Countdown To Sand Valley Post 3

Here it is, under 2 weeks to go until I find myself at the newest golf destination in the US, Sand Valley. I am getting very pumped about my visit there and here are a few last things I am checking out in preparation of my trip.

Porch Me

When I was lucky enough to play Sand Hills in Nebraska, one of my favorite things bar none was hanging out on Ben's Porch. The porch was a small house near the 18th hole where you could just relax, check out the golfers struggling around the course and have some awesome burgers.

It looks like Sand Valley has their own porch (Craig's Porch above) and I can't wait to chill out there soon!

Getting There

One of the things I have I learned on my Coore/Crenshaw quest is that a lot of their courses aren't close to anything and Sand Valley is no exception. 2.5 hours from Milwaukee, 4 hours from Chicago, Sand Valley is somewhat tough to get to but I can't wait to see the sign above in the middle of nowhere pointing the way to good golf!

Staying There

I am not quite sure where I am staying at Sand Valley but whoo doggie do all the places look great. Rustic yet refined and somehow each residence looks like it is sand dunes despite being located in Wisconsin. SV currently has three lodging options all of which are very similar in style. I have never stayed at a true golf resort and I will be interested in exploring every inch of the property while I am there.

For more info on Sand Valley, check out this link: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

All photographs are owned by Sand Valley/Kemper Sports and are used herein for news and commentary purposes only.

Two Guys With Balls

Let's face it, golf balls are the ink toner cartridges of the golf world.  You spend a lot of time thinking about that $500 driver but you use up more than $500 worth of golf balls every year because of your terrible play. Plus golf balls are freaking expensive. $40-50 for 12 of em???

No wonder then that the used market for golf balls is so huge. Golfers want quality but considering how much we go through golf balls, don't want to pay an arm and a leg for it. Look at the mania that happened when Costco came out with their Kirkland golf ball. Quality golf balls for a reasonable price? People went mad for them!

There are many used golf ball places out there on the Interwebs and I have tried them all. Something drew me to the bespoke used golf ball site of Two Guys With Balls and I am glad it did.

Two Guys carefully go through golf balls, wash em up and have an easy to follow grading system (rather than the AAA, AAAAA, etc. out there). Eagle is basically brand new. Birdie is good but a little scuffy. Par is playable but definitely dinged up.

So how do the balls actually do "in the field"? Fantastic! Performed just like new balls, I am fan.

If you buy through them, you are also supporting a great cause as they donate part of their profits to Arnie's Army.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience with Two Guys and have the page bookmarked for further reloads of my golf balls needs. That reminds me, I need to buy some more ink fo rthe printer.

For more information on Two Guys, be sure to check out the link:  https://TwoGuysWithBalls.com

Oak Valley Review

Oak Valley sits in a no-mans golf land of Southern California. Not quite Los Angeles, not Palm Springs, the town of Beaumont is often a weigh station between the two cities but golfer's should take note of the course seen just off the 10 as they go by.

The first hole that you see off the 10 is this beautiful downhill par 3 that while it plays short, is much more difficult because of the swirling winds. The course was in fantastic shape and while they keep the greens long this time of year, the fairways and tee boxes were all top notch.

The routing of the course offers up many beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and while there are houses that line the course (mostly on the back 9) they don't hem you in like many Palm Springs courses.

My favorite holes, which are also emblematic of the course as a hole are above. The green in the foreground is a long par 3 and in the background is the 17th green which is a longish par 4. These are great strategic holes that can be navigated by most golfers.

However, if you notice the railroad ties, the molding, the penal nature of the course, you would be forgiven in thinking that Pete Dye designed this course. Oak Valley was designed by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley and they both clearly study at the Dye school as the course felt like a slightly less penal Dye course.

The bulldozered bumps were there. The long fairway bunkers flanking the fairways were there. The water cutting a bit too close to greens with railroad ties were there. I am not a huge fan of Dye's style and I think there are better architects to ape so the course went down a few notches in my estimation. That being said, this was the most fun Dye-like course I have ever played and that alone bumps up the course several notches. If they designed this course and took out some of the tricked up elements, it would be really special.

All the tee shots on the course really have great framing and if you can make the fairway, it is a scoreable course.

Overall, I like Oak Valley. It is a fun course that marries great elements from Palm Springs and Los Angeles golf. I think the course would be absolutely fantastic to play in the Fall/Winter time and am eagerly awaiting my next round there.

For more information on Oak Valley check out the link! http://www.oakvalleygolf.com/

Vancouver Island Golf

Canada often gets overlooked as a golfing destination but if you do, you do so at your own peril. There are tremendous Top 100 courses in Canada but beyond the rankings there are numerous golf courses that seem to offer fun challenges to golfers in fantastic natural settings. Plus Canada has my three favorite things moose, maple syrup and hockey so really it is the complete package.

Over the last few years I have become enamored with one area of Canada in particular, Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria. Vancouver Island is surprisingly temperate weather-wise, meaning when the mainland is getting socked in by months of snow, you can still golf there and the golf courses look fantastic. Also, Alaska Airlines flies 4 flights a day into Victoria so it is easy to get to whether you are on the West Coast or the East Coast.

The Island has also put together a Golf Trail and multiple golf packages which takes you up and down the coast or situates you in one area but no matter where you are, you have tremendous golf offerings to choose from. One day I hope to get up there and see it all for myself and then I can tell you all about my Canadian adventures! For the time being, here are a few courses I have been doing deep dives on:

Bear Mountain (Mountain): Jack Nicklaus is a prolific course designer but I dare say he hasn't crafted too many courses prettier than Bear Mountain. Somehow Jack and crew managed to wedge this course on the side of a mountain providing amazing views of the surrounding island. The PGA Champions Tour knows a good thing when it sees it and has an annual tour stop here. The resort associated with the golf course is top notch and the Golf Trail offers stay and play packages so you can live the good life with a good course.
https://bearmountain.ca/recreation/golf/mountain-course/

Highland Pacific Golf Course: Victoria is a beautiful looking town and is probably where I will be spending most of my time when not golfing on the island. Just outside of town is HPGC which was a course that was a real family affair. Herb Plasterer wanted to build a public golf course and started down the path but died. His wife Rose and his family carried on and the course came into being and looks absolutely stunning. I love courses molded by iconoclastic designers like Pine Valley and Pebble Beach and this course is much cheaper and much more accessible than those ones and I can't wait to see what Herb and Rose got up to.
http://www.highlandpacificgolf.com/golf-course-information/

Arbutus Ridge: Golf courses live in their environment, that is just part of the deal. Arbutus is a beautiful looking golf course that is surrounded by 9 wineries and not only that, it has a certificate in environmental planning. This land is gorgeous and the golf course only enhances the beauty of the terrain. WestJet! Magazine named this course one of the best values in Canada and I look forward to seeing why.
http://www.golfbc.com/courses/arbutus_ridge

Victoria Golf Club: A private course on VI, and not on the official golf trail, VGC warrants special mention because of my obsession about it. The course was founded in 1893 (second oldest in North America!) is often ranked in the uppermost reaches of Canada courses and if I could be a member of any course in Canada, this would be the one. Numerous holes by the ocean and also fantastic parkland holes, this course seems to have it all. The clubhouse is a historic landmark but from what I understand about it, the club has a great, laid-back vibe. It would be a honour (Queen's spelling) just to play there and definitely on my top 10 "must play" list.
https://www.victoriagolf.com/

So there you go, a deep dive into one of the unheralded golfing regions in the world, Vancouver Island. Have you played any of the courses there and/or have done the golf trail? Let me know in the comments and if there are any I need to play tell me!

For more information on golf on Vancouver Island, be sure to check out the following link: http://golfvancouverisland.ca/

Images are from Golf Vancouver Island and are used for news and commentary purposes only. 

Countdown To Sand Valley Post 2

Here I am, only about a month out for my trip to Sand Valley and I am getting more and more excited! All the flights are booked, the hotels are reserved and the itinerary is in full shape. I am headed to, in order, Lawsonia, Sand Valley, Black Sheep, Warren Golf Club and Colorado Golf Club. This is a huge Coore/Crenshaw trip and I am super excited for Sand Valley to be the kick off!

Mammoth Becomes Bigger:
Just before my visit to SV, it looks like preview play for David McLay Kidd's Mammoth Dunes will be extended to 9 holes. From the preview pics I have seen thus far, Mammoth looks outrageous and even if I can't play 18, I will at least get 9 in and perhaps even get to walk the rest.

Kemper Goodness:
I have always been a fan of Kemper Sports, the management company founded by Mike Keiser. They just so happen to manage the top golf resorts in the US, Bandon Dunes, Streamsong and now Sand Valley. I have never stayed at a true golf resort it has only been at hotels near courses or places with one golf course. It will be interesting to see what the vibe is whenever everyone there are golf nuts, can't wait!

Food Update:
So I have now learned about Kringles. Kringles are rolled dough that come out like a flattened cinnamon bun and can take upwards of 3 days to make because they let the dough rest between folding. It sounds ridiculously complicated but also delicious! This is one I might try: http://larsenskringle.com/kringle.html 

Also I am planning to visit the Cheese Castle! This place looks glorious and also very Wisconsin!

For more information about Sand Valley, check out the link: http://www.sandvalleygolfresort.com/

En-Joie Golf Review

The Southern Tier of New York is a beautiful area of the country. Rolling hills, friendly people and the home to wondrous little sandwiches called Spiedies. A golfer may think there is nothing but hills and chicken sandwiches in this part of the state and would speed on by but in Endicott, New York there lurks one heck of a golf course, the En-Joie Golf Club.

Home for years to the PGA Tour's BC Open (and now the Champions Tour Dick's Sporting Goods Open), the golf course is a true championship course that is also fun, a rare combination! Above is a picture of the first hole which features a blind tee shot, difficult section shot but all imminently gettable to the average hack.

I don't like parkland courses typically because I don't like holes that are laid out like layers of a Dagwood sandwich but En-Joie is the one course that I love because the holes offer such variety and the course has been routed in a clever way to limit the stacking as much as possible.

Adding to my enjoyment of En-Joie (get it, get it?) was the fact that the conditions were some of the best that I have played in many a year, whether in the Southern Tier or around the country. The grounds crew deserves all the credit in the world for having the fairways lush, the greens rolling firm and true and the rough in playable/hackable shape. This is no small feat as the course has a history of flooding from nearby rivers and was even underwater earlier this year.

The course offers a beguiling mix of holes from very short par 5s to long par 3s to picturesque par 4s. Some championship courses are long and hard. Some are short and narrow. En-Joie is the perfect mix of all of those concepts but most importantly it is fun.

The best hole on the course is the 16th which is a long par 4 that has trouble (to say the least) down the left leading to an elevated green and one heck of a closing hole.

The second best holes are the two closing holes, 9 and 18. Too often golf courses don't end on a high note but rather a tough note. Each of the closing holes at En-Joie parallel each other but offer differing tests all leading up to the huge tournament clubhouse.

The residents of Broome County are luck to have such a course there, especially with an unbelievable membership package available (I would be one in a second if only for the fact I live in California). If you are in New York this Summer, this is the course to play.

For more information on En-Joie check it out here: http://enjoiegolf.com/

Old York Country Club Review

New Jersey never gets the love that other states do for their golf courses. Everyone is quick to compile top 10 lists for courses in California, New York, Florida, etc. but Jersey often gets overlooked. It shouldn't.

New Jersey after all is home to arguably the number one course in the world Pine Valley, up the road is the famous Baltusrol and soon will be hosting the President's Cup at Liberty National.

Old York Country Club is Jersey name few have probably heard of but it is a fantastic private course nestled in central Jersey that features a highly entertaining Gary Player design.

The course has a tremendous amount of strategy off the tee. For example, above is your tee shot on a short par 4. The inclination is to hit driver but because of the framing of the hole on the tee box, it is better to lay up with an iron or fairway wood and then have an easier shot onto the green.

Old York will definitely make you think about your second shot constantly. Do I lay up here, go for the gusto and then what I am left with into the green?

The other way the course can take driver out of your hand is the rough. Jersey like the rest of the Northeast in 2017 has been the recipient of a lot of rain so the rough has grown up a bit and if you get in there, you need to make sure you aren't wedded to par and will instead swipe right on bogey or worse.
The greens themselves are also things of beauty.

They roll true, have great undulations but aren't completely unfair to the average hack. The groundskeeper keeps OYCC in great shape, especially the greens. Now in fairness, the day I played all the hole placements were in championship form being cut on the edges of undulations like the green above but it just added to the challenge of the course. 

The thing I liked best about OYCC was the routing. The course was laid out on a former horse farm and while Player definitely sculpted the land via bulldozer (some of the sculpting was very reminiscent of the work done by Arthur Hills at Forest Akers), the routing is superb as it takes you to various topographies with never the same set up twice and the holes feel like separate islands rather than a traditional parkland course.

The bunkering was top notch and it was also great to see some turf reduction in effect with more sandy waste areas than expected for a private Northeastern course. 

My favorite hole on the course has to be the 9th, which is emblematic of every question Old York asks a golfer that plays there. A short par 4, do you lay up to the base of the hill and then have a blind shot into an uphill green or do you try and bomb it to the top of the hill? If you bomb it and miss you have bunkers, trees and that long rough waiting for you. Also, be sure not to skull it into the pond.

It is a fantastic hole and I chose the wrong strategy throughout in playing it but it is a testament to the course that after I finished 18 I wanted to get right back out there and apply what I learned in playing the course again. That a course makes you want to play it over and over again is the sign of a fun and challenging course and I can't wait for my next round here! 

For more info on Old York, check out the link! http://www.oldyorkcc.com/