I was lucky enough a couple of weeks ago to answer a Craigslist ad from Gill looking for someone to exchange either lodging or transportation costs for free golf as he made his way across the midwest rating courses for an obscure publication call The Illustrated American Golfer. Lucky for me I have a corporate gas card and some free time. Gill, that's what his friends call him, is a true architectural aficionado that bleeds the love of the game like few others on this board. Lucky for me he is also a huge wrestling fan as we had a great time Sunday night at SummerSlam watching the Taker beat Edge in a fantastic "Hell in a cell match" that while exciting was no match, match wise that is, for Mankind's recent cage extravaganza. But I digress.
Gill is the kind of golf critic that knows how to give back to the game. We would meet after every round to count tees, scorecards and the occasional yardage books that he sells on Ebay to finance his quest of the greatest courses in America. Nothing beats packaging tees in bakers dozen sets while talking about the great architecture our fine country presents. I can't believe how naive assistant pros are when you palm three scorecards for one round. Gill told me that if they ever say a word to explain that when hitting a tee shot off line you always place a ball in prime position and play in, needing of course an extra card for the stats. At $5 a pop on Ebay, who can blame him given the high cost of travel from course to to course.
I know that you guys who know me would have thought by now I would have taken a six iron to the back of Gillettes's head, but he really opened my eyes and heart to how a passion for architecture can drive a person to make questionable moral choices in his quest for educating the ignorant public.
A little about Gill. He was born in 1969 the bastard child of a student of the University of Wisconsin. He told me his mother went to the Democratic convention in Chicago in 68 as a flaming Republican and came away pregnant and liberal after being smashed, gassed and passed by a writer for the Black Panther publication Cat Tales. A somewhat mainstream publication intended to transform white protestants into militant black activists who were against a free Palestine. I was lucky enough to meet Gill's mother on the Casino Queen in East St. Louis right after she hit the 1000 mark on the free spin on the Wheel of Fortune slots. A hippie princess she remains to this day with eight fingernails painted gold and two black thumbnails keeping her rooted in reality.
Our trip around Muirfield Village was worth every slide of my gas card. Gill, as he likes to remind me, has razor sharp eyes to go with his rapier wit. I was surprised at his abiltity to point out the contributions of Nicklaus against the backbone of the Muirhead routing. Every strategic nuance was at the tip of his tongue before his ball hit the ground. It was a religious experience. He has asked of me two things....One...He would like for each of you to check your local Craigslists for when he may be coming to your area. And, Two...He is trepidant against posting on this forum, because of his travels throughout the country incognito of sorts, but would like to participate by answering questions about his motivation, experience and opinions on the great courses of the world. I have agreed to act as his musei and traspond the answers to any questions you may have.
If you do not wish to ask question of Gillette on this forum and am more comfortable in private please send all requests to Gillette Silver - An American Rater at spooon@usa.net and I will either send you his answer back privately or on here whichever you choose. Please...no spam as Gill is very busy answering his many Craigslist inquireries and would hate to be mistaken as rude or impolite through a nonresponse.