"currently battling with my dear friend, the Silverstripe CMS" - 18 hours ago
"is thoroughly relaxed at another Irish farmhouse B&B, this time one run by a character and a half, Sharon Moore.... http://fb.me/Fd1zVe5z" - 1 day ago
"Is this the Nellie bunker you were talking about mate? Safely avoided I'm pleased to report http://fb.me/EHAvCmyU" - 2 days ago
After knocking it around at Forest Creek we headed north to Durham North Carolina to stay with Patti and John Inman. These guys are really good friends with Phil and Mel Tataurangi and had extended us an invitation to the “Inman Inn” on route to our game of golf the next morning at the TPC Wakefield Plantation course in Raleigh.
John Inman is a well known chap amongst the North Carolina golfing fraternity because of his career on the tour and now thru his role as Head Coach of the golf team at University of North Carolina. In fact he was out recruiting today and will continue to do so tomorrow. By recruiting, he (along with coaches from all the other universities) is following every move of certain high school golfers at the summer golf tournaments and trying to convince them that UNC is the best place for them to further their golf and academic careers. Scholarships are offered up and tours of the campus are given. It all sounds like competitive stuff and a far cry from the entirely non-existent college sport scene back in New Zealand. John has a pretty good product to sell as from all accounts as UNC has produced a number of fine tour professionals (like John himself and Davis Love who were on the College team together).
We sat around enjoying an amazing home cooked meal (which crucially included plenty of vegetables) hearing about the world of the Inman’s here in Durham, North Carolina. We also saw where the vegetables were grown – an impressive vegetable garden had been cultivated in the back garden, complete with a tin sheep from New Zealand. You see, the Inman’s are a rare breed of Americans from these parts who have actually managed to make it down to New Zealand – and no fewer than 6 times normally corresponding with the NZ Open.
Patti also was kind enough to decorate Dodgy, with a Tar Heels Golf Academy magnet – this is the golf academy that they are running over the next few weeks (think summer camp for golf).
The next morning we made it to the TPC course and were the second group away on the first. I was really stiff and bunted my first few shots around to be happy with bogey golf. Our brains were not fully switched on to golf, and on the fourth hole, a 480 yard brute of a par four, we hit off before checking the course guide. Thus we didn’t factor in the stream running across the fairway and made a couple more bogeys: Jamie courtesy of a drop, and myself a hack out of the bank. This evil hole is pictured below - still gives me nightmares. Oh and I forgot to mention the 80 yard long green which JP managed to two putt his way from the front egdge to a back pin - well played son.
All TPC courses are generally stretched out to some exorbitant length to extend the pro’s when tournaments are played. Indeed, Wakefield Plantation hosted a nationwide event within the last few weeks. We heard that the scoring was VERY low during that week at around 20 under for three rounds. Amazing really considering this course plays about 7300 yards and is really tight in parts. It goes to show that simply stretching a golf course out will not result in Pebble Beach like scoring. When you do stretch the course out it really exposes the gulf between low-ish amateurs like Jamie and I and the tour player. If you can’t bomb it consistently 300 yards I think this course is tough.
I particularly enjoyed the last couple of holes on the front nine which were both strong par fours. The 8th plays downhill so the 480 yard measurement is not as ghastly as it sounds. Although if you don’t get a drive away there is a gully short of the green which you can’t roll the ball up. The 9th curves to the left and has a bunker smack bang in the middle of the fairway. If you take it left of the bunker the lake comes into play – as I found out. But had I not hit such a strong draw I would have been sitting pretty 120 yards from the pin. Shake it off.. First Tee styles..
The back nine tightens up a fair bit off the tee and you really need to be hitting it both long and straight to make some pars (let alone birdies). The 18th (pictured below courtesy of our sweet camera which was on top form today) is one of those stadium finishes that makes your mouth water. A downhill par five crossing a stream before the green is nestled under the clubhouse. A beautiful finish.
After the round we spent some time with Michael Thomas who works in the marketing team here at the TPC Wakefield Plantation. Michael was a Top Notch host and we were able to relax and enjoy a nice lunch before our drive north to Richmond. We also met the general manager, Kirk, and shared our crazy story with him. Both these guys were as enthusiastic as they come – something that really gives me motivation as the days in this golfing marathon tick by. Crucially, we were also treated to a new pair of shorts to add to our golfing uniform. Both of us have been low on shorts of late so it is key to add a second pair of shorts to the rotation (my lack of shorts is courtesy of the poor tailoring of Industrie clothing inc – don’t buy such shorts if you want them to last more than 12 rounds). Photo’s with dodgy and business cards swapped and off we went – in the newly branded “tar heel golf academy Dodgy”.
Most golfers have heard of TPC Sawgrass. In fact they all have. It’s the brute with the famous island green on 17. It’s also where they hold The Players’ Championship every year. Sawgrass has that iconic recognition that not many other tracks around the world can claim – and for good reason, it’s pretty unique. Hell, the clubhouse is 75,000 sq. feet. And then there’s, well, the Stadium Course itself...
Oh what a circus. Mark our good host – who by day is Director of Comms for The Champions Tour – had helped jack up a bit of buzz surrounding our visit. By the time we’d hit our first tee shots a few words had been spoken to David Pilsbury (President of the PGA Tour Golf Course Properties), Bill Hughes (General Manager at TPC Sawgrass), Gary Smits (from the Florida Times Union) and John (from PGA Tour Productions). In the melee we found a few moments to hit a couple of balls, a few putts and a bunker shot or two (God knows we’d need the practice...). And then we found ourselves there, on 1 tee, taking a deep breath, hoping for the best.
Lost ball. Reload. No mulligans here, I’m pleased to report (they’re very unKiwi; we don’t like ‘em). Jase & me took on Goldy & Mark in The Cart Match. After the whipping we took yesterday, surely it was our day today? Every dog has his day. This dog’s still waiting for his.
The Stadium Course was immaculate. Better than it was for The Players’, we were told – which seemed unlikely at first, but was believable once we got out there. The Bermuda greens were glassy and true. Less grainy than the offerings of the few days past (luckily for us they’re not being aerated until Monday). Astonishingly the rough was Rough. And Mr. Pete Dye has very unkindly put a lot of trees in the unsuspecting golfer’s way. Branches overhanging tee blocks; big palms guarding green entrances; forests planted tighter than Bob Marley’s stubble – for me the foliage was the big story of Sawgrass. Oh, and the water.
On nearly every hole you turn around – after marching 506 yards back to the tips from the cart path – and see menacing menacing ponds. Sometimes on both sides of the fairway. There’s no Out Of Bounds here, but really that’s cold comfort. I lost 5 balls on the front 9, and could’ve lost a few more had it not been for our diligent and watchful caddy Scott. I had a whale of a time though. We all did.
Scott and Mark piped up every now and then with tales of fortune & misfortune at tournaments gone by. “Tiger hit 5 wood into the water over here...Hal Sutton holed out from the fairway on the Thursday and Saturday here when he won...” A bit of history is always nice – save for when you’re a kid being dragged round The Natural History Museum because your parents “knew you’d enjoy it”. In fact it’s quite something walking these fairways when you consider who’s been there before you.
As if this adventure was not wacky enough, a couple of raccoons approached us by 4 green. Poor little fellas – which normally are nocturnal – must’ve had a hard night on the trash, and not been able to get to sleep. Someone must’ve chucked out a few stimulants with their banana skins, leaving these unsuspecting creatures wired and confused. Scott ushered them away from our carts and wished them good luck on their travels. I wonder where they are now? I’m sure there are myriad rehab clynics in these parts (probably one that a certain Tiger frequents), so they’ll be fine.
It really helps if you can work the ball both ways at Sawgrass. Doglegs left follow doglegs right. Sometimes the tee shot is over water; other times it’s the approach. Waste bunkers catch your eye on one hole; on the next it might be a few little pots by the green that get the heart racing. Really the whole thing is a thrilling experience. As Phil Tataurangi our old mate would say, it’s a course that ankle taps you. Even if you’re hitting the ball smoothly – not that I was – you’d still find yourself losing a shot here or there to the course, with precious few opportunities to get ‘em back. Sawgrass, really, is a deviant.
Then you get to the final stretch – one of the most famous in golf. 16,17 and 18 are up there with 14 thru 16 at Cypress; 17, 18 at The Old Course; and 17, 18 at Pebble. Great finishing holes. 16’s a double dogleg (first left, then right) par 5, with water all along the right hand side from 200 out. Hitting a good drive puts you in a precarious position (as it did Goldy): you know you can get there, but there’s a big tree short left, and it’s all carry over water on the right. Hhhmmm. Best pause for quiet contemplation. Some idiot was hollering through the forest when Mike struck his 3 wood...you can guess what happened. Not a happy Michael. I played the more orthodox route and sunk a 40 footer for birdie. By that time the 4 hole playoff was hotting up.
On 15 tee Goldy declared that we would play a bounce match down the stretch (after he and Mark had demolished their opponents, Jase & yours truly, in the cart match 6&4). Each of us would pick a past Players’ Championship champion. I took Tim Clark; Mike took Perksy; Mark had Norman; and Jase had “Be The Club Today” Hal Sutton. All on. Gloves off.
3 pars on 15 – Hal had a bogey. Perksy and Norman made double on 16 (taking them to +2); Hal made par; and Clarky made birdie (edging out into the lead at –1). And so to the 17th. Walking round the lake you stare around the cauldron, imaging the atmosphere during tournament time. Electric it must be. Today there were no spectators save for the odd raccoon – just a green perched in the middle of a big pond, and a big old oak tree off to the right hand side, also floating above the water. The lads ahead took longer than usual over their putts – naturally – and eventually cleared the way. At this point it all got too much for Hal, who began to vomit out the side of his cart. Poor fella had food poisoning / kidney stones (we didn’t know at the time), and ended up in hospital the next morning.
The other 3 of us relieved ourselves through a different orifice, straight behind the hedge at the back of the tee. One of the best spots to take a leak on a golf course – likely to make the Top 10 list at the end of the year.
Norman led the way and dropped it in the drink, short right. Not what you want to see when you’re about to take aim. I stepped up to the plate, wedge in hand (130 yards), and flushed one to 14 feet long right. Pin was front left; my ball pitched and stopped dead in its pitch mark – no sign of the normal zip you’d expect from that range (which might’ve taken it stiff on another day). Knees were knocking. Then Perksy smoked a wedge to 20 feet, just over the front pot bunker. That’d prove to be a tough putt. Hal ended up on the back edge, facing a treacherous putt. What a hole. Scott gave Perksy a read that was Questionable to say the least, resulting in a 10 foot return putt. Thankfully for us all, he made it. My birdie putt slipped just past the hole, but stayed within gimme range. Thank you Very Much – I’ll take my par and run.
So on 18 Clark was –1; Perks +2; Norman by the point +A LOT (after hitting the first 15 greens in regulation); and Hal +A FEW TOO. Water ALL THE WAY down the left hand side, of a 460 yard par 4. We all got a good drive away. Then I’m glad to say we all knocked it there or thereabouts in 2. 2 putt par proved enough for Clark to take out the 4 hole playoff – at least salvaging something from a tough day on the fairways.
I’m exhausted just recounting it all. Sawgrass more than lived up to its billing. Certainly a must do on every serious (or at least adventurous) golfer’s bucket list. If not just for the golf course, then also for the history. And the clubhouse (which we wandered through afterwards, taking in the stories told by photographs and artifacts housed between those 4 huge walls).
Thanks to TPC Sawgrass for an Awesome Experience.
I won’t keep you long, but must also mention our visit to The First Tee HQ and World Golf Hall of Fame – both housed in the World Golf Village 45 minutes down the road in St. Augustine. Wow. A whole village devoted to all things golf. Only in America...
Monique and John kindly took time out of their Friday afternoon to show us round The First Tee’s pretty plush offices. A slightly different kettle of fish to the modest HQ back home (which, in case you’re reading Pip, is also very nice! - just a tad smaller). John’s the chief legal counsel for the organisation, and has been involved for 9 years in just about everything from A to Z. I was interested to hear his thoughts on Where to Next for TFT – particularly his belief that to get real traction the program needs to be as accessible as possible, and be creative in it’s approach to bringing people to the game. Like having 9 hole facilities, not 18. Or like bringing the program into schools so Mum doesn’t have to borrow a car to drop Ted off out in the suburbs.
All good sense, really. But sometimes we forget that golf isn’t the most accessible of games – especially for those with modest means. There’s certainly something to be said for a flexible approach at the grass roots level – John’s right.
The Hall of Fame was, well, pretty much what you’d expect. Paton kindly took the time to show us round (and John joined in for the walk too). A hurried affair given the hour; something I’d like to return to with a few more hours to spare. Nevertheless we got to see The Ryder Cup, The Claret Jug, etc; Sir Bob Charles’ locker, etc – all the good stuff. Funny hearing Sir Bob speak about his farm back on North Eyre Road, just a mile or two from where my parents live. Brought on a touch of homesickness.
But no time for that. We all had one thing on our mind by this hour of the day – and that was steak. Forgot to eat lunch, and only had fruit for breakfast. At 5.30 Mark, Mike and me were Starving. So homeward bound we zipped to Base Camp Mark & Nancy for a BBQ. Nothing could’ve been more enticing than a quiet evening in their family home, with a beer in hand and some great chat. M&N really were wonderful hosts these past few days, and had plenty of stories (some from Nancy’s playing career; others from Mark’s days at crossroads in his 20s; and others still from everywhere in between). Awesome people.
That’s enough for now. Check out Goldy’s video blog, the footage for which was shot by our mate Tony Zambos God Bless His Heart.
JP
Day 150. We had driven through the night from Dallas. I was operating on 3 hours sleep. JP a couple hours more. We were knackered to say the least.
So we went to the French Quarter for 3 hours of sight seeing before our 3pm tee time at the TPC Louisiana Golf Course. We haven't had too many opportunities to sight see of late, but we weren't going to let Nawliines pass us by.
The French Quarter is one of the best spots I have visited, up there with the Old City in Jerusalem. It is buzzing, the atmosphere is electric and it sucks you in. Many people have commented that we were disciplined to get out after 3 hours!
We were even more disciplined considering the thunderstorm which arrived at around midday. Thunder storms for us mean, get in the car and get to the golf course asap so we can fit the golf in around them if needs be.
As Dodgy pulled up at the TPC Louisiana track the hooter was going off to suspend play. But by 315pm and after a couple of hours of admin in the clubhouse play resumed and we made our way to the first tee.
By this stage we were fading pretty badly.
The golf was not flash and there were more than a couple of tired swings. Unfortunately the greens resembled sand pits and so putting and chipping did not require much finesse. But the track was lush with plenty of water and small bunkers obscurely placed around the greens and surrounds that looked like little craters. If you missed the green you had a 50/50 chance of getting in one of these little beasts.
"Named by Golf Digest the “No. 4 Best Upscale Public Golf Course” when it debuted in 2004, TPC Louisiana’s championship layout was crafted by world renowned golf course architect Pete Dye, with PGA TOUR players Steve Elkington and New Orleans native Kelly Gibson serving as player consultants"
Pete Dye is an architect whose name keeps popping up over the last week. On first impression I can't say I'm wowed by his courses. But I need to really sit down and work out what his design philosophies are before I make any in depth comment.
We were hoping for a quick round but then after a couple of holes found ourselves behind a group playing a bit slower than us. After one or two slow holes they let us through, we were stoked. And then as we played through and said "thanks" one of the chaps said 'no worries' in the most distinctive kiwi accent you can imagine. So we stopped and got chatting - they had heard of our odyssey from following the local papers back home. 5 kiwis in Louisiana playing as some of the only other people on the course - what are the chances! Now these kiwis were over here with famous kiwi Director Martin Campbell (goldeneye, Casino Royale and many others) filming a blockbuster movie called Green Lantern. As film techies they are part of the crew who travel around filming various movies around the world - not a bad gig!
After we played through our golf continued on a downhill spiral. As we were considering falling asleep on the 11th green one of the kiwi chaps (whose name I forget due to my sleep deprived state) came over and invited us to stay. How we would have loved to have said yes, but for our tee time in Florida the next day. Devastating.
As fatigue set in somehow we stopped thinking and started making par after par after par on the back nine. As if we were on autopilot. So that kept the scoring to a respectable level in the low 80's. I think JP may have even ended up with 79.
After golf we showered up and prepared for the next overnight drive through to Florida - the last leg to get us across the US. We sent a few more emails in the clubhouse, had another chat with the kiwis (great humans) about our adventure (proudly showing off Dodgy) and then jumped in the van and got driving... again.
How on earth could our last game in Dallas have crept up on us so quickly? Yesterday we hacked it round Los Colinas then spent a couple of hours out at Colonial – and the day, before we knew it, was gone. Well, it was gone after another one of Phil T’s gourmet steaks, I should say. And one of Mel’s sumptuous cakes. Yes we’re spoiled.
Another Kiwi fulla (in fact, another Maori fulla - the other being Phil, not either of us obviously) joined us today. Jase is a mate of Phil’s from way back – they grew up playing together in Taupo – and has lived here for 11 years or so (married a Kiwi-American). He’s been a pro in his time, but now spends his days with a company that lays artificial greens (like the one Phil has in his backyard). Sounds like a good living, from what he was saying
The 4 of us boosted out to TPC Craig Ranch (as you might’ve guessed, a big ranch owned by the rather wealthy Craig family) on the outskirts of Dallas. It’s on the north side, where they’re banking the city will spread in the years to come (hence the outrageously huge hotel that probably doesn’t get filled every night...if you get my drift). This time we travelled not in Dodgy, but in another Dodge, of a more recent vintage. It “had balls” as we would say back home – meaning there are a few horsepower under the hood.
Craig Ranch is quite unlike Los Colinas, in terms of its atmosphere. Where LC is urban, CR is rural – and obviously all the more peaceful for it. It’s also leased and by the TPC network, whereas LC is a license deal (which has various implications in terms of who staff are employed by; how they interact with you, etc).
The course itself is a bit of a brute, and plays really long if you’re not hitting your driver well (as I wasn’t). From the PGA Tour tees, the slope rating is 77.3 (par 72), if that gives you a hint. Being the masochistic monkeys we are – and given we were playing with a couple of pros – of course we had to take ‘em on. Ha. All good fun.
To mix things up we also played a couple of formats new to Mick and me. First, we played an “Atlanta scramble” - whereby the 2 balls on the left take on the 2 balls on the right (from the tee). The scoring is complicated to explain in words, but I’ll give it a go: If A+B are on the left, and make a 3 and a 4; and C+D are on the right, and make a 5 and a 4; A+B score 34 and C+D score 45, meaning A+B each get 11 points for the hole, by taking their score away from C+D’s. Hopefully you get the picture. If someone on the winning team gets a birdie, the winning margin is doubled. In this case A+B would get 22 points each. Your partner often changes on each hole, unless everyone’s hitting the same tee shots every time! It’s a game in which you can get pulled along with a bit of luck, even if you’re not playing/scoring well yourself. I managed to be in second place at the turn, despite having the worst gross score by some margin. In the end I was 3rd and Mike 4th, which meant lunch was on us!
The second game we played – concurrently – was the zoo game. Jase had promised us in the car that we were in for a treat, but wouldn’t let on until we left the 1st tee block. The nerves... Then the stuffed animals came out. Camel for going in the bunker; killer whale for going in the hazard; snake for 3 putting; gorilla for lost ball (which never surfaced). The animals most often change hands throughout the round – always with a big smile from the donor. Real mind games going on. At the end, the person with the most animal usually shouts lunch, or ponies up with $100 or so. Adds extra colour to the day – a lot of fun.
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In the sheds we had lunch and a much needed Arnold Palmer (iced tea and lemonade) or two. Our Kiwi banter was lost on the poor waitress, who didn’t quick pick up on our satirical quips. No matter. The club sandwich may just have been the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen. When the waitress delivered mine, and asked straight away if we’d like anything else, I replied “another one please” - complete deadpan, she thought I was serious, and suggested I wait until I’ve finished the first one. Classic.
On the way out we came across these beasts – pictured below – being Texas Long Horn cattle. I’m sure their beef tastes just like the stuff back home (maybe not, actually), but their horns are something else. Very exotic.
All in all, another glorious day. Loved staying with Phil & Mel – they were amazing hosts – and meeting Jase, who was good for a laugh or six. Could definitely have spent another few days here, but the show must go on (and Phil has to head off to Washington to...well...play). Thanks guys, if you’re reading this – we really appreciated your hospitality, and look forward to seeing you in December back home.
Tonight we’re off to New Orleans, driving overnight and playing tomorrow lunchtime. Might have time to check out The French Quarter in the morning if all goes to plan.
JP
It was another early start to make our way in Dodgy to the TPC Las Colinas Golf Course – part of the Four Seasons Hotel complex here in Dallas.
The Hotel licenses the TPC brand from the PGA Tour and so Phil Tataurangi was able to arrange for us to play here.
Phil also took the lead and drove Dodgy to the Four Seasons and was blessed to experience what it feels like to turn up in a flash car park in Dodgy, tell the guy on the security gate you’ve come to play golf and then try and find a park amongst the BMW’s. Pure.
This track recently hosted the HP Byron Nelson Championship as part of the PGA Tour (which spends a three week loop here in the twin cities that are Dallas / Fort Worth). Supposedly it is a real hotspot during the week where locals come to party, holler and generally come to ‘be seen’ – sounds a bit like the races back home. Except here it is 35 degrees (Celsius) every day and you’re surrounded by a luxury five star hotel and all the accompanying bells and whistles.
The course was redesigned prior to the 2008 championship (won by Aussie Adam Scott) by D.A Weibring.. Scoring here is traditionally very low, and the fields here are generally very strong. The professional golfers were personally invited to play in this tournament by the great man Lord Byron himself prior to him passing. So the lists of past champions on the halls include Tiger, Phil, Ernie Els, Sergio, Parnevick etc. Since Lord Nelson’s death the fields haven’t been as strong and with Tiger not including this event on his schedule any longer some have now described this as a ‘have-not’ event on tour.
I was pleasantly surprised by the course. Despite it adjoining a hotel, having been redesigned in the last couple of years and having the TPC initials before its name the course seemed very settled and, at times, subtle and traditional.
The greens were small and you needed to exhibit some shotmaking to get the ball on in regulation. A parkland course, like many in the US, there was not a lot of roll here, and with the par 70 course playing nearly 7200 yards it was tough going. Last week the PGA Tour stopped here and Jason Day (the young Aussie) won with 10 under par.
Phil explained why the scoring was not red hot – there is normally a strong wind blowing across the course. Which explains many of the holes, for example the 528 yard par four third. Stop and think about that – 528 yards. So if you bomb a 300 yard drive you’ve got 230 left. It’s not downhill either, the tee shot plays between a lake on the right (and OOB if you go way right) and bunkers on the left. The green is raised with tight lies most of the way around it. 5 was the best score here amongst us all!
The course was pretty brutal today because it was still fresh from being in tournament condition and the rough was incredibly long and wiry. On a couple of occasions we nearly lost balls that had trickled just off the fairway. Advancing it 100 yards with a wedge from the rough was not uncommon.
Another good fun hole was the drivable par four 11th at 330 yards. The green had two shelves, the lower one on the left and the upper on the right. The pin today was just at the bottom of the slope on the left half of the green. Despite Phil and I getting pretty close to the green with our drives, we still couldn’t give ourselves a decent putt at the birdie, such was the nature of this ridge running through the green.
The finish here is special. Starting with 14 – a dogleg right par four (pictured below) that plays into the prevailing wind that tends to blow any poorly struck ball down and left towards the water. Then 15 is a tough par four if ever there was one – 500 yards + again and into the prevailing breeze. 16 is an uphill par five, and then 17 (also below) is a par three over water - take a guess at where the pin goes on the last day of the tournament. On all of these holes the redesign has included mini amphitheaters around the greens and plenty of space for corporate seating and grandstands. This is stadium golf. And today the stadiums were still up so you could almost picture yourself playing amongst 40,000 screaming Texan fans. Well not quite..
Making this finish even better was having the best seat in the house watching Phil in action carve it up. 4 birdies in 5 holes on 13 – 17 made for memorable viewing and was good enough to snake us in the skins by a handful (after he had no skins through 12 holes). This was easily the best golf that I’ve seen first hand so far this year – and we’re all hoping to see Phil carve it up for a few days at a tournament in the near future!
Throughout the round we shared thoughts on golf course architecture with Phil who, like us, takes a huge interest in what makes a golf course tick. He shares many philosophies with both of us, and also has an eye for more traditional golf course design. Phil, as a pro who has played the game all his life, understands the angles a bit better and is in the psyche of a pro whilst also understanding what an amateur would do. Standing on the 18th he explained to us that this hole used to be a dogleg par four with a tree named after Byron overhanging on the inside corner and blocking out any tee shot that was slightly pulled. Now it is wide open with a lake and water feature on the left making for a more dramatic view for the TV cameras. This would have cost plenty, but then again this is the Four Seasons! Into the wind this is a tough finishing hole, one where last week Jason Day, with a 2 shot lead got the ball up and it was knocked into the pond but he still scrounged a 5 to win. I finally strung a couple of shots together and made birdie (after being sledged by Phil for taking an iron off the tee) the best way to leave the round smiling.
After golf we headed for a bite to eat and then off to watch the PGA Tour at Colonial. Unfortunately my new shorts split so I was left only to wear pants – loudmouth pants – hear how that went down with the Texan folk in JP’s upcoming post.
Dinner was back at base camp with the Mel and Phil – another kiwi bbq (Phil can cook steaks pretty damn well) and a slice of home (tuimato sauce included). They’ve been amazing hosts and just what the doctor amidst our mammoth drive cross country.
Shinnecock
auckland dodgy donald ross links mackenzie melbourne mornington mornington peninsula new york queensland rain royal sandbelt scotland sunshine coast sydney the first tee tpc us open wow
