Cypress Point Quest - Day 1862

Update:

My online and in-person leads to play Cypress Point have been drying up over this last year. Additionally with my Coore/Crenshaw quest still ongoing, my golf travels have started to focus on the East Coast, where there is less of a chance to meet members connected to CPC. Drastic measures needed to be taken in order to put me in a position to finally gain an invite to this wonderful course.

So I decided to take the plunge and book a golf vacation over a long weekend at my favorite spot in the world, the Monterey Peninsula. Yes, I was finally going to play Pebble, a course that has won me over in person, as well as Spyglass and Spanish Bay. By putting myself up there for a solid 5 plus days with 2-3 days devoted to non-Cypress golf, I figured it would give me as good a shot as any to get on the course.

The problem is of course the ongoing pandemic which has thrown a wrench into the whole works and I have no idea if my Pebble trip is happening this year, later this year or never. That being said, my issue is infinitesimally small compared to what is going on around the world currently so my disappointment is fleeting to say the least.

If and when Pebble happens, I am going to use that as my springboard to get the word out as a last gasp attempt for Cypress this year. Watch this space for any updates and of course, any help you could give me on my quest would earn my eternal appreciation!

Link To Check Out:

Connor of the Society of Golf Historians is a dyed in the wool golf traveler and burgeoning golf historian. Connor has a TalkingGolf History podcast and Episode 35 focuses on MacKenzie and Cypress Point including this fascinating map of Cypress!

(map via the Society's Instagram page)

If that picture is interesting to you, the podcast is even MORE interesting. Be sure to give a listen to the episode here: https://talkingolf.com/episode-35-tg-history-35-mackenzie-part-3-cypress-point/

and definitely following the Society on Twitter and Instagram!

Final Well Deserved Note:

Finally, FINALLY Marion Hollins, the force behind Cypress, Pasatiempo and a trailblazer in so many ways is going into the Golf Hall of Fame.

https://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2020/4/17/marion-world-golf-hall-of-fame-adds-the-golf-great-and-visionairy

While Marion passed away several decades ago, the golf courses she was involved with have stood against the test of time and serve as a testament to her visionary outlook for golf. The golf world would be a poorer place without her and I am glad the HoF did the right thing to induct her!

(Marion at MPPC via the Seattle Times)

Cypress Point Quest - Day 1581

And so the grind continues. Here we are, well on our way to 2,000 days of actively trying to play Cypress but no luck thus far. I haven't been super aggressive over the last few months, just hoping the universe places some people in my path that can help me out.

I did decide to shake a few things up in the karma department though. On eBay, there was a sale of Titleist golf balls branded with the Cypress Point logo.

I took this as a sign and a challenge. I am going to fill my golf bag with these balls (phrasing) and I am going to play with them until they run out. My goal? To play Cypress Point before the balls run out. I figure the golf balls will act as a defacto hourglass to help me get my butt in gear.

Part of that is I have to start getting back up to the NorCal area. I had a trip to Pasa which needed to be rescheduled due to weather and I am hoping to take a quick jaunt up there in the Fall to play a few private courses in SanFran. The closer I can get to Cypress, I feel the odds of me meeting someone with a connection there will increase.

If you spend any time in Monterey you start to wonder how they could accommodate all the people attending the Pro Am. 17 Mile Drive is often blocked off for shuttle buses and there isn't a lot of parking for the attendees. This problem had to been doubled for the recent US Open there. It sounds like though a lucky few got their fill of Cypress while parking! https://golfweek.com/2019/06/17/u-s-open-hot-spot-parking-lot-next-to-18th-tee-at-cypress-point-club/

Cypress Point Quest- Day 1299

California has been slammed with storms over the winter 2018-19 resulting in lots of flooding, mudslides and other types of damage. Other types of damage including damage to the iconic cypress tree.

https://thegolfnewsnet.com/ryan_ballengee/2019/02/16/pebble-beachs-lone-cypress-suffers-significant-damage-in-storm-112442/

The cypress tree is more than 250 years old and serves of the logo for Pebble Beach and has a passing resemblance to CPC's logo.

CPC may have only registered this logo with the USPTO in 2001 but you show that logo to anyone in golf and it is instantly recognizable. It is fascinating for a club of sub-250 members to have a logo that is recognized around the world. That is the way of the world though eh? Even golf courses with 1 member are talked about on blogs and pictures circulate here and there of even the most exclusive enclaves.

This is what I am banking on in my quest for Cypress. I am willing to put my faith in the Internet to connect me with people who know people who know people.

I am also going to start attempting to connect more with people who are on golf quests. I have been noticing more people doing quests and as part of those quests, they have played Cypress. For example,

PJ Koenig played CPC as part of his RGV Tour http://www.pjkoenig.com/the-rgv-tour-podcast-with-pjkoenig#16

Jimmie James played the Top 100 in 1 year (whew!) and of course Cypress was a part of that: https://www.jimmiestop100golfcoursetour.com/

So I think I need to seek out people at the beginning of their quest and wonder if they let me tag along as they try to play this course.

Link of the day. YouTube is a great resource for all things Cypress. If you are so inclined, check out this guy as he went around the track and basically sounds like he is narrating a 1980s slideshow to relatives which adds to the charm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizDmSULSq4

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point - Day 1159

Update:

Voyager 2 is currently crossing the void between our solar system and interstellar space. Meanwhile, in my quest to play Cypress Point I have blown past the 1,000 day mark and am starting to chug along to 2,000 days on this quest.

Where are things at? Well I still have a few solid leads based on friendships. Friends who know people who know people and if there is an opportunity to be a fourth in a group like that, my name is on the list. Otherwise, my Pebble Beach trip earlier this year yielded no strong leads other than increasing my jealousy watching clearly members of CPC play rounds of golf inside the ropes.

I don't begrudge the members of playing in the Pro Am and flaunting their CPC bags and headcovers. If I lived in Monterey and was a member of CPC I would live it up to golfing excess.

What the Pro-Am does bring into stark relief is that members of golf's inner circle get the invites much like golf's inner circle gets the Augusta patron invites every year while most of us roll craps on the lottery.

There are tons of pros and celebrities that go to Cypress during their Pro-Am week and I am sure the same will happen in 2019, but on steroids, when Pebble gets the twofer of the Pro-Am and the US Open (yes, yes there is the Nature Valley Senior Tour event in the Fall, so a threefer?). Heck Pasatiempo is gearing up with US Open specials and that is a semi-private club and with CPC ranked 1-3 in the world by most sites, people will be clambering to play there all year.

So I feel like 2019 is probably out for me baring a small friends-of-friends miracle, which is ok. Now, like Voyager 2, I am making my peace with traveling beyond the known solar system into a weirder time and space. As the calendar moves forward, the days I have been on this quest seem to warp like I have fallen through the event horizon into a black hole, it will be fascinating to see how I come to view my quest the longer I am on it.

At the far, far reaches of time, there is the Walker Cup in 2025 which, if I haven't reached my goal by then, will be the hardest press in my life in order to meet and befriend members to hopefully invite me to play. Interestingly, that date is 2,525 days from now, a nice synergy with the year. I wonder where both Voyager 2 and I will be then.

Link To Check Out: The Fried Egg is one of the best golf sites in the biz and while most sites will regale you with tales of the club and specific holes, Andy at the Egg gives you all you need in this great picture album: http://www.friedegg.co/golf-courses/cypress-point

Highly recommend the site and the pics!

ReGripped's Quest to Play Cypress Point Day 942

Update:

Here we are, almost 1,000 days into the quest and...the quest is still ongoing. I have recently made some headway using online golf forums to connect with other golf nuts and there is an outside chance that I may actually get to play Cypress within the next few months. One of the upsides for a long quest is that by now, a lot of people know about it and so if they have a slot for a 4th, I am at least on their radar.

I can't say enough good things about golfers online. While brands weirdly keep their distance from the people who play their gear and golf courses are hit or miss interacting with the people who play their courses, golf nuts recognize fellow golf nuts and for the most part, we all try to help each other achieve our golf dreams.

How people got onto Cypress prior to the internet is the real mystery as it seems that you basically had to live in Northern California for a shot at all.

Pro-Am Trip:

Recently I was up in Monterey for my first ever Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Monterey has been my jam ever since I was up there a few years ago and my time at the Pro-Am cemented it. I even got to see Cypress sorta.

A course close to Cypress is Spyglass and you can see Cypress if you are around the second green area/third hole. There, off in the distance was the clubhouse and the first hole.

It was hilarious that I wasn't alone in turning around from the pro golf action to look at the action about a mile away.

Then an amazing thing happened. During the Pro-Am, 17 Mile Drive is closed to general traffic in order for the Pro-Am shuttles to go back and forth between the courses. Our shuttle driver got lost, took a wrong turn and drove us right past Cypress including the clubhouse!

It was tough to discern much about the course from these limited glimpses but still, I will take it. The course looked in top notch shape and getting to see it somewhat up close was a thrill. During what I imagine is one of the busiest times for the club, it didn't seem too packed with golfers as several of its members were busy playing in the Pro-Am.

If I lived in Monterey I think realistically I would play Pacific Grove most days although maybe explore Bayonet and Black Horse. Who knows, maybe I would have the money to justify a Duke's Club membership or even become a member of MPCC. What I seriously doubt would happen is becoming a member of CPC so if I lived in Monterey could I stand being that close to Cypress and not playing it (or playing it infrequently)? I don't know but it would be an interesting phycological experiment to try!

Link To Check Out:

In addition to golf magazines, golf websites and golf blog reviews of Cypress Point, reviews can also come from other nooks and crannies of the internet. A prime example, reviews of the club via Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/cypress-point-club-pebble-beach

BTW, the course got 5 stars across the board ;).

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 778

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

Ok here we are, well over 2 years into my quest to play the top course in the world. What has been happening since the last update?

I have not found a member for a direct invite so I continue to try and find more circuitous routes onto the course with people who know people who know people. This has been bolstered by social media and for all the naysaying about how nothing gets done via social media, it HAS connected me to certain people who know the people.

For everyone who has offered to help over the last 200+ days since the last update, I say THANK YOU! It is amazing to find golf nuts willing to help other golf nuts achieve their dreams.

I also learned that Rory McIlory himself is questing to play Cypress Point. This comes from No Laying Up's fine podcast interview with him which is well worth a listen.

Thanks to @NoLayingUp podcast I've learned that @McIlroyRory also is questing to play #cypresspoint! Somehow I think he'll get on before me

— ReGripped (@ReGripped) September 20, 2017

In an attempt to get physically closer to CPC, I have decided for my 40th birthday year (screw the day, I am celebrating all year!) I am going to go up and attend the Pebble Beach Pro-Am for the first time. I have always wanted to go and while I am up there, I am definitely doing the 17 mile drive and cruising past Cypress. Who knows, maybe I will meet a member or even meet up with Rory? Stranger things have happened.

Finally, my love for CPC knows no bounds and I have complied some great old timey photos of the course culled from various sources. It is fascinating to see MacKenzie tour the course he built photographed from interesting and not often seen angles. The composition of the photos really brings out the stark contrast between the rocky coastline and the golf course (even in black and white!). Enjoy Cypress' past while I look to the future of playing there!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these photos but offer them here for news and commentary purposes only.

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 541

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt made the highly entertaining 500 Days of Summer detailing his fictional relationship over the course of 500 days. Currently my relationship with Cypress Point has endured past that point to day 541 and is still going strong. What has been going on recently?

I have been meeting some fantastic people who are on the Top 100 circuit, people trying to play their versions of top 100 courses or otherwise involved in ranking those courses. They share the same passion I do, to play engaging, challenging and beautiful courses and definitely feed into my mania about Cypress Point as it checks all of those boxes. The hope is that our shared mania will synch up and we play Cypress Point at the same time! 

I also continue to explore the private club route and have been kicking the tires on several private clubs here in the Los Angeles area. I am not sure if joining or playing at any of these clubs will bear fruit but knock on enough doors, one will be bound to open.

For the rest of the post, I would love to discuss perhaps the best book ever written about Cypress Point.

"For years I have been contending that in our generation no other golf course could possibly compete with the strategic problems, the thrills, the excitement, variety and lasting and increasing interest of the Old Course, but the completion of Cypress Point has made me change my mind."

-Alister MacKenzie

Cypress Point is known by golfers throughout the world as one of the best courses you could play. People have seen photographs of the famous 15th and 16th over and over again. People have read about The Match or saw the course when it was part of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am rotation. However, many people don't know the in-depth history of the club nor have a familiarity with all 18 holes of the club.

Geoff Shackelford, intrepid golf blogger and course designer, wanted to remedy this by writing a book taking the reader through the founding of the club to an overview of each hole. Geoff takes us back to the founding and construction of the club in 1927 and then takes us through each hole using photos shot in the 20s and 30s to show us the infancy of the course.

Geoff's focus isn't just on the course itself but the people involved with getting the golf course up and running including the architect MacKenzie, the visionary and fundraiser Marion Hollins and MacKenzie's trusted man on the ground Robert Hunter.

Personal history aside, the book does a tremendous job of taking a golf fan through each hole, showing tee shots, approach shots and the sometimes wave-like undulations of the greens of CPC. After reading this book, you will not only have a better appreciation of what it takes to play Cypress but a deeper knowledge of the why's and the how's of each hole's construction. If you are ever fortunate enough to play CPC, this book is an indispensable guide to your round there.

I am all history-ed up! Now I just need an invite to see the modern version of the course for myself :)!

For more information on Geoff, check out his blog: http://www.geoffshackelford.com/books/

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 402

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

As you will see from the Day counter above, it has been over year since I officially announced my quest to play Cypress Point Club and more than 400 days later, the quest continues. I have learned a lot over the last year. Tips and Tricks from John Sabino's great book. Drink recipes have been tried. Of course, the big break has been through Golf Digest's coverage of my quest. 

I have spoken with 2 people that have had direct access to the course in the past and reached out directly to 1 member. Still, here it is that I sit but I am not sitting idle and here is my strategy for the next year:

1) Continue to play Top 100 Courses. 
I recently was fortunate enough to play Sand Hills and Ballyneal and while there, I ran into people from Pine Valley, The Quarry at La Quinta, people with Augusta swag on their bags and of course, Sand Hills members. If you want to play an elite golf course, you need to put yourself in elite company and I plan on playing more of these Top 100 courses in order to broaden my pool of potential members.

2) Start To Get Up Close And Personal With San Francisco.
So many books that I have read about Cypress have mentioned that members of Cypress are also members of clubs like San Francisco, Cal Club and Olympic. In addition to wanting to play these clubs just for the pure enjoyment factor of playing Top 100 courses, if I spend some time in the Bay Area, I might find myself spending some time in the Cypress Point Area.

3) Continue Positive Thoughts.
Have you ever thought of someone and then the phone rings and its that person? Have you ever thought that something negative was going to happen and then, inevitably, it does? Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, suggests focusing what your mind wants in order to help actualize it. I am a believer in putting positive energy out there and then seeing positive results. What Scott suggests and I have been doing is writing every day that I desire to play Cypress Point.

Yes, I realize that the above looks like an outtake from The Shining but I think the benefit of this is every day I take a moment to remember that I am on a quest to play this amazing course and that I should continue working toward my goal. 

Cool Cypress Point Story: 
Did you know that a ship wrecked right off the coast of Cypress Point back in 1934 and that members of the club helped rescue the sailors on board? Pierce McDonnell is writing a book about the whole affair and I can't wait to read it. Not only is the course beautiful but the members are good eggs as well! Pierce was kind enough to share a photo taken on that day:

The book has been published and I highly recommend you checking it out. Here is a link to Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Stetson-Story-Ship/dp/1537243667/

Cypress Point Review:
I love this write-up I found on the web the other day. Hopefully you get a kick out of it too! 

http://www.2playthetips.com/singlereview.php?revision_id=52009-11-19

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 262

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

No luck cracking the code to play CPC yet.

I thought I would update you on a few of my tactics. I have been trying to reach out to people who have played a lot of the Top 100 courses in the US or heck the world (there are lists upon lists out there). My interactions so far seem to mirror life pretty well in that if you know someone personally in some capacity, they are much more willing to help you than lobbing emails and random people who don't know you.

The other tactic is starting to get to know people in private clubs. Often if you below to a club like Cypress, you also belong to other private clubs. I recently played at a private club although no definitive connections have been established yet. I don't blame them, I am just some Joe off the street but just give me a chance, I can make mean pancakes for a gift!

I also received via email from Golf Odyssey this baby:

Nothing specific for Cypress Point mind you but good insight into how to play other private courses. Number 1 tip I found useful, most courses allow charity events on and you can play the track through the event. There are several other tips but to read em all it only costs like $2 so check it out.

Golf Odyssey also has interesting newsletters if you are into golf travel

The price is a bit steep so I would recommend becoming a member only if you need to dial in your travel plans that year.

For today's cool bit of Cypress Point minutiae, I give you, the original layout of CPC by Alister MacKenzie himself!

Look at that amazing thing! The course was created in 1928 and I love looking at old maps to see how much open space there was back in the day. Here the course is clearly denser in parts but like a plant leaning toward the light, the course is leaning, grasping for the ocean. Its so fun to see from humble sketch beginnings a world class course coming to be.

Random Course Review: http://www.graylynloomis.com/cypress-point/
Here is a great Golf.com podcast about playing courses like Cypress Point! http://www.golf.com/tour-and-news/podcast-how-play-augusta-national-cypress-point

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 190

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks!  

The AT&T Pro Am just concluded at Pebble Beach and while there was a lot of focus on the PB courses, the blimp cams seemed to focus an inordinate amount of time over Cypress Point. Coupled that with many of the amateurs playing last week were members of the course and all the pros were bragging about how they got to play Cypress, well it had me salivating that much more!

The television coverage and the online Twitter feeds of various golf people made you think that everyone and their mother could play Cypress when in fact it still remains one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. It is slightly frustrating that celebrities and pros can play there has they have more immediate access to the members and that it is shoved in our face by TV but that will just make it that much sweeter for an average guy like me to get to play there...eventually.

Here we are, day 190 of my quest to play CPC. So close, yet so far. That is the latest news I bring to y'all on my continuing Cypress Point quest. Through the magic of the Internet, I was connected with someone in the golf biz who then put me in contact with an ACTUAL member of Cypress. I also contacted someone else in the golf biz who knows two members at the course.

Alas neither connection ultimately panned out, yet. One connection was a matter of timing and the other was a one-way street and not a Harry Meets Sally moment but STILL, several direct avenues to one of the 250 of the luckiest people on Earth (i.e., the members of CPC).

What this proves to me is that while the Internet is something you can't touch or smell or feel, it is a real connector of people. The connections that people establish online can translate to connections IRL (in real life). While I haven't been able to IRL a member (that sounds dirty), the online connections I have made are amazing and I have run across so many good people looking to help me.

I am extremely GRATEFUL for every person who has taken the time out to try and help me. So far I have had 3 real life people offer to help my real life quest and to those people I say THANK YOU and I hope to buy you a beer of your choice if I ever get to meet you. To those reading the blog who I haven't met yet, maybe you don't know a CPC member but perhaps your buddy or co-worker does! If so, send em my way, I am easily findable ;).

Now for some random Cypress Point factoids.

First Up, The Match.

One of my television shows of all time is Twin Peaks and one of my favorite golf books of all time is The Match, both written by the same guy, Mark Frost. It details a pivotal point in golf's history when the definition of a golfer could mean a professional or an amateur and this Match at Cypress signaled the death knell of the "gentlemen amateur golfer". Aside from the fascinating history, the book is an ode to Cypress Point, lovingly detailing every hole so the reader/listener is there on the course with Hogan and Venturi as they make their way around. I highly recommend this book for any golf or Cypress Point fan! http://www.amazon.com/The-Match-Game-Changed-Forever/dp/1401309615

Random Internet Review: http://www.top100golfcourses.co.uk/htmlsite/productdetails.asp?id=404

Golf Digest Writes Me Up!

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

Well my week ended pretty great last week. Why? It just so happens that Golf Digest wrote about my quest to play Cypress Point!!!

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/one-mans-unique-quest-to-get-invited-to-play-the-ultra-exclusive-cypress-point-club

I think its a true testament to how interconnected we all are when the author found my posts about playing Cypress on Twitter and reached out to me about my quest. So far the article has been a great help to me, I have had 3 people reach out to say they will help.

One offer even got TANTALIZING close to getting me on THIS WEEK. Unreal! I am so thankful for the outpouring of people wanting to help and please keep it up! :)

Even if nothing comes from these new connections, the article gives me a larger platform to reach out and hopefully find someone who knows someone.

Stay tuned!

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 46

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

As an update, so far the direct letter writing approach has failed. I will have to say that the staff at Cypress Point are EXTREMELY nice, much nicer than most public courses and I will leave it at that.

One of the tips I have been utilizing is social networking. Yes everyone is on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook and while those services can be great (and annoying), everyone really IS on them and I have been using these to try and connect with people who can try and get me on. While personal is always the best, impersonal but personal can also work. I will let you know how it goes!

Of course, regular networking works as well. I was recently taking a flight and noticed a guy wearing a "Cypress Point" vest and so I talked to him for a bit about the course. He is not a member but has played there 6+ times in the last year. Incredible! He seemed a bit guarded and I regret not saying "if you ever need a fourth". Next time, I will definitely say that.

In honor of Cypress Point, I decided to create its "signature drink" (at least according to Golf Digest), the Sam's Special.

The Sam's Special:
1) Dark and Light Rum (2 oz of Myer's run, 1oz of Rhum Barbancout)
2) Sweet and Sour Mix (4oz)
3) Powdered Sugar (1/2 TSP)
4) Ice!

So how did it go?

Well the drink turned out pretty sweet. Mixing the two rums together was interesting and I think if I dial it back a bit on the sweet and sour mix we could have a fine cocktail on our hands.

I shared it with my golfing buddies who all liked it, I just have to get the proportions right for the next one!

Here is another great review of Cypress: http://top100golf.blogspot.com/2006/01/cypress-point.html

ReGripped's Quest To Play Cypress Point Day 1

This is one of several posts about my attempts to play the ultimate course, the Cypress Point Club. If you have any tips for me or want to invite me to play (!!!) please email me at peterflanigan@hotmail.com I promise total discretion for anyone who helps. Thanks! 

I have been posting a lot recently about lifelong bucket lists. Coore Crenshaw courses I want to play and a top 10, drop everything and play it list. The number one course on that list is Cypress Point Club and its number one by a mile.

Why do I want to play this course over any other course in the entire world?

1) 18 world class holes.
2) 4 holes along the water in THE best stretch of golf on the planet.
3) The club has approximately 250 members and is ultra private which means if you play it, you have won the lifetime golf lottery.
4) The best par 3 on the planet.

Suffice to say, I am in love with this course. This year I have wanted to up my game and play great courses and have resolved in my mind that not only do I want to play great courses but I want to play the BEST.

So, CPC is the BEST but it is ultra private, what am I to do? Well...blog about trying to play it of course! There are lots of blogs that tell you about playing but I will try and take you through my journey of TRYING to playing the course (certainly no revealing names, etc. just the process I use).

My first inclination is to plead my case directly to the pros at Cypress Point. I am going to write them personal letters and ask them periodically if I can play.

Secondly I have joined Golf Odyssey, a subscription travel golf newsletter that also promises to send you tips on playing private courses. I will be trying their tips as soon as I receive them and will let you know the results and also review the site.

As we go along, I will also be writing about all things CPC, about books (for example, Geoff's Shackelford's quintessential book) and other minutiae about Cypress Point and why its so special. Day 1, it begins! Stay tuned!

Random Cypress Review Link: http://www.golftripper.com/cypress-point-club/