Chanceman

I have done five golf trips to the USA since 2014. The Masters/Pebble Beach, San Francisco/Bay Area, Bandon Dunes, Scottsdale, Sand Hills/Ballyneal I also have a trip planned to Wisconsin to play Sand Valley/Erin Hills/Kohler. They were all great experiences. Bandon was special because of the high quality of the courses all in one place. But its a Scottish/Irish feel which may not be what you want. Sand Hills/Ballyneal was awesome too but it was a long drive out there. SFO was good but it was at a lower level of course apart from Pasatiempo. Scottsdale was a brilliant American golf destination. So many courses to choose from, perhaps not all top 100 but darn good. Going to The Masters is unique and everyone should do it at least once. Now I cant wait for Wisconsin to roll around, post Covid. Just check your season, that may determine the decision.

Australian Golf Traveller: Sand Valley/Whistling Straits/Erin Hills 2020 Cancelled England/Scotland 2020 Cancelled Bandon Dunes 2021 Cancelled

Just checked my last entry in 2018 and the number was 133. It's now up to 215 somehow. In that time I have played 20 courses in Ireland including Portrush, Ballybunion, Waterville and RCD, 12 in Scottsdale (places like Desert Forest and We Ko Pa), about 10 in Colorado/Nebraska including Sand Hills and Ballyneal, and a bunch of others on a trip to Scotland/Dornoch as well as some new courses here in Oz eg Kooyonga and R Adelaide.

A year late to the argument. Case study: Pebble Beach 8th. The scratchman hits precisely the right club to about 25 yards of the cliff, slightly left or right depending on pin placement. He then works out which club will both carry the ditch and get him near the pin. Bogeyman (me) has no clue where his drive will end up but can see the green in the distance and thinks what the hell I'll have a crack with 3 wood and see where we end up but what a view! I mean everyone can see what's needed so you just do what you think will give you the best result without driving you nuts. I might have 50/50 chance to carry with a 3wood but 80/20 if I go left in which case I have a longer club in. We know what's more fun and you only go to PB every second lifetime. Fantastic hole for risk and reward right along the handicap scale. Everyone should be able to appreciate it. Am I dreaming?

Amusing myself while we are in lockdown here in Aus by planning a possible trip in a year or two. I have had 4 or 5 golf trips to the US and am always thinking about the next one!! Start in Washington State at a little muni called Snohomish. Drive a few hours to Gamble Sands. Across the wine valley to Idaho and Circling Raven. Into Montana and The Ranch or Canyon River both at Missoula Old Works with its black sands. Bozeman - Cottonwood Hills Billings - Eaglerock Wyoming - Bell Nob SD - Red Rock or Hart Ranch NE - Prairie Club NE - Wild Horse Ne - Indian Creek IA - The Harvester IL - TPC Deere Run IL - Ravisloe or Kankakee Elks IN - Warren @ ND OH - Fowlers Run (maybe Sleepy Hollow) PA - Olde Stonewall PA - Gettysburg (not sure about the golf course but I like some history) NJ - Architects NY - Bethpage Black NY - Montauk Downs (this is a course I have always wanted to play being at the extreme end of LI). I think these 22 courses can be done in 3-4 weeks. Max daily drive about 3/4 hours. Appreciate any comments on what better alternatives might exist without deviating from the I-90/I-80 route. All these courses are playable by we plebs, I believe. But if anyone can tell me, I would like to know what private courses along that route are amenable to a polite request from travelling golfers.

Prague City Golf Club (20kms out of town) is hosting a Euro Challenge Tour event and Albatross GC is rated pretty high but is a little further out. Other than that I have no direct knowledge.

We went to Bandon in November last year and basically ran out of daylight to get 36 holes in. Old Mac and Trails are both very long. So we played Bandon Preserve and Shorty's a couple of times after or before the main course that day. BP is an absolute cracker. So there are plenty of options. If the weather is bad you wont want to play 36 anyhow but good luck trying. Dont forget to try for the Sheep Ranch where you can play all day for $100 I think it was, although there are rumours its closed. You 'll have a great time whatever you do.. Oops... re shoes, nothing better than regular Footjoys will be necessary.

None really, just wanted to brag!

Parred the hardest hole on the course (450 yard par 4) after never seeing the fairway and with one 30 foot putt - to win the match!!

We are doing same in November. Our schedule is Troon Monument, WeKoPa Saguaro, Grayhawk Raptor, Ak Chin So Dunes, Quintero, Wickenberg Ranch, TPC Stadium, Boulders South, Talking Stick Oodham and a round or two at Mountain Shadows.

woddit cost?

Golf in the USA makes an interesting contrast with England, the home of snobbery and aristocratic attitudes, where you can get a game at somewhere like Swinley Forest just by emailing them and coming up with the $300 to play. You drive in your little rent-a-Toyota and park next the Bentleys and Ferraris then book your bacon and egg roll before teeing off alongside Commodore Carruthers with his Irish Setter in tow. Swinley Forest began its life when the Queen asked the local Duke did he have a golf course and if not why not. Strange.

For what its worth I also think Mr Spieth played the rules very well at The Open last year when he took that drop behind the bus on the practice fairway. He kind of said to all the officials "this is the line" from on top of the sand dune and none of them checked. I reckon he got a good deal from that.

OK here goes - I had 3 holes-in-one on the same hole in the space of 6 weeks. All with the same club too, 4 iron. No pushover either - 180 yards. All in competition too. They changed the hole after that, it was getting too easy!

We have competitions every day of the week at my club with prizes eg 5 balls for a win, 1 ball for top 10%. This means everyone plays honest golf and the handicaps are quite accurate. We also bet with each other which also produces some degree of true effort . Our system takes best 8 from 20 (based on the slope) and also has a .93 multiplier (i think that's right).