[Ronald Montesano]

- What brought you to golf?

Like most kids I got started in golf because of my father. I didn't understand the game but always thought all the cool clubs my dad had were neat. He played in lots of pro-ams so he had lots of cool staff bags with his name on them too, I guess like the average kid I was attracted to shiny things. I started taking lessons when I was about 10 and went from there, I still vividly remember the first golf tournament I ever really watched, the 93 Open at Baltusrol. To this day I'm still a Lee Janzen fan because of that.

Once I began playing I was almost instantly hooked, my first time on an 18 hole course was the par 66 Bear Creek Challenger Course in Houston, on 17 I holed out from 100 yards for par. It wasn't a great shot or anything, with God as my witness I hit it right, it bounced off the curb and rolled almost perfectly into the cup. Easy 4.


- What brought you to golf course architecture?

I don't recall one watershed moment that brought me to architecture, I loved the game and almost instinctively began doodling holes on my schoolwork. At the time we had a large backyard and I layed out a little course all playing to one green with a hole and stick. It wasn't good but I had my own version of the Road Hole which played over the edge of the patio and had a tomato garden over the green. As I began playing all over I was naturally attracted to why the designer put a bunker here or a mound there. Even if I didn't like the course I didn't think I could do better I just knew I'd do things differently.

- What brought you to golfclubatlas.com?

In 2006 I took a job as the assistant pro at Corsicana Country Club south of Dallas, Corsicana taught me a great deal because it has been one of the best clubs in Texas up until the 50's before the town's population went down. In 1917 Willie Lorimer designed the original 9. A few years later one of the club founders, H.R. Stroube, was on an ocean liner when he met a man named A.W. Tillinghast and they began talking golf. Tillinghast would come to Corsicana, build an additional 9 and renovate the Lorimer 9, in 1926 the new Corsicana Country Club would open. In many ways the club was and still is a time warp and very little of the original Tillinghast work has changed. I wanted to learn more about Tillinghast and people like him and that's when I contacted Ran, the rest is I suppose you could say history.

[Cory Lewis]

What is your favorite course and why? Show your work.

[Bill_McBride]

Who is longer off the tee, you or David McBride?

What did you think of Jerry Pate's Gulf Coast courses?  i.e. Kiva Dunes, Pensacola, The Preserve. 

[Sam Morrow]

What is your favorite course and why? Show your work.

How about favorite courses? I can't pin it down to one because tomorrow I might give you a different answer.

When I played Sand Hills I thought it was the perfect golf course, there was nothing I would change about the course, I think that technically means it has to be my favorite.

I want to say Prairie Dunes but some of the driving corridors seem to have been narrowed and look a little silly. I'm not sure a better set of greens could be built though.

Austin Golf Club is probably one of the more under the radar Coore and Crenshaw courses but it's wonderful. It has a simple, almost old world feel and if I had to pick one course in Texas to be a member that would be it. They also make a burger that rivals the one on Ben's Porch.

[Sam Morrow]

Who is longer off the tee, you or David McBride?

What did you think of Jerry Pate's Gulf Coast courses?  i.e. Kiva Dunes, Pensacola, The Preserve. 

David McBride is longer, he is actually sneaky long but quite the sandbagger. It should also be noted that per the texts he and I were exchanging yesterday he's become quite the napper.

As for Jerry Pate's Gulf Coast courses I'm a big fan. When I first played The Preserve a few years ago I enjoyed it but needed another go around last year to appreciate it more. Being a child of the Gulf Coast I feel like I've become an expert on what most consider bland golf. At The Preserve Pate built a good mixture of holes that were interesting but still flowed well. He is also good at building shortish par 4's that still have some potential for trouble it you stray. It's interesting that you would ask about The Preserve, when I mentioned playing Pensacola with Bill McBride Jerry looked at me with I look like, who? He also talked about GCA's quickest player of suffering from possible premature ejaculation. I bet Donald Ross never did that.

I never got to see the old Pensacola Country Club but the version I played in October was a treat, the course was a very nice walk and was tough but not a course that's going to kick your ass day in and day out. Couple that with very nice practice facilities and I think that adds up for the ideal members club.

Kiva Dunes was wonderful but seemed to have a bit of Pate's sadistic side. I enjoyed the course but it's got some crazy greens and some bunkers that I don't think I could climb out of let alone hit a ball out of.

It seems like Pate isn't obsessed with distance, he can build a short course which is still interesting, fun, and challenging. For those reasons right there I think he deserves more credit in the architectural community.

[Jason Topp]

As a pro, I am sure you have some suggestions to help people with their games.  What is your approach to using drop areas?



Could you explain the benefits of a closed stance?



What is it like to be in the fairway all of the time?



What tips do you have for posing for the press?


[/quote]

How does one maintain such intense concentration when playing 54 holes per day?

[Bill_McBride]

That's a very unusual sight, Jerry Pate not talking!

[Keith OHalloran]

What do you do to support your golf habit?

What was the most awkward moment at the 5th Major?

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Nice Sam short and to the point.

[Sam Morrow]

Jason,

  The key to the drop area is not to be there or take an illegal drop up next to the green.

  Now that I've lost the majority of that belly my stance is now super open, think a white Lee Trevino.

  If you hit it as short as me then you can't reach the rough. To tie this to GCA you don't see all the angles the architect has put down when you're in the center of the fairway.

 When posing suck your gut in and thrust your genitals out.

  It's tough to concentrate for 54 holes because you realize that if you didn't have to wait you could play 72. Of course after that round we went to Outback Steakhouse and Cory and I got in an argument over Whataburger.

[Sam Morrow]

What do you do to support your golf habit?

What was the most awkward moment at the 5th Major?

To support my golf habit I go further into debt and don't expect to be held accountable for it, I call it Obamaomics.

There were many awkward moments at 5th Major, I will try to highlight a few.

 Chris Johnston is a good hugger but doesn't seem to own real shoes.
 Eric Smith is a good kisser.
 Mac Plumart is awkwardly nice.
 Will Spivey wanted Tom Doak to sign his tits.
 At 2am Kavanaugh told me that he just wants GCA'ers to like him.

[Cory Lewis]

Of course after that round we went to Outback Steakhouse and Cory and I got in an argument over Whataburger.

I've still never been to a Whataburger, maybe I should have gone there when I was in Texas but In-N-Out was calling me.

This photo reminded me of a good question.  Are you always a big kiss ass when you meet architects for the first time?  I don't think anybody else could have told Jerry Pate how much they love so many of his courses in that short of a time!

[Eric Smith]

Did you ever have a Jacqueline Smith poster growing up?

[Keith OHalloran]

When you played in that foursome, did you get automatic GCA honors for being the only one in Trues?

[mike_beene]

My public school education makes me think that is actually a five some.

[mike_beene]

Your top 10 in the central time zone and top 10 in Texas?

[Keith OHalloran]

Mike, my experience in golf outings makes me think they only got to hit 1 shot with Pate. I doubt if Sam ever tells anyone he "played" with him.

[mike_beene]

I guess Pâté wouldn't look so relaxed if Sam was whipping and out talking him.

[Sam Morrow]

Of course after that round we went to Outback Steakhouse and Cory and I got in an argument over Whataburger.

I've still never been to a Whataburger, maybe I should have gone there when I was in Texas but In-N-Out was calling me.

This photo reminded me of a good question.  Are you always a big kiss ass when you meet architects for the first time?  I don't think anybody else could have told Jerry Pate how much they love so many of his courses in that short of a time!

I just kiss the asses of important people, maybe some day you'll understand.

[Sam Morrow]

Did you ever have a Jacqueline Smith poster growing up?

No but she's a fine piece, I'm to young. As a kid I think all the stuff I had on my wall was sports, Cowboys, Astros, Rockets. One side of the wall was golf stuff, I have the picture of Hogan at Merion and some other Hogan pictures. I didn't need pin-ups, I had a computer in my room, free porn is plentiful on the internet.

[Sam Morrow]

When you played in that foursome, did you get automatic GCA honors for being the only one in Trues?

Topp had worn his Trues the day before but the Trues got me 2 mulligans and a bowl of soup.

[Sam Morrow]

Mike, my experience in golf outings makes me think they only got to hit 1 shot with Pate. I doubt if Sam ever tells anyone he "played" with him.

Pate played 2 holes with us, he made fun of Cory so he sulked.

[Sam Morrow]

Your top 10 in the central time zone and top 10 in Texas?

Top 10 in the Central Time Zone (Only Going off what I've played). I got screwed up with the time zones in Nebraska so I think Sand Hills was in the mountain time zone, so was Dismal.

1. Prairie Dunes, I'd commented about it earlier in this thread.

2. Southern Hills, another Maxwell gem that gets less respect because it's in Tulsa. If it were in the northeast or west coast people would have a hard-on for it.

3. Dallas National, awesome place, check out Saltzman's picture thread on the first few pages.

4. Whispering Pines, this course is a couple of okay holes from being truly great.

5. Wild Horse, one of the coolest places I've ever been, it's tough to find a better deal.

6. Fallen Oak, Fazio did great work here and the course has a surprising amount of elevation change being so close to the water.

7. Austin Golf Club, see earlier in the thread.

8. Miramont, lots of people on this site don't like courses done by anyone named Jones but don't knock this place until you've tried it.

9. Colonial, just a great place steeped in tradition.

10. Pine Dunes, in the middle of East Texas BFE but worth a visit, along with Wild Horse one of the best deals ever.

Depending on my mood I could flip around these ranking a bit any day, I'm indecisive.


My Top 10 in Texas

1. Dallas National
2. Whispering Pines
3. Austin Golf Club
4. Miramont
5. Colonial
6. Pine Dunes
7. Carlton Woods- Fazio, very solid Fazio course. Many here don't care for his stuff but everything he does is very good.

8. Old American, this course is incredibly unique and is one that I think the average golfer wouldn't understand. With it's width and angles to utilize it's a GCA'ers wet dream.

9. Champions- Cypress Creek, I love the place as it was the first famous course I ever played, it's a great test but if it makes sense not a course that's necessarily fun to play day in and day out.

10. Dallas Athletic Club- Blue, a sleeper that's a solid course from start to finish with some very good holes, if it weren't in far East Dallas it would get more publicity.

Waterwood National and Pecan Valley would both be considered for my Top 10 if they were still around. To be fair I should list the Texas courses that I want to play because I think they might be in consideration for the top 10.

1. Brook Hollow
2. Shady Oaks
3. Vaquero
4. Spanish Oaks
5. Escondido
6. Briggs Ranch
7. Boot Ranch
8. Wolf Point
9. Max Mandel, purely on spec I have high hopes for this when it opens next year.

[mike_beene]

Guess I really need to get out to Old American.Agree on DAC Blue.Bet there is not a better country club deal in America than DAC

[Sam Morrow]

Guess I really need to get out to Old American.Agree on DAC Blue.Bet there is not a better country club deal in America than DAC

Get up there, it's not a bad drive from your house, I went right up Preston, it's worth the visit. I don't know what it costs to join DAC but I've heard it's cheap. It get's a knock from people for being in Mesquite but it's not that far from downtown, people act like it's Longview.

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