The List - My Golf Travels

I always thought it would be fun to create a "golf resume".  I'm not talking about putting together a list of skills, work experience, education, or career accomplishments (although I do have one of those).  I think every avid golfer should have a list - a summary of their golf travels that can be used to share their golf life with others and to help them re-live their own travels.  I have created mine and decided to share it with the world.

124 golf courses.  Some you will find rate highly as some of the greatest courses in the world.  Others you may never have heard of, and some that are so small they barely show up in most golf course directories.  One rule that I made is that I have to have played at least nine holes at each of these courses.  If I included golf courses I have simply been to, or visited for other purposes, my list might be double the size.

I would encourage all of my golfing friends to make their own list.  Just doing so made me think of memories, matches, partners, scenery, great shots, and great times.  If anyone would like their list to be posted on my blog, I will post them if they are sent to me at rsaturday@yahoo.com. I know there are people out there who have a bigger and better list than mine, but everyone should be proud of their own list and what each golf round has meant to them.

Some things I find interesting about my list.  I have only played golf in three states, although I believe that despite its Nevada address, Palms Golf Club in Mesquite might actually be in Arizona.  It is definitely right on the border.

I have played at several courses designed by the most famous historical architects

• Alister MacKenzie (Pasatiempo)
• Robert Trent Jones, Sr. (Spyglass, Mission Viejo, Valencia CC, Spring Valley Lake, LakeRidge and SCGA Members)
• Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (Poppy Hills, Coto de Caza North, Desert Dunes, Monarch, Spanish Bay)
• Pete Dye - (La Quinta Mountain, PGA West Stadium, Lost Canyons, Moreno Valley)

Several courses that have hosted some kind of relevant golf tournament worth noting.  I am positive there are some that I might have missed in this category.

• U.S. Open - Pebble Beach (5 times)
• PGA Tour events - Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Poppy Hills, Spanish Bay, Valencia CC (1995), PGA West Stadium Course, Torrey Pines North, Las Vegas National, La Quinta Mountain, Hesperia (1950's and '60's), Brookside (LA Open 1968). 
• Senior Tour events - Valencia CC, Coyote Canyon, TPC Las Vegas (Canyons).  
• President's Cup - Harding Park. 
• USGA Women's Am - Pasatiempo.
• Nike/Nationwide/Hogan/Buy.com Tour - Moreno Valley Ranch, Empire Lakes. 
• PGA Tour Q School Final Stage - La Purisima.
• The Skins Game - PGA West, La Quinta Mountain, Terra Lago.

I have given some of the courses special recognition by awarding them with various titles.  Read on to see
which courses hold a special place in my heart.

The List

The Elite (14)
Pebble Beach Golf Links - Pebble Beach, CA *Most Historic, Most Memorable, Most Beautiful*

Pasatiempo #11

Spyglass Hill Golf Course - Pebble Beach, CA *Most Difficult*
Poppy Hills Golf Course - Monterey, CA *Best Public Course*
The Links at Spanish Bay - Monterey, CA
Pasatiempo Golf Course -Santa Cruz, CA *Most Difficult Greens*
Harding Park Golf Course - San Francisco, CA
PGA West Stadium Course - La Quinta, CA
La Quinta Resort Mountain - La Quinta, CA *Best Desert Course*
TPC Las Vegas (Canyons) - Las Vegas, NV *Best Vegas Course*
Torrey Pines Golf Course (North) - La Jolla, CA
Cascata Golf Club - Boulder City, NV *Most Extravagant, Best Condition*
Pelican Hill Golf Club South Course - Newport Coast, CA *Best Local Getaway*
Pelican Hill Golf Club North Course - Newport Coast, CA
Valencia Country Club - Valencia, CA *My Personal Favorite, Best Design*

Private Golf Courses (16)
Big Canyon Country Club - Newport Beach, CA *Best Private Club*
Dove Canyon Country Club - Dove Canyon, CA
Coto De Caza Country Club - Coto De Caza, CA
Mission Viejo Country Club - Mission Viejo, CA
Yorba Linda Country Club - Yorba Linda, CA *Most Underrated Private Club*

Los Coyotes Country Club - Buena Park, CA

Yorba Linda CC

Marbella County Club - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Mesa Verde Country Club, CA - Costa Mesa, CA
Seacliff Country Club - Huntington Beach, CA
Lomas Santa Fe Country Club - Lomas Santa Fe, CA
Woodland Hills Country Club - Woodland Hills, CA
Sunset Hills Country Club - Moorpark, CA
Antelope Valley Country Club - Palmdale, CA
Crystallaire Country Club - Llano, CA
Spring Valley Lake Country Club - Victorville, CA
Southshore Golf Club - Las Vegas, NV *Unknown Gem*

Notable Resorts or Golf Courses (13)
La Purisima Golf Course - Lompoc, CA
Bayonet Golf Course - Fort Ord - Seasisde, CA
Terra Lago (Formerly Landmark Golf Club) - Indio, CA
Monarch Beach Golf Links - Dana Point, CA
Bali Hai Golf Club - Las Vegas, NV
Presidio Golf Course - San Francisco, CA *Best Urban Course*

Presidio Golf Course

TPC Valencia - Valencia, CA *Most Overrated*
Lost Canyons Golf Club - Simi Valley, CA
Brookside Golf Course (Number One) - Pasadena, CA
Industry Hills Zaharias - Industry, CA
Industry Hills Eisenhower - Industry, CA
Oak Valley Golf Club - Beaumont, CA *Most Underrated*
The Golf Club at Rancho California (SCGA Member's Course) - Murrieta, CA *My Lowest Score*

Los Angeles Area Golf Courses (16)
Vista Valencia - Valencia, CA *Most Times Played*
Robinson Ranch - Canyon Country, CA
Elkins Ranch - Fillmore, CA *Best Cheeseburger, Most Secluded*

Elkins Ranch

Lake Elizabeth Golf Course - Lake Elizabeth, CA
Olivas Park - Ventura, CA
Buenaventura - Ventura, CA
Simi Hills - Simi Valley, CA
El Cariso - Sylmar, CA
Hansen Dam - Pacoima, CA
Knollwood - Granada Hills, CA
Marshall Canyon - LaVerne, CA
Los Verdes - Palos Verdes, CA
Whittier Narrows - Rosemead, CA
Chester Washington - Los Angeles, CA
China Lake Naval Air Station - China Lake, CA *Boondocks Award*

Orange County/Riverside (35)

China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station

Oak Creek Golf Club - Irvine, CA
Rancho San Joaquin - Irvine, CA
Strawberry Farms - Irvine, CA
Tustin Ranch Golf Club - Tustin, CA
Los Serranos North - Chino Hills, CA
Los Serranos South - Chino Hills, CA
Anaheim Hills - Anaheim Hills, CA
San Clemente Municipal - San Clemente, CA
Shorecliffs - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Casta Del Sol - Mission Viejo, CA
Costa Mesa Los Lagos - Costa Mesa, CA *Best Value*
Costa Mesa Mesa Linda - Costa Mesa, CA
Tijeras Creek - Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Talega Golf Club - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club - Mission Viejo, CA
Moreno Valley Ranch (Mountain 9, Valley 9, Lake 9) - Moreno Valley, CA
Eagle Glen Golf Club - Corona, CA
Green River Orange Course - Corona, CA
Trilogy Golf Club - Corona, CA
Cross Creek - Temecula, CA
Redhawk Golf Club - Temecula, CA *Most Unique Design*

Redhawk

 

Empire Lakes Golf Club - Ontario, CA
SCPGA Golf Course - Beaumont, CA
Coyote Hills Golf Club - Fullerton, CA
Diamond Bar - Diamond Bar, CA
Westridge - La Habra, CA
Willowick - Santa Ana, CA
El Dorado Park - Long Beach, CA
Skylinks - Long Beach, CA
Meadowlark - Huntington Beach, CA
David L. Baker - Fountain Valley, CA
Mile Square - Fountain Valley, CA
Cypress Golf Course (extinct) - Cypress, CA
Quail Ranch - Moreno Valley, CA

Desert Dunes - Note the Bending Flagstick

 

Hesperia Golf Club - Hesperia, CA

San Diego (5)
Carlsbad Crossings - Carlsbad, CA
Mission Trails -San Diego, CA
Coronado Island - San Diego, CA
Meadow Lake - Escondido, CA
Pala Mesa - Fallbrook, CA

Palm Springs (5)
Desert Dunes - Desert Hot Springs, CA *Windiest*
The Golf Club at La Quinta (Formerly Trilogy Golf Club) - La Quinta, CA
Desert Falls - Palm Desert, CA
Heritage Palms - Indio, CA

Northern California (4)

Bodega Harbor Golf Links

Franklin Canyon - Hercules, CA
Bodega Harbor Golf Links - Bodega Bay, CA
Chardonnay Golf Club Shakespeare Course - Napa, CA
Coyote Canyon Tournament Course - San Jose, CA

Nevada/Utah (10)
LakeRidge Golf Course - Reno, NV
Las Vegas National Golf Course - Las Vegas, NV
Rhodes Ranch Golf Club - Las Vegas, NV
Badlands - Las Vegas, NV *Worst Design*
Royal Links - Las Vegas, NV *Coolest Design*

Entrada at Snow Canyon

Revere at Anthem (Lexington) - Henderson, NV
Silverstone - Las Vegas, NV
Oasis Palmer Course - Mesquite, NV
Palms Golf Club - Mesquite, NV
Entrada at Snow Canyon - St. George, UT *Best Scenery*

Par-3's and Miscellaneous (6)
Lake Forest Golf Center - Lake Forest, CA *Best for Beginners*
Vista Valencia Chica - Valencia, CA *My First Golf Round*
Bixby Village Golf Course - Long Beach, CA
Hyatt Newporter - Newport Beach, CA
Driftwood Golf Course (closed) - Huntington Beach, CA *Wackiest*
Angel Park Cloud Nine Golf Course - Las Vegas, NV

So, that's it.  My history as a golfer.  In creating this list, I realized that there are so many courses that I have always meant to play, yet for some reason, I have never made the tee time.  Look out Torrey Pines South, Rancho Park, Half Moon Bay, Paiute, Primm, Trump National, Maderas, and La Costa - you're next to make "The List".

Rory McIlroy - The Anti-Tiger?

It was only three years ago when Tiger Woods finished off Rocco Mediate at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines.  The win marked Tiger's 14th major championship victory, and moved him to within four of Jack Nicklaus, whose 18 titles are the most in history.  Since that day, there have been twelve majors.  Many would have predicted that Tiger would have caught Jack by now, but there are very few who would have guessed that he would come up completely dry. Yes, an "oh-fer" for Tiger in the last 12 majors.  Tiger is a polarizing figure. You love him or you hate him, but the bottom line is that he makes golf interesting to the masses.  Since Tiger's personal problems, swing changes, and his knee injury, there has been a void.  The golf world has seen nobodies like Charl Schwartzel, Loius Oosthuizen, and Lucas Glover win majors since that memorable day.  No Tiger versus Phil, or Jack versus Watson, or Jack versus Palmer rivalries.  Nobody at the top of the world rankings who anyone REALLY tunes in to see - Luke Donald? Lee Westwood? Martin Kaymer? Certainly, they are good players, but I don't know a single person who is waiting to see how Matt Kuchar is going to do at the British Open in a few weeks.

But something odd happened at Congressional Country Club last weekend.  A new star has emerged.  Someone shot 16-under par at the U.S. OPEN and his name was not Tiger?  He won by eight strokes?  Are you sure it wasn't Tiger?  We may have found the next in the line of "one namers" - Arnie, Jack, Seve, Tiger, and now....Rory?  Although it may be too early to say that Rory McIlroy is among golf's elite, he certainly has created quite a buzz.  At only 22 years old, he was the youngest U.S. Open winner in over a century.  He did more than just win on the golf course, he seemed to earn the respect and admiration of the gallery at Congressional and golf fans all around the world.

McIlroy did it all in a manner that we are not used to seeing.  Tiger has a presence and an intimidating air about him.  He has always been private, short and stoic with the media, and sometimes bordering on arrogant, even when he was just a 21 year old winning The Masters for the first time.  Rory was open, engaging, and talking candidly about the collapse he suffered at The Masters a few months ago.  On the course he looked like he was out for a walk in the park - relaxed, enjoying himself, yet confident.  Tiger stalks the golf course intensely and sometimes angrily.  He did not give canned answers and cliches as Tiger typically does.  He won people over with his honesty and good nature.  Other players like last year's winner Graeme McDowell, were quick to root for him and to compliment his demeanor and character.  When was the last time you heard a tour player gush about wanting Tiger to win?  There were no fist pumps or miraculous shots that are Tiger trademarks.  Rory just cruised, hitting 62 of 72 greens in regulation.  He made only three bogeys and one double-bogey in four days.    

In 2010, Rory was quoted as saying he wanted a piece of Tiger at the Ryder Cup, which apparently fired up Woods quite a bit.  My new wish is for Tiger to get healthy, get his game back on track, and to see these two go head-to-head at the top of the golf world. Although there are some obvious similarities in the two, I see a lot of things that make McIlroy "The Anti-Tiger".

Tiger:  Born and raised in Southern California, land of sunshine, beaches, movie stars, and gang riots.
Rory:  Born and raised in Northern Ireland - land of fog, castles, the IRA, and Guinness.

Tiger: Complexion of a bronzed god.  Chiseled physique.

Any resemblance?

Rory:  Complexion of mayonnaise.  Reminds you of the cowardly lion from Wizard of Oz.

Tiger:  Main sponsor - Nike - a global giant
Rory:  Main sponsor - Jumeriah - whatever that is

Tiger:  Sunday attire - Bright red - reminds you of blood, passion, and intimidation.
Rory:  Sunday attire - Light blue - reminds you of clouds and cotton candy.

Tiger:  Sees Jack Nicklaus as a bulls eye, shuns Memorial tournament with regularity
Rory:  Openly befriended by Jack Nicklaus, and thanked him for his advice

Tiger:  Robotically gives answers to press room questions.
Rory:  Speaks from the heart about collapsing in The Masters.

Tiger:  Hair is closely trimmed - all business
Rory:  Curly locks reminiscent of Bobby Clampett or Danny Noonan.

Rory  - Noonan

Tiger:  On-course f-bombs "F**k!"
Rory:  Aww shucks.

Tiger:  Self-proclaimed sex addict.
Rory:  Seemingly chaste.

Tiger:  Agent - IMG, sports powerhouse.
Rory:  Agent - Some guy named Chubby Chandler.

Tiger:  Father Earl Woods grooms Tiger from a young age to become a professional golfer.
Rory:  Father Gerry stands to win a bet of 200,000 Pounds if Rory wins a British Open before 2014.

Tiger:  Tiger Woods Foundation and First Tee
Rory:  UNICEF


Most important comparison!
Tiger:  14 majors, 623 weeks as number one on the world golf ranking
Rory:  1 major, 0 weeks as number one on the world golf ranking

I will give McIlroy credit for what he did at Congressional. It was an amazing display of golf and a historic victory.  He also gave people a reason to be excited about golf again.  Even casual fans of golf were talking about this kid over the weekend.  As incredible as it was, we should not be so quick to anoint Rory as the game's next great hero.  Love him or hate him, there really is only one Tiger Woods, and Rory has a long way to go before he can claim his resume is that good.  The British Open should be interesting.  Royal St. George's awaits.

Readers:  Have any Tiger and Rory comparisons of your own?  Leave your comments below!

San Clemente Municipal

I got a text from my friend Sweet Pete late on Friday night.  Peter lives in San Clemente, blocks from the course and we are always talking about going to play the local muni. For some reason, we never seem to hook up, but I suddenly found I had no plans on Saturday and his 2:30 tee time sounded just perfect.

Peter and I usually play to about the same handicap.  Peter is one of my best friend's wife's sister's husband, in other words, my friend's brother-in-law.  We were to be joined by Chicago Bill, who had grown up with my best friend's wife.  We have a tradition of playing in a foursome around Christmas every year (see Holiday Golf - Meet the Brookside Butcher) but he was in town for a spring vacation.  Bill has always shown that he has a lot of golf ability. This time, however, we got to see him at his full potential.  When we play at Christmas, Bill generally hasn't played for months because it is the middle of winter where he lives.  In addition, he has been playing us with his backup set of dusty clubs that only leave his parents' garage once a year.  He had his gamers with him this time.

The weather was perfect on the first tee, warm, about 70 degrees with a slight breeze.  The great thing about San Clemente Municipal is that it is set on the bluffs a few miles inland from the Pacific Ocean.  The air is usually fresh and the vibe is very relaxed.  We picked up a fourth player on the first tee and off we went.  On the third tee, we finally discussed what types of games we were going to be playing for the day.  I suggested baseball, a great game for three players that involves the division of nine points for every hole.  There are a few possible combinations in this game.  If each player ties, they each get three points, or 3-3-3.  If one player has the low score (par for example) and the other two are one behind (bogeys) then the scoring goes 5-2-2.  There is also a 4-4-1, a 5-3-1, and the deadly 9-0-0, which means that one player has beaten both the other players by at least two strokes (birdie and two bogeys for example).  Since there are 81 points possible per side, we generally play for a small and friendly amount, such as $.25 per point.  We also decided to play $1 skins, and after some grumbling, my partners gave me credit for the skin I won on the first hole with a par.  Little did I know, this was the ONLY skin I would win all day.

An ocean view from behind #15 green

Another funny thing happened on #3 that was a topic of conversation all day.  Peter has a brand new Taylor Made R-11.  Yes it has that odd but intriguing white paint job, and it is one of the hottest clubs on the market and the tour today.  Our fourth player, a total stranger, could not resist and nervously asked Peter if he could try his driver.  Peter was a little uncomfortable about it but handed it over to him.  After all, it was cherry new and he just spent about 300 smackers for it.  The guy teed it up and put an ugly swing on it, topping the ball and taking a four inch divot, sending the drive dribbling about 60 yards down the left side of the tee box.  In his recoil, Peter swears that the guy smacked the club on the ground in disgust.  When we were in the fairway waiting for the green to clear, Peter turned to me and asked me if I had seen what happened.  He also asked me if I would have let a stranger try my club if I was in his shoes. I know better. I once let my FRIEND try my Biggest Big Bertha back in the day and he put the ugliest sky mark on the TOP of the club near the toe.  Every time I addressed it from that moment forward, I had to think of his ugly mug and the tee shot that went about 100 yards high and about 40 yards long. Never again! Try my putter, try my irons, my wedges, that's fine, but not my brand spanking new driver.  What is the etiquette?  Who is out of line in that situation?  The guy who oversteps his bounds or the guy who is selfish and won't share his toys? Discuss!

San Clemente's greens gave me trouble all day.  They had been aerified about three weeks ago and I could tell that there had been some recent verti-cutting on most of the surfaces.  Putts were coming off a little bit bumpy but the worst part was that the greens seemed to all be different speeds.  I generally play well at San Clemente and putting is usually a big part of that, but on this day I was having a tough time getting the speed.  However, I did not make things easy on myself, as I found that my poor iron play left me area codes away from the hole on many birdie putts.  I didn't make a birdie all day and I had several three putts.  On a short course like San Clemente, those short iron and wedge shots need to be close to the hole to have lots of birdie chances and make easy pars.

Bill took all nine points from us and four skins on Hole #5.  I made a mess of the hole and made bogey.  Peter had his own adventures and also made bogey while Bill played the hole to perfection and made birdie.  Although I was not playing well, I was holding it together until it all started falling apart at Hole #8.  I hooked an awful drive up against a tree and had to punch out 30 yards.  I still had over 200 yards to the hole on this par-4 and wound up making triple.  I was the only player to hit the green on the par-3 ninth hole.  With a chance to win a few skins on the line, I managed to leave a 40-foot downhill birdie putt 10 feet short.  I missed the par putt and the wheels were officially off of the wagon.  Needless to say, I got drummed in our betting games.  Bill shot a 37 on the front side, Peter shot a 40 and I shot a disgraceful 45.

Behind #12 green - my ball is in the foreground.

The back nine was no better.  I hit a great approach shot about 15 feet behind the hole to a tucked pin on #10.  I three putted after an aggressive birdie try, leaving me steamed.  The next two holes are the easiest on the course - 488 and 483 yard par-5's back to back.  I hit a great drive on 11, and totally stymied myself by hitting my second directly under a tree on the left side of the fairway.  I was 60 yards from the green, with tree branches blocking my ideal trajectory.  I could not go under the tree because a deep bunker fronts the green.  I decided to go over with a super nuked flop shot, made it over the branches but came up way short into the bunker.  I hit a bad bunker shot, chipped on, and made double bogey.  Ouch.  On 12, I hit another good drive, a perfect layup to about 60 yards to a back pin.  This shot is right in my wheelhouse, and I like to play a low spinner that usually takes a big hop and checks nicely.  Vokey Spin Milled grooves are the only way to go.  I hit what I thought was a perfect shot, the ball landing 15 feet short of the flag, but to my dismay there was no "check check" and the ball rolled over the green, across the collar and nestled up right against the rough.  I did manage to make par, but I had to work awfully hard for it.

I missed a 5 footer on 14 for par, left a 15 foot birdie putt short on Hole 15, and then I made my worst mistake of the day.  Hole 16 is the most challenging hole on the course.  The hole measures 405 yards and is a sharp dogleg left.  You can cut the corner, but there is out of bounds on the left.  You want to hit your ball as close to the corner as you can without going in.  You must also drive your ball over a ravine, which isn't far, but still visually intimidating.  In addition, the fairway has a steep downslope in the landing area which makes it difficult to get the ball up to a somewhat blind and elevated green.  Well, I hit a big hook and ended up in the out of bounds area.  After making triple, I was mentally checked out for the last two holes.

Bill played well, but had a bad back nine and shot a 76 or 77.  Peter shot around 82 and I fired an embarassing 90.  I won one skin, (the first hole) Bill won 10, and Peter won 5.  Two were left on the table.  I lost the baseball game by a wide margin.  I have played San Clemente maybe five times and I think I have shot in the 70's three times.  90 was an awful score there.  I am not sure I was mentally into the round from the start.  I probably took the course too lightly and was not concentrating from shot to shot, which is something that I tend to do from time to time.  Maybe it was the perfect weather and the picture taking that threw me off.  I'm definitely not feeling comfortable with the new Callaway X-22's in my bag. Or, maybe I'm just a bad, bad golfer?

San Clemente will be in great shape for a municipal course weeks once the greens are completely finished healing from aerification.  This little gem is one of the best golf values in Orange County and I would highly recommend it to value driven players out there.  This is a great track to play when you are looking for a mellow day out on the links where having fun and the weather sometimes seem more important than the numbers on the scorecard.  I know that despite my hideous play, I enjoyed my day.

A few years ago, the course got a new clubhouse building, pro shop, and restaurant.  I never realized how nice the restaurant and bar really were.  Called "Irons in the Fire", the 19th hole had a nice bar, plenty of seating for dinner or lunch, 4 flat screens, and even an outdoor fire pit.  There was a birthday party on the balcony but we stopped inside for a small dinner.  I paid for Bill's tab to take care of my debt, and we enjoyed a light dinner that was very tasty, especially Peter's Hawaiian style steak.  We watched the Canucks beat the Bruins only 18 seconds into overtime of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals and I headed home, licking my wounds.  I feel a rematch coming.....SOON!

A perfect day in San Clemente

Sweet Pete in the trees

Hole #14, a short, narrow, and uphill par-4.

Ahhhh Talega - Late afternoon match and course review

If you have lived in Orange County for the last 10 years or so, you might remember the local cable commercials for the budding, mega-supreme, premium housing development and neighborhood in San Clemente called "Talega".  Each commercial would wax poetically about a blissful way of life and would end with the female voice-over artist saying "Ahhhhhhhh Talegahhh". I can't argue that living in Talega or anywhere in South Orange County isn't a great way to live, but the commercials seemed a little ridiculous at times.

Luckily for golfers, the housing development came with a championship caliber 18-hole golf course.  It  opened for play in 2001 and was designed by Schmidt-Curley with help from Fred Couples himself.  Over the years it has seen a number of different owners and management groups, but it has always been a beautiful property.  I had a chance to tee it up at Talega on May 23rd, which was a picturesque Monday afternoon.  My friend and Talega employee Nick Gomez called me at 2 pm to see if I would be interested in a last-minute super-twilight round.  I hemmed and hawed over rushing to make the 30 mile drive from my Tustin bachelor pad to deep behind the Orange Curtain in South County, but decided to get out of the house and give it a go.  After all, a round of golf with Gomez always ends up producing a few good laughs.

I arrived at Talega around 4pm.  Nick greeted me at the parking lot after coming from the driving range, which oddly is quite a distance from the clubhouse and the rest of the golf course.  I paid my green fee and we were off and running.  Nick is a very good player, a former junior college player who is still active in competitive golf and probably carries around a one or two handicap.  He also plays the course regularly so any match we were going to have was going to require some serious adjustments.  He decided to give me four strokes per side, which I felt was pretty fair, and I was adament about playing from the blue tees, which would negate his length advantage.  We decided to play a straight 18-hole match and allowed our favorite "press when pissed" option for a friendly yet undisclosed amount.

On the first tee, I told Nick that I wanted to try out a Scotty Cameron Laguna 2.5 putter that I had purchased from eBay about a year ago but never had used during a round.  I had always wanted one of these because they closely resemble the old Ping MyDay design that I used to roll the rock with in the late 90's.  I had one MyDay that was about 33.5 inches and I putted great with that club for years.  One day I slightly tweaked it somehow and it never was the same for me.  I tried other MyDays from Ping but they never looked or felt as sweet as my old gamer.  I was hoping the Scotty Cameron copy would somehow bring the magic back.    I reserved the right to switch back to my latest standby, a Taylor Made Rossa that I have been using for the last three years or so.  Nick agreed to my terms.

Talega's 7th Hole -183 yards.

I started off hitting the ball very well.  I had a 15 footer for birdie on number one but using the Laguna I blew it 5 feet by the hole and ended up missing the comebacker to make bogey.  Hole #2 is a shortish par-5 at only 495 yards.  I laid up and hit a nice wedge to about 10 feet behind the hole but my birdie putt didn't even sniff the cup.  After I missed I started looking at the grip of the Laguna.  I had one of my golf pro buddies put a new grip on it for me but when I put my hands on the club, the face was wide open.  I showed it to Nick and he agreed that it was not right. Note to self: always re-grip your own clubs!  I three putted 3 and 4 and decided to bury the Laguna for the day.  Despite bogeying three of the first four holes I was still in the match because Nick got off to an equally slow start.  I think I even had him down a hole or two at one point on the front nine.  I turned at 39, not a bad score for me.

On the back nine, I got to see an awful lot of scenery.  I had been striping my driver pretty much all day but as the day wore on I found myself in some awkward places.  On 11, I drove my ball right to the right edge of a fairway bunker.  I had no stance whatsoever because the face was so steep, so I had to slap it down the fairway using a bundled up stance and swing.  My drive trickled through the fairway on 13 and ended up right at the base of a tree.  I had to punch this one out off of a hefty root.  On 15, I had a severe downhill lie with the ball below my feet.  I played a great hybrid shot out of there to put me in a great position for my third shot into the par-5.  Nick is insensitive and found my misfortunes to be comical (as I would if HE were hitting the rescue shots) but I get the sense that he was impressed by my scrambling ability.

The match was getting heated on the back nine and we both played some UGLY golf coming home.  On the 296 yard 14th we were both about 70 yards out after our drives.  It was a pivotal hole because I had gotten behind after chopping my way through the first few holes of the back side.   I was down and I had some stroke holes coming so I knew I could flip the script on this match very quickly.  I used my 52 degree Vokey for this shot and when the ball left the club I thought it was all over the stick.  I called for it to "be right" but it flew the flag in the center of the putting surface - about 20 yards too long and into the rough.  Nick got a good laugh at that one but wasn't looking so happy when he did the same exact thing but worse only moments later!  I believe we both made bogey so no harm was done, but I wasted an opportunity to get back in it.  I made things worse by hitting an awful iron shot on the long par-4 16th and a woeful tee shot on the par-3 17th that landed in a fried egg in the greenside bunker.  The real fun came on #18.

As I said, we play "press when pissed".  Needless to say when I reached the 18th tee, I was a bit steamed.  So, I put the press on.  I had to win the hole to come out dead even, if we tied the hole, I would lose two ways, but if I lost the hole, I would lose four ways.  After some chit chat on the tee about something completely not related to golf, Nick hit a nicely placed tee shot that avoided a huge bunker in the middle of the fairway and also laid up short of a huge lake looming in the distance.  I knew I needed a good tee shot.  Now, it isn't really like me to choke, but I hit my drive off the heel of the club.  A grounder to third base that traveled a grand total of about 40 yards.  I did not pass the forward (ladies) tees and of course I had to withstand the usual jokes (golfers know what I'm talking about).  I could not reach the green from where I was so I tried to rip it down there as close as possible and hope for a miracle.  However, I ended up rolling my ball through a bunker about 100 yards from the green and just onto the grassy lip at the top of the steep face.  As we reached my ball, Gomez was delighted.  Here I was, hitting my third shot, ball sitting about waist high, 100 yards out, water on the entire left side of the green with bunkers and junk to the right.  Channeling Al Czervik from Caddyshack, I offered odds.  "Nick, 500 to 1 I hit the green from here?"  He hesitated like he was going to take the long odds but declined. "OK, how about 100 to 1?  I'll put down a buck. Easiest dollar you will ever make."  Again, he declined after some debate.  So, I decided I would just go for broke regardless.  I choked up on a 19 degree rescue club and literally took a baseball half-swing.  It was more like chopping wood with a hatchet than taking a golf swing.  I made really solid contact and the ball came out starting at the flag with a little draw.  It actually landed on the putting surface but barely rolled through the green and stopped on the collar just before reaching the lake. Nick could not believe the shot that I had just pulled off and we laughed because if he had taken one of those bets, he would have been shaking in his spikes as my ball slowly rolled inches away from me collecting on those long odds.  Unfortunately, I made bogey, which was no help, and I lost four ways.  

Talega's 11th Hole - Dogleg Left Par-5

Course review - I have played Talega several times in the last five years and I have always had mixed feelings about the course conditions.  Courses that charge $80 weekday and $100 weekend at rack rates should usually be in prime condition.  Orange County courses have the advantage of being in an affluent area where people can afford to pay those types of green fees.  However, I know of a lot of OC golfers who would rather travel to areas like Corona or Temecula to play a course in spectacular condition at 50-65% of the price.  In past years, I have seen Talega's greens suffering from turf loss, patchiness, and an overall poor look.  In my latest round, I felt that the greens were very much improved.  They certainly had better color, were much more smooth, and rolled true.  However, I do feel that in order to reach that elite level of golf course, that they need to speed up their greens just a touch.  I would say that they were rolling in the 8.5-9 range on the Stimpmeter, which isn't bad for a public course, but Talega would benefit from getting them up to around 10+ in my opinion.  The fairways, tees, and bunkers were mostly in great shape.  I was a little surprised to find an awful lot of grass overgrown in one of their bunkers on the back nine, but that was a relatively small detail issue.

Overall, the golf experience was wonderful. The views at the course are incredible. Many holes on the back nine providing vistas and elevated vantage points that provide golfers with a chance to soak in the rolling hillsides of San Clemente.  One benefit of the location is that there are typically not a lot of players late in the day.  As a twosome, we played in just under three hours and we weren't rushing one bit.  If you are looking for a quick super-twilight round on a really nice course, this is your place.  The fresh air and the peace and quiet are well worth the green fee of $45 after 4pm during the week.  In the summer, players should be able to play all 18 holes if they are quick enough.

The course is a very fair test of golf for golfers of all skill levels.  The design has a good mix of long and short holes, and offers birdie opportunities in many places while also putting up a strong defense on several difficult holes.  Water comes into play on at least six holes, including the two challenging par 3's on the front side.  At 6600 yards, 71.1 rating and 129 slope, the blue tees are just about right for most players.  The tips jump up to 6900 yards and the extra yardage adds to the difficulty of the shorter par-4s and the par-5's.

I have not spent much time at Talega's restaurant or bar, but I have heard good things about their Signature Grille.  Sunday Brunch is supposedly excellent.  In the shopping center that is basically connected to Talega's parking lot, there is a great little restaurant and bar called Sundried Tomato Cafe.  They offer a buy one, get one free on beer if you bring a Talega Golf Club scorecard.  I enjoyed calamari with curry aioli, and I think Nick had some sausage penne, which were both delicious.  Stop in for a nice place to relax, settle your bets, and unwind after your round. 

I have a feeling I may be seeing more of Talega this summer.  Ahhhhh Talegahhhh.