"If you see what is right and fail to act on it, you lack courage."- Confucius

#887 Vienna Greens

Vienna Greens is located in Clio, MI, it was built in 1969 by Loren Millette. It is well conditioned and has a left to right rotation of each nine. There is OB on the left of seven holes, so if you are a fader/slicer it is almost impossible to lose any balls here. The par3's are a strong group with the 186 yd #3 a challenge with its semi-blind carry over cattails. The B9 is delightful with its interesting stretch of holes. Vienna Greens with its friendly staff, affordable rates, and pace of play far exceeded my expectations. WHITE+

#886 Timbers GC

Timbers GC in Vassar, MI was designed in 1996 by Lorrie Viola. Viola has designed 2 other courses and I have played one of those near me in Florida. Timbers has several interesting holes but the diseased fairways detracts from its nice layout. For the second day in a row I missed an ace by less than a foot. The 135 yd #12 was today's thrill. The sharp dogleg left 375 yd 7th was my favorite hole. You have to be careful not to hit it through the FW on your drive into the junk, so a 3W would be the club of choice off the tee. On the B9 the 13th plays very similar. The most challenging hole is the dogleg left par5 563 yd cape hole. Off the tee you are encountered with a pond if you want to play an aggressive line. Next is another pond that fronts the green on your approach. Of the 6 doglegs, 3 are sharply left. The B9 plays considerabbly easier than the front. GOLD-

"Sooner or later, the man who wins is the man who thinks he can."- Vince Lombardi

#885 Burke Course(9) at Notre Dame

The Burke Course at Notre Dame, in South Bend, IN, was designed in 1929 by Chuck Kelly and was orginally 18 holes. In 1966 Dick Nugent also contributed. Due to expansion of the campus, 9 holes were eliminated and the remaining on football weekends are used for parking. The course is a Par 35 and at 3200 yds is an easily walkable, playable track to come out for a quick game. The conditioning is good and the variety of holes is interesting. I want to thank the budding golf star, Carlos, for allowing me to join in. WHITE

#884 Warren GC at Notre Dame

Warren GC at Notre Dame was designed in 1999 by Coore and Crenshaw, in South Bend, IN. The course is well conditioned but with very little elevation changes. It is not as pancake flat as another C and C design I played, Talking Stick North in Scottsdale. With the minimalist philosophy of Bill and Ben it makes for a visually, challenging template. Notice in my photo's how the fairways are lifeless without any contours. Ideally, the terrain needs to be rolling to make a Coore/Crenshaw most interesting for me. Warren is very playable for every skill level and an easy walk but after playing Culver it was a very mundane experience. The B9 is more interesting with the creek winding its way through it on three holes. The #16 short Par4 was my favorite hole and the 18th was a real challenging finisher. Of the 12 Coore/Crenshaw courses I have played this ranks near the bottom. I did have perfect weather and an enjoyable foursome to play with on this day.BLUE-

https://photos.app.goo.gl/VyiHB5bDXtPjfbZGA

#883 Culver Academy GC (9)

Culver Military Academy was founded in 1894 in Culver, Indiana. Wm Langford and Theodore Moreau laid out a 27 hole complex but only completed 9 holes of it in 1926. In 2015 Bobby Weed restored the course back to its original intent. These are all orginal holes, most L/M courses were built with 9 holes orginally and then added on and reconfigured. The only other complete L/M course I have played is the 18 hole Lawsonia Links(view course under slideshow tab}. Culver is a more dramatic property than Lawsonia and ranks right at the top of the list of the 9 courses by L/M I have played.

If anyone has ever visited Mackinaw Island you know the feeling when you step off the boat onto the island- a step back in time. When I walked to the first tee at Culver I felt the same way. Huge undulating greens, rollicking terrain with blind shots, and very firm and fast greens. There are three 3's, 4's, and 5's. The par 3's all play around 170 yards. The first #2 plays uphill to a redan style green, the second #3 is downhill, surrounded by flat bottom bunkers, the last #8 is farily level with all challenging.

The first Par four #4 is a magnificient, sharp DL left which you need to hit your tee shot about 265 yards to be in the best position for your uphill approach shot. Unfortantly, that distance left me quickly 6 years ago. The front left portion of the green can put you in some deep doodoo if you mess with it. This was one of my favorite holes at Culver. #6 and #7 are more conventional, long, par fours.

The three Par 5's all have a blind shot involoved and are the strongest group of holes here. #1 Is a dogleg left that you need to carry a 60' deep gorge to about 200 yds on the drive. Next you have a blind shot into the green if you have the length or play it to the right for your third. #5 is more strightforward and you may have a blind shot for your second to the largest back to front sloping green. The finishing hole you face a dogleg right off the tee to a blind second shot. These three holes are lots of fun and what is not to like about opening a Christmas present everytime you crest the top of hill and see your ball.

As I noted before these greens are as huge as most I have ever played, big undulations including false fronts, and every hole allows you to run your shots up on the putting surface. The conditioning is as firm and fast as you will want or you would running your ball of the greens. Of the 9 rounds on my trip North, this is by far the most memorable, that even I can recall every hole in detail. The only other 9 hole stretch that gave me this much enjoyment was the F9 at RCD. I want to thank Michael for the wonderful job he does keeping Culver in perfect playing conditions and for his generous hospitality. BLUE+

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Am11FQ5u59N8ytyu6

#882 Kampen Course at Purdue

Kampen was the original North course and has been totally recontructed in 1998 by Pete Dye at Purdue University. The two courses are totally different, which is what you want in a 36 hole complex. This is a flat, swampy, links style layout. Compared to the other course the holes here are very isolated and really not that pretty. The fairways are generous but you don't want to wander to far off or you will be in deep grass or wet. All the par 3's have water/swamp that come into play, which I found twice. My driver was also off a bit and I played Kampen 8 strokes higher than A-A. All the holes were interesting with no really great holes that jump out at you. I did like the short split FW #7 Par 4 with the pot bunker in front of the green, the blind #15 par 4, and the strong finishing Par 4 #18. If you have played as many Dye courses(25) as I have these type holes are usually characteristic of all of his designs. Kampen is also well conditioned and gets the nod over A-A and a BLUE rating.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/mH3JL8W97XkyggCV8

#881 Ackerman-Allen Course at Purdue

The Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Layfayette, IN is home to two 18 hole courses at Purdue University. Purdue took full advantage of the naming rights here bringing in four donors to maximize their coffers. Ackerman-Allen was designed in 1934 by Bill Diddle and renovated in 1968 by Larry Packard. Pete Dye arrived in 1998 and again in 2016 for a redesign and addition of two new holes. My initial reaction was this is Pete Dye Lite. Most holes there are a bunker on one side of the green and a swale to bailout in on the the other side. The greens are pure and conditioning excellent. The terrain is rolling and provides a very nice variety of playable holes. The opening holes are very friendly, #6,8,9 are my faorites on the F9. On the B9, #11 feels alot like #9, the short Par3 #13 was my favorite one shotter. The interesting par 5's #14 and #16 are sandwiched around a brute of a par 4. This is the most popular and easiest of the two courses.BLUE

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nzNbnEo12bWSinXQ6

#880 Kokopelli GC

Kokopelli GC in Marion, ILL is a 1996 Steve Smymers design. One of the characteristics of a Smyers course is an extensive amount of bunkers. Aesthetically it is great but if you are the course owner it demands many manhours to maintain them. I was told the course was sold two years ago and the new owner has already removed half of the over 100 bunkers. Most of the remaining bunkers are in transition to new sand which has yet to arrive. So if you can get past the poor condition of the bunkers and the recent top dressing this actually is a pretty good course which next season I would hope presents itself better.

I have played several Smymers courses with the now defunct Wolf Run one of the most difficult I have ever experienced. Who could have thought that a course with a slope of 136 on the easiest set of tee's might have a problem? It was one of the most asethetic bunker designs I had played at the time. The major problem was once you got not far off the fairway the thick grass was up to your knees. My partner lost all their balls by the 17th hole and I finished with hardly a ball left. Go to the Slideshow section above and click on Wolf Run to view a beautiful golf course.

Kokopelli has several interesting holes, the 146 yd par3 5th is it's top one shot hole. It is adjacent to nice lodging options that a group of out of town golfers could stay in. #7 lives up to it #1 handicap rating and all the Par 5's are strong holes. The staff was very friendly and the clubhouse is able to host large receptions with a teaching center on the ground floor. GOLD rated

https://photos.app.goo.gl/RHEJTiQfJNSVQk6j8

Summer Golf Trip North 8/8-8/16

Kokopelli GC
Purdue-Ackerman/Allen Course
Purdue-Kampen Coourse
Culver Academy GC(9)
Warren GC
Notre Dame Burke(9)
Genesee Valley Meadows GC
Timbers GC
Vienna Greens GC

"The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have."- Marcus Aurelius

#879 Sherman Hills GC

I returned to the Brooksville area again this week to play another nice course, designed by Ted McAnlis in 1993. Conditioning was very good except, for the 13-15 holes, where I encountered temporay greens on 13, 14 and sparse turf in the FW of 15. This stretch is more heavyly treed and lower in elevation then the rest of the course which is probably the reason for the poor conditioning.

The opening five holes is an easy start to your round and I was a bit dissapointed, but starting on the 6th hole it became alot more challenging with just about every hole thereafter very interesting. #7 and #16 are brutes of par 3's. #8-11 is a nice stretch of par 4's with a lot of variety and the final three provide a strong par 3-4-5 finish. I hope to return next year after the holes are repaired and play it again.GOLD

"Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection."- Mark Twain

#878 Hernando Oaks GC

Hernando Oaks GC is a 2003 Steve Pate design in Brooksville, FL. This is the only Steve Pate course that I can verify that he designed all by himself. I am venturing further out as I have played almost every course in a 40 mile radius of The Villages. The course had modern contouring of the FW's and green complexes (Tiff/Eagle). There was heavy rain the night before and most of the bunkers were flooded but without any rain they would have been bad. Lack of sand and weeds growing in them is the one major negative for this course.

I found eleven holes interesting, Front 9(1,4,5,7,8,9) and the Back 9(10,13,16,17,18) by far the most enjoyable as it is totally isolated from any development with a strong finishing stretch. Even with the poor bunkers I gave it a GOLD rating.

Learn to sit back and observe. Not everything needs a reaction .

"Golf is like a love affair: If you don't take it seriously, it's no fun. If you do, it breaks your heart."- Louise Suggs

Favorite Golf Destination #4- Pebble Beach

My first really classic golf trip was in 2006. We landed in SF and immediatly headed over to Harding Park, where we had to wait way past our tee time and were only able to get in 15 holes. The Cypress trees were very impressive and we could see our next days challenge across Lake Merced.
The Olympic Club at that time, the fairways were heavyly tree lined and it was a challenge to keep it on some of the sloping FW's. It has many memorable holes, the hamburger in a hot dog shape at the turn, and the worst caddie experience I had ever had (see 6/13/12-Lary the Sleepy Caddie). But my highlight was the short par four 18th hole. I hit my approach shot long as it was a front pin day and wanted to make sure I didn't fall short. So I am left with at least a 30'ft downhill putt. Anyone who has played it from there knows that putt is a screamer. Somehow I hit the back of the cup and dropped it in for a Birdie!
We next drove down to Pebble Beach and played the Big three there. We stayed at Spanish Bay for one night to quarantee a PB tee time, which is still probably the most I have ever paid for a room. I played great at Pebble Beach but it was in the process of a bunker renovation and there was either no sand in the traps or new sand which when you hit in totally ate up your ball. The best shot of my life was the approach to #8, from 193 yds I hit it three feet behind the stick and it stuck in place. At Spanish Bay we played in a heavy ocean layer and at the very challenging Spyglass Hill course the #4 ocean hole was sensational.1-831-574-5609
The last stop on this half of the trip was at the Alistar MacKenzie, Pasatiempo GC in Santa Cruz. This is one of the greatest USA public courses I have ever played and if I could ever get a chance to play Cypress Point I would make sure to return here again.1-831-459-9155
I borrowed a camera and took an occasional photo along the way, this was the start of my Photo tours. These six courses were the greatest stretch of top courses I had ever played. From here we drove up to Bandon Dunes for 8 rounds. What a trip!!

"The truth has no defense against a fool determined to believe a lie."- Mark Twain

#877 Plantation on Crystal River- Lagoons 9

In 1981 the first hole of the championship course was shortened and the first tee of the Lagoons short course was created. The course superintendent, Glen Oberlander is credited with the design which now includes 3 par 4's (#6-8). It is a fun loop with the rustic, thread the needle, 120 yd Par 3 a real hoot. You have about a 15 yard opening from the tee to find the green.

With the craze now of short courses around the world, Crystal River GC was ahead of the crowd. Lagoons conditioning and greens aren't as good as the other course but it is always great to have an option for more golf after your 18. If I were in charge I would make it complementary for all 18 hole greens fee paying players, hoping they would come back in the clubhouse for another round of drinks. White rated.

#876 Plantation on Crystal River GC

Crystal River GC, formerly Paradise CC, was designed in 1958 by Mark Mahannah and is located in Crystal River, FL. Some have probably heard of this region because of the winter migration of Manatee's up the Crystal river. The golf course is very flat but with a nice assortment of doglegs, ponds, and some of the best greens I have played at a public course in Florida it is well worth the trip. The greens were not only very healthy but so firm that most of the time you didn't leave a ball mark. I found the B9 more challenging with 11-14 a strong stretch of holes, #13 is a good risk/reward hole that I wished I had been more aggressive and not layed up on. My favorite hole was the serpentine par 5 #16 that temps you to take on the pond fronting the green with your second approach shot. It is followed by the best par 3 at #17. I found #2, #6, and #7 interesting on the F9. Overall the par 5's are the stongest group of holes here.

The way the course manages their rakes in the bunkers was a first for me. They insert a PVC pipe down in the ground at the edge of the bunker and you just drop it down the capped top and it is vertical with only the rake end protruding. The staff is very professional and friendly. The director of golf shared with me the history of the course which I found very interesting, that Tommy Bolt once lived on the 10th hole and was part of the pro staff which included Gay Brewer, Doug Ford, Bob Goalby, among others. The orginal golf course lots in the 50's were priced under 5k and the promo stated "Thou shall dwell in Paradise" thus Paradise CC. The management hit a homerun with me with their priority of superb greens and outgoing staff to earn a GOLD rating. Call 352-795-7211 for golf and lodging.

#875 Cranes Roost at The Plantation GC

Cranes Roost is at the same complex in Leesburg, FL as Otter Creek, which I played 3 months ago. I was hopeful that the courses would be in better condition by now but Otter Creek has been closed and the greens here were pretty ragged. If I owned a golf course my first priority would be to have playable greens. Cranes Roost is a 1996 Clifton Group design and the better of the two here but until they can assure me of greens and fairways without any bare spots I will not return. This has the potential of a Gold rating but under the current conditions it only deserves a White.

"Learning never exhausts the mind."- Leonardo da Vinci

My Golf Game- Al Uhryniak, The Villages

Once again my score is high
Hitting my ball far and wide
I'm never going to shoot my age
This causes my little brain to rage
The shop says clubs, that's what you need
clearly with those you will succeed
And even though the price is high
I do commit for I'm not shy
Then off I go for another round
Confident of my turnaround
But then the ball still can't be found
My change of clubs has run aground
There is just one conclusion here
And obvious to any of my peers
It's something directly from the devil
The problem is clearly my skill level

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."- Thomas Edison