Feature Interview with Paul Rudovsky is posted

[Ran Morrissett]

Smart and opinionated, Paul Rudovsky is the perfect gentleman to hate.  Here is a retired businessman who crisscrosses the globe playing golf. Need I say more?

Those of us who aren't retired glare with envy as he continues to tick off courses to finish the "mother of all" bucket lists. He explains the amalgamation of courses he is chasing in this month's Feature Interview. Their architecture covers the full gamut, from the great to the “semi-god-awful”. By studying architecture in all parts of the world across all soils, climates and cultures, his is an uncommon global perspective, one that is captured in his blog www.rudogolf.blogspot.com. His writing is candid yet respectful and clearly lays out his likes and dislikes. Plus, where else can you get a perspective on Wack Wack to balance its entry in the Gazatteer of The World Atlas of Golf or read about a guy crazy enough to go to Sri Lanka to see Nuwara Eliya because it was on Tom MacWood's fictitious World Top 100?!  Paul's zest for exploration is what comes across at our lunches. It's infectious; who doesn't want to be around such passion?

Think your golf trip this year has some logistical issues? Paul once played Capilano, Kawana, Durban and The European Club ... on the same trip. The scary part? The trip made perfect sense to him. A mutual friend of ours from Chicago notes with a wry smile, “Paul plays a crucial role in that he makes the rest of us look normal to our families.”  Not unlike a certain Scot a century ago, Paul is based in the northeast in the summer and in Pinehurst during the winter. As we were piecing this Interview together, he called from Abu Dhabi on his way to ... where else .... Edinburgh. He noted the temperature would be the same in both places, albeit one in Celsius and the other Fahrenheit.

Look at the diversity of his photographs in the Feature Interview - it probably is the most eclectic batch on the site, which is telling: in his quest to see any and all forms of architecture that have at any point been considered “great” since he started playing over six decades ago, he has seen a lot of life too.

Here's hoping we can all say the same one day as well.

Best,

[David Davis]

Ran,


Thanks for posting. Paul is a good friend, we have played several rounds together and I for one am very happy he exists to make us all look really normal to our spouses for our modest golf addictions.


I will add that when he's off on one of his adventures it's tough to satisfy his golfing appetite. One of his trips to The Netherlands I simply couldn't arrange enough golf, we were walking 36 holes a day, I'm 26 years younger than him, that's plenty for me and after a few days of it I start to get tired. Paul had been going for like a month straight like that before he arrived. On the last day we arrived at Kennemer Golf & Country Club after already having 18 holes under our belts in the morning. I shouldn't of told Paul they had 3 x 9 hole courses (I was starving) because then he insisted on skipping dinner and walking 45 holes that day because he had to fly out across the world in the morning for more golf and didn't want to miss anything.


I wish him another 30 years of this madness, but he may run out of golf courses first. I guess by then the grass will have grown to the point it's time to start over and see them all again.

[Dave McCollum]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

You talking about David?

Thanks for the interview Ran.


Would anyone care to explain what the attraction of playing all the courses on a Top 100 list is to them?  There seems to be some feeling of camaraderie? Living the dream? Taking on a “fun” and extremely difficult challenge?


I can think of a million reasons why I’d rather spend my time and money on other things so what am I missing?


Of course the likely answer is you’re all as nuts as David Davis and deserve our commiserations!
Be interested to hear more. Thanks.

[M. Shea Sweeney]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

You talking about David?

Thanks for the interview Ran.


Would anyone care to explain what the attraction of playing all the courses on a Top 100 list is to them?  There seems to be some feeling of camaraderie? Living the dream? Taking on a “fun” and extremely difficult challenge?


I can think of a million reasons why I’d rather spend my time and money on other things so what am I missing?


Of course the likely answer is you’re all as nuts as David Davis and deserve our commiserations!
Be interested to hear more. Thanks.

I'll try..

Apparently Mr. Rudovsky is a retired businessman. I'm going to guess that was probably an intense 25-40 year career...lots of time in front of screens, suits, walls, desks, phones, etc...not much time in the great outdoors.

He probably loved golf, (Quaker Ridge) but didn't have so much time.

Now he's made time, worked hard, and would like to pursue something in life. He chose golf. Some choose high altitude mountaineering, sailing, gardening, etc...

Sounds like golf is a vehicle to see the world. It's a lot more fun to visit somewhere with a purpose..

Not a hard one to figure out. Lot's of top business people receive the "bite" later in life.

One trip around the merry-go-round. Might as well make it count.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

You talking about David?

Thanks for the interview Ran.


Would anyone care to explain what the attraction of playing all the courses on a Top 100 list is to them?  There seems to be some feeling of camaraderie? Living the dream? Taking on a “fun” and extremely difficult challenge?


I can think of a million reasons why I’d rather spend my time and money on other things so what am I missing?


Of course the likely answer is you’re all as nuts as David Davis and deserve our commiserations!
Be interested to hear more. Thanks.

I'll try..

Apparently Mr. Rudovsky is a retired businessman. I'm going to guess that was probably an intense 25-40 year career...lots of time in front of screens, suits, walls, desks, phones, etc...not much time in the great outdoors.

He probably loved golf, (Quaker Ridge) but didn't have so much time.

Now he's made time, worked hard, and would like to pursue something in life. He chose golf. Some choose high altitude mountaineering, sailing, gardening, etc...

Sounds like golf is a vehicle to see the world. It's a lot more fun to visit somewhere with a purpose..

Not a hard one to figure out. Lot's of top business people receive the "bite" later in life.

One trip around the merry-go-round. Might as well make it count.

Thanks but you can do lots of golf without putting up with crazy travel and feeling compelled to play courses for which you have a pretty strong belief in advance you will not have much fun at. Whilst at the same time knowing there are a bunch of courses you are close to, but ignoring, at which you feel you'll likely have a blast at. You also need real dedication and sacrifice to achieve it going beyond the not insubstantial financial requirements.  I realise its a question of prioritising but what is the compulsion to join this club?

I will only believe it when I hear it from those who are trying to or have succeeded in playing a Top 100 list.

[Peter Pallotta]

Tony - I thought you might appreciate this as a possible answer to your question:

A few years ago director Peter Brook re-assembled the cast of the 1963 "The Lord of the Flies" and brought the-now-grown men back to the island where as young teenagers they had made the film.

He documented their current lives (some had succeeded well, some not, and none if memory serves went on to become full time actors) and then brought them back to various locations on the island, meandering around and just filming what happened.

At one point, one of the men gets frustrated as says "Ah cripes, what the hell are we doing messing about? Why are you doing this?"  and Peter Brook answered: "Why, to make things less gloomy, my dear boy".   

Peter

[Dave McCollum]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

You talking about David?

No, I was referring to Paul.  I went to his blog site and read a bit about his travels...Hong Kong to Bali to Dubai, sleeping on red-eye flights, playing 36 a day, jetting to the next spot, and so on.  Amazing energy and dedication, if that's the right word.  Takes golf addiction to new heights.  Sounds crazy to me, but who am I to judge another man's passion?  I'm astonished beyond words.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Guys--


A bit of truth in all of your remarks, but let me try to put some perspective on this.


Yes...I busted my butt when I was working and generally loved it.  I am a Type A and love to work to achieve  goal, solve a problem, get something done, improve a situation...  I retired for the first time in 2001 without a goal...and within a year was bored and went back to work (for about 6 years).  I re-retired in 2008 about 4 months after marrying my wonderful bride, Pat.  Having learned something, I knew I had to have some sort of goal to keep the mind and body going.  I had always wanted to complete a USA or World Top 100 and decided to start to go for it methodically.  Why...because it was "there" (btw...by using that phrase I am not suggesting that it is equivalent to climbing Mt Everest...it ain't).  Why do people choose to run 26 miles 385 yards?...because it is something to achieve, it is "there"...rationally it is purely arbitrary distance, but running it is very different that running 25 miles or 30 miles (I ran there marathons in the early 80's).  And btw, my guess is that there are lots of people who come to Ran's website who have a similar goal.


Tony--Playing random courses near me would be easier, less expensive, etc...but it would not be the same...it would be like running 25 or 30 miles instead of 26-385.  Also on average I guarantee that I saw more interesting courses this way...and I really did learn a lot about architecture over time even when I was on a course I did not like.  I some cases, I even changed my views, often mid-round.


I absolutely believe that keeping the mind and body going is critical for good mental and physical heath in later years.  These trips obviously stress me physically but the harder part is planning them.  It is like a giant jigsaw puzzle, and that part is a real challenge to the mind.


Some of you may think of lots of other things to do with your $$ and time...and that is great, go do them.  That is your choice.  So long as your choice (or mine) does not harm others or is not illegal, we should all follow our dreams.


These trips give me a rush...I can feel the adrenaline flowing.  The best ones are the ones that Pat chooses to take with me.  But understandably, she hates trips spending only 1 or 2 nights at a location....so she avoids those like the plague.  But arriving back home to her is the greatest feeling (you might be thinking "yes, it feels so good to stop hitting your head against a wall").  She has been the best and I am so lucky to be with her.


One last point (for now)... I have a total of 13 courses left to complete my three main bucket lists (Top 100 Ever per 8 Sources, MacWood 1939 Spoof list, and US Open Venues)...and the 13 are in GB&I (6), Continental Europe (1), USA (2), Canada (3), and the Caribbean (1), so my big trips are over.  I hope to do these 13 in the next 2-3 months, and frankly cannot wait to finish.  I am a "prisoner" of these lists (a role I chose), and look forward to the freedom of going back to the great ones (that I have only played 1x or 2x) and really learning more about them.  But I am sure I will still have a bucket list or two that i will be working on.


Anyhow, keep the cards and letters flowing 


Best
Paul

[MClutterbuck]

Paul,


Really fascinating to read about your travels and acomplishments. Curious what will you choose once you complete those 13.


Which is the course in the Caribbean that you are missing?


Perhaps all Gourmet Choice´s from the 5 volumes of the Confidential Guide? This might be a goal I could set for myself some day, and it would be manageable. Or all Doak 7 and over courses? You might have played a majority of them, but not all.


Also curious on a personal level, at different times some courses in South America haven been included in the Top 100 of the world. Not sure if these were in the specific rankings you have attacked, but maybe Olivos Golf Club and the Jockey Club were included in your lists? Any other?

[Mark Chaplin]

Tony I'd prefer to experience 20 of the top 100 rather than run around like nutter ticking courses off a menu and remembering very little about them.

I once played 4 holes at Merion, properly looked around the clubhouse and had dinner as opposed to a race around game, quick beer and disappearing.

[Steve Lapper]

Rudo,


  As a close friend of yours, a favorite of your better half, and the person guilty of originally introducing you to one Randolph Morrissett, I am uniquely qualified to testify to your real character.


  Let's make this perfectly clear and simple. No matter what words you attempt to use to justify your endless quest to run around the world chasing other people's past rating mistakes, they won't say it as well:


  You are nuts, insane, a total loon, wildly entertaining, perplexing, not as smart as Ran believes,  as well as my favorite curmudgeon!


   Whether it's your politics (right of Attila the Hun), your education (socially awkward side of Cambridge), your appearance, age, and mental acuity (all approximating Sumner Redstone), you know you've made it in Golf when your story meets Ran's folly. Welcome to the Tree House nonetheless!


 Ran,


  What in the world were you thinking by giving Paul this venue to undeniably prove the highly questionable nature of his golf architecture judgement?


  We both know the guy is the ultimate "list-pegger" and lacks discernible taste in determining what is charming, sporty, or elegant. Damn... speaking of those last three adjectives, the only thing Rudo has ever successfully noticed with all those traits is his far, far better half...Pat Rudovsky! She, a Doak 11, is the only Rudo with enough sense to avoid places like Wack Wack or Honesdale CC!!


  Well, it's too late now, You've got the wrong Rudo, but he'll have to do. What a wasted few digital pages .

[Tom_Doak]

Perhaps all Gourmet Choice´s from the 5 volumes of the Confidential Guide? This might be a goal I could set for myself some day, and it would be manageable. Or all Doak 7 and over courses? You might have played a majority of them, but not all.

This makes me wonder if I should put a course like High Pointe in the Gourmet's Choice, so the only people who could complete it are those who made the effort before it went away!


I guess if you opted for the original 31 flavors, I've already got this covered.


Years ago, when the limited edition of 1,000 was published, a few of the pros around London got together and one of the equipment reps sponsored a contest to see who could amass the most "Doak points" in one year.  I don't know what the winning total was, but two of them wrote me to say it was their best year of golf ever.  This sounds like it is right up Paul's alley.

[Steve Lapper]

Perhaps all Gourmet Choice´s from the 5 volumes of the Confidential Guide? This might be a goal I could set for myself some day, and it would be manageable. Or all Doak 7 and over courses? You might have played a majority of them, but not all.

This makes me wonder if I should put a course like High Pointe in the Gourmet's Choice, so the only people who could complete it are those who made the effort before it went away!


I guess if you opted for the original 31 flavors, I've already got this covered.


Years ago, when the limited edition of 1,000 was published, a few of the pros around London got together and one of the equipment reps sponsored a contest to see who could amass the most "Doak points" in one year.  I don't know what the winning total was, but two of them wrote me to say it was their best year of golf ever.  This sounds like it is right up Paul's alley.

Tom,


   You give way too much credit to Paul. He schleps packets of Fiber One around the world and has notoriously poor taste in anything "gourmet." If it wasn't for Pat, he'd never deviate from a nearby Friendlys! The very idea of having have to taste 31 Flavors would chase him right into the nearest Dairy Queen...where I believe you can usually find less than a handful!

[Paul Rudovsky]

To answer some questions:


1.  have not decided what is next after the 13...but main focus will be the great ones I have only played 1-2x, and I have promised Pat to slow down.


2.  interestingly, neither Olivos or Jockey-Scarlet were ever on GM or any of my other 7 sources...which is amazing, but i have played them both.  Only S American track is El Rincon in Bogota...went there to play it last spring...old Robert Trent Jones


3.  missing from Caribbean is Sandy Lane-Green Monkey


4. when vanilla ice cream is available, what else does one need?   

[Tony_Muldoon]

 Paul thank you for taking the time to explain, I would have achieved far more in my life if I'd been as driven as you are. But that’s not the road I see.
 
Nice that you've included McWoods made up list , it indicates to me a strong sense of the absurd and that you really don’t take the whole thing too seriously. For you its the task that’s important and you must see it through. But it does strike me that what you've undertaken is the definition of a modern day Sisyphean task when there's always the next edition of the list coming and of course it will mean more to be added.
 
(As an aside did you ever met Tom? Do you or anyone else know what’s happen to his research?  I've asked a few people round here but got nothing to show for it.)

I do see the appeal of having goals of your kind it's just yours are so extreme! About a decade ago I compiled my own bucket list (I realise you may have one of these too). The 13 courses where The Open Championship has been played. In  my more relaxed manner I'm just trying to play them before they feature their next Open. One left and I expect to be in Edinburgh in August 2017 where I can pick off Carnoustie.  I considered having a follow up list based around Ryder Cup Venues, starting with those this side of the Pond. But after playing The Belfry, The K Club and  Celtic Manor the thought of playing the Nicklaus Course at Gleneagles when I've yet to play the other two more desirable one there, stopped that idea in its tracks.

There's a lovely guy at Deal who found his Fathers Copy of Frank Pennink's Golfers Companion, complete with dates pencilled in when he had played , I think about half of, the courses. Written in 1962 it features brief write ups of “128 of the finest courses in Great Britain and Ireland”. It includes many GCA favourites and a few that meant something to the author. His self appointed task is to complete what his father didn’t mange, so far he's got further...

I've looked at your blog and like others above, the idea of having fun with the tiredness your schedule  induces is another difference between us.   I hope you find the time to get back to Biarritz and take your wife. I t's a really beautiful place and the course is worth playing as is Hossegor. Enjoy.
(|I've done a Biarritz tour but the search engine appears to have done the unlikely and got worse!)
 
  à chacun son goût
 
 
 
  PS Bill Shultz and others, care to share what your fascination for this is?
 

[Tony_Muldoon]

Wow this guy is a total nutcase.

You talking about David?

No, I was referring to Paul.  I went to his blog site and read a bit about his travels...Hong Kong to Bali to Dubai, sleeping on red-eye flights, playing 36 a day, jetting to the next spot, and so on.  Amazing energy and dedication, if that's the right word.  Takes golf addiction to new heights.  Sounds crazy to me, but who am I to judge another man's passion?  I'm astonished beyond words.

Got that I and like you I'm amazed.
 
I was just joshing David.
 
 

[Sean_A]

I can see the appeal of Paul's Plan...if I had nine lives    that way I could actually anjoy the areas these courses take me.  Still...we all need to feel as if we are accomplishing something so why not play a cobbled together list of courses even if one list was fake.  The entire deal is wonderfully surreal.  Keep on truckin' Paul.


Ciao

[David Davis]

Steve, you really did a wonderful job of summing things up. In fact, if I start from scratch and put a clear picture to your colorful description I can see Paul with a huge smile on his face.


I also agree he hit the jackpot with Pat his better half. She may even tip the scale in the right direction when evening them out.


Paul, at least you did one thing right in life and we can't fault you for your taste in women. I slept on it for a night and now that you are coming to the finish of your list maybe you should consider playing the Top 100 Worst ever list. Or maybe even creating it as I doubt it exists. Imagine all the fun travel you could embark on.


Tony, cheers mate! You know I love you too. I can offer up some other more personal reasons for chasing the Top 100 list.


- Cultural travel combined with golf. It gives you reasons to venture to places that you otherwise may not even think of going.
- Meeting wonderful and interesting people that all have this game we all love in common.
- Pure fun.
- Experiential study of GCA (though you can do this in your own country as well of course).
- It's exciting and gets the heart rate moving. To be fair, so does jumping off a bridge, out of plane, off a cliff, base jumping and the list goes on but haven't we all already done that stuff?
- As Paul mentioned it's like complex puzzling putting these trips together.
- It's a great hobby for those that don't like gardening.
- Personally I also find it fun to spot check these rankings and find out if in my own opinion something really is that good.
- Makes for interesting stories and dinner conversations.


I have a friend that decided to bike around the world. Amazing story, he was like 20 and spent a year doing it. We have all heard of Michael and Jamie who played a different golf course every day for a year crossing the entire world and back to NZ.


It's simple, stories and experiences to last a lifetime, not to mention friendships as well.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks David, love you too!


Paul talks of adrenaline and you of excitement (which I believe is what the two Peter's were getting at).  So in the end it's whatever floats your boat.

I know you are a really good player and love it the tougher it gets.  I'm guessing just travelling to lovely places and playing the local courses does not alone provide the necessary charge that makes you want to do this. If I saw airports as often as you do, the last thing I would do with my leisure time is...  So I think we can add the challenge, the planning, the drive for the successful mission to achieve what others only dream of?

To which I can only add, more power to your elbow.  (Not as a golfing term ).

[Dave McCollum]

Paul,

I should add I didn’t mean any offense.  We’re all sort of golf nutcases to spend time here with our fellow addicts.  I can appreciate “solving the puzzle” as I used to be a print and commercial producer (long ago in a former life) working almost exclusively on location around the globe.  Time was money and we packed a lot into every day, then winged it to the next shoot.  However, that was when I was a relatively young buck, had a lot of energy, and didn’t need much sleep.  To do this at your age with such passion and enthusiasm is amazing.  You have my respect and wish you the best on your quest.

[Tom_Doak]

We have all heard of Michael and Jamie who played a different golf course every day for a year crossing the entire world and back to NZ.


It's simple, stories and experiences to last a lifetime, not to mention friendships as well.

I suspect, per your previous sentence, that the recognition also enters into the equation.  I have met many of the people on the quest to play the world's top 100 courses, and only one of them was truly under the radar about it all.


Part of the desire for recognition is that it becomes easier to gain access to certain courses when you are trying to "complete your quest" instead of just "play a private course where you don't know a member." 

[David Davis]

We have all heard of Michael and Jamie who played a different golf course every day for a year crossing the entire world and back to NZ.


It's simple, stories and experiences to last a lifetime, not to mention friendships as well.

I suspect, per your previous sentence, that the recognition also enters into the equation.  I have met many of the people on the quest to play the world's top 100 courses, and only one of them was truly under the radar about it all.


Part of the desire for recognition is that it becomes easier to gain access to certain courses when you are trying to "complete your quest" instead of just "play a private course where you don't know a member."

Tom,


I put my personal points in bullet points actually. Then jumped back in line of thinking about Paul and his rather amazing achievement thus I mentioned a couple other people that in my mind had done great things, i.e. been the first to accomplish them. I put those down for Tony as examples of people just doing something like that because they can and they will go down as being first.


I hardly think recognition comes into play. After all for what to be one of the 50 soon to be 100 that have made it a priority to travel around playing courses? That makes no more sense to me than if you would tell me you want to be an architect to be one of the top 50 or 100 architects in the world for the recognition you receive. I think it's fair to say that in my life when I chose to do something where any kind of recognition was involved I would always strive to be the best I can possible be and hopefully that means #1. Not 50 or 100.


Paul on the other hand, will be able to talk of amazing achievements and dedication when he achieves his bucket list. Though I know him well enough to know that recognition while nice is hardly a driving factor for him. I think he's been successful at everything he's done in life. Crazy yes, but certainly successful.


The funny thing really is that for most of my golf travel I use the original Confidential Guide I bought from you on GCA a few years ago to pick the courses in the area I will visit. Again not sure where the recognition lies in that process but I've learned it's a safe way to make trips and it's lead me to many of my favorite courses. On the other hand I find often what I end up liking, courses like Deal, Prestwick, North Berwick (exception as it's also ranked) do not rank all to high. It's only recently (last couple years) I decided given the fact that I am quite far through the list of Top 100 World Candidates to direct a portion of my travel to playing serious Top 100 candidates. My last trip for example was about 50/50 which is a high percentage in that case but that was indeed arranged like that on purpose.


In terms of making friends at clubs, being hosted by members or GM's or golf pros for example all of those for me are far more fun than showing up to a club/private club and being allowed to play alone. I rarely do that, and I rarely help traveling golfers with access to private club so they can play alone either. Some people like it, I prefer company. To each their own.


Paul meets people almost everywhere he goes and I'm sure he finds that more fun as well. It is naturally true the larger your network the more courses you can access eventually. However, also the more people you help out and give your time to the more courses you can access in the end as well. That's logical and business doesn't work much differently in my opinion. It's all about your network and how you energize it and give back to it.






 

[Jud_T]

David,


There's nothing wrong with traveling the globe to play particular courses that interest you.  The question is why are the exact courses on these lists the ones that interest you and you obsess about?  After a certain amount of time and experience one should have a very good idea of what type of course they prefer- aesthetically, strategically, level of difficulty etc.  If, for instance, you really love primarily quirky fun shorter links courses and the ground game yet you move heaven and earth to play an exclusive tournament course which is known for it's penal style and aerial demands simply to complete one of these lists it's a bit of a head-scratcher in terms of the real motivation of these list collectors.  Nevertheless, you gotta love this quote about Cape Wickham on his blog "simply put, I do not remember ever having this much fun on a golf course"

[Thomas Dai]

A terrific effort to travel the globe with the aim of playing the top-100 courses and well done to Paul for earning enough $$$ during his career to be able to afford to do it! I'm sure many (all?) reading this interesting interview and follow-up posts are massively jealous!


No slight intended but questions I'm asking myself include......in the same circumstances would I aim for the top-100 courses, as ranked by some magazine or body or whatever.....or  would I aim for 100 interesting parts of the world which I could visit and also play quality courses ........or would I target the top-100 most interesting courses from the architectural aspect as researched by me and/or recommended by those whose opinion I value? What a choice to have to make! And organising such trips can be a great deal of fun and then there's the next trip on the horizon to look forward too as well!


Keep at it Paul and send us here at the GCA-DB a few progress updates and thoughts.


Atb