October 2005

I just got the chance to play a round at Lafayette Golf Club today. I’d heard that it was the #2 golf course in the state of Kentucky.

From their website:

Designed by Jody Kinney of Dublin, Ohio, Lafayette covers 250 acres, and takes advantage of the varied terrain and the many lakes and rivers on the historic Green Farm property. Opened in May of 1997, the course offers superior golf for all levels of play. Four tees on each hole vary the course from 4200 yards to 6900 yards with the layout design incorporating both links and wooded styles. Lush bermuda fairways and bentgrass greens are surrounded by Kentucky bluegrass rough. Lafayette was recently awarded a 4 1/2 Star Rating from Golf Digest. Yet we suggest you come visit us and find out for yourself!

I had never heard of Jody Kinney, but I do know that they know their golf in Dublin, OH. Jody did a first-class job of building a golf course that will flat whip your butt the first time you play it. I shot an 88 and I usually play a few strokes over par, not 16 !

There are some places that you really don’t want to hit it. There are greens where you don’t want to get above or beside the hole. There is water, water and more water. There are bunkers with sand that is as fair as any I’ve ever played.

There are some long, long par 4’s. Some 3 shot par 5’s. Some short, but tricky, par 4’s, some scary par 3’s.

The rates were so low and reasonable that I don’t even want to publicize them here for fear of a gold rush !

The greens were in great shape. The fairways were mowed nicely and the rough was, well….rough !

My friends Blair and Pete were as whipped as I was at the end of 18 holes, mostly because we don’t have the kind of game we need to have to handle a track like this.

The surrounding terrain is spectacular. There are more trees, hills and wide-open spaces than you can dream about.

Here’s another reason to go and STAY. They have an old mansion, as a Bed-N-Breakfast there on the grounds. The rates for that are so fair that I can’t even believe it. Bring your wife, girlfriend, husband or whatever and spend a weekend walking around and you’ll forget your cellphones and all that crud at the office. Let them ride around with you and enjoy the scenery and then go into town for a nice meal and wait for the breakfast buffet at the old Green Mansion.

Go check out their website, come down for a weekend of GREAT golf and world-class scenery. The leaves will be changing colors really soon and fall is why I live in Kentucky.

The course was great, even if it whipped my butt, and I can’t wait for another crack at it, say…next week !

I called 2 friends from Louisville, while driving home. I told them about the whippin’ I got and now they want some, too !

Tell ‘em Mike sent you !

Here’s a place to put on your itenerary of places to play golf before you retire from competetive travelling and golfing.

Old Works Golf Course was built on the site of an old copper smelter.

Their website has some absolutely stunning photo’s of the terrain. Go check it out and I’m sure you’ll agree.

From their website:

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Old Works Golf Course has been reborn on the site of Anaconda’s historic century old copper smelter. The first course ever built on a Federal EPA Superfund site, Nicklaus incorporated many historic relics in his design. With its affordability, course conditioning and friendly service, Old Works is quickly building a reputation as one of the premiere, daily fee golf experiences in the Northwest region.

Did I mention that they have black slag bunkers ?

Did I mention that Jack Nicklaus was the architect ?

Go check out their site or the actual course if you’re nearby and let us know what you think.

Tell ‘em Mike sent you.

I recently had the pleasure of playing in a golf scramble in Louisville, KY.

We played at Quail Chase Golf Club. We shot a 51 and came in 2nd to a 45. Who’d have thunk you’d get beat with a 51.

I’ve been playing at Quail Chase since about ‘96. We had some relatives move to Louisville and they happened to live near the course. I lived in the Metro Louisville area for 7 years and have played there at least 25 times, probably more.

Never, ever, ever have I seen it in better shape. The place was green, the greens were great and the rough was fair.

We played the West and the East courses. They’re both 9 holes and the other 9, they have 27, is the South and it may be my favorite of the 3 courses.

If you happen to be in the Louisville area, be sure to stop by and play 27 and tell ‘em Mike sent you.