Highlight of 2008

[Ash Towe]

Patrick's thread on plans for next year got me thinking perhaps it was time to look back.
It does not have to be just about courses and architecture but it would be preferable.
I played the new Nicklaus signature course near Lake Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand in early January. It had only just opened, no cards etc available.  From the tips it is very difficult, from the next set of tees the course is 800 metres in total shorter and many of its features I found to be out of play.  This may be  one of the reasons this course polarises opinions.  Some do not like it but others enjoy the challenge.  I guess one has to pick the appropriate tees.  Going back soon and hopefully will be able to get a good second opinion.

In April my wife and I went to Queenstown in the South Island.  Played at Arrowtown.  What a joy this course was.  Played in hard and fast conditions in spectacular scenary.  Grant Saunders took some magnificent photos and did an anaysis on a thread on this track.
On the same trip played at Jacks Point.  Spectacular setting but perhaps a little underwhelming.

Its been a good year but I think 2009 will be somewhat better.  First trip to Bandon.

[Jay Flemma]

2008:  Covering the Travis at Garden City, it was so old school.  Charming and graceful.  Classy in every way.  Then covering the PGA at Oakland Hills, it really surprised me how great the terrain and greens were there.  Going to Augusta for the first time also.

2009:  Colonial, OKCGC, The Masters, being one of the home town journalists covering the Open this year, (my crash pad is my friends house on the 4th hole of the green), the Travis again, Colorado again.

[John Moore II]

My highlights would be playing a course for the first time with the designers: Park Ridge with Jeff Grossman and Roy Case. As far as courses in general, my biggest rounds were CCNC (Dogwood) and Forest Creek (North). Those are my highlights for the year. Not quite the year I hoped for.

[Anthony Gray]

  This year I returned to Cruden Bay and played North Berwick for the first time. I could kick myself for not playing it sooner.

  Anthony

[Kyle Henderson]

A banner year:

2008
Spanish Bay
Olympic (Lake)
Riviera
Pasatiempo
Ballyneal
Sand Hills
Dismal River
Spyglass
Victoria
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Trails
Bandon Dunes

2007
MPCC-Shore

2006
Black Mesa
Rustic Canyon

2005
Lakota Canyon
Tobacco Road
Tot Hill Farm

[Sean_A]

I don't really see that many new courses each year because I like getting back to old favourites too much.  

My two best new visits this year were MERION and ST GEORGES HILL.  Though SUNNY NEW and LEDERACH were a real joy and I was not in the least disappointed with HARBORNE and NEW ZEALAND.

The three biggest surprises had to be the CHANNEL course at BURNHAM & BERROW, TEMPLE and STRANDHILL.  None are knockout courses, but they have charm and a surprising number of very good holes - plus the price is right.  

Some crackers that I got to see again are PENNARD, ENNISCRONE (very impressed), ROSSES POINT (raised my opinion considerably), KINGTON (raised my opinion considerably), WOKING (often seen as 2nd tier heathland, but I think its top drawer), BEAU DESERT (need I say more?), NOTTS, CARNE and HARLECH (hugely impressed with the bunkering).

While not quite in the league of the above, I always look forward to playing MICHIGAN & HUNTERCOMBE.

I still look forward to FORMBY next week, a few more games at BURNHAM & BERROW and perhaps the odd surprise before Christmas.  

The biggest disappointment was ROLLING GREEN.  I didn't like the formulaic bunkering and I thought the course was too hilly - or at least the way many of the holes played seemed similar.  I would like to see it again as I wasn't in the best frame of mind    


Ciao

[Matt OBrien]

2008 was a good year but had a bad ending with a knee surgery. My last week was a good one as I spent a few days with some fellow gca'ers on Long Island. I cant say I have one course or one trip that stood out above the others because they were all good.
2008 included:

Pine Valley
Oakmont
Pacific Dunes
Bandon Dunes
Bandon Trails
Eugene CC
Huntingdon Valley
Atlantic City CC
Hidden Creek
Aronimink
Merion East
Shinny
NGLA
Rolling Green

I look foward to 2009 as I have a few goals..

[Deucie Bies]

My trip to CPC, Pebble, Spyglass and SFGC.

[hhuffines]

Finally playing a Doak and a Coore & Crenswhaw course at Bandon Dunes tops my
list for 2008.  Holding the green and making birdie at the 16th at Pac Dunes after 3
tries wasn't bad either...

Locally the Ross meeting at Cape Fear and the Halfway House at Mountaintop were
pretty damn good.

Hoping for England in '09 - Cheers.

[Jon Heise]

Lots of great courses played and great new friends made, but I've got one singular highlight:

My head pro telling me he could set a tee time for me and my friend up at Crystal Downs.  I was at work and was jumping around like a little girl at Christmas when I got the call.  Strange looks from everybody, but they got high-fives they may or may not have wanted anyway.  Awesome!


2009 could be very good...

[Nick Cauley]

5 days,  2500 miles and 5 golf courses

Ballyneal
Bayside
Sand Hills
Wildhorse
Prairie Dunes

Not to Bad!

[Michael Warren]

2008: High school Graduation and starting college plus a few rounds of golf in there

Pebble Beach
Spyglass
Spanish Bay
Cal Club
The Classic Club
PGA West (Stadium)


2009:

Pinehurst (not sure which ones I'll play, but definitely #2)
Tobacco Road
The Masters
Hopefully a few more

[Jim Colton]

2008 saw my number of rounds played go down by probably 70% and my handicap go from a 2 to a 9 or 10, but in many ways it was my best golfing year yet.  I played a bunch of great courses that I never thought I'd ever have the opportunity to play:  two trips to Ballyneal, rounds at Kingsley Club, Black Sheep.  Played Greywalls, Erin Hills for the first time.  And I witnessed an epic match between Jim and Jeff Tang at Arcadia Bluffs that we'll still be talking about when we're 90 years old.

[Matt Bosela]

It was going to be pretty much impossible to beat my 2007 experiences, which included rounds at Riviera and Oakmont, among others.

2008 Architectural Highlights:

I took a trip down south in April to the Ginn Hammock Beach Resort and played three rounds at The Ocean Course (Nicklaus) and four rounds at The Conservatory (Watson).  Both great experiences and the resort itself was quite spectacular.  Recommended for those who haven't made the trip.

I also played two Stanley Thompson gems for the first time in Brantford G&CC and Thornhill G&CC, both ranked in the Top 100 in Canada by ScoreGolf.  I also played Doug Carrick's Eagles Nest for the first time with GCA'er Robert Thompson, another top 100 in Canada.

Late in the summer, I got an invite to play Oviinbyrd, the relatively exclusive Thomas McBroom course in Muskoka and last but not least, played my first A.W. Tillinghast course in the autumn at Niagara Falls CC in Lewiston, NY.

Playing Highlights

I shot my lowest competitive score in my life, shooting a 69 to come up just one shy of my lifetime low of 68.  I also hit a scratch handicap for the first time in my life, getting my index down to a 0.3 at one point.  I also won my first stroke play tournament in about 20 years, winning an event on our local amateur tour.

I also qualified for the Ontario Mid-Amateur Championship for the first time in my first attempt, my first provincial championship since I was a junior.  I'd miss the cut and play horribly during the actual event but it was likely the biggest highlight of the year just getting there!

The biggest highlight of '08 was the birth of my first child, Evan Alexander.

Needless to say, 2008 will go down as the best in my 35 years of life.

[Patrick Kiser]

Lean year for me when compared to this crowd 

But ... I finally got in a round at Pebble.

Here's the cool part though.  I played it the day after that gnarly storm in early January.  So January 6th as I recall.

Not a soul on the course.  Just me, myself, and I ... plus a buddy and a twosome.  Very very cool to just be out there and have an isolated experience.  Big kudos to the ground crew for having the course in as good a shape as possible under the circumstances.  That stretch of 6-10 is just world class.

Then on top of that the NCGA special was hard to turn down.

The yearly Lompoc pilgrimage was great as usual.  It's all about the experience at La Purisima. 

Last but not least, seeing NorCal regain ultimate dominance at the KP was really fun despite my poor play.  I only wish I had stayed down for the festivities and experienced the event more fully.  Very neat to finally meet some of the forum members.  What better venue than the fully restored Pasatiempo...

And now it's looking like Gil Hanse's Soul Park is a definite for Christmas eve 

[Jeff_Stettner]

Taking a trip to Bend with my father was the overwhelming life highlight.

Cal Club was the overwhelming golf course architectural highlight.

[Chip Gaskins]

I have been very very lucky about the courses I have played in the past 12-18 months and I am very very thankful and humbled by my luck!  Its amazing what a few handwritten thank you notes and Geoff Shackelford book gifts will do for you if you are sincere!

[Patrick Kiser]

Ya Chip...  Many of us, myself included, have salivated over your rounds and pics this year.  Very nice indeed.  Thanks for sharing.

I have been very very lucky about the course I have played in the past 12-18 months and I am very very thankful and humbled by my luck!

[Bill Brightly]

First trip ever to Pinehurst! played all the Ross courses, a real treat. Played #2 twice, shot 80 from the Whites, 75 from the Blues, go figure...

CA trip #1, played Doak's Stone Eagle and then Torrey Pines.

NJ Courses: Hollywood, Ridgewood, Mountain Ridge and Baltustrol

CT: Stanwich

CA trip #2: Pebble, Spyglass and Spanish Bay ( At AB I used the Chivas cheater line on my drives hit every fairway for the first time in my life. Couldn'y wait to get back to NJ and hit evry fairway at home! Apparantly, that only works in CA...)

MD: Played in the CGA Beechtree farewell party. Great to meet some fellow gca'ers but sad to see a soon to be Doak NLE.

[Matt_Cohn]

My highlights were the 3 days I got to play golf. Of the courses I played, Peninsula was my favorite. Of the three.

Don't get injured. It sucks.

[Ian_L]

I have been very very lucky about the courses I have played in the past 12-18 months and I am very very thankful and humbled by my luck!  Its amazing what a few handwritten thank you notes and Geoff Shackelford book gifts will do for you if you are sincere!

Chip, as someone who doesn't have the opportunities some here do, it's really nice to see those who have the chance to play the great courses truly appreciate it.  Hopefully everybody with a great year can step back and think about his good fortune.  I hope sometime I will have these chances, but for now I'll enjoy the photo tours.

As for me, I'll be elated with my one and only highlight, going to Bandon for the first time in 5 loong days!

[Jordan Wall]

Ashe,

I love these threads at the end of each year.

For me, there are two real highlights.  First off was spending a day in Monterey with Bob and John, playing Spyglass and Pebble of course but certainly it would not have been the same without those two.  Two grea guys, and really it was good to meet all the people from hear.  Every person from this site was awesome to meet. Pieracci, dont keep your hopes up for a win next year..

Secondly, Bob and John again in September, and John's first time at Chambers.  Its almost a sappy gca love story but the truth is these two gents are awesome and I would rather play my nine hole muni with them then any great course by myself.

Courses aside, golf can be awesome anywhere with the right company.

Cheers to meeting more of you next year!!

Cheers,
Jordan

[Philip Spogard]

For me it was probably playing CARYA GOLF CLUB in Turkey for the first time - my first own design on behalf of Thomson Perrett & Lobb Golf Course Architects. (2 photos attached).

Besides that it was a good golfing year with rounds at Pebble Beach, Pasatiempo, Loch Lomond and The Castle Course as the highlights.

[Ally Mcintosh]

Philip,

Carya looks great... Well done...

My highlight is the continuation of the EIGCA diploma... learning things fast which I can hopefully put in to practice some day soon...

[Brad Tufts]

After a ridiculous 2007 that included 4 trips to CA and an Ireland week, I scaled back a bit for golf in 2008.

However, I was able to hit:

WW-Pine Barrens
Charles River
Pinehurst #2, #4, #8
Orchards (was a member briefly, March-Nov, decided against continuing)
Plymouth
Essex/Myopia/Concord/Salem (sort of every-year deals)
Wintonbury Hills
Grove Park
Tamarack-Osprey Meadows
Colorado GC
Four Mile Ranch (shot career-best 68, while finishing with two bogeys)
Red Sky-Norman
Ballyneal
Links @ Hiawatha
Cornell GC
Seven Oaks
CC of Troy
CC of Pittsfield
Beechtree
Atlantic City CC

However, the highlight of the year was undoubtedly my marriage, and subsequent two weeks in Como, Venice, Dubrovnik and Split!

Funny too that with all the doom and gloom about the effect of marriage on one's golf game, I've been sub-scratch for the longest time ever, about 5 months and counting.