[Ran Morrissett]

... under Architecture Timeline and Courses by Country.

Catching the 20 minute eight seater plane from Carmelo back to Buenos Aires, random thoughts raced through my massive, brooding, intellect of a mind including:

1) Carmelo might be the neatest resort at which I’ve ever stayed - my wife (a non-golfer, like her husband some say  ) actually wants to return there with the kids for spring break next year.

2) Is Ben that bad a golfer? Or am I just so intimidating to play with that it is only a matter of time before my opponent’s game collapses?

3) I am going to seek out Kelly Blake Moran’s courses when I get back to the States.

4) I hope the case of wine in the suitcase from the nearby vineyard of Narbona doesn’t break, especially as I packed the bottles in my wife’s suitcase just in case they do. Her laid-back Australian humor will be tested if even just one bottle of red breaks all over her clothes.

5) American born and now South America based architect Randy Thompson is a rock star in South America – I can’t wait to post our Feature Interview with him to help open people's eyes as to the neat stuff going on in golf course design throughout South America.

6) Images of Randy's, Ben's and my walk of Mar del Plata Golf Club the morning prior in Argentina. Here we are 400 kilometers from Buenos Aires walking around a course where nine of its holes opened in 1897. The view up the eighteenth fairway is past a nine foot deep sleeper-lined bunker that would be at home at Brancaster. Past the green is the clubhouse which – I kid you not – reminds me more of the R&A than any clubhouse I’ve ever seen.

7) I also hope a bottle of white doesn’t open on my wife’s clothes – its autumn in South America and she’ll be cold going out that night in a wet dress.

Those of you lucky enough to have played some of Kelly’s courses – do the photos in the Four Seasons Carmelo course profile remind you of his work in the States? Which is your favorite course of his?

Cheers,

[Jeff_Lewis]

I know that there are many here who say we can't learn anything from pictures.  Unless they are taken by Ran, that is.  Nice job.

Based on these pics and the ones posted previously of Laurel Links, I definitely have an interest in checking out all the KBM golf I can find.

[Mike Sweeney]

My list of Kelly's courses so far:

1. Hawk Pointe in NJ - really lovely farm setting in rolling country, houses only touch on the last 2-3 holes.

2. Lederach - that was a really fun 17 hole course with the 1 blow up hole.

3. Laurel Links - my guess is this will vault to #1 after seeing the pictures. That Super has done a great job from the early conditions that I saw. Literally a different course in presentation.

4. Morgan Hill - As debated with Redanman, great work by Kelly on a bad piece of property.

5. Doral - This was back in his Von Hagge days, so it is very molded.

6. Calverton Links - low key take the kids with you type of course near the North Fork of Long Island. He only did 9 holes of the 18.

[redanman]

I am going to seek out Kelly Blake Moran’s courses when I get back to the States.

Why haven't you before?  Did you think we were blowing smoke?

Glad you enjoyed his work, let me know when you play Hawk Pointe, Lederach or Morgan Hill.

[RT]

Let us know about this tannat wine too!

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

The pace of Carmelo -really Uruguay in general - was blissfully slow. The resort and golf course were one of the most relaxing times I have had a golf resort (when I could block out Ran's self-adulation and the sound of Randy's patented hurricane swing).

I am glad the images turned out as well as they did, I think they really give a sense of what the golfer is faced with.

Although South America is not as golf rich as the northern hemisphere, it is worthwhile noting that Carmelo has been thought of several times in the top five on the continent.

I hope that Kelly will chime in with some stories, because he had a few great ones from the project.

RT,
The wine was delightful, unique. The vineyard also had a lovely selection of cheese, which they made. I think it would be a place that might enjoy.

[Mike Sweeney]

Here is a good reason to go back and see a course after it grows in:

Laurel Links #5 during season 1



Laurel Links #5 now

[Wayne_Kozun]

A Thompson in South America - he should change his name to Stanley and say that he built a few courses in Brazil in the '30s.

Ben - homemade cheese reminds me of the Borat movie.

[Thomas_Brown]

well written - 4,000 rounds / year

[Greg Tallman]

Appreciate the review.

I will likely get there sometime in the next year as we are due for a visit to the wife's homeland. There are courses closer to her family in the capital of Montevideo but after talking with her we decided this is a no brainer for a weekend away from the city.

Browsing the website and seeing the prices which are rather cheap makes it all the more attractive for one who is "in the neighborhood"

Ran - were most of the guests from Argentina?

[Bill_McBride]

Browsing the website and seeing the prices which are rather cheap makes it all the more attractive for one who is "in the neighborhood"

$220 US per day per person, single or double, including unlimited golf.  Not a bad deal at all.

[John_Conley]

The Hideout in Naples is great fun.  Definitely worth checking out if you are in seek of his stuff.

[mike_beene]

Quick.The panama canal is due south of what US city?

[Mark Bourgeois]

miami?

[mike_beene]

I believe Charleston SC,but you are close.The point is that Ran and Ben are a lot farther East than most people think.

[Buck Wolter]

Got this email today and thought of this recent profile -- sounds like a pretty intriguing country. Anybody heard of Punta Carretas Golf Club?

Improve your Spanish While Keeping Fit in Uruguay
International Living Postcards--your daily escape
http://www.internationalliving.com

Monday, June 11, 2007
Montevideo, Uruguay
Dear International Living Reader,

It’s a crisp, bright fall morning in Montevideo and I have just returned from a swim at my local pool, having cycled the two miles each way through quiet, leafy residential streets.

The twenty-five meter, crystal-clear pool was bathed in sunlight streaming through the wall-sized windows.  Three lanes were completely empty, and the other three had been combined for a water aerobics class which was just starting. I joined in with about two dozen sprightly ladies and a couple of men for some serious early morning exercise.


Seize the Opportunity to be Part of a True First-World Lifestyle and Experience One of the World’s Lowest Costs of Living

There’s no country in the world like Uruguay, where you can find...

vast rolling pampas ranch land starting at less than $200 per acre…
antique homes in magnificent colonial cities for less than $100,000…
miles of pristine beaches with large homes for well under $200,000…
and…be eligible for a second passport.

If you’re even considering moving south of the border, where you can live better for less, then you owe it to yourself to take a look at Uruguay.

I joined the ACJ--Asociación Cristiana de Jovenes (Young Christian Association) where I have unlimited access to the pool for $35 a month (and no joining fee). For $45 a month, I could have unlimited access to all the club’s activities--machines, volleyball, karate, tango, choir, and many more.

There aren't many expats at the ACJ; permanent residents tend to be members of the Punta Carretas Golf Club where you pay a one-off joining fee of $6,700 (individual) or $10,000 (couple), plus a monthly membership fee of $90 (individual) or $150 (couple). This covers all activities. Apart from a top-quality 18-hole golf course, the club has both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool.

There is also the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club where the one-off joining fee is $2,500 (individual) or $3,100 (couple), plus a monthly membership fee of $75 (individual) or $130 (couple). The club has 22 top-quality tennis courts and an indoor and an outdoor pool.

The ACJ has two advantages for me besides the price; there are long stretches during the day where it is practically empty, and as there are few expats, I find my Spanish is improving--you will soon learn that brazos alternados means alternate arms and rodillas arriba means knees up.

Paola Fornari
For International Living

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