Highlites of the Year

[Sean_A]

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

[Jason Topp]

Reviewing the year, it becomes clear how much my family supports my golf and golf course habit.

On New Year’s Day, I met Phillip Gawith got lost, risked death by heat exhaustion and toured much of New South Wales to avoid an inferno in order to play nine holes at Newcastle.  By contrast, New South Wales was a tranquil experience, with dolphins, whales, pleasant temperatures and a light breeze.

I saw Southern Dunes and TPC Sawgrass with Pete Busckowski.

I ventured to California twice this year - once to play Rustic Canyon, Bighorn and StoneEagle while watching the Timberwolves get clobbered by the Clippers.  The other occasion was the Kings Putter, which seemed mild in temperature compared to Newcastle.  On that trip, I spent an enjoyable day with Jeff Formanczyk at Escena and the Reserve.

My family spent a week in Arizona, and I squeezed several rounds in before the first tee time at Rio Rico and returned home in time to wake up the family.

I played in New Mexico for the first time, really enjoyed Paa Ko Ridge, the beauty of the area and the weather.

It looks like I may squeeze one more round in this week and a final round when our family spends Christmas on Kauai.  I will be playing with a member of my club who will also be there and we will have our final match of the year in which we vigorously compete for one dollar.  

I played a fair amount of competitive golf this year, and while it was frustrating, I managed to break 80 in a stroke play tournament for the first time since college, although that accomplishment was soured by bogeying the last 4 holes to miss qualifying for our club’s match play championship flight. In one event, I played Golden Valley Country Club for the first time and loved the course despite an embarrassing round.

I did not compete in my club’s match play event because my wife expressed shock that I would even consider missing Labor day weekend on an island with the family in order to stay home alone in order to play in the “loser’s flight.”  After all of the golf traveling I did this year, I had to concede she had a point.  Thus, I got to experience the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto and explain the unique cultural experience of Fire Island to the kids.

A memorable year

[Tom Huckaby]

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?

 

[John Kavanaugh]

Trying to keep this as a highlight and not a regurgitation..I've got to say that the French Lick renovation is the one architectural event that exceeded my expectations by an amount worthy of mention.

The Golfclubatlas highlight of the year was the recent thread on female favorites which I hope is a first step towards more female participation...We need to take greater strides in this area by starting more interesting threads drawing in the participation of our wives, friends and daughters while condemning the continued use of female avitars with hate messages attached.

[Jay Flemma]

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.

[Garland Bayley]

Astoria Country Club

Want to know more? Read Brad Klein's Rough Mediations.

Or visit
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=26002
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=26512
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=26542

[Eric Franzen]

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

[Tom Huckaby]

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

 
Eric, I must say that was a highlight for me as well.  It's only too bad that occurred before I procured my new fave shirt, the 2006-07 model with my new man... ROSICKY.

Not to take this too far off track, but you might like this pic of my 8 year old boys' team from this fall.

[John_Cullum]

Good job on the sponsor.

[Bill_McBride]

That is if I can convince any of these GCA bums to get off their arses!

Or as you might say in England, get these GCA asses off their bums!

I remain extremely impressed by Beau Desert.  Those are an amazing set of greens, particularly the 18th!    Enormous, with steep slopes and the cut in bunker, it is a terrific finisher right there in front of the clubhouse.

The spirit of Bobby Jones still hangs around Hoylake and Wallasey, doesn't it, with the original oil paintings of him in the clubhouses?  I just finished reading "The Slam" by Curt Sampson, who gives a lot of detail about the 1930 Open Championship, where Jones really beat the pros.  The golf courses haven't changed a bit except for the numbering at Hoylake and the mutilation of old #17 and old #7 which Ran so detests.

[bakerg]

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.

[Tony_Muldoon]

New GCA friends this year include:

Sean Arble,  James Bennett, Chris Kane, Brent Hutto, Craig Disher, Bill and Bobbie Dow,  Brian and Marilyn Izatt,  Alfie Ward, Padraig Dooley, all the Buda cup crew (just those I played with will include) Bill (Littlestone), Bill and David McBride, Nick Leefe, Michael Whittaker, Ran, Alistair Beggs, Mark Bourgeois.

Pennard, Swinley Forrest, Bembridge, Deal, Addington, New Zealand, Worplesdon, Walton Heath x 2, Dornoch, Brora, North Berwick, Musselburgh Old (and Hickories), Sunningdale x 2, Hoylake, Wallasey. West Hill.

A special note to mention great thanks are due to Paul Thomas, Brian Ewan and Aidan Bradley.

The Amateur Championshiop final at RSG and the Ryder Cup.  

Apologies for anyone forgotten in such riches. My cup has indeed overflowed.
I just hope I can have so much fun in future years.

[Mike Hendren]

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

[Adam Clayman]

Post of the year!

[Bob_Huntley]

Mike,

Loved it.

Bob

[Tyler Kearns]

Highlights of 2006;

1. Spending much of the first half of summer on-site getting a 9-hole golf course built in Ontario. I learned alot, and really discovered how much more I enjoy being in the field than in the office. We discovered a few new things about the site, and made the necessary design decisions to produce a much better course. It can be an overwhelming experience being on-site and having to make important decisions regarding course construction, but this project gave me the confidence to look forward to next years workload without any hesitation.

2. Australia. A whirlwind tour exposed me to a new style of architecture and quite frankly, some of the best golf courses in the world (Royal Melbourne East & West, Kingston Heath, Peninsula County North & South, Yarra Yarra, Commonwealth, Barnbougle Dunes, Portsea, National Moonah, Victoria, Royal Adelaide, St. Andrews Beach, Woodlands, 13th Beach)

3. Meeting a number of GCA'ers; Mark Ferguson, Michael Clayton, Michael Cocking, Paul Daley, Ian Andrew, Chris Kane, Jeff Mingay and David Elvins.

4. Continuing to spend too much money on my Golf Course Architecture book collection.

TK

[Tommy Williamsen]

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.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Meeting up with Tom Williamsen, once again, for dinner in Washington.  Meeting up with Wayne Morrison, Tom Paul and the rest for dinner at Merion, after a buggy tour of Merion West with Wayne.  Dinner with Mike Sweeney, Jay, Paul etc....in New York.  Otherwise my golf highlight was a par on the 1st at Reddish Vale, after which I went downhill something orrible.  Meeting all those wonderful GCA frineds at Hoylake and Wallasey.  Trundling round Conwy, Bull Bay and Nefyn with Tom Dunne.  he played, I just walked.  How much less stressful it is!

[Ian Andrew]

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.

[Tom Huckaby]

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.

Gary - let's just say my team was unique in the league, all of our opponents having very standard uniforms.  The boys were "blessed" with a coach who is certifiably insane, and once told by a rival "there's no way you'll find real Arsenal uniforms at any decent price" made it his life's mission to prove him wrong.

 

[Mike Benham]

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?

[Brad Tufts]

Considering its Thanksgiving, I think I can summarize, as my next golf won't be until March or April....

February brought a quick weekend in LA to see Rustic Canyon, Hunter Ranch, and Palos Verdes GC with Ryan Simper..

March...the earliest i've ever played a round in Mass....a round at Atlantic in Plymouth on 3/11..

April.... an awesome 5 days in Bandon, with two old friends and one new one...8 rounds, sun, rain, wind, and hail and I can't wait to go back...also played a wet Glen Mills and Jeffersonville in PA..

May brought two nothing-but-cup (no bounces) eagles within 8 days, both with a sand wedge from over 75 yards... and my first look at Charles River...although it was the day after aeration..

June...a round at Bethpage Black, and a win in the Pickman Invitational best-ball at Myopia and Essex...

July...Met league matches at the Country Club and at Oakley CC, and my second Tedesco Club Championship Trophy (73-70-74)

August..visited the new Shelter Harbor in RI, and Eastward Ho!...as well as had a 36-hole day in 67-71-138 at the Ross 9-holer Greenock CC and Stiles' Wahconah in W. Mass.

Sept.. rounds in Vermont at Woodstock CC, Rutland CC, and Burlington CC, also a tournament round at Salem CC and another with friends at TPC Jasna Polana

Oct...a chance to see Winged Foot West on the first day of the month, an awesome long weekend on the Maine Coast with my brother (pictured on GCA) over Columbus Day, and capped off by a best ball gross score of 61 with a partner at the Norfolk Co. 2-ball at President's GC.  (I had a 71, he had a 64 on his own ball!!)

Nov....only 3 rounds, but some great mild weather and some hopes next year will be drier!!

On tap for 2007....

Trip to Ireland for 8 days in late June (Dublin and N. Ireland)
Trip to Monterey for a long weekend in September
Potential trip early in the year to either SF, KPV, Myrtle or Tampa
And several weekends here or there...RI, perhaps a Union Cup?

[Jay Flemma]

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!!!

[Bill_McBride]

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!!!

Not Barney, but McConkey!  

[cary lichtenstein]

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