Several comments:
a) mission accomplished: Tommy is back posting. JakaB's "he'll be back within three days" proves to be right on. This thread proves its worth for this alone.
b) I'd kill to caddie for David W. in this "match", if it occurs, not that he needs my help, just that I'd love to be there. Interesting thing is, I WILL be in the area and playing golf Fri June 20 - seemingly 5 days too late - oh well... But just as fodder for the "raters get everything" take that seems to come up here from time to time, I won't be playing Rustic - I'm gonna be playing Moorpark CC. So close and yet so far... gotta do it for GD "best new" rating.
c) I never said I drove the green on 12 - I said I got close. I was short right - as I recall I had a pitch of 25 yards or so. How it got there I don't recall - I just remember it being not all that tremendous of a shot. In any case my take remains that that green is so wild, it doesn't matter where your 2nd comes in from, there's no signifcantly better or worse way. The regulars there likely can and will refute this, though I haven't read a good refutation of that yet... I still can't see how 80 yards back is gonna be better than right next to the green... but hey, I too hope to find this out more in person some day.
d) to me "interest" off the tee is required for greatness, "challenge" off the tee might not be (for the top echelon), taking into acccount what Mr. Lewis said re Pine Valley. Obviously that is a great course that doesn't - for him - hold challenge off the tee. I'd be surprised if it didn't hold his interest, however, one way or the other.
e) I am DAMN glad I have no working home computer and thus was out of this argument for three days!
TH