This is it: my local favorite!

Hidden in plain sight, Moorpark Country Club is a sweet, sweet, tasty treat. I am tempted to keep this treasure to myself but I just have to sing its praises. A 27-hole course with each nine returning to the swanky clubhouse and five sets of tees, Moorpark will keep you interested and challenged with its Peter Jacobsen design. Avoiding commitment is easy around here with all the choices in golf courses, but this is my local favorite and if I had to pick a steady date, this would be my home course.

Note: If you’re not going to read the entire post, skip to the bottom to read about the discount offer!

Yes, it is a country club and memberships are available, however they are also open to the public which is great news for riff-raff like me. I don’t get to play too many private courses, so I really enjoy playing on the rare public course that is kept up to private course standards. They do that at Moorpark.

Steve Vigiano, the Director of Golf, bragged about the exquisite greens before my round. “That’s what they all say,” I thought. Can I trust a man who takes better care of his skin than I do? I certainly can. Golf course pros often have a snooty, slightly less than gruntled aroma about them. Not Steve. He puts the fessional back in golf pro. Someone so polished has no business being so accessible and genuine, but he is. Kind of like the golf course itself. I don’t know how long he’s been there, but maybe they’re rubbing off on each other. He’s genuinely proud of his course, he has good reason to be, and he represents it well.

Again I indulge my tangential thoughts. Dog bless blogs. Back to the course.

I think I mentioned the greens. When I close my eyes and picture one of the greens, my eyebrows raise, my mouth opens and I hold my fingers out like I could pet it. I might drool a little bit. They’re that nice.

Smooth, beautiful, polished and pure. These are the nicest greens around. We would all be better putters if we played on greens like this all the time.

Oh, I just want to get back out there and play it again!

The MaintenanceThey really stay on top of things and keep every hole looking and playing its best. For example, the fairways were recently attacked by a fairly new disease to these parts, called Gray Leaf Spot. They completely overhauled the course, putting in a new Bermuda base (Bermuda resists it) and will be overseeding with Rye to get that beautiful green color back. This only affected the fairways. The greens and tees are perfect. I just took these photos and you can see it’s already looking pretty good. Right now, it’s cart path only because they’re sensitive, but it’s still a beautiful course and completely playable. Soon it will be back to how it looks on their website. Comprehensive website, by the way. They’ve got descriptions and photos of every hole, scorecards for each nine and much more. Check it out at www.moorparkgolf.com.

Hole #1 on the Ridgeline nine.

The NinesOf the three nines, Canyon Crest, Ridgeline and Creekside, it’s difficult to pick a favorite. Each one has its own personality and style.

Creekside requires serious strategy and shot making capabilities with its doglegs and carries. Ridgeline will also test your skills with its long, narrow, undulating design. Canyon Crest is probably the friendliest nine with wider landing areas and more approachable greens. If I had to play this course only once (thankfully I don’t!), I think I’d prefer to play Creekside and Ridgeline. I feel like I’d be getting the most golf there somehow. If I had to compete there, I think I’d pick Canyon Crest and Creekside. Not that Creekside is easier – in fact, the course and slope ratings are higher; perhaps it’s just more suited to my game than Ridgeline. Not that my score showed it, but I can feel it. I guess since I picked Creekside in both scenarios I could say that’s my favorite. For now.

Creekside #4 – La Bruja Verde (The green witch). This is the first forced carry on this dogleg left par 4.

Looking back on the “green witch” from beyond the green. You can see the creek that cuts across it – the second forced carry. The fairway beyond that was the first landing area. Or you can try to cross both on your tee shot if you’re brave.

Ridgeline #3: Don’t mistake whimsy for sarcasm. This sprinkler head means business as does this golf hole! At 266 yards out (as measured by the GPS), this is all the yardage you need to know from here. Unless you can hit the ball like Tiger Woods, lay up from here or even 100 yards closer. (Look for other fun sayings on sprinkler heads around the course! Uncle Jim discovered this baby.)

Same hole as above, looking at the green from about 150 yards closer than the “Eat Your Wheaties” marker.

I had to throw in this photo from the MPCC website to illustrate the importance of eating your Wheaties if you’re not going to lay up. Same hole as above. Short is obviously trouble, but long is no picnic either. It’s nothing but wildlife and rattlesnakes on this hill behind the green. In my opinion, this is the toughest hole of the 27.

Note: none of the nines are walking courses. It’s just too spread out and hilly. Even for you die hard walkers, I wouldn’t try it even if they’d let you. Don’t worry, though, the carts are primo with coolers and illustrated GPS devices.

Ratings and Tee selections

As I mentioned, they have five sets of tees, which offer a nice selection for men and women alike. Female golfers often find that to be a welcoming sign. Two of the sets of tees are considered “lady’s” as evidenced by their position on the bottom of the scorecard and that they only have one set of ratings. I played the white (middle) tees – which are rated for both men and women – in order to get a better vantage point for my assessment, but I’m sure I’ll be trying out both the reds and the golds. I’ll be playing the whites again, too – I know I can do much better than my 146 (that’s 27 holes, not 18).

As for which sets of 18 are considered more or less difficult, that really depends on which tees you choose. For example, if a woman plays the white tees, the Canyon Crest/Creekside combo is rated the highest for difficulty. If she plays the red tees, the Ridgeline/Creekside combo has the honors. Since the ratings aren’t on the versions of the scorecards they have on their website, here they are for your convenience:

The Facilities

The public range and practice facilities are first rate to complement the rest of the course. The restaurant rates four stars and there is lovely patio seating outside the restaurant and bar with a nice view of some of the golf holes you just played.

There is also a members-only range at the top of the hill hitting down it.

The Service

They really take care of people at Moorpark. Members and riff-raff alike are treated like they’re at a resort. The greens fees, while high compared to some other local courses, are nowhere near the fees of resorts with similar course conditions and amenities. They have special packages, ladies’ days, and are doing all the right things to make your experience not just excellent but an excellent value. Plus, you are special so you can get the Golfchick discount! Hey, instead of just killing time with this extra long post, there’s actually a reward with this one.

Get there

If you live within 60 miles of this golf course, you really shouldn’t miss it. Hell, I’ve been known to drive a lot farther than that to play courses that aren’t this nice. So there’s my not so secret secret. Anyway, with three nines they keep the flow organized and moving along for a nice pace of play, so go ahead and fill ’em up.

I told Steve I was going to write about the course and asked if they could give my readers some kind of deal. He was generous enough to agree! So, when you reserve your tee-time, tell them the Golfchick sent you and enjoy a 30% discount off their regular rack rates! And please, please, please, repair your ball marks. I don’t want the velvety greens I pet in my daydreams to morph into the pock-marked face of Tommy Lee Jones. Bglylehlchh!

Update 12/20/06: The Golfchick discount period has expired. For discounted teetimes, book them online at the Moorpark CC website.

Bonus shots. It just wouldn’t be a complete Golfchick review without restroom photos.

Update: As was pointed out to me by an astute reader, I neglected to mention WHERE this terrific golf course is in the world. (I did link their website, which has that information, but still – what a faux pas on my part!) The answer is Moorpark, California, which is about 45 minutes from Los Angeles. Here is the address and phone number:

Moorpark Country Club
11800 Championship Drive
Moorpark, California 93021
Ph:(805) 532-2834
www.moorparkgolf.com (you can get directions on the website)

Next post.

I recently had the amazingly good fortune to visit a brand new golf course. It’s my new favorite place and where I can go in my mind when I need to “go to my happy place.” There is definitely more to come, but I will let it be a mystery for now unless someone knows or can guess where this is.

From the red tees, I made par here. Then from the blues (perspective shown here), I par’d once and bogey’d once. Click on the photo for a larger view.

Next post.

Photo from the Greystone website.

After making our requisite deposits in the donation boxes they call slot machines at the Las Vegas airport, we were on our way to Nashville. Surprisingly, I didn’t get that much sleep on the flight. Greg won’t go see “chick flicks” with me, but as a captive audience in an airplane, he watched the ro-co they showed – Failure to Launch – and I wanted to watch it with him. Mildly entertaining for both of us. I caught him enjoying it a few times, which was good.

I booked us at the downtown Hilton Suites, right by music row in case we got the chance to get out and enjoy some nightlife. We didn’t, but it was nice to be back in a “real” hotel. We arrived late and pretty much went straight to bed. We had a friendlier 10:00 tee time the next day, figuring we’d need the rest by now, and boy were we right.

Our sixth straight day of golf (well, mine at least) at our sixth course was at Greystone Golf Club in Dickson, TN. We tried to pick the nicest course we could find within a reasonable driving distance. We chose well. We didn’t want to get all the way to Tennessee just to play some $10 dog run, which were the majority of courses we were finding in our search. We found Greystone at about $40 and thought it must be top-of-the-line. We were right. I guess everything out there is affordable compared to southern California. Even at Greystone, one of Tennessee’s premier courses, you can get an unlimited-play ANNUAL pass for $1000! At the premier public course in my area, the same deal is $4500.

Getting there

I had my handy dandy Google Map to help us make the 45 minute drive out to the golf course. I should have thrown it out the window. There are just way too many “70 S” roads out there. Bear right on 70 S W (0.2 mi), continue on 70 S (1.6 mi), bear left on US 70 (no S on that one)… etc. WTF. It turned into over an hour drive after calling the course a couple times and trying to figure out where the hell we were. Here’s a tip: if you’re traveling west on the 40, just follow the sign on the billboard when it tells you to exit for Dickson. I’m pretty sure it’ll turn into the correct 70 and take you right where you want to go. But don’t call me if you get lost.

The weather

I was worried about the heat we’d find in the desert, playing in Primm, Mesquite and St. George. I bought us a couple of those spray bottles with fans in preparation for the misery, but with some luck and early tee times, we didn’t really need them at those courses. The temperature in Dickson was supposed to be about 75, and even though I knew it would be humid, I thought it would still be pretty comfortable. Not for this So-Cal chick! And we didn’t even bring the stupid bottles! I thought the humidity was oppressive and it came with plenty of bugs. Eww… bugs. I overcame it to enjoy the round, but was still distracted on a few putts by the little flying gnatty things. At least there was nothing big enough to cause me to do my infamous “bug dance.” But I digress…

Back to the course

It was a Thursday and pretty quiet at Greystone. We checked in and received a warm and friendly welcome. I just looooove the southern accent. Then we went to the range, which was nice and big and allowed us to test-pilot the Tennessee grass. After warming up, we went back inside to get some refreshments to take out on the course with us. The girl behind the counter was sweet with a precious accent, but seemed to be a little more focused on her modeling and/or acting future (based on her conversation with the cute young groundskeeper in there flirting with her) than on our transaction. After telling us about the $5 deposit for the cooler-bag, she neglected to charge us for it. We were going to mess with her when we returned it and ask for our $5 back but we didn’t have the heart.

I chose to play from the white tees (6002 yards) because the yellows were only 4919 and I felt like using my driver a little more. Greg chose the blues (6426) over the blacks (6858). The course was pretty friendly, though still challenging. It’s right next to a quarry – perhaps a grey stone quarry? – so a couple of the holes are a tad noisy but not too disturbing. They made great use out of all that stone and the course is nicely decorated and strategically challenging because of it. Not only is the course lush and green and unexpectedly scenic, there are some really neat golf holes. Like #12, for example. It’s a par 5 (458 from the whites, 495 from the blues) and there are big rocks right in the middle of the fairway.

The par-5 #12 hole. Play this hole once and you’ll know what to do the next time. Here’s a good angle of the green that might be useful on your first time out. I guess I was too hot to remember to take the right photos, so this is another one from the Greystone website (nice site, btw).
Great, bathroom photos are starting to become my trademark. I didn’t use this one, but look how cute it is! And check out the grey stone.

Much of the course is fairly wide-open, but you still have to make some shots. There’s plenty of trouble to be found if you’re looking. The rough wasn’t too treacherous but it was long in places which makes finding your ball a bit difficult. The fairways, greens and even the bunkers were in great condition. I wound up in one un-filled divot on a fairway, but it looked like most of the golfers out there are courteous and repair their own damage on the fairways and greens. Either that or the groundskeeping staff really stays on top of it.

The par-3 #16 hole. Yes, there’s a little water in front of that fine display of grey stone.

Looking back on #2 from the third tee box. The natural beauty of Tennessee is enhanced by this first-class golf course.

Results, please

Like I said, it wasn’t very busy and we got through our round in 3 hours 45 minutes. I played a pretty steady round but still had one blow-up hole. I hit 6 out of 14 fairways but only 2 greens. I had one sand save (double sandie, actually – hit the fairway bunker AND the greenside bunker) and a total of 29 putts (vs. 47 the day before!) and carded a 93 for the round.

I was disappointed to find out that the only tees rated for women are the yellows, so my round was unpostable. When I called later to ask if they had a women’s rating from the white tees since it wasn’t on the card, they seemed confused: “You played the wattes?” You’d think it had never been done before. I submitted all the information to my handicap chairman to see if he could make sense out of it or if he wanted to post it with estimated ratings but he just tossed it out. I guess it was the ratt thang tuh dew.

Say it out loud in your best southern accent: Naiow thayat’s a purty gawlf hole.

Even though what goes on in this outbuilding probably isn’t pleasant, I liked the way it looked.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I liked this course. I can see why the PGA has used it in Q-school rounds and other prestigious tournaments are held there. The finishing hole is a beauty that leaves you with a great parting image and reason to return. I doubt I’ll ever make it back to Dickson, but if I do, I’ll be playing that course again.

Next post.

On the fifth day of this golf marathon, we had a 5:20 A.M. tee-time at Falcon Ridge. That’s right – 5:20 A.M.! Why would we do this to ourselves after four days of four different courses, travel and gambling? Not just to beat the heat, which was the main reason for our other early tee-times. This time, after the round, we had to drive to Las Vegas to catch a flight to our next destination. However, for reasons I won’t get into here (feel free to let your imagination fill in the blanks), I experienced Falcon Ridge by myself. Let me just say that even though I was in the swimming pool at 2:00 A.M., I still managed to get a couple hours sleep and made it to the course by 5:00. 😛

Falcon Ridge is right there in the “Virgin Valley”, so it was a quick 5 minute drive from The Eureka. After checking in, I thought I might hit a few balls to loosen up a bit. And that’s exactly what I did. I hit three balls into the net that is the practice area and decided I better save the rest of my swings for the 100+ it would probably take me to get through this round. I was running low on fuel.

Yes, that’s the practice area, and yes, that’s the moon up there.

After looking at the scorecard and seeing that the forward/gold tees were 4821 yards vs. the next set (silver) at 5976, I decided to make this as easy on myself as possible and went with the golds. While I was checking in, a couple of employees went out to play a round. Other than that, I was the first one out and they didn’t put me with anyone else. Just me and an unfamiliar course I had to figure out by myself. Not that I haven’t done that plenty of times on the road.The front nine went surprisingly well. With such short yardages, I left my driver in the bag all day and hit three wood off the tee. I hit three of the six fairways on the front and an amazing 6 greens in regulation. Even though my putting let me down (steady, now) and I had 22 putts in nine holes, I still carded a 42 on the front.

The par-3 #2 hole. Isn’t it lovely? I hit the green and 3-putted.

Hole #6: A grand view, for sure. I didn’t see any falcons. I’m not sure they know it’s their ridge.

Be careful driving on the paths around here. There are some pretty steep grades, so keep it in low gear. At the hole pictured above, they were punching the tee boxes and the markers were down so it was hard to tell where to go. I knew mine wouldn’t be at the top but I wanted to take a look. Yikes! The path had gravel all over it and while gently braking my way back down, I spun out and my cart did a 180. Scary! When I got to my tee box, I had to literally clear an area from all the punched turds to stand and tee up. Not surprisingly after all that, I hooked my teeshot into the trees just short of that brown patch beyond the shadow and couldn’t find my ball. I took a double.

The greens

There are some really big greens, with some tricky pin placements, but they’ve also got some friendly flat areas. I’d like another crack at them when my putting’s not so incredibly off. I thought my 22 putts on the front were bad. Then I had a shocking 25 on the back! *Interesting tid-bit: The only people out before me were employees and I found myself repairing their fresh ball marks. Tsk, tsk.* Other than that, they were in pretty good shape.

#10 hole: you can see the creek that cuts through the middle. You have to pick a fairway on one side or the other. I chose left and even though I didn’t hit it well, I got lucky and it bounced right over the rocks and into the fairway on the other side.

Speaking of the back nine, I had some trouble there aside from my putting. Course knowledge would have helped because there are some blind shots. They do have directional poles, and you really just have to trust them. I’m always skeptical of those because I know they’re primarily designed for landing areas for men hitting from the “men’s tees.” The yardages were deceptive at times, too.

#12: Great view, but watch that yardage. I hit three wood thinking I’d be safe towards the end of the fairway just right of the bunker. My shot looked perfect, but when I got down there I discovered it had bounced right through the fairway and into the water. Then I proceeded to drop there and “play it safe” to the left of the other water instead of going for the green. Splash! I took a nine.

The beach

Somehow, I avoided all the bunkers the day before at Ledges, but Greg told me they were really nice. I meant to go back to the practice bunker so I could try them out but I forgot. Luckily, I got to try out the bunkers at Falcon Ridge on the par-3 #14. I accidentally hit from the silver tees thinking they were the golds (a 60-yard difference) and of course ended up way short. Before I hit I thought “the yardage on that card is wrong” and tried to eyeball it to determine which club to use. As I drove ahead, I discovered the real gold tees and hit another one from there, which is the one that went in the bunker and the one I played to keep my round “official.” Anyway, the sand was really nice – light and fluffy but still gritty enough to predict.The damage

I managed to hit four out of seven fairways on the back and three greens. I came around at the end (typical) and finished with a bogey, par, par, but it wasn’t enough. My earlier struggles and my terrible putting had me carding a 53 for the side and a total of 95. *If my handicap chairman is reading this, I posted the 92 after adjusting my 9 and 8 to 7’s for equitable stroke control.* Then it was time to go pick up sleeping beauty and head to the airport for the next leg of the trip.

My take

Like Wolf Creek, Falcon Ridge is also neatly carved into the rocky terrain. It also has powerful elevation changes and breathtaking views. With its $45 off-peak and $115 peak rates, I might even call it the poor man’s Wolf Creek. It was in really good condition, though, so I don’t mean to imply that the course itself is some kind of dog run. The current clubhouse has an old-school muni-type feel, and the staff was down-home kind of friendly. There was a lot of construction going on up by the clubhouse and the range, so they might even be building new ones and fancying it up. Right now at Falcon Ridge, it’s all about the golf, and it shows. I really liked the course. The layout is challenging enough but not backbreaking. On another day I might have tried it from the silver tees, but the gold tees were the perfect challenge for me that day.

If you’re going to Mesquite, this course is a must for your golf itinerary.

Next post.

The next day, we drove up to St. George, Utah, one of my favorite places for scenery. After playing Wolf Creek, I was really looking forward to the beauty a course in St. George called “The Ledges” should afford.

The front of the clubhouse.

The proshop (duh).

We wanted to get there an hour early for our 8:00 teetime, and we gave ourselves almost an hour to get there from Mesquite. While driving up the road in St. George, we noticed a clock on a bank sign. Instead of saying it was almost 7:00, it read 7:44! Crap! No one mentioned the time change and obviously we didn’t think of it. Fortunately, it was a weekday and not too busy, so when we arrived at a few minutes before 8:00, they were able to accommodate our late arrival and allow for a relaxed approach to the first tee.

Even after our late arrival, I had a chance to use their wide-open range… …and practice green. You can see the chipping area behind it.

The first thing we noticed was a surprising absence of anything resembling a ledge nearby. The second thing, once we made our way in, was a swanky clubhouse. Fancy, fancy, fancy.

Just inside the front door.

Looking back on the clubhouse from the path between the range and the practice green.

The Ledges golf course has only been open for a few months and its condition reflects that. The fairways and the greens haven’t seen enough play to even seem touched. They were absolutely gorgeous. And the rough… oh yes, I saw the rough. Maybe most of the courses I’m used to have been beaten into submission by thousands of players over time. I don’t know the reason – maybe it’s a different type of grass or maybe it’s just trying to protect itself being so new. But the rough here is ROUGH. Not that it looks rough; it looks beautiful and green and lush and not actually that long. But it’s thick and grabby and difficult. It’s like “keep of the grass” grass.

We got lucky with the weather. This area gets extremely hot and extremely windy. The day we played, it was only about 80 degrees with a little cloud protection and the wind didn’t pick up until we were on the 17th hole. And boy, did it pick up. I’m glad we didn’t have that kind of wind all four hours of the round!

Keeping with the fancy theme, the golf carts are cherry and equipped with state of the art GPS systems, which not only come in handy for yardages, but allow you to order your food for the turn right on the screen. Even the cart paths are fancy – textured squares like a giant concrete parquet floor. And the smallest detail was not lost on me – the pencils are fine and sharp and produce crisp, dark marks. These people sure seemed to have thought of everything. It sure doesn’t seem like a public course. But where are the ledges?

The starter came to our cart to send us out to the first tee. The course had only recently been USGA rated, so the scorecards didn’t have the ratings on them yet. He gave them to us verbally and said we’d probably find the course pleasant and easy compared to Wolf Creek. We both played from the 6230 yard white tees (the tips are 7145). The front nine was pretty basic, flat and friendly, like many public courses. Nothing too spectacular to look at, nor grand elevation changes like I was expecting. The course was designed by Matt Dye (Pete’s grandson), and he did a good job for what he had to work with on the front. In my opinion, The Ledges is all about the back nine. I wonder if Mr. Dye was as disappointed as I was that the whole course couldn’t have been built on that side of the road.

This is the only picture I took on the front nine because it pretty much all looked just like this.

After you finish the front nine, you cross the main road (under it) and start the back on the other side. By George, I think we found the ledges!

The green on #10.

Now this is more like it. The back nine goes further back into the rocks and has a few elevation changes like I was expecting. It had a few really pretty holes and definitely was more of a challenge than the front.

Can you say “O.B.?” Wait, who cares? Is that Snow Canyon back there?

This is #15. It must be only the #12 handicap hole because of its short distance (281 yards from the whites), because it certainly isn’t because of this “easy” landing area for the requried layup teeshot. Nor because of the green that’s so “easy” to hit and hold, especially with that sucker pin. I was proud of myself for making a regulation par here!

Here’s the same hole (#15) from behind it. One of the prettier views!

They’re still doing a lot of building back there, so even though the views will have more homes and less nature, they will still be gorgeous. The model home we saw was that same beautiful dark earth tone they used on the clubhouse that blends so nicely with the other colors.

I was glad I didn’t have to use the restroom during the round, because there were none out on the course. With all the building going on and all the fancy details, I had some questions. Surely, there must be plans to make this a private club. So after the round, when I couldn’t find Shirley, I spoke with the Tournament Coordinator, Paul Holden. First things first. Bathrooms? Should be finished within a month. Homes? 2400 will be built. (And if you’re thinking of buying here, buy now, because the first 50 lots will come with a golf membership.) They will also be building another, separate, members-only clubhouse, as if the first one isn’t fancy enough. Oh yes, it will be private. They’re planning on a $50,000 membership fee plus $400/month in dues. So if you’re not thinking of becoming a member, you have about 3 years to get out there and play the course while it’s still open to riffraff like us.

I think I got spoiled by playing Wolf Creek the day before. Otherwise, this course would have seemed much more spectacular to me. They are really doing a nice job with it, and based on their plans, I would expect them to maintain it in such pristine condition. So try to keep it in the fairway!

Fancy restroom inside! Each stall is its own private room with its own deluxe sink and vanity, but just in case you only came in to wash your hands, there’s this setup outside the stalls. Leave it to me to photograph the bathrooms.

Next post.

The plan: six days of golf, three days of drag racing and whatever trouble we can get into in between.

Part one begins as we set out for our first destination. After dropping off the Goose at Grandma & Grandpa’s house for her extended stay, we rented a car and headed out on Friday for Primm Valley. Our golf club (The Treehouse) held its annual “away” trip at this California/Nevada Stateline location. The hotel and casino are just on the Nevada side of the border and the golf courses are just on the California side. It’s the same location we went to for our away trip last year, where we won the team event on Saturday and did quite poorly in the Sunday team format.

Primm Valley Golf Club has two courses: The Lakes Course and the Desert Course. The Desert course does have some water, however, not as much as the Lakes course, as you can imagine. Both are well designed and scenic Tom Fazio courses. The Lakes course has much more shade, and the water helps cool the ubiquitous breeze, so playing it in the summer is more comfortable than playing the Desert course. We actually got lucky with the weather and it wasn’t too hot. Even though our scheduled shotgun start was suddenly changed to a series of foursomes and we were near the end of the group, the heat didn’t beat us. According to the course and slope ratings, the Lakes course is easier for women than the Desert course and vice-versa for the men. From my perspective, the ratings are accurate for women, but according to the men, they got it wrong. It seems the Desert course is more challenging all around. The Lakes course is a little more shielded from the wind, and it might also have something to do with the comfort factor of the temperature. The format we played on the Desert course might have been the biggest culprit. I’d like to get my hands on that course for a whole round of my own.

Bunnies relaxing in the shade by the clubhouse.
See last year’s post from this tournament for photos of the jackalopes (link above).

The first tournamentThe formats this year were the same as last year. Saturday was a two-person team event, where each person plays out his or her ball for an individual score, and using handicaps, you take the best net score of each hole for a total team score. This format is played on the Lakes course. I mentioned that Greg and I won this event last year, and this year we won it even more dramatically. Greg shot the round of his life (a +4 75) and I shot a rare sub-90 (89). I had two birdies in the same round (on the same 9!) and 38 putts. In other words, that should have been an even better round for me than it was. Woulda coulda shoulda, yadda yadda. Greg holed out his second shot of the day to eagle the first hole for a net 1 and nearly eagled the second hole, settling for a birdie there. He probably would have been lynched if he eagled two in a row, so I guess he did the right thing. Combined, we netted a 54, which tied another team and we won it in a card-off for the $250 payout. Great start for our trip!

This beautiful yellow-headed bird cheered us on to victory on the Lakes course.

The gambling

We headed back to the Nevada side of the line for the evening, feeling like luck was on our side. Greg sat down at the sports book and on his very first bet won a $2 trifecta for $200. My horses didn’t come in. We moved around to different games and although I was down almost $200, my luck turned around when we changed casinos and took the monorail to Whiskey Pete’s. By the time we went to bed, we were both up, but just a bit. Still, it beats being down. Plenty more golf and plenty more gambling to do on this trip.

The second tournament

Sunday’s event was played on the Desert course, using the same “modified Pinehurst” that we played and hated last year. It’s another two-person team format, but rather than play out your whole round, you each tee off, then you each hit the other person’s tee shot, then you pick the one you want to play from there and alternate hitting that ball until you hole it out. It might sound like fun, but it’s not. You can’t get into any kind of rhythm, you don’t get to play an actual round, plus, your teammate is forced to play your bad shots. All I can say is you better really like your teammate. There were a lot of grumpy golfers out there that day. One of them was in my twosome and it wasn’t me. I didn’t enjoy the format either, but I just tried to go with the flow and enjoy the day anyway. It wasn’t easy. I think we shot an 88 for a net 73 (+1), which was nowhere near good enough to place. Mr. Grumpy cheered up by the time it was over, which was a good thing because we checked out of Primm and now it was time to drive to Mesquite for the next segment of our golf and gambling marathon. Stay tuned for part two!

Next post.

Skip the next post, go straight to Golf Vacation, Part Two – Wolf Creek.

I have officially added Colorado to my list of states played for a grand total of 14.

It was a double leg trip, with my first stop in Detroit. It was supposed to snow in Detroit and the weather forecast for Denver showed rain and low temperatures. I didn’t even bring my clubs. I did, however, pack some golf clothes and shoes, and I always have a glove, some balls and tees in my suitcase. You never know when an opportunity will present itself.

The clubhouse at Fox Hollow. My camera was back at home in my golf bag
so I had to buy one of those disposable jobbies. Hence the poor quality.

It turned out that the day I had time to play was actually sunny and in the 50’s. It was incredibly windy, but I decided to check another state off my list and headed out to Fox Hollow in Lakewood. The people were nice and professional, though not as uber-friendly as some of the people I’ve encountered in the states I’ve played (Hello, Nebraska!). For my round, the cart, a couple logo balls, a snazzy divot repair tool, a hat and rental clubs, I paid a total of $109.75. Quite reasonable, I thought!

As usual, the rental sets were shabby. First, they handed me a nice, shiny set. Ladies’ clubs. Drat. I was tempted to take them anyway and suffer the consequences of playing with clubs shorter and more flexible than I’m used to. In hindsight, I probably should have. My game’s been off lately anyway, and this day was no exception, so it couldn’t have hurt me much.

The driver did okay for me, but I couldn’t hit the other woods if my life depended on it (good thing it didn’t).

Fox Hollow has three nines: Canyon, Meadow and Links. The pro shop sent me out with instructions to play Links and Canyon. The starter considered the wind and that it was my first time there and going out alone and re-directed me to play Canyon and Meadow. He said I’d be more protected from the wind that way. I sure couldn’t tell it from the first hole! The wind was howling! I managed to keep my first drive in the fairway, but I couldn’t find any yardage markers and the green was elevated and unknown to me. My second shot fell short, but I got on with my third. I arrived at an enormous green on top of the hill where the wind was trying to knock my socks off. No external force necessary, I three putted to start my round with a double bogey.

I took this picture to show the wind on the first hole. Because of the quality, it’s hard to see, but look at the bottom of the flagstick compared to the location of the actual flag.

I par’d the next two holes and a foursome let me play through on the par 5 fourth hole. After an impressive drive, I hacked around with all the eyes on me and carded another double. The next hole was interesting. It was a blind tee-shot with one of those low-tech marshal signs they change from red to green when it’s okay to hit. From the drawing on the scorecard, I could tell it went left and down and was intersected with a creek at the bottom of the hill. No guts, no glory. My shot went right where I intended but I had no way of knowing if that was the right thing to do. I found my ball a few feet in front of the edge of the creek — perfect luck! All my shots to the green were going long, and this was no exception. I ended up just off the back, from where I chipped on and two-putted for a bogey. That was a fun hole.

You can see my ball in the bottom right of the picture. How’s that for a lucky blind shot?
So there’s the hollow…

And here’s the fox.

At the end of the Canyon nine, I was ten over with a 45. Seven out of seven fairways hit, one out of nine greens (three were within inches), and a mere 18 putts! It actually felt pretty good! Then came the Meadow nine.

After noticing I’d hit every fairway on the front, I missed the next three. I hacked around on the first hole of Meadow (a par 5) and FOUR-putted to start yet again with a double bogey. The next hole was even worse, where I finally found the sand. This hole won our battle and left me with a snowman after a three-putt.

*Side note: The night before in my hotel room, I watched the movie “What the Bleep do We Know?” It’s a movie about quantum physics (a subject for which I geek out) and I loved it. I took it to the course with me, where I WAS the ball, the club, and the fairway. Be the ball, Danny. I guess on the back nine I became the turkey sandwich, the pretzels and the bunkers, and forgot about the rest of it. I should have remembered that I’m also the putter.*

Two holes and two three-putts later, the twosome in front of me invited me to play with them. Vince and Cornbread. Yes, that’s right — Cornbread. “My real name is Jeremy, but I only hear that name when I’m yelling at myself.” I found out he got the name back when he was the only white kid at his high school. Made sense to me. He had tattoos covering both his hands and arms, and on his fingers, it said “GAME OVER.” Apparently not his golf game. The guy could play and he was a real teddy bear. “There are only three things I care about: golf, lifting weights and women.” Vince commented that they weren’t necessarily in that order and Cornbread corrected him. A guy after my own heart — he’s passionate about his golf!

We enjoyed the rest of the round and I ended up with a 53 on that nine for a total of 98. I guess that’s not terrible considering my recent slump, the rental clubs, the unfamiliar course and the wind. I just don’t like settling for “not terrible.” I had thoughts about continuing on to play the Links nine as well, but the wind had battered me and I was done.

Cornbread works as a host at a “gentlemen’s” club right across the street from the hotel where I stayed. He invited me to the pajama party they were having that night. I declined. I didn’t pack pajamas.

Next post.

That’s right; I now have my own “thirteen original colonies.” Okay, golf states. Kansas? Check.

Warning: Extremely long post. You can always read some now and come back later for the rest.

Last week, my work took me to Kansas City and, having checked the weather report before leaving, I took my golf clubs. While I was working, the temperatures during the day were in the high 70’s. I think it even reached 80. The day I was leaving was just a “travel day” for me, so I booked an afternoon flight and planned on golfing in the morning before I left. The course I chose is called “Dub’s Dread Golf Club” and is, reportedly, a local favorite. Part of my reasoning was also its relatively close proximity to the airport. I booked the 3:54 p.m. flight but hoped to play early enough to catch the 12:52 on stand-by.

How “dread”ful is this?

I called them the afternoon before to make sure they didn’t have any tournaments planned and to make sure I’d be able to get out. After finding out they didn’t, the conversation went something like this:

“Do you make tee-times for singles or should I just come down and get on the list?”

“What time are you planning on getting here?”

“7:00.”

“Well, there won’t be much for you to do since we don’t open until 8:15.”

(Hang on, the sun comes up at 7… what’s all this about business hours? Toto… I don’t think we’re in California anymore.)

“Oh… ha ha… so how does it look?”

“Oh, fine, just come down and I’ll get you out.”

(Wondering if that gives me time to make my flight) “What can I expect the pace of play to be?”

“However you set it. You’ll be the first one out — I don’t have a reservation until 8:45.”

Toto, I’m definitely not in California anymore.

Best Laid Plans

Now, even in my priority frequent flier check-in and security lines, I have to check a bag because of my golf clubs so I know I have to be there at least 45 minutes before my flight because of TSA regulations. My Google map route tells me it’ll take 31 minutes to get to the airport and I figured about 20 minutes to gas up my rental car, return it and get to the terminal. So to make a 12:52 flight I have to leave the golf course by 12:01 at the latest. This means I have to finish golfing by about 11:45 in order to re-pack my clubs in the travel bag, get organized and get out of there. And this is all as tight as I can possibly make it, which is why I wanted to get out at 7:00. No problem, right? Playing as a single with no one in front of me, even as bad as I’ve been playing lately, I’m figuring 3 hours TOPS. This scenario gives me 3 and a half. Perfect.

Getting there

I left my hotel a few minutes later than I planned, with an estimated arrival of 8:00. Google maps had the directions right, but they didn’t tell me the street wasn’t well marked and in fact didn’t even look like a street. I called after getting lost and the pro told me to look for a particular church on a corner and turn left after that (but be careful not to miss it, because it’s not well marked — no kidding). Well, I didn’t arrive until 8:30 and now I’m really pushing my time limit. I decided to ride in order to save time, and then he told me it was cart path only. It probably would have been quicker to just walk the whole course. Then I knew I would have to try not to play cart path golf when I’m going to be rushing anyway. It didn’t bode well for my early flight or my round.

Weather conditions

I packed my golf attire according to what weather.com told me it would be like on golf day. While it wasn’t supposed to be high 70’s like the previous days, it was supposed to be mid-to-low-60s. I play in weather like that here all the time. No big deal. I wore a long sleeve shirt under a regular golf shirt and long pants. Luckily, I had a light windbreaker in my bag as well, because it was high 40’s with a freezing wind! It was especially bad on the first and tenth tees where there’s no shield at all. No time to hit balls (I didn’t notice if they even had a range, but I’m assuming they did), I ran circles around my cart just to try to get a little warmer. I was shivering and shaking (what a California wuss).

First Impressions

So that’s what they call “dormant” grass. I think Greg has mentioned it once or twice because some of the courses out here use it in certain areas, but other than that, I knew nothing about it. From what I can tell, it’s really just grass that is temporarily dead. Dead, nonetheless. Totally different feel than regular grass. If it’s dead, say it’s dead!

Instead of greens, they should call them “browns.”

All things considered, I didn’t start off too badly, and took a bogey on the first hole, a par 5. It got worse on the next hole, where I took a 7 and my first 3-putt of the day. The next hole was even worse than that. I’m a bad judge of distance and my drive got lost in the mud on the other side of the lateral water (mud creek) hazard that bisects the fairway. I dropped and hit my third from a bad lie and my ball hit the muddy side of the hill and didn’t roll much after that. I hit again and it ended up down near the teebox at the next hole. I chipped up from there thinking it would be in a pretty good position on the green but the bunker I didn’t know was there had other plans. My next shot put it on the green, where I proceeded to 3-putt for a nine. A NINE… on a 320 yard hole!!! I’m laughing at myself and taking in all the unusual-for-me scenery and course conditions, but thinking I’ve got to settle down… I can still salvage this round. Somehow, I managed to get my ONLY par of the day on the very next hole with my ONLY green in regulation of the day on a silly 143 yard par-3. It was all carry over water, but still… only 143. The rest of the round was all bogeys and doubles and even one more triple. Sure I was cold and hurrying and marveling at the dried out duck poop and yellow grass while trying to figure out where the holes went, cursing the cart path only rule all the way, but this is just how I’ve been playing lately, excuses or not.

This is another par-3, the 150-yard 11th hole. It’s more uphill than it looks in this picture. After putting one in the water, I landed the next about 15 feet above the hole and two-putted on a really steep green. No GIR and no par for my stats, but it felt good anyway. Tough hole.

Statistics

I hit 9 out of 14 fairways but only one GIR. I came within feet (and even inches) of 10 of them, but this isn’t horseshoes or hand-grenades. I had:
Four one-putts. None of those were great accomplishments; they were made possible by close chips from just off the green. When I wasn’t that close to the pin, I had:
Eight 2-putts
Five 3-putts and
One 4-putt!

If I just looked at my total number (39) putts, it might not look so bad. But clearly, my current problems are the approach shots and putting.

I ended up with a 104 and had to adjust that 9 to a 7 for equitable stroke control to post an adjusted 102. I don’t know who the original “Dub” was from Dub’s Dread, but I dubbed myself “Dub” after this round. However, this was just one of a series of 100+ rounds I’ve put up lately in my current slump. When I was playing my best, I had been practicing a lot at my neighborhood 9-hole par three course and was really confident with most of my irons. Somehow, I don’t get the same results from hitting at the range, and I hate mats! Putting has always been a struggle for me, and I’ve already started a practice regimen for that. (I even got in my practice session in Kansas City, the evening before my round at a place called All Golf.) At least now I know what I need to do. It’s starting to stay lighter later so it’ll be a little easier to get that practice in, at least when I’m in town.

Hindsight

No, I didn’t make that earlier flight. By the time I finished, re-packed my clubs and drove away, it was noon. I had to wait at the airport for two and a half hours until I could board the plane for my scheduled flight. Why did I even try? I should have just relaxed and walked the round. It would have been warmer, too.

There were 3 or 4 of these signs on the road from the golf course out to the “highway.” I guess the people who don’t golf around there need the warning. The golfers surely know this already. I also counted 5 raccoons and 6 skunks along the road. Poor buggers can’t read, I guess.

Next post.