My dad and I had been planning a two-day trip up to Napa to play Aetna, Northwood, and sneak in Meadow Club. After re-injuring my collarbone Christmas Day snowboarding (I broke it in August), we postponed the trip. It was only lucky that I happened to catch Brett's Instagram post, so I called up two friends of mine, newer players to the game, and my dad to make our way up. Collarbone be damned, I had to check it out.
I'm glad we did. It was awesome. However, it was heartbreaking being there knowing what was going to happen to it. The 1st, 3rd, and 4th holes were truly outstanding, and it's a real testament to the quality of the design that the course felt so different playing it from two tee boxes (blue's first round, white's second) while still retaining options and strategy from each set. Had I known how good it was, I'd have made it up there more often.
Instead, I'll be left with the memory of two great loops with three great people. Even the two duffers could appreciate how good it was.