Topp's Travels 2011 - Updated in Post 220 - Cabo Coda

[Dan Kelly]

Something strange happened there.  I look like a Zombie.  

Talk about your hanging curveballs!

BTW: Kudos to your super. Green covers on: 11/8/2011. First snowflakes seen: 11/10/2011.

[Jason Topp]

It looks like my final rounds of the year were played at the Dixie Cup in Virginia.  I have attended one of the major GCA events every year that I have been a member of the discussion group.  These events are fantastic experiences and consistently feature a great group of people, interesting golf courses and reasonable prices.

This year’s Dixie club delivered on all three fronts.  While some of my experiences with the people will bear a separate discussion, the best part about this event was the thoughtful manner in which Lester George arranged for us to play four of his designs in four very different business settings.  Unfortunately, weather only allowed us to see three of the venues.  Weather forced us to miss Kanahwa, a private par three course that gets rave reviews.

Playing these courses on consecutive days allowed the group to experience the different design decisions Lester made in these different settings.  Many members of the group commented that it was amazing to see that the same person designed all three courses because the presented such different experiences.  As I will discuss when I get time, I also saw a lot of similarities in Lester’s approach in three very different settings.  For now, here are some pictures.

Ballyhack


Ballyhack is a national destination club with a limited local membership.  The design pushes the envelope of what the retail golfer could accept and strives to create a memorable experience in dramatic terrain.    These pictures were all taken from the 9th tee at Ballyhack where it is possible to see every green on the front nine except the 8th.  I wanted to give a sense of the terrain:

This picture shows, from left to right the 9th fairway and green, the 8th tee, the 6th green and the 7th green:
 

This picture focuses further to the right across the 8th fairway.  The two visible flags are from the 2nd and 4th greens.  To the left of the 2nd green you can see a portion of the 5th green in the distance and to the right you can see most of the green on the par three third.  The fairway to the right is the 4th.



Here is a shot of the massive double green on the back nine that serves both the par three 13th and the par 5 15th (taken from 14 tee):


Kinloch:

Kinloch strives to provide the best conditioned golf course and the best service anywhere.  The definition of the best conditioned golf course comes from Vinny Giles and includes a commitment to flawless and very fast green surfaces (they strive to have greens with stimpmeter readings in the 13-14 foot range).

I did not take pictures while playing at Kinloch because it was too wet and cold but I did snap these photos from the clubhouse while waiting for frost to melt and for Evan Fleisher to try and find his camera on the day after we played:

The bye hole and lake that impacts the finish of the course:



The short game practice area with the building that includes some indoor practice stalls and the front nine behind:


Providence

Providence is a daily fee course that Lester redesigned to take advantage of some additional land that became available to augment the course.  While waiting for the other groups to finish, I had the privilege of watching a special olympics group dressed in costumes organize and head out for an afternoon nine hole halloween event.  Providence is a wonderful golf course for any customer but the benefits of such a facility to a community were on full display that day.

A look backwards at the par four 3rd.  

[David Royer]

Jason, When do we get to see the picture of the door lock?  The pictures of Kinloch are first rate.  Care to share?

[Jason Topp]

Jason, When do we get to see the picture of the door lock?  The pictures of Kinloch are first rate.  Care to share?

Feel free to copy the pictures. I would have taken a picture of the door lock but of course my camera was locked up as well.

[Bill_McBride]

Jason, When do we get to see the picture of the door lock?  The pictures of Kinloch are first rate.  Care to share?

Feel free to copy the pictures. I would have taken a picture of the door lock but of course my camera was locked up as well.

I hope the hotel had the decency to comp your room!

[Jason Topp]

As this thread attests, I love to travel.  Inevitably if one travels, there will be challenges along the way.  

I’ve experienced many travel disasters over the years.  Some highlights:

Falling asleep in LAX waiting for a redeye to take off and waking up to see the jetway door shut.  The Attendant announced in a firm voice – “This Plane has left.”  He was not impressed by my argument that I could see it right outside the window.  Night spent in the airport.

Missing a connection in Memphis because the airline had two planes leaving at the same time for Minneapolis and I got on the wrong one.  Because of a convention in town I went from a luxurious New Orleans hotel to a Motel 8 in a bad Memphis neighborhood where the remote control was bolted to the nightstand.

Having the children refuse to go to the Sidney Fireworks on New Years eve because they preferred to spend the evening watching television.  They in particular wanted to see a commercial where the yellow M&M claimed it should be the color for Christmas because “Snow is yellow.”  When challenged on this point the yellow M&M claimed “It sometimes is.”

Hiding out from the conductor on a swiss train because my Wife’s 85 year old swiss grandmother talked us into saving a little bit of money by buying a ticket that only went to the neighboring town.  She sprung into action like James Bond as the conductor approached – telling Claire and I to pretend our infant daughter was sick and by moving around the train with our son.


This year, the Dixie Cup provided plenty of challenges.

–   I did my usual terrible job of packing.  I had one pair of long pants and three pairs of shorts.
 
–   Morgan Clawson helpfully brought along his GPS device.  The device was deceptive and Morgan needs glasses.  Twice the GPS announced we were at our destination when we were in some remote neighborhood.  We tried a shortcut to get to Ballyhack that involved waiting at a bunch of stoplights, driving in a circle, cutting through a hospital parking lot and then stopping to ask for directions.

–   The weather was awful.  The October snowstorm that pounded the East Coast rained on Virginia.  We experienced four seasons in three days – from sleet to rain to cold, to frost to a sunny bright day to finish.  It was warmer in Minneapolis.

–   During a rainy morning, I went downstairs to check with Bill McBride about the plans for the day.  After a pleasant chat, I returned to find out my key did not work.  The eventual diagnosis was that the batteries went out on the lock.  Unfortunately for me, to replace the batteries one needed a specialized screwdriver.  The only screwdriver was with the maintenance guy who had gotten off work at 5 am and was sound asleep.  Also unfortunately for me – all of my stuff was in my room.  Four hours later I finally was let back in after the super drove back and was delayed due to a traffic jam.

–   As I exited the hotel in a driving rainstorm to catch up to the group at Kinloch, the hotel super stopped me and said “I have one question.  What kind of golf tournament would be held on a day like this?”  I did not have a good answer for him so I chickened out and said “We are just having lunch.”

Despite these setbacks, the Dixie Cup was a big highlight for me.  The event had a wonderful collection of interesting people, strange people, old friends, new faces and organizers that both know what they are doing and get the details right to make for a unique experience.  

For this Dixie Cup, Lester George was extraordinarily generous with his time, spending evenings with us and driving around the course to tell us about his designs and get a sense of what we were experiencing.  I also suspect Lester had a lot of input into the course setups we experienced.  Ballyhack seemed to have pretty forgiving pins which makes sense on such a challenging course being experienced by first timers.  We played from varied tees that were playable for the group but challenging in many spots.  Kinloch and Providence both seemed specially set up as well to highlight the strategic choices that abound at each location.  Lester spent a long time praising the caddy green reading ability prior to our round at Kinloch, but our caddies got some reads wrong and explained that they never see pins in some of the spots we experienced.

The clubs went out of their way to make the experience memorable.  I loved the fire at Ballyhack (Sorry Roger) and it was a good thing I had a cabin that night after spending a bit too much time sitting next to Jamey at the bar.  Kinloch went above and beyond by allowing us to play their course on a day with heavy rain.  Providence gave us early morning weekend tee times – quite a sacrifice given their regular crowd was largely squeezed out by our group and a Special Olympics costume golf outing that played after us.  

Where the organizers left space in the schedule, others filled the gaps.  Evan Fleisher set up a terrific barbecue outing that was attended by nearly the entire group.  Mike Whitaker, Craig Disher, Morgan Clawson, Peter Pittock, Lou Duran and I had a wonderful dinner Sunday evening once we found a restaurant in Richmond that was open.  

My favorite things that happen on these trips are the goofy unexpected things.  

Joel Zuckerman seemed to be around for most such events.  He challenged a four-year old to a boxing match at the barbecue restaurant.  

He entered into a twenty minute negotiation with a young bartender at Kinloch over a pushup competition and got thoroughly beaten despite being spotted 26 pushups.

Mark Pritchett’s approach to negotiating pairings was as enjoyable as his announcement to the group.

I love being in the South on a college football Saturday.  I thought Vikings fans were nuts but Southerners live and die with every play.  I thought Whitaker was going to injure himself watching Clemson.

Fun things also happened on the course:

I spent 17 holes referring to Bruce Wellmon as “Hart.”  That mistake would not be so embarrassing except I had the scorecard and as captain I made the pairings.  It was reminiscent of me introducing myself to Joe Hancock 3 times at Palmetto.  Bruce showed his appreciation by killing me in our singles match.

I almost killed Mike Hamilton four times over two rounds – the most serious effort was a line drive shank with a full swing 7 iron over his head.  

I witnessed two miraculous hole-outs – one from 128 yards by Morgan for par and the other from about 190 by Lou Duran for eagle.

I found some interesting connections:

-   Jamey Bryan and I are members of the same fraternity
 
-   Jimmy Chandler and I played about 50 holes together at Kingsley a couple of years ago
  
-   I explained to Joel Zuckerman that I thought about creating a blog rather than write this thread but rejected the idea because “nobody reads blogs.”  I realized later that Joel has a blog.  Joel responded by asking “What kind of feedback are you getting on the thread?”  I said I had not gotten much.  Joel then left me hanging.  

If you have not been to one of these events do yourself a favor and figure out how to attend.  

[John Mayhugh]

Great summary of the Dixie Cup, Jason. Sorry I missed it.

Your travel stories are definitely entertaining.

[Bruce Wellmon]

I spent 17 holes referring to Bruce Wellmon as “Hart.”  That mistake would not be so embarrassing except I had the scorecard and as captain I made the pairings.  It was reminiscent of me introducing myself to Joe Hancock 3 times at Palmetto.  Bruce showed his appreciation by killing me in our singles match.

Imagine Jason's plight if he had witnessed the 2010 Dixie Cup 4 ball pairing at Mimosa of Hart Huffines and myself for the South team.
 

[Joel Zuckerman]

Joel Zuckerman seemed to be around for most such events.  He challenged a four-year old to a boxing match at the barbecue restaurant. 

He entered into a twenty minute negotiation with a young bartender at Kinloch over a pushup competition and got thoroughly beaten despite being spotted 26 pushups.


A few words of clarification counselor, so nobody gets the wrong idea:

Yes--the boxing match idea was legit, but considering the lad's father went about 6'6", 240, I figured getting the kid as a "welterweight" was my only hope..once he's 5 or 6, I'm toast!

Regarding the bar bet:  Lest anyone think I managed to wheeze my way through 7 or 8 pushups with trembling arms, and got bested by a strapping youth who machine-gunned 35, you are dead wrong!  I knocked out a legit 50 (at age 50 might I add) nary a pause, and after 5-6 pints.  How was I to know my opponent was a genetic freak and maniacal gym rat, who not only did 76, but did them with one foot atop the other!

[Dan Kelly]

   I explained to Joel Zuckerman that I thought about creating a blog rather than write this thread but rejected the idea because “nobody reads blogs.”  I realized later that Joel has a blog.  Joel responded by asking “What kind of feedback are you getting on the thread?”  I said I had not gotten much.

No offense taken, I'm sure!

Thanks for the entertainment.

Dan

P.S. Don't eat that yellow snow.

P.P.S. And as for blogs: Cf. http://www.newyorker.com/humor/issuecartoons/2011/09/26/cartoons_20110919#slide=6

[Jason Topp]

Regarding the bar bet:  Lest anyone think I managed to wheeze my way through 7 or 8 pushups with trembling arms, and got bested by a strapping youth who machine-gunned 35, you are dead wrong!  I knocked out a legit 50 (at age 50 might I add) nary a pause, and after 5-6 pints.  How was I to know my opponent was a genetic freak and maniacal gym rat, who not only did 76, but did them with one foot atop the other!

I knew Joel was in trouble when he tried to alter the contest to a headstand contest.  Worse - I knew that he knew.  Worse than that - the bartender knew that Joel knew.

[Eric Smith]

Thanks for the updated posts, Jason. The Dixie Cup run down proves that even golf in shit weather with a bunch of GCAers beats the hell out of the alternative. Cheers!

[Billsteele]

Jason-I would hate to see the bar tab for any fraternity that you and Jamey were in. 

[Jason Topp]

Given the opportunity to play three Lester George designs in three different settings, I thought I should actually spend a little time talking about his architecture.  Ballyhack, Kinloch and Providence are three very different golf courses but I found some similarities that I thought were interesting and unique. If anyone has pictures to illustrate this discussion I would appreciate them being posted. 

Similarities

1.    Green orientation and slope - More than other modern courses I have played, the green slopes require a particular angle to attack pins.  The penalty for approaching from the wrong angle is severe – one needs to dump the ball to the wide side of the green and face a very difficult two putt.

2.   Multiple options – often the courses provide bright line options rather than gradual – almost a hybrid of target and strategic golf in that one needs to make a decision as to the line he chooses but once that choice is made, the individual shot becomes a target shot.  Some examples I can recall:

Kinloch  (from Kinloch website)

2


9
 

11
 

15


Ballyhack: 6, 8, 15

Providence 4, 8,  10, 12, 18
 This approach forces the player to make a number of decisions but does not have the subtlety of a course with gradual changes in risks and rewards for gradual changes in the line one chooses.

3.   Forced carries –

Ballyhack has them in some form on nearly every hole with more significant carries on 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 14, 15 and 16
At Kinloch there are few forced carries but the player will give up nearly a full stroke by playing conservative
Providence features several but none are real significant unless one is playing from the back tee


4.   Unique contour to the greens.  I am not quite sure how to describe them other than a lot of convex lobes, with a number of backstops available to help the player.  I suspect that once one knows where to place the ball, iron play at these courses becomes much easier and and a blast to play.

Implementation varies considerably between the courses but the theme seemed similar to me:

 – Wild at Ballyhack
-   More muted at Kinloch but the muted contour is offset by the speed of the greens
-   More muted at Providence but significant enough to have a large impact on play 

5.   A number of change ups – where the common decision options one faces on a golf course are reversed:

a.   Layup yields better angle  – 15 at Ballyhack – the layup off the tee also provides a shorter shot;  9 at Kinloch – at least to the left side pin we played;
b.   Apparent safe option is not really more conservative than the apparent aggressive option.  Safer alternative is to hit it at the green - Kinoch
c.   Providence 7 – wide side of fairway is probably the only way to get the ball close – at least to the pin we played.

6.   Long distances from the 9th green to the 10th tee

I would guess there was at least a half mile between the 9th green and the 10th tee on each of these courses.  Such a distance makes perfect sense at Ballyhack given it was designed to be a cart golf course.  At Kinloch it probably is not a big deal because of the service the club provides – ensuring a ride will be available.  It hurts the course the most at Providence, as it serves to detract from walking – something I think a public facility should accommodate.

Based on one weekend’s exposure, I found Lester’s approach to design to be very engaging.  Kinloch is a world class golf course.  Ballyhack is a bold design that will be loved or hated by most.  The combination of severe slopes, the target nature of the fairways, the wild green contours and the firm and fast conditions will prove too difficult for many. It reminds me of Stoneeagle in that respect with the crucial difference being the amount of effective width and the penalty for going astray.  It will be interesting to see whether or not the course is ultimately embraced.  I hope it is.

Providence is simply and outstanding public golf course that anyone will enjoy.  Its nature is best reflected by the combination of a Special Olympian dressed in a clown costume excited to start a competition at the same time a tight Dixie cup match is being decided by a wedge that lands at the back of the 18th green and creeps backwards towards the hole.

[Jason Topp]

Lou Duran, Mike Hamilton, Van Renick (Director of Sales at Ballyhack and quite a partner), and me - trying to stay warm in the midst of a match and still confused about stroke allocation on the 9th hole:




Mike is about to have a near death experience due to my power shank on 9.

[Mike Hamilton]

I was fortunate enough at the Dixie Cup to join in two rounds of the the fun of Topp's Travels 2011...I had not met or played with Jason before and it was a great pleasure!

I think the best moment was when I saw Jason trudging up to the 7th tee at Kinloch in 38/39 degree weather in his rainsuit and Gilligan hat sipping a cold Coor's Light.  Truly an inspiring moment.

Just to get the record straight, although I witnessed Jason's power shank whiz past me on Ballyhack's ninth (a definite near miss), I watched it shoot about a foot over Lou's head.  Lou had his back to Jason, oblivious to the danger.  If he had been struck, I'm certain he would not have sunk his eagle second from 185 out 3 holes later....that would have been quite a tragedy!

[Jason Topp]

I have one more round ahead of me this year but thought I should wrap up this thread by saying thank you.

As I reflect, it is interesting to me where golf course architecture ranks in my memory bank.

While I love seeing new places, my strongest memories from the year are of the people I encountered.  I came up with 116 separate people that I played golf with in 2011.  

Weather comes second.  It was not the best year on that front.  I played in 31.6 degree weather with snow flurries and in 96 degree heat with a dew point of 82.  

The beauty of the places I visited comes third.  Some views that will linger:









Architecture rates somewhere below those items.


I learned the following while writing this thread:
1.    Writing is tough
2.   I hate taking pictures while playing golf
3.   I am not the fastest golfer around or even the second fastest – Cory Lewis and Sam Morrow both have me beat although I might be able to catch Sam walking.
4.   There are a lot of terrific people on the golf course
5.   If I am playing poorly I have the capability to injure others – didn’t happen but easily could have this year
6.   Golf courses cannot be wide enough to allow all to keep the ball in play
7.   Minnesota golf is terrific – for quality of golf course, I would rather play here than any destination I visited this year.
8.   Weather matters a lot.
9.   I suck at golf when I play a lot.  My golf marathons this year resulted in some really poor golf.
10.   I am very lucky to be married to someone that allows me to do all this stuff.

Thank you to those that organized trips, played golf with me, entertained me and tortured me along the way. Thanks to those in the industry that are struggling to keep alive a wonderful game despite the headwinds of a tough economy and changing recreational habits.  

Most of all, thank you to my wife Claire who not only allows me to pursue my passion for the game but encourages me to do so:


I hope everyone has a terrific holiday season and an enjoyable 2012.

[Sam Morrow]

I'm nimble for a fat guy.

[Lou_Duran]

I have one more round ahead of me this year but thought I should wrap up this thread by saying thank you.

While I love seeing new places, my strongest memories from the year are of the people I encountered.  I came up with 116 separate people that I played golf with in 2011. 

Most of all, thank you to my wife Claire who not only allows me to pursue my passion for the game but encourages me to do so:


I hope everyone has a terrific holiday season and an enjoyable 2012.

What Fazio course is in the background of your final picture?

On your second point, certainly you jest.  116 people?  You really counted?

The blessings of an enabling wife cannot be understated or overappreciated.

Thanks for taking the time to share your wonderful experiences and insights, and a very Merry Christmans and Happy New Year to you and yours as well.  We are blessed by your participation on the site and your company at the various events.  May 2012 be even better.

[Cory Lewis]

Jason,

Believe it or not Sam and I are going to be partners at The 5th Major. Can you imagine us playing against another team on the course?  I think the over/under for somebody taking a swing at one of us is probably the 8th hole.  Happy Holidays.  

[Sam Morrow]

Jason,

Believe it or not Sam and I are going to be partners at The 5th Major. Can you imagine us playing against another team on the course?  I think the over/under for somebody taking a swing at one of us is probably the 8th hole.  Happy Holidays.  

What the hell? People like me, it's not my fault that you're a dick.

[Cory Lewis]

Jason,

Believe it or not Sam and I are going to be partners at The 5th Major. Can you imagine us playing against another team on the course?  I think the over/under for somebody taking a swing at one of us is probably the 8th hole.  Happy Holidays.  

What the hell? People like me, it's not my fault that you're a dick.

I meant our pace of play genius.

[Sam Morrow]

Jason,

Believe it or not Sam and I are going to be partners at The 5th Major. Can you imagine us playing against another team on the course?  I think the over/under for somebody taking a swing at one of us is probably the 8th hole.  Happy Holidays.  

What the hell? People like me, it's not my fault that you're a dick.

I meant our pace of play genius.

You're very standoffish, I saw your post earlier.

[Jason Topp]

Jason,

Believe it or not Sam and I are going to be partners at The 5th Major. Can you imagine us playing against another team on the course?  I think the over/under for somebody taking a swing at one of us is probably the 8th hole.  Happy Holidays.  

What the hell? People like me, it's not my fault that you're a dick.

I meant our pace of play genius.

You're very standoffish, I saw your post earlier.

It is this sort of enlightened discourse that has made the year a pleasure. 

[PCCraig]

Thanks for your thread this year Jason, it's been fun following. Looking forward to the 2012 edition