Never Have I Ever....

[Kyle Harris]

Sometimes I am surprised to find out or realize some of the things in golf architecture that I have never experienced. What are some of yours? Things like "never played Pine Valley/Cypress Point/Augusta National" don't count.

-Up until this past November, I had never played a Biarritz, Redan, or Short hole.

-I've never seen a golf course on TV that I had played prior, but I have played courses that have been on TV (Bethpage Black). What is it like to view a course on TV with which one is familiar in a playing context?

-Never played a Coore & Crenshaw course, and only one Doak (Beechtree).

-I've been to one golf tournament in my life (Nicklaus's first tournament after hip replacement surgery in 1999 at Hartefeld National during the old Bell Atlantic Classic). He stood about a foot from me coming off the 18th green and looked me right in the eye - I can still feel the chills.

[Bill_McBride]

-I've never seen a golf course on TV that I had played prior, but I have played courses that have been on TV (Bethpage Black). What is it like to view a course on TV with which one is familiar in a playing context?

You hardly recognize it, everything looks flat!  The camera eye is more 2-D than the human eye, so you don't see the slopes.  Apparently it's much better in HDTV but I haven't made that step yet.  

-I've been to one golf tournament in my life (Nicklaus's first tournament after hip replacement surgery in 1999 at Hartefeld National during the old Bell Atlantic Classic). He stood about a foot from me coming off the 18th green and looked me right in the eye - I can still feel the chills.

I had the same feeling seeing Jack pass by the stand at #16 on Friday afternoon at the 2005 Open at St. Andrews.  It was his last in the Open Championship, and it was pretty cool.  He played it for all it was worth!  The Scottish crowds were incredibly friendly to him, it was a great experience being there.

One of the first times I knew how talented the really great ones are is when I saw Gary Player at the maybe 1957 Lucky International at Harding Park, San Francisco, hit a long iron from a fairway bunker on the 14th or 15th, under a tree limb, over a greenside bunker, to maybe 3'.  Incredible shot.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Kyle, It has been a big past few months complimented by your Paterno's win over the vol motel team. I do love the redan at Mountain Lake.