Craig Sweet comes to river city and plays Great Blue

[Garland Bayley]

On a frosty March 25, 2008 Great Blue in Portland was showing a beautiful sunrise and Mt Hood from the 10th tee.

GreatBlueAndMtHood by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

Craig played with Slag Bandoon (on the right)

CraigSweetSlagBandoon by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

and Garland Bayley (also on the right)

CraigSweetGarlandBayley by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

The new GCA carry bag also made its debut

GCABagDebut by Garland Bayley, on Flickr

It was a very democratic outing as Garland took care of ball rinsing duties for the first 6 holes, Norbert took care of the duties for the next six holes, and Craig added the finishing touches by rinsing them on the last few holes. I must say it is very nice playing with these folks that work golf courses as they seem to have an endless supply of golf balls that they are happy to share. We told Craig we were giving him the Florida experience without the need to fly all the way there.
 

Never mind that none of us have played in Florida.
 

[RJ_Daley]

Well, that was fun.  It shows you how the Internet distorts one's preconceived images.  I thought from his always interesting and entertaining posts with a bit of liberal bent, that Craig was no older than 30 something!!!    Well, at least you're young at heart Craig.  Did you have to give any strokes to that "old soul" Bandoon? 

BTW Graland, we could probably make you up with a little orange tint in your hair and pass you off as Adam C., and sneak on BallyNeal as your guest! 

[Garland Bayley]

Actually, I need to get a haircut before P Pittock starts calling me Hagrid again.

EDIT: That might have to be Adam C the person for whom golf got too easy and he switched over to being a mollydooker. (Check out the clubs in that bag).

[Craig Sweet]

I am "30 something"!!!  It's been the last eight years of Bush that turned my hair so damn white!

It was great fun playing with Garland and Norbert...aka Slag.  We had some good conversation and laughs in between slicing balls into various water hazzards.

These Pacific Northwest courses sure are wet this time of year!  I went through 2 or 3 towels on each nine....

Oh, and Garland....its "SWEET" not Sweat.

[Garland Bayley]

Sorry Craig,

I have always had your name confused with my HS teachers name in Montana.

This was the earliest in the year that I have played a public course in Portland. It is quite apparent that they don't sand the fairways like my club does twice a year. Next time we will have to get Craig onto a private for comparison purposes.

I thought it would be interesting to play Great Blue since I had not played since the year it opened. Clearly they are not letting it degrade like I was worried they might do. However, it probably will be another 20 years before I play it again. If anyone pays attention to my posts here, they know how much I dislike ponds on courses.

[Garland Bayley]

I am "30 something"!!!  It's been the last eight years of Bush that turned my hair so damn white!

...

Not to mention what it has done to your memory, since it has only been 7 years and change.

[Garland Bayley]

One interesting aspect of the day was that I have played the course twice now, and no holes really stand out in my memory, with perhaps the exception of the 11th and 16th (although I went back to the course map to recall the 16th and Norbert pointed out the similarities of the 11th to a redan, which it most assuredly is not). What I remember more from the course is what I remembered from 20 years ago, was the fairly repetitious bunker shape style and the numerous ponds.

Does anyone think there are any great holes at Great Blue?

[Jim Nugent]

I am "30 something"!!!  It's been the last eight years of Bush that turned my hair so damn white!

...

Not to mention what it has done to your memory, since it has only been 7 years and change.

Bush held big leads in the polls in early 2000.  Just anticipating him as President started the whitening process for Craig.

So you see, his memory is fine!

[John Keenan]

Garland

In the future we may need to call you the "Tommy 2 Gloves" of GCA in honor of GC Big Break winner

Sounds like all had a very nice round of golf.

John

[Craig Sweet]

I thought #7 was mildly interesting, #12 was a pretty good par 5 with an interesting green...and #4 was a much better par 3 the way I played it....to the wrong green!!  The back nine is tougher, but only because it has water on nearly every hole...the micro brews in the clubhouse were outstanding!

[Evan Fleisher]

Actually, I need to get a haircut before P Pittock starts calling me Hagrid again.

EDIT: That might have to be Adam C the person for whom golf got too easy and he switched over to being a mollydooker. (Check out the clubs in that bag).

Mollydooker clubs and a "righty" bag?...BLASPHEMY!!! 

[Pete_Pittock]

Craig,
   Sorry I couldn't play, had to suffer two days at Eugene CC herding women collegiate players.
   It has been about ten years since I played Great Blue and I can still remember the general layout, but I've lost the second par 3 on the front nine. #1 is a good hole if they have the hole on the right side. #3 is a good short 4. Did Craig hit it onto 6 playing the 4th? The 8th is a good hole with the sharp dogleg around the lake. The short 4 14th always shames me.
The greens all have good character.

[Garland Bayley]

Actually, I need to get a haircut before P Pittock starts calling me Hagrid again.

EDIT: That might have to be Adam C the person for whom golf got too easy and he switched over to being a mollydooker. (Check out the clubs in that bag).

Mollydooker clubs and a "righty" bag?...BLASPHEMY!!! 

It's my dad's fault. He forced some of the conversions. Fortunately, a baseball bat works both ways and I became a lefty swinger long before I took up golf.

[Garland Bayley]

...The 8th is a good hole with the sharp dogleg around the lake. The short 4 14th always shames me.
...

My comment about that hole was that if I hit the same drive (a small push) at Chambers Bay, I would have been in the fairway instead of in a pond.

[Norbert P]

    A grand day out with top notch people. It was my first full round since Thanksgiving so I was Jonesin' bad, and swingin' the sticks with these two fine characters was a great reminder about what makes golf - and GCA folk - so compelling. 
    Craig, Blue Heron is probably the best draining muni we have.  Like I said at the course, clam guns are often the 14th club 'round here. 
    Garland, the 11th green is only Redan-ish if you play it from the 12th tees.
    Dick, no card or pencil use after the first hole.

 Of the holes I like are # 1 into the morning sun! Doglegged fairway with shortcut in rough option.
  The 7th, with placement decisions and it looks good.
  8th is tough but I appreciate the challenge.
  I like the 9th green
  10th, though a flattish driving area, I like the blind shot if you go left, which is the direct line to the green. Hitting fairway gives full view of green complex.  Or, of course there's always the 18th fairway which is a VALID option.
  16th  has a decision on the tee for two fairways split by a pond.

  The only holes WITHOUT water are 5, 6, 7, 10, 13.  I agree, that that is way too few. I'm a "hide-the-water" idealist but the course is still fun if you get your golf balls for free. 

Again, thanks for the grand day out.  And no rain! 

And it also keeps the record running of never meeting a GCA agent that I didn't thoroughly enjoy playing golf with.



 
 
   

[Norbert P]

Craig,
   Sorry I couldn't play, had to suffer two days at Eugene CC herding women collegiate players.

 Sounds like a pretty good gig.

   

The short 4 14th always shames me.

   It got me yesterday with a bad drive, a layup, then a rollover into that ubiquitous brine.

[Garland Bayley]

The short 4 14th always shames me.

   It got me yesterday with a bad drive, a layup, then a rollover into that ubiquitous brine.

Hmmm, seems Craig and I found that to be driver, wedge, lip out birdie attempt, routine par.
 

[Pete_Pittock]

Kemper Sports is poised to take over the management of Heron Lakes;
however, maintenance will continue to be done by the city. Two bids were submitted, the other by the current concessionaire. Plans for a clubhouse are in the works.

[Norbert P]

Plans for a clubhouse are in the works.

 Heron Lakes has got to be Portland's biggest cash cow in the muni pool. It's hard to fathom that after twenty some odd years, they're still in a modular. I remember when they proposed relocating the Red Steer Restaurant building, just up the road.  Woulda been cool but shees! it was made out of brick.
  I just hope they build the new clubhouse over some of that endless water.

[Craig Sweet]

Yeah the club house seemed a tad understated..

I worked at a "muni" for four years and it always seemed odd to me that for all the cash being generated so very little was being put back into the course and facilities.  I think...no, I know, politicians look for every source of revenue they can find, and once they are on the teat they don't let go.  The couple of hundred thousand we "gave back" to the general fund budget was never going to change.