Kinloch

The Odyssey begins!! My trip is now underway. Leaving Tracy this morning was diffcult for us both, but she will be with me on my journey in spirit. The drive today was easy from DC to outside Richmond. Today's round was at Kinloch Golf Club outside of Richmond. This is a fairly new elite private course which opened in 2001. Only one word can be used to describe the facility and course - WOW!!! This truly is golf at its finest. I entered the grounds through a security gate which required me to be buzzed in. In front of the large, Bavarian style clubhouse I was greeted by a member of the golf staff who forwarded my clubs to my caddy and valet parked my car. I was given a locker for the afternoon and an account on which to bill any food or merchandise. After browsing the golf shop, I met Darren, a cordial young man who was to be my caddy for the round. He escorted me to the practice complex - an golf "barn" open to the driving range for practice during colder weather. The attention to detail was amazing, with wicker cushion chairs, stone flooring, and mirrors and video cameras in every direction so you could view your swing from all angles. I hit about 30 balls and left to practice some putting. After rolling some putts for a few minutes, I met my playing partner for the afternoon, a man named Terry Adams. Terry is a member at Kinloch, a golfer playing to about a 6 handicap, a former partner at Accenture, and a pleasant soul to accompany me for the first round of my Odyssey. We started off on the back nine and did not encounter another golfer until well after making the turn. The course, sunshine, and comfortable temperature were ours alone to enjoy. I shot a 44 on our outward nine, with the highlight being a 45 foot right to left birdie putt dropping on the par 3 17th. This was followed by missing my drive just left into the water on 18 and taking a bogey. It was not a bad front nine considering that I had not played in quite some time. I could tell early that it will be awhile until I regain the sense of touch necessary to score well on a course like Kinloch. Too many 3 putts and too few ups and downs contributed to my inability to get any momentum going during the round. The inward nine was less of a success as I carded a 47. Going 6 over par on the last 2 holes did not help my score much either. Regardless of the score, I still felt like I hit the ball well and look forward to scoring better once I begin to develop a bit more feel and consistency. I am looking forward to tomorrow's rounds. Two Mike Strantz designed courses are on the agenda: Royal New Kent and Stonehouse. The now deceased extremely creative course architect is a favorite of mine. I'm off to visit and stay with my friend from home Tom Iden and his wife Nicole.

Today's Course: Kinloch
Score: 91
Tomorrow's Course: Royal New Kent & Stonehouse
Current Handicap: 8.1