Round #15: The Stone Canyon Club

THE GOLF:
My interest in The Stone Canyon Club in Tucson, Arizona was piqued after reading an incredible article describing the property and course layout in Executive Golfer magazine. I was elated to hear that my friend and fellow Winchesterian Jay Warren was a member there and was more than happy to get me on the course.

Stone Canyon lived up to all expectations. The clubhouse is incredible with facilities and service to rival the greatest clubs of the east. We checked in at the proshop, got a quick lunch, and headed to the range to hit a few balls before the round. The rain which plagued Tucson that morning had passed, the low clouds lifted, and the sun warmed the air to a comfortable 72 degrees for the duration of the afternoon.

Stone Canyon has, without question, the most extensive practice facilities I have encountered. The driving range, with so many different pins at which to fire and locations to fire from, warrants its own yardage guide within the course yardage book. East of the range is a chipping green. North of that is an expansive putting green. When departing the 18th green you encounter a reservation only private practice area with ample space to work on putting, chipping, and pitching without the hassle of others practicing nearby.

The first hole is tame as it shapes a dogleg left across the valley floor. The hole is not difficult, however a bogey did find its way onto my scorecard. The second hole offers a taste of what is to come later in the round. A fairway, separated by desert, lay in wait for your tee ball. My 3 wood found the right center of the fairway, which extends 300 yards beyond the tee into the desert. My tee ball left me with an option on this par 5, lay up 150 yards from my current position and hope to stiff a wedge onto the stick, or gamble with the 5 wood into the narrow target area and give myself a chance at birdie, possibly eagle. Jay recommended I lay up. I responded by stating that "I didn't put this tee shot in the middle of the fairway to lay up." My 5 wood was true and held its line. After landing short and rolling to the fringe, I was left with 30 feet for eagle. The putt rolled the entire 30 feet without breaking, but my right alignment did nothing to aid the ball into the hole. I had 1 foot remaining for birdie and did not complain.

The front nine continues rising up a hillside lined by rocks, reaching a peak at the par 3 6th hole. Named Echo Canyon in the yardage book, a more appropriate name would be Breathtaking. A waterfall has been built into the side of the rock ledge that rises above the hole. Water flows alongside the green until it reaches a pond which frames the front of the hole. The hole is short, playing 131 yards from the tees we were playing. I did not trust the yardage and hit a slow 9 iron that sailed the green and became a donation to the surrounding desert. I ended the hole with a 5. I made the turn with a 43 - not exceptional, but not horrible either.

The 10th hole contains some of the only water in play on the course. A tee shot struck straight will carry desert hazards to the left and stop short of a lake which fronts the green. This classic risk/reward par 5 entices the golfer to go for the green in 2, but demands a 245 yard carry to do so. My tee shot was perfect and I tempted fate by hitting 3 wood into the wind. My ball had the distance but not the proper path and settled right of the greenside bunker to the right of the hole. I was able to get up and down for my second birdie of the day. I need to note that Jay made a miraculous up and down, one of the best I have ever seen, from a difficult position in the right greenside bunker to save par. Jay's local knowledge of the course got me off the hook after a couple serious mistakes off the tee. Twice during the round I was right off the tee on uphill doglegs to the right without a view of the green. And twice he pointed me towards the green and told me to hit away, both times leaving me putts within 10 feet.

My highest score of the day was uncovered on the 15th hole, as I topped my tee shot 30 yards off the tee into the desert brush, and continued to flounder my way back in forth across the long par 5 for another 7 shots until my ball finally came to rest in the hole. The 8 was my highest score of the afternoon. Holes seventeen and eighteen provide the most thrilling tee shots on the course as the teeing ground is situated roughly 50 yards above the fairway. 17 is short at 283 yards and gives the player a great chance at birdie - I scored a par after holing a 45 foot snaking downhill putt. Eighteen is long at 420 yards and offers a closing hole that I rate second only to Harbour Town. Our round concluded 3 hours after commencing, making it the fastest round on this trip to date.

Stone Canyon is a must play for anyone who has access, and I rate this course and club as a true private gem - the best private facility I have encountered so far.

Today's Course: The Stone Canyon Club
Score: 86
Handicap: 11.1
Overnight Location: Tucson, AZ
Tomorrow's Courses: The Golf Club at Vistoso & The Gallery South (36 holes)
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Tucson, AZ

RANKINGS:

I have been asked by numerous people to rank the courses I've played so far relative to one another. While I am fearful this will seem like a horrible "list" episode of I Love the 80's, here goes:

15. North Fulton Golf Course at Chastain Park - just an awful course but playing with a friend helped me enjoy it more
14. Chateau Elan Woodlands Course - A great design, I'm sure, but playing into a 3 club wind all day through a wooded course with 6 foursomes ahead of me making playing through out of the question did not help in my enjoyment of this round at all.
13. The Golden Horseshoe - Like diet lemonade, this course did not live up to expectations
12. Royal New Kent - I love Mike Strantz, but sometimes his designs can become too much
11. Seminole Golf Club - The Florida State course was much better than expected and quite a decent track.
10. Pine Needles Golf Course - site of the US Women's Open next year, this course delivers more in the history department than in the design and golf department
9. North Hampton Golf Course - I loved this course the first time I played it, and played so horribly the second time, it had to be downgraded a notch.
8. St. John's Plantation - I hated this course at first, but appreciated it more the second time I played it
7. Colonial Country Club - I'm sure it will be nice for the Colonial tour stop, but I wasn't overly impressed with the layout.
6. Mid Pines Golf Club - Very enjoyable round set amongst the Carolina pines. Reminded me of Augusta, except open to the public - and women.
5. East Lake Golf Club - Although I played it early in the season, I can see how difficult it will play during the Tour Championship. Great design.
4. Kinloch - The measuring stick for what a club should strive to be
3. The Stone Canyon Club - Desert golf at its finest, and unmatched practice facilities and attention to detail - golf done right.
2. Pinehurst #2 - The course radiates history and commands respect.
1. Harbour Town Golf Links - An incredible layout - serene and calm with teeth bared as you stroll through the palmettos of the South Carolina lowlands. A course to be cherished.

Round #14: Colonial Country Club

The Golf:
The seven hour trip from Jackson, Mississippi to Fort Worth, Texas was well worth it for the opportunity to play another PGA Tour event course. I arrived at J.R.'s house just before eleven, leaving time to catch up on Chevy Chase Club gossip before retiring to bed in prepartion for the next day's round. J.R., a former colleague at Chevy Chase Club, is now a golf professional at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. The club hosts the annual Colonial Invitational golf tournament in April. Ben Hogan called Colonial his home club, and his legacy evident by the way he has been immortalized on the grounds. A large statue of the famous golfer keeps watch over the eighteenth green, in search of an adequate successor to his 5-time Colonial Championship record. The proshop contains an exact replica of the office he kept at the equipment company he founded and branded after himself. A trophy room contains every accolade, trophy, and award he acquired during his lengthy career.

The club itself is antiquated. Certainly it was extrvagant at one time, but has not undergone any modern renovation in quite some time. The course is different. The course givest hte club a purpose and reason for being. It is long and difficult, playing to over 7,000 yards from the Championship tees - today's tee of choice. What Colonial lacks in hilly terrain, it makes up for in bunkering, well positioned trees, tiered greens, and dogleg fairways.

I've come to realize today that I have become more spoiled than Paris Hiton's dog, as I was forced to carry my bag for the first instance on the trip. This was of little concern, as I needed the exercise. Holes 4 through 7 comprise the famous "horrible horseshoe." A par 4 dogleg left, long par 3, and narrow par 4 shape their way into the form of a horseshoe around the driving range. All holes are long and narrow and escaping with par should be considered an accomplishment. The most successful endeavor for me on the Horseshoe was finding 3 abandoned Pro V1 balls. These new additions would prove to be necessary, as I would return them back to the course from which they had came before the end of my round. The overcast, windy, and cold Texas day made golf difficult and staying warm of paramount importance. Pars and birdies, for myself and not J.R., were rare. But the poor play today was overshadowed by tackling a tour calibre course in the midst of exceptional company.

After the round it was back to J.R.'s apartment to finish up a load of laundry and pack more thoroughly for the journey to Santa Fe in the morning where I will meet Tracy for an extended weekend stay. I was able to briefly experience the city layout and subdued nightlife of Fort Worth as J.R. and I ate sushi at a local Japanese restaurant. After Santa Fe, the Odyssey takes me to Tucson to play 2 stellar courses in the Arizona desert.

Today's Course: Colonial Country Club
Score: 94
Handicap: 10.6
Tonight's Overnight Location: Fort Worth, TX
Tomorrow's Course: None
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Santa Fe, NM

Updated Golf Rounds and Trip Exploits

My apologies for the delayed posting, I have covered hundreds of miles, shanked many balls, and undertaken numerous adventures since last updating this blog...none of which with internet access. I am sitting at a Starbucks in Vicksburg, Mississippi paying for Wi-Fi access because I cannot find it offered anywhere for free. Something the deep south does have a lot of is the Dollar General. These stores are littered along the rounds numbers that rival 7-Eleven's in the DC area. And they are always packed. I have yet to visit one, but if I wanted to, I would probably have to leave my car in a satellite lot and take the quarter hourly shuttle to get there. Anyway...to read details of my odyssey in sequential order, scroll to the end of today's posting and work your way up. I'm now off to Fort Worth to stay with former Chevy Chase Club Golf Professional J.R. Holland and play Colonial Country Club, home of the PGA Tour Colonial event. Enjoy!

Round #13: Seminole Golf Course

The Golf:
My friend Jeff Sadosky is a great guy. He has shouldered the nickname of "Fridge," appointed to him by his friends in college (a story which will remain untold due a lack of available space on this blog), with a wry smile and jovial laugh. One time, after graduating JMU, he ended up having to stay at my house in Tyson's without a car. He woke early and instead of bothering myself or any of my roommates' sleep, he began walking, in sandals, for 6 miles until reaching his home in Great Lakes. He and I have played together only a handful of times. He was the only taker on a weekend round of golf with me to South Riding in a relentless rain which never dissipated. For 4 1/2 hours we sloughed around a wet course in damp shoes, making poor contact, taking giant divots and huge numbers, laughing the entire time. That round may be the most memorable round of my short golfing history.

This being said, I was elated when he called telling me his workload was thin enough to join in my round in Tallhassee Monday morning. My expectations for the course and ensuing round at The Seminole Golf Course, home to the FSU Seminole golf team, were not high. Jeff and I dropped my car off at a GMC dealer at 7AM for service and arrived at the course for our 7:47 tee time at 7:50. There was a twosome playing at 7:56 that we joined. We met Danny on the first tee, his playing partner, Alejandro, was running as slowly as we were and met us at the first green. The course was suprisingly well kept, well designed, and fair. From the tips, it stretches to a thundering 7,100 yards, and from our tee of choice to a respectable and playable 6,500 yards. After the previous weekend's antics at Harbour Town, avoiding big numbers became my theme for the day, while Fridge's goal was to shoot a respectable score in his first outing of the season.

Both missions were accomplished as I rounded the front 9 with a 44. The score should have been much better, as I hit probably the most Green's in Regulation of my life at 50%. Three of those GIR's ended in 3 putts. The greens ran extremely fast as the superintendent kept the bermuda grass cut short. This exposed flaw in my short game made for nervous long putts, and even more nervous short putts. The screws began to tighten on the back nine and I was able to avoid any 3 putts, close with birdie, and enter the clubhouse with a 40. The 84 is a step in the right direction after some setbacks. My striking of the ball has improved, and this was the best feeling and most encouraging round of the trip so far. Jeff asked me not to reveal his score, but I'm going to throw him under the bus not to be vindictive, but because I feel he played really well for his first outing of the season. Fridge should be proud and encouraged with his 97.

Today's Course: Seminole Golf Course
Today's Score: 84
Handicap: 10
Tonight's Overnight Location: Jackson, MS
Tomorrow's Course: TBD
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Fort Worth, TX

The Car Conclusion
GMC of Tallahassee has a wonderful service department and did a wonderful job with my car. I dropped the Envoy off at 7AM, mentioned it needed to be ready by noon, and it was. Things could not have worked more perfectly as my car was repaired while I played golf on a beautiful sunny Western Florida morning. A blown fusible link was the culprit, but also fixed were broken taillights and a factory recall. The cost was a little over $200 - just enough to learn where not to jumpstarted the vehicle. My car was ready and had full electrical capacity - meaning I was able to catch up on the Howard Stern show for the duration of my 7 hour trip to Jackson, Mississippi.

Round #12: St. John's Golf & Country Club
The alarm sounded after what seemed like 15 minutes of sleep. With Greg's car, and poorly scribbled directions, I whisked myself in 35 minutes to the St. Augustine, FL St. John's course. This course had been the sight 2 years prior to the much anticipated Sunday match play round of The Plastic Cup - an even more anticipated yearly Ryder Cup style golf outing with close friends. Today's round would be more relaxing as I would be meeting Art Ianucci and his son Brian. Art is a family friend of Lee Crank, one of my closest friends. I have known Art for about 5 years now and always enjoyed his company. We have never had the opportunity to golf together, but I was aware he played to an exceptional 4 handicap.

Art, Brian, and I were paired with Paul. Paul is a one-putting lost ball blood hound. Through 6 holes, he had 7 putts. Not tap-in putts, we're talking country road trip putts - long and breaking - that seemed to always find the bottom of the cup. Paul probably found 34 balls during the round. If our cart passed near a water hazard or thicket of high grass, he would slam the breaks, quick-draw the golf ball retriever in his bag, and have 3 newly found balls lying on the ground next to him before I could turn to exit the cart. His swing is unorthodox, his ball striking erratic, but his short game was incredible and the main reason for his shooting an 86.

My round went a bit less successfully. Finally, I began striking the ball the way I knew I was capable. The high slight draw that occurs when I'm hitting the ball solidly returned, and my misses began to stray shorter distances from the fairways and pins. A few bad breaks and a poor short game kept my round from being lower. My 92 raised my handicap to its highest level in a year to a 10.2. I am most in need of sharpening my short game with putting and chipping practice. Unfortunately I will not have a chance to do this until I reach Fort Worth and am able to use the practice facility at Colonial Country Club.

Today's Course: St. John's Golf & Country Club
Today's Score: 92
Handicap: 10.2
Tonight's Overnight Location: Tallahassee, FL
Tomorrow's Course: Seminole Golf Course
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Jackson, MS

The Car Continued:
Unfortunately for my current situation, no one in the auto service industry works on Sunday. At least no one in Jacksonville. For some reason, possibly religious, maybe Nascar related, every auto body shop and dealership is closed on Sunday. I must have called 20 businesses in the area and all were closed. I feel there is market potential here. This is an untapped niche that has yet to be exploited - a Sunday mechanic on duty. This guy could probably take the entire week off, work only Sunday, and make a killing. This unfortunate circumstance left me with a decision - stay in Jacksonville and get the car fixed Monday morning, or leave for Tallahassee (a 3 hour drive) in a car that ran perfectly fine but had no working electronics. I chose the latter and began my trip to Tallahassee around 6:30 in the evening. To combat the boredom, I attached my iPod to a set of portable speakers for music. Also planned were numerous phone calls to friends to break the monotony of the drive. Although the electricity was out, the open door air conditioning system was operational and utilized.

I arrived at Jeff Sadosky's new apartment in Tallhassee around 9:15. His place is bare as he is transitioning to a new job with the state Republican Party, and has yet to move his wife and furniture to the area. An air mattress which doubles as a couch, end table, coffee table, and la-z-boy recliner is the focal point of the apartment. Jeff seemed happy to have familiar company. I am confident his loneliness will dissipate this weekend when he wife Jen takes up temporary residence with him for the next few months. After catching up it was off to bed for the big day of car repair and golf tomorrow.

Round #11: Harbour Town Golf Links
After the exploits by Greg the night before and judging his state the morning after I would have put the chance of him actually swinging a club at Harbour Town at about 1 in 1,000. Greg fell asleep atop the stairs at Nick's house and slept the entire way to the course. But once on sight at Sea Pines resort, he delivered by hooking Bob and I up with free golf at the Pete Dye designed gem that hosts the annual MCI Heritage PGA Tour event.

Harbour Town is one of the best layout's I've ever played. The lush, green course framed by South Carolina palmettos and well placed Oaks provides a feeling of calm and serenity. Unlike newer upscale daily fees which borrow extensively from other courses and end up feeling contrived, Harbour Town borrows from no course. It rolls through the South Carolina low country on its own terms - dictating to the land how its holes should be cut and fairways, tees, and greens positioned. Regardless of score, when playing Harbour Town you are at one with the surrounding trees and grass. You are sure that it has been done right - that golf was meant to be played here.

We began our walk through the Dye masterpiece with an idea of what we were in for, but nothing could have prepared us for the reality. Trees blocked most shots, tee balls hit down the fairway did not guarantee a shot to a pin, miss-clubs were punished, and trouble spots outnumbered safe plays. The course contains, by far, the best collection of par 3 holes I have seen. All play over water and penalize errant or erratic shots and seldom offer a chance at birdie.

Hole 13 begins the most impressive final stretch of holes on the planet. Snaking along a canal, water comes into play on all and is elusive to few. After the par 4 16th, players turn toward the shoreline to play two memorable holes heralded in golf lore. The par 3 17th juts into the peninsula and provides the first glimpse of ocean on the course. Water fronts a tiered green visible to ships passing in the ocean behind. The 18th tee box begins the turn along the shore and ends at a green 460 yards away. A well struck tee shot towards the famous lighthouse in the distance will rest in a fairway that stretches towards the ocean and marshland between. The second shot to a postage stamp sized green instills fear in most every competitor as the ball must carry water and beach and avoid the coastline to the left. Greg, Bob, and I took numerous photos on these last 2 holes in an attempt to link our mediocre rounds with those of the greats who had strolled these grounds before us.

The hole descriptions in the Harbour Town yardage guide may have been written by William Faulkner. The 10th hole encourages players to "temper your gusto." At a course such as this, I find that a nearly impossible task.

Today's Course: Harbour Town Golf Links
Score: 100
Handicap: 10.2
Tonight's Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL
Tomorrows Course: St. John's Golf & Country Club
Tomorrow's Overnight Locations: Tallahassee, FL





The Car:
After the round, everyone was tired and we were anxious to get started on our 2 1/2 hour trip back to Jacksonville. This trip was delayed by one of the dumbest mistakes I've ever made, which was compounded by an even greater mistake. On the ride up I had plugged a small portable fridge into the cigarette lighter in the rear of my car so that cold water would be available for Greg should he need it. Unfortunately, I forgot to unplug the fridge and we returned from our round to a dead battery. Here's the good part: when trying to jumpstart the car, I connected the cables to the underhood fusebox - shorting out my fusible relay and leaving me with no working onboard electrical appliance.

We drove to Jacksonville with no speedometer, radio, taillights, or working windows. Hot air coming off of the engine made the temperature inside the car hot since there was no climate control system to recycle air. The only solution was to open the driver and passenger side front doors...while driving...down the interstate. The 2 of us had just rolled in style the previous afternoon - walking onto one of America's greatest courses like we owned the place and playing 18 without paying a thing - now we were driving down interstate 95 with the hazard lights on with the doors open.

Round #10: The Golf Club at North Hampton
The Golf Club at North Hampton is a course I have played before. The Palmer layout is a tremendous design with wide fairways, undulating greens, plenty of sand and hazards, and even more wind. Our group of 6 golfers (Greg Netro, Nick James, myself, and Nick's friends Matt, Bert, and Craig) stormed the course for golf, light gambling, and entertainment. I played with Matt and Nick. Their superior skills did not create for a better golfing environment for myself as I proceeded to lose just about every hole. The only 2 holes I won came on the 17th green with a bogey. That can be attributed to luck, not skill. We were jam packed onto the course looking at a 5 hour round as a result of a Fraternal Order of Police shotgun held earlier in the day. On the 12th tee both groups of 3 joined together to play a 6-some which still had to wait for the group in front of us. This union proved to be most enjoyable as the trash talking and back and forth banter reached circa 1994 Michael Jordan NBA-like proportions.

My round of 94 was less than exceptional and proved that I am never going to be exempt from carding a high score on any course at anytime. It also serves as a reminder that I need to get to the range...

Today's Course: The Golf Club at North Hampton
Score: 94
Handicap: 9.6
Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL
Tomorrow's Course: Harbour Town Golf Links
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL

St. Patrick's Day, A.K.A. The Rise of Nitro:
Nick, his wife Erin, Greg, and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day and the NCAA Tournament by dining at the local sports bar Sneakers. The place is sensory overload to a sports fan, with 4 screens the size of garage doors playing 4 different basketball games. Nick's friend and all around good guy Bob and his wife Mary met us for dinner. After dinner, Bob and Mary retired home - just as we should have done. Instead, we saw Greg Netro turn into Nitro. Nitro appears on special occasions. These occasions can include weddings, holidays, birthdays, and weekdays. Greg settled into his stride at a bar called Finn McCool's after running into his boss. In a matter of moments Netro was no more - now there was only Nitro. Some examples of what Nitro is capable of: jumping on top of a random car and running along its length from tail, to roof, to front; unintentionally replacing the lyrics of "You're So Vain" with "you're so blain" and "clouds in my coffee" to "clouds in my buckets;" picking me up and throwing my shoulder blade into one of Nick and Erin's walls, leaving a dent; attempting to wrestle anyone while in his boxers then "falling asleep" with the light on; sleepwalking into Nick and Erin's room at 3 in the morning. I will miss Nitro.

Round #9: East Lake Golf Course
East Lake Golf Course is home this year to the PGA Tour Championship and home course of Bobby Jones. The head golf professional at Chevy Chase Club and my friend Jim Fitzgerald arranged for me to play East Lake with a member and friend of his. I pulled into the gate and checked my car at the valet in front of the clubhouse. The main entrance is beautiful and laden with Bobby Jones memorabilia. A hallway along the back of the main foyer led to the extensive and immaculate Golf Proshop. There, I checked with the desk and was told to head to the range where my bag and caddy would be waiting. On the range, I was introduced to Tom, the member of East Lake, and his friend Larry. Tom is a generous man of average build and exceptional spirit. Larry would prove to add comic relief to the round while imparting a graceful and powerful swing on the ball.

It was decided before teeing off that I would play from the tips and Tom and Larry would play from the Member's Tees. The course measures a lengthy 7,200 yards from the tips, presenting quite a challenge. While discussing the course condition with one of the assistant pros, Tom mentioned that the rough was no where near as long as it will be for the Tour Championship. The assistant followed by stating that it was not unheard of for a player, while playing the course at peak rough conditions, to lose a ball in the rough, drop another ball, and lose the ball they had just dropped as well. Tom also mentioned that Billy Andrade would be in the group behind us and to feel no pressure. I could only guarantee displaying no nerves. The course is a beautiful and traditional golf test which favors long hitters and accurate iron play. I am neither but somehow managed to squeeze out a 39 on the frontside with a birdie on the signature par 3 6th. The back nine showed less success as my tee shots began to stray and bogeys became more prevalent. Through 16 holes I had taken no great than a bogey, signifying a fairly good course management round. Until 17 where I took a double bogey and on the par 3 18th where a quadruple bogey made its way onto my card.

The final score of 86 was respectable and did not diminish the enjoyment of the round. Larry's comments kept us laughing as Tom and I discussed family and family business and the benefits and issues involved with each. I am truly grateful to Tom for the round and am curious to now watch the pros play such an exceptional course this October.

Today's Round: East Lake Golf Course
Score: 86
Handicap: 8.9
Tonight's Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL
Tomorrow's Course: The Golf Club at North Hampton
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL

Round #8: North Fulton Golf Course at Chastain Park

THE GOLF:
Nestled in picturesque Chastain Park on the outskirts of Atlanta is the North Fulton Golf Course. The course is as municipal as municipal gets. Brown is the overwhelming color in the North Fulton pallete, fairways are not guaranteed to exist on every hole, the greens run slowly - possibly at a negative number on the stimpmeter, and bunkers are filled with a mysterious substance that lies somewhere between dirt and sand. Regardless of the condition of the course, the round was played with my friend and host for the past 2 days Jeff Weekley.

Jeff lives about 1 1/2 miles from the city park which houses the course. We arrived in time to hit a few putts and meet our playing partners on the first tee. We were paired for the round with 2 Georgia Tech engineering students named Andrew and Kevin. They were good guys and golfers as well. Jeff had a little more diffiult time today as this was his first outing since December. Regardless of Jeff or my golfing woes, the overwhelming theme of the day was "at least we're golfing." It took roughly 9 holes to get accustomed to the speed of, or lack thereof, the greens. This was beneficial for the back nine after making the turn in 43. On the par 3 11th, I hit my tee shot to 2 feet. I was able to utter my favorite 3 word phrase "tap in birdie."

The success ofm y first birdie of the day was followed by me draining a 15 footer for birdie on 12. The back nine continues reasonably, with a few more bogeys than desired, but reasonably nonetheless...until the 18th. The 18th hole was a disaster. On the 446 yard par 4, my ball finally came to rest on the green after my 6th shot. I closed the round with an 8. Instead of a 40 on the back, I took a 44 and finished with an 87.

Jeff's score on the other hand, like the recipe for Coca-Cola will remain a closely guarded secret. I should mention that even I can't confirm his score anyway until the calculations have been checked for accuracy by Price Waterhouse Coopers. Tomorrow I head to one of Atlanta's most exclusive clubs East Lake. The club is home to Bobby Jones and oftentimes the PGA Tour Championship. As was the case for Pinehurst, I am hoping my game will be in decent shape for such a memorable round. After East Lake, it's on to Jacksonville.

Today's Course: North Fulton Golf Course
Score: 87
Handicap: 8.9
Tonight's Overnight Location: Atlanta, GA
Tomorrow's Course: East Lake Golf Club
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Jacksonville, FL

Round #7: Chateau Elan Woodlands Course

THE GOLF:

45 minutes north of Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, sits Chateau Elan Winery and Resort. The resort is home to 2 David Griffiths designed courses: The Chateau Course and The Woodlands Course. The Woodlands was the course of choice today since the Chateau greens were being aerated. My round began on a 530 yard par 5 - not long by any means. The hole played into a 4 club wind. Following is my club selection for the first 3 shots of this hole, all of which were were well struck: driver, 4 iron, 5 wood. I was still short of the green. These 3 clubs, hit in secession on a day without wind, would net me roughly 680 yards. I missed an up and down chance on number one and exited the hole with bogey. Unfortunately, things did not get better from there. My best shot of the day was a 5 wood on the 190 yard par 3 2nd hole which landed to 12 feet. As expected, I missed the birdie putt. I blame the wind.

The wind was abusive - leaving me with little chance of making par on most holes. This was one of those rounds where every hole seemed to play into the win. I must have followed the driver up with a 4 iron second shot 80% of the time. Also abusive were the 6 foresomes ahead of me keeping me from playing through. The two players I was to be paired with did not show, leaving me with approximately 10 minutes between shots. A rhythm was difficult to establish and my score was affected. I came back to the clubhouse with a 95 and memories of a round that I would like to soon forget.

Today's Round: Chateau Elan Woodlands Course
Score: 95
Handicap: 8.5
Overnight Location: Atlanta, GA
Tomorrow's Course: Chastain
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Atlanta, GA

THE BLACK CROWES

I had little time to reel from my golfing debacle this afternoon, as I was told to prepare for the Black Crowes concert in downtown Atlanta. The band hails from Atlanta so the show would be a homecoming of sorts. My familiarilty with the Crowes extends no farther than a few songs and a knowledge of their southern roots. Regardless, I was excited to see them at such an intimate venue as The Fox Theatre which has a capacity of around 3,500 people. Also attending the show were my friend Jeff Weekley, and his 2 friends Dan, and Nick. The show was good as was the company. The sound from Chris Robinson's microphone made it difficult to understand his vocals, but this was of little concern as I didn't know the words their songs anyway. For over 3 hours, The Fox Theatre was filled with the sounds of these Southern Rock legends. The audience left exhausted and fulfilled. My only complaint was the band omitting She Talks to Angels from their setlist. It is one of the few Crowes songs I know and I was hoping to hear it live. After the show, we waited for crowds to clear from the parking garage by bidding our time at a bar next door. The bar was swanky. Dan and Jeff found this out when they tried to order a Bud Light only to be told that they do not serve Bud Light, only Amstel Light. What kind of bar doesn't serve Bud Light? That's like Sam's Club not carrying economy size items. It just did not make sense. After leaving we took a great picture outside the Fox Theatre that makes it look like are excited from just having witnessed Lord of the Dance. Actually, all this Black Crowes banter is merely a ruse to hide my insatiable appetite for Irish River Dance.

Jeff is taking the afternoon off work tomorrow to join me in the round at Chastain. Our tee time is scheduled for 1:30. Let's hope the wind is a bit more agreeable then. Cheers...

Round #6: Pinehurst No. 2

THE GOLF

The No. 2 course at Pinehurst played host to the U.S. Open Championship last year where Michael Campbell overcame the rest of the field in sublime fashion. The course has been around for over 100 years. It was designed by the famed golf course architect Donald Ross and is know exclusively for green complexes which resemble the shape of turtle backs. Every green on the course it crowned in some fashion, placing a premium on accurate distance and line control.

I woke at 6:30 and called the proshop to add-on as a single. Non resort guests are only able to play by calling in same day. They had availability in an 8:40 group. I shot out of bed, dressed and headed to the course. Arriving at Pinehurst is a spectacle in itself, as the bag drop circle continues forever, begging for an olympic track and field event to arrive. After checking in at the proshop, I headed to the Caddy Master to meet my caddy for the day and hit a few balls. My caddy, named John, was in his 37th year looping for the resort. At the first tee I met my playing partners for the morning - a young insurance worker from San Francisco named Scott, and 2 gentlemen, Chris and Pete, on a golf trip with friends from Columbia, Maryland. From the outset it was clear that it would be a long day for Chris and Pete. Pete scored 1 par all day while Chris took 1 bogey as his lowest number. Scott was a decent player save for his erratic drives and irons and lumberjack's touch around the greens.
The tees, stretched to the tips, measured 6,785 yards this day. I figured I would test my luck and play from the "back of the rack." After a par on the first hole, I found rough on multiple tee shots and followed with bogey, double bogey, bogey. A terrific par save at the par 3 6th got my round going. I closed the front nine with back to back birdies on 8 and 9 for a 41. The back nine started out much better, as the worst score I would take on any hole was bogey, which happened only 3 times. I birdied the par 3 15th to go -2 collectively on the par 3's with 3 of the 4 completed. It was not until the par 3 17th that I would stumble. The hole was pretty straight forward with plenty of green to work with. The place not to miss was in the bunker short and right...so after my tee shot I'm preparing to hit my next shot from the bunker short and right, and I catch part of the ball, send it running off the green into another bunker. My next shot is more successful, landing on the green to 10 feet from the pin with a chance at bogey. I 3 putt. Triple bogey. My 4 over turns into 7 over - if I can make par at the 447 yard par 4 18 playing into the wind. My drive finds the fairway, my second shot lands next to the putting green some 40 yards from the green. The recovery chip lands to 10 feet and I drain the putt to save par and finish with an 84. There is still work to be done, but at least I can feel confident that my game has come around especially on this difficult course.

Today's Course: Pinehurst No. 2
Today's Score: 84
Handicap: 8.2 - getting slightly better!
Overnight Location: Atlanta, GA
Tomorrow's Course: Chateau Elan Woodlands
Tomorrow's Overnight Location: Atlanta, GA

ATLANTA

After the round, I had a terrific lunch at the Donald Ross Grill in the Pinehurst Golf Clubhouse. The open faced pulled pork sandwich served overtop of cornbread and fried green tomatoes is a recipe Tracy and I will have to duplicate. I'm sure it's fat free as well. After eating, at 2:50, I hoped in the car and began the 6 hour drive to Atlanta. Arriving at my friend Jeff Weekely's house at 8:00 must account for a new land speed record and allowed me ample time to settle in before the "Jack Bauer Powe Hour" which is 24.

Round #5: Pine Needles

THE GOLF

Pine Needles Golf Club hosted the Ladies U.S. Open in 2001 and will host again in 2007. Before tackling this Donald Ross gem I had to pick up my father and his friend Jerry Updike up at the Moore County Airport. They flew in for the day to donate as many golf balls to the North Carolina pines as possible. Their plane arrived late due to a stong headwind. After loading up clubs and a large tupperware conatiner of chocolate chip cookies baked for me by my mother, we zipped to the course at record speed in order to make our 9:50 tee time. We teed up cold with no warm up. I opened with par, dad grasped a 7 from the jaws of a 9, and Jerry told me to put him down for an 8 after taking 10 strokes, 5 consecutive around, but never on, the green. The second tee box brought me to the realization that my camera was in my hotel room. I kicked myself all day for such a bozo move. Finally I had playing partners that I recognized, a beautiful day to enjoy their company, and no way to imortalize the moment.

And there were many moments worthy of immortilization. Most centered around Jerry and his comic book character approach to life. Imagine Mr. Magoo with better posture and slightly better eyesight mixed with a milder mannered Barney Fife and you will arrive at Jerry. Jerry carries 10 clubs in his bag, none of them matching. He just recently purchased his first sand wedge ever. So new is this club that he still has the wrapper on the grip and will probably keep it there until its retirement. His driver is covered in mud - not on the face of the club, but on the back. I could not imagine a more humorous existence than to be surrounded by Jerry on a daily basis. He is a wonderful soul and the spice which flavors the round.

All said my front nine at Pine Needles ended well with a 41. The back nine saw more strokes as my tee ball began to stray and I saw more of the course. No birdies were had on the day, but I was able to save par and sometimes bogey thanks to the arrival of my short game. My inward nine was completed with a score of 46, putting me at 87 on the day. What a relief! Finally a score in the 80's, renewed confidence, and hope for futher improvement. My father and Jerry, who are much less focused on score than myself, came in with respecable scores which I hesitate to divulge on this post. Let's just say they had a good time...

Today's Round: Pine Needles
Score: 87
Handicap: 8.3
Tonight's Location: Southern Pines
Tomorrow's Course: Pinehurst No. 2

PINEHURST

Once the round was in the books we headed to my hotel room to pick up my camera for photo documentation of the day's events. Jerry wanted to see Pinehurst and partake in their daily ritual of afternoon tea. He masked his desire to see the famous resort by insisting the we wanted to see Pinehurst and that my father would enjoy it. We drove to the famous Carolina hotel.

Jerry insisted we park, for my dad, so that he could see Pinehurst. After walking in, Jerry found rougly 8 brochures, because my dad needed to see them. He then recomended we eat at The Ryder Cup Grill in the Carolina Hotel, because my dad wanted and needed to eat there. The meal took over an hour for 2 sandwiches and an order of fried oysters - I think the waitstaff was distracted by the Duke/Boston College ACC Championship basketball game. After finishing our visit at Pinehurst, I shuttled the itinerent golfers back to the plane for departure. It was wonderful to have this time with my father, as I will not see him until early next month when we are scheduled to play the Monterey Penninsula, most notably Pebble Beach. After dropping them at the airport, I returned to the Pine Needles practice facility to work out the problems with my wedges and tee shots. Two hours later, I was in my hotel room preparing mentally for the challenge of Pinehurst No. 2 the following morning.