GCA "Blank Stares"

[Scott Warren]

This actually reminds me, when I was in Inverness, Scotland, recently, the restaurant we went to served Black Isle Brewery beers. The porter was delicious, but I've not seen there beers before or since. Am I missing them somewhere obvious?

[Garland Bayley]

Bill Coore

[Kalen Braley]

This actually reminds me, when I was in Inverness, Scotland, recently, the restaurant we went to served Black Isle Brewery beers. The porter was delicious, but I've not seen there beers before or since. Am I missing them somewhere obvious?

Scott,

They are still around..probably just mostly serve the local market.

Here is the brewery:

http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers//black-isle/1149/

And this is likely what you sampled:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/black-isle-organic-porter/16268/

[Brent Carlson]

Kalen,

Is it possible to buy real beer in a grocery store?  Or is it still 3.2?  I heard it changed for the better.

This actually reminds me, when I was in Inverness, Scotland, recently, the restaurant we went to served Black Isle Brewery beers. The porter was delicious, but I've not seen there beers before or since. Am I missing them somewhere obvious?

Scott,

They are still around..probably just mostly serve the local market.

Here is the brewery:

http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers//black-isle/1149/

And this is likely what you sampled:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/black-isle-organic-porter/16268/

[Jack_Marr]

I'd drink Guinness when in a pub. I have heard that you get the best Guinness in places where it is consumed a lot, so it's always moving in the pipes. Also, the double pour is just a tradition at this stage. It's not necessary at all because the composition of the beer has changed since the early days when each pour was from a different keg with a more sour stout in it.

We don't get many of the great American beers readily over here, but we have access to a lot of the great European ones. Personally, I love Augustiner Helles, a Munich beer.

I don't know enough about the English ales, but will have to try some more.

Has anyone tried a Lambic?

[Adam Clayman]

For all the blank stares when you do come across someone who instinctively understands core principles makes all the BS (blank stares) worth all the inquisition.

[Adam Clayman]

Oh yeah. My favorite BS is at the counter when I ask "who designed this place?"

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen,

Is it possible to buy real beer in a grocery store?  Or is it still 3.2?  I heard it changed for the better.

This actually reminds me, when I was in Inverness, Scotland, recently, the restaurant we went to served Black Isle Brewery beers. The porter was delicious, but I've not seen there beers before or since. Am I missing them somewhere obvious?

Scott,

They are still around..probably just mostly serve the local market.

Here is the brewery:

http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers//black-isle/1149/

And this is likely what you sampled:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/black-isle-organic-porter/16268/

Brent,

You can buy beer in the grocery store here in Utah for any beer that doesn't exceed 4.0 ABV (Alcholol By Volume, or 3.2 ABW Alch. By Weight, its the same thing).  So usually I do all my beer shopping at the State Run Liquor Stores where they have the higher ABV beers.  But then again, Utah really sucks for its beer scene.  Living anywhere else on the west coast is much better due to Utah's restrictions. As an analogy San Diego (beer-wise) is like living on Long Island or Monterey and having access to all the courses...its that good!!   

Jack,

I've tried a handful of Lambics and found them to be perhaps the most polarizing beer style out there.  People generally either really love or really hate them.  That being said I like the top notch ones, but would rather drink a budweiser over the so-so/worse ones which can be awful.

[archie_struthers]

 

how about "false front"

[Kalen Braley]

how about "false front"

They'd be quickly turning thier heads to and fro and asking "where...where is she?"   

[archie_struthers]

 


Kalen.....you get it!

[Anthony Gray]

  Correction......Garland puts ice in his red wine.

   Anthony

[Bill Brightly]

All the "playing with guys from the internet" comments reminds me of the time I am driving with a buddy to play Saucon Valley and he asks me who our 4th is...I tell him some guy from the internet who lives in California. Now the guy I'm driving with is an FBI agent and he flips out a little...tells me a few internet horror stories, and asks if its OK if he brings his piece!

By the way, the internet guy was Jed Peters, and we did not have to shoot him.

[Jim Colton]

All the "playing with guys from the internet" comments reminds me of the time I am driving with a buddy to play Saucon Valley and he asks me who our 4th is...I tell him some guy from the internet who lives in California. Now the guy I'm driving with is an FBI agent and he flips out a little...tells me a few internet horror stories, and asks if its OK if he brings his piece!

By the way, the internet guy was Jed Peters, and we did not have to shoot him.

It sounds like we have a subject for the next GCA parody, "To catch an Access Whore"

[Garland Bayley]

  Correction......Garland puts ice in his red wine.

   Anthony

Never mind Anthony. When he officiated the GRUDGE MATCH, I found a bottle of little blue pills in his car and mixed in some valium and alleve. Now he is totally confused, but he doesn't care anymore.

[jonathan_becker]

I came across this thread in the search engine and in honor of all the guys at Bandon right now, I though I would give this a bump considering I've recently received 2 blank stares regarding Bandon (my first trip is in november).

#1 - A month ago, a guy that works for my dad was asking me about where I'm playing golf this year.  Now this guy belongs to a private club and has been to pebble, pinehurst, and sawgrass (among others), so he's no dummy.  However, I tell him I'm going to Bandon this fall and he says, "Bandon??.....is that the place up in the woods in California?"   

#2 - Last monday, I'm playing golf with a guy that works in the pro shop and he loves researching all types of courses.  I tell him I'm going to Bandon thinking that he knows exactly what I'm talking about and he says, "What is that? Some conference for work?.....Oh, you mean a golf destination?  I have no clue what Bandon is." 

Oh well !!

[Eric Smith]

Jonathan,

Your stories ring true I imagine all over the country, even with hard core golfers, even those in the golf business.  My old roommate was an assistant PGA professional at the Biltmore down in Miami a few years ago and I remember asking him if I planned our next annual get together to be at Bandon Dunes would he make the trip.  I got that blank stare this thread is referencing.  He'd honestly never heard of it, yet he'd played Oakmont, played in Hawaii, up and down the east coast but I guess he never took the time to open up a Links Magazine there in the pro shop.

[Steve Lang]

  There's also a partial derivative that can come from your favorite ground game course reference..

 ms sheila mentioned to me last night when debriefing from an interclub tourney she played in yesterday.. faced with an interferring tree on an approach shot, she played "A BANDON SHOT", hooding a hybrid and punch/rolling it 100 yards onto the green avoiding side traps that two competitors ended up in on their approaches from the fairway.. and couldn't get out of very well.

it was previously play a "Ballyneal Shot,"  which few in our circles really knopw about leaving them blank

[John Chilver-Stainer]

The blankest stare I've received with a strong hint of disgust came on crashing the bar at Barton-on-Sea G.C. (a links course on the South Coast of England with great views across to the Isle of Wight but with a horrendous re-do of the 18th  hole) after stepping off a flight to Bournemouth having been away from the UK for about 6 months.

Seeing some cricket on the box I wandered over with my guinness and asked the assembled crowd of retired army, navy and airforce officers………..

………. “How many overs left?”..................

visibly shocked faces gave me the blank stare treatment and a cold “no response” shoulder.

Instantly ostracised and mystifed I sat down to watch and eventually realised it was an Ashes Test match.

So it just goes to show the smug connoisseur is not restricted to GCA.

[Norbert P]

  "I play with 9 golf clubs". 

   Any of various famous and timeless quotes by Sir Richard Goodale or Dan King.

  "You might think twice about using your Driver on this Par 4/5."

  "Playing short of this green gives any easy bogey."

  "BP has a new plan for stopping the oil leak." 

   "Lahinch"


   Any time I begin singing.  Usually the blues.

[Michael Taylor]

This happened the other day.

Other guy: Hey, what's that Cypress Point Club ball marker?
Me: Ahh, it's one of the best golf courses in the world, it's on the Monterey Peninsula.
Other guy: That in the US?
Me: Yeah.
Other guy: Can't be any good cause I haven't heard of it, and it doesn't even host PGA Tour events...

...

How people haven't heard of these courses is beyond me. 

[PThomas]

I came across this thread in the search engine and in honor of all the guys at Bandon right now, I though I would give this a bump considering I've recently received 2 blank stares regarding Bandon (my first trip is in november).

#1 - A month ago, a guy that works for my dad was asking me about where I'm playing golf this year.  Now this guy belongs to a private club and has been to pebble, pinehurst, and sawgrass (among others), so he's no dummy.  However, I tell him I'm going to Bandon this fall and he says, "Bandon??.....is that the place up in the woods in California?"   

#2 - Last monday, I'm playing golf with a guy that works in the pro shop and he loves researching all types of courses.  I tell him I'm going to Bandon thinking that he knows exactly what I'm talking about and he says, "What is that? Some conference for work?.....Oh, you mean a golf destination?  I have no clue what Bandon is." 

Oh well !!

its really hard to believe that people like the above never even heard of it Jonathan.......a guy in the industry and (one thinks) an avid golfer....

[billb]

This is a very interesting and thought provoking thread.

But what it really comes down to, IMO, is a question of golf as art versus golf as a game.

Some definitions:

game (noun) - a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators.

art (noun) - the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

life (noun) - a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul.

Golf as life?

[Keith Buntrock]

In Kentucky this Spring with my college team, we were dining at a national chain. The young lady behind the counter noticed we were wearing team shirts and hats. She asked what "U-W-P" was. We tell her its the University of Wisconsin - Parkside and that it is located a half hour south of Milwaukee.

Her response: "Milwaukee, Kentucky?"

[Matthew Mollica]

Speaking with my three playing partners on Thursday, and one mentioned Pine Valley.
Fair to say one of our 4 had never heard of the place.

I suggested the course was designed primarily by George Crump, with lots of others assisting.

The 4th of our group asked - "Is he a relative of Donald?"

To which I replied - "It's Crump, not Trump."   

MM