Mr. and Mrs. Havercamp are back. My 80 and change dad and 70 and change mom are going to try Tobacco Road. Their reviews are actually quite instructive because they give you a glimpse into what the average American golfer thinks...they're a great litmus test. They loved "The Hideout" by KBM and had a great time at Caledonia, but best of all, their off the cuff analysis and candid delivery make for some humorous moments:
Mom on Caledonia: "Tell Furry Fozler I said make the par-3s shorter."
Dad on 18 at caledonia: "You hit a big drive, then you hit it in the water."
So step right up and place your bets. Two ordinary American golfers who have played all their lives, traveled to Myrtle and Hilton Head, played resort golf, and have only played one strantz course - caledonia - are headed to tobacco road. What do you think the reaction will be? Love it? hate it? Take it in stride? Think its crazy? Never asking me for a recommendation again?
My guess: Dad will be impressed. He'll say he never seen anything like it before. He'll say it's too hard and that a couple of times he couldn't figure out where to go. But he'll say there were a lot of great holes. He'll love the greens. he won't be fazed by the blind shots - we both grew up on blind shots - and he won't be fazed by the green contours either. he thinks those tings are part of golf and that their not unfair. They'll have more of a problem with the size and depth of the bunkers. But I think he'll be impressed and have a favorable response. I don;t think he could play it every day, but I think he's open-minded enough to take it in stride.
Mom might freak. Start with "I've never seen anything like it." Then, if she gets in the mumble tank, she'll curse me. If she plays well, she'll say it was spectacular. Even though she's played a lot of REALLY hard golf courses, I think Tobacco Road could intimidate her. I'm gonna prepare her by saying "just pretend you're playing the Monster." (Concord Golf Club...we vacationed there every year for many years when it was open.) That will at least prepare her for the difficulty. The bunkers could be too much for her. She'll love 15, the par-3.
By the way, they're also playing Pine Needles one day, just to counter balance things.
What do you guys think? What is the "Average American Golfer" - someone who isn't a casual player, but a devoted player, gonna think of Tobacco Road?