Golf

I know it’s self indulgent (and a humble brag, according to Allie) to do a post about golf and the courses I’ve played; I resisted it for quite awhile. But the topic keeps lingering in my mind and pulls up associated memories, so I’ve decided to go ahead and see where it leads. Please indulge me.

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My Golf Story

I played golf off and on for more than 40 years though I haven’t picked up a club in a good decade or so. For a long time, golf was an abiding indulgence bordering on obsession. I confess for a long while I was a golf course snob and made an effort to play only the “best” courses. I constructed many vacations and business trips around golf and often used that as an excuse to track down a destination course to check it off the list.

Here are memories of the courses I’ve played. As you’ll see, it’s an extensive list and it will take a long time, if ever, for me to get around to including capsule memories of each course. But they all bring back memories and they all had their own character, which is a fairly unique quality about golf. I’d have a much harder time trying to recall tennis courts I’ve played over the years.

Golf Courses I’ve Played

Phase One: Elementary and High School

• Colonial Palms Golf Course, South Miami, FL. I got interested in golf in 4th grade or so. Mom carted me over to the Colonial Palms Golf Course, a short par-3 course on Dixie Highway (excuse me, now I learn it’s no longer proper to call it that — let’s just say U.S. 1) in South Miami for lessons. It was a small course, par 60, well suited for kids, women and old folks. It even had lights for night play, though I hardly ever played after dark — it cost more. I started hitting on the driving range and after awhile I got lessons from a pro on the range weekly. The course eventually became my haunt for many afternoons and weekends. Mom sometimes played with me but as I got older she would simply drop me off and I would stay for hours. On my most glorious day, I played three full rounds, 54 holes, walking and pulling my little bag all the way. I became a decent little golfer for my age, but I don’t remember getting into competitions or any tournaments. I enjoyed the solitary struggle of golf, meticulously keeping score and trying to beat my record on each individual hole.
• The Biltmore Golf Course, Coral Gables, FL. This was a fancier course near our home in Coral Gables, built by Donald Ross in 1925. I only played there a few times on special occasions with out of town guests. Dad used to tell a story of how he was playing this course once in the early 1960s (I didn’t even know he played then) when a twosome insisted on playing through. It turned out to be Richard Nixon (then out of office) and his somewhat shady friend, Bebe Rebozo. Dad’s brush with greatness.
• Canoe Brook Country Club, Short Hills, NJ. This was the course our house backed onto in Short Hills. We were not members there and I never played all 18 holes, but I would occasionally sneak out in the late afternoons and play a few holes when no one was around. Other than that, I can’t remember playing golf regularly while we lived in New Jersey. Lots of tennis, though.
• Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, NJ. Family and Exxon friends, the Hedlunds were members here and I played this famous course once or twice with Mrs. Hedlund and Mom. I remember the course, which has hosted US Opens, was long, difficult and out of our league. It was nice of the Hedlunds to give us a chance to play there. We attended Chris Hedlund’s wedding at the club and that was a big deal, too.
• Francis Lake Golf Club, Lake Park (near Valdosta), GA. This was the course in Valdosta where I remember playing with Woot Goodloe, along with Mom and Dad. It says the course opened in 1971 so it was either that year or shortly after.
• Mauna Kea Golf Course, Mauna Kea Beach Resort, Hawaii. I played this course with Mom and Dad during our initial trip out to Hong Kong, August of 1971. It was gorgeous and more than a match for our skills. It was the first course I played in Hawaii and haven’t been able to get back since, but it set the standard.
• Singapore Island Country Club, Singapore. I played here on our Christmas break in 1971 courtesy of Exxon friend, Mrs. Fitzsimmon. The course was as lush and green as anything I’d ever seen but it was also extremely hot and humid (especially for December 27…it never cools off in Singapore).

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• Shek O Country Club, Hong Kong. For a number of years, Mom, Dad and I would play golf on weekends at the Shek O club, the lesser of the two golf clubs in Hong Kong. The course had a seaside front nine reminiscent of a downsized Pebble Beach. There were a couple of holes that criss-crossed and you always had to keep an eye out for errant tee shots. There were a bunch of old ladies in Hakka hats (and were probably proper Hakka ladies but I was too ignorant to really know) who were fixtures as caddies. We always felt bad having them carry our clubs, and deliberately got some lightweight golf bags to make it easier, but it was a living for them and they were very eager to earn their tips. The club itself was an old British institution and had some quirky traditions, including a weekend tiffin with tasty curries and little sandwiches, and a New Years Day tournament that was an excuse for everyone to come out on a cold, hungover day and get very drunk all over again. We played golf there pretty regularly for several years until I eventually got fed up with spending any more time than necessary with Mom and Dad. Ah, teenagerhood.
• Kaanapali Royal Golf Course, Maui, Hawaii. On our second stay in Hawaii going to or from Hong Kong in 1973, we stayed in Maui and played this course with Mom and Dad. I remember it being very windy that day, and most of the fairways sloped sideways on the volcanic hillside.
• Prince Course, Princeville, Kauai, Hawaii. In 1974 (I think) we went to Kauai to round out our Hawaiian island experience. We stayed at the Princeville resort near Hanalei, one of the toughest golf courses and most beautiful areas I can remember. I went back years later with Barb and played there again. It seemed even harder.
• The Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland. In 1974, we traveled through Scotland on the way to the States from Hong Kong. We made a special stop at St. Andrews to play the Old Course; I think it was the only golf we played that trip, other than Hawaii, perhaps. I had some appreciation of St. Andrews being the oldest and most famous course in the world, and enjoyed the unique double greens used on many holes. I also liked that there were no trees to get in the way, but the gorse bushes were plenty troublesome.

Phase Two: College and After

Having more or less stopped playing in Hong Kong after 11th grade, I wasn’t quick to pick golf back up in college. I think I started playing again around my junior year. I know I played a fair amount with Bill Englehart, my roommate starting in my senior year.

• Reston National Golf Course, Reston, VA. Formerly known as Reston South when I played there, this was a common destination for me, especially once I got a car. It wasn’t too far from Barb’s parents’ place in Oakton and I started going there on weekends or days when I didn’t have classes. It seems to me I was mostly there on my own or occasionally later on with Joe. This is where I started liking golf again. The course was fairly challenging and quite pretty. When I started it wasn’t too crowded, but became more so over the years.
• Falls Road Golf Course, Potomac, MD. This became a favorite course for Bill Englehart and me. It was cheaper, easier and less crowded than Reston. Bill was not a great golfer but we had a good time together.
• Richmond, VA. I can’t remember the name of the course, but I remember the date: July 4, 1981. Bill Englehart and I took maybe our one and only golf trip to play a good public course in Richmond I had read about. We must have gone down on Friday night and stayed somewhere cheap, then got out on the course early on Saturday morning. I distinctly remember playing one of my best rounds, and had several sweet long iron shots that just felt perfect. I felt like I might actually get good at the game. After our round, we stayed in the clubhouse drinking beer and watching John McEnroe beat Bjorn Borg for the first time at Wimbledon. It was an excellent day.

Once Betsy started dating Joe in 1981, I started playing golf with him more often because he was a fanatic. We were well matched and I had a great time playing with him for many years. Once in a while we would play with some of his friends, but more often it was just the two of us which was my favorite.

• Algonkian Regional Park Golf Course, Sterling, VA. This became Joe’s “home” course, about 5 minutes from Betsy and Joe’s house in Sterling. I think it may have been one of his favorite courses even before then which may be why they moved there. We played it very regularly for a number of years through the early and mid-1980s until it got terribly crowded on the weekends. As it was, Joe would regularly get there at like 5:30am on Thursdays to get a Saturday tee time. The course was long and heavily wooded, near the Potomac River but you never actually saw the river which seemed a shame.
• Shenandoah Valley Golf Club, Front Royal, VA. Joe and I eventually “graduated” to Shenandoah Valley in the late 1980s. It was a long drive to Front Royal but the 27-hole course was lovely, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, and rarely crowded. On a few occasions we tried to get Fred interested in the game. He was never more than half-hearted but at one point he got a bit of a bug and bought a gimmicky adjustable golf club that meant he didn’t have to carry a whole bag of clubs. We took him out to Shenandoah Valley and set off as a threesome, Joe and I riding in a cart with our bags and Fred walking with his single stick. The course marshall, seeing only the two bags of clubs, came steaming up, telling Fred he couldn’t share our clubs (a breach of golf club rules — it slows down play) and had to rent a set of his own and get a cart. Fred wheeled on him, shaking his goofy adjustable stick and shouted, “I am not a pack mule! I have my own club!!” They let him play, but I don’t remember him ever coming back.
• Goose Creek, Frederick, VA
• Raspberry Falls, VA
• Lansdowne Resort, Lansdowne, VA
• Belmont Golf Course, Leesburg, VA
• Bristow Manor, Bristow, VA
• Stonewall Golf Club, Gainesville, VA
• East Potomac Golf Course, Washington, DC

Phase Three: Destination Courses for Work and Play

• Golden Horseshoe, Williamsburg, VA.
• Pinehurst #2, #7, others, NC
• Ford’s Colony, Williamsburg, VA.
• Kingsmill, Williamsburg, VA.
• Ocean Pines, Ocean City, MD
• River Run, Ocean City, MD
• Eagle Landing, Ocean City, MD
• Hogs Neck, MD
• Duck Woods, Nags Head, MD
• Sea Scape Golf Links, Nags Head, NC
• The Currituck Club, Corolla, NC
• The Carolina Club, Grandy, NC
• The Pointe Golf Club, Powells Point, NC
• Buccaneer Golf Course, St. Croix, July 1982. link to post
• Jack Tar, Antigua
• Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic
• Nemacolin, PA
• Pebble Beach, CA
• Links at Spanish Bay, CA
• Spyglass Hill, CA
• Pasatiempo, CA
• Carmel Valley Ranch, CA
• La Costa Resort, CA
• The Pointe at South Mountain (now Arizona Grand Resort) (Rustler’s Roost), AZ
• Boulders Resort, Carefree, AZ
• Ocotillo Golf Resort, Chandler, AZ
• Troon North, Scottsdale, AZ
• Palm Springs, CA
• Pecan Valley, San Antonio, TX
• Banff, Canada
• Highlands Ranch Golf Club, Highlands Ranch, CO
• Disney World, FL
• Innisbrook, FL
• Kiawah, SC
• Hilton Head, SC
• Bandon Dunes, Oregon
• Carnoustie, Scotland
• Turnberry, Scotland
• Gleneagles, Scotland
• Mauna Lani, Hawaii
• Makena Golf Club, Maui

Phase Four: Maryland, Work and “Retirement”

• Needwood, Derwood, MD
• Poolesville Golf Course, Poolesville, MD
• Manor Country Club, Rockville, MD
• Hampshire Greens Golf Course, Ashton, MD
• PB Dye Golf Club, Ijamsville, MD
• Worthington Manor, Urbana, MD
• Hobbits Glen Golf Course, Columbia, MD
• Fairway Hills Golf Course, Columbia, MD
• Blue Mash Golf Course, Olney, MD
• Waverly Woods, Marriottsville, MD
• The Woodlands, Woodlawn, MD
• Timbers at Troy, Elkridge, MD
• Whiskey Creek, Ijamsville, MD
• Bulle Rock, Havre de Grace, MD
• Cattail Creek, Glenwood, MD
• Willow Springs Golf Course, Sykesville, MD