Highlites of the Year

[ed_getka]

Seeing Prairie Dunes for the first time.

KP IV and putting faces with a bunch more GCA'ers. PGA West (not as hard as I thought it would be) and Stone Eagle were interesting. PGA West has SO much ground movement shaped into it, I almost got seasick.

Fantastic trip to Illinois/Wisconsin to see Olympia Fields, Lawsonia, and Briarwood.

Final trip of the year to Michigan with the usual suspects plus Greywalls (Mike D is a genius to figure out how to get a golf course on that property) and Angels Crossing is an absolute must see for any lover of golf course architecture and what the future of golf could be. Jim Thompson seems to have such a great approach, from the $ numbers to how the course can accomodate beginners.

Hosting James Bennett and Mark Chalfant at our humble abode during their travels.

[Lloyd_Cole]

Not a busy year for golf - music business and bad knee didn't help.. but was it really this January I visited Valderama, Sotogrande and San Roque? It seems longer... If you are willing to take a chance - January in S Spain can be lovely - we had barely a drop of rain and I was fortunate to extend my winning strek against Mr Donegan, the current Guardian golf correspondent and our old bassist.  Valderama and Sotogrande are both worth travelling to see and I'm getting to be a bit of an RTJ fan. Who'd have thunk it?
Played #2 courtesy of a private function in April which was lovely as I'm not sure I could write the check for what they're asking these days. Most enjoyable to play the year after walking the course courtesy of Mr Disher and then watching the televison.
Friend from CA dragged me out to see Wintonbury Hills and I was quite taken by it - well done Brad. But the cart golf ethic there was a little depressing, not great for walkers - they didn't think to give as cards or pin sheets as these were already on the carts that we weren't riding..
Bethpage Red was a first and a great course to score well when you're topping every other shot.. bump and run available more than you'd expect.. but driving down from MA, playing and having a curry in Jackson Heights almost had me asleep at the wheel on the way home. I had forgotten about those 6 hr rounds..
At home I have pretty much decided to join Wycoff (the old Mount Tom Ross course - I will endeavour to find out what is remaining of original design) pending this bloody knee surgery. It is a charming place and, Cary - if you're reading , or anyone else - please visit and I'll show you a clubhouse I like. With a cute course to go with it.
All year I was saving myself for the Buda Cup, using it a carrot to get me through the preceding months. I wish I could have saved some golf.. I was a little trepidatious meeting folk whose avatars and opinions were all I knew. I met some folk I expect to see a bunch more of, and no-one that I will be avoiding. How good is that?? Extraordinary good fortune. Thanks gentlemen.

[Tim Bert]

June - I took the ultimate bachelor trip with my two best golfing buddies (GCA'er Alan Gard and non GCA'er Jason McOlgan) to Nebraska and Colorado.  We played Highlands in Lincoln, Wild Horse, Sand Hills, and Ballyneal.  The trip and the courses were as good as it gets!  Jason and Alan were both married this summer.  Here's hoping their wives are only half as accommodating as mine has been for the past seven years when it comes to golf!  Here's also hoping that my wife is only a quarter as accommodating as she's been thus far once our second son arrives in March.  (It's unfathomable, but she's still open to Bandon visit #3 in June 2007 and Scotland visit #1 in 2008.)

June - I had the pleasure of meeting Gene Greco at Sand Hills.  Gene was gracious enough to take a few minutes from his dinner guests to chat GCA with an intruder.

July - I had the honor of playing with Mike Hendren at the very course where Mr. Huntley reportedly begged for access!    For me, this was the feel-good round of the year.  

July - I had the opportunity to play the Yale Course, which was a real treat.  It's definitely a course where I can see the benefit of multiple rounds, so I look forward to making my way back up there in the future.

The summer months were definitely the highlights for me!  All in all, it has been an outstanding year for golf (though one of the worst for my handicap.)

[Bob Jenkins]

My biggest highlight was finding this website and then being able to participate. Love this place  and look forward to "peeking in" to see what is happening each day. Through this I was invited to Aldarra by Sean Leary which was a treat and also had the pleasure of meeting young Borat, ie. Jordan. We were able to play Sahalee a week later. It is great to see a young man with that kind of enthusiasm.

As for golf, it was hard to beat 4 days at Bandon last April and looking forward to it again for the third year. It is truly a special place.

Got to Mesa Verde in Southern California, (never mentioned but a good course) played in the Sahalee invitational and became a member at Predator Ridge, near Vernon BC, a favourite.

Finally, I have always been a slow learner but after playing this game since I was a kid, reading about it, watching great golf, disdaining instruction which I thought would only mess me up, I finally feel like I have grown up and all of the knowledge I have gained over the years has finally sunk in! I am playing smart golf, in tempo, thinking of course management, all those things I have always known about but did not appreciate until now. Handicap is down and enjoying it more. I am 59 years old and have finally started learning.

All of that gives me a great feeling about the year to come and I am working out to stay loose so the ages do not take it away too quickly!  

Therefore, good year and really looking forward to '07.

Would love to organize a get together of GCAers in the North West and suppose the Seattle area would be the most accessible for those from Portland area and up here near Vancouver and over in Victoria. For those in this part of the world, if we can organize something in Victoria or say in or around Seattle, we could have a gas. Alternative would be in the Okanagan Valley. Jordan, lets get working on it!

[Andrew Balakshin]

My biggest highlight was finding this website and then being able to participate. Love this place  and look forward to "peeking in" to see what is happening each day. Through this I was invited to Aldarra by Sean Leary which was a treat and also had the pleasure of meeting young Borat, ie. Jordan. We were able to play Sahalee a week later. It is great to see a young man with that kind of enthusiasm.

As for golf, it was hard to beat 4 days at Bandon last April and looking forward to it again for the third year. It is truly a special place.

Got to Mesa Verde in Southern California, (never mentioned but a good course) played in the Sahalee invitational and became a member at Predator Ridge, near Vernon BC, a favourite.

Finally, I have always been a slow learner but after playing this game since I was a kid, reading about it, watching great golf, disdaining instruction which I thought would only mess me up, I finally feel like I have grown up and all of the knowledge I have gained over the years has finally sunk in! I am playing smart golf, in tempo, thinking of course management, all those things I have always known about but did not appreciate until now. Handicap is down and enjoying it more. I am 59 years old and have finally started learning.

All of that gives me a great feeling about the year to come and I am working out to stay loose so the ages do not take it away too quickly!  

Therefore, good year and really looking forward to '07.

Would love to organize a get together of GCAers in the North West and suppose the Seattle area would be the most accessible for those from Portland area and up here near Vancouver and over in Victoria. For those in this part of the world, if we can organize something in Victoria or say in or around Seattle, we could have a gas. Alternative would be in the Okanagan Valley. Jordan, lets get working on it!

Count me in!

[RJ_Daley]

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!  

Jay (Adso), see what happened to one poor devil that was falsely accused and evidence was planted on him.  Do you remember that the victim's hands were blackened?  Were those blackened fingers from exposure to asphalt, do you think?

William B and his posse have more investigative work to do, despite that e-mail I sent you earlier tonight.  I think the Memphis barrator speaks with tongue in cheek, and bourbon on breath.  The excited utterance only gives cover to the real rogue. The scoundrel is still loose, and the hounds are still barking along the trail, heading to Illiana.

Regards,
BilloBville

[Mark Pearce]

Joining this site.

Playing Hoylake the Wednesday after the Open, with the stands still up.

Playing Seaton Carew with the club secretary.

Playing the Berkshire in June, the day before the Berkshire Trophy - firm, fast, narrower than usual and the best greens I played this year.

Best of all?  Playing with my 10 year old son and his Godfather at Huntercombe and taking 8 shots between us to play the par 3 15th - Cameron had the 2, the first of (hopefully) many birdies he'll get in his life.

[Jon Earl]

Finding this site.

Knocking 5 shots off my handicap.

Playing the Addington for the 1st time as a reasonable golfer and enjoying every minute.

Taking my 4 year old son to the practice green and range at my club for the 1st time and watching him hit balls and putts.

Playing the best 9 holes of my life during a recent trip to Portugal – the front 9 at Vila Sol.

On the same trip, birdying the final hole of the holiday – the 18th at Vilamoura Old.

My 2 brothers and I playing a round together for the 1st time.

[ForkaB]

This is always a fun ritual, which puts perspective on your life and on this site.

As usual I played a lot more than I felt I did.  About 50 rounds on 18 courses, 11 of which were old favorites and 7 of which were new to me.  Played with GCA'ers on 7 of the 18 courses.  Another great Buda Cup at Hoylake/Wallasey.  Thianks again, Philip.  All of the 18 courses I would very happily play again.  4 of my 7 new courses were 9-holers (Olympic-Cliffs, St. Olaf's-Cruden Bay, Old Musselburgh, and Bridge of Allan).  Why oh why are there so few great new 9-holers today?  No negatives, on any round I can think of--what a lucky boy am I!  Particularly special highlights (sic) include:

--seeing the faces of my two mostly non-golf playing daughters (13 and 9) when they hit a good shot
--getting in 15 rounds at Dornoch (most in about 15 years), and mostly with family and very good freinds
--seeing Lundin Links and Pitreavie and Elie and Dornoch at peak fast and firm conditions in the summer, with tournament pins
--Il Picciolo GC on the slopes of Mt. Etna--excellent design and stunning beauty

And the best, there's still 6 weeks to go!

[Mark Pearce]

Rich's mention of Elie this summer reminds me of one I forgot.  Playing in a midweek medal there as a temporary member with a former club champion, then off 4, and beating him off scratch, shooting 76 nett 63 and only coming second in the medal!  A great morning's golf with two partners I'd never met before but both perfect gentlemen, warm, windy and sunny conditions.  What golf is all about.

[Craig Sweet]

Switching our fairway mowing pattern to two stripe...working with a group of guys that had the courage to cut some nasty pin locations every now and then....the privilage of working with a hilarious bunch of people....including a superintendent that will have you on the floor laughing everyday...

Playing Brian Curley's Canyon River....skipping our expensive to enter/6 hour rounds, Club Championship and telling the general manager/head pro that I didn't have the money, nor the time to waste on it....our maintinence department league team finishing third in the Wednesday night league....discovering two balls BETTER than a ProV1...Bridgestone 330S and the Sirixon UR-S....knocking 3 strokes off my handicap (now an ....nearly driving the 11th hole, a 375 yard par 4 during league (firm and fast baby!)....making at least a birdie on every hole but #9 this season...making new friends at the course and expanding the group of regulars that I play with....Sunday mornings after work hanging out on the practice tee hitting balls and talking golf with these new friends...working and working on my short game and seeing actual improvement...buying a Titliest spin milled wedge and making it work for me...draining nearly every putt I had in the MCC Member-Guest Invitational and still not winning a damn thing...watching one of the maintinence workers enter the Montana Open's long drive contest with a driver we built in the shop...an old Big Bertha head on a nearly 6 foot long shaft with a pink Winn grip....he could barely swing it, but managed to knock it about 280 yards....and lastly...finishing the season on a high note playing some real good golf in October...

[Jay Flemma]

Brother William:

You are absolutely right!  I stand corrected, it was McConkey you sent to the stake, not barney...of course we didn't know who McConkey was:)

I guess that sucks for those five Spirituals of Provence michael of casena had to turn over to Bill McBride for persecution.  Oh well, sucks to be them:)

Somewhere, Jorge is laughing...actually LAUGHING...with yellowish slime drooling down his chin.

Ubertino

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

My what a year it has been. It started with a wonderful New Years Day round with Bill McBride and a week of golf in the Destin area. There were so many visits and rounds of golf with  you guys. That is really at the top of the list. There were numerous rounds at Olympic Lake, Cypress and MPCC as well as getting to visit with Jim at the Meadow Club, playing there and at Mayacama. A special weekend at Mountain Lake was to be treasured as well as becoming friends with many new golfers at Champions. A week in georgia including Athens Cc, Cuscowilla and more with those beautiful holes which make up ANGC to love and admire. what special greens!! I met Ran and enjoyed golf and dinner with him. It help me understand why this web site is so very special. Ran has a passion for golf architecture and thirst for knowledge that puts him in a special category of people I have had the pleasure of meeting. Sadly i was in a near death state after the rounds in Palm Springs and did not have my better braincells in action that day. lol Weekends in Tuscon and Palm Springs were just great and a week in Oregon at Bandon Dunes and Astoria have to become an annual event. Return visits to Olympic and meeting many special people there as well as time with Wendy, Todd and that wild trojan Gib. It was great to share Steve Katz  birthday with him. A special summer trip to Goodaleland with dinner, drinks and golf. The alwasy special time in St andrews including golf with more golf at Crail, Ganton and Woodhall Spa. The year is so full of great moments but anytime one can include a major first like Shinny and 72 holes at NGLA. One must say 2006 will always be one of the best if not the best years ever. Yet it is not over, the handicap is going down and I can see improverment each month that goes by. I have gained alot this year in the world of architecture and you guys are much of the reason. Thank each of you, Happy Thanksgiving and a healthy, happy and prosperous holiday season and 2007. I hope our paths will continue to cross in the coming years. Tiger

[Scott Szabo]

1.  Making many new friends on this site, and getting to        learn  a thing or two from all of you regarding golf course architecture.

2.  Introducing my eight-year old daughter to the game we all love so much, only to get tagged on the putting green with a line drive while she was "learning" to chip with a full swing (I think my ribs are still sore from that one).

3.  Getting a second visit to the mighty Sand Hills (does the wind ever blow there?).  

4.  Winning the lottery for Masters practice round tickets, which will be my first visit to the hallowed grounds.

5.  Shooting rounds of 72-73-71-73-69 to win the annual "corn holer", a tournament that a few of us Coloradoans hold at Bayside, Wild Horse, Cross Creek and Heritage Hills.

6.  Playing Ballyneal and absolutely being in awe of the course that Mr. Doak and Company have built.  I never thought that something so beautiful would be so close to home.

[Rick Shefchik]

I think my highlight of the year so far was reading Mike Hendren's highlights of his year.

[Jim Thompson]

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!  

Jay (Adso), see what happened to one poor devil that was falsely accused and evidence was planted on him.  Do you remember that the victim's hands were blackened?  Were those blackened fingers from exposure to asphalt, do you think?

William B and his posse have more investigative work to do, despite that e-mail I sent you earlier tonight.  I think the Memphis barrator speaks with tongue in cheek, and bourbon on breath.  The excited utterance only gives cover to the real rogue. The scoundrel is still loose, and the hounds are still barking along the trail, heading to Illiana.

Regards,
BilloBville

Did you actually remeber this scene from "The Name of the Rose" or just stumble upon it?  If you recall this film from memory, you are going to get moved to front of the class RJ.  Young Adsel of Melk and brother William would be so proud!!

Cheers!

JT

[Tom Huckaby]

Among my highlights will be witnessing how Jim changes the banner at the end of his posts after the whuppin' he sees his Irish receive Saturday night....

FIGHT ON

 

[Jim Franklin]

I am waiting to see Dan Taylor's highlights before I post mine. But playing with Huckaby is certainly at the top of my list.

[Bob_Huntley]

Tiger,

I bet you a dollar you can't read that paragraph without taking a breath!

 bob

[Tom Huckaby]

I am waiting to see Dan Taylor's highlights before I post mine. But playing with Huckaby is certainly at the top of my list.

Jim you are WAY WAY too kind.  I know most of where you've been.

 

That being said, our day at The Preserve was damn fun.

TH

[Adam Clayman]

Plus his fingers must've cramped. He's never written that much. Nice one Tiger. What a year! You deserved at least one and hoepfully many more.

[Tom Huckaby]

You have a wager with Gib?

Any chance to get in on the action?  I was going to propose such things for any and all Domers... but then the college football thread got deleted.

In any case, if ND wins, I expect something to the effect of:

MIRACLE OCCURS - LOS ANGELES HIT BY METEOR AND ENTIRE USC TEAM WIPED OUT - ND WINS VIA FORFEIT.

 

[Tom Huckaby]

Jim:

Interesting, I don't see any Ls getting changed to Ws after the fact no matter how much the Domers whine.  

As for action, please.  Money only cheapens this, and of course has far different meanings to different people on the scale of means.  That is, it would mean a hell of a lot for me to bet Mucci $100, the loss of which means my wife doesn't speak to me for several weeks... whereas for Mucci that means one less tip for the guy handing him a towel in the john.  Of course I have no clue what your situation in this regard is, but heck, again money is too hard to give proper meaning to.

No, what I would suggest is this:  for the entirety of next week, or a certain longer time to be negotiated, the loser prefaces each post here with:

I am deeply devoted to _______ (fill in the name of the winning school) an institution far superior to _____ (fill in name of losing school) in every way shape or form.  

Minimum 25 posts to be started in this manner.

So... how much faith do you have in Brady and the boys?

TH

[Tom Huckaby]

I am most definitely in for humiliating banner posting.

 

Methinks you had all Domers in your IM with the one addition I gave... oh and also add Tim Leahy....

On the USC side is really only Gib and me and Joel Stewart.

TH

[Mike Benham]

Since you guys are entering into a bet that essentially is a barter transaction, do note that one week of Huckaby posting is about 100 banner impressions (which does have a certain monetary value in the realm of internet advertising)