Tom and Rich,
Just thought I would share a bit of light but annoying humour with you. 3 years ago Graeme and myself designed and help build a course here in Norway.
About two months before opening the client sent out invites to us and our men for the opening. I arranged to be there and our shaper and one of our finishers also managed to be there.
On opening day I was asked to hit the first tee shot off the first tee which I did...no I did not top the ball...
Anyway, here I am a year later working on the redesign/renovation of Stavanger Golfklubb (which is about a 2 hour drive from the course in question) and I walk into a bookshop. On the shelf is the yearbook for the town where this golf course was built. A quick look at the chapters and there is a whole chapter on the golf course and the opening.
I open up the book and yes you have guessed it....in the first paragraph:
"The course was opened on September blah blah by the Golf Course Architect Graeme Webster who also hit the first drive on the first hole"
Graeme was not even there on the day of the opening!!! He couldn't make it!
Moral of the story....don't always believe everything that is written in black and white.....