What cities have a better "grand slam" of clubs than Minny-St. Paul?

[Jay Flemma]

I can't judge other cities against that fine quartet of courses, but I'd be willing to guess that most (if not all) posters who vote for some other city have not played Interlachen, Hazeltine, White Bear Yacht Club and Minikahda.

(The Twin Cities has a pretty deep bench, too, with Somerset, Oak Ridge, Minneapolis Golf Club and Woodhill.)

I have played them all except White Bear. NYC wins, Philly wins, Chicago wins, Colombus wins, but that takes nothing away from the Twin Cities. All of those are fantastic, and anyone here would certainly enjoy playing them. I can't wait to get back there next July. It is certainly like splitting hairs.

Does columbus really beat minny?

Morgan, my winner was WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR!!!!!

Melvyn, I should have said, USA.

Yes, I shouldn't have omitted Bandon from the discussion.

[Jed Peters]

Last time I looked (last week) the sign reads:

City of Monterey.

Any questions?

Gib, what great classic courses are in monterey?

I know of only one in the City of Monterey, and that's good, not great.

[JohnV]

Ok, Jed, lets try the zip code 93953.

Pick any zip code in the country with more great courses than that one.

[Shane Wright]

I can't judge other cities against that fine quartet of courses, but I'd be willing to guess that most (if not all) posters who vote for some other city have not played Interlachen, Hazeltine, White Bear Yacht Club and Minikahda.

(The Twin Cities has a pretty deep bench, too, with Somerset, Oak Ridge, Minneapolis Golf Club and Woodhill.)

I have played them all except White Bear. NYC wins, Philly wins, Chicago wins, Colombus wins, but that takes nothing away from the Twin Cities. All of those are fantastic, and anyone here would certainly enjoy playing them. I can't wait to get back there next July. It is certainly like splitting hairs.

Does columbus really beat minny?

Morgan, my winner was WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR!!!!!

Melvyn, I should have said, USA.

Yes, I shouldn't have omitted Bandon from the discussion.

Jay, when are we going to get a breakdown of pictures of WHITE BEAR??  and course description???

[Jed Peters]

Ok, Jed, lets try the zip code 93953.

Pick any zip code in the country with more great courses than that one.

11968

[Jay Flemma]

I can't judge other cities against that fine quartet of courses, but I'd be willing to guess that most (if not all) posters who vote for some other city have not played Interlachen, Hazeltine, White Bear Yacht Club and Minikahda.

(The Twin Cities has a pretty deep bench, too, with Somerset, Oak Ridge, Minneapolis Golf Club and Woodhill.)

I have played them all except White Bear. NYC wins, Philly wins, Chicago wins, Colombus wins, but that takes nothing away from the Twin Cities. All of those are fantastic, and anyone here would certainly enjoy playing them. I can't wait to get back there next July. It is certainly like splitting hairs.

Does columbus really beat minny?

Morgan, my winner was WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR, WHITE BEAR!!!!!

Melvyn, I should have said, USA.

Yes, I shouldn't have omitted Bandon from the discussion.

Jay, when are we going to get a breakdown of pictures of WHITE BEAR??  and course description???

I need a few days.  but I will do one.

[Rick Shefchik]

John:

Way off topic -- have you ever heard of, or played, the golf course in Spooner, WI, on the road to Superior? Also designed by Tom Vardon.

Phil, I have been to Spooner but have not played the golf course.  I have a rather prodigious (impressive is not the right word as my wife and mom would say 'stupid') scorecard collection.  My dad would pull into a golf course anywhere we saw one and I'd grab a card.  I'm pretty sure I have a Spooner card at mom's house in a box that she recently asked me if she could toss.

Have you played it?  Any good?

I have not; Spooner is a hike, and I usually don't get up to Superior all that often. I was looking through some regional travel brochures, and I think the club advertised that it was designed by Tom Vardon.

Keep it up, guys -- if Tom Vardon ever develops some cache on this site, I might actually get somebody like Jay Flemma e-mailing me for access to my home course, Stillwater Country Club. The first nine holes at Stillwater were designed by Mr. Vardon in 1924. (Vardon was the club pro for 50 years at White Bear Yacht Club -- just down Highway 96 a few miles from Stillwater.)

Vardon also designed the University of Minnesota course, though it is often mistakenly credited to Raynor (who designed Midland Hills, across the street from the U. of M. course.)

And I've never played Spooner, but it is now on the agenda.

[Phil McDade]

Rick:

Ironically, I have played one of Harry Vardon's few designs -- Kingussie, in Scotland. Fun course with a great clubhouse.

[Paul Richards]

Chicago kicks its butt, for one example.

[Rick Shefchik]

Rick:

Ironically, I have played one of Harry Vardon's few designs -- Kingussie, in Scotland. Fun course with a great clubhouse.

Phil, I'm beginning to suspect that Vardon was a little busier in golf course design than we know. I wonder if anyone has a list of his creations. It's beginning to look as though he was a go-to guy in the Minn.-Wis. area if you couldn't get a Raynor/Ross/Tillie type.

[Dan Kelly]

Keep it up, guys -- if Tom Vardon ever develops some cachet on this site, I might actually get somebody like Jay Flemma e-mailing me for access to my home course, Stillwater Country Club.

An impregnable pentagon in the offing?

(Vardon was the club pro for 50 years at White Bear Yacht Club....

According to the WBYC Web site, T. Vardon was golf pro at the club from 1916-1937.

Twenty years? Fifty years?

Close enough for golf historians!

[Jay Flemma]

for the record, I can NEVER remember emailing anyone on this site for access.  I have always been pleasantly surprised by a gracious invitation, but I've never approached anyone that I can recall. 

[Rick Shefchik]

Two mea culpas.

I thought I'd read that Vardon was at WBYC for 50 years, but I bow -- again -- to Dan's superior fact-checking.

And I apologize to you, Jay, for the implication that you might have e-mailed someone for access to a Twin Cities course. I was being facetious, but I shouldn't have joked about that.

[Jay Flemma]

Rick thank you, and I appreciate your apology.

For clarification, WBYC made a conscious decision to open its doors to many writers this weekend, not just myself.  Several of those in the media tent played it.

I got a pleasant surprise while seated at my desk at HazNat, someone from Interlachen came to my desk - actively seeking me out at a colleague's recommendation - and invited me at his own prompting to go to ICC.

As for minikahda, I was walking HazNat backwards late in the day and approached a lemonade stand on one hole.  The pleasant man in front of me, just started chatting with me, found out I was a writer and invited me to the club.

Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time.

Sometimes when you are sincerely nice to people, they do nice things back for you.

That's how i got to those courses.  I didn't ask.  I just tried to be "Minnesota nice" to people, and they were "Minnesota nice" to me.

While I have the floor on this topic, I'll take a moment to just say two more things, and forgive me for being laconic, but it's important to be clear:

This website is Ran Morrisett's North Star, his raison d'etre.  I respect that as much as I respect him.  I have never, and will never treat it as "Golf Club Access."

Also, (And I do NOT mean Rick on this one), rumors of my being a jerk are greatly, GREATLY exaggerated. So don't believe what you hear second hand from haters.

[Bill Gayne]

Bandon, Oregon

[Kalen Braley]

Hey Rick,

Can you send me that email addy in case I ever make it to Minnesota!!    

[Rick Shefchik]

Just click on the envelope icon, Kalen. Tom Vardon would be proud.