The Best Golf Compliment
I didn’t blush, but it was nice to hear nonetheless.
Blind Shots Podcast S5 E16 – Americans in Oregon Bandon Dunes Retrospective
Nearly one year after embarking on our Bandon Dunes adventure, Fred, Matt, and Dave reconvene one final time to tie the bow on our experiences on the Oregon coast. We discuss the highs and lows, what we loved and what we didn’t, and what we’d do differently on our next adventure out west. Matt also…
Blind Shots Podcast S5 E11 Americans in Oregon – Sheep Ranch
This is the Sheep Ranch episode. Perched against the coast on the bluff just north of the Pacific Dunes and Old Mac golf courses, the Sheep Ranch struck me as a bit different than the rest. A much ballyhood Coore Crenshaw masterpiece, it’s more familiar to other experiences than I felt on the rest of the Bandon Courses. Sure, it’s in a unique, almost magical setting, but it was flatter, with fewer visual disruptions. It felt like a core golf course, with long sightlines largely unbroken in most directions. Gentler, calmer ground led to a gentler calmer golf experience, at least on the morning we were there. Later that afternoon, the caddies told us the winds were upwards of 40 mph at Sheep Ranch, where we played in, at worst, a nice breeze that morning.
Blind Shots Podcast S5 E9 Americans in Oregon – Pacific Dunes
This is the Pacific Dunes episode, our fourth of this season’s “Americans in Oregon Series.” A golf course of almost unanimous acclaim, it’s the golf course that brought architect Tom Doak into the larger golfing public’s consciousness, that showed people how spectacular coastal golf in America can be, and what natural, minimalist golf architecture can…
Blind Shots Podcast S5 E4: Americans in Oregon – Punch Bowl, Preserve, & Vibes of Bandon Dunes
In this first installment of the “Americans in Oregon” series, we set the scene at Bandon Dunes through our impressions of the Punch Bowl putting course, the 13-hole Bandon Preserve short course, and an examination of the resort’s vibe through our lodging and accommodations experiences. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Spotify | iHeartRadio…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 5 Episode 3 – Golf Trips and the Trophy Course.
Matt, Fred, and I reconvene at the Americans in Scotland round table to discuss whether golf trips truly need a “trophy course” to anchor a buddies golf trip. It’s big-picture discussion based on the small details we’ve accumulated in a decade or so of golf trip experience. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Spotify…
Nine thoughts on this year’s buddies’ golf trip
Each August, on the heels of our annual golf getaway, I reflect on what revealed itself in the build-up, execution, and aftermath of the three (or sometimes four) day spectacle. Organizing those thoughts into something coherent and valuable takes as long to plan as the actual golf trip. Here is my attempt for the 9th…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 9 – Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable – Lawsonia Links
In this third and final installment of The Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable, we discuss the experience of playing the Links Course at Lawsonia. Nestled above Green Lake, the Links at Lawsonia simultaneously reminds me of several great Midwestern courses I’ve played and looks unlike anywhere I’ve seen before. From the hands and minds of the…
Blind Shots Podcast Episode 24 – Americans in Pinehurst Roundtable – Southern Pines and Talamore New
It’s Round Three of The Americans in Pinehurst Roundtable, with our friends, Matt and Fred. In this episode we contrast two courses that I strain to find nominal similarities, but in reality, couldn’t be much more different. I’m talking about Donald Ross’s Southern Pines Golf Club, and Rees’ Jones New Course at Talamore, both in…
Forest Dunes Golf Course, Roscommon, Michigan – Harmony and Exhilaration
Here’s the truth that they ought to print on the front of the scorecard of Tom Weiskopf’s 2002 masterpiece, the Forest Dunes golf course at the Forest Dunes Resort in Roscommon, Michigan: Be bold! Go for it! Following that simple advice will set a golfer on a course for maximum fun, requiring daring and challenging…
Blind Shots Podcast Episode 16 – Americans in Pinehurst Roundtable –Pinehurst #1, The Cradle & Thistle Dhu
Welcome to our new Americans in Pinehurst series. Familiar voices from a new setting, as Fred, Matt, and I provide tales, laughs, and analysis on our experiences in the Sandhills region of North Carolina. This week we discuss how we began our 2020 Golf Trip at the Pinehurst Resort, playing Pinehurst #1, The Cradle, and…
Blind Shots Podcast Short Game Session #10 – Musings on the Buddies’ Trip
Welcome to Short Game Session #10. This week I riff on our recent Buddies’ Trip to the Sandhills of North Carolina, winner’s guilt, and letting go of the reins. The Pinehurst-Southern Pines-Sanford area of North Carolina has such incredible golf courses and experiences. It’s my Scotland that I can reach without getting on an airplane,…
Blind Shots Podcast Short Game Session 6 – Story Time with Uncle Dave
My friend Rod Morri always laments that the best of conversations occur and the best stories are told “off-air,” once the recordings are finished. He’s right. So today, with Short Game Session #6, I’m bringing you one of my favorite golf trip stories, ripped from the outtakes of one of our regular podcast recording sessions.…
Rules of the Road: Updated Tips and Tricks from a decade of Golf Trips
The golf trip to Southern Pines in August 2020 will mark my 8th consecutive year as a golf trip captain. Add in random long weekends and overnight golf excursions that pop up from time to time, and I’ve spent a lot of time chasing this crazy game far and wide. Each trip has been fun…