Hey everybody,
Posting this for a friend of mine and frequent lurker.
Greetings to all in the Treehouse –
I’m a buddy of Jeff Shelman’s and a former member on here long ago and now a very frequent lurker. I’ve got a month off work now before the NBA season begins again and I have to go back to covering the Timberwolves for the Star Tribune here in Minneapolis. On short notice, I am planning to fly out to San Francisco next week to fetch my sister’s car and drive it back to Minnesota.
Here’s my plan. I am seeking the fertile imaginations of everyone on here for suggestions in helping me plan my itinerary. I’m looking for courses you can walk if possible (depending upon the heat, of course) and would like to keep it under $50 a round (I’m a big twilight guy) if possible except for perhaps one big splurge:
I have about two weeks to make it a leisurely adventure. I’ll pick up the car and drive it down the PCH past Big Sur on my way to L.A. to spend a long Labor Day weekend there with a friend. I’ll play at least once on the way down and have played Pebble (out of my price range this time or just about any time any more), Pacific Grove, Hunter Ranch, Monarch Dunes, La Purisima, Sandpiper, Soule Park and of course the beloved Rustic Canyon before and will happily play any of those again but am also up for someplace new.
From L.A., I’m thinking of stopping in Phoenix for a couple nights and playing Saguaro and Talking Stick North. From there, I’d like to go to the Grand Canyon because that’s one destination place I’ve never been. Any recommendations for Flagstaff or Colorado as I work my way back to either I-70 or 1-25? Thought about traveling thru northwest New Mexico and hitting a place like Pinon Hills, or is that passé by now?
And what’s the chance of me calling up somebody at Ballyneal or Colorado Golf Club and getting on with a guest fee (I am a Golf Writers Association of America member if that makes any difference) as my one splurge of the trip (have been to Sand Hills once before, so I thought I’d maybe see how Doak sees the sandhills).
Then, of course, I’d stop at Wild Horse and possibly Bayside on I-80 on my way back to Minnesota. I’d like to break the driving up into, say, 8-10 hour days and play golf in between to make the trip more leisurely. If the golf options for New Mexico are absolutely can’t-miss prospects, I could go that way and nix the Grand Canyon. Any other sightseeing stops I shouldn’t miss?
My other thought is to go through New Mexico to Oklahoma City and then head north and try to hit Prairie Dunes if I could get on there instead.
Anyway, thanks for any suggestions you can toss my way!
Jerry Zgoda