Who are you guys......really???

[Raymond]

Ray Newberry
Portland, Oregon
Age - over 50
Married with a couple kids
Member - Columbia Edgewater Country Club
Hdcp - 6.0 but I never play to it

A long time lurker but a minimalist when it comes to posting. I don't know much, but I very much appreciate all that I have learned from the posters on this discussion group.
My GCA claim to fame is having the honor and priviledge to meet and play with the Emporer Hisself. I've also had the opportunity to play with a few other fellow GCA members.

I've been fortunate enough to play many of the great courses in the US as well as Scotland and Ireland.

If any of you ever get up to this area please get in touch. I'd love to meet you, play a round or two, and share a few beers

[ChipRoyce]

Lloyd_Cole .....
as in Lloyd Cole and the Commotions?

If so, too cool - we must have golf and a drink next time I'm in Massachusetts.

[Dan Kelly]

Hopkins, Minnesota, USA.

50 years old.

Married, with two daughters and three cats. Crazy about all of them -- though I could do without the hairballs.

Newspaperman. St. Paul Pioneer Press; St. Paul, Minnesota. (Writer? Editor? Columnist? It's hard to say. You can find most of my "work" [!?], if you'd care to, via the links at www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/people/. I'm the first-person-plural "Bulletin Board.")

Index 5.9 -- no less laughable than my friend and colleague Rick Shefchik's 3.6 ... though he typically beats me by about 2.3 shots, so maybe they're not so laughable after all. (When we play, we play even-up. Always have, always will. And when we play as partners, in best-balls, we get trounced -- by the 14s who should be 10s. Always have, always will.)

I keep my handicap at Oak Glen in Stillwater, but play wherever and whenever I can find the opportunity and time. That hasn't been nearly often enough the past few years, but this year's schedule looks more promising -- if the tundra ever thaws.

It's been great to meet a few of you (in *strictly* alphabetical order [seeing as how I'm opposed, in principle,  to "rankings"]: Jeff Brauer, Dick Daley, Jeff "The Thread Killer" McDowell, Doug Wright -- all 3* on the Michelin/Goodale scale, I am happy to report) and to exchange notes with many of you. I hope there will be future meetings, whenever time and opportunity permit.

I'm sure it's quite apparent to everyone, from my 2,000-some posts, that, though I may have a few ideas worth considering, I'm no expert when it comes to golf-course architecture -- but I love reading and talking about it (and, perhaps even more so, about whatever tangential subjects, golfish and otherwise, arise en route). Here's hoping that there's room in Ran's new DG, alongside the sober consideration of golf-course architecture, for humor, and puppy pictures, and even some college-basketball banter, and for contributors like me, possibly including me, who may not always take the subject quite so solemnly as some others do.

 

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Mark Rowlinson

English
Aged 55
Still married to the same exceptional wife (an occasional, but very able, golfer) after 30 years
2 sons 1 daughter
14.7 handicap
Life member Conwy (Caernarvonshire) Golf Club
Have had happy associations in the past with Bramall Park and Wilmslow in Cheshire, Lilleshall Hall in Shropshire, Highgate and Coombe Wood in London and Southfield in Oxford.
Profesionally a baritone soloist, but also write golf books: have been involved in most of the recent updates of World Atlas of Golf, two editions of Times Guide to Golf Courses of Britain and Ireland.  Am currently writing centenary books of Alwoodley and Stockport, plus involvement also with centenary books of Porthmadog and Flackwell Heath.  Have also been involved in a couple of Xmas stocking-filler books for golfing widows to buy for their husbands or whatever and various local golf books, plus articles in Denmark, Holland and Belgium.  Also wrote the EMI-Everyman biography of Franz Schubert for the 1997 bicentenary of Schubert's death (most of my meagre income is from singing).

Best golfing moment? A gross 77 off the white tees at Royal Dornoch in June 2002.
Worst golfing moment? 3 consecutive shanks into impenetrable gorse on the approach to the 18th at Conwy while going very well in a medal within full view of a sizeable gallery of members eating their lunches on the balcony.

World Atlas is due for another update soon (not in my hands - up to Hamlyn's financial wizards) but from now on it will involve a number of GCAers (if I can engineer it) to put right some of the many faults of recent revisions, including any of my own efforts which were ill-advised.

Worst failing?  A taste for good wine well beyond my bank balance, picked up while a (comparatively wealthy) undergraduate at Oxford.

[Andy Hughes]

Andy Hughes
posted as ahughes584

39, married, one daughter (and another on the way!  )
Systems and Network Engineer for a small software company in DC
Grew up playing in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, lived in Sarasota for quite some time, and have lived in Maryland (just a few miles from DC) for last 4 years.
Handicap: up to ~5 these days I guess, but the newest
bundle of joy will certainly change that!
Memberships: none
Favorite golf: the month I spent tooling around Scotland 12 years ago by myself, playing daily.
Anyone in MD, DC or VA, or those travelling through, please drop me a line.  Haven't played much since moving here; would love to change that!

[Jeff Goldman]

Jeff Goldman
Age:  42
Occupation:  Lawyer
Single, for a while yet
Handicap: 15.3, mostly because I've never broken 100 playing with anyone from GCA (made 9 on 18 at Beverly to keep up the streak)
Met some great folks, and looking forward to more

Member:  Olympia Fields Country Club

Wow, times have changed since that was done in 2006.  As of July 2010:

Wow, that was 6 years ago.  Updating to July, 2010:

Age: 49
Occupation:  Lawyer still.

Married in December, 2009, moved to River Forest from Chicago February, 2010, and increased my commute to my club by 12 minutes. 
Also, in the pool, those who had 6 months as the maximum length of the marriage are out of luck. 

Hope to continue to meet great folks, and cut down on the cancellations.  Issues have prevented me from attending many GCA events the last few years, but I hope to stop that soon.

At Olympia Fields, I was named to the Board of Governors in May, 2006, was Head of Finance and Vice-chairman of Grounds for 4 years, and then named President of the club in May, 2010.  All of that is due to GCA.  I met Shelly Solow and Terry Lavin through this site, Shelly encouraged me to talk to Terry, who sponsored me at the club, and the rest is history.  My golf still sucks (I may set the record for the person with the highest handicap every to be Prez of such a Club.

I have issued, and reiterate, an open invitation to all on GCA to visit OFCC.  Some of my best days at the club have been hosting you guys, from playing 36 with John Lovito (with Shivas and Paul Richards joining in the afternoon round), picking up Dan Taylor on Michigan Avenue in a downpour, with him looking like Robert Redford holding on 3rd base in the Natural, and wondering if he was going to be grabbed by a rubber truck given the stares he was getting, to mistaking John Cullum for somebody else until we reached the halfway house and exclaiming, with great relief "you're John Cullum, not ____!), to a terrific 36 hole day with Ed Getka and his brother, followed by my having to blow him off, twice, on trips to Michigan due to hospital issues (mine, and I hope he forgives me), to warning Lou Duran not to go right on 6 south and hearing him say "like that?" as his ball disappeared into The Kitchen right of the green, and on and on and on.     

Looking forward to more.

[Ken_Cotner]

If Jim Lewis learns to play guitar like he rates courses, he's the next Danny Gatton!

Something tells me Jim might rather play like the next Channing Lewis!

Ken

[Odd_Job]

John Sestak
former GCA name:  Odd Job
Age:  41
Occupation:  Software Developer, Business Owner, Real Estate Developer
Married and blessed with 3 young girls
Handicap: around 8
Santa Barbara, CA

Member:  Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards in SC
Past Membership:  Hazeltine
Best Lunch:  Soup on the porch at Shinnecock overlooking the course
Best View:  Looking over the "links" of holes at Dornoch
Best Birdie:  making a birdie out of the 17th fairway
bunker at Dornoch
Most Interesting Course:  the 12 hole course at Siskine
Favorite Course:  Shinnecock or Pacific Dunes
Hardest Course:   Hazeltine when firm, hard and in a 20+ wind.

[bstark]

  Brian Stark


   Age: 43, although my wife tells me to grow up

    Home Club: Southampton Golf Club /Hdcp 5.2
       
    Kids: One too many

     Current Status: too cold and rooting for my Providence Friars.......

     Golf Claim to Fame: One of the original founders of LI National Golf Club, and once played a round with Gene Greco (when he was good).

    Question of the Day: How can Shivas not have posted handicap?

     

[Robert Thompson]

Who: Robert Thompson
Where: Toronto, Canada
Occupation: Reporter, golf columnist @ National Post. Also write for PGATour.com and several other golf publications.
Age: 32
Handicap: 2
Membership: Well, I was a member last season at Highlands Links in Nova Scotia. Currently play at Angus Glen GC, though I suspect I'll be seen some this summer at the new and fantastic Eagles Nest (a fine Doug Carrick creation).
Other interests: avid musician (guitar mainly).
Fav courses: Dornoch, Turnberry, Merion, St. George's, Pine Valley, Ballantrae
Other affiliations: secretary and founding member of the Toronto chapter of GCA

[Brad Tufts]

Brad Tufts

age:almost 23
hometown: Marblehead, MA
club:  Tedesco CC in Marblehead
cap: scratch (best score only a 69 though)
-Alumnus of Middlebury College in VT and Golf Team therein
-Convinced a professor to let me write my senior history   thesis on the history of American Golf Course Architecture.
-Top 5: Newport, Prestwick, Ballybunion, Merion, Old Course
-Best golf moment: Won my high school conference tourney as a senior at Marblehead in fall 1998
-Worst: Led all divisions after first round at New England Intercollegiate in fall 02, 148 was in the playoff, went four over on last three holes to shoot 150
-No holes-in-one, but witnessed my father get one for a car in a charity tournament!
-Traveled for golf: Ireland, Scotland, Arizona, Florida, Alabama, Myrtle, Pinehurst, all around the Northeast and New England, and many more in the future.....

[Patrick_Mucci]

Name:               Patrick Mucci

Occupation:       I'm TEPaul's legal guardian  
                       
                       This is a full time job and requires the
                       occassional services of Dr Katz, who
                       remains on permanent retainer.

[Gene Greco]

Brian:

   I'm glad someone remembers.

However, I did shoot one over at NGLA with Huckaby, Rich Goodale and Geoff Childs. On the Bottle tee they asked if I were scratch. After scoring 49 on the front of Shinny in the afternoon I replied, "No."

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

This seems very weird...  I don't recognize any of the posters on this board anymore...

[George Pazin]

-Convinced a professor to let me write my senior history   thesis on the history of American Golf Course Architecture.

How long is it? Maybe you could send an excerpt of a part you find particularly interesting to Ran as an In My Opinion piece.

[AKay]

Andrew Kay

    A member at Oak Hill Country Club and I am friends with John Lyon who told me about this site.  

[SPDB]

Mike -
How much does GCA.com draw in ad dollars from Kiawah's annual marketing budget?

[Daryn_Soldan]

Daryn Soldan
Manhattan, Kansas
Age:22
Employment: Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce
Courses: Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan CC
Handicap: 0

Hello to everyone. Longtime lurker (3+ years), recent poster. Grad of Kansas St and golf team alum. I always wanted to be a landscape architect but let playing golf get in the way. However, I like to think that I have recieved a bit of an education on GCA.  Have a Colbert Hills aerial and hope to post it in the next week if work allows.

[Ken_Cotner]

Ken Cotner
Charlotte, NC
Age: NOYDB
Club:  Carmel Country Club
Handicap: 6-7

[Dan Grossman]

Dan Grossman
Los Angeles, CA
Engaged
MBA Student at UCLA (graduating in 2005)
Age: 27
Index: 5.5

Publinks player, although I play most of my golf now at Rustic Canyon.

Former Member:
Mare Island Golfers Club

[paul cowley]

to paul perrela.....
  yes ,orchard creek is one of my designs.

hope it treated you well.......

[James Edwards]

James J.S Edwards BA(Arch), BSc(Psych)
Occupation:  Golf Course Architect

Particulars:
Age:  Young
Residence: London, England
Golf Membership:  Chart Hills Golf Course (1993 Smyers/Faldo)
Handicap:  SCR  (but im nearer 10 for the GCA Ryder Cup)
Golf History:  Ex professional golfer, Ex college player (FAU) Florida Atlantic University - Boca, Ex greenskeeper, Ex employee for Sports Marketing Surveys regarding golf statistics.

[JLahrman]

Joel Lahrman
Age: 29
Home:  Cincinnati
Occupation:  Strategy consultant
Handicap:  Six-seven-ish
No club affiliation

I used to work at Camargo several years ago.  A friend of mine was asking about the course, I was trying to find him a link online and found Ran's course profile.  I post rarely but read often.

We CANNOT have "She's a Girl and I'm a Man" Lloyd Cole with us.  Do we?

[Mike_Golden]

Mike Golden
Irvine, CA
Age:  57 (ugh)
Regional VP, Environmental Services Company (TestAmerica)
Club Affiliation:  None, formerly at Lake Merced GC
Handicap:  a rapidly escalating 5.7

I think the change to real names is refreshing and will encourage, rather than discourage, communications on the site.

[Doug Wright]

Doug Wright
Denver, Colorado
51
Married, 4 girls from 4-21  
Corporate and securities lawyer
Denver Country Club
Handicap 6

Been here since 2000 and appreciate the erudite discourse and the friends I've made along the way.