I was fortunate enough to play the Addington and Swinley for the first time in many a year.  I was very impressed with Addington even though there was that dreaded hole which I can't abide by.  Still, most courses need this type of contoversy.  Addington surely is Gestalt Golf.  I was less impressed with Swinley, but still would love to be a member there.  Despite my relative disappointment, Swinley wins the coolest club award this year.  

I had return visits after a short layoff to Hoylake, Huntercombe, St. Enodoc, North Wales and Conwy.  My opinion of the first three mentioned are elevated, but none more so than St. Enodoc.  I gave short attention to some of the holes at the far end of the course and I was wrong.  There is some excellent stuff over there and I now think St. Enodoc is one of the very best courses in GB&I and is the winner for best course I have played this year.  The biggest disappointment has to be Conwy.  The course has slowly become more and more penal with rough and the addition of bunkering.  I would like to see loads of the damn things filled in and the rough cut.

I saw Praia Del Rey, Delamere Forest, Sutton Coldfield, Swansea Bay, Wallasey and Castletown for the first time this year.  I was most impressed by the latter two nearly equally.  I prefer Castletown ever so slightly because of the rugged nature and surrounds of the course.  Its my kind of golf - simple and true to the roots of the game.  Its a pity the course is going to be developed into more of a destination with a spruced up hotel.  This group of courses also contains the biggest surprise course of the year - Swansea Bay.  Wonderful variety of terrain with loads of interesting features.  All for the right price and the club has a great attitude - just pay and play.  

I remained aquainted with old friends such as Burnham, Pennard, Kington and Beau Desert.  My admiration for all of these wonderful courses continues to grow.  None more so than Beau Desert.  I don't know why I didn't see greatness in this course before because it surely is.  I give Beau Desert the medal for most improved (in my mind!) course played this year.  

I did replay a load of littleuns here and there.  The ones which really stuck out are Enville and The Worcestershire.  I need to play the Worcestershire more often because I am starting to see cool stuff there I never noticed before.  Of course, the cool stuff is nearly all the remaining Dr. Mac work.  

I am still hoping to get one last game in at a worthy club - Worplesdon.  That is if I can convince any of these GCA bums to get off their arses!

Ciao

Guys, this is great stuff.. but unless I time-warped or something, the calender says NOVEMBER 21.  The year is FAR from over... I'm going to play more golf in December than the months of Sep-Oct-Nov combined.  So can we revisit this thread arouind December 28 or so?

 

Arizona with Brian Silva and Bowling for Soup...

Black Mesa in a snowstorm with Eddie Peck...

The Rawls course in march in a 45 mph gale!

Bulls Bay every time!

Pradera every time!

North dakota for three spartan but adventurous days (go after memorial day!)

Hanging with Keeves, redanman, mayday and the gang at Yale...

covering the open and seeing Phil's crash from right on top of it..

Friar's Head!  Thank you, You know who!!!!

balllyneal with the CO/Neb crew...and the BFS show with Engh golf.  Watching Jim and his son mosh with each other in the "family box" during "The Last Rock Show" at the concert.  That was a moment in time I'll never forget:)  So was eddie peck's first hole in one - also the first ever recorded at Ballyneal, which was witnessed by Adam Clayman who recorded the second hole in one at Ballyneal:)

Mike Whitaker, Jason, Mike C, Brother William, Bernard Gui (that's you McBride...talk to Dick about that) the Hermanns and the whole Dixie Cup gang - but no more "7/27" we might as well play bingo or tiddly-winks:)

Getting emails from RJ addressed to "Ubertino of Casale" and signed "Brother William of Baskerville"

and finally My new driver which means I am playing like my old self again!  Get ready for a great 2007!  And a blessed holiday season to all.

Watching Tom Huckaby drink beer, sporting a Reyes shirt at the Beer Trap in Palm Springs.

Good job on the sponsor.

Boy has life changed.  When I was a kid playing soccer all we got were hand me down uniforms.  They also had some enormous patch from the school on them.  

Huck, your kids look like they are going head to head with Beckham.  

I am impressed.

In the spirit of those wonderful Christmas letters:  

I’ve had a fantastic year.

In January our garage caught on fire.  Turns out it was the giant stack of unsold GCA 5th anniversary posters designed by Forrest Richardson that fueled the blaze.

In February I finally got the opportunity to play Augusta National Golf Club.  The first day my caddie Cemetary noticed my BBGE bag tag and his face immediately lit up.  “So you know Mr. Kavanaugh?  Tell him I said hello since he hasn’t been down here in a couple of weeks.”

In March, Robert Halmi and I submitted our co-authored manuscript to our editor.  The tentative title:  “You Too Can Shoot 85.”  

In April I had the distinct pleasure of visiting the Tufts Archives in Pinehurst.  I was astonished to learn that Donald Ross is purely fictitious and that all of his outstanding courses were actually designed by William Flynn and his lesser courses were merely built by a “bunch of farmers.”

In May I had the good fortunate to visit Long Island.  Among the highlights was spitting on the grave of C. B. Macdonald for being such a poor sport about losing what was really the first U. S. Amateur.  Despite staying in a Holiday Inn Express the previous night, I did not record a par at Shinnecock.  

In June I received a phone call from Bob Huntley who indicated he would be in town later that month and inquired as to whether we could play a round at Vanderbilt Legends Club.  I was astonished at this blatant request and in no uncertain terms reminded him that the purpose of Golfclubatlas.com is not access and that it is not my responsibility to host every Tom, Dick or Harry that makes a pilgrimage to Nashville.

In July I was invited to join a GCA group for a trip to Bandon Dunes in February of next year.  After being added to the e-mail list and reading the volume and content of the good-natured “banter” between the group members, I was placed on probation by my employer and asked to move out of the house by my wife.  

In August I had the good fortune of dining with Sean Leary in Seattle.  He had Jordan Wall in tow with one of those kid-leashes you occasionally see a strung out mom use at the mall.  Jordan was sporting a pink “Tumble Creek Sucks” tee-shirt.  Both his pants and hat were on backwards.  

In September I drove from Denver to Holyoke to join Adam Clayman at Ballyneal.  Regrettably, I had so much fun fish-tailing the rental car on the gravel roads that I drove right by the entrance until I was pulled over by the sheriff just as the sun was setting.

In October I pulled this wicked prank on R. J. Daley by pretending to be a member of Yeamans Hall and inviting him and his fellow cheeseheads for a round golf there during Dixie Cup III.  

In November the Hillbilly Tour experienced a new low when Dale McCallon and I dined together in Nashville and he ordered the Mongolian pork chop and I opted for a Sierra Nevada instead of Budweiser, not that there’s anything wrong with that.

I cannot wait until tomorrow, because I get better looking every day.

Cheers.

Mike

Mike,

Loved it.

Bob

I spent two weeks in England this past srping and played with Sean Arble and Mark Rowlinson.  Mark had set up about fourteen courses to play.  I had the honor to play with either the ass't pro or the captain of the club.  It couldn't have been nicer. I played a record 36 holes a day for ten days in a row. and a total of 24 different courses.  Of those I played the highlights were St Enodoc, St. George's Hill, Swinley Forest, Delamere Forest, Westward Ho! and Prestbury.  England's second tier or if you will lower first tier courses are exemplary.  
Nonetheless, the greatest highlight was playing golf with my son at his club on the morning of his wedding.  The last shot he hit, was a nine iron to two inches.  It was the last shot, because I gave him the putt.

While I played golf in Scotland and had a lot of fun at a few very fine courses in the US too. Nothing compared to opening the doors on my new buiness and finding out that people wanted to hire me. You just never know for sure till you put yourself out there. But the true highlight was being recommended for work by a couple of architects that I really respect, I didn't expect that sort of support and I'm greatful to all three.

In July I was invited to join a GCA group for a trip to Bandon Dunes in February of next year.  After being added to the e-mail list and reading the volume and content of the good-natured “banter” between the group members, I was placed on probation by my employer and asked to move out of the house by my wife.  

Are you trying to say thank you?

In October I pulled this wicked prank on R. J. Daley by pretending to be a member of Yeamans Hall and inviting him and his fellow cheeseheads for a round golf there during Dixie Cup III.  


Cheers.

Mike

So it was you!  Do you have any idea how much he cursed Barney!  he hung Barney from the yardarm, had him hanged drawn and quartered and tied to wild wolverines...three times a day!!!

Bette and I played almost 100 new courses this year, made lots of new friends, racked up miles on every airline, hotel and rental car company.

Bette is pleading Uncle for next year, so we'll cut it down to 50