the remarkable chance to sit and talk about the development of the club with Sand Hills owner Dick Youngscap over some drinks on our final day on Ben's Porch. It sounds hokey but club itself is about as perfect as I can possibly imagine, with no wrong steps at any point either on or off the golf course. It's the most special place I have ever visited in my life and I still shake my head almost every day, knowing how lucky I was to get the chance to experience this piece of heaven even one time.

The second part of my Sand Hills writeup, with a full course pictorial and review, will be coming soon. Take it from me: it's worth the wait!

Another highlight for me was my trip to British Columbia in July with friends Cal, Steve and Ryan. We played two rounds at the Thomas McBroom-designed Tobiano and my impressions of the newly-minted 16th rated course in Canada are slightly better the second time around, especially after playing from a different set of tee markers on our second round of the day.

We then ventured south to spend three full days at Sagebrush Golf and Sporting Club, the Rod Whitman/Armen Suny/Richard Zokol modern masterpiece located on Nicola Lake just outside of Merritt, BC. While there, I had the great fortune of meeting three more Golf Club Atlas members in Bob J, Sean L and Rich C and all of us marvelled at how spectacular this golf course is right out of the gates. It's one of the most special and unique courses in Canada and I very much look forward to returning sometime soon to introduce more of my friends to this ideal getaway in Western Canada.

We ended the trip by spending a night in a gorgeous cabin at Predator Ridge in Vernon, BC and then playing a round on the resort's brand new Ridge Course the following day. I had one of the best ball-striking rounds of my life in hitting 17 of 18 greens in regulation but 38 putts on the day meant a disappointing 74 (+2). Good solid golf course with amazing views and I'll be writing a full review in the next month or so in addition to uploading a bunch of photos from the Tobiano and Sagebrush legs of the trip.

The last new course I played in 2010 was Beacon Hall GC in Aurora, ON, the 8th rated course in Canada according to ScoreGolf. This is certainly one of Tom McBroom's best designs (working with Bob Cupp) and the club itself is very exclusive and posh. I'll be recapping our time at Beacon Hall in a review sometime in February most likely.

It was a hell of a year but there were a couple of things that fell through that were disappointing. An invitation to St. George's fell through yet again as I continue to keep my fingers crossed that I'll finally play the Stanley Thompson masterpiece in Toronto and I still haven't been able to get that elusive shot at playing the top rated course in Canada, The National.

Another big disappointment was not getting to play Redtail GC in St. Thomas - I just ran out of time late in the year and really have only myself to blame for that.

Minor quibbles, really. I was truly fortunate in 2010 and look forward to what lies ahead in 2011.

Looking Ahead

Speaking of which, let's talk about this coming year, shall we?

From a tournament perspective, there will be changes ahead. The big one will see me stepping down from my post on the Niagara Men's Tour committee and also sitting out the 2011 Tour season. I love the competition and camaraderie but I just don't have the time to commit to running the Tour this year and I want to concentrate a bit more on playing my own golf course and on travelling a bit more as well.

The jury is also out on whether I play in the provincial better ball qualifier again this year - again, it comes down to time and with limited vacation days at my disposal, I'd rather travel than go play some average course in the Niagara Region and burn one of my days off. It will all come down to what courses are available in the qualifiers - if there is something architecturally interesting, I'll give it another shot; otherwise, I plan on saving the vacation day for something else.

To compensate for these changes, I fully plan on playing in the Niagara Cup competition for the first time in three years. This has always been a favourite event of mine, basically an interclub competition in the Niagara Region and I hope we can repeat as champions from the last time I played in 2008.

I imagine I will play in the Member Guest tournament at St. Catharines for a fourth consecutive year with Henry and will participate in both the Langley Cup and Scratch match play competitions, along with the Club Championship at St. Catharines to close out my tournament schedule.

At this time last year, I already had my plane tickets booked to Denver for the Ballyneal/Sand Hills trip and pretty much finalized the itinerary for the British Columbia trip.

Unfortunately, I have absolutely nothing booked thus far for 2011. That's not to say nothing is going on - quite the contrary in fact. I just don't have any firm invites or commitments yet.

At this point, the most likely trip will see me venture deep into New York State, where games at Sebonack GC and Southampton GC on Long Island beckon, along with my first visit to Bethpage State Park and a date with the vaunted Black Course.

Sebonack is an ultra-exclusive course right around the corner from ultra famous Shinnecock Hills and National Golf Links of America. The Tom Doak-Jack Nicklaus collaboration from 2006 is currently rated 53rd in the United States by Golf Magazine and will likely vault further up the charts when the periodical comes out with their new rankings later this year.

Southampton is an old Seth Raynor design that has recently been renovated and obviously Bethpage needs no introduction to anyone reading this site after hosting two US Opens over the last decade.

I don't have anything else lined up for that particular trip at the moment but even with those three courses, I think it will make for a wonderful trip.

There's also a possibility that I'll finally be heading to Ohio in the late summer or early fall to play places like Muirfield Village (home of the Memorial Tournament on the PGA Tour), Firestone CC in Akron (home of the Bridgestone WGC Tournament) and possibly Scioto CC (Jack Nicklaus' home course growing up). If we head out there, I understand there is a chance we'd get to play Double Eagle CC or The Golf Club, one of Pete Dye's earliest courses.

That trip sounds pretty epic as well but I'd call it about a 50/50 shot at best.

Other than that, I've got nothing else in the oven right now. I'd love to head back to Colorado to spend more time at Ballyneal again and would be hard-pressed to turn down an invitation should one arise.

I can also see a little road trip to Michigan being feasible at some point this summer, with potential trips to Arcadia Bluffs, Kingsley Club and maybe a couple other places if the stars properly align.

That leaves little time for my favourite place in Canada: Sagebrush - I'm just not sure if I'm going to have time to make that work, as it's a big time commitment to venture that far out west. We'll see...

The one big disappointment already is that a planned business trip to Jasper Park Lodge in Alberta and with it, rounds at Jasper Park and Banff Springs GC, will not be happening this year. With businesses still recovering from the financial turmoil over the past two years, hard choices need to be made about how money gets spent and in the end, we couldn't justify sending 5 delegates from my company on such an expensive trip.

Another year I hope!

If anything firms up from a travelling perspective, I'll certainly keep my readers advised and ultimately I hope I get the chance to play more golf with many of you out there in 2011 and in the years to come. Of course, as usual, you can still expect to get honest and detailed reviews and great photos of all the courses I play in 2011.

I'm starting to get excited about the end of March and the start of our golf season already!

I'd love to hear what your plans might be for 2011 - drop me a line either through the comments or by email. Best of luck to all my readers in the new year!

Bonus Photo Tour

I ended last year's review with a pictorial of my son Evan and his evolution from newborn baby into an infant. I like the idea of documenting his growth here for future reference so the tradition will continue!

January 2010 (15 Months Old)

April 2010 (18 Months Old)

July 2010 (21 Months Old)

December 2010 (2 Years 2 Months)