An interview worth reading

[Jim_Kennedy]

Insights from a man who has more in common with the ODGs than one might think.

https://www.lyingfour.com/conversations-blog/2019/6/6/mike-young

[DFarron]

That was great, thanks for posting it !

[SL_Solow]

A great read from a very good guy.  I hope Mike gets it just the way he wants the course to be.  I know he will give it his all.  Mike, if you get back to Chicago, we need to get together again.

[Jim_Kennedy]

I'll take a guess that this critique of Mike's course has been seen before, but once more won't hurt. 

https://thefriedegg.com/secrets-in-the-slopes-the-fields-gc/

[Tony_Muldoon]

Perhaps I'm just dreaming but wasn't he just one of many who used to PARTICIPATE here?

Sad isn't it...

[SL_Solow]

Don't be so sad.  Mike posted yesterday on the Travis/Barker thread

[Mike Worth]

For those like me who are in-initiated into the treehouse, what is ODG?

[Tim Martin]

For those like me who are in-initiated into the treehouse, what is ODG?

Old Dead Guy

[ward peyronnin]

Mike is great funny bear of a guy and knows how to have a good time. We had a great Dixie Cup there and i had a blast playing in Oct on brown fast turf that yielded crisp shots up and over a high headland.
Becaue his maintainence budget is lo mid six figures the tariff was attractive for local players of all kinds and the casual simple amenities hosted  very diverse collections of golfers.
I wonder what green fees are like now but I could play that course all the time

[ward peyronnin]

FYI 2020 membership rate was $1600/yr no initiation menioned

[Ian Andrew]

It made me sad reading about the ASGCA stuff. I was a member back then. I reviewed two of his courses in Georgia because some members - as he mentioned - were actively opposing his entry. This meant he was having a tough time getting a reviewer. In the end, my good luck. We spent a few days together including going out to Longshadow. It was a wonderful course that I enjoyed a lot. I thought the 17th was one of the best par threes I had seen. Excellent punchbowl green complex and contours. Super fun hole. Brilliant idea.


(Sorry, photo won't come up ... anyone got a picture to share?)

With hindsight, the same person played a huge role in my choosing to leave.

Mike is a gentleman, super funny, quietly brilliant and a great friend to have. He and Ashley round out a perfect foursome if you ever get a chance. I also believe he has one of the most refreshing opinions on this site. A little more blunt and honest when it needs to be. There are lots of great participants, but its nice to have a mind that is quite comfortable running a contrarian view when groupthink runs amuck.

[Thomas Dai]

MY’s posts herein are always worth reading. By the way this interview piece is 3+ yrs old.
Atb

[John Mayhugh]

It was a wonderful course that I enjoyed a lot. I thought the 17th was one of the best par threes I had seen. Excellent punchbowl green complex and contours. Super fun hole. Brilliant idea.

My first GCA event was a Longshadow. Really wish it was possible to have another one there. Course was a blast.
ls 17 by john mayhugh, on Flickr

Mike is a lot of fun to be around and has a really good mind for GCA. I haven't played enough of his courses, and I need to change that.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Don't be so sad.  Mike posted yesterday on the Travis/Barker thread

I stand corrected, thank you.

I'm pleased because I've enjoyed his comments in the past.

One thought: is his course built on sand or sandy loam?  I don't recall the article mentioning the soil.  I've noticed (generalizing but only slightly) that on here Americans always start talking about the grass used and in the UK we always start with the soil? I'm led to believe there's more sandy loam in the USA than here. Outside of links its limited to certain areas which helps explain why the Heathland courses were such a revelation.

Second thought: I'd love to play one of his courses.

[Tim Martin]

I really enjoyed the interview. I always appreciate Mike’s take as he’s a straight shooter with a wry sense of humor. Looking forward to a play at The Fields GC.

[Ira Fishman]

I have posted before that if I hosted a dinner party for four for people I have “met” through gca.com, Mike Young would be the first invite. Smart, funny, accomplished, and honest is a awfully difficult to find combination.

[Mike_Young]

I really enjoyed the interview. I always appreciate Mike’s take as he’s a straight shooter with a wry sense of humor. Looking forward to a play at The Fields GC.

Jim,Tim, Tony,Shel,
Thanks for the comments on the interview.  Y'all are welcome to come out anytime and play.   As for the type of soil..it is a rocky red clay.  It holds enough moisture close to the surface which allows us not to water nearly as much...
I haven't commented much in the last few months as was sort of trying to change my lifestyle after having a triple bypass this past year.  It was one of those things where I had zero symptoms and I had to convince my Primary care doc to see a cardiologist because my annual physical was good.  I just wanted a baseline before I turned 70 since my father had some heart issues in his early 80's.  And sure enough they found something.  It was a total surprise so I'm trying to back off of instigating as a hobby but not sure I can...
Ian,  thanks for the kind comments...I thought I was reading an obit..come see us this winter...I have a new 18 coming out of the ground as we speak and I assume there will be a press release in next few weeks..
Happy New Year to all...

[Terry Lavin]

I have posted before that if I hosted a dinner party for four for people I have “met” through gca.com, Mike Young would be the first invite. Smart, funny, accomplished, and honest is a awfully difficult to find combination.

I’ll concur with this judgment.

[Mike Sweeney]

Over the last three years, Mike Young and Mike Whitaker have set me up at a bunch of really fun golf courses in "The South" on the Panhandle area from Pensacola to Jacksonville. I stopped in on Wednesday to see an old friend of Mike Young's at Richmond Hill GC in Georgia. I did not have time to play but will surely go back as they treated me and my son like GCA Royalty.


https://www.richmondhillgolfclub.com/



Thanks Mike