Highlight of 2013

[Ash Towe]

Sven has the photograph of the year thread running successfully at the moment.  So I thought it was appropriate to go to this annual thread.

 I had 3 highlights this year: One, getting back to playing an acceptable level of golf after back surgery.  The loss of length hurts though.

The second highlight was undertaking, for me, the golf trip of a lifetime.  Courses played were:

Lahinch
Ballybunion Oldx2
Royal County Downx2
Pormarnock Old ( Thanks to Ally McIntosh )
Sunningdale Old
Sunningdale New
Walton Heath Old
Sebonack
Merion East
NGLA
Winged Foot West
Winged Foot East

The third highlight was playing Swinley with Brian Sheehy, catcking up with Ed Getka and meeting all the wonderful hosts on the Americam leg of the trip.

[John Kavanaugh]

The success of the Olympia Fields South no photo tour has brought me great joy and renewed faith in the site. http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57281.0.html

[Paul Gray]

My means are modest compared to many on this site but, not for the first time in the last 24 hours, I'll mention Camberley Heath. Admittedly the circumstances were perfect. Perfect weather with a very good friend, a night at his house with his family (featuring two small children that are clearly the stars of the show) and two tickets for the Test Match at Lords the next day but, all the same, I was so charmed with this barely mentioned Colt gem. Yes, there are a couple too many short par 4's but it's just so much fun nonetheless. A simple tale I know but then days like that are why I bother with this infuriating game.

After eighteen years in the wilderness I now have an official club handicap of 3 (the first official handicap for the aforementioned eighteen years). I'll happily take that for starters.

[Mark_F]

Great stuff Ash.  

Good to hear that you are still able to play after your back problems.

A round with Ally at Portmarnock and Brian at Swinley is indeed great fun - the only negative is constantly having to dodge the drool swinging from Brian's mouth.

[John Kavanaugh]

My means are modest compared to many on this site but, not for the first time in the first time in the last 24 hours, I'll mention Camberley Heath. Admittedly the circumstances were perfect. Perfect weather with a very good friend, a night at his house with his family (featuring two small children that are clearly the stars of the show) and two tickets for the Test Match at Lords the next day but, all the same, I was so charmed with this barely mentioned Colt gem. Yes, there are a couple too many short par 4's but it's just so much fun nonetheless. A simple tale I know but then days like that are why I bother with this infuriating game.

After eighteen years in the wilderness I now have an official club handicap of 3 (the first official handicap for the aforementioned eighteen years). I'll happily take that for starters.

A 3! You don't think like a three, and that's a compliment.

[James Bennett]

1. London Marathon in April (followed a few days later by Mexican dinner with Sheehy)

2. New membership at Royal Adelaide in April (followed by the warmest and driest winter of golf I have ever had).

3. Golf with the guys at Newcastle, Ellerston and The Australian.  (listening to Scott W did send me to sleep though on the ride home - well, i think it was listening to Scott that did it).

James B

(ps - at the start of the year, the only item on this list that was remotely likely was the Marathon)

[Philip Gawith]

Ash, which courses did you enjoy most on the fun trip you describe? Without writing a book, any main impressions that you can generalise about?

[Paul Gray]

My means are modest compared to many on this site but, not for the first time in the first time in the last 24 hours, I'll mention Camberley Heath. Admittedly the circumstances were perfect. Perfect weather with a very good friend, a night at his house with his family (featuring two small children that are clearly the stars of the show) and two tickets for the Test Match at Lords the next day but, all the same, I was so charmed with this barely mentioned Colt gem. Yes, there are a couple too many short par 4's but it's just so much fun nonetheless. A simple tale I know but then days like that are why I bother with this infuriating game.

After eighteen years in the wilderness I now have an official club handicap of 3 (the first official handicap for the aforementioned eighteen years). I'll happily take that for starters.

A 3! You don't think like a three, and that's a compliment.

Thank you, John. A huge compliment (no sarcasm implied).

Currently I neither think nor play like a three!

[Chris Roselle]

I have two highlights.  First, being able to walk to Merion GC everyday (volunteered Monday-Thursday on Hole #15 then spectated with great friends Friday-Sunday) for the 2013 US Open.  My second highlight was captaining the Golf Association of Philadelphia's Williamson Cup team this past August at Sleepy Hollow CC.

[David_Tepper]

The recovery of Golspie Golf Club (in the bonnie Highlands of Scotland) in 2013 from a devastating tidal storm surge that damaged and flooded almost half the holes there just before Christmas of 2012 was a highlight for me.

Congratulations and thanks to head Golspie greenkeeper Alexander Macdonald and his staff of two, to the many greenkeepers from nearby clubs who volunteered their time and equipment and lastly to the many Golspie members who pitched in with the cleanup from the storm. A job well done by all!

http://nationalclubgolfer.com/courses/articles/course-news/golspie-golf-club-highlands-scotland-flood-repair.html          

[Thomas Dai]

Carne.

Magical and mystical Carne, including walking the new Kilmore-9 before it was properly opened.

Golf in (relatively) out-of-the-way places is just wonderful.

ATB

[Ronald Montesano]

My second highlight was captaining the Golf Association of Philadelphia's Williamson Cup team this past August at Sleepy Hollow CC.

Is that a junior event? We have one named similarly involving the Buffalo DGA.

[Ash Towe]

Philip,

These are the most outstanding impessions I had on the trip:

Ballybunion: Many great holes.  When you see the dunes it made me excited to go out and play.
Pornmarnock: Quite open, demanding, better than expected.
Sunningdale:The place where I most would like to be a member.  Two great courses.
Merion: The best course I have played without sea views.
Winged Foot West:Great greens,make sure you play off the appropriate tees.
Winged Foot East:Less demanding than the West but a lot of fun.
Winged Foot is a tremendous club, members are proud to be there and enjoy what is available. I thought of it as the american Sunningdale.

[Ash Towe]

NGLA: The most fun course I have played.  Also enjoyed my first and second Southsider.

[David_Tepper]

"Sunningdale:The place where I most would like to be a member.  Two great courses."

+1

[Chris Roselle]

My second highlight was captaining the Golf Association of Philadelphia's Williamson Cup team this past August at Sleepy Hollow CC.

Is that a junior event? We have one named similarly involving the Buffalo DGA.

It is Ronald.  The Williamson Cup is a junior team event which pits four-player teams from 10 or 11 state/regional golf associations in and around the northeast/Canada.  Here are the results from 2013 http://www.mgagolf.org/results/2013/williamson   It looks like Buffalo stopped sending a team in 2003.

[Jason Thurman]

The Midwest Mashie at Kingsley, combined with rounds at Crystal Downs and Arcadia Bluffs. If I hadn't played like total garbage it would've been flawless. My wife calls golfclubatlas.com my "Match.com golf social group." I know she means it to make fun of me, but every time I go to a GCA event I have an awesome time and come away with some really good friends. This year's Mashie was the best example yet.

[Steve Salmen]

I had 2.

After playing golf for 28 years, I had the best round of my life in relation to par by four shots.

Being invited and playing in the Shinnecock Labor Day Four Ball event.

I wish I could claim my career round was at Shinnecock. It is very likely that I will never score better than I did at Calumet Country Club outside Chicago.

[Cory Lewis]

Early in the year I attended the GCA Thaw Out at Caledonia/True Blue and enjoyed re-connecting with old friends and meeting new ones.

In April my wife and I took a trip to Boston/Rhode Island/Cape Cod where I checked an item off my bucket list by attending my 1st game at Fenway!  I finally got to tee it up with Brad Tufts at Black Rock after meeting him several times.  Other highlights were TCC, Sankaty Head, and a ton of Ross courses in Boston, Rhode Island, and Cape Cod.  Hyannisport is one of the coolest "sporty" courses I have ever seen.

A Midwest trip in the summer was highlighted by rounds at Milwaukee and Oakland Hills South.  I was very surprised how much I enjoyed Oakland Hills.  

My 1st trip to Canada in the fall included the best that Toronto has to offer.  St. George’s was my favorite.  The best part of the trip was playing the newly restored CC of Buffalo, one of the most F & F courses I’ve seen and perfectly setup to play that way.  

In October, I attended my 4th Dixie Cup, this time at home in Pinehurst.  Another wonderful opportunity to see old friends and make new ones.  Playing match play at Dormie was as good as I hoped it would be.  

And finally one of the biggest highlights of the year was Old Town and I want to thank Dunlop White for his hospitality.  The restoration of Old Town by C & C has made the course one of the best in the country.  Dunlop is owed a debt of gratitude by everybody who plays the course for spearheading this amazing restoration.

[Adam_Messix]

Cory--

You are absolutely correct regarding the work Crenshaw and Coore did at Old Town.  The place presents amazingly well now and is as it always has been, quite a test at par 70.  The thing that surprised me the most was not the big sweeping breaks in the greens, it's the subtle interior contours that make for really interesting green reading and some major mis read putts.  The tree removal has given the place a real sweep and a cool look.  

Dunlop should be credited for spearheading the effort at both Old Town and Roaring Gap in returning both courses to their former selves.  They are both awesome courses and should receive mega kudos for pulling it off.  

[Philip Gawith]

Thanks Ash. I too found NGLA to be a very memorable visit. Hard to argue about Sunningdale, time to revisit Ballybunion - lost in the mists of time!

[Steve Kline]

10 days at Turtle Island Resort in Fiji in the honeymoon bure. The resort is on a 500 acre island and is where they filmed the original Blue Lagoon as well as the Brooke Shields remake. We had a maximum of 8 couples on the island while we were there. There were 60 staff to take care of the guests. The four-handed massage was amazing. There are 14 beaches on the island. You can sign up for your own private beach every day. A different one every day. You want see another soul, boat, airplane, anything while on your private beach. It was 10 days of doing nothing and it was pure heaven. No internet, no TV, nothing. It is the most beautiful place I have ever been with fantastic customer service.

If you want to do something romantic with your wife that will make up for your golf trips and maybe allow a few more then I highly recommend it. My wife literally cried when we had to leave.

[HarryBrinkerhoffDoyleIV_aka_Barry]

.

[David_Elvins]

My wife literally cried when we had to leave.

Very dangerous to set such a high standard so early in the marriage, IMO.  That's why I played Bandon (and Pasa and MPCC, and Pebble, and Merion, and Tobacco Road) on our honeymoon.



My highlights:

-Newcastle, Ellerston, NSW three day trip.  3 really good and really different golf courses.
-Seeing how well Doak's work at Royal Melbourne East has gone.  I huge improvement by a series of modest changes, and the course deserves t be good again.
-18 month old son sinking his first putt.  
-Adam Scott winning the Masters.
-Being 'custom fitted' by a GCAer.  "Your clubs are crap, use these instead". 

[Bill Gayne]

First time visit to Cruden Bay for four days.