October 2005

I just read an ad spread in Golf Magazine. It was about a Reader’s Choice contest, apparently sponsored by Jeep.

10 of the Most Adventurous Golf Courses In America, in their opinion, are as follows :

1) Brickyard Crossing - Indianapolis, IN

2) Coeur d’Alene - Coeur d’Alene, ID

3) Ko’olau - Oahu, HI

4) Westin La Cantera - San Antonio, TX

5) Tobacco Road - Sanford, NC

6) Crosswater - Sun River, OR

7) Furnace Creek - Death Valley, CA

Highland Links - North Truro, MA

9) Primm Valley - Primm, NV

10) Ocean Course - Kiawah Island, SC

Follow the link to the contest and vote for your favorite.

Then comeback and let me know about the toughest, most adventurous golf courses you play.

PS - If you win the the Grand Prize, you don’t have to take me along. But you can if you want to !

Here’s a great little golf couse that my friends Bob Burgan, Gil Bezy and Bobby Burgan took me to while we were out in Arizona visiting Gil a while back.

Palm Valley is a rather inexpensive course that was as much fun to me as all the other golf courses we played during our 6 days out in Arizona. Gil lived in Surprise at the time, so a quick jaunt over to Palm Valley, was just what we needed before we got on our plane back to Louisville.

From their website:

” One of Palm Valley Golf Club’s most valuable assets that set it apart from other Phoenix golf courses is its diversity in play. Whether you’re an experienced golfer seeking a serious challenge or a new or junior player looking to polish your game, Palm Valley, housing two of the top Phoenix golf courses, offers golf just the way you like it. Only minutes from downtown Phoenix, Palm Valley is one of the most complete golf facilities in the entire Southwest. In fact, Palm Valley offers 36 holes of great golf. “

Click here for a link to their online specials.

Go by and check out their website and if you’re in the area go by and play a round. Look for Gil, he’s the good lookin’ one with a white goatee .

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !

Have you ever watched the Par 3 Shootout on ESPN ? Yeah, me too. And I always wondered what the venue called Treetops is like.

Well, I now know all I ever wanted to know, because I went to Treetops’ web site. It’s as well done as any golf website I’ve ever viewed.

They have 81 holes of golf designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., Tom Fazio and Rick Smith.

They have the Rick Smith Golf Academy.

They have a pile of golf packages.

They have info on all the courses.

They have winter & skiing info.

They have………well, they have it all. Everything except you as a visitor. Now go visit their site and then book a week’s worth of rounds and take Mike along.

If you can’t take Mike, at least tell ‘em Mike sent you !

If you’ve never been to Colorado Springs, now’s a great time to visit. Any times great, but Fall is a special time for golfers.

The Broadmoor has views of the Rockies and the colors this time of year are breathtaking.

The courses there were designed by Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr., so the golf is going to be worth the trip.

From their website:

” The world famous Broadmoor means many things to many different people, but to the golfer it signifies three superb and challenging championship golf courses. Donald Ross designed the original 18-hole course in 1918, which was 6,617 yards and a par 74. In 1958, Robert Trent Jones, Sr. completed the design for another nine holes, and he finished a second 18-hole course incorporating the Ross holes in 1965. The final layout has resulted in a combination of Donald Ross and Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designs on each course. “~Mr. Russ Miller, Director of Golf, Broadmoor Golf Club

Their website, which is well done, has a page of Specials & Packages, which you find out about by clicking those words.

Go give their website a look and then take off for Colorado Springs and tell ‘em Mike sent you.

Once again I played a round at Christmas Lake Golf Club. I was joined by my friends Todd Waldrip and Bruce Herdt, both from Jeffersonville, IN.

In case you missed it, I did a full review that you can read by clicking HERE.

We were greeted by a cloudless, blue sky and 75 degree weather. Bright sunshine, cool weather, a beautiful golf course and friendly staff were also part of the deal.

The Starter/Ranger/Player Assisitant Chet was waiting on me with a smile and good conversation, while I waited on my friends to hit some warm up shag balls. We’re both St. Louis Cardinal fans, so it’s easy for us to get a good talk going.

I went inside and Tom was there to take my $25 and $4 for range balls. I don’t know where you can find a better golf course for the money, so I’m calling it ” The Best “.

Their rates dropped October 03 and will remain this low thru the end of the year.

Zoysia tee boxes and fairways and slick bent grass greens are paradise for me.

We found the rough to be fair and the sand was raked, before & after we went thru a hole.

The 19th Hole was busy as we made the turn, but they found time to dig up some turkey sandwiches and some GREAT vegetable beef soup. I think the soup was $1.95 and the sandwich combo was about $6.25. Even the food is inexpensive.

I’m telling you right here, right now, there is not a better $25 golf course or golf experience on this planet.

If you think you have one that’s better, send me a write-up and we’ll let everybody in on it.

If you can get to Christmas Lake before the cold weather hits, you’ll not be sorry.

Email me and I’ll meet you there. I will be going back as soon as I can get there.

See you there ! And tell ‘em Mike sent you !

Since 1892, The Homestead’s Old Course has been one of the great places to play golf in the fall. It’s also the oldest first tee in continuous use in the United States.

Golfers flock to The Homestead for many different reasons. Some go to hone their game at the renowned Golf Advantage School. Others come to walk the fairways of the Cascades Course where golfing legend Sam Snead began his unmatched professional career. Others simply go to enjoy what most consider the finest mountain golf in all America.

From their website:

” The Homestead is your luxury golf destination if you are serious about playing on some of the best championship golf courses in Virginia. Ranked #4 by Golf Digest in its America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses, the Cascades Course offers challenging golf set against the backdrop of Virginia’s breathtaking Allegheny Mountains. In fact, the natural contours and rolling valleys of the Allegheny Mountains served as the perfect canvas for this luxury golf course. The Homestead built its first golf course more than 100 years ago and since then we have offered the very best in Virginia championship golf courses year in and year out. “

This time of year The Allegheny Mountains are ablaze with color that is unmatched in depth and beauty.

Don’t be afraid to call and ask for directions…then hurry over there before the leaves are gone !

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !

“Pacific Dunes…emerges as perhaps the last great meeting of sand and sea on American soil.”

Ron Whitten - Golf Digest

If this quote doesn’t get your golf blood pumping, you haven’t any.

From their website:

” Pacific Dunes, designed by Tom Doak. opened in 2001. It is remarkably different in character and shot making requirements. Pacific Dunes doesn’t feel like it was built as much as it was discovered. Rippling fairways remain just as they were found and natural bunkers line the landscape as they have for centuries. The course emerges from shore pines to spectacular 60-foot sand dunes. When the wind blows, precise approach shots are a necessity. Pacific Dunes is short enough to give you hope, but rugged enough to test every facet of your game. “

Click HERE to read the architect’s notes as shown on their website.

The website for Pacific Dunes is as beautiful as a golf course website can be. The vistas are absolutely stunning and it looks like how a golf course should look. Not a bunch of houses, not a grove of tree’s in every landing area, not a soul in sight that isn’t in your group.

Bandon, Oregon is agreat place, if you ask me…to go play golf !

Go by and see ‘em and tell ‘em Mike sent you.

Genoa Lakes Golf Club is obviously a great place to go for a fabulous round of golf in Nevada, but their website is one of, if not THE worst I’ve seen for a golf course.

It’s as if they did it for themselves and not for their potential customers.

When I click the link that says ” Golf Club “, I see a picture of the Director of Golf, the First Asst. Golf Professional and the Tournament Director.

Here’s a question for them - Who cares ?

Where’s the fabulous photo’s of the scenery ? Where’s the shot of the signature hole ? Where’s the mandatory shot of sunset in the high desert ? Where’s the helicopter tour ?

What a waste this site is. You want to charge me $80 for a round this weekend, but you can’t show me some pictures of every hole ?

I don’t know about you, but I ain’t flyin’ all that way without some visual evidence that a course exists.

You need fewer ” accolades ” and more ” reason’s why ” I should visit.

There are about 10-15 other courses in the archives of this site. Give ‘em a look and see what a golf course website should look like.

This must be a helluva track for Chris Santella to put it in his book, ” Fifty Places To Play Golf Before You Die “, and one of the reasons ain’t their website.

I’ve found a new blog dedicated to our obsession - golf.

Primary Rough, a golf blog by Nick Momrick, of the NICKED Up network of sites, has gone live. You can find out almost everything your little heart desires by reading htru Nick’s posts.

Go by and see Nick and tell him Mike sent you.

I’ve added Primary Rough to my RSS feed reader and my Blog Roll. You should, too.

Today let’s journey to the West Coast and see how the left half lives.

Pebble Beach is one of the world’s great golf courses and one of the great places on earth to visit and vacation.

” If I had only one more round to play, I would choose to play it at Pebble Beach. I’ve loved this course from the first time I saw it. It’s possibly the best in the world. ” ~Jack Nicklaus

It would be hard for me to find a better quote from a more reliable source.

Go visit their website, drop by the links and tell ‘em Mike sent you.