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

[Sean Walsh]

Sean Walsh
31
Policeman, Victoria Australia

Hcp 20  Had always played the game socially until about 3 years ago when I snapped the ACL in my left knee for the 2nd time.  Also had a shoulder reco so thought it was about time to give Aust Rules Football away.  So finally went and got a handicap.  

Home club Kilmore
Fav Clubs Aust: Port Fairy, Kingston Heath (only sandbelt course I've played), Horsham.

Spent 2 months of 2003 in Scotland and Ireland mostly playing golf.  Found my way to this site thanks to reading Paul Daley's books on golf.  To which Ran contributed an essay.  

Fav OS golf courses: TOC, Kingsbarns, Brora, Lahinch, Enniscrone, Tralee

Best round:  77 at Crail.
Why GCA: I've got about 20 years of golf knowledge to catch up on.  

Goals: Hcp down to 10.  Improve my photographic ability (and equipment) and turn it into a business.

[RJ_Daley]

Howdy Sean, it is fun to see another copper participating in GCATlas.com.  Sometimes, when a bar room brawl between highly opinionated contributors breaks out, someone has to try and step in to preserve the peace.  Your first job as the newest "bobbie" on the GCA beat is to get in there and take the lads by the scruff of their necks on the Doak-Jack at Sebonack thread, and keep them from scratching eachother's eyes out.

Although, as you know from breaking up bar room scrums, it is entertaining to let them go a few rounds before you separate them... let them wear themselves out a bit!

[Shaun Carney]

Shaun Patrick
28
Insurance Agent

I actually starting frequenting this site a few years back when I managed a golf retail chain. The course reviews are great and a wondeful reference. I started to read the discussion group a few months ago and thought that I could learn alot from all of the extremely knowledgable people on this site. I love course architecture and found that this is THE place to discuss it so I emailed Ran and he was nice enough to let me join.

My handicap is 10. It was once a 6 but due to some personal reasons, the game had to suffer but I'm on the rebound.

Just wanted to introduce myself and thank everyone for allowing me to join in all of the great topics of discussion.

 

[bhampson]

Brian Hampson

Golf Course Supt.  
Shadow Lakes Golf Club,  Troon Golf
Brentwood, CA

Previous experience

GCS Pinnacle Course at Troon North
Asst Supt. Paradise Valley Country Club  Paradise Valley AZ
Asst Supt. Forest Hills Country Club  Chesterfield MO

I mostly like to lurk and chuckle sometimes. I always enjoy the agronomic questions and the perceptions that some have about agronomy.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill McBride, age 62, sometimes feel younger, sometimes older.  Member of Pensacola CC in Pensacola FL where I have lived since 1995.  Before that I was a member of CC of Fairfax VA from 1983-1995.  

I have been a big MacKenzie fan since my college roommate was smart enough to join Valley Club of Montecito in Santa Barbara.  Then I learned that the Meadow Club, where I caddied in high school, and lowly Sharp Park, San Francisco muni course, were also MacKenzies, and my favorite as a kid, Pasatiempo.  I started reading his books and have now amassed a library of a couple hundred architecture books, most of which I have actually read.

I have a golfing wife who is very charitable to me in terms of time spent away on golf trips.  My brother and I had a great trip to Scotland and England in May.  In spite of a lot of golf, I remain in the 12-13 handicap range.

My modern favorite courses are Talking Stick North and Cuscowilla, super C&C, and Tom Doak's Pacific Dunes and Apache Stronghold.  Looking forward to more golf with GCA types in the years to come.  Anyone who has not made the effort to attend a GCA outing is missing a really good experience, whether you like playing solid courses designed in the classical style, or playing competitive golf with people who like their golf in the traditional (hats forward) style.

Planning to spend some future time in the Portland Oregon area and have started making GCA connections there.  GCA is a great resource.  Thanks, Ran!

[Wayne_Freedman]

As if anyone reads this stuff, here's about as long a post as you'll ever see from me...

I'm 50...a husband, and father to a 10 year old daughter (she's discovering golf), and a television news reporter for KGO-TV, the ABC-Owned television station in San Francisco. Occasionally, I do a golf special.

I played golf for a year with my dad, at 14, and then didn't really find  the game again for 25  years. I'm a member at Richmond Country Club, an 80+ year-old, underappreciated, former PGA tour stop across the bay from my home in San Anselmo, about 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

My handicap ranges from 4 to 6, which is as good as a guy can expect when he touches a club once a week. On the course, I've been accused of being a swing-obsessed, equipment-crazy, head case. Gib Papazian got a good look at that on a rough day, last week. Sometimes, the best we can hope is to play bad golf well.

I'm a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, having written essays for the United Airlines inflight magazine, Links, Maxmimum Golf, and others. These days, I channel most of it into a golf website inside the<www. abc7news.com> main page. Peruse a bit, and you'll note that Huckaby has done some course reviews. Every three or four months our web mistress updates the contents.  This is frustrating. It oughta be more often.  

The subject matter in some of my essays is kind of different:
DESPERATELY SEEKING BETSY speaks to the ramifications of changing putters, when putters have the personal attibutes of wives.
THE BOYS IN 15-B talks about the lessons learned from playing golf with 80 year olds.
SHANKECTOMY explains how to cure the shanks by getting a vasectomy. It worked.  

As for architecture...it's less an area of expertise than interest. I know the difference between a redan  and a cape, but some of you guys, and your admirable penchants for minutae, blow me away. I believe golf holes are an educated, philosophizing man's version of pin-up girls. Unlike women, however, we can compare how we played them without getting jealous.

[Bill_McBride]

Wayne, I know what you mean about the vasectomy. I think you play better shortly after that surgery because your tempo HAS to be smooth!  I had mine on a Friday afternoon in 1976 and played one week later after a painful week on the couch.  I hit some of the longest tee shots I've ever hit at Silverado and it was all because I couldn't overswing or swing too fast without it hurting like hell!  Unfortunately we played the nine which has the weak holes built when they added the second 18 by plundering holes out of the solid first 18.

[Joe Hancock]

Bill,

A painful WEEK? I had a painful couple days...so I'm guessing the time to heal is directly proportional to the size of the injury.  

Joe

[Bill_McBride]

Probably more like four days of excrutiating agony - but I'm a bit of a wuss!  

[Wayne_Freedman]

Not only that. I was still playing city league softball at the time.

A shortstop.

In 25 years of fielding grounders and wearing a cup, not
one ever took a REALLY bad hop...

Until the week following my vasectomy.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Panhandle Bill,
I want you to know, I have forwarded your name and address to the Vatican. Expect a couple of goons dressed in Papal suits and hats to come-a-callin'. They mean business!

[TEPaul]

Sean Reehorn:

My reference to 'stop growing grass' is nothing more than a humorous adaptation of that old agronomic cliche that here in America we're always trying to grow grass while in many other places in the world (many of which have some truly excellent courses) their philosophy is to stop grass from growing so much and so fast! Even a casual observer may understand that is really not the same thing as attempting to kill grass!  

On that note of the different agronomic philosophies between America and other spots on the globe came with some of the remarks from Peter Thompson when he stepped into the booth on Sunday last year at the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. What Thompson said was both fundamental and frankly brilliant, in my opinion. He waxed on about the old way of agronomics of just allowing grasses to sort of fend for themselves more than they do today by sort of allowing them to dry out more than is common practice today which probably makes them healthier in some form of agronomic Darwinianism.

It's also interesting to note that this was the way of the original linksland golf, and somehow it worked pretty well!

[igrowgrass]

TEPaul
I found your comment funny in "stop growing grass."  Some people might take offense to what I am about to say, but so be it, growing the grass is easy, if you allow it to be, people always say stick to the basics and that is what you have to do.  Successful Superintendents have always done this and had great careers, the hard part of our job is dealing with a membership that thinks they know more about growing grass then someone that went to school for it.  I don't know everything and never will claim to do so, but I believe with my education I know more about growing grass than the membership, just as they might know more about buying and selling stocks if that is there chosen profession and I always allow them to make that decision without my input.  

The idea in America is that green grass is healthy grass, and if it is of any sort of brown something is wrong, when this is not necessarily true.  We have gotten so involved in green speed and course conditions in some ways the essense of golf is being lost.  What the USGA did or attempted to do at Shinnecock Hills was a perfect example.  Making a decision after play had started to alter the play of one hole at the expense of four people was truly uncalled for.  The two courses that represented our National Championship and their National Championship where very similar in how they should play.  Nothing was unfair about Royal Troon, good shots were not penalized and bad shots were not rewarded.  I enjoyed watching Sunday of the British Open as much as I enjoyed if not more than Sunday of the US Open.  The golf might have been better at Shinnecock, but the golf course decided a winner, not decisions of a group as to how fast they can get greens.  

What Superintendent Mike Morris has done at Crystal Downs in MI, is what more clubs need to do around the country.  Find a speed for the greens that the whole membership agrees are acceptable and go with those speeds for the entire length of the season.  No one can complain of them being too fast or too slow as long as he maintains them in the correct range.  

Two weeks ago we had our member guest and our weather up until that point had been outstanding as far as it goes trying to grow grass.  I consider myself to be a descent player and on many occasions while changing the pins for the tournament I putted on areas from around the whole I thought to be of importance(where balls would funnel too) and found them to be of adequate and fair speed.  Later that night some members complained of the greens being to slow.  I know that this member was not a better golfer than myself, but he thought he could handle the greens being so fast he couldn't keep the ball on the green.  When really the speed we had them at was very playable and fair to all handicaps in the tournament.  
I believe alot of people want to just be able to brag to their friends or guests that the greens at there Invitational were so fast that they say people who couldn't keep them on the surface.  

[Jason Tetterton]

New Guy

Jason Tetterton

Greenville, NC

Club:  Brook Valley CC
         Greenville CC (NC not SC)

Married this past May

Asst. Project Manager / Estimator for a commercial roofing co

Age:  28

I love walk along the beach...just kidding...Hogan, blade, Hogan blades, and talking golf.  I'm not the most knowledgable but I really want to learn.  

[Brock Peyer]

Jason, welcome, I am a former Tarheel myself and have spent alot of time in Vegas.  Do you think that I could get you to overnight me a lunch plate from B's BBQ?  It just isn't the same here in Atlanta.

[Dan Bock]

New Poster

Dan Bock
Age 37
Lenexa, KS
Computer Programmer
Education - BS Engineering, Swarthmore College
Member at Lake Quivira CC most of my life
GD Panel for 5+ years

Handicap - 0 to 2 depending on the week

Hole in ones - Papago in Phoenix

Biggest Golf Accomplishment - Qualified for 1999 US Mid Am at Old Warson

Golf work experience - worked most of high school and college summers on grounds crew at local golf courses

Favorite Course - Prairie Dunes (although I just played Kingsley which made quite an impression)

I'm looking forward to learning a lot more by way of this site.  BTW, anyone have a Confidential Guide they would like to sell, rent, or lend?

[Joe_Hatley]

Dan,

I live in Overland Park, and would be glad to lend you my Confidential Guide.  Send me an email with your contact info and I will be glad to arrange for delivery.

Joe

[Mark Brown]

Mark Brown

Hilton Head since '81. Started Links Mag. Editor til 95. Now floundering around in golf course development, probably design soon (how scary is that?) Don't know if I'l tell you guys where - could end my career.

Love golf with 2 sons, Mackenzie, Coore & Crenshaw (they are truly the nicest and most humble guys I have ever met) and Steve Smyers.

Handicap: left-handed - play right-handed.

[Brian Mariotti]

Brian Mariotti
New Poster-Habitual Lurker
Age: 36, married w/1child
Home:Seattle Washington
Home Course: Harbour Pointe and Ex-Member of Members Club at Aldarra
Index: 3.7
Favorite Courses: Pacific Dunes, Apache Stronghold, Pasatiempo, Bandon Dunes, Spyglass, Blackwolf Run (river), Aldarra and Pebble Beach
Claim to fame: 500 square foot indoor putting green in my 3 car garage(well it used to be a garage) complete with a golden tee golf game and a plasma to watch golf while putting. It gets cold in Seattle in the winter!
Favorite piece of Golf eqquipment(currently): My new callaway Tour Blue putter, the best putter I have EVER used! Truly remarkable.
PS: I love reading and learning from all of you.

[Greg Beaulieu]

Greg Beaulieu
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

This is my first post - thanks, Ran!

Age: 48 (ugh)
Single
No kids, 3 cats though
Corporate Secretary for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation
Member (non-playing) of Brightwood Golf & Country Club, Dartmouth, NS, a Willie Park Jr. and (supposedly) Donald Ross design from the early part of the 20th century. The Ross connection has always seemed a bit suspect to me since the course exhibits few of his design characteristics.

Equipment: Cobra SS350 driver, Taylor 200 Steel 3-wood, Cobra Hypersteel 5 and 7 woods, Cobra SS irons (original Hogan Edge irons currently resting in the basement), MacGregor and Ray Cook wedges, Ping B-60 putter (along with a cast of thousands also in the basement, accompanied by various wedges and metalwoods).

Handicap: currently astronomical but uncalculated

I took up the game in my early 30s and despite no obvious talent kept at it and fell in love with it. I joined Brightwood in 1990 and within a couple of years got myself down to an 18 despite an inability to putt and the realization that 3 from the edge was good, at least for me. What kept me alive was an ability to hit longer clubs consistently and occasional lapses of brilliance.

In the late 90s my left knee began to succumb to what Henry Longhurst referred to as "the ravages of age" and as the arthritis took over, my game went into decline to the point where I now cannot play in any sort of satisfying way. Evil game that it is, as my long game vanished, my short game suddenly found itself alive, tempting me to return. Alas, the health issues are currently too much. Hopefully they will get resolved with the help of medical science.

I was asked to serve on one of the committees at Brightwood, which is investigating the possibility of a move and construction of a new course. I note that Adam Collins, a member both there and here, has already brought this subject up a few months ago. I have not actually met Adam but hope to do so soon. In any event, the advice and input from the impressive membership I've seen here will serve us well as we progress. I'll post a new thread on that subject soon.

Thanks for everything, Ran!

Greg

Update July 23, 2010:

Thanks to George for providing the link to this post so I can update it.

I turn 54 on Monday the 26th. Hard to believe.

Equipment is currently mostly 2008 MacGregor: MT driver, 3-wood, 2-and 3-hybrids, and MT Mid irons. Putter is currently a Bobby Grace Lakewood.

Fact of the matter is that I haven't made a golf swing since October. At the end of October 2009 I underwent open-heart surgery and had a double bypass and a valve replacement. In December I had complications with internal bleeding that left me severely anemic and then in April it was determined that my sternum had not healed properly and was causing me severe pain. I am currently awaiting an orthopedic procedure to fix that. With a broken sternum it is impossible (and unwise) to make a golf swing. Heckuva year.

Still love the game. Just dying to play again.

[Jason McNamara]

Another first post...

Jason McNamara - Houston, TX
Age: 30's, been playing 6.5 years
Index is 5.0, but from the blues (6800), not the tips
My set is a totally mixed bag with about 7 different companies represented (by accident, not design), though the Darrell Survey has yet to show any interest in my game...
Member, Shadow Hawk GC in Richmond, TX

...So yeah, you guys can dump on me not only for playing most of my golf in TX, but for doing so at a Rees Jones course!  :-)  But as Houston golf goes, it's really nice.

Best course I've played which no longer exists:  Desert Inn
(less for the architecture than for the conditions and ambiance).

Thanks to Ran for the heavy lifting, and to all others who share their (ridiculously extensive) knowledge.

Jason

[Clay Huestis]

To keep the streak alive, yet another first time poster!  Congrats to Ran for a great site...I discovered it a few weeks ago and I am still in disbelief at its existance!

Clay Huestis
Age 34
Married, 1 year old daughter
Residence: Barcelona, Spain (for the past 4 years)
Current Club:  Club de Golf Masia Bach, a José María Olazabal monstrosity (not a lot to chose from near Barcelona)

I'm originally from Iowa and have lived in London (5 years) and Singapore (1.5 years) in the past 10 years, so at this point I have probably played more courses outside the U.S. than within the U.S.

I grew up in the golf business, with my family owning and operating public courses at various times in Iowa, Arizona and North Carolina.

Architecturally, Spain is a bit of a wasteland.  Unfortunately, El Saler is run down and shabby (and owned by the government through it's little state owned hotel chain), but you can definitely see the remnants of a quality course there.  I liked Valderrama, which I have only walked, not played.  Apart from the pristine conditions, it has character with the cork trees and small greens.  Surprisingly for a RTJ course, it looks fun to play.  Javier Arana was the best local architect (El Saler, the now non-existent El Prat in Barcelona, Club de Campo in Madrid), but no one else stands out.  Seve gets to put his name on a lot of crap.  Generally Spain is plagued by difficult sites (Rocky Terrain throughout the country), as well as the lack of a golf culture.

I look forward to continuing my architectural education from all of you!

[Brent Hutto]

Brent Hutto
New GCA Member

Location: Columbia, SC
Home Course: The University Club, Blythewood, SC
Occupation: Statistician

I took up golf ten years ago in my mid-30's as a way
to get some outdoor exercise but of course it soon
went much deeper than that. I play 100 or so rounds
per year, mostly at my home course but I also enjoy
long-weekend trips to sample golf in other parts of
the country.

My discovery of this site was during my reading up
on Pine Needles and Mid-Pines before my first trip
there in Feburary, 2004. I can't say which is cause
and which is effect but the combination of my first
exposure to Donald Ross and my delving into the huge
volume of information here has me both excited and
overwhelmed by the world of course architecture.

I'm looking forward to being the token long-handicap
member of the South squad at Cuscowilla. It promises
to be a great course, a fun competition and chance
to get acquainted with a few of the GCA's notable
personalities. It will be interesting to find out if
playing a well-designed modern course "does it for
me" in the same way that a Donald Ross creation
seems to.

My favorite courses are Pine Needles, Granville and
Mid-Pines, in that order. I spent several days in
Granville, OH back in June and had a chance to play
that course repeatedly, including one 45-hole day.
Totally different terrain than in Pinehurst and of
course several holes were built recently to replace
original holes lost to development. It really didn't
matter to me, the course had magic about it. My one
experience at Pine Needles was the single best day
I've ever spent on a golf course. The morning round
was great and I instantly loved the course but in
the afternoon my two friends and I had the course to
ourselves. I believe that Pine Needles and I formed
a lasting bond over those 36 holes and I can't wait
for it to reopen so I can return.

And finally there's the matter of figuring out how and
when to make my first pilgrimage to Scotland in a year
or two. But that discussion can wait until another day...

[Jack_Marr]

Called Jack Marr by most people, but my full surname is Marr(inan)

Play in Carne Golf Links.

From Ireland.

Getting married on Saturday.

Played Old Head last Saturday.

Would love to play the great heathland courses of England.

[Sean_A]

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