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ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
New Zealand/Australia '07
« on: May 09, 2007, 01:32:45 PM »
The golf trip of a lifetime was provided courtesy of the great group of GCA guys Down Under:
   A most heartfelt thank you goes to all of those who provided such great memories:
   Scott Coan (and Tim, Keirin, Russell)
    Ash Towe
    Terry Thornton
     Kevin Pallier
     Graeme Richardson (Steve Lapper and Dallas Swinstead)
     Richard Macafee
     Lloyd Cole
     Matthew Mollica
     Shane Gurnett
     Mark Ferguson
     David Elvins
     Peter Carroll
     Justin Ryan
     James Bennett
     Matthew Delahunty
     Paul Daley
     Mike Clayton
     Neil Crafter
I am unpacking and reintroducing myself to the family after two weeks away just now. Reports to follow.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2007, 11:20:37 AM by ed_getka »
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Mark Arata

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Australia '07
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2007, 01:35:44 PM »
well the first question is answered, no fatalities!  ;D

How did the trusty 3 wood fair down under?
New Orleans, proud to swim home...........

Steve Lapper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Australia '07
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2007, 02:29:40 PM »
Who has Who's dollar?
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."--John Kenneth Galbraith

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2007, 08:41:09 PM »
Steve,
   Courtesy of Dallas' heavy lifting (ie carrying me) Graeme's wallet is a bit lighter. :)

Mark,
   The 3W remains my favorite club in spite of it's proclivity for topping the ball occasionally. ;D
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Scott Coan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2007, 09:00:37 PM »
Ed,

Glad to hear you made it back in one piece.  I saw on a post from Rich that you had some frightful weather in Tassie.  7 club winds and sideways rain not much fun!  At least Pram/CK provided some good weather!!

Cheers,
Scott

James Bennett

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2007, 09:19:32 PM »
Rich Macafee and Matt Mollica

Ed tried to make it up to Australia's wallaby population by hand-feeding the masupials at Cleland Wildlife reserve.  After that Barnbougle roadkill incident.  His nursing ability was apparent as he hand-fed mothers with joey's poking out of the pouch.  And some of the big fathers as well.

Ed and David had a rare ability to induce rain despite fine weather forecasts and recent droughts.  At least is was only a one club wind in Adelaide (but a several bottle bbq dinner).

James B
Bob; its impossible to explain some of the clutter that gets recalled from the attic between my ears. .  (SL Solow)

David Stamm

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #6 on: May 10, 2007, 01:41:01 PM »
Welcome back Ed! I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the courses and I hope David will chime in as well.
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr

Mike Erdmann

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2007, 02:03:25 PM »
Ed, looking forward to hearing where you played!

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #8 on: May 10, 2007, 03:01:08 PM »
Mike,
   Paraparaumu Beach
   Cape Kidnappers
   Titirangi (great land, great routing, so-so greens)
    Auckland GC
    NSW
    RM West
    KH
    Barnbougle
    Commonwealth
    St Andrews Beach
    National Moonah (the surprise of the trip, in a good way)
    Woodlands
    Royal Adelaide
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Matthew Mollica

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2007, 05:37:23 PM »
Ed, I'm sure I speak for all those who met you and David during the trip when I say it was an absolute pleasure. The dinner, and especially the trip down to Barnbougle were both great fun. Hard to imagine that a day in Tasmania with a 5 club wind, a small rental car, almost an inch of rain, and a 3 hour flight delay could be that good....

Your trip to our shores, along with Lloyd's visit, was a great time for us all. No doubt for you too. I look fwd to you posting on the courses you visited. And also posting a wav file of your kids playing the didgeridoo!

I hope we can get over to the states and have another game together some day.

Your trip no doubt demonstrated to many here that a little effort in assisting our fellow GCAers in our home land is great fun and personally rewaring. Friendships such as those christened on the course are something special indeed, and another wonderful component of this forum.

James - thanks for the word on the wallaby nurturing. We felt for Ed driving. We've all been there - nothing he could do.

Matthew
"The truth about golf courses has a slightly different expression for every golfer. Which of them, one might ask, is without the most definitive convictions concerning the merits or deficiencies of the links he plays over? Freedom of criticism is one of the last privileges he is likely to forgo."

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2007, 05:44:53 PM »
, almost an inch of rain,

An inch? An INCH???

Hell, that's nuthin'!

Getka has to be some kind of Rain God or sumthin'.

He obviously ATTRACTS PRECIPITATION!

Pasatiempo was Pasarainfallo.

BUT, I have to say I have such good memories of the day we spent runnin' around in a Cart caddying for Dr V. Great day, Ed. Sounds like you has as good a time in Oz as we did in Cal!!!

cheers,
FBD.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Mike Erdmann

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #11 on: May 10, 2007, 07:25:21 PM »
Ed, have they finished up the renovation work at Titirangi, and if so, how'd it look?  They were part way through a few of the holes when I was there a few years ago.

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #12 on: May 10, 2007, 08:10:37 PM »
I think they have a couple of holes to go yet. We had one hole out of play that was replaced by making a par 5 into a par 4 and par 3.
   The only funky thing I didn't care for was making a pond to the left of the short par 4 (10?). Otherwise I felt like Titirangi had great land and a great routing. Bring in Hanse, DeVries, or Doak et al. to do some greens in the Mackenzie spirit and it could be one of the best courses in the southern hemisphere IMO. Not championship length for the bombers, but a course most of us would enjoy playing every day.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Andy Troeger

Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #13 on: May 10, 2007, 08:13:43 PM »
Ed,
Glad to hear that the trip went well. Sounds like you were even more ambitious than the friends of mine that went last year!

The wind came up in their reports as well ;)

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #14 on: May 10, 2007, 08:25:09 PM »
Matthew,
   Thanks for the kind sentiments. These golf trips certainly have a way of forging amazing friendships. I look forward to seeing you again when you and Cathy make the trip up.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Ash Towe

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #15 on: May 10, 2007, 09:27:53 PM »
Ed,
Really pleased you got back home safely to your family and that you had a great time in Austalia.
Mike, the renovation/restoration have largely been well recieved.  There is further work to be done including irrigation to be installed on some holes.
When Ed and I played it was the sixth that was closed.  They made the fifth a par 5 into a par 4 and 3.  The hole with the pond is the 8th.  Numbers for holes as if numbered normally.

Peter Carroll

Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #16 on: May 10, 2007, 11:34:21 PM »
Ed

I hope that David's tee shot on 17 Moonah was the shot of your trip.

It curled around the hole to finish a foot away.  The closest I have witnessed to a hole in one in a decade.

Glad you had a great trip.

Peter Carroll

Lloyd_Cole

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #17 on: May 10, 2007, 11:44:36 PM »
Ed
It was great to meet you and I thoroughly enjoyed our round with David and Rich at KH. I hope we can meet on the  W Coast sometime soon. I'll bring my fair weather vibes.

Tyler Kearns

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #18 on: May 10, 2007, 11:56:27 PM »
Mike,
   Paraparaumu Beach
   Cape Kidnappers
   Titirangi (great land, great routing, so-so greens)
    Auckland GC
    NSW
    RM West
    KH
    Barnbougle
    Commonwealth
    St Andrews Beach
    National Moonah (the surprise of the trip, in a good way)
    Woodlands
    Royal Adelaide


Ed,

Looks like a fantastic tour, and I can attest, a great bunch of blokes. National Moonah is terrific, the 'Cups County' landscape just screams golf with an endless succession of natural corridors to route exciting golf holes. I am surprised the National was more of a surprise than Woodlands, which really blew me away. Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

TK

Jason Topp

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #19 on: May 11, 2007, 10:51:59 AM »
Mike,
   Paraparaumu Beach
   Cape Kidnappers
   Titirangi (great land, great routing, so-so greens)
    Auckland GC
    NSW
    RM West
    KH
    Barnbougle
    Commonwealth
    St Andrews Beach
    National Moonah (the surprise of the trip, in a good way)
    Woodlands
    Royal Adelaide


Ed - time to stir up the pot and give your Doak scale rating of each course.  

George Pazin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #20 on: May 11, 2007, 04:12:36 PM »
Congrats on the trip, Ed, I look forward to reading more about it.

On a side note, it sounds like if anyone is having a drought, they should simply fly in Ed and myself for a round.

I am the rain man, and not because I can count cards.... :)
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Terry Thornton

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #21 on: May 13, 2007, 02:52:26 AM »

James - thanks for the word on the wallaby nurturing. We felt for Ed driving. We've all been there - nothing he could do.

Matthew

Ed,
I hadn't considered the fact that Matthew was in the car with you when you told of this mishap. I blame him entirely; had you driving at night, 'wrong' side of the road, and without knowing what Matthew was wearing I'm certain his wardrobe must have made concentrating almost impossible.

Kevin Pallier

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #22 on: May 13, 2007, 06:39:29 AM »
Ed

Glad to see you got home safely - look forward to your posted comments on our courses.

What did David think of Victoria and Yarra Yarra ?

Matthew Mollica

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #23 on: May 13, 2007, 07:08:09 AM »
HEY!

My fashion isn't THAT bad!

:)

MM
"The truth about golf courses has a slightly different expression for every golfer. Which of them, one might ask, is without the most definitive convictions concerning the merits or deficiencies of the links he plays over? Freedom of criticism is one of the last privileges he is likely to forgo."

Terry Thornton

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:New Zealand/Australia '07
« Reply #24 on: May 13, 2007, 08:04:38 AM »
HEY!

My fashion isn't THAT bad!

:)

MM

It was the green eyed monster in me that was talking

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