What if...not in Scotland

[Forrest Richardson]

Of course, in Texas the chainsaw could mean that Brauer is on the loose — somehow off parole for a period of time.

[Troy Alderson]

Forrest...have you ever driven around out in the Palouse of eastern Washington, western Idaho?  The Palouse would be the ideal location for a golf course with a rural theme. In fact, I have long had a dream of building the worlds longest golf course out there. I'm talking a course that might take a couple of days to play. Lodging and meals would have to be provided on the course. A short hole might be 2-3 miles long!

Craig,

Are you closer to me than I realize?  I went to school at WSU and love the Palouse in the spring, very green.  The Palouse would be an excellent place for an open plains course with rolling hills.  Could the Palouse be an example of the Scotland Highlands?

Troy

[Craig Sweet]

I have never been to the Highlands, but from what I have seen it appears more severe than the Palouse...

I think we spend way too much time comparing locations with Scotland. Bandon "looks just like Scotland" Sandhills, "looks just like a Scotish links course"....on and on...

Bandon looks like Bandon, Oregon to me. Sandhills looks like many places I have seen here in the west, only the soils are better suited for golf.

Sorry for rambling...I just got in from playing 36 holes, with two rain delays, and some howling winds, on a "scotish links style" course....maybe someday I'll actually play a scotish links course.

[Forrest Richardson]

Bandon is a poster child for a Scottish links. In fact, when I showed photos to a dear friend in the North of England he was so turned off that we opted for golf elsewhere in the U.S.

Your see — while Americans love the lure of a links, many from "over there" long for the quintessential "American" course set-up — trees, target golf...whatever looks like Augusta.

[Doug Siebert]

I have longed to create a course with an agricultural theme — Iowa may be the place. Straight rows of corn...wheat field carrys...furrowed fairways...irrigation canals...pig pen traps...the list goes on.

You guys laugh, but I have played courses that had a "cape" hole where the carry is over a cornfield that's OB

There's also a really nice course just north of town that is fairly linksy (even getting some weeds in the wild fescue areas that have yellow flowers and look like gorse from a distance!)  While it is mostly surrounded by farm fields it doesn't really doesn't stand out in that respect until you reach the 18th.  375 yard dogleg left -- 90* dogleg, so if the wind isn't hurting its driveable.   But if you take that line and you duck hook it, you risk the ignominy of hitting an honest to goodness authentic grain silo.  You'd think it was loud, but if you heard it, you'd be surprised just how loud it is -- its "heard all over the course" loud!

Luckily I've only done it once