erova

whoa, only 4 more days and the thread would have been an even 2 years old. thanks for chiming in but this isn't an issue anymore.

looks like google maps pegs it at about 2 hours, but i made it from tampa in about an hour, with a lot of time slowing down for tolls. so if bradenton isn't an hour from tampa, you can probably do it in less than google's estimate. one of the coolest things i've seen at world woods is a $5 practice course consisting of one each of a par 3, 4, and 5 so if you're a little cramped from the ride you can get in some warm up holes. http://www.worldwoods.com/fw/main/Th...cility-45.html

second the vote for Pine Barrens. worst web site, best golf course: http://www.worldwoods.com/fw/main/Home-1.html

not familiar with any of those tracks, but i've played the host of the 2007 ncaa golf natl. chamionship on the gold course at Golden Horseshoe, and would highly recommend it: http://www.colonialwilliamsburgresort.com/golf/awards you could also easily play Mike Stranz's Tradition at Royal New Kent while you're in the area as well...

I'd suggest hopping in the car and playing one of the best golf deals in the country: the Pine Barrens course at World Woods. Blows the doors off anything Orlando has to offer.

i'm a pretty big architecture fan so i've gone a bit out of my way to experience some decent tracks. among the notables: donald ross aw tillie william flynn cb macdonald seth raynor Neville/Grant/Egan (no mackenzie yet) tom doak david mclay kidd bill coore & ben crenshaw jack nicklaus pete dye rtj sr/jr wilson lee fazio i also check out golfclubatlas.com a lot to discuss architecture and design in a more argumentative setting...

that's a pretty big assumption right there, don't you think?

This summary was true about 20 years ago, but today MLB and the NBA are global leagues that just happen to be located in the US and Canada. Simply because a team puts "San Antonio" on the front of their jersey doesn't mean Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker grew up on the River Walk. Just if a baseball team doesn't play another team in Barcelona comprised of players from the US, Japan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Canada doesn't make it any less global than if it's the Royals vs. the Mariners, except for the demographic of the fans showing up a the stadium.

I'm also surprised at how big of a deal people on this web site make buying equipment. If I'm playing with a straight up hacker, I could care less what he has in his bag, if it's brand name primo stuff or knock offs. Seems like a lot of people take the time to come to the Sand Trap, update their signatures with logos of clubs they use, be sure to tell us all the bounce of their gap wedge and which ball they'll only play if it's a southern tail wind, and then gripe that *other* people spend too much on equipment trying to fix their game. never once has either a lesson or a club that I bought for myself made my playing partner better, so i don't understand the hoopla of people concerning themselves with others' business...

people also need to get GOOD lessons, too. Having some driving range donkey who just got back from collecting balls tell you to flex your knees and check your alignment before you hit is a bigger waste of a hundred bucks than a good sand wedge that your walmart set didn't come with so you have another club other than a pitching wedge to hit from inside 75 yards. let's also remember there's a big difference in picking up a set of your dad's blades in the garage if he's 5'8 and plays to a 2, instead of you starting out with a cavity back game improvement iron when you stand 6'1.

i've played 10 of these on golf digest's list, and #6 Bethpage Black definitely seemed harder than the Ocean Course (i played when the wind was down)... http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/news/story?id=2767296 of those not on the list, bulle rock 2 weeks out from the LPGA is a bear, and Torrey South this February was brutal too... scorecards with slope are packed away....

hehe i wouldnt' say i'm THAT salty on a course, but sounds like you get the idea.

Olney Golf Park's pro just missed the cut at Oakland Hills and is one of GD's best golf instructors. Not sure where you are--DC's big enough with a lot of suburbs--that Olney could be in your backyard or an hour away. For a more serious regimen, look into http://clubgolfmd.com/ in Gaithersburg, founded by the guy who started up Titleist Performance Institute.

i'll be the first to admit i can get increasingly frustrated on the course, particularly if a lot of factors swell up at once, like if i just missed a par putt, then walk to the tee box and see that the group ahead has an open green and take 10 minutes to duff 6 shots with 12 practice swings, and then i snaphook a lousy shot left because i've been stewing and stewing. frankly if some random i had never played with told me to calm down and enjoy the day it probably wouldn't go over well in that particular situation. i find that when someone is really salty about their game that day, it's usually best to just stay away and let them calm themselves down. I know me and my buddies I regularly play with know when to bust each other's chops after terrible shots, but also when to back off and let them settle down on their own.

let's all agree this should be the last time we question the athleticism of someone with 14 career gold medals hanging around his neck or associate him with one of the biggest busts in nfl history... i'd have to think his olympic training makes him a bit more flexible in the shoulders, hips, legs, and just about anywhere else that would likely give him one or two physical advantages over a couple hackers on here...

Played the Coffins track in the spring of last year. Good parkland layout, kind of tight on a few fairways so you can find trouble if you're not careful. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being the best course for a muni under $50, I'd give it a 4. http://www.coffingolf.com/

I'd love to see this in action with the knuckleheads I play with at the local munis. But then, we'd probably be grateful not having to put up with a 36 handicapper, either. It completely depends on the course, day, and events preceding and following the round for me. If it's a clown round on a local track, we'll put down a few on the course. A nice daily fee? Ditto. World-beater track? Played the second nine at Pacific Dunes 9 strokes better than the front after three beers and a cigar. Plus my back can tighten up from time to time and somehow barley and hops does a lot more for it than menthol and Aleve. But on the opposite side, we played behind a group of complete morons last week. Loud, slow, incapacitated, falling over. No business for that extreme. When people get like that, courses don't need marshals, they need bouncers.

here in dc we don't have many troon courses (i've played a few in Atlantic City NJ), but i just finished off a trip that had me staying at two troon properties (inn at estrada in st george utah and troon north in scottsdale az) and played one troon course (talking stick)... i always know i'm in for a professional experience when playing a troon track...

keep in mind a lot of times the "tips" for the public and the actual tournament teeboxes used during competition are completely different, and often the tournament teeboxes are completely closed off for play by the public. also, while it's fun to say you played where the pros play, the speed of the greens, pin positions, length of rough, width of fairways, etc. add a lot difference between the game "we" play and the game "they" play...

nah, Harry, i WISH i did it. i didn't even check getting a quote. but i've heard good things about these guys for shipping clubs domestically and internationally: https://www.theluggageclub.com/

if it's one thing I wish I bucked up the cash for when I flew to england is directly shipping my sticks to Hoylake. Dragging the clubs on the various taxis, trains, tiny hallways, stairs, etc. is easily one of the biggest hassles ever.

nice, thanks for the heads up sabram, and especially the photos. unfortunately i'm heading southwest from st. george to get to scottsdale, and i've yet to play golf in utah, so that's why i'll save wolf creek for next time i'm in vegas.

i was also there in august, but the second week of the month. trust me though, i'm not the resident Black expert on these boards; I've only played it once...there are others who have enjoyed it much more frequently than i have...

that's the way i did it: i showed up about 8:00 wednesday morning and went out around 1. showing up on a wednesday afternoon and hoping to get out might be pretty tough, and I'd imagine a friday afternoon (is that before labor day?) could be pretty competitive to make it on. maybe you should roll down tuesday evening, stay somewhere cheap, and wake up to play wednesday...

hey everyone, I'm taking a trip that will lead into St George, Utah and am bringing the sticks. Right now I've got a tee time for the Entrada at Snow Canyon ( http://www.golfentrada.com/ ) but am curious if anyone knows how it stacks up against The Ledges ( http://www.ledges.com/ ) or Coral Canyon ( http://www.coralcanyongolf.com/ ). I know TL Golf just did a write up about a year ago on St George, but if anyone has any opinions it would be good to hear them as well. FWIW, I won't be heading out to Mesquite NV to play Wolf Creek, and have only one round in St George before heading south to Arizona...