Round #22: Kentucky - Big Spring Country Club

The #1 ranked golf course in Kentucky is the Valhalla Golf CLub in Louisville. Designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and opened for play in 1986, Valhalla is one of only four sites in the nation to host a Senior PGA Championship, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. It has also been named the host site of the 96th PGA Championship in August 2014. I called the club to see if I could play and was surprised to learn they were closed for the season. The course is undergoing renovation.

The #2 course in Kentucky is also in Louisville: the Big Spring Country Club. A few last minute contacts were able to get me into the club with a 11:50 AM tee time. After driving out of West Virginia, Julie & I had planned to get a hotel room at the last minute in Lexington. A country music concert and a horse show changed our plans after we failed to find any available rooms. We stayed in Mount Sterling with a 110-mile journey to Louisville on Saturday morning. Naturally, the weather forecast was calling for afternoon thunderstorms with the possibility of severe weather.

Round: #22

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Golf Digest Best-In-State Rank: #2

Date: 28 Apr, tee off at 11:30 AM

Conditions: partly sunny, 6 MPH wind, 60 degrees

Yardage: 6,579
Lost balls: 0

Score: 76 on a par 72

Upon arriving at the pro shop, I was given the option to tee off by myself at 11:50 as scheduled or hurry off to the practice range and pair up with a club member for an 11:30 tee time. I chose the later option and met Dr. Norris Jennings. It was a good choice.

Doc was a 68-year old family physician who had cut back his office hours to 13-days/month after 41-years in the business. A native of western Kentucky who grew up in Paducah, he attended the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in Lexington before settling into Louisville. When he learned that I had just traveled through eastern Kentucky, he shared his opinion of that section of the state: “they don’t make enough whisky to live in eastern Kentucky”. He is married with two bachelor sons, aged 37 and 41. He tells his wife to spend their money on herself as it does not look like she will ever see the day when she is shopping for grandchildren.

Dr. Norris Jennings

We caught up to a foursome on golf carts playing ahead of us by the 9th hole. Doc knew all of the members in the group; he referred to one man as a “buffet veteran” and described him as a man who is as broad as he is tall. Doc enjoyed walking the golf course; over the years he has witnessed first-hand the impact lack of exercise has had on his patients.

Doc sits on the board of directors for Community Health Systems, a Tennessee-based firm that owns & operates 130 hospitals across the USA. One of his responsibilities is to  attend 3-days of the Kentucky Derby where he represents the company to suppliers and physicians. He also attended one day of the Masters tournament this year at Augusta National. He believed all of the corporate jets in America were parked in Augusta that week as he estimated 500 jets were sitting on the tarmac parked within inches of each other. He was surprised by the impeccable cleanliness throughout the Augusta National golf course; I was surprised by the rules involving lawn chairs that he shared with me. Every person who attends the tournament is issued rules of conduct prior to their arrival. No brightly colored lawn chairs are allowed; no lawn chairs with arms are allowed . Interesting! 

I did play golf in addition to listening to the conversation with Doc. I bogeyed five of the first six holes. The only par occurred on the 2nd hole after a chip shot from the green side bunker stopped 6” from the hole. Lady Luck showed up on the 7th hole; I wrapped up the front nine with par-birdie-par. She stayed with me through the back nine where I finished at even par after my approach shot on hole #12 landed 1’ from the hole for a tap-in birdie; on hole #16 a 40’ putt dropped in on for my third birdie of the day. I told Doc we would have to play together more often.

 163-yard par 4 hole #2

399-yard par 4 hole #5 (view of approach shot to the green from the fairway) 

 161-yard par 3 hole #6

 405-yard par 4 hole #18

View of approach shot to the green from the hole #18 fairway

I referred to hole #12 as the Young Guns hole. At 307-yards it is a reachable green for younger players and their long tee shots. It is a risk & reward proposition: landing on the green could result in a make-able eagle putt (2-under par). With a creek that wraps itself around the green, a miss could result in a loss ball and the associated penalty stroke. I played it safe with a tee shot into the fairway and was rewarded after my approach shot stopped near the hole.

 307-yard par 4 hole #12

 View from the cart path of hole #12 green

View of hole #12 green looking back up the fairway

After playing golf, we headed down to Churchill Downs to shop in the gift shop. I used to think that the Kentucky Derby was a 1-day horse racing event; it is a 3-week festival leading up to the climatic derby race. As we arrived at the Downs, crews were tearing down equipment in the main parking lot from a previous event. Cars were streaming into secondary parking lots. The posted fee for parking was $40, a little more than we wanted to pay for a short visit to the gift store. We lowered our window and asked advice from a security guard; she pointed us to a free parking lot - - - within 100-yards of the $40 lot. I liked that much better. 

Free parking just ahead!!!

It was Saturday night, one-week before the running of the Kentucky Derby. The crowd was streaming in to attend the opening race of the season. They came dressed for the occasion, and were more than happy to pose for pictures asked. 

Last minute shoppers can pick out their hat in the gift store.

I walked back to get the car while Julie finished shopping. After asking one more group to pose for a picture, they turned the tables by asking me to be in the picture. How could I refuse?

It was time to eat dinner after our visit to Churchill Downs. Another Yelp review led us to the nearby Hammerheads restaurant. The drive took us through a run-down section of Louisville where I would be nervous leaving my car parked on the street - - - but we continued to drive on to our destination. It was easy to spot the restaurant with a hammerhead shark hanging above the entrance door. We fell into line to await the restaurant opening, which immediately filled all available seats in the basement of a house once the doors flew open. The food was prepared by a group of young men who resembled hippies from the 1970‘s. The service was fast and the food was to-die-for good. Those boys either really know how to cook or they use a special hemp seasoning.

 Hammerheads

 Pork tacos & grippo fries

 Beef brisket on a pretzel roll with french fries cooked in duck fat

Chocolate brownie with bacon topping drizzled with chocolate & caramel syrup

    

The storms finally did arrive later that night, carrying with them golf-ball sized hail. By a stroke of luck, we happened to be shopping with our car safely parked in a covered ramp. We drove out of town that evening on a road covered with 3-4” of shredded leaves from the hail storm that had passed though the area. Lady Luck was still with me! I was hoping the owner of this unique car also saw the storm coming in enough time to move it to safety. 

You would expect to see a bubble machine mounted in the trunk!

We drove home Sunday in the rain. We traveled 4,500 miles in 17-days to play golf in 11 more states, during which hardly a day passed when our car’s windshield wipers were not in use. The rain has continued all week since we have been home. I am hoping it starts to dry out soon - - - there are 28 more states ahead yet to play!

Round #21: West Virginia - Greenbrier: Old White TPC Course

The drive back to Iowa took us through West Virginia where a stop at White Sulphur Springs brought us to the Greenbrier Resort. The resort hosts a wide array of activities including horseback riding, hunting, fishing, hiking, kayaking, biking, ice skating, mountain biking, falconry, tennis, swimming, and a casino. 

With 721 rooms, suites & houses the Greenbrier could double the number of citizens in White Sulphur Springs

Tennis courts 

 Swimming pool

Croquet

Horseback riding

Most importantly, they also have four golf courses on site. The Snead course is the #2 rated course in West Virginia, but it’s exclusivity makes it virtually impossible to play, especially on short notice. The PGA holds the Greenbrier Classic tournament on the Old White TPC course. The Old White was the first course established at the Greenbrier in 1913. After many years of alterations, a 4-year project was undertaken to restore the course to it’s original design. One phone call to the pro shop secured my tee time on the Old White.

Round: #21

Location: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

Golf Digest Best-In-State Rank: #5

Date: 27 Apr, tee off at 1:10 PM

Conditions: sunny, 8 MPH wind, 56 degrees

Yardage: 6,443
Lost balls: 0

Score: 78 on a par 70

I showed up 10-minutes early at the starter’s station. A threesome was scheduled to tee off at 1:00 but they were not within sight. Eventually one young member of the group did arrive late with his parents in-tow. When the other two members scheduled for the 1:10 tee time did not show up, the starter sent the two of us out together. We were joined by a mandatory fore caddy. This was the first time I have encountered the use of fore caddies. They perform the same services as a caddy with one exception - he does not carry the clubs. We were riding golf carts with our clubs on the back; our fore caddy walked ahead to spot where the tee shots landed and read yardages to the pin. 

 437-yard par 4 hole #1

 320-yard par 4 hole #5 (view from the green back up the fairway)

 180-yard par 3 hole #8

382-yard par 4 hole #9 (view of approach shot to the green from the fairway)

After a par on the first hole, I bogeyed the next two holes and double bogeyed the fourth hole. The weather was the only thing that looked good at that point in the round, but it turned quickly when I shot par on the next six holes in a row. I split the last eight holes with four bogeys and four pars to finish with one of my lowest scores to date.

549-yard par 5 hole #12 (view of approach shot to the green from the fairway) 

 376-yard par 4 hole #14 (view of approach shot to the green from the fairway)

 168-yard par 3 hole #15

 377-yard par 4 hole #16

140-yard par 3 hole #18

My playing partner during the round was Justin Rogers, a freshman at West Virginia State University. His parents, Roy & Cathy Rogers (yes, I met Roy Rogers!), were following him around the course taking pictures as he played. Their family was from Saint Albans (nearby Charleston, WV). Roy worked for a company that produces hand sanitizers; Cathy worked in the billing department for a homemaker services organization. 

Cathy, Justin, Roy & Caddy Rob

Roy & Cathy were more impressed with their son’s golf talents than was our fore caddy, Rob. Early in the round Justin had informed us that he is a 2-handicap player. By hole #5 Rob began to share his doubts with me as we both were wondering Justin could be carrying a 2 handicap. I have played with some low handicap players; there was very little evidence in Justin’s game to suggest he was in the same league

Rob worked as a part-time meat cutter in addition to his job as a fore caddy.. He had a very easy going personality. He gave up golf 18-years ago after becoming increasingly frustrated with his inability to putt. He was a 5-handicap player at the time. He still loves the game, but carries a desire to caddy - - - not to play. He became a single father to one son after his wife ran off with another man and cut ties with both of them. He shotgun hunts turkey and bow hunts deer in the nearby George Washington & Jefferson National Forest. I do think he was conflicted during our round as the warm weather created ideal conditions for turkey hunting. 

Rob would jump on the golf cart with me whenever the opportunity presented itself. He was trying to conserve his energy since he had caddied for another group earlier in the  day. The prior group included Bill DeWitt, owner of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and Robert Castellini, CEO and partial owner of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. In a move that does not generate large tips, Rob was very forthright in telling them that he was a diehard Red Sox fan! He did pass along that Robert spent up to 10-minutes looking for a lost ball - - - on more than one occasion during the round. It is good to know that in spite of his large bank account, a $3 golf ball is still worth looking for!   

Another horse picture: riding past golfers on the #15 tee box

Round #20: Delaware - Bayside Resort Golf Club

There was no planned itinerary for our trip beyond Maryland. With the uncertainty weather brings into the planning process, I was not sure if we would turn back to Iowa or continue on. I did know that the Bayside Resort Golf Club in Delaware was a public course where a last-minute reservation would be possible. We called the golf course and reserved a 1:30 PM tee time for the following afternoon as we were driving out of Washington. A hotel room for the night was easy to find in nearby Ocean City, Maryland. As the name implies, Ocean City is on the Atlantic shoreline with lots of empty seaside hotels during the off-season. Our plans were set to pick up another state.

The sunny skies we enjoyed at the Congressional disappeared overnight, followed by a  morning weather forecast with a 70% chance for rain. After looking at the radar maps, I called the course to see if I could get an earlier tee time. Overcast skies and threatening rain would normally cause a few cancellations and open up the course for play. That did not happen at Bayside as it continued to be booked solid. They agreed to get me on the course early. I paid the greens fee and committed myself to play - come rain or sunshine. 

The starter must have taken pity on me playing as a single player sandwiched between foursomes. The Jack Nicholas designed course had golf carts equipped with GPS equipment. This not only provided the player with a picture and playing distances on each hole, it also allowed the staff to identify the position of the carts on the course at any given moment. After a quick check on the GPS, the starter jumped onto his golf cart and told me to follow him. We drove down the cart path, through the maintenance garage, past a neighborhood and onto a public street before arriving at the 7th tee box. He succeeded in putting me ahead of the other players where I would be able to start playing at my own pace.

Note: picture taken the prior afternoon when there was some sunshine

Round: #20

Location: Selbyville, Deleware

Golf Digest Best-In-State Rank: #3

Date: 26 Apr, tee off at 9:20 AM

Conditions: overcast skies, 8 MPH wind, 52 degrees

Yardage: 6,418
Lost balls: 0

Score: 80 on a par 72

With only enough time to practice my putting, I arrived on the 7th tee box with no warm-up. My first shot landed on the side of the green; a 2-putt gave me the first par of the day. I was off to a good start. The weather held off for two holes of play before a light rain began to fall. Perhaps I should have done a rain dance on the 7th tee box as I birdied hole #9 after the rain started falling. The rear of the golf cart was equipped with a vinyl shield that kept my clubs dry; I donned rain gear and continued to play. In the absence of any lightening, the light rain posed more of a nuisance than an obstacle. I was scoring well in spite of the many water hazards Nicholas had designed into the course.

341-yard par 4 hole #9 

361-yard par 4 hole #10 (view from the green back up the fairway) 

142-yard par 3 hole #13 

181-yard par 3 hole #15 

389-yard par 4 hole #16 

 View of approach shot to the green on hole #16

418-yard par 4 hole #18

Playing the back nine was uneventful. I shot two bogeys and one double bogey before five pars in a row. I drove from the 18th green back to the 1st tee box. The starter had specifically asked me to check-in with him again before teeing off of hole #1. He approached a threesome was on the tee box and asked if I could join them. Surprisingly, they indicated their preference to just play as a threesome. There may have been a reason behind it, but it was very unusual to not form a foursome. After they finished teeing off, they did offer to let me play ahead of them. I quickly teed off over a small pond into the fairway, my approach shot landed on the green where I two-putted for a par. I caught the next foursome on the 3rd tee box. They also volunteered to let me play through on the short par 3. My tee shot landed on the edge of the green where I again two-putted for a par. I was on a roll. I caught up to the next group on the 6th tee box where two boys from Philly were waiting for the group ahead to clear the fairway. The Philly boys offered for me to join them - which gave me some companionship on the last hole of my round. 

369-yard par 4 hole #1 

517-yard par 5 hole #2 

361-yard par 4 hole #4

I have previously played on golf courses that had posted habitat areas. This was the first time I had seen pictures of snakes on such a sign. It was also a first to see a decoy placed to keep water fowl off of the greens.

Julie picked me up at the golf course and we drove off to find some lunch. She was looking at Yelp reviews as we drove into Bethany Beach. She wanted to try a restaurant named the Blue Crab. With the exception of Alaskan king crab legs, I have never liked anything made from crabs. I insisted we check the menus before sitting down; we took a booth where our presence doubled the number of customers in the establishment. I ordered a shrimp po-boy sandwich with chips that was an excellent choice. Julie asked me to taste her sautéed crab meat, even though she knows quite well my dislike for crabs. I was shocked by what I tasted. Her meal was a better choice than my po-boy sandwich. When writing a restaurant review for Yelp, 5-star is the highest rating you can give. It was an easy choice for me to award 5-stars to any chef who can turn a crab hater into a crab lover with one meal.

Round #19: Maryland - Congressional Country Club: Blue Course

When I first contacted the Congressional Country Club to inquire about being allowed to play as a guest, I learned that the head PGA pro from my home club would need to request & fill out an application form. That was the first time I had encountered such a request. I was quite happy when I heard back that I would be allowed to play. Upon my arrival, I was granted a temporary membership number. I was in good company, if only for a day. 

The Congressional Country Club opened in 1924. As you might expect from a country club located within the nation’s capital, past members of the club have included seven former Presidents: Taft, Wilson, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Eisenhower, and Ford. Although Clinton’s name was not on the list, pictures of him playing at Congressional were prominently displayed inside the clubhouse. The current initiation fee to join the club is $120,000. In spite of the hefty entrance fee, they have a 10-year wait list for new members to be admitted.

There was a stark contrast in clubs, arriving at the Congressional after having just played the Kinloch Golf Club in Virginia. Kinloch had a single focus on golf. They built an excellent golf course and the club house - - - no pool or tennis courts. The Congressional Country Club represented the other extreme. In addition to the two golf courses, their list of amenities includes an indoor bowling alley, tennis club, one indoor and two outdoor pools, fitness center, paddle tennis, spa, massage services, indoor jacuzzi, grand foyer, grand ballroom, fine dining and overnight guest accommodations.

Front entrance

View of the clubhouse from the hole #18 fairway

The Congressional opened in 1924 and has hosted three U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship tournament. It is an annual stop on the PGA tour with the AT&T National tournament held in early July. Congressional has two 18-hole golf courses: the flagship Blue Course and the Gold Course. The Blue Course has hosted all of the significant golf tournaments at Congressional. The course is often considered among the best 100 courses in the United States; it ranked at 86th on Golf Digest’s 2007 list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses. Naturally, I targeted the Blue Course to play. 

Round: #19

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Golf Digest Best-In-State Rank: #1

Date: 25 Apr, tee off at 9:48 AM

Conditions: sunny skies, 7 MPH wind, 64 degrees

Yardage: 6,727
Lost balls: 1

Score: 89 on a par 72

My current handicap stands at 11, which means that I am just an OK amateur golfer. I have been scoring lower than almost all of the players I have been paired with. The exceptions to this rule occurred at the Kinloch Golf Club, Colonial Country Club, and Troon North Golf Club. As I approached the 1st tee box, the other two members of my group were already teeing off - - - from the blue tee box. Playing 7,278 yards from the blue tees was more than I was willing to tackle. I immediately knew I would be playing with a couple of good players, I was just hoping to not embarrass myself with a poor score. I did not need to worry long; I chipped in for a par from the green side sand trap on the first hole. If I can’t be good, at least I can be lucky! My luck did not hold out with only two more pars on the front nine for a score of 43.

 418-yard par 4 hole #3

 View from hole #3 green looking back up the fairway

383-yard par 4 hole #5 

488-yard par 4 hole #6 (view of approach shot from the fairway) 

544-yard par 5 hole #9 

View of hole #9 green from the end of the fairway

There was one interesting home situated along the hole 7 fairway. It was a newer home and quite large. You might expect it to belong to a politician or business man, but you would have drawn the wrong conclusion. The home was built by former heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson. Mike no longer lives in the home; judging from what I have seen him report on TV, his declining net worth likely caused him to sell it.

Mike Tyson's former home

The two men were from Little Rock, Arkansas. They were partners in a business venture selling a new type of construction tape that would enable the reuse of sheet rock and wall studs whenever a building was subsequently renovated. Doug Maelstrom was a lighting contractor in addition to his partnership in the venture. The father of 2-boys and 1-girl, Doug was also a member of the Chenal Country Club in Little Rock where I played on the first day of this April journey. After he asked the name of the member with whom I had played at Chenal, I shocked myself by pulling it up from my memory bank. I guess meeting up with a descendant from the Robert E. Lee family sticks with me a bit longer than average.

The 2nd gentleman from Little Rock was Dave White, who had previously worked in the securities business. When I mentioned the story I had heard from William Roberts Lee (my playing partner in Little Rock), Dave said he had worked with Jack Stevens in the securities business. As you may recall, the story involved Jack asking a new member at Augusta National to wager $50M with one cut of the card deck. Mike agreed with the story as I had heard it with only two minor variations: the friendly card game in the Crow’s Nest involved a wager of $0.50/point (not $1/game) and the $50M wager involved a coin flip (not cutting the deck). Aside from that, the story was the same.

Dave, Caddy Heather, Doug, Caddy Tom standing on hole #11 green

All three of us were joined on the course by two caddies. We did not luck out with the assigned caddies. Tom was originally from Kentucky and had 1-month of experience caddying at the Congressional. Heather was originally from Wisconsin. After attending the University of Iowa for 1-year, she transferred to Purdue. Her tenure at Congressional was only 3-weeks. Their lack of experience was very evident in comparison to the two Caddy Joe’s assigned to me at Kiawah and Pinehurst. Heather provided advice on distance to the pin and obstacles on the course. I stopped asking for her advice on putts after she gave me a line that missed the hole by 3-feet. By contrast, each Caddy Joe would tell me what club to hit after taking into account distance, wind and their observations of my prior club selections. Their advice on putting the greens was dead accurate - they really knew their home courses well. It makes me think I need to find more Caddy Joe’s!

170-yard par 3 hole #10 

 489-yard par 5 hole #11 (view from the green back up the fairway)

163-yard par 3 hole #13 

419-yards par 4 hole #15 

420-yards par 4 hole #17 (view of approach shot from the fairway)

We were enjoying our round of golf at Congressional under ideal playing conditions. Doug moved up and started playing from the gold tee boxes with me. I watched in amazement as Dave not only continued to play from the blue tee boxes, but would often walk past the tee markers to the farthest point on the box to hit his tee shot. His desire to challenge himself in this manner became clear as we continued to talk during the round. 

Marker for the blue tee boxes

Dave White was a former member of the PGA who spent three years kicking around in the bush leagues of pro golf on the Hooters tour.  He quit the tour in early 1997 and headed for home in Little Rock. He found a job as a financial consultant trainee and began was studying for the exam stockbrokers must pass before being allowed to sell securities.

In May, Dave decided to take a last shot at the U.S. Open. He had tried and failed on six previous occasions, and his heart wasn't entirely in it this time either. The night before he was to make the eight-hour drive to Springfield, IL for the regional qualifier, Dave changed his mind and decided to stay home. In the morning he changed his mind again, got in the car and drove 90-miles before turning around. The next day, on the last day of practice rounds, he got up at 4 AM, drove to Springfield and played one practice round before falling into into bed exhausted. Still tired the following morning, he shot a 69 and won a playoff for the fourth and final slot in the sectional. The next qualifying round took place in Columbus, OH where he shot 71-68 to tie for third and earn a place in the field for the U.S. Open. The Open tournament was held on the Blue Course at the Congressional Country Club that year. 

Dave finished the first round of the Open on the leader board with an even-par 70. With heightened expectations, he showed plenty of composure in the second round especially during a potential disaster in the middle of the back nine. After bogeying the 13th hole to go one over par for the tournament, Dave hit an approach into the rough on the 14th hole. His next shot flew over the grandstands and nearly onto the 15th tee. His fourth shot landed in more rough and his fifth only made it to the edge of the green, about 20 feet from the hole. As the gallery looked on with dread, Dave pulled out his putter, then changed his mind and decided to use a wedge. His chip rolled into the hole for a double bogey. Dave finished the round at two over par after two more birdies.

Dave’s father was caddying for him during the tournament with other family members watching from the sidelines. They were very proud of his performance as was the First Arkansan Bill Clinton, who beckoned Dave to his box next to the 16th green on Sunday. After missing a 50-foot putt for birdie, Dave sprinted around around a bunker where he was nearly thrown to the ground by Secret Service agents before being allowed to shake hands with the President. After scoring 70-72 in the first two rounds, Dave shot rounds of 73-77 over the weekend to finish the tournament in the 51st position, 16 strokes behind winner Ernie Els.

I now understand why he referred to the Blue Course at Congressional Country Club as the best golf course in America. I also understood why he kept hitting his tee shots from the back of the blue tee boxes. I did not ask him, but I am positive that he went back in time to 1997 and was re-living the tournament in his mind as we played the round.