Favorite Golf Destination #3- Cruden Bay, Scotland

I usually don't return to a region more than once because I have too many courses on my bucket list yet to play. Cruden Bay is one step from heaven and a destination that I immediately fell in love with. It has one of the all time amazing views from the clubhouse overlooking the Cruden Bay and St. Olaf (9) courses, 1597 Slain's Castle (Bram Stoker's novel Dracula), and the North Sea.

Cruden Bay is one of the most unique, unforgettable designs, fun golf experience in the world. Old Tom and Tom Simpson are credited for most of the original design with a redesign of #9, 10, and 16 coming in 2014. If you love blind holes, #3, 14, and 15 will be some of the best you will ever play. After your round be sure to stop by for drinks and dinner in the club's dining room. We ate most all of our meals here, as the food is delicious and the service wonderful especially if your server is the delightful Irene B. On my first trip we stayed at the Kilmarnock Arms Hotel, most recently we stayed in a nice, sleeps 8 home across from the clubhouse.

Within a 30 minute drive South you can play the magnificent Trump Scotland course, Royal Aberdeen, Newburgh-on-Ythan, and Murcar Links- one of my least favorites with some of the narrowest fairways ever. To the North 35 min is Fraserburgh and Peterhead. Cruden Bay is a laid back town, with very friendly people, and sensational views. You can easily spend a week here golfing and recharging your batteries. Call +44 1779 812285 for tee times.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."- Mark Twain

#874 The Links Club at Spruce Creek South

Located in Summerfield, FL this 1995 Terry Doss design was one of the better courses I have played regarding risk/reward. His dogleg designs are 90 degree so you can bite off as much as you want, some will require you to take on treelines. On the F9 I liked #4,6,7,and 9. My favorite was the straight away 487 yd par 5 #6 which has a large pond that comes into play on your second shot with a light house to the its right. The B9 starts out with a blind tee shot, short, DL 290 yd par 4. If going for this big risk/reward green you have to take on a small cattail area on the left side of the hole. I played it safe to the right and made an easy par. The 370 yd 12th, if you are JD, you could try and go for the green on this sharp DL right. Fall short and you will be in heavy grass in a depression. Again, I played it safe to the left of the treeline and made a birdie. #17 was my favorite hole on the course. A long 417 yd challenging DL left protected by trees on the left to a tiered geeen. I got stuck under the trees and was happy with a bogey to this back pin. #18 is a very challenging, serpentine par 5 which I usually like strong finishing holes. Except, I HATE to layup off the tee on a par 5. I hit driver, instead of 3W, trying to negotiate a narrow isthmus and ended up left into a heavy grass depression losing my yellow Chrome Soft. That shot screwed up a good B9. Conditioning was good except on 3 or 4 greens and it was a fun course to play with the risky holes. With the $25 coupon I had it was a great value and I will return again. White+

"Every day above earth is a good day."- Ernest Hemingway

Return to County Donegal and Rosapenna 2022

After over 2 years of Covid craziness I am hopeful of finally getting out of the country and returning to Ireland for the third time this Fall. On my 2011 trip I started in Dublin and went across the top of Ireland ending up in Carne. 23 rounds in 18 days and 10 lbs lighter I felt like I could have played golf forever. On that journey I had one stretch of real bad weather and it was in the NW Donegal region. At Ballyliffin Old it rained non stop the whole round (no Photos), next day was Sandy Hill and it snowed (would have frozen to death if Frank didn't make me take a buggy which allowed us to come back in and warm up), the third day was Cruit Island which I could not find so I headed south to Nairn and Portnoo where the winds were 45 MPH sustained and my traveling partner threw up on the way due to the winding roads. Can't get much worse than that stretch so I am returning with high hopes of sunshine and dry September weather.

I just confirmed the trip plan which is 12 nights and 12 rounds of True Links golf all in County Donegal. The highlight will be playing the new Tom Doak, St. Patrick's design at Rosapenna Resort twice. Below are my scheduled rounds:
Gweedore(14)
North West
Dunfanaghy
St. Patrick's x2
Coastguard Nine(9)
Sandy Hill
Old Tom Morris
Cruit Island (9)
Bundoran
Narin and Portnoo
Donegal

"The bond that links your true family is not of blood, but of respect and joy of each other."-Richard Bach

Favorite Golf Destination #2- St. Andrews, Scotland

Three times I have traveled to St Andrews and was fortunate to have played three rounds on The Old Course plus ten other courses in the immediate area. It is a close second to BDGR in my all time trips. From watching The Open for many years I was surprised at how small St. Andrews really is. My first glimpse of the Old Course was the 18th hole and I couldn't believe I was standing on the street right next to the green. Basically it is, two main streets, a University, lots of neat pubs and golf shops plus 7 golf courses affliated with the Links Trust. There are another 10-15 courses you can play within a 45 min drive. Dundee which is 30 minutes north opens up Carnoustie and its courses. My favorite course was Kingbarns and yes, I was a bit underwhelmed by the Old Course. A new links course, Dumbarnie, has recently opened nearby and maybe someday I will return. It is a trip every golfer should make at least once and its golf ambience is next to none. My last trip I didn't even play any golf, just walked around the town, hung out at The Dunvegan, and visited the Golf Museum.

If you need assistance in planning a Scottish golf vacation or want the best caddie for your Old Course experience contact: John Boyne at CaddieGolfTours@gmail.com

"A $600 Club doesn't fix a $1 Swing"

My Favorite Destinations/Resorts 1-10

I have been very fortunate to have played at most of the great destinations in the golf world. If you asked where I would go if I only had one trip left, it would be Bandon Dunes Golf Resort (BDGR). The following are some of my other top golf destinations.

1. Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, USA-Located on the Pacific ocean in Oregon, my first trip to BDGR was in 2006 which opened my eyes to True Links golf (only 250 worldwide). I have since returned three more times to play a total of 24 rounds with ten of those on my favorite course, Pacific Dunes. BDGR has six top rated courses with excellent lodging and food service options available onsite. It is only a 25 minute shuttle ride from the airport (OTH), so there is no need to rent a car even if you choose to stay in the small town of Bandon. There is no finer collection of firm and fast playing golf courses in the world. All courses are walking only with amble number of caddies available, if you don't want to pull or carry your bag. On the horizon is a second public course in Bandon, New River Dunes to compliment Bandon Crossings, plus a Doak Par 3 at BDGR. You could easliy spend a week in Bandon experiencing all the fantastic golf. To book your trip call 855-220-6710

2. St. Andrews, Scotland

3. Cruden Bay, Scotland

4. Pebble Beach, USA

5. Troon/Turnberry, Scotland

6. Rosapenna, Ireland

7. Royal County Down, Northern Ireland

8. Pinehurst, USA

9. The American Club/Kohler, USA

10.Big Cedar Lodge, USA

Stay tuned as I write a short article on each of the above.

"I do not exist to impress the world. I exist to live my life in a way that will make me happy."- Richard Bach

#873 Otter Creek at The Plantation GC 1/21/22

The Plantation is a 36 hole complex in Leesburg, FL. The two nines at Otter Creek had to have been designed a few years apart or by different architects because they are so dissimilar. The front nine is very poorly conditioned with only four holes interesting-3,6,8,9. The back nine has newer housing and six nicely designed holes but again the conditioning is spotty at best. I would rate the F9 a Green and B9 a White for this 1988 George Clifton design. I had a $20 Group Golfer voucher and would say that was a fair value for this 18, with $15 of it going towards the back nine. Will wait until May to come back and try the other course and hope for better conditions. White-

Why no photo's of this course? I only photograph above average courses (Black, Blue, Gold rated), True Links, and Villages Championship which make up about 60% of the courses I have played. The lesser courses usually don't have enough quality holes of interest. I do post a few pictures of every new course I play on my Instagram account @inpursuitof1000

Golf is a never ending journey, it can and will take you places you never dreamed of.

Silver Springs Shores 1/14/21-Revisited

Desmond Muirhead designed The CC at Silver Springs Shores in 1969. At this time in the 60's he was one of the top architects in the world and soon after partnered with Jack Nicklaus. He held Jack's hand in his formative years of design and was instrumental in designing Muirfield Village and several other projects the seven years he was with him. Desmond was an urban planner and architect who got into golf course while he was planning a golf community in Arizona. After his experience with Nicklaus he stepped away from golf for 10 years and resurfaced with several eye opening "land sculpture" designs. SSS is by far one of the best designs in this region with excellent green complexes and challenging assortment of holes. Since I last played here 3 years ago the club has hired a new superintendent. The conditions are now very good which prompted me to take a full array of photos with my Iphone. Gold+
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/v7YmTKEZoFgzQPxSA

"Think about the next shot, not the last shot."- Johnny Bulla

2021 Recap- 28 new courses

The Pandemic has slowed my progress to 1000 by at least one year. The past two years I have added 46 courses which was a normal years total. In 2021 I took four major trips to the Pinehurst region, Spokane, Bandon Dunes, and the Midwest.

Pinehurst trip allowed me to experience three more Mike Strantz courses plus the revitalized Pine Needles track host of this years Women's US Open. I also replayed Mid Pines and stopped by to play The Cradle at Pinehurst.

Spokane was in a record setting heat spell when I arrived and I only played three rounds before returning to the cool Florida temps. Gamble Sands was a real treat but the heat was too much for me to walk the short course in the afternoon.

It had been many years since my last visit to Bandon. With the Sheep Ranch newly opened and my old favorite Pacific Dunes calling I took a short trip to catch up on what is new there. Bandon Preserve is probably the best short course I have played and another option after a morning round.

As soon as I returned from Bandon I loaded up my SUV and headed north for three weeks. I added a DeVries and a couple of Langford courses but the highlight was the Big Cedar Lodge in Branson. I will be doing an article later in the year on the top Destinations I have played around the world and this will make my top 10.

"The man who asks a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life."- Confucius

Silver Lake ( 9-exec) update

Silver Lake is one of the original 9 hole executive courses in The Villages. For the past eight months it was being restored and unavailable for play. I played it today and the conditioning is now very good, the additional landscaping is both aesthetic and adds much needed definition to several of the holes. The two par fours are the most challenging of any exec set in TV. The 285 yd #2 you must thread the needle with a fade to find the fairway and the 281 yd closing hole you are presented with a HUGE live oak at 150 yds to navigate over, under, or around. Silver Lake is now one of the better exec courses (Tier 2) in TV and will not disappoint you.
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For a complete ranking of the 42 executive courses (387 holes) in TV please go to my April 27, 2020 post.

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."- T.S. Eliot

#872 Southern Oaks GC 11/21/21

Southern Oaks GC is the latest 18 hole championship course in The Villages and brings a total of 711 holes, of which 324 are championship.(For a complete ranking of all Championship golf please go to the 12/27/17 post) Of these 13 courses, this is one of the most mundane designs by the Clifton Group, which from the tips plays at 6512 yds. 8 holes are situated alongside of the Florida Turnpike with inadequate berms to eliminate the view of vehicles, reduce the traffic noise, or the aroma of fast food from the Okahumpka service plaza.

There are an equal number of par 3-4-5's which I found only 10 somewhat interesting. The six-one shot holes are the better group and all have water in play which brings in some risk compared to most of the other holes. There are a couple stretches of good golf on each nine, #4-6 and #11-13.

The better championship golf in TV is north of 466A as the farther south you go the flatter the ground is. Clifton Group have designed almost all the holes in The Villages. They are a regional Central Florida shop who have never designed any courses of note. Unfortunately, this area is where I have lived for the past several years and I have played probably 80 of their designs. Why the Villages won't diversify their portfolio with a few top notch architects,(Doak, Fazio, Coore/Crenshaw, Hanse, DeVries) who could produce 3 or 4 noteworthy courses has got to be $$$. Championship golf in The Villages is like going to an all you can eat buffet, lots of food to eat but not very tasty. Don't be fooled by the millions of rounds per year played here, it is not because of the quality but the active retired residents needing to play golf. As many of them have taken up golf since they have arrived in The Villages they have no idea what a really good course is.

The par five #13 has the highest berm that obscures most of the Okahumpka Service Plaza, which one of my buddies managed to hit between the berm and the Turnpike. His subsequent shot may have put him in the record books as the first ball landing on the highway. He was out of sight for so long we thought he had gone over to the KFC for a bite to eat. The finishing hole at 429 yds is the longest par 4 and along with the dogleg #8 the two most difficult. Several greens are tiered and contoured also adding some difficulty. As you can see from the photo's it needed more time to grow in. This is your typical resort style golf course, whose main goal is to keep the golfers moving along. Gold- rated.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Cb5vHW64pSEX81WX7

Copy the above Link to view these photos

"When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new."- Dali Lama

Sometimes you have to risk it all for a vision no one can see but you.

#871 Colbert Hills GC 10/8/21

Colbert Hills GC in Manhattan, KS, which is the home course of Kansas State, was the last course I played on my Fall trip and was one of the most refreshing and enjoyable. This top 10 in state 2000 Jeff Brauer and Jim Colbert design had all the elements that lights my fire: forced carries, risk/reward, rolling terrain, defined fairways that requires accuracy of the tee, aesthetic bunkering, demanding shotmaking, water hazards, and very well conditioned. Today's architects are producing a similar look of huge undefined fairways, lack of forced carries, minimal chance of losing your golf ball, and huge undulating greens. Not that I don't appreciate these new links style courses but I really like the challenge of standing over shots knowing that one little miscue your $5 ball maybe going to golfball heaven. Pressure is what makes me really focus and produce exciting shots that I will always remember.

In 2006, on my only trip to Pebble Beach I came to the blind eighth tee shot and had no idea where the drive would end up. How exciting it was to see it in the FW and 192 yds from the hole. I pulled out my 4 hybrid, which I still have in my bag but now only hit 170 yds, and nearly holed it to the dangerous right pin location (see Pebble Beach Slideshow} for a tap in birdie. I will never forget that shot and will always enjoy courses like Colbert Hills where there is some element of risk. This is one that I could play regularly. Blue rated

The world class display of monster Bucks are from my old classmates trophy room. All taken with bow from his Kansas farm. The next day we enjoyed a come from behind Michigan Wolverine victory over the Huskers. What a wild gameday experience we had.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RZXy1EcHbDzsety59

#870 Branson Hills GC 10/6/21

After checking out of the upscale Angular's Inn at Big Cedar I headed north and stopped by Branson Hills GC, a 2009 Chuck Smith and Bobby Clampett design in Branson. After 3 days of great weather today was a dreary day with rain probable. When I arrived and was told it was $199 instead of the $139 I had been quoted, I almost got back in my SUV. I decided to play and hope I would beat the rain. I made it to hole 15 before the rain came and took the photo's of the last holes from my cart. With the ability to edit my photo's I added lots of light and they appear as it was a much brighter day. The course is challenging with lots of variety, rolling terrain, and average conditiong but it is overpriced. Blue

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5wrziAjC6VjbEVbB6

#869 Mountain Top Short Course (13) 10/5/21

Mountain Top is a 13 hole non-tradtional short course at Big Cedar Lodge that was designed by Gary Player in 2017. Unlike Top Of the Rock, you can walk and are not restricted to a concrete cart path. The elevation changes, quirkyness of some of the holes, scenic views, and rolling greens are what I look for in today's short courses. For half the price you will have more fun right here at the main lodge. I would skip Top of the Rock. Gold rated.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CVES9xHY8xsgVaeP8

#868 Payne's Valley 10/5/21

Payne's Valley, 2020, is Tiger Woods first public design in Hollister, MO. It is a resort style course with wide fairways, very playable, and large greens. Lots of eye candy here: aesthetic bunkering, waterfalls, and the backdrop of a large limestone shelf with the clubhouse overlooking the entire complex. A fantastic looking practice area was being sculpted out of the limestone. Apparently, Johnny Morris has no budget in creating one of the top golf resorts in the world at Big Cedar Lodge. Black**

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zYEuUs6MKhLaJwtBA