[Ed Brzezowski]

Being able to play Waterville well after taking some goat path, there were sheep and goats on the dirt path, that apparently was the road. Never been as terrified as I was driving over the interior road from Tralee to Waterville.

[Mark Pearce]

I've had a fantastic golfing year.  BUDA was, as always, a great event but even better was four weeks playing most of the best Australia has to offer.  For a single moment in time, cresting the ridge on the 5th at NSW for the first time takes some beating.  But it is beaten.  Getting to the brow of the hill on the 9th at Narin & Portnoo is an even more astonishing "WTF, that's beautiful" moment, made all the better by the fact that it was completely unexpected, whilst I knew what was coming at NSW.


Courses I loved include, in no particular order, Royal Melbourne West, Kingston Heath (pethaps the best combination of design and playing conditions I have ever seen), Newcastle, Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm, Port Fairy, St Andrews Beach, Royal Adelaide (this really deserves more acclaim, better than anything in the Sandbelt after RM and KH), Narin & Portnoo and Cruit Island.

[Paul Jones]

My highlight was completing the Top 100 Courses in US (GM 2007 and 2009 list) in May when I played ANGC.


I also played golf in 15 different states and got to see the following 4 new courses that open this year:


Bluejack National
Mossy Oaks
Sand Valley
Trinity Forest

[Joe Hellrung]

In no particular order:

Playing in my first GCA event at the Standard Club with a great group for the Dixie Cup. 


Playing Bay Hill (terribly) with some of my oldest friends and retiring to the men's locker room for a couple hours thereafter for drinks.


Playing Brasstown Valley with my dad 4 times and watching him nearly have an ace on the last par 3 of the last day.


Playing Brunswick CC with my wife following the renewal of our vows in May.


Maintaining a legit single digit handicap for approximately 2 months. 

[Garland Bayley]

 +1

Buda in Ireland - thanks again to Ally and Robin for organising and to all those who attended for a great time.

...
atb

[Dan_Callahan]

Playing Shinnecock for the first time last summer. One of the few times I went to a course with high expectations and had them exceeded in every way. Amazing place. Probably my new favorite course.


Visiting Portrush, Sligo, Strandhill and Lahinch over Thanksgiving week. First time at each, and I was blown away by all (especially Portrush, where the wind was howling). The hospitality at Strandhill was really pretty incredible ... got a tour of the clubhouse late in the afternoon when it was clear they were about to lock up for the day. Of all the places I visited in a two-week trip ... from Dublin to Northern Ireland, around the northwest and down to Lahinch ... Strandhill was the place I'm most looking forward to visiting again.

[Ian Andrew]

Watching the Olympics being played on the Olympic Course.


I felt good for Gil, Jim, Neil Cameron, Kyle Franz, Ben Hillard and Neil Cloverly.
They deserved that moment after everything they all went through

[Stephen Northrup]

Playing golf in the Scottish Highlands, including a round at Durness and a victory in an open competition in my second round ever at Royal Dornoch.

[Tim Gallant]

An unbelievable golfing year, and met lots of wonderful people. Two GCA golfing highlights included our 54-hole East Lothian meet-up, where I was able to see the Musselburgh Links for the 2nd time. We also played Kilspindie, which after two plays is easily one of my favourites in area.


The other was a round where I met some of you guys at North Berwick under beautiful sunshine. A sublime round and good to put faces with names. I wish I could have tagged along and joined in the festivities at the Dunvegan but alas! Maybe next time.


One of the biggest surprises of the year was how good Silloth on Solway. Unfortunately, my game didn't do the course justice, but I loved just about every hole on that course. The 3rd hole there...wowza! I would love to go back and play it again, but that drive is quite something. I asked the manager for any history they had on Mackenzie's involvement in the current course, and from what I can ascertain, he advised (possibly twice), but they didn't use much, if any of his advice for various reasons. Does this match others' information?

[Eric Smith]

The other was a round where I met some of you guys at North Berwick under beautiful sunshine. A sublime round and good to put faces with names. I wish I could have tagged along and joined in the festivities at the Dunvegan but alas! Maybe next time.

A fantastic day, thanks to you, sir!

[Eric Smith]

An unfortunate circumstance brought forth through no ones fault but my own where a man I had only met a few days before refused to leave me behind.

Band of Brothers 

[Carl Nichols]

At the risk of sounding like a belt notcher, I was incredibly lucky this year and got to play two courses high on my bucket list -- Seminole in March, and Pine Valley in May, both on chamber-of-commerce days -- plus two other courses I hadn't played before, Cabo del Sol Ocean (with our very own Greg Tallman) and Country Club of Detroit.  All quite different but excellent in their own ways. 

[Eric Smith]

Yeamans Hall followed by the bone-in filet at Halls Chophouse.


The Wolf Point Cup!


18th tee at midnight during the 5th Major.


Two very happy days in Deal.


St Andrews with the boys.


It's been an amazing year. Thanks to all of my friends who helped make it so.

[JLahrman]

Not a lot of golf for me yet again this year, highlight had to be Wolf Point.

Hoping for more golf in 2017!

[David_Tepper]

I got to play a round at Royal Dornoch in May with Garth McGimpsey (past Walker Cup player & captain who won the British Amateur when it was played at Royal Dornoch in 1985). Joining us were GCA-ers Mike Hendren and James Boon. A fun round. 

[Tim Martin]

Yeamans Hall followed by the bone-in filet at Halls Chophouse.


The Wolf Point Cup!


18th tee at midnight during the 5th Major.


Two very happy days in Deal.


St Andrews with the boys.


It's been an amazing year. Thanks to all of my friends who helped make it so.

Bone-in filet? You better get off that Mexican lettuce son.

[Mike Hendren]

I got to play a round at Royal Dornoch in May with Garth McGimpsey (past Walker Cup player & captain who won the British Amateur when it was played at Royal Dornoch in 1985). Joining us were GCA-ers Mike Hendren and James Boon. A fun round.

Boom.

[Eric Smith]

Yeamans Hall followed by the bone-in filet at Halls Chophouse.

Bone-in filet? You better get off that Mexican lettuce son.

A righteous cut of meat.

[Tim Martin]

Yeamans Hall followed by the bone-in filet at Halls Chophouse.

Bone-in filet? You better get off that Mexican lettuce son.

A righteous cut of meat.

 

[Bruce Wellmon]

Yeamans Hall followed by the bone-in filet at Halls Chophouse.

Bone-in filet? You better get off that Mexican lettuce son.

A righteous cut of meat.

FYI, there is a Hall's now in Greenville SC. So next time you come down, Esso for meat and 3 lunch, Halls for dinner. All we need is somewhere for breakfast.........

[Mac Plumart]

Dismal!

[Jim Tang]

Three lovely days and 6 rounds with my brother at Cabot in July.

[Tim Gavrich]

2016 has been a wonderful golf year. Some of the highlights:


In terms of my own game, two highlights.
- Qualifying for, and then playing and making the cut in, the Florida Open. By far the biggest tournament I've ever played in, and over 54 holes I managed to beat some pretty good players.
- Winning a two-man tournament here in Vero Beach with a friend, overcoming some bizarrely aggressive trash-talking by our opponents during the back nine. Never encountered anything quite like it, but it sure was fun kicking their teeth in over the last few holes to win going away.


In terms of casual golf with others:
- Any golf with my dad
- Pine Tree with Howard Riefs and others
- 36 with Bausch and Cirba - CC of FL in the morning, The Breakers in the afternoon
- Winning a soda from Jeff Shelman at the only golf course in the world with a quote from the movie "Joe Dirt" on the scorecard (I assume)
- Random pairing at TPC Myrtle Beach with three guys - all very high-handicap players -  from Somerville MA who laughed the entire way around the course
- A long-anticipated round at Alotian with one of my best friends, his brother and his dad
- Three fun rounds in two different countries with fellow GCAer Graylyn Loomis


Architecture-related highlights
- A second day trip to Mountain Lake
- Creek Club at Reynolds
- Discovering the awesome renovation at Keney Park
- Greywalls
- Sand Valley
- Looking out over (and playing) the back nine at Lawsonia Links during the "Golden Hour"
- Seeing the quarry holes at Black Diamond Ranch for the first time
- Alotian
- The outrageous scenery at Quivira


Really been lucky this year. Looking forward to 2017.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

For me, it was quite a year on the golf courses at my home club- Pebble Creek in the West Valley of Phoenix.


We have 2 courses- 18 holes at Eagles Nest, a Keith Foster design and 27 holes at Tuscany Falls, a Dick Bailey design.


I aced the 17th at Eagles Nest, a 135y par3, in April.
Also, I aced the 8th hole on the Palms nine at Tuscany Falls, a 138y par3, in July.
Furthermore, I aced the 8th hole on the Falls nine at Tuscany Falls, a 154y par3, in September.


My career hole in one total is now 6. The others were at Blue Heron Pines( Stephen Kay) near Atlantic City, NJ in 1995; Commonwealth National (Palmer) in Horsham, PA in 1998 and Center Square ( Ault) in Blue Bell, PA in 2011.


The year isn't over yet. 

[John McCarthy]

Architecture highlight no doubt was playing 12 holes at Sand Valley plus sitting at the halfway house looking at all the dunes in the distance.  I am sure I have nicer vistas (Cliffs of Moher?) But in the top 5. 


Playing-wise, my year was terrible but had 3 birdies on my year ending round at Highlands of Elgin.  I don't do that much.

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