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Welcome to the 2007 Pick of the Month Archive

We'll pick the best golf course we play and share the knowledge!

2007 October Pick of the Month

October started great for Moe as he visited Persimmon Ridge with the mountain golf group of old men, and shot a personal best 78 on that great Arthur Hills design. I started and ended with birdies, which are two holes I hadn’t birdied before. I had a lost ball on 10 and another double bogie on 15. When I have low scores, it’s because I have avoided driving into trouble. Playing from the white tees, a 200 yard drive in the fairway will give me a better chance at par than longer drives into trouble. I’ve known that for years, but I don’t always swing that way. It takes concentration.

The next day I went with some different old guys up to play Fuzzy’s new course at Champions Pointe. It’s easy to get to off I - 65, and there aren’t too many houses yet. I’d say next spring would be a real good time to give it a try. We paid $65 on a Thursday, so it’s not a bargain, but it is a very playable design in good condition. We played at 6,484 yards which was plenty for us, but the course can offer a much bigger challenge form the tips at 7,174 yards. There are many dogleg holes, lots of bunkers, and water. I thought several holes (7, 8, & 10) could have been designed as cape holes and been tougher and more memorable, but Fuzzy is not known to design very tough courses.

Then it was time for the final KSGA tournament of the year. I had not finished in the money all year, for the first year in a long while. I hoped my previous experience at Midland Trail would get me a round in the 70s. My plan was to avoid the fairway bunkers and 3 putts. I remembered fast greens at Midland Trail, but the member I played with said I was remembering something from a long time ago. Their greens are slow. I had my 3 putt and double bogie on number 3, but then I settled down and turned at 42. I was a par machine on the backside and was even par with 2 to play. That’s nervous time for Moe. I bogied the last 2 holes and finished at 80, which is good, but you never know how good. It was a sunny windless day, and therefore a good day to score well. In my flight of 12 there were 5 golfers at 82, 4 at 81, but only one at 80! Low Gross! I didn’t get shut out for the year, and I got a nice Midland Trail shirt and visor. So when you see me out there hacking it around next year – I’ll be looking good.

Later in the month, the wife and I visited friends on Fripp Island in South Carolina. On the way down we played Stono Ferry which is just south-west of Charleston. It was $69, and I gave it 2 excellent and 16 good holes for design. The backside was tighter and more scenic as it moved along the Stono River. The course had many forced carries over marshland and was 6701 yards from the tips.There are 2 courses on Fripp Island; Point and Creek. Both are very nice and very private.

But if you’re ever down near Beaufort, South Carolina, I have a very nice course you can play. Legends at Parris Island is the military course on Parris Island, which is where we train our Marines. The course was designed in 1947 by George Cobb, but redone in 2000 by Clyde Johnston, and is an outstanding layout open to the public. It starts out with two straight flat holes which I’d have to rate as just OK. I birdied both those holes this time around! Then after a par 3 the design improves with each hole. Lots of water. Lots of sand. And best of all; lots of 150 year old Live Oak trees. They stand beside the fairways, but some of them are 60 feet ACROSS so you need to avoid them. You know I like trees and these are magnificent. We played for $28 but my host Joe is a marine and local resident, so we got discounts. I’m sure anyone plays for less than $50 however, and it’s well worth that. Perhaps having a 77 this time around influenced me, but if you’re down there, give it a try.

I didn’t get to play with Ron for the whole month, but he’s still around. The word on the street is that sometime in October he bought a sailboat. I don’t think it’s a little one. If anybody sees him floating by, tell him it’s November now...too cold to sail, but not too cold yet for golf.

My pick of October 2007 is The Legends at Parris Island.

2007 September Pick of the Month

Right after Labor Day, Ron and I joined the Gumpster and John from Quail Chase in the inaugural KPGA Pro-am tournament to benefit Golf House Kentucky. It was an interesting best ball tournament at Champion Trace in Nicholasville. We had to use our best gross score and best net score on each hole.

The course was in good condition considering the drought, and plenty of water was provided on a hot day. We all played well on one of Art Hills three great Kentucky country clubs. We had two holes where only one player did well, which kept us from the top of the leader board. But both our “pro” and our amateurs did finish in the money.

Later that week, Ron and I went out to Heritage Hill to check out that new course. It was Friday and crowded, so we had another slow round. Neither of us played our best.

The course is interesting, and the first work I know of by Doug Beach. He done good. I gave the course 1 excellent par 3 (#11) and 17 good holes. Oddly enough number 11 was in the worst condition of any hole on the course. We were told that just a month ago, the green was perfect, but they had a cut worm infestation that severely damaged the green. Another concern is the crabgrass that prospered just outside the sodded rough areas on the some fairways. I believe it’s been a very good year for crabgrass around here. Still, considering the short duration Heritage Hill has been growing grass, the place looked pretty good.

Heritage Hill is already the best Louisville area course on this side of the river. However, Shepherdsville is not full of rich people, so to get $50 per round, I believe the conditions will need be consistently good. After a nice discussion over lunch with Dave, the pro at Heritage Hill, I'm convinced they will be.

Then I got on another Gumpster gravy train to Belterra, with Foreleft, and 3Jack. Belterra has the smoothest, truest greens I remember putting on this year. We played on a hot afternoon, but the beer was cold and I didn’t lose any money. Foreleft was the big winner, and shot 74 to deserve being the big winner.

The next day I ran into another buzz saw when Ron took me to The Bull. It was another slow round, but I had 3 birdies in a row and a 37 on the front side. Then I hit the wall with an out of bounds on number 10, and Ron took over. He’s always scored well up there, but 4 birdies and a 34 on the backside – WOW! It’s either the second or third time he’s shot par at The Bull, so you go with him next time, I've had enough. We were playing so well I made no notes about the course. But I just went to this website I know of, and see that the fairways were excellent as usual, and the greens were medium speed. I paid $28 as a senior.

We picked up the local vet and met Jim at Quail Chase. We played South and East nines. The fairways haven’t all fully recovered from the freeze damage early in the year. The South bunkers had fluffy new sand and were excellent, but the East had that heavy Ohio River sand and were tougher to play from. Of course those were the ones I got in. The greens on the east side showed the signs of the heavy use from a morning outing, and were medium speed. Alex the vet was wilder than usual, and I was not at my best either. We paid. Alex is a good golfer, but works too much to stay in good golf form. I don't know what my excuse could be.

Next up was Valley View. It was in nice shape, and I like that $28 senior rate. Jason was hot again with a 73, and he was my partner, so we finally got some of Ron’s money.

Valley View has a nice bar with Newcastle on tap. It may be the only ale I like. While enjoying our adult beverage, Ron mentioned that Gumpster was taking a group to Brickyard Crossing the next day. He couldn’t go, but thanks to the miracle of cell phones, Jason and I were able to get on the Gumpster train. Brickyard Crossing is the best conditioned course I’ve played since my last trip to Michigan. The greens were not better than Belterra, but the area around the greens was perfect. I gave the course 6 excellent, 11 good and one OK hole. Number 14 is just too short at 311 yards and almost featureless.

We played the chip game and once again I ended up chipless. That’s a good thing because I am way more likely to get the 3 putt chip, the tree, and the sand, than I am to get 1 putt, or birdie. The beer flowed all day, and we finished a slow round as darkness settled over the track. It was another first rate Gumpster outing.

A couple days later, Forleft called to say he had a last minute golfer coupon for $20 for two at Lassing Pointe. It didn’t take me long to sign up for Lassing Pointe for $10! It was our last really hot day in September, and I didn’t have my A game. They had punched several greens on the front side, and the rough areas were burnt to a crisp. The northern Kentucky area has been affected far more severely than the Louisville area. I know...hard to believe, but it's true.

After I paid Jason off for his 77, he almost played for free. But he’s the last minute shopper that gets the great deal, so he deserved it. Lassing Point is still one of my favorite courses. $10 + gambling losses is a great deal!

Ron left for a northern Michigan golf jaunt the last week of the month, so he might have a good Pick of the Month too. For me, Belterra and Brickyard Crossing are both top 10 courses in Indiana, so I’ll call it a tie between those two.

August Pick of the Month

I started August in the middle of a Mountain Golf trip with 3 other old guys in east Tennessee. Laurel Ridge C. C. in Waynesboro, N. C. was my top pick of the 5 we played this year. That write up and a few pictures can eventually be found under the vacation/travel section of this website.

Then my buddy Steve came to town and a couple of my mountain buddies played with us at Persimmon Ridge on a Sunday. I wasn’t as good as I thought I was down in the mountains. Of course Persimmon Ridge was in great shape and as difficult as ever. We did notice that the three new holes looked ready to play, but there is no word on when they will be phased in.

Then Ron took me down to Kearney Hill so he could practice for the upcoming Mid – Am. We had a pair of 81s, but of course I’m playing about 600 yards shorter as befits my age. The course was in overall good condition, but the greens were too slow for Ron. We have some strong differences of opinion with the person who handicapped the holes. I intend to take our changes to my good buddy Carmello, and see if he’ll make changes. As a general rule par 5s are not the hardest holes on a course to par. To have the 4 par 5s be listed as the four lowest handicap holes is an error of some magnitude. Numbers 4, 9, 13, and 17 are all harder to par than any of the par 5 holes at Kearney Hill .

Then, the very next day we got up early and made the trek down to Lafayette. Chris Brown is back on the job after trying other pastures, and the course is coming back. He has also lowered the price until he can get it back into the shape I remember it from 4 years ago. I believe he’ll get 'er done. The greens are already improved and rolling pretty fast. Some of the tee boxes were ground under repair while others had some of that nice Seneca crabgrass in them. The bunkers also need some work, but it just shows how hard it is to overcome neglect. The course, however, is playable right now, and the price is right at $25.

August 13/14, I competed in the KSGA Senior Amateur at Maywood Course at Bardstown C. C. It’s not a tough course from 6500 yards, and it was in excellent shape for the tournament. It was hot and so was I on the first day when I shot a 75, to capture low net in my flight with a 65! I had 3 birdies and no double bogies, which is Moe at his absolute best. Then came day 2. I was 7 over par after 16 holes, and looking to finish in the money. Then came hole 17. I hit 2 drives out of bounds right, and failed the composure test to card a 12 !! That was that. I believe I out Daleyed John Daley. I didn’t walk in, but I wanted to badly. No money for 75 - 88.

Luckily, the wife and I then left for a match with Art Hills at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, and then two weeks in Michigan, so I haven’t thought about my meltdown again until now. I’ll cover the four great courses we played in Michigan in a trip report to be written when we get our next all day rain. In other words, don’t hold your breath. Of course after I left town Ron was still on the local scene. He’ll cover those courses now...........

..........Yeah, I played a bunch while Moe was out of town, but writing a lot about them will prevent me from playing golf while my swing is in the best form I have ever experienced. Playing golf is more fun than reading or writing about it...I hope you all will agree. I'll be brief.

After Moe headed for cooler climes, I went over to Hoosier world to see how Hidden Creek was looking with new owners and management. Pretty good actually. I'm not a fan of the different fairway grasses from frontside to backside, but the overall conditions were probably the best I have seen at Hidden Creek in a while. Hopefully, in the not too distant future, they can get the front side converted to Zoysia.

Round observations include: 10 is a lot easier hole without the massive tree on the left and nine is much easier as a par five with a few extra yards added than it was as a par four. I still think they have some really long, tough par fours too, but changing nine to a par five eases that two hole stretch considerably. I shot 78 and although I didn't score great, I had that sweet feeling that a swing was coming into form.

Next up, Foreleft and I headed back to Hoosier world to play Old Capital. This is another Bermuda fairway course that took a bit of a beating this spring from the late freeze. For the most part the fairways have recovered, although you can still see evidence of the damage occasionally on tees and fairways. Nothing that would stop me from visiting again. The rough was crispy from lack of rain, which is hard to imagine for a course that is prone to flooding. I shot 72 for 17 holes and then we (barely) made it back to the house in our under powered cart as a thunderstorm approached. Once again good ball striking prevailed and thoughts of signing up for the Mid-Am became serious.

I made a trip out to Duckers Lake on a last minute thought with my friend and veterinarian Alex. This is another Zoysia fairway course proving that Zoysia is the best fairway grass to have in the summer heat of Kentucky. Fairways were great. In fact, all conditions were good. Still the same design. Alex and I discovered that our favorite part of this course is the bar. They have a great bar menu and good atmosphere with flat screens gracing every wall. I shot 74 and I'm actually beginning to think that with the newly added senior division (0ver 40) of the Mid-Am, I might be a strong, young gun contender.

Obviously we stayed a the bar at Duckers too long...The following morning I teed off with Gumpster, Foreleft and Ben on one of the hottest days of the summer at Belterra. I was feeling the heat and the lack of fluids. I was six over before I new what happened. Drinking all the water available, I was able to partially re-hydrate, and recover to shoot 80 after the opening five hole debacle. Belterra was it's regular beautiful self...there just not much else to say about the place. It's been aces since the day it opened. I think it was Ben that remarked about what Fazio can do with a big budget....I'm not sure he uses a budget. I think he just builds whatever he wants and hands them the bill. Unlimited resources are a great thing, but its clear that Fazio knows what to do with the money. Belterra is a great design. Again, I would like to thank those of you that gamble a lot. I even made a small contribution myself just to be fair.

Just before Mid-Am deadline, Foreleft and I headed out to Kearney Hill to see if we were up for the tournament. I was feeling pretty good about my game and Foreleft thought that he could help pressure me into tournament shape by increasing the amount of our normal nassua bet. This proved to be a great idea. We moved up to the Super Mid-Am or blue tees that play about 6,650 since that is where I would be competing from. Kearney was in pretty good shape, but showing the wear and tear of a somewhat drought stricken course. Crispy rough, along with slow greens. The lack of substantial rough and the distance reduction greatly reduces the defense of Kearney and although we both drove the ball pretty good all day, when we did hit the rough, there was little to worry about. I flirted with the elusive 69 on this day, and after an unlikely birdie at the difficult 17th, I needed birdie at the not so difficult 18th, to shoot 69. So naturally I had my first three putt of the day and shot 71. Jason had a nice 74, but still lost the inflated nassau. He did confirm my confidence and get me in tournament shape, so I appreciate that all the way to the bank. I returned home and promptly sent my Mid-Am entry fee to the KGA......

July Pick of the Month

July began with Ron and I going the Griffin Gate on a 2 for 1 coupon he had. I give the course 1 excellent (#10), 16 good, and 1 OK hole (13) for design, but I like it a lot at $20! That is well below the advertised price.

I really like it when I birdie three holes on the front side and make the turn even par! These new X-20 irons were seeking out the pin, and the drives were mostly straight. I beat Ron actual (76 to 79) for maybe the third time in life, and then celebrated with fireworks. The next day was the Fourth of July. The fairways were obviously in excellent shape since I hit so many greens, and the slow, bumpy greens negated Ron’s advantage in that area. It was a wonderful start to July.

That Thursday, Jim (the Gumpster) took Ron, Jason (foreleft) and me up to Belterra. The match with the big boys was so tight and exciting, I completely forgot to do my hole by hole ratings. It is, however a great design without a blind shot anywhere. The conditions are always great, which shows what easy money can accomplish. Everyone beat my 86, but not by so much that I wasn’t slightly ahead after the payoffs.

The next day I went to see Carmello at Kearney Hill, to talk about exchanging my new driver, which I wasn’t hitting high or far enough. I was hitting line drives to right field. It took the 7th best golf instructor in Kentucky (according to this month’s issue of Golf Digest), about 15 minutes, and several repeats of the words “shoulder turn” and “follow thru”, to have me booming drives out of sight! My 65 year old eyes see about 210 yards.

Ron, Jason, and Jim always hit it out of sight, even when it doesn’t go in the trees! Since Jeff, the pro at whatever that course is called now is the only Lexington muni course with a computer, I’ll have to rely on him to tell Carmello what a satisfied customer Moe is. He certainly won’t get to see it on the website.

After my free driving lesson, the wife and I headed down to the Carolinas, to golf and visit some friends. I’ll write that up for the travel section where we can include a few pictures. The driver worked well on the trip, with most scores in the low eighties.

Right after our return home, I joined the Gumpster and Ron for the long trip down to Dale Hollow. It was a beautiful day and the course was in great condition. Maybe the best fairways I’ve seen! The greens were smooth, but not very fast which helps me a lot. This time I had to give up 3 strokes, but I moved up 600 yards and it helped me stay even with the big boys. Jim started out with a few errant tee shots, the kind I lost sight of when they entered the woods, but he got it going on the backside to recover several of his lost dollars. I once again won a few of them.

Then came Houston Oaks with Ron, and he took all my hard earned winnings with one great round. I could say that I was suffering tennis elbow since my wife has me doing that to lose some weight. I was in some pain, and it did contribute to the poor ball striking and the resulting score of 90. But when a guy shoots a 1 under par 71 against you, I’m pretty sure you’re going to lose the bet. He had 2 birdies and an eagle on number 17 when he hit his second shot over the water to six feet....And he missed a real short birdie putt on number 1. My handicap is going down, but so is his! After that thumping I took off the rest of the week to try to be healthy for the GKL outing.

The GKL outing at The Gay Brewer Course @ Picadome was tons of fun.

I got to play with aforementioned pro, Jeff, trainee pro, Jim, Ron, who likes to beat pros, and Tack the hack, who is the only one I managed to beat.

We were a fivesome because fourleft was a last minute no show, and deserves all the flack he gets. If your playing a fivesome, it’s nice to have the club pro with you ! The Gumpster suggested we play the chip game, and he happened to have the chips.

In the "chip game", there are good chips like “birdy”, “one putt”, and “chip in”. Then there are bad chips like “tree”, “water”, and the dreaded "8" chip. (when you make an 8). The object is not to have any bad chips in your pocket as you exit 18. Finishing with one or more of the good chips means a pay day for you....but I didn't really understand how it worked at first.....

....Jim made the chips worth $5, and Tack and I thought that with a good chip you would get $5, and with a bad chip you would lose $5. After I got the “water chip” for dunking my proV1 in the creek on the second hole, and Tack got the "8 chip" on an early hole, we found out that with a good chip you get $5 from everyone, and with a bad chip you pay everyone $5. That makes a chip worth $20! We suffered sticker shock.

We passed most chips around a lot, especially the tree chip, but I kept that water chip, and chipped and putted my ass off, so Tack had to keep that 8 chip.

Then we came to the final hole. Ron was trying hard to beat Jeff and Jeff knew it. Then he hit his drive O. B. over the road. There is no OB chip, but that could be an addition to the game in the future.

I got the tree chip on my drive and hit another tree on my second shot. Jeff, hitting his third form the tee, went long and straight so he was “only” about 240 out. In an attempt to save the hole, he went for it. He pulled it into that big tree in the middle and it went through into the creek short of the green. I started dancing in the fairway! That’s $40 in debts I got to hand him. What a great host he is. After all that, he also missed his 25 foot putt for 7 and relieved Tack of the 8 chip! What a great host he is! I think we should go back every year, whatever they call the course. Let’s call it Jeff’s Course.

Ron did beat the pro (76) on his home course, and the trainee pro (79) with his 75. He may want to explain in detail, but I think it was his birdies on 1, 10, and 16, plus Jeff’s 8 on 18, that pretty much tell the story. He didn’t retain the birdie chip since Jeff birdied 17, but he gets another pro scalp for his mantle.

After golf Jeff bought more beer (too much beer), and the discussion was long and pleasant. I told the wife I wouldn’t be home til dark; I just didn’t say how dark !

We had seventeen in attendance, and most seemed eager for more. I just saw a forum post touting Lafayette and I certainly intend to check it out. I’m not certain if everyone wants to make that trek for an outing, but Moe and Ron need to go down before we compile another top 18 list.

On the card I just found (so I could spell Lafayette), I beat Ron 87 to 89. I’m sure he’ll want me to have a nicer looking card then that!

July ended with me gone on a week long golf trip to the east Tennessee mountains with the old guys. I’ll write that up quickly, and then Ron will be 3 trips behind in his posting.

He gets 90% of the profits, so he should have to do 90% of the work!

Of course Belterra is a great course, but Jeff Shelton is a GREAT host.

I’m making “Jeff’s Course” my pick-of-the-month.

June Pick of the Month

Joyce and I began June on a couples golf trip to Eastern Kentucky with Lee and Janice. They are Kentucky State Park annual pass holders, and can play at any park for $3! They hadn’t been to Hidden Cove @ Grayson Lake, or Eagle Ridge @ Yatesville Lake. I threw in Old Silo, so they had to spend some money, and off we went.

Old Silo was in great shape, and they were properly impressed. It may be better than Lassing Point, but I’m not changing my vote yet.

The next day we went over to Eagle Ridge, and went from impressed to frustrated. Lee is even older than me, but he doesn’t give up golf balls easily. I almost forgot my own frustrations just watching him climb those mountains. Actually, it was more like descend into those ravines; or hollers as we say around here. Sometimes, balls just came flying up into the fairway as he sorted thru his finds.

We played the 2 tees again at 6177, but on some holes they are too far back. And once again I find that the back side is significantly easier than the front. I still cannot imagine ever being able to play those 18 holes without some big numbers!

When we were at Eagle Ridge they were hand watering some brown spots in the fairways, but the greens were very nice, and at least the chiggers didn’t carry Lee away !

Friday we played early at Hidden Cove, and it was crowded and slow all the way around. That’s good news for our new state park golf trail. It’s a very nice layout and Moe finally got back into the eighties, but not Lee. Eagle Ridge took so much out of him that Joyce beat him at Hidden Cove with her 107.

He’ll have to play at My Old Kentucky Home, their “home” course, for awhile to get his groove back. But they haven’t checked off Kentucky Dam Village yet, or “Boots Randolph” by Barkley Lake, and there’s a barbecue place down there someplace …..

Then, after I passed another physical exam, I went over to Persimmon Ridge for a practice round for the upcoming KSGA match play tournament. I had a pretty smooth 86 playing with the old guys over there. Then I drove up to Kearney Hill to pick up all my new Callaway clubs from Carmello. I’m sure everybody out there knows that you wouldn’t want to get all new clubs and use them for the first time in a tournament.

Well I knew it too, but Monday was qualifying for the championship flight, which is just a practice round for most of us, so what better time to use new clubs – a practice round. I hit everything well most of the time, but how far they went was still somewhat of a mystery. I probably shouldn’t have used the new clubs for my first match, but I wanted to anyway. I did use them, and only got beat 2 and 1 by a guy shooting an 83 in the fifth flight.

An 83 at Persimmon Ridge beats me 90 something percent of the time. And of course for my ego, I can blame the loss on my new clubs. Persimmon Ridge, by the way was in great shape. They never lack for water at Persimmon Ridge.

I should mention that between my practice round at Persimmon and the tournament, I hooked up with Ron, and we had an early morning round at Shelbyville C. C. on Friday. It was a busy morning there for some reason we never found out; but we had a good match anyway; just not a speedy one. I used my 5 strokes effectively, and hit my new clubs well most of the time, so I managed to par 4 of the last 5 holes to end up all square.

Perhaps that 84 is what gave me the confidence to use the new clubs in the tournament.

Shelbyville CC experienced some problems with the late freeze and has bare spots in several fairways. Number nine, which you can see from the road is the worst.

I don’t think it’s worth the $40 for out of county players right now. By the way, Ron birdied #1, #10, and #17, and shot 80. He’s very good, but still human.

After my early loss in the KSGA tournament, I needed a loser’s bracket. Ron and Jason provided that for me by taking me up to The Big Blue course at the UK club the next day.

When a course is long from the back tees (7013 yards), I always give up strokes to play less distance. In this case I noticed that I could give up all 5 strokes and move up 2 tees to play at 6059 yards. That’s what I did and we played even. I out drove them big hitters on bunches of holes. On number 1 for example I teed off 60 yards ahead of them. And as Ron noticed several times, their tees were always back, but several times I played shorter than normal on the frontside. Needless to say, I loved it! And here’s what I loved the most:

Moe - 79

Ron - 85

Jason - 86

I played over 1000 yards shorter than them, and I think we proved that those course ratings printed on the scorecards don’t vary enough to cover the range of score differences that will occur.

Or perhaps my new X-20 Callaway irons will just make me one deadly ­­­m%(er f@c*er !

The UK Club charged $60 with no discount for the old guys. I think it’s worth it, Jason doesn’t. I’m an old retired guy with enough money to golf almost wherever I want, and Jason is a married working guy with 4 hungry kids. I keep telling him that when I threw mine out I saved $100 a week in groceries alone. He keeps waiting until they get to be teenagers!

Rosewood is the first new course in Kentucky we’ve got to play and review since Olde Stone opened in Bowling Green. We covered our trip in the forum, and Ron has now added the course to the list under “Kentucky Golf Courses” and had a picture of the second green on the front page. Here’s what I have to say about that. Anybody that opens a new golf course in Kentucky and doesn’t hire Ron to photograph it for them, is dumber than a box of rocks. The guy made a course with burnt up weedy rough, and roped off bare spotted fairways look good! I was there and I don’t know how he did it. I’ve been taking pictures on golf trips for many years now, and haven’t impressed him yet. It’s one of my goals in life to take a picture someday that impresses Ron.

Rosewood is a decent layout that has also suffered some winter kill on the bermuda fairways like many others in the area. They still need a little growing in time too, after all they just opened last summer. All in all, the course was in decent shape and fun to play, but I did find one problem with Rosewood. They have 3 tee boxes per hole. The distance is 6775, 5867, or 4935. That’s roughly 1000 yards difference per tee box. That’s too much. I have this thing about anything under 6000 yards is not real golf. Let me interject a story about that. I played in a KSGA tournament a few years ago in 5th flight with a 76 year old retired dentist whose name I can’t recall. He hit the ball straight but never very long. After I found out his age, I pointed out to him that he was old enough to play in the super senior division. He looked at me hard for a minute and said, “those guys play from the ladies tees!” All I hope is that I get to be 76 years old and still think that it has to be 6000 yards or it ain’t real golf.

Remember how I played shorter at UK Club and shot well? Well at Rosewood I played the same back tees as the big boys and here’s those scores:

Jason - 77

Ron - 78

Moe - 85

Compare those two sets of scores and tell me that 3 or four strokes covers 1000 yards difference in distance. When we’re gambling from now on, I’m giving up strokes and moving up every time.

The last Thursday in June looked like rain. Ron stayed home, so the wife joined me at Bardstown C. C.

Maywood was booked until after 10 am, so we decided to try Woodlawn for the first time in many years. The owners of Maywood purchased the course a couple years back and have been working on returning Woodlawn to respectability.

The design is just OK in my opinion with 1 excellent, 15 good, and 2 OK holes, but we played for $20. I think the regular weekday rate is $25, and it’s worth that. The fairways were in good shape, and the small greens were soft, smooth, and about medium speed. They have enough undulation to be tricky.

The wife played well, shot a 104 with her 22 strokes and beat me 4 & 3. I had 2 lost balls and 1 in the water, but I’m still hitting the new “hot!” 3wood so far, I almost reached the green in 2 on a 500 yard par 5!

The worst thing about Woodlawn on my visit was the incredibly slow golfers in front of us. We went thru one 4some, and then backed up behind a 2some that couldn’t keep up with the 4some in front of them! You will remember that rain was predicted, and the clouds were building as we played the back side. We were on 16 when the big clap of thunder hit right behind the tree line behind me. After I got my heart slowed down, we picked up our balls and drove in. The 2some ahead did likewise, and we both drove by the 4some that was putting on 17 green. You know how some guys just have to finish.

As we drove by I wished we had 3-jack with us so he could have hollered “RETARDS” at them. I thought about it, but didn’t want to damage my nice guy reputation! Just as we got the clubs in the trunk, the deluge came down. The slow playing, slow walking, slow thinking 4some got all wet. Picture Moe laughing.

Based on the over 13 holes played extrapolation rule, I bogied 16 and made par on the last 2, to break 90.

And Ron was right again...it did rain.

Persimmon Ridge is always nice, but I love the BIG BLUE; so let’s make it the MOERON Pick of the Month!

From Ron's desk early in June......Played Maywood near Bardstown on a beautiful June day. My first round in over five weeks, as I continue to deal with family health issues that cropped up just as we tore our master bathroom out for a do it yourself remodel. It's been a hectic time of dealing with the reality that parents get old, and remodeling takes a lot of time, but it was nice to finally get a day and play a little golf.

We found Maywood in good shape from tee to green. Like most courses in our area, the rough is getting crispy at Maywood, but I think we are going to be stuck with that everywhere this year. Jason and I both shot 82 from the tips at Maywood. I was pretty happy with that considering the layoff. My short game had obviously suffered.

"The tips" at Maywood are considerably further back than they used to be in a few places. They have really put some length on the course. Even with the firm conditions we had around 200 yards into number 13. That's a monster of a par four now. Good thing Jason was paying attention, because I'm not sure I would have even noticed the new tee box at 18. It's so far behind the original tee boxes, I didn't even see it. That one is 607 yards now. The par five third, is 667 yards now. Used to be a pushover par five with the right fairway bunker being the only concern off the tee. The bunker is still there, but I don't have to worry about it anymore. Let me know if you get on that one in two.

They continue to keep Maywood in nice shape at our visits. It's nice to see public course management do the right things to make golfers enjoy a round. It may cost more than a metro park muni to play at Maywood, but at least they are providing the product that you paid for.

May 2007 Pick of the Month

I returned from a trip out west in time for Derby Week. I did better at the urologist than at the track. The only time I saw Ron in May was on Derby Day when I had the exacta, while he had the trifecta. He believed in Curlin and I did not. I did play golf without Ron however, so I can file this report and see if he’s really still with us. If you’re reading this, then Ron is alright.

On Tuesday May 8, the wife and I joined Janice and Lee for a round at My Old Kentucky Home, which is their home course. We beat um anyway. The course was in good shape and not too crowded. I liked it a lot until I got invited over to Lake Forest that Thursday! Wow! Lake Forest is in great shape, and I didn’t embarrass myself at all with an 81, with no double bogies or birdies. 9 pars and 9 bogies is the golf I like to play.

That afternoon, I went to see Carmello to get fitted for my new Calloway clubs. You can imagine that I did that with mixed feelings. What can I hope for – 11 pars and 7 bogies? Anyway, don’t pass up any chances to play Lake Forest. I give it 2 excellent and 16 good holes for design, but it gets excellent plus for condition and playability.

The 14th and 15th, Jim and I partnered up for the KSGA two man tournament at the UK Club. On Monday we played The Big Blue Course using Chapman alternate shot scoring, and I drove my partner into trouble all day. We started day two 6 shots behind the leaders in our flight and tied for 5th place. Tuesday we played best ball on The Wildcat Course, and I played better with an 82, which helped us to 7 under for the day, and tied for 4th in our flight. They paid 4 places in each flight, and we got beat by one stroke on a scorecard play-off! Oh well, we got to play two nice courses and had a good lunch for our efforts. It will be hard to pick between Lake Forest and the Big Blue.

Later that week, the wife and I left for a bike trip on the outer banks of North Carolina. On the way down we played Eagle Ridge, and I continue to complain about the design of holes 2, 4, and 6. Perhaps they are not ridiculous as I said in the forum, but only too hard for a 65 year old playing from the #2 tees. 2 and 4 take too much precision, while I can’t reach 6 with two heroic shots! Perhaps I should pull a Doug and just move up a tee box on number 6. I will point out that the wife and I both shot a lot better on the backside.

The next day we met a working guy playing his second round of the year. And we met him to play the Champions Course at Bryan Park, in Greensboro, North Carolina. That ain’t no easy course. Both Ron and Joyce lost a significant number of balls, and I shot 90 while missing every putt. The course is a George Cobb design, updated by Rees Jones. It’s one of the best munis you’ll find.

On the way back from biking, we stopped in Beckley, West Virginia to play The Brier Patch which I reviewed in the forum. It’s a very nice $35 course; not manicured; but of interesting design with elevation changes, water, sand, and mature trees. I only had one bad hole and shot 85. That meant I got to pick the entrée (to split) that night at Laury’s.

If you’re every in Charleston, West Virginia, I strongly recommend Laury’s for dinner.

I now make it a point to overnight in Charleston, on my way to Winston-Salem.

Since we’ve been home I’ve been praying for rain, worrying about Ron, and planning a couple trip to Eastern Kentucky with Lee and Janice. We’ll play Old Silo, Hidden Cove, and my old favorite Eagle Ridge the first week in June. They are state Park pass holders and I told them they have to play Eagle Ridge at least once. I’ll let you know what they think in the June Report.

The MOE___ pick of the Month is a tie between Lake Forest and The Big Blue.

April 2007 Pick of the Month

Kearney Hill

Late March and the first 3 days of April felt like summer. I’ve settled into the summer weather pattern quite easily and could not have imagined the arrival of the cold monster that would quash golf for nearly two weeks. We ended up playing in temps around 50 and lower, with a brisk wind, but after numerous rounds in March that felt like mid June temps, it was hard to get back into suffer golf. Before the mercury plunge, Jason, Steve and I went over to Kearney Hill for a round on Pete and PB Dye’s links course just off I-64 near Lexington. It was a beautiful day…Very little wind, which is rare for this nearly treeless, elevated course. If there was ever a chance to score well at Kearney, it seemed this would be the day.

Kearney looks like it is ready to return to the conditions we used to find it in. That’s good…as in “good condition” and we’re glad. It seemed for a while that the loss of the senior tour tournament had adversely affected the maintenance budget at Kearney. Then, just about the time it looked like they were getting it back together, they fried the course while hosting the Kentucky Open in 2005. I’m sure it was great for the open, but conditions suffered afterward. Other than a little more poa in the greens than you would like, Kearney looks poised to be in good shape this year. And when I mention Poannual in greens, please don’t think I’m knocking the way a course is being maintained. It is difficult to avoid getting Poa on greens and nearly impossible to eradicate. It’s just an unfortunate fact that courses like Nevel Meade and Kearney Hill happen to have more of it than others we have played over the last few years. It makes for some bumpy putting in the spring, but once the summer heat kicks in, we won’t notice it anymore.

As I mentioned, weather conditions seemed about as benign as they will ever be at Kearney and that gave me high hopes for a good scoring round. Funny thing is, you must be able to swing the club correctly to score in any weather conditions, so instead of taking advantage of a good course lacking a substantial element of its usual defense, I shot an 82 that felt like 90. Jason and Steve both managed to play to a score that seemed to please them. Steve slipped in just under 90. I recall a bit of a mock cheer when I revealed the score of 89 to him. Since abandoning the Scrixon irons Jason purchased on ebay, he is back on target with his Mizunos. He has a nice streak of “rounds in the 70’s” going now. So with my 70’s streak ending at four rounds and Jason’s continuing to three, I lost front back and total on our Nassua. Hopefully, that will stop the whining for strokes that I have been hearing most of March. What part of “Even For Life Plan” is confusing.

A few thoughts that came to mind as we played Kearney Hill:

Even without wind, some of the par fours seem really long from the back tees.

Anyone looking for a set of Scrixon irons?

In the past, Moe’s bias against links style courses has been holding Kearney back in our top 18, but I think we have it in about the right place now. It is a very nice layout.

Nice course to walk.

How did the Dye’s get away with that IU shaped bunker in the heart of Big Blue land?

The University of Kentucky is an excellent resource for beer cart girls.

Nevel Meade

We’ve been out to Nevel a few times in March. Again, we find another course that looks poised to be in good shape this year. I think they have the green at 16 under control, so we can all look forward to having 18 holes to play at Nevel. The green is not quite all the way back, but with a little grass growing weather, it should be good soon.

We’ve played Nevel Meade a few times lately due to the bent grass fairways that always seem to be in really good shape. This has got me thinking about the plus and minus sides of so many local courses changing their fairways to warmer weather grasses like Bermuda and Zoysia. The reward to the course is having an easier to manage, drought and decease resistant grass. But I’m wondering how many golfers are feeling the end result as a reward. I’m curious if golfers are looking for bent grass courses like Nevel Meade in the spring? How is this affecting spring time revenue at all these recently turned Bermuda grass courses? For me, it’s not just the dormant grass that can be a deterrent, because many times I don’t mind hitting off the fuzzy brown stuff. But we have wet springs around here and it seems to me that the dormant grass courses tend to be muddier than their bent grass counterparts in the spring. That is a deterrent…at least for me.

Weissinger Hills

Someone in the Golf Kentucky Links Forum recently wrote something like “This site must be on the Weissinger Hills payroll…I don’t get why you guys think Weissinger is so great”. Well, to clarify my opinion, I don’t think Weissinger Hills is a great course. I give Weissinger a lot of credit because they do something that few other daily fee mills have accomplished in our town. They keep the conditions at a reasonably good level while keeping the price reasonable as well. It’s a joe public design that keeps the masses moving. They have a great crew in the clubhouse and somebody around there knows how to keep greens. I just played Weissinger and the greens are rolling better than any others I have played lately. So they’re not paying us off, in fact they probably barely have the budget to pay the guy keeping the nice greens…that’s what makes it impressive.

Doe Valley

Speaking of under nourished budgets…I’ve been making a yearly visit to Doe Valley for about 12 years now and year after year I always come away with the same thought. If they had a little maintenance money this place could be nice”. After 12 years of nursing this comatose course, maybe its time for me to man up and pull the plug. Nothing seems to change much at Doe Valley. They have erosion issues that go unfixed year after year, resulting in big ugly dirt patches just off of fairways. I know when the Bermuda kicks in things will look better, but comparing spring maintenance levels to others on this list, Doe Valley is behind on their chores on tees, bunkers and numerous other areas. There is a lot to do and it just doesn’t look like there are very many workers on the job. The good news is it was $8 to walk 18 holes. That’s a deal anywhere that has greens.

I hope the next time someone talks me into going to Doe Valley I can write something other than, this is a good shot makers layout that appears budget compromised. That line seems woefully familiar.

Chariot Run

No apparent budget concerns here. In fact, isn’t it great that casinos feel compelled to build golf courses? I would like to take this opportunity to thank those of you that frequent and finance these operations…your dollars are indeed being used well and I do appreciate it.

Chariot Run looks pretty good for this time of year. Since it was 38 degrees with winds of 25mph while we were playing, I may have been a little distracted while evaluating conditions. That morning, I kept checking my email for one of my foursome to intelligently decide not to play while opening the door for my graceful exit, but apparently they are all just as stupid as me. Wide open course you idiots” I mumbled as I set out to blustery Hoosier world for a little suffer golf at it’s best.

Chariot Run is another with very nice bent grass fairways and greens. The greens had been punched recently, but they were generous with the sand so putting wasn’t too bad. If you haven’t been there lately, you may notice that they did a little makeover. They changed some bunkers and added some taller grasses to the bunker walls. It’s kind of a throwback appearance that should look good when it comes in. It was difficult to evaluate whether the recently planted new grasses were taking hold properly. It looked a little patchy in numerous places. I will gladly go back up and see how the grow in on the bunkers walls is coming along this summer. Chariot Run is a nice place to play golf if you pick the right day.

Polo Fields

My affinity for this course continues. Its simply because I haven’t played a bad round here in my life. Never shot over 79 at Polo Fields from any tee. I don’t even think the course looks easy. I just keep hitting the ball where I’m aiming every time I play there. OK, I had two double bogeys this time out so that wasn’t good, but I still shot 77. I’m working on getting into the member/guest this year….

As would be expected a nice private golf club, everything at Polo Fields is well maintained and looks good. They punched their greens a couple weeks back, so they are not perfect just yet, but they will be soon.

Since we are a public oriented golf website, I’ll have go with Kearney Hill as my pick of the month.

March Pick of the Month