OUR
REGULAR GAME NO. 16
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Last week,
we announced our first list of the best and worst things in golf.
We were completely unprepared for the remarkable response to that
piece, particularly the unsolicited telephone call from the Pulitzer Prize
committee. As a result, we
are continuing our review of the best and worst things in golf with the
hope that we can finally satisfy the unquenchable thirst of a demanding
public.
One of the truly best things in golf is the golf trip.
It’s a unique feature of our wonderful game, in which four guys
get together, pick a great golf destination, and take off for a week or so
of uninterrupted golf. I’ve
been on some great golf trips in my lifetime, and I can think of no other
sport or game that comes close to golf in this respect.
I mean, do you ever hear about great tennis trips?
As far as I’m concerned, if you’ve seen one tennis court,
you’ve seen ‘em all.
The only thing that comes close is baseball, but you can’t play
in those great ballparks, you can only watch the game being played
by others. In golf, you can
actually play the great courses you visit.
That makes all the difference in the world.
So here’s my list of the alltime great golf trips I’ve been on:
1.
Augusta National: Except for Cypress Point, nothing else is close.
I got to play there the first time, in 1984, through a client.
Best of all, I got to take my father.
Even though I’ve been back to play the course twice more, that
first trip remains extra special since my dad passed away.
2. Scotland and
Ireland: We played the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Gleneagles,
Royal County Down, and Royal Portrush.
All I’m gonna say is, it was the most fun I’ve ever had with my
clothes on.
3. Monterey Peninsula:
We played Pebble Beach and Cypress Point.
Pebble Beach is unbelievably expensive, but worth playing once just
so you can say you did. The oceanside holes are phenomenal, but I don’t find the
inland holes to be anything special.
Of course, I’m in a minority there, but that’s my opinion.
Cypress Point is, of course, ultra private, but I was lucky
enough to get on through a friend. Next
to Augusta National, it’s the greatest course I’ve ever played.
The beauty of each and every hole towers over Pebble Beach, its
pricey neighbor.
4.
Pinehurst: I got to play there free because I was giving a speech
for the USGA at a Regional Conference being held there.
I played No. 2, where they held the U.S. Open that was won by Payne
Stewart. Even with a caddie,
it’s one hard sumbitch. I
also played No. 7, with then-USGA President Reg Murphy.
It was hard, too, but in a different way.
No. 2 is hard because of the Donald Ross upside-down bowl-shaped
greens. They’re like
nothing else I’ve ever played.
5.
Bandon Dunes: This is a trip I’m taking next month.
Four of us from Louisiana are connecting up with my friend Bo Links
and a foursome from California. For
those of you who haven’t heard, Bandon Dunes consists of two courses
built overlooking the Pacific Ocean in southern Oregon.
Both courses have already made several Top 100 in the World lists.
If they look half as good as their pictures on the website, this
trip will be a blast.
That’s it for now. For
our Regular Game, this is Mike Veron, hoping the flagstick gets in the way
of every shot you play to the green.
About the Author
J. Michael Veron is the acclaimed author of The
Greatest Player Who Never Lived and The
Greatest Course That Never Was. His third novel, tentatively titled
The Caddie, is scheduled for release in the spring of 2002.
Mike's work has earned him the title of "master
of fiction" from USA Today, and Travel and Leisure Golf Magazine
has called him "The
John Grisham of Golf." In addition, the New York Times hailed The
Greatest Player as "Golf's
Literary Rookie of the Year," and the Seattle Times ranked The
Greatest Player as second on its all-time list of "Five Wonderful
Golf Books." At one time,
The Greatest Player and The
Greatest Course were the first and third best-selling sports fiction
in the country.
Please contact us
for more information on Mike and his work.
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