Pure Golf 2010

One of the things I most enjoy about this quest is the people I meet. While playing Kingston Heath I met two young lads that make me look sane. Michael and Jamie are two New Zealand lawyers who have dropped out of society for a year to play golf around the world every single day consecutively in 2010. The best part is they are doing it on the cheap and are raising money for a worthy charity: The First Tee New Zealand. Their story is below from their website:

"puregolf2010 is a story about the Kiwi ethos. It was born out of a desire to challenge ourselves, and a challenge it certainly will be. But we're up for it. In 2010 we will play a round of golf at a different course every day of the year, around the world, to raise money for The First Tee New Zealand. Our journey starts on 1 January 2010 at Kauri Cliffs and will finish on 31 December 2010 at Cape Kidnappers. A calendar year, no less. In between, we will travel through New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the UK, northern Europe and parts of Asia. Perhaps other countries too. Along the way we will play many of the world's best golf courses, meet a bunch of interesting people and generally experience life outside our comfort zone. The plan is also to raise a significant amount of money too. puregolf2010, first and foremost, is an adventure. It embodies for us the truism that life is too short. Golf every day for a year...why not?"



I bumped into them three months into their journey. They are looking for help, a bed to sleep in and a host to play various courses. I plan on helping them when they come to the east coast of the U.S. People have been most kind to me thoughout my travels and it's a small thing I can do to pay back the fraternity of crazy golfers out there.

If you are interested in doing so, please reach out to them. They are gentleman and it's for a great cause!

Their itinerary is below:

20 February - 9 May Australia (NSW, VIC, SA, ACT, QLD)
9 May - 10 July United States
10 July - 10 October United Kingdom & Ireland
10 October - 30 October Europe (likely France, the Netherlands and Germany)
30 October - 12 November United Arab Emirates
12 November - 20 November Singapore & Hong Kong (Mission Hills)
20 November - 26 November Perth
26 November - 1 December Sydney
December New Zealand (predominantly south island)

They do a daily blog, which is quite good. Their website: puregolf2010

Good Morning from Adelaide

The sun is rising in Adelaide and it's going to be another perfect day. Adelaide is a beautiful city in South Australia, an hour west of Melbourne by air. I have never been anywhere where the clock is 30 minutes off the rest of the world. We reset our clocks a half hour when we landed. Adelaide is a city of a million and a half people near the Australian wine country and it has a western feel to it as seen in the architecture below.

A little photo montage of the trip before we're off to play Royal Adelaide.

Rundle Street, Adelaide

Adelaide University

The 15th hole, Kingston Heath

Flinders Street Station, Melbourne

The fifth hole, New South Wales


The fourth hole, Barnbougle Dunes, Tasmania

Golf in Australia has been ridiculously good. Notice I showed only three holes. If you just judged Australia by the strength of these holes, you can get some sense of how exciting it has been to play here.

Every single place I have visited in Australia so far I have said to myself, I can move or retire here with no problem. I can see why I needed a visa to get into the country. It's so they can keep track of you and make sure you don't just stay and never go home!

My Long Journey to Australia

To state the obvious, flying to Australia takes a long time. Among the many activities I engaged in on my long flight was to watch three movies including Titanic. It is a little known trivia tidbit that the White Star Lines named all their ships to end in the letter "ic". Their other ships were the Celtic, Republic, Adriatic, Germanic, Olympic and Britannic.

This got me thinking...

I quite enjoyed the film because director James Cameron has created a realistic movie. Kate Winslet was erotic, the scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio were romantic and those closeup shots in her cabin were borderline pornographic. The ships fate, as we all know, was tragic primarily because Captain Smith was so myopic. Even though the scene of the ship sinking was graphic, it's a cinematic tour-de-force.

This was my first time flying Qantas and I was impressed. We flew a gigantic 747, which I like, because of the upper deck's conic shape; these planes have an aerodynamic ride. The pragmatic captain let us know that he was going on avionic automatic pilot and that our flight path would be erratic because some volcanic activity off Japan was changing either the atmospheric or barometric pressure. I wasn't sure which one because while he was announcing there was static. When he switched the system on, I could see the hydraulic mechanism on the wing move. It seemed he was using sound logic as he gave us periodic monosyllabic updates.



Qantas clearly took a holistic, some would say futuristic, approach when they designed the interior of the cabin. They used a very soothing synthetic psychedelic fabric and meals were served on ceramic china and not plastic. The charismatic flight attendants were a little spastic and their service erratic, but, I can't criticize them because the ethnic people in my section of the plane were very eclectic.

They included an arthritic Hasidic who appeared to find most foods allergic as well as a Sephardic Hispanic who was phlegmatic. Next to him was an Islamic heretic wearing a tunic who looked like some kind of academic and was on a macrobiotic bariatric diet. As amazing as it sounds, he was traveling with a newborn suffering from colic. The Irish woman across the aisle was no doubt a catholic film critic, as she appeared to be quite a skeptic and cynic in addition to being fluent in Gaelic. Rounding out the group was an antagonistic geriatric Slavic woman who was bulimic and a chic Arabic gentleman who spent the flight listening to music and reading the biography of Katie Couric while playing with a rubric cube. Luckily, there were no Belgians on the flight, thus none of the people seated near me were pedantic, idiotic or moronic. Looking back on our little section of the plane, we were a pretty pathetic group.

I settled into the flight by taking an analgesic to calm my nerves as I am prone to panic attacks in public because I am agoraphobic. Dinner was your basic garlic and balsamic glazed arctic char in aspic with an organic turmeric sauce. As delicious as that sounds, I found it a bit acidic, almost to the point of being toxic. My dinner was washed down with my usual gin and tonic, but only one, since I'm a borderline alcoholic. Rounding out the gastronomic fare was a terrific desert. It was a bit too caloric for me, but tasted orgasmic. After dinner I used the lavatory and found it hygienic owing to the fact that everything in it was electric. Before returning to my seat, I washed my hands with the Aussie hypoallergenic antiseptic soap provided.

The turbulence over the Pacific was horrific, but after it passed the drone of the engines was hypnotic. After I dozed off, my sleep was episodic because the loud guy in seat 4A was so bombastic. Perhaps I was wrong and there were Belgians on board. During the flight a chronic diabetic became ill. Luckily, there was a homeopathic medic from the Mayo clinic on board. After a quick diagnostic he prescribed a simple diuretic instead of an antibiotic. I tried to settle down after this incident and took out the latest issue of National Geographic, which you will note I have properly spelled in its italic.


Sydney's Harbour Bridge

I didn't fly directly to Australia but stopped in the birthplace of President Obama. I found Hawaii to be both exotic and idyllic and can see why it makes people behave hedonistic. The cigar I enjoyed on my brief stop there was aromatic. Although the cocktail waitress at my hotel was flirting with me quite a bit, and we engaged in a little frolic, nothing of a phallic nature occurred and our relationship remained platonic.

Landing in Australia after all that flying left me both manic and euphoric. Getting through customs at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney was no picnic. I hope long lines are not symptomatic of what I will find in Australia. As I am not a particularly patient person and waiting in hectic, long lines sometimes makes me go ballistic. Once you exit customs there are Australian flags everywhere in this patriotic country.

For the record, Australia is a commonwealth, and not a republic. While I don't know a lot about domestic issues here, I will try to be sympathetic to the plight of the Aboriginal people. Based purely on what I saw at the airport Australians appear to be diplomatic and have a good work ethic. I don't know if it's a emblematic of the nation as a whole, but they appear to be prolific beer drinkers.

Since I'm naturally optimistic, I'm glad to be here. I hope the trip turns out as fantastic as I have hoped. I can't wait to see the iconic Opera House again, with its panoramic view of the harbor. It of course houses the philharmonic. From everything I've read and seen Royal Adelaide looks like a classic course; Royal Melbourne is sure to be historic; the pictures I've seen of New South Wales seem scenic and dramatic; Barnbougle looks rustic and Kingston Heath, majestic. I have also read that it requires heroic shots to hit the greens.

I can't wait to get out and enjoy the fresh air. After being cooped up in a plane for so long I have pain in my pelvic region and am somewhat lethargic. I could benefit from the aerobic exercise that golf brings and I hope to increase my metabolic rate walking the courses. I'm also hoping I get good caddies and that none of them turn out to be either antagonistic or robotic.

Melbourne

When I started this journey I was approached by many a skeptic. Is this realistic, they would ask? Well, it's certainly not economic, since the costs of this odyssey are approaching the astronomic. Now that I'm visiting my twelfth country, it has truly evolved into a quest of epic proportions and the outcome now appears fatalistic. If you've read this far you know I'm clearly a confirmed lunatic and a certified golf fanatic. I hope you find my blog both comic and didactic. I can see why my journalistic standards might not be to everyone's liking, as I can sometimes be theatric. This journey is truly a quixotic one. I think once I've finished it, I am going to need psychiatric help.

My lineup includes New South Wales, Barnbougle, Lost Farm, Royal Adelaide, Kingston Heath and Royal Melbourne and will be back with golf writeups soon.

The Lodges at Barnbougle Dunes

Top 100 Golf Course Trivia Quiz

Fancy yourself a golf course aficionado? A world traveler who prides yourself on your ability to differentiate a Shinkansen from Wisconsin? Can you tell Yorkshire from New Hampshire? Ok, all you self-assured golf course nuts, now is the time to test your knowledge of the top 100 courses in the world with our trivia quiz.

Email your answers to me to be eligible to win an all-expenses-paid trip around the world touring top golf courses. Actually, our lawyers told me to strike that. Instead, you will be eligible to win a slightly marked up ball from The Fishers Island Club.

The courses to choose your answers from are those listed along the left side of the blog. Must be 21 to enter and all decisions of the judges (me) are final. As the Yankees are reigning world champions, No Red Sox fans please. There is a total of 25 points eligible plus two bonus points. Extra credit will be given if you point out a flaw in either one of my questions or answers (fat chance).

I will post the answers in 30 days.

1. What course was Winston Churchill a member of?

2. What course is also its own self contained township?

3. What course has held Olympic events on its property?

4. On what course will you find wicker baskets?

5. What is the closest you will get to the Playboy Mansion while playing the top 100?

6. What course do you have to drive through Sherwood Forest to get to?

7. What course do you travel past a nuclear submarine base to get to?

8. At what course will you enjoy the lobster lunch?

9. What course will not let women anywhere on the property?

10. What is the most copied hole in the world? Where did it originate? For extra credit, how many of them are there in the top 100?

11. What course features a cemetery as a hazard on the first hole?

12. What course has no pro shop?

13. What course features a Squirrel as its symbol?

14. What course served as a training ground for spies during the Second World War?

15. What course's 13th hole is named 'Loch Lomond'?

16. What is the northern-most located course on the top 100 and the southern-most?

17. Which course has cops guarding several holes?

18. What course did Dwight Eisenhower suffer a heart attack on while he was President?

19. What course features a full-size hangman's noose on its 16th hole?

20. What course do you begin the day by hitting a (basically) blind shot over a hedge row?

21. What course has a train running through the middle of it? Extra credit for a list of courses with trains running alongside the course.

22. Which course formerly had a race course running through the land?

23. What architect designed the most courses in the top 100?

24. Where are Miss Grainger's Bosoms located?

25. Where is the 'End Hole' bunker?

Camargo Club

I left my flight itinerary to Cincinnati on the kitchen table and was busy laying on the couch watching TV when I heard, "Is this another golf trip? You're out of control."

I recognized the tone of voice immediately and knew I was in trouble. It's the voice reserved for use before the kids are put into "time out." I have a fabulous wife who is beyond accommodating. For some reason, the big golf trips don't bother her, as she figures going to Ireland or Pebble Beach to play golf is a deserved vacation. It's these little trips that set her off for some reason. "Haven't you gone to Ohio three times already to play golf?" I find it best not to respond in these situations, and yes, I have indeed gone to Ohio three times before for golf. Attempting to explain how Ohio is one of the best golfing states in the country would have fallen on deaf ears.

I was on my way to Ohio again to play Camargo Club (ranked #63 in the world), which was built in the early 1920s during the golden era of golf course architecture. Seth Raynor, who also designed Yeamans Hall, Fishers Island and Shoreacres, designed and routed the course; however, he died prior to the course being completed. The course was completed by one of his associates, "Steamshovel" Banks, whom I have previously mentioned in my Whippoorwill post. They did a spectacular job. Camargo is one of the finest places I have ever played golf.

The beguiling course is situated on rolling terrain and has a masterful routing within a large swath of land that makes you feel like you are in a park. There are no houses surrounding the course and there is a large buffer around the edge that gives Camargo an open feel. The sweeping vistas create a sensational impression. Similar to Piping Rock on Long Island, the course was routed around a polo field, as you can see from the course map below.

As is typical of Raynor or Macdonald courses, the design has all the prototypical holes you would expect, such as a Biarritz, Eden, Short, Redan, Road, Alps and Punchbowl. I liked the feel of Camargo right from the get go. It's not hard to see why looking at the approach to the first green seen below. You can see how great the hilly terrain is and also note how the course has an almost polished look to it, given the beauty of the meandering fairways and gently rising hills.

Camargo's first hole, "Leven", approach to the green

This hole, like many at Camargo, plays longer than the 390 yards on the card because you hit to an elevated table top green.

Par five second, with its rectangular green

The picture above is from the second green. This 529 yard par five is a big sweeping dogleg to the right that features an uphill tee shot followed by a shot down into a valley and then another shot back up again to the green. As at Yeamans Halls, the geometric look is characteristic of many greens at Camargo.

The uphill third fairway

The third hole is a short 320 yard par four ("Leven") that plays over a ravine, up a hill, to a green that is set at an angle to the fairway and is well bunkered. You can again see one of the essential elements of Camargo, which is its aesthetic beauty. It just has a look to it that is very pleasing to the eye. Similar to the effect achieved with an Italian Renaissance garden or a formal French garden, the use of symmetry and the manner in which the landscape is tied together is brilliant. There is something that's hard to describe about how all the angles come together and make it look artistic. I know it's just a golf course and I'm getting all lathered up here, but even on a cloudy day this place shines!

The third green from behind

The above picture is the elevated green on the third hole as seen from behind, which shows the extent of the bunkering, which I found very similar to the bunkering on the 8th and 14th holes at the C.B. MacDonald designed Chicago Golf Club.

The alluring par three fifth hole is an "Eden" prototype. It is set in an idyllic, quiet little alcove. It's one of the best holes I've played and a real beast at 179 yards. It is in a secluded spot, carved out of the woods, and what makes it so terrifying is the angle the green is set at from the tee. When standing on the tee box there are dense trees surrounding you for almost 360 degress. The long, narrow green is set at an obtuse angle to the tee and has a huge bunker along the left hand side and a fifteen foot fall off.

The "Eden", par three fifth hole

As I usually do, I did my research before playing Camargo and had read that it had the best collection of par threes outside of Cypress Point, which set my expectations high. Seeing the fifth hole didn't dampen my expectations.

Given the wind conditions on the day we played, I thought holes 7-9, the "Alps", "Biarritz" and "Long" holes, were the toughest stretch on the course. The Biarritz hole plays 227 yards and is a bear. Check the box on another great par three. Like the truly great courses (Pine Valley, Cypress, Somerset Hills, National, Sunningdale), Camargo has a great routing where nothing feels forced and it follows the terrain naturally.

The par four tenth green

The tenth hole, "Shinnecock," is a sweeping dogleg to the left and as seen above, has a green that is typical of Camargo: large and elevated with sharp angular fall offs and very deep bunkers.

The breathtaking prototype "Short" hole is the eleventh. It plays 140 yards from the back tees to a green set below you. Although the hole is not long, you have to hit the green or you are in trouble. The green, like all greens at Camargo, is large, which makes it a challenge if you are not close to the pin. How many par threes can you recall that look prettier than this? Not even including the par three Redan hole, I actually do think this place might have the best par threes outside of Cypress. Maybe Woodhall Spa and Pine Valley would be in the running also, but Camargo would be on any short list.

The par three "Short" eleventh green

The club keeps a low profile, and this is a good thing. One of the things that makes golf such a great pursuit is that you get to play in historic venues such as Camargo. It is an unspoiled masterpiece. Thanks to an enlightened membership, the course has changed little since it was built, and it is like being transported back in time. It's as if you are able to step back in time and play baseball at the Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field in 1922. The club hired Tom Doak to do restoration work several years ago. Apparently, he restored many of the greens to their original larger sizes as they had been made smaller over the years. Aside from the Old Course at St. Andrews, I can't remember a course that has bigger greens than Camargo. Combine Doak's work with a greenskeeper who is at the top of his game and you get a course that sparkles.

The seventeenth ("Road Hole") green

The seventeenth ("Road Hole") is one of only two par fives on the course. This closeup shot of the Pac-Man shaped green shows how masterfully Raynor and Banks could use "squared off" shapes and sharp angles, yet still somehow have the course retain such a natural look.

Camargo is short by today's standards at 6,659 yards from the back tees, and there is no water on the course. The primary defense the course has is the hilly terrain and greens with a multitude of protections: deep bunkering, the greens' large size and their big undulations.

The eighteenth fairway as seen from the tee

Having now completed all five world-ranked courses in Ohio, I would rank them in the following order: 1. Camargo 2. The Golf Club 3. Muirfield Village 4. Inverness 5. Scioto.

The Club

Like at Yeamans Hall, the clubhouse is my favorite type: understated. It reminded me of the Valley Club of Montecito inside with its small locker room with original wooden lockers and a very cozy, miniscule bar area with dark wood. These 1920s vintage clubhouses are worth their weight in gold. We played on a chilly fall day and it proved an ideal place for an après round drink.

Camargo's intimate clubhouse

The club logo shown on the scorecard has a shoe and gun above the crest, as well as a polo mallet and a golf club. The explanation is that Camargo has a skeet shooting range (which is about to close), tennis, platform tennis and two polo fields (not in use any more). The logo incorporates all the sports pursued at the club.

So what exactly is a Camargo anyhow? There are several schools of thought. Among the members, some believe it comes from the French ballerina named Camargo, which is the subject of a painting hanging in the clubhouse. Others believe the club was named after a Mexican border town of the same name.

The French Ballerina Camargo

As the Mrs. has surmised, I may indeed be out of control, but I'm having a hell of a time. My mates and I have a handful of rules we like to following for pursuing this quest: Be a polite guest, tip the caddies generously, play fast, always offer to pay for everything and send a thank you note when done. The cardinal rule, though, is: NEVER EVER ADD UP THE COST of this pursuit. Nothing good can ever come from it.

And it's a damn good thing my wife found the itinerary only, instead of the bill. I'm living the dream out here!


Post Script

When in Cincinnati, visit Graeters, a local institution that has been serving exceptional ice cream since 1870; it is worth a detour.

Zen Golf: Bel-Air Country Club

What does a golf-crazed traveler do when he can't get on Los Angeles Country Club (L.A.C.C.) and Riviera is closed for a tour event: play Bel-Air.

Bel-Air Country Club is not ranked in the top 100 courses that I am pursuing: nevertheless, it is one of the courses I most enjoy playing. Bel-Air was designed by George Thomas in 1925. Thomas designed the triumvirate of great courses in this area. Along with Bel-Air, he also designed L.A.C.C. and Riviera. Revisions to the course have been made by Dick Wilson, George Fazio and Robert Trent Jones over the years. As a result, Bel-Air doesn't get the accolades these other two courses get, primarily because some of the changes weren't in keeping with Thomas's original design. As I understand it, most of the changes were cosmetic and the bunkers were tampered with. I'm sure Thomas's original bunkers were better than some of those that are there today; however, I think these criticisms are given too much weight. After all, the core part of what Thomas did is still intact: the routing. And it is a spectacular, world-class routing. Riviera is laid out basically in one large canyon, while L.A.C.C. is routed over rolling and open terrain. Bel-Air is routed through four different canyons and weaves its way in and out of them masterfully.

Bel-Air is one of the most interesting courses in the world to walk because of all the little quirks required to transport you from canyon to canyon. These include having to walk through four tunnels and over one bridge in addition to taking an elevator from the middle of one of the tunnels.

The course starts with one of the most dramatic first tees in the game. It is perched on the top of a hill overlooking U.C.L.A. and the Westwood section of Los Angeles. Set in the canyon below is a short 491 yard par five that is a great starting hole and in keeping with Thomas's design philosophy of a relatively easy starting hole.

Bel-Air's dramatic first hole at sunrise overlooking U.C.L.A. and Westwood

You have to navigate a stream about 80 yards short of the elevated green on your approach to the first of many interesting greens. See the beautiful bunkering that Thomas was known for:

Approach to the first green

Bel-Air feels like a zen garden. After having played golf in Japan, Bel-Air reminds me at times of both Hirono and Naruo. Not so much the routing or the design, but the overall environment: the manicuring of the course, the structure and beauty of the trees and the overall harmony of the place. It feels picture perfect. Of course it helps that every day of the year is 70 degrees with no humidity and that the light in L.A. is beautiful. The mature trees look like sculptures: there are manicured cedar, ficus and huge sycamores with white bark. The west side of Los Angeles is like no other place in America. The amount of wealth in Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, Century City, Holmby Hills, Westwood, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades and the other neighborhoods is stunning. Bel-Air is the epicenter of this La-La Land. Members here lead a charmed life.

Tree on the fourth tee box

Part of the reason the place has such a manicured feel is that the houses around the course are some of the finest in Southern California and are maintained perfectly. Ronald Reagan used to have a house along the course as did Conrad Hilton and Alfred Hitchcock. The names of movie stars and wealthy people who currently live here or used to is too long to list; suffice it to say, it's an impressive group. L.A.C.C. might have the Playboy Mansion, but Bel-Air has the palatial home of the owner of the Girls Gone Wild franchise, Joseph R. Francis. Although, let's not confuse wealth with good taste here. Bobby Jones also shot some of his instructional videos at Bel-Air including the one with W.C. Fields.

In addition to the first hole, I particularly liked the sixth and seventh holes. The first five holes at Bel-Air are routed through one large canyon. After finishing the fifth, you walk through a long narrow tunnel and emerge to play the sixth which is a 377 yard uphill par four with a difficult to hit, well-protected green. The seventh, 391 yards, runs parallel to the sixth but plays down the canyon. Both use the slopes of the hillsides to great affect. The well-bunkered green on the seventh is seen below with the mature hedges behind it:

The seventh green sits below the fairway on this downhill hole

The eighth hole is a 482 yard par five that plays downhill to a green that is protected by water in front and on the left. Your tee shot on the eighth is lined up along the women's dormitory at U.C.L.A. seen in the distance on the right. Note the canting in the fairway.

View from the 8th tee box

After finishing the front nine you walk into another tunnel and then mid-way through the tunnel take an elevator up to the clubhouse. The tenth is one of the most interesting and dramatic par threes in the game, and it requires a heroic shot. When the course was being designed Thomas and his collaborators were trying to decide whether a shot could be hit over the 150 yard chasm. Billy Bell, who was helping Thomas, found the only club that was available when they were there and attempted to hit a ball across. This guy had talent. He hit a putter across and thus was born one of the world's great par threes. An interesting tidbit about Thomas is that he never accepted any money for designing some of the best golf courses in the world; he did it purely as a recreational pursuit.

The par three 10th hole

The tenth hole is 200 yards long and it plays longer because you hit uphill. You have to carry the large canyon ravine and avoid the treacherous greenside bunkers. George Peper's The World's 500 Greatest Golf Holes ranks the tenth hole in its top 100. Holes fourteen and seventeen also make his top 500 list. According to Geoff Shackelford's biography of Thomas, The Captain, this hole originally had a punchbowl type green; today it is a two-tiered green.

The walk from tee to green on the tenth is one of the best in the game as well, over the iconic white swinging bridge. It's a miniature suspension bridge and it bounces up and down and moves a little when you walk on it.

The iconic swinging bridge at Bel-Air

The walk from the 10th to the 11th hole is through another tunnel.

The tunnel from the 10th green to the 11th tee

The eleventh is a 392 yard par four that plays down the hill and dog-legs to the left. It's a classic risk/reward tee shot that rewards a daring shot to the left cutting off the corner. You can see how Thomas routed the course to take full advantage of the canyons and the changes in elevation.

View from the 11th tee box looking down into the narrow canyon

The beauty of the bunkering is seen below on the approach to the 584 yard par five fourteenth hole. Howard Hughes landed his plane on this fairway to catch up with Katharine Hepburn for a game of golf.

Approach to the par five 14th

The back nine at Bel-Air is the harder of the two due to a stream that snakes through and because the hills are steeper. The greens at Bel-Air are lightning quick and in perfect condition. The course is not particularly long at 6,523 yards from the blue tees, but at a par of 70, is a very good test of golf.

I can't think of a weak stretch of holes on the course and the finish is particularly strong. Both Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan called the seventeenth one of their favovite par fours. The hole doglegs right and slopes right and the sloping fairway sends balls into the rough. Missing the green on your second shot yields a terrible penalty.

One of the most interesting pictures I've taken in my travels is below. It was shot from the middle of the swinging bridge and is a birds-eye view of the oblong kidney-shaped eighteenth green. The eighteenth is a 414 yard par four that plays back up the hill through a canyon toward the clubhouse.

The 18th green as seen from above from the swinging bridge

Bel-Air is not a lesser course then either L.A.C.C. or Riviera and deserves a visit in its own rite. If you get invited, don't wear shorts. It is one of only a handful of courses left in the States where you must wear long pants. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I'm living the dream out here!

W Hollywood

During my stay in Los Angeles a new W Hotel was opening, which is where I stayed. Cool and hip, I'm not. I could see them looking at me when I checked in. "Pops looks confused and disoriented," the trendy gal said to herself when I walked in. At a W, it doesn't so much feel like you're checking in as a paying customer. Instead, it feels like trying to gain admission to a hip night club. Anyway, I made it from the red carpet through the ropes.

Staying here required that I learn a whole new vocabulary, none of which made sense to me, but which I will explain to my readers as a public service in case you ever stay at one. The W doesn't have rooms, it has 'wonderful studios', 'spectacular suites' and 'fabulous suites'. Larger rooms include not just a 'wow suite' but also an 'extreme wow suite'. Names like this must make a Valley Girl get all warm and fuzzy at the W.

I had a difficult time re-learning the alphabet. You don't hang a sign on your door that says 'Do Not Disturb'. Instead it says 'When? - Not Now'. It doesn't make any sense. I wanted to work out and looked through the little booklet in my room to see what floor the gym was on. After looking through the book under 'Health Club', 'Gym' and 'Exercise Room' I gave up and went down to the lobby. I had to actually go to the lobby, or should I say 'Living Room', because I couldn't figure out how to dial the operator. Turns out, it's listed on the phone as 'Whatever, Whenever'. Silly me, I should have figured it out. Anyway, the gym is called 'Sweat'. How could I not know that?!

The W Hollywood has three features that make it uniquely L.A. Two floors of the hotel are outfitted with suites that accommodate press junkets with extra large bathrooms to accommodate hair and make-up crews. The spa offers detox services, and, best of all, on the top floor they built a 'bachelor suite' featuring a small raised area that includes a stripper pole. The suite didn't pass muster with the city because it wasn't handicap accessible and they had to take it out. Now it all makes sense to me.

I love L.A.

Trump National Golf Club

The Trump National Golf Club is located in Bedminster, New Jersey, close to both Somerset Hills and the headquarters of the U.S.G.A. The course is built on nice rolling terrain and it appeared briefly in the world rankings. In 2005 Golf Magazine ranked it at #87 in the world, but it has since dropped quickly out of sight. Trump National (Bedminster) is one of the five greatest golf courses in the world. The other four being Donald's courses in Palm Beach, California, Westchester and Colts Neck, New Jersey.

The land that Trump Bedminster was built on was formerly the estate of John Delorean, the colorful auto magnate who was famous for his "Delorean DMC-12" with its distinctive gull-wing doors. The land was destined for the Donald since it was bought from a bankruptcy sale.

Thus far in my travels I have only stayed overnight at four courses. Lytham & St. Annes Dormy House was the quintessential understated British experience. I have also had the privilege of staying overnight in the spartan upstairs bedrooms at the majestic National Golf Links of America. My third stay was in the magical Sand Hills cottages. My fourth (of hopefully fifth) stay was at the 'cottages' at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster. For those keeping score at home, the fifth course I plan to stay overnight at is Augusta National.

Trump National has carved out a unique position among the world's better known golf courses. I played the Golf Club in Ohio this past summer and was struck by the founding philosophy of the club, which is golf only. The club history states that the Golf Club, "...was not founded as a family recreation or amusement center. It was founded as a men's club without the need for starting times and with the excitement and turmoil which too frequently results from the crowds attracted to a multipurpose sports or recreation club." After reading this quote the first time, I thought to myself, they're exaggerating: turmoil? crowds? at a golf course? Trump National had not yet been conceived or built when this was written, but they nailed it and I can now see why they went golf only.

The "cottages" and pool area at Trump National

Donald doesn't do anything small, and he certainly didn't at Trump National. The sprawling complex is over 500 acres and has a large clubhouse, which was formerly where Delorean lived. In addition to being a 36 hole golf facility, there are equestrian trails, tennis courts and a helipad. There are also the cottages and the pool area, which seats over 100, and several other out buildings on the expansive property.

Trump Bedminster was the fourth "old" course to reach the world rankings. The renowned "old" course at St. Andrews leads the pack, with Sunningdale and Walton Heath, whose "old" courses were built in 1901 and 1904 respectively, being the other two. Ever the clever marketer, the Donald opened the "old" course at Trump Bedminster in 2004 and the "new" course in 2008.

If you have an eye for detail you may have noticed the Trump crest affixed at the top of the main brick tower in the middle of the cottages. The man is a master of branding so get ready for Trump everything once you get through the Trump branded guard house at the entrance. Trump overload is about to begin. From now on it's all-Trump, all-the-time.

Almost everything you see and touch at Trump Bedminster is branded Trump. This includes Trump water (the greatest), Trump mattresses in the cottages (the greatest), Trump chocolate next to your night table in the bedroom (the greatest), a machine that sucks water from under the greens like at Augusta, which is amazingly branded Trump Air (the greatest) and there is Trump Vodka in the bar (the greatest). Bien sûr. Hanging in the clubhouse is a replica of the Donald Trump star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's not possible to give a full rundown of all the Trump branding present througout the property, but you get the idea.

Among the more amazing things Trump did when he took over the property was to build a massive addition to the clubhouse which features an oversized ballroom and outdoor deck. The fountain at the back of the clubhouse right next to the sixteenth tee would be over the top anywhere else, but feels right at home here. Of course, the Trevi Fountain is a kiddie pool compared to this fountain, since it's the greatest in the world.

The Golf Course

Trump National was built to host a major golf championship. The course is 7,590 yards from the tips with a slope rating of 76.8/151. It is not a particularly good walking course given the hilly terrain and the long distances from some greens to the next tee box. If you like the feel of big golf complexes that host major championships such as Medinah, you will like Trump National. In addition to its length, the course also features very high and penal rough.

The course was routed by Tom Fazio, and his name is listed on the scorecard as the designer. He was assisted by his nephew Tom Fazio II, who supervised the construction, and the Donald essentially co-designed the course, with his strong mandates about almost everything.

The elevated third green, #1 handicap hole, par four 435 yards

The course begins with a benign 537 yard par five, followed by a 355 yard par four. They are the #15 and #17 handicaps respectively, so it is an easy start and the only break you will get all day. The third hole is the hardest on the course and is 435 yards long and plays to an elevated green. The fairway gets progressively narrower as you approach the multi-tiered, tilted green, seen above.

The fourth hole is a 170 yard par three that plays over water. It is the first of three par threes that have a forced carry over water, as the seventh and sixteenth also play over water. The fifth hole is a big, uphill 425 yard dogleg left that sweeps around the slightly rising hillside. The sixth plays parallel to the fifth, playing down the hill.

The sixth hole from the tee with peninsula green, 381 yard par four

You can see the peninsula green down the hill to the right in this view from the sixth tee box.

The sixth green with the par three seventh green in view behind it to the left

The shot to the green is an intimidating one, yet the green is very large front to back, which you don't realize when hitting your approach shot. The seventh hole is a par three that plays over the same water that the sixth green is situated in.

8th hole approach shot to the green over a ravine

The eighth hole is a good 535 yard par five that plays over a ravine to an elevated, well bunkered green. The pictures above and below show the approach shot and the view looking back from the green.

8th hole looking back from the green

The 10th green, a 397 yard par four

I thought the back nine the harder of the two, even though it is shorter in total yardage. The tenth hole plays on elevated ground above the clubhouse with the large green seen here, above.

The 12th hole, a 392 yard par four that plays uphill

The twelfth hole was my favorite on the course, a 392 yard par four that plays sharply uphill. See the beautiful and well placed bunkers guarding the left side of the hole. The tee shot, like many at Trump Bedminster, is over a ravine with a forced carry.

The 13th green, 405 yard par four

The thirteenth is also a good hole. You tee off from the highest point on the property and have a forced carry over water. The hole is a sharp dogleg left and plays 405 yards up a slight hill to a long narrow green, seen above.

The course has a Florida-style finish. The last three holes all have water in play around the greens. It is very much like P.G.A. National, TPC at Sawgrass or Doral in this regard. Donald clearly thinks that water makes an exciting finish.

What was the design philosophy at Trump National? Aside from the obvious mandate to build a course to host a major, it looks like the key factors were:

1. Forced carry shots over water (to the greens) and over ravines (off the tee)
2. Generally large, elevated greens
3. A course from the penal, as opposed to strategic, school of design
4. Very high and demanding rough

The short par four seventeenth is one of only a few downhill shots to a green and one of the few risk-reward holes: it is 312 yards and offers many interesting ways to play the hole depending upon how aggressive you want to be both off the tee and with a watery approach.

Net-net, I think the course is unnecessarily hard. It's trying to prove that it is tough enough to host a major. The rough is just too hard for all but scratch level golfers. If the rough were cut and some of the water holes were filled in, it would be a better course. It would also be more consistent with the other great courses in New Jersey such as nearby Somerset Hills, Pine Valley and Baltusrol, all of which have normal rough and very little water hazards. It's just not in character for this part of the country. A singular focus on hosting a major championship has led to golf design reductio ad absurdum.

Who's to tell whether the course will ever host a major or not. Perhaps it will, since it's better than Baltusrol. Or perhaps Trump Westchester will, since it's better than Winged Foot. Or maybe Trump Los Angeles will, since it's better than Riviera. On further thought, perhaps Trump Palm Beach will, because it's better than Seminole. Or, the more I think about it, it will probably be the yet-to-be-built Trump Scotland that will host a British Open before all these other Trump courses, because it will no doubt be the greatest course ever built when it's done.


The Donald

There are some people that find Trump to be contrived, ostentatious, flashy, tasteless, tawdry, vulgar, garish, excessive and cheaply showy. My advice when going to Trump is to suspend belief and take it for what it is. With its engineered look, fake ponds, lush manicuring and over-the-top showmanship, it is a bit like Disneyland: it's an adult theme park with Donald as the theme. A traditional club or course this is not. It's a showcase. A made-for-TV spectacle. Like Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Trump National is an outlier and will not be confused with any other club or course you've ever played.

I know there is a large contingent of Donald haters out there. In fact, I consider myself a reformed Trump basher. Certainly it's easy to make fun of the Donald since he's his own caricature. Trump is a simulacrum of himself.

Take a deep breath and think for a moment. You do have to give the guy credit. He has balls. His sense of confidence and bravado are unmatched. He's a hell of a marketer, salesman and promoter. How can you criticize the only man on the planet who believes his eye can single-handedly pick the most beautiful women in the world out of a lineup? Donald once told Vanity Fair that there is no such thing as bad publicity, that all publicity is good. I'm not sure Tiger Woods would agree with Donald's sentiments after breaking the New York Post record of being on the cover twenty straight days.



Mastering P.R. is one of the secrets to the Trump empire. His looks, his hair and his over-the-top statements are designed to be controversial so Donald can remain in the limelight. His objective is to maximize his cash flow and net worth; not to be taken seriously. On this level, he is a smashing success.

Why do I exclude myself from the Donald haters? Wouldn't it be a bit hypocritical of me to criticize a pompus, brash New Yorker who takes strong positions, is full of himself and is never wrong?