Best day on a golf course?

[David Cronan]

I’ve been lucky to have played golf 1/2 around the globe (no Australia, Asia, Far East) and won some am tournaments and club championships, but 2 days on the course I hope to have the facilities to remember forever:


1. I was a founding member of a northern Michigan club (Lochenheath) as my now ex-wife and I had a lake cottage nearby. One day I took my 5 year old kids to introduce the game to them. We spent a little bit of time on the range going over etiquette and fundamentals (the pro came out and gave an impromptu lesson) and then hopped in a cart. It was a perfect August day and we had the course to ourselves. In addition to my clubs and 1 set of US Kids clubs, I brought along a couple fishing poles and a bait net to catch frogs. We played maybe 3 holes and caught (and released) several fish in Grand Traverse Bay and some frogs in a creek that ran down the 14th hole and watched a pair of Bald Eagles flying not 30 feet directly in front of us as that part of the course runs along a high ledge above Grand Traverse Bay. It was my best day ever, golf or no golf.


2. In the summer of 1981 I participated in the Irish Way program, part of the Irish American Cultural Institute,which was held at Gormanston College, north of Dublin. There were 90 of us Irish Americans who were chosen and I was a 16 year old kid from Michigan. That summer Gormanston College was also home to a program that brought Catholic and Protestant kids (10-12 year olds) from Belfast and Derry to participate in a football camp in the hopes of understanding each other. This was during the height of The Troubles as Bobby Sands died less than 4 weeks earlier. Gormanston College had a rudimentary pitch and putt on campus and one afternoon, after classes, I went by the field house and borrowed a set of clubs and some beat up balls. After a couple holes I noticed about 10 of the kids in the distance, walking towards me, obviously interested in what I was doing. Initially, they stood with “their own” but after only a few minutes of playing and competing with each other, the barriers broke down and they just enjoyed the challenge our game and each other’s company. For a while, at least, they were just kids who shed all of the baggage that was part of their cultures at that moment in time. We were out there laughing and playing all afternoon. Another perfect day.

[Stephen Smith]

I did a yearly golf trip with a group of high school buddies for 20+ years to Myrtle Beach.  One of the guys passed away and we spread his ashes on a specific par 3 down there (at his request).  The first time I played that hole after that, I had hole-in-one. 

[mike_malone]

My most recent one was at North Berwick last September. Our host was Tony Muldoon ( check). My good golfing buddy was experiencing the course for the first time after our one stop flight. ( check)The sound of the water was great as we approached the first tee. And most importantly the wind was perfect , the clouds were just right , and the temperature as well. (Check)


Under these conditions it was one of the best days.


Here’s where my senility sets in. I don’t remember the fourth.

[Eric Zimmerer]

Been fortunate to have a couple really good ones but one absolutely comes to mind.


I played in my first Carnegie Shield this past summer, and that alone both days playing Royal Dornoch is as good as it gets. However I did make my pops make the trip over for a good boys trip. The Sunday after the tournament, we were able to squeeze in a late round at Dornoch before making the trip down to Prestwick. This Sunday round was a picture perfect Scottish Highland summer afternoon, with little wind and mid 60s. We both played out of our minds respectively and laughed the entire way around. Standing of 7th tee overlooking the entire course was as close to a religious experience I could get, knowing that this is all finite and memories with my dad (best friend) chasing this white ball around in Scotland will be something that I will tell my son at some point.


Only second to that was playing in USGA Mid Am qualifier with my dad on the bag, at our home course. Didnt play particularly well that day, but was happy to have my dad watch me compete for the first (never watched me play events) and last (I dont have the time anymore) time.

[Joe Hancock]

FAR too many to pick just one

I wish it was easy to put up a picture I have of you wading through the deep fescue at Greywalls many years ago. That was one of many good days…

[Tim Martin]

Too many good days to count but one may go to the head of the line. I went on a college scouting trip to Philadelphia with my son about fifteen years ago and we were lucky to add some golf. Before heading home I watched him shoot his first even par round at LuLu GC and was just as proud to witness his annihilation of the “Schmitter” at McNally’s Tavern immediately following the golf.