[mike_beene]

The Dallas Sidney flight has to stop in Brisbane on the flight to Australia and evidently will until QANTAS gets a longer range 380 in a year or two. How much does this add to the flight?I still have trouble getting my mind around a 15 hour flight.How do you survive it if in coach?

[Kevin_Reilly]

How do you survive it if in coach?

Aisle or window seat, or better, a row with a couple of unoccupied seats that you can lay across.

[Mark Saltzman]

How do you survive it if in coach?

Aisle or window seat, or better, a row with a couple of unoccupied seats that you can lay across.

I paid extra to reserve an exit row seat. Well worth the money.

[Shane Gurnett]

Great to finally meet with Dick and Jo Anne and show them around Port Fairy GC this afternoon. Always a pleasure to talk golf, architecture, travel and baseball with another Brewers fan. 

Have fun in Tasmania over the next few days.

Shane.

[RJ_Daley]

Shane is now flying the colors of Brewers and Badgers.  I could kick myself that Ididn't leave time to play Port Fairy.  We are talking major hidden gem.  Shane gave us the cart ride tour and explained the program to clean out the scub bushes and trees that had invaded this truly coastal dunes -links land course.  It is located on the transition coastal dune from a wetland river alluvial plain feeding into the ocean.   While I've never been to Ireland or Sotland,  it looks as authentic as any dunes-links courses photos I have seen.  As a small community semi-private course, it seems like something Eddie Hackett might havelaid out.  It screamed authentic to me.  With Wild Horse fees and small community pride, I'm pretty sure this would be my choice for a homecourse.  Wind was strong, views of ocean as good as it gets, price is right, staff including committeemen collabotating with Mike Clayton to maintain a fesce FW low profile greens authentic links with rough management, firm and fast MM, tweaked routing, and it all adds up to major hidden gem winner.

[Mike_Clayton]

RJ

You went all the way to Port Fairy and didn't play?? It's a brilliant course - great fun and getting rid of the trees has made it so much better.

[RJ_Daley]

Mike,  congratulations on your work there.  I plead married to a non golf playing wife.  I just missed the boat on not having enough time on this one.  I loved the re-orientation of the par 3 that had the grass bunker on right side, to almost a 90degree new approach making the old bunker nearly a lion's mouth sort of false fronted beauty.

[Mike_Clayton]

It was amazing we had to do some convincing at 15 to have them make the tee behind the 14th green. It wasn't much of a choice - a 10 yard versus a 100 yard walk and a much better hole - not that the old one wasn't a good one. It was.  14-16 is a great run of holes but 14 and 16 were both lined with tee-tree on the right. Hard to imagine really.

Port Fairy is a nice town as well. It's a pity it is 3 hours away from Melbourne - or maybe that's why it is so unspoiled.

[Lou_Duran]

Peter, hanging upside down on an inversion table helped some. 

A lot, I hope.  And perhaps it rearranged some other things at the same time.  I've been going through my list of contacts to see if I could find a partner large enough to double as my body guard in case we're matched at the 5th Major.  Maybe now I won't need one.

I am glad that you were able to visit AUS.  It has been high on my list but I have the similar issue with a non-golfing wife who loves active travel and I lack the discipline to skip some courses that I've been dying to play.  As you are confirming, Ausies are some of the most hospitable, entertaining folks I've had the pleasure to meet (Canadians are a close second, and the Brits are right there too).  Living vicariously.  What fun!

The Dallas Sidney flight has to stop in Brisbane on the flight to Australia and evidently will until QANTAS gets a longer range 380 in a year or two. How much does this add to the flight?I still have trouble getting my mind around a 15 hour flight.How do you survive it if in coach?

When are we going?  You have an extra room at your place when we get back, right?

[Shane Gurnett]

Shane is now flying the colors of Brewers and Badgers.  I could kick myself that Ididn't leave time to play Port Fairy.  We are talking major hidden gem.  Shane gave us the cart ride tour and explained the program to clean out the scub bushes and trees that had invaded this truly coastal dunes -links land course.  It is located on the transition coastal dune from a wetland river alluvial plain feeding into the ocean.   While I've never been to Ireland or Sotland,  it looks as authentic as any dunes-links courses photos I have seen.  As a small community semi-private course, it seems like something Eddie Hackett might havelaid out.  It screamed authentic to me.  With Wild Horse fees and small community pride, I'm pretty sure this would be my choice for a homecourse.  Wind was strong, views of ocean as good as it gets, price is right, staff including committeemen collabotating with Mike Clayton to maintain a fesce FW low profile greens authentic links with rough management, firm and fast MM, tweaked routing, and it all adds up to major hidden gem winner.

Dick, excellent synopsis based on a very brief viewing!

Tee and second shot on 14


Par 3 15th

16th tee shot


Mike, I have no doubt that the 3 hr distance from Melbourne has been important in maintaining the simplicity and affordability of the Club. We are very spoilt playing there every week.

Shane

[Mike_Clayton]

Shane

A few country courses/clubs  have got into trouble by acting and hiring like city clubs. Nor is there the pressure of city maintenance standards - which is a good thing on a few levels.

[Matt Day]

How do you survive it if in coach?

Aisle or window seat, or better, a row with a couple of unoccupied seats that you can lay across.

I paid extra to reserve an exit row seat. Well worth the money.

that's the only way to do it, did Perth-Sydney-Dallas-Orlando in one go a few week ago and exit row was worth the money

[Mike_Clayton]

Matt,

Surely the worst possible flight in the world??

[jonathan_becker]

I think the key to make the flight as comfortable as possible is to get on the A380 route from Los Angeles to Melbourne.  The plane is so huge that there's more than enough space to get up and walk around and not feel coupled up.  

I thought the seats were comfortable enough in economy and I actually preferred the window seat.  I liked it because I could sleep and not worry about being disturbed by the others coming in and out of the row.  And if you can't sleep there are a million things to watch on the entertainment system.  

The next thing you know, there's only two hours left in the flight and they serve you breakfast.  When you land at 10 am and get off the plane it feels like a regular day.  Going home is a different story though!

I know you're enjoying yourself, RJ.  Australia is an amazing place.

[Matt Day]

Matt,

Surely the worst possible flight in the world??

Perth's a long way from anywhere Mike but that trip definitely hurt. I think it was around 30 hours from the time I left home to the time I got to the hotel in Orlando.

[RJ_Daley]

Lou, the way I look at it...we ain't gettin any younger.  Gotta go while we can still maginally hitth ball. 

In the same manner that I instantly evaluated Wild Horse the moment I drove in the gate,  I felt that way as soon as I walked up the dune ridge from the Port Faire GC and gazed around.   Real good golf for real small town folk.   It seems like the place to be as much as a fellow can schedule golf around everyday obligations.

Ireally think Mike's new angle into thepar 3, converting the former right side bunker to a gapping "lions mouth-false front is brilliant.

I'm distraught I didn't make enough time to play it.  I thought we had good wind at Kingston Heath, and it was.  Yesterday at PF was a seriousbreeze.   

[Mike Hendren]

I must confess fear for our friends Down Under.   Dick and I had a spirited game a few years back at Erin Hills.  I then followed him down twisting and turning Wisconsin back-roads to a hole in the wall restaurant.  It was all I could do to keep pace as Dick careened around corners in his late model Cadillac.   He might be a moon-shiner at heart.  Add driving on the "wrong" side of the road to his lead foot and one has a recipe for disaster. 

Not to mention the live snake he planted just off the first tee at Erin Hills. 

The guy's a menace I tell you.

Bogey

[Rees Milikin]

Matt,

Surely the worst possible flight in the world??

It has to be b/c you are going to Orlando.  Can you imagine traveling/flying for 30 hours to visit Orlando...truly awful.

[John Kavanaugh]

Boooorrrriiiinnnggg!!!!  Please come home.

[Keith Grande]

The Dallas Sidney flight has to stop in Brisbane on the flight to Australia and evidently will until QANTAS gets a longer range 380 in a year or two. How much does this add to the flight?I still have trouble getting my mind around a 15 hour flight.How do you survive it if in coach?

Two movies, then an Ambien

[Bill_McBride]

Boooorrrriiiinnnggg!!!!  Please come home.

No one has a gun to your head making you read.    A lot of us are enjoying (vicariously unfortunately) the Down Under Adventures of Dick Daley.  Some of us even wish we were there.....

[John Kavanaugh]

I get it, good for Dick. The instant anyone starts a discussion about architecture it is interrupted be either racism, technology or the latest travel news. It's boring, boring as hell. Sorry. Dick discovered Wild Horse, now he found Australia...I have spent most of my adult life chasing Dick. It's time to move on.

[DMoriarty]

So move on, Kavanaugh.  Leave the rest of us alone.

[Dieter Jones]

[img] https://imageshack.com/i/jtpr12j

Of the 3 most famous people to ever come out of Wisconsin, two were sighted chatting today at Arm End in Tasmania - site of Greg Ramsay's proposed new course.

Liberace was otherwise detained leaving Dick Daley and the other member of this famous trio to chew the fat about life, music and golf in Tasmania.

Anyone recognise the other person in this photo

  

[Dieter Jones]

That would work a whole lot better if I knew how to post photos properly!!

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