Who Are You Guys(revisited)?

[Kurt Everett]

Michael Chadwick
Los Angeles, CA
33 yo
Home: Rustic Canyon
National: Ballyneal (waitlisted)
Instagram: mj_c_golf
michaeljchadwick@gmail.com


Hi all. My one claim to recent golf lore is that the first 18 hole round I played as a child was at Tom Doak's NLE High Pointe. About which I published an essay in Vol. 6 of Caddie Magazine, with the aid of Mr. Doak fact checking my nostalgia.


I've enjoyed a sweet return to the game and its architectural heritage after falling out of love for well over a decade. Lurking on GCA helped rekindle the passion, and, along with acquiring The Confidential Guide, I never would have added courses such as Royal Ashdown Forest, The Addington, and Cleeve Cloud to an English itinerary in 2018.


Rustic Canyon is directly responsible for me dragging my feet in the search for a home club in LA. Perhaps some of you can dissuade me, but Riviera's price tag would prevent me from taking golf trips anywhere else ever, and LACC won't admit those who commit the mortal sin of working in the entertainment industry. But let's chat other ideas.


I use Instagram solely for golf, and--in the spirit of Ran--frequently hit the max character allotment in my post's caption. Just finished a first foray to the northeast, seeing Friar's Head, Somerset Hills, Aronimink, Lancaster, and Rolling Green. You can find me at mj_c_golf


Looking forward to enjoying more rigorous discussions of architecture than what's customarily found on IG comments.


Michael 

Welcome Michael !

[Brent Carlson]

Michael Chadwick
Los Angeles, CA
33 yo
Home: Rustic Canyon
National: Ballyneal (waitlisted)
Instagram: mj_c_golf
michaeljchadwick@gmail.com


Hi all. My one claim to recent golf lore is that the first 18 hole round I played as a child was at Tom Doak's NLE High Pointe. About which I published an essay in Vol. 6 of Caddie Magazine, with the aid of Mr. Doak fact checking my nostalgia.


I've enjoyed a sweet return to the game and its architectural heritage after falling out of love for well over a decade. Lurking on GCA helped rekindle the passion, and, along with acquiring The Confidential Guide, I never would have added courses such as Royal Ashdown Forest, The Addington, and Cleeve Cloud to an English itinerary in 2018.


Rustic Canyon is directly responsible for me dragging my feet in the search for a home club in LA. Perhaps some of you can dissuade me, but Riviera's price tag would prevent me from taking golf trips anywhere else ever, and LACC won't admit those who commit the mortal sin of working in the entertainment industry. But let's chat other ideas.


I use Instagram solely for golf, and--in the spirit of Ran--frequently hit the max character allotment in my post's caption. Just finished a first foray to the northeast, seeing Friar's Head, Somerset Hills, Aronimink, Lancaster, and Rolling Green. You can find me at mj_c_golf


Looking forward to enjoying more rigorous discussions of architecture than what's customarily found on IG comments.


Michael 



Welcome Michael!  Your social media shows a very nice run of courses, which hopefully leads to some spirited discussion. 


BTW I can think of a couple nice options for a home club in LA.





 


 


 

[Tal Oz]

Welcome Michael! So glad to have you here and looking forward to having your spirited prose make it's way from Instagram to GCA.
It's always nice to have another fellow Rustic Canyon local here.

[Gib_Papazian]

Doubtless out of morbid curiosity, I went back and thumbed through the first few pages and was struck how many OG stalwarts are no longer with us - and also the number that drifted away and never returned.


My own bio may as well be from a previous lifetime . . . . .

[Shane Derby]

Hi guys


Ran has just provided me with login details for the first time, many thanks to Ally McIntosh for the introduction, please find my details below:


Name - Shane Derby
Age - 45
Single
From Dublin, Ireland - living in Portmarnock
Current Hcp - 4
Home Course - Royal Dublin GC
Favorite Courses - Kingston Heath, Portmarnock, Royal Portrush, Royal Adelaide, St. Patricks Links


I first came across GCA.com in 2004 while working in Belfast and have dipped in and out of it over the years reading many of your great pieces and doing a little scanning of the discussion group to boot. I fell down a deep GCA hole after coming back from a trip to Oz 2 years ago (prior to C19) and have been reading and listening to books and podcasts ever since in the search for more understanding...unknown unknowns etc. Excited to be here and have the opportunity to participate.


Best
Shane

[Jordan Beasley]

Name – Jordan Beasley
Berkeley, CA
Age – 36
Married, with a daughter (7) and son (4)
Occupation: CPA
Handicap: 11
Favorite Courses: St. Enodoc, Pebble Beach, Crail Balcomie, Sand Hollow, Glens Falls, Northwood
 
Hi everyone! I’m also new to the discussion group this week, and look forward to interacting with such a smart and well-traveled group. I started playing golf as a youngster (when given a starter set of clubs through the “Hook a Kid on Golf” program), but didn’t fall deeply in love with the game until I spent my 22-year-old summer living with a friend’s family in Queensbury, NY. They were members of Glens Falls Country Club, and somehow convinced the golf pro that I was part of the family. At the time I had never heard the term “golf course architecture” or the name “Donald Ross,” but by summer’s end I was addicted for life.

In 2015 I took a 2-year work assignment to London, and was gifted the 1^st volume of The Confidential Guide.  That book was my gateway drug to a dual addiction, not just for golf but for course architecture as well. I managed to play a handful of great GB&I courses during this stint, including my personal favorite – the Church Course at St. Enodoc.

In the years since returning to Berkeley, I’ve tried to expand my education through building a small GCA library, and seeing new courses.  A trip to the Pinehurst area a few years ago was a highlight, and I’ve played most of the Northern California public-access courses listed in TCG. RIP, Aetna Springs!

I’m here to learn, and when I do chime in I’ll be bringing an “everyman” perspective to the dialogue. I’m a mid-handicapper who’s never had a golf lesson or a job in the industry, and if I’m lucky I play 15 rounds a year.  A few of my initial views on GCA are as follows:

• Golf at its best heals us spiritually and provides a connection with the land and the community where the course resides. The more a course embraces and exists in harmony with both, the better. High priority should be given to supporting local ecosystems and preserving/creating habitat for bees, birds, and other animals.
• Variety is a virtue. I favor a mixture of design styles across a course (and especially being taken through compression and release), instead of wall-to-wall pursuit of tree clearance, width, and angles.
• People hit too many drivers. I’m charmed rather than frustrated when a course forces (or strongly encourages) me to keep driver in the bag on at least a few tee boxes.

Jordan

[Tim Martin]

Name – Jordan Beasley
Berkeley, CA
Age – 36
Married, with a daughter (7) and son (4)
Occupation: CPA
Handicap: 11
Favorite Courses: St. Enodoc, Pebble Beach, Crail Balcomie, Sand Hollow, Glens Falls, Northwood
 
Hi everyone! I’m also new to the discussion group this week, and look forward to interacting with such a smart and well-traveled group. I started playing golf as a youngster (when given a starter set of clubs through the “Hook a Kid on Golf” program), but didn’t fall deeply in love with the game until I spent my 22-year-old summer living with a friend’s family in Queensbury, NY. They were members of Glens Falls Country Club, and somehow convinced the golf pro that I was part of the family. At the time I had never heard the term “golf course architecture” or the name “Donald Ross,” but by summer’s end I was addicted for life.

In 2015 I took a 2-year work assignment to London, and was gifted the 1^st volume of The Confidential Guide.  That book was my gateway drug to a dual addiction, not just for golf but for course architecture as well. I managed to play a handful of great GB&I courses during this stint, including my personal favorite – the Church Course at St. Enodoc.

In the years since returning to Berkeley, I’ve tried to expand my education through building a small GCA library, and seeing new courses.  A trip to the Pinehurst area a few years ago was a highlight, and I’ve played most of the Northern California public-access courses listed in TCG. RIP, Aetna Springs!

I’m here to learn, and when I do chime in I’ll be bringing an “everyman” perspective to the dialogue. I’m a mid-handicapper who’s never had a golf lesson or a job in the industry, and if I’m lucky I play 15 rounds a year.  A few of my initial views on GCA are as follows:

• Golf at its best heals us spiritually and provides a connection with the land and the community where the course resides. The more a course embraces and exists in harmony with both, the better. High priority should be given to supporting local ecosystems and preserving/creating habitat for bees, birds, and other animals.
• Variety is a virtue. I favor a mixture of design styles across a course (and especially being taken through compression and release), instead of wall-to-wall pursuit of tree clearance, width, and angles.
• People hit too many drivers. I’m charmed rather than frustrated when a course forces (or strongly encourages) me to keep driver in the bag on at least a few tee boxes.

Jordan

Jordan-Welcome to GCA! Have you been back to Glens Falls CC since your interest in architecture has taken hold? You must have a greater appreciation for it after being exposed to a lot of good courses in the last fifteen years. Did you eat any chili dogs at New Way Lunch when you were there?!

[Jordan Beasley]

Name – Jordan Beasley
Berkeley, CA
Age – 36
Married, with a daughter (7) and son (4)
Occupation: CPA
Handicap: 11
Favorite Courses: St. Enodoc, Pebble Beach, Crail Balcomie, Sand Hollow, Glens Falls, Northwood
 
Hi everyone! I’m also new to the discussion group this week, and look forward to interacting with such a smart and well-traveled group. I started playing golf as a youngster (when given a starter set of clubs through the “Hook a Kid on Golf” program), but didn’t fall deeply in love with the game until I spent my 22-year-old summer living with a friend’s family in Queensbury, NY. They were members of Glens Falls Country Club, and somehow convinced the golf pro that I was part of the family. At the time I had never heard the term “golf course architecture” or the name “Donald Ross,” but by summer’s end I was addicted for life.

In 2015 I took a 2-year work assignment to London, and was gifted the 1^st volume of The Confidential Guide.  That book was my gateway drug to a dual addiction, not just for golf but for course architecture as well. I managed to play a handful of great GB&I courses during this stint, including my personal favorite – the Church Course at St. Enodoc.

In the years since returning to Berkeley, I’ve tried to expand my education through building a small GCA library, and seeing new courses.  A trip to the Pinehurst area a few years ago was a highlight, and I’ve played most of the Northern California public-access courses listed in TCG. RIP, Aetna Springs!

I’m here to learn, and when I do chime in I’ll be bringing an “everyman” perspective to the dialogue. I’m a mid-handicapper who’s never had a golf lesson or a job in the industry, and if I’m lucky I play 15 rounds a year.  A few of my initial views on GCA are as follows:

• Golf at its best heals us spiritually and provides a connection with the land and the community where the course resides. The more a course embraces and exists in harmony with both, the better. High priority should be given to supporting local ecosystems and preserving/creating habitat for bees, birds, and other animals.
• Variety is a virtue. I favor a mixture of design styles across a course (and especially being taken through compression and release), instead of wall-to-wall pursuit of tree clearance, width, and angles.
• People hit too many drivers. I’m charmed rather than frustrated when a course forces (or strongly encourages) me to keep driver in the bag on at least a few tee boxes.

Jordan

Jordan-Welcome to GCA! Have you been back to Glens Falls CC since your interest in architecture has taken hold? You must have a greater appreciation for it after being exposed to a lot of good courses in the last fifteen years. Did you eat any chili dogs at New Way Lunch when you were there?!

Thanks Tim!  No; sadly I have not returned yet to Glens Falls. It's a mecca on my bucket list for sure.  And yes a very cool experience slowly learning over the years "why" I loved it so much.


And how did I miss New Way Lunch? It looks amazing. Just another regret from my early 20's I guess...

[Will Thrasher]

Name - Will ThrasherAge - 32Married, Son (7) Daughter (5).Warsaw, INCurrent Hcp:  10Home Course - Stonehenge Golf Club


Hello everyone. I've been a lurker on this forum for years now, and Ran was gracious enough to give me login credentials last year. I'm a golf junkie like most everyone on here, and truly enjoy the intelligent and thoughtful dialogue. GCA, The Fried Egg, and other resources have kindled my love and interest for Golf Course Architecture. I'll play just about anywhere with anybody because I love the game, and good company on a goat ranch beats most other hobbies, but what is it about great courses that stick with you and leave you dying to return? That's the part that I love.

I haven't been blessed to play many of the most notable courses, but until I do I live vicariously through many of you. I am lucky enough to live close to the Culver Academy course, and buddy it lives up to the hype.

If you ever find yourself in Northern Indiana, don't hesitate to reach out.

[Colin Christman]

Name: Colin Christman.

Age: 33.

Home: Collinsville, CT.

Home Course: Tumble Brook CC, Bloomfield, CT.

Bio: Growing up in Falmouth, MA, my first rounds were played at Cape Cod Country Club, the renamed but otherwise reasonably well-preserved Devereux Emmet design. With its sandy soil, minimal rough, bold green contours, and strategic design, I found its challenges and rewards in sharp contrast to the other area public courses that I could play in the 1990s. Growing up, I was a pretty skilled soccer player, and ended up playing through college. I graduated from Yale in 2011, and it was during my time there that I realized the common thread between Cape Cod Country Club and the Course at Yale. For all the significant differences between the two courses, there were commonalities that stood in contrast to many of the municipal and daily fee courses with which I otherwise had experience. I've always enjoyed the novelty and playing challenge of a new course, and over time I found this place and others to enrich my understanding of what a golf course is and how different minds and eras have participated in that evolution.

I remain unmarried and without children. I'm a therapist. I play left-handed. Perhaps as a consequence of early exposure to excellent greens, I consider putting one of my strengths and my absolute favorite part of golf. This season will be my first at Tumble Brook, a course that combines Willie Park, Orrin Smith, and George Fazio holes into a 27-hole layout. While I don't consider it an architectural revelation, I think it is one of those courses that represents a fundamentally sound presentation of good and thoughtful golf.

[Jeff Schley]

Welcome Shane, Jordan, Will, Colin.
Great to have new posters here. Hope your enjoy and look forward to your contributions. We all are still learning from each other.

[Lincoln Duff]

Name: Lincoln Duff
Age: 31
Home: Chattanooga, TN
Handicap: 2
Favorite Courses: Riv, Monterey Peninsula CC, Trinity Forest, Honors Course, Fox Chapel, Pikewood National

Bio: Living just outside of Chattanooga, I was fortunate to grow up caddying at The Honors Course from 7th grade through college. The real perk was playing on Monday's but also meeting so many great people (and a few ass holes) as a looper for all those years. I spent a few years in Orlando after college and a couple in Atlanta while getting an MBA at Georgia Tech. Now I'm back in Chattanooga with my wife and two little kids. I've worked in tech and finance, but have always tried to figure out a way to marry my love of golf with my business background. I run acquisition efforts at Evergreen Partners, a boutique owner/operator of high end golf/country clubs across the US, where I help lead our acquisitions team, so always looking for clubs that might want to learn more about a recapitalization. I am an avid traveler and am hoping to play golf in all 50 states before I turn 50, I have 20 or so to go.

I have always loved golf, but it wasn't until I went to Sweetens Cove early in 2015 and met and befriended Rob Collins and GM Patrick Boyd, followed by a subsequent trip to Pasatiempo that I really got hooked on the architecture and learning as much as I could about that side of the game. Since then I've been a long time lurker here, listened to and read lots of content from Andy at the fried egg, and have been lucky to play many great classics since then. I love links golf and was blown away last year from a visit to Trinity Forest, I've yet to make it overseas to play, but can't wait to experience all that true links golf has to offer. I always love meeting new folks who like the game in the same ways I do, if any of you are in or around the Chattanooga area, please reach out. I'd love to join for a game, or just a drink.

-Lincoln Duff
lincoln.duff@evergreenclubs.com
423-503-8839
Instagram:Dufferstravels

[JMEvensky]

Lincoln, welcome from the other side of the Volunteer State. Enjoy your time here--a great group of guys with a shared interest.

[David Cronan]

Name: David Cronan
Home: Sarasota
HDCP: None. Only play a couple times/year now. Was a 2 when I quit 6 years ago
Age: Old enough to have watched Seve in his prime
Family: 20 year old twins and my Much Better Half
Favorite Courses: Too many to list


Used to be a long-time participant in this group but was exiled due to a public spat with somebody in the Group. Played a bit of golf from my teens until I had a total shoulder replacement about 7 years ago. Since my absence here, I’ve moved from Louisville to Davidson, NC to SW FL. Have had the opportunity to play quite a bit in the UK and Ireland, as well as in the States. My son, who is a sophomore at Purdue, was just accepted to the University of Queensland for next year, so we’re subsequently planning a 6 week trip to Oz and New Zealand. I hear there are a couple ho-hum courses over there, so I guess I should probably start playing again so as to not completely embarrass myself while Down Under.


That the Cliffs Notes version. Any more would bore you further.


It’s good to be back.

[Brad Steven]

Name: Brad Steven
Home: Cleveland
HDCP: +1
Age: 54
Family: (Non-golfer) wife, 20 year-old daughter and 17 year-old son
Favorite Courses: Ocean Course, Pacific Dunes, Westmount Country Club

New member with an evolving appreciation and understanding of golf course architecture.   

[Joe Hancock]

Cronan……welcome back! It’s amazing how many have come and gone here, but you were always an active participant back in the day….


Brad Steven, welcome! I like your line about “evolving appreciation and understanding….” It’s true for all of us, whether we realize it or not. Have fun here….

[Steve Lang]

  David Cronan,
Welcome back...  Do you still get up to Northern Michigan in the summer?  I never did take the Jeep to explore the backwoods of Highpointe, but it now has a new transmission and is ready to go this summer if your back can take it...


Did you ever get used to NASCAR?

[David Cronan]

Cronan……welcome back! It’s amazing how many have come and gone here, but you were always an active participant back in the day….


Brad Steven, welcome! I like your line about “evolving appreciation and understanding….” It’s true for all of us, whether we realize it or not. Have fun here….

Hi Joe. Hope all is well and it’s good to be back.

[David Cronan]

David Cronan,
Welcome back...  Do you still get up to Northern Michigan in the summer?  I never did take the Jeep to explore the backwoods of Highpointe, but it now has a new transmission and is ready to go this summer if your back can take it...


Did you ever get used to NASCAR?

Hey Steve.


I seldom get back to Northern Michigan since I became divorced. My ex got the Torch Lake cottage and I got a couple of Bassett Hounds. All in all, I’ve no complaints.


My son and I decided to go hiking through the NLE High Pointe several years ago. He was probably 11 or 12 at the time and in the car, he asked:


“Don’t you think you should put on pants instead of wearing shorts, Dad?”
“Nah, I don’t want to turn around and go back.”
“We’re still in the driveway.”
“I’ll take my chances, son.”


Who knew the chances were in my favor of contracting Lyme Disease? In any event, it was very cool walking the property.


Never was a NASCAR fan but met a lot of people in my little town who either worked for, or drove for, NASCAR teams. Wonderful folks.

[Cal Carlisle]

Name: Cal Carlisle


Age: 49


Home: Shaker Heights, OH


Handicap: 9


First of all, I'm pretty stoked to be on here. I've beeing reading the site for roughly twenty years and really enjoy some of the insightful posts some of you cast into the world.

After graduating with a degree in Landscape Architecture from Ohio State I worked for a couple of years and then went back to get a turfgrass degree from the same school. Whilst there, I worked at two well known courses in Columbus. I had the good fortune to work under an awesome superintendent that was not shy about giving you exposure to a lot of different jobs on the crew.


Right before I was to graduate, I was approached by a golf course irrigation consultant to come work for him. Since I had the Autocad experience from Landscape Architecture and the agronomics from turfgrass, it was a good fit. I primarily GPSed top ranked golf courses and created irrigation maps and programming for their irrigation systems. It was a pretty cool job to say the least.


An opportunity arose back in Ohio that I really couldn't pass up, and so I left the golf biz and now take my place in civilian life with the rest of you. But fear not! We civilians play much more golf than many of those guys in the golf industry.

Hands down some of the most awesome people you're ever going to meet are turfgrass people. They're "doers". They get up early, they go home late (depending on where you work), and they are one hell of a resourceful bunch.

I had about a seven year period where I had back problems and had felt I needed to give up the game. A friend of mine told me about a book by Dr. John Sarno called "Healing Back Pain". He said if I read that book over the winter, we'd be golfing together in the spring. He was right! I've been pain free for three years and haven't looked back.


Yes, I, once again, spend too much money on golf architecture books. I have a Google map "Business Trips" that overlays golf courses of interest with client locations. As a Japanese woodblock printmaker in my spare time I've even dipped my toe in making golf prints.

It's great to be back in the game, and with a little luck I hope to meet many of you in the future.

[Jeff Schley]

Name: Cal Carlisle


Age: 49


Home: Shaker Heights, OH


Handicap: 9


First of all, I'm pretty stoked to be on here. I've beeing reading the site for roughly twenty years and really enjoy some of the insightful posts some of you cast into the world.

After graduating with a degree in Landscape Architecture from Ohio State I worked for a couple of years and then went back to get a turfgrass degree from the same school. Whilst there, I worked at two well known courses in Columbus. I had the good fortune to work under an awesome superintendent that was not shy about giving you exposure to a lot of different jobs on the crew.


Right before I was to graduate, I was approached by a golf course irrigation consultant to come work for him. Since I had the Autocad experience from Landscape Architecture and the agronomics from turfgrass, it was a good fit. I primarily GPSed top ranked golf courses and created irrigation maps and programming for their irrigation systems. It was a pretty cool job to say the least.


An opportunity arose back in Ohio that I really couldn't pass up, and so I left the golf biz and now take my place in civilian life with the rest of you. But fear not! We civilians play much more golf than many of those guys in the golf industry.

Hands down some of the most awesome people you're ever going to meet are turfgrass people. They're "doers". They get up early, they go home late (depending on where you work), and they are one hell of a resourceful bunch.

I had about a seven year period where I had back problems and had felt I needed to give up the game. A friend of mine told me about a book by Dr. John Sarno called "Healing Back Pain". He said if I read that book over the winter, we'd be golfing together in the spring. He was right! I've been pain free for three years and haven't looked back.


Yes, I, once again, spend too much money on golf architecture books. I have a Google map "Business Trips" that overlays golf courses of interest with client locations. As a Japanese woodblock printmaker in my spare time I've even dipped my toe in making golf prints.

It's great to be back in the game, and with a little luck I hope to meet many of you in the future.

Cal welcome aboard, good to have someone as knowledgeable as you posting actively.  Please give more details on your golf print idea. PM if you prefer as it sounds interesting to use Japanese woodblock.

[Kurt Everett]

Hey guys!
My name is Kurt Everett and I live in the Kansas City area.  I've lived in Kansas all my life and and a new member on GCA.  My great grandfather, Emerson Carey, founded Prairie Dunes, in Hutchinson, Kansas. My dad put a club in my hand when I was 4. Glad I found this site and happy to be a member.

Kurt Everett
Overland Park, KS
Home: Brookridge CC
Married w/ two kids (girl-12 boy-10)
Job: Nursery Stock Sales

[Rich Thomas]

Just found this thread:


Rich Thomas
40 years old
Live in Las Vegas NV
+2 handicap
Retired early from a law enforcement career, and currently work in the casino industry
Married to a wife who doesn't golf, no kids, 4 dogs and 2 cats.


I've been a poster on this site for a little less than a year now, but lurked for a year or so before that when I became more interested in the architecture side of the game. I've been reading a few books on the subject (Grounds for Golf (Geoff Shackleford), Golf Course Architecture in America (George Thomas), Links (Robert Hunter), and Spirt of St. Andrews (Alister Mackenzie). I've had a club in my hands since I was 5 and was lucky enough to earn a scholarship to a small D1 school in the midwest where I grew up. Life took me out west for work where I didn't play for almost 8 years, and then a 2 of my squad mates were murdered in the line of duty and that changed everything for me. I immediately planned a trip with my dad to Pebble Beach and I was hooked on Golden Age golf. I have since played Pinehurst #2, Pasatiempo, Banff Springs, Jasper Park, and Cape Arundel. I have a huge bucket list of courses to play, but will play a muni and have just as much fun. My opinion is that munis are where the game lives and thrives. I look forward to hopefully learning more about the game I love through this site, and would also enjoy the chance to meet a few of you for a round or two.

[Niall C]

My opinion is that munis are where the game lives and thrives.

Well said that man. I look forward to reading more of your posts.


Niall

[Peter Sayegh]

Just found this thread:
I have a huge bucket list of courses to play, but will play a muni and have just as much fun. My opinion is that munis are where the game lives and thrives.

I'll echo Niall. Well said.
Rich, if you're ever near NC/SC, just yell. Your wife and pups are always welcome (keep the cats at home ).