Where did you play? Why did you choose it? Reminiscences?
Mine had nothing to do with architecture.
Over the last year or so I have been trying to remember the name of the Sydney golf course I played on R&R many years ago. Anyhow, yesterday I unearthed my letters from the year and found the answer. Moore Park. The date was 10 Dec., 1968. There is some architecture mentioned! CAUTION, this is a partial blow by blow written for my golf partner/father.
"The it was a quick cab ride (from King's Cross) to Moore Park and a round of golf. Walked into the clubhouse and rented clubs, bag and bought three balls, one of which mysteriously disappeared when it got hit onto a street. So I was off to the first tee armed with 2,4 woods, 3,5,7,8,9, putter. I took a few rusty swings, teed the ball up and with a trusty tailwind I hit a high floater off the elevated tee to the next hill, about 220 yards away, Hoisted the bag over my shoulder and set out on my first round of golf in 7 months.
I got to the ball, set everything down and searched for the green. It was over the hill and down at the bottom of the slope, so I walked back, took aim at a chimney and lofted the 3 iron thirty yards left of the green, pin high. Chipped with the 7 iron 30 feet past and fo. und their wasn't much difference between fairway and green. The grass was think enough to keep the ball straight, but I didn't figure this out until the 15th, so I two putted for my first bogey.
The second had an elevated tee with the fairway sloping to the street on the right. A drive and a slice put me by the RSPCA where I met a nice person holding my ball , with a little ble dot on it. His blue car was parked nearby. So I shanked my next shot, chipped close and tapped in for double... Lost a ball on 7 but got a natural par with a good second (4th) to the green. Eight was the out hole and stopped for some food and paired up with two others for the remainder of the round.
One, an Australian dentist who reminded me of Andy (barber, golf partner of me/dad) (he kept stepping in my line), mentioned that his father had invented the boxer's mouthpiece. The other, from Finland, was an export/import buyer finishing up a tour which included rounds in Cape Town, Bombay, Bangkok and Sydney. They figured out I was on R&R, asked where I was from and the Aussie had lived in Portland's Hollywood district in the late 1930s..
The rest of the way I played good golf except for 11 and 17. Eighteen was a terror. It was about like 2 at Rose City (elevated tee and green combined with 4 at Eastmoreland (dogleg left around hill). I hit for distance off the tee into a 20mph headwind but rolled my wrists and got a banana ball through the trees onto the first fairway at the 190 yard line. With trees the rest of the way to the hail O tried an Arnold Palmer shot with a built in slice,. Unfortunately I connected and hit a ball which cleared the hill (40' high) by ten yards and kept climbing. I found the ball about 75-100 yards past the (elevated) pitched through the green and down the hill. Back on the green and a well earned bogey.
Since then Moore Park has been extensively remodeled. It even included a drawing of the 18th with shot-track I didn't know any difference between American and British balls. Seven years later I persuaded my father to take a real international outing, this time to Scotland.
. My R&R was to feel like I was back home, so golf, bowling (last game was 220 with two open frames), deep sea fishing were on the menu along with other activities. Afterwards we repaired across the street to a local pub.