Have you ever just stopped and played a course on a trip?!?!?!
Tommy, I was a little surprised that a thread with this topic was started by you? I thought you would have done this all the time. I know I certainly do. I bet I average 1-2 "Drive By" stop in and plays a week. Thats a big reason how I have been able to get to 2104 different courses in my life (so far), in fact it is a prerequisite. And I have found so many cool things along the backroads of this great country I could never recount them all. Not all of them have been what you would call courses of great architectural merit, but I have seen some cool and mind blowing things and met and played with some real characters. As an aside it is getting harder and harder for me because there probably isn't a course within 40 miles of me I have not played.
Last fall I was in the town of Attica IN for the first time for a pheasant hunting trip with a customer of mine who grew up there on their family property outside of town. When I drove into town on Friday night before 3-4 days of hunting I saw a golf course in the town and made a mental note. When people started comparing notes on when they were leaving at the end of our hunt my customer said "I think Tuesday we will hit it early and probably finish up about noon or shortly thereafter, does that work for you?" And since my golf clubs were in the back of my truck along with my shotguns I thought to myself, yea that works! By 1pm on Tuesday I was wandering into the proshop to inquire about getting out as a single. And shortly thereafter I was teeing it up on Harrison Hills a cool William Langford design that had some really neat holes! I knew nothing about this place beforehand and judging by the size of the town I wasn't expecting much, but it was a hidden gem!
2 weeks ago I was playing on a "beautiful" 95° Arkansas day and I just finished playing all three nines at The Ridges at Village Creek State Park, and I got cleaned up and changed clothes for some sales calls I needed to make an hour or so away. As I was driving down the road some things were happening that were destroying my planned calls for that afternoon. And my schedule was looking like the afternoon was going to be a complete waste. Just then I happened upon a little course in the middle of nowhere Crowleys Ridge CC. Figuring I would never be on that road again and never have a better chance to play here I pulled in. Finished confirming on the phone that my afternoon was a complete wash work wise, and headed into the clubhouse. I was told that the course was private! I asked if any concession might be made. They pointed me to the manager who was out hauling some tree limbs in the back of his truck. I followed him and asked about getting out to play. He said he had a big group going out that afternoon and that I could not play "unless you think you can play in less than 1:45!!" Well I took that as a personal challenge and said no problem, then he sprung it on me, "oh by the way we don't have any carts, they are all member owned, so you'll have to walk!!" (the members store their carts in little garage areas that each member has behind the clubhouse0. Well now I was committed I grabbed my clickgear cart that also never leaves the back of my truck and headed off for a brisk 1:40 sweat session.
The following day after finishing up my work for the day I started scouting google maps to find something along the road heading towards home that I have not played (again getting harder and harder every trip) and I saw a KY State Park course called KY Dam. I called the lady and told her I could be there by 5:30 or 6pm and could I try to get in at least 9 holes, she said sure as long as the cart was in by 7:45. As I was driving I did a little more research on the place and found out it was a Perry Maxwell design, now I was pumped. When I rolled into the lot at 6pm the guy that has to put the carts away gave me the stinkeye and said with disdain “Can I help you?!?!?!” I said yes, I talked to the lady in the proshop on the phone and she said I could get in 9 holes. He looked at me sideways. The lady in the proshop could not have been nicer, she said “play as many as you can, just have the cart in by 7:45. I flew around this wonderful fun track, I skipped the 14th and 15th holes knowing I was running out of time, but sunk my putt on the 18th at 7:40 and had the cart back in plenty of time. The cart guy just smiled and laughed since I had caught up with the two guys that had just come off the 18th hole a couple minutes before me (that teed off over 2 hrs before I did). He said that’s a heck of a pace, I fessed up that I had only played 16 holes, but he said he was still impressed. The course was a treat and a hidden Perry Maxwell gem!!
Looking forward to my next adventure as I drive down the road and search for my next "hidden gen" or some unique piece of American golf.