The Nightmare is one of two courses owned by brothers Tom and Dan Courtemanche. Their story is interesting. Their father Art, owner of a small trucking business that included some trucks, a bulldozer, a front-end loader and excavator, built a golf course in the late 1960's in Pinconning, MI. with the help of his sons. His sons shared a dream to own and operate their own course and when they finally acquired property in 1994, built their first course. The called it The Dream and it opened for play in 1997.

Five years later, another piece of property one mile west of The Dream became available and their second course, which could only be named The Nightmare, opened for play in 2003.

Our weather was spectacular, upper 70's with light winds and we thoroughly enjoyed the course. The course was in tip-top condition, play was light, and we payed a bargain rate of $45. And we were stunned when we discovered the course allows beverages to be carried onto the course and that coolers and ice are provided!

The Nightmare has gently rolling terrain with a good amount of elevation change, bent grass fairways, and extremely large greens with some undulation. There are only five water hazards that are in play and for the most part, large hardwood trees border the fairways.  

​I have no doubt we will return to play The Dream during a future trip.

​In 1987 the last major golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. opened for play at the Sylvan Ski Resort (soon to be renamed The Treetops). Called The Masterpiece, this course is my favorite of all the courses in the Gaylord area. It was the very first course I played on my very first "buddies trip" in September,1989. It's also the most challenging at Treetops. This course was also the course that jump-started Gaylord's place as one of the best golf destinations in the Midwest. There are now fifteen courses to choose from in Gaylord and in addition to Jones, Sr., there are designs by Jones, Jr., Rees Jones, Tom Fazio, Rick Smith, Jerry Matthews, and Gary Koch.

The Jones Masterpiece course is the only Treetops course on the original property. The remaining four are located at a separate property less than ten minutes north.

On Monday, we played the Smith Signature course. It was an overcast day with pleasant temperatures. The course was designed by Rick Smith, one of Phil Mickelson's former instructors, and is his first 18 hole design. Opened for play in 1993, the course was rated as high as 23 on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play" list before dropping off in 2000. It is still rated a Top 50 Course for Women. The course features stunning elevation changes and has tough undulating greens. Some people consider it the toughest of the courses at Treetops but the fairways are wide and the course less punishing for that reason. It is unique in that it has a par of 70.​

Tuesday was our day for multiple rounds. We played the Fazio Premier course in the morning. In the afternoon, I played the Smith Tradition course (as I had yet to play it) while the others played The Threetops Par 3 course. Like Sunday, we had fantastic weather all day.

​The Fazio Premier is the only Fazio design in the entire state of Michigan. It was rated as high as 24 on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 You Can Play" list before falling off the list in 2002. I think it's the most fun of all the courses at the resort. It too has wide fairways. And many of the fairways funnel drives away from trouble. The Fazio has more elevation change than the Smith Signature and you will find several holes where the green is quite a ways above the fairway. So too, you will find holes where the tee is way above the green. For instance, the seventh, a short par four, requires a shot to an elevated green; the eighth, a par three, requires a shot to a green 80 feet below the tee; and the ninth, a par four, requires a drive down into a valley and a second shot up to a narrow elevated green. One of my favorite holes is the short par four 15th, a dogleg right with a two tiered green. It is a boomerang shaped green with the back half of the green ten feet below the front half.

When Fazio was asked to name a signature hole, he quipped "All of them."

The Threetops gained notoriety when it became the site of ESPN's made for television Par 3 Shootout featuring the likes of Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Couples, Floyd and Mickelson. Trevino famously aced the 7th hole to win one million dollars. It is Rick Smith's first design and features unbelievable elevation changes. The third hole is known as "Devil's Drop" and is the longest hole on the course at 219 yards. But the drop from tee to green is 145 feet so the hole plays considerably shorter. You can only imagine how long the ball stays in the air. The Threetops is fun to play...once.

The Smith Tradition, opened in 1997, was originally intended to be a walking only course. This is the course I played while the others played Threetops. It pays homage to golf's early beginnings and features short wooden pins, pennant flags, and wooden rakes. The Tradition is a little rough around the edges by design and relatively flat. Tees are in close proximity to the previous green. The greens are somewhat small and most of the fairways are huge. It's the shortest course of the four regulations courses and the easiest. It plays to a par of 70/71. It was nearly empty the afternoon I played it.​ As an added point, since it was originally only for walkers, there are no cart paths.

I won't soon forget the long drive from the clubhouse to the first tee. It easily took ten minutes and is one of the longer treks from clubhouse to first tee you will find in the game of golf.

Wednesday was the day for our biggest challenge, the Jones Masterpiece. And the weather took a turn for the worse. While we had bright sunshine as we teed off on hole one, the day became overcast and by hole eight, we were subjected to light showers and a bit of wind.

But the course is absolutely awesome. It is located at the headwaters of the Pigeon River and features natural valleys and ravines. There is significant elevation change, especially the par 3 sixth. It is the signature hole on the course, the resort, and maybe in all of Michigan. It features a 120 foot vertical drop from tee to green. It was while standing on the sixth tee that Jones coined the name "Treetops" as you can see miles and miles of tree tops from that vantage point.

You need to drive the ball well on this course as the fairways are not golfer friendly like the Fazio course. Errant drives will be thrown into wooded areas, many times into deep ravines. The course begins and ends with a par five hole. Hole eight has a peninsula green and hole nine has an island tee. Big hitters will try to drive the fifteenth green as the tee is high above the fairway. The last 200 yards of hole eighteen plays through a natural ravine to an elevated green. The Masterpiece has a slope of 147 from the tips. Deservedly so.

I love this course and can't wait to play it again. It is one of the courses I play many times in my mind. But I must say, if you are like most people, you will recall the beauty of the course before you will recall any of the holes.

While there are dining options at the resort, I wasn't blown away by our Sunday evening meal at Legends on the Hill, the resort's sports bar. It wasn't very crowded yet service was poor.

There are many dining options in downtown Gaylord. There are two microbreweries (Snowbelt Brewing Company and Big Buck Brewery) and numerous restaurants.

​We ate dinners at Tap Room 32 (very good) and the Iron Pig Smokehouse (just OK). And there are several cafes open early for breakfast.

I've known about Harbor Shores for nearly ten years but it took the 2019 Senior U.S. Open in South Bend to finally get me there.

​You see, a group of fellow members from Coyote Creek Golf Club were going to attend the Men's Senior U.S. Open at Notre Dame's Warren Course and they selected Harbor Shores as a course to play during their two day trip. Although I would not be attending the U.S. Open with them, this was my opportunity to play Harbor Shores with friends.

Harbor Shores is located in Benton Harbor in Southwest Michigan and is the only Jack Nicklaus Signature Course on Lake Michigan. The golf course opened for play in 2010 and has hosted the Senior PGA Championship every even year beginning in 2012 and will continue this schedule at least through 2024.

The course encompasses four diverse terrains on the shores of Lake Michigan. Holes 1 to 6 are known as the Inland holes; 7 to 9, known as the Dunes holes, are built on Lake Michigan dunes and provide views of Lake Michigan; holes 10 to 13, the Woodlands holes, run through rolling hills and ravines bordered by a hardwood forest; and holes 14 to 18, the River holes, are along the Paw Paw River, Ox Creek and its associated wetlands.

​Harbor Shores transformed the city of Benton Harbor. The first tee is located on the site of a former factory and the Nicklaus team removed over three million square feet of old, dilapidated buildings and over 14,000 tons of toxic waste during construction.

There is an extensive practice facility including a short game area. The practice green adjacent to the first tee is large and undulating.

​The course plays to a par of 71 with three par threes on the back side.

A metal sculpture on each tee with hand-blown glass holds a plaque that commemorates one of Jack's eighteen major championships.

We had two foursomes for this round of golf at Harbor Shores. I was in the first group with Jerry Belcher, Jerry Yoder and John Clark.
​
Let me start by saying the course condition was generally excellent, despite a great deal of rain in the weeks leading up to our round. As a matter of fact, the Paw Paw River was above flood stage as was its tributary, Ox Creek. As a result, we were unable to use the cart paths alongside the creek to travel from the sixteenth green to the seventeenth tee and from the seventeenth green to the eighteenth tee and were required to take a poorly marked detour.

One more note. John Clark and I were the victims of a golf cart that was losing its ability to travel forward and by the seventh tee, had no forward gear. We made a call and traveled to our tee shots in the fairway in reverse before being given a cart that had a working transmission.

I particularly enjoyed the three "dunes" holes, numbers seven through nine. Hole seven is the number one handicap hole. Standing on the tee for the first time, you wonder whether you want to take on the pond to the right of the fairway on this dogleg right. The safe play is left of the water which leaves a longer shot into the two-tiered uphill blind green. Just below to the left of this green is a huge yawning bunker. And of course, you need to be on the correct tier to assure no more than two putts. It's a marvelous hole with Lake Michigan behind.

The eight hole is another par four within the dunes. The tee shot is somewhat blind to a fairway below with an uphill second shot to a green guarded by five bunkers around the front three sides of the green. The green slopes severely from back to front.

The tee for the par five ninth green is some sixty feet above the fairway. There are bunkers on both sides and wetlands in play for the big hitters. The second shot needs to be short of the cross bunkers on the right side to set up an approach to a long, skinny undulating green.

One other item of note is the green on the tenth hole. It is on this hole that Jack Nicklaus holed a putt of 100 feet on this four tier green to a back pin in front of Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, and Tom Watson and 100's of golf patrons at the Opening Day ceremony. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9KrMQDU94g.

Like most championship courses, the more you play it, the easier it becomes. I found it to be quite challenging and still wonder how Kenny Perry and Rocco Mediate were able to shoot the course record of 62. This goes to show you the difference between amateur golfers and the bet players in the world.

We completed our round and waited for the second group before enjoying beverages alongside the practice green on the patio outside the Pro Shop. A nice way to end a very warm day. 

The are four Disney golf courses. Three, the Magnolia, the Palm, and the nine hole walking Oak Trail course play out of the same clubhouse. The Lake Buena Vista course is 7 miles to the southeast or about a twenty minute drive. Each of the three eighteen hole courses have hosted PGA Tour events.

My itinerary called for a round at the Lake Buena Vista course on my way into Orlando on Monday, a round at the nine hole Oak Trail at the end of Tuesday's 45 hole day, and rounds at the Magnolia and Palm back to back on Thursday.

But one of the conditions I failed to anticipate is Florida weather in June. There is a preponderance of daily afternoon thunderstorms and course conditions can become rather soggy. That's exactly what happened during my week in Orlando and it led to some reshuffling of my itinerary.

As far as prices are concerned, I did not find the fees out of line. Lake Buena Vista was $39, Oak Trail was $29 (admittedly a bit expensive for a nine hole walking only course), Palm was $85, and Magnolia $69 (there was a replay discount since I was supposed to play these courses back to back on the same day). You can get better rates if you are a resort guest.

Regarding the Pro Shops, while there is a great deal of clothing merchandise in each, it is all Disney themed and really nothing that I would want to wear.

I drove to Orlando immediately after a round of golf on St. Simons Island in Georgia. I had a 4:21 tee time and as I reached Orlando, the skies were darkening. It was very humid and the air was thick.

Lake Buena Vista is a Joe Lee design that opened in 1972. It's rather flat and winds through condominiums and homes and bordered by pines and palmettos. There are several lakes and a stream frequented by boats full of Disney patrons.

I played the par five first hole as the sound of thunder were heard in the distance and hit my tee shot on the par three second when the horn blew to vacate the course. I made it back to the clubhouse before a torrent of rain hit. The radar did not look good as I waited nearly two hours for the heavy rain to subside. I took the time to grab a snack and then explored the Pro Shop.

The rain did end and by that time, I was the only person who returned to the course (it seemed) and was able to complete a soggy round in just over two hours.

The course is fine; nothing special and its condition was average.

​I played the Oak Trail course after 36 holes of golf earlier in the day in Kissimmee. The weather on this Tuesday provided one of the better days of the week as the storms stayed away and the sunshine was plentiful.

Ron Garl designed the course and it opened in 1982. You will have a bit of a walk from the Pro Shop to the first tee of this course.

​There are three sets of tees at Oak Trail. The back tees play 2913 yards with holes ranging from 132 to 517 yards. There are middle tees and also a set of tees that plays at 1713 yards for Juniors and Beginners. The course is tree-lined and holes five through seven are routed around a deep canal.

My expectation was this nine-holer would be a flat, bland, walk in the park. I was wrong. I was a bit tired to begin with and this course turned out to have a bit of elevation change. To make matters worse, I failed to pay attention, and made a wrong turn.

​After playing the fourth hole, instead of turning toward hole five, I played the eighth hole and didn't realize my mistake until I saw the tee marker for the ninth hole. So I had to walk all the way back to the fifth tee. 

I saw only one other twosome the whole time I was on the course. Like the Lake Buena Vista course, the Oak Trail's condition was just average. But I did appreciate the thought of a walking only golf course.

I was originally scheduled to play Disney's Palm Course and then Disney's Magnolia Course on Friday of this week. But the weather intervened. When I got to the course Friday morning, I was informed the Palm Course was closed for the day. The rains earlier in the week including downpours the day before made the course unplayable. That threw a big wrench into my itinerary. Fortunately, the Magnolia Course was open and they were able to get me into one of the first groups. And they accommodated my request to play the Palm Course first thing Saturday morning (weather permitting). That meant I had to try to move my Saturday morning tee time in Haines City up to Friday afternoon after my round at the Magnolia.

The Magnolia Course was designed by Joe Lee and Rocky Roquemore and opened in 1971. It is the longest of the Disney courses and you will find water on eleven of the eighteen holes.

I was paired with Spencer, Kevin, and Jason. Since the course is on the same property as the Palm, it was pretty soggy. But it apparently drains just a little better than the Palm.

I probably played the wrong set of tees and I am sure my partners did too. We played a soggy course at 6558 yards and paid the price. There was no roll!

The Magnolia course is wonderful. And its condition is much better than Lake Buena Vista and Oak Trail. I would certainly play it again.

Disney's Palm Course was opened in 1971 and originally designed by Joe Lee and Rocky Roquemore. In 2013, the Arnold Palmer Design Company completely redesigned the course building new green complexes, reshaped tees, and brand new bunkers. There is water on half of the holes.

​I was paired with Darrell, Beau, and Tom and the course was still very soggy. But on this day, we played a set of tees more conducive to the conditions and it showed in the scoring.

Like the Magnolia Course, the Palm was in very good shape despite the soggy conditions. And it is another course I would play again.

When I develop my itineraries, I try to select courses that will minimize the drive between golf courses. This Tuesday, I selected two courses that were only 3.5 miles apart and very close to I-4. Additionally, Kissimmee is just 20 minutes south of my hotel. And I was scheduled to follow the 36 holes with a nine hole round at Disney's Oak Trail.

The weather on this day was typical of the trip. It began with lots of sun, had storms late afternoon, and cooled down a bit with humidity at the end.

Falcon's Fire Golf Club is a Rees Jones/Greg Muirhead design that opened in 1993. Water is a key feature on the course, especially the back nine with holes thirteen through seventeen playing around two large lakes.

I had the first tee time of the day at 7:00 A.M. and was paired with two gentlemen from Chicago, Jim and Jordan. Jordan is a pharmacist for a large chain and we got into a very interesting discussion about CBD oil as a help in dealing with aches and pains. During the conversation, he admitted this is a totally new area for most pharmacists but also that his nationwide corporation was about to start selling a line of CBD oils.​

Falcon's Fire was in great shape and has a nice routing. This is one of the better courses I played on this trip. The greens fee was $49.

The Pro Shop has a good selection of merchandise and I rate it above average.

While not really in Kissimmee (it's actually in Celebration, FL), Celebration Golf Club is not far from it. The course is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Robert Trent Jones Jr. collaboration that opened in 1996. As a matter of fact, Celebration is the final course designed by the father/son team.

There is a great deal of water on this golf course. It comes into play on nearly every hole. Celebration has four sets of tees but also has two combo choices so there are six sets of rated tees. Two of the sets are rated for ladies.

I teed off as a single just before noon as the weather was still cooperating. As I finished the fifteenth hole, the skies darkened and I caught up with a single in front of me. We played the final three holes together amidst distant thunder and showers. 

Celebration Golf Club is a great track and you should make it a part of your itinerary when you visit Orlando. Celebration is an excellent value as I paid only $35. I did not visit the Pro Shop so I cannot provide any feedback.

I traveled 45 minutes northwest of Orlando to Howey-In-the-Hills, FL on Wednesday to play the highly rated Mission Inn Golf courses. One of the courses, El Campeon, is on the Florida Historic Golf Trail. I am a fan of golf trails. This particular trail is a program created by the Florida Division of Historical Resources to promote Florida's historic golf courses that are publicly accessible without restrictions. There are currently 53 courses on the trail and it looks like I've played four already by accident. Certainly, if I lived in Florida, this would be a trail I would try to complete.

I had quite a bit of trouble finding the Pro Shop at Mission Inn. Navigation wasn't much help once I arrived at the property. The resort consists of many residences plus two golf courses. I had the first tee time at 6:41 and as usual, was worried I'd miss my tee time. How silly of me. I got there just before my tee time and there was nobody around except the grounds crew and the cart attendants.

I played the newer of the two courses at Mission Inn first. Las Colinas was designed by Gary Koch and opened in 1992. Mission Hills' website describes Las Colinas (Spanish for "the hills") as follows: it is an "inland links design with generous, wide-open fairways, gentle rolling hills and large, undulating greens."

​I played as a single and found it to be a typical, somewhat flat Florida golf course. 

With such an early tee time, I caught up to the grounds crew on hole 15. But I was finished with the round by 9:30. With a tee time of 11:56 on the El Campeon course, I headed to the Pro Shop and was given approval to begin my second round. 

El Campeon (spanish for "the champion") is one of the South's oldest golf courses. It was designed by George O'Neil and opened for play in 1917. This golf course totally surprised me. I didn't expect elevation like I found here. There are elevation changes of more than 85 feet. The fairways are rolling and the greens quite undulating.

I stopped as I drove towards the first tee to read the signs that trumpeted the age of the course and the Florida Historic Golf Trail.

Having just played the Las Colinas course, I expected a track that was somewhat similar.

​Was I ever in for a surprise!

I loved El Campeon! I don't have any pictures of the signature hole, number seventeen, because I didn't expect such a surprise. It's a par 5 double dogleg and from the tee, a first time player would never know what is in store. Essentially, it's a long target golf hole that requires two good shots to set up a third shot over water to the green. It's a hole you play and then want to go back and play it again now that you know what's required.

I paid $40 to play Las Colinas and $49 to play El Campeon. What. A. Bargain. You need to make a trip to Mission Inn the next time you are in Orlando.

I spent just a little time in the Pro Shop and was not impressed.

I had heard friends talk about Orange County National and certainly wanted to experience this property. There are three courses at OCN: Panther Lake, Crooked Cat, and the nine hole walking course called The 
Tooth. The property was about a half hour from my hotel.

My tee time at Panther Lake was 6:27, the first of the day. Phil Ritson, David Harman, and Isao Aoki designed both eighteen hole courses at Orange County National. Panther Lake opened in 1997.

Here's the best thing about this property: there is not a single home in sight! This is truly unique for Florida golf courses.

Of the two regulation courses here, I liked Panther Lake the most. It has elevation changes of up to 60 feet. Fairways are generous and the greens putt like bent greens. I discovered this is due to the Champion Dwarf Bermuda Grass that was planted in 2011. Very nice.

I had to wait on the grounds crew quite a bit but the morning was so calm and quiet, I really didn't care. I completed the eighteenth hole two hours before my tee time on the Crooked Cat course.

The Crooked Cat course opened for play in 1998 and the greens were completely replanted with Bermuda Ultra Dwarf Turf Grass in 2012.

Crooked Cat has elevation changes, just not as significant as its sister course. The course has large rolling fairways and huge contoured greens. It has a linksy feel with native heather grasses and mounds that frame the fairways.

This is a course where you can take a "grip it and rip it" attitude off the tees as it is difficult to miss the fairway. Obviously, you may not have the perfect angle into the greens taking this approach but it is definitely a second shot course. 

Things became somewhat slow as I made the turn at Crooked Cat. I had caught up to a foursome. As I played the tenth hole, a pretty hard rain began but fortunately, it lasted just a hole. The skies were darkening again by the time I finished the round.

The Tooth is Orange County National's nine hole walking course. It has seven par 3 holes and two par 4 holes. A lake is in play on four of the holes.

This was the last Orlando area course I played. It became somewhat of a rush as I hurried to the course after a five hour round at Shingle Creek. I did not get to the property until after 7:30 PM and by the time I got to the course, the Pro Shop was closed. The bag staff was still working and they told me to just go play it.

So that's what I did.

The skies were overcast as I began my round so darkness would be setting in pretty quickly. The walk to the first tee from the parking lot is pretty long as is the walk from the ninth green back to the parking lot.

It takes no more than an hour to play The Tooth and I completed the round as the sun set.

From a value standpoint, Orange County National is excellent. Each 18 hole round cost $47.50 and because of my timing, The Tooth was free. Normal cost is $10. There is onsite lodging at Orange County National and guests can play The Tooth at no charge. The regulation courses were in very good shape; The Tooth was OK.

Orange County National has a huge Pro Shop that is well-stocked.

​You should put this resort on your list when you visit Orlando.

Southern Dunes was the course I had scheduled to play on Saturday morning but because of the closing of the Disney Palm course, I had to reschedule this course for Friday afternoon.

After completing my round at Disney's Magnolia course, I headed south towards Haines City and 45 minutes later, was at the course. My tee time was loosely scheduled for around 1:00. As it turned out, I was on the first tee at 1:15.

Southern Dunes was designed by Steve Smyers and opened in 1993. This is another part of Florida with rolling hills and elevation changes up to 100 feet. The greens are large and undulating and the bunkers are massive and high-lipped.

Play was slow as I was required to follow the Friday afternoon crowd. The course plays through an upscale housing addition and most of the holes are lined by homes.

The course has some exceptional holes. All the par threes play downhill. The par fives allow a margin for error off the tee. The course is well manicured.

Play was slow and the routing through the neighborhood was confusing to first time players.

​My round cost $45. I was served a fine chili dog as I waited in the restaurant. This is not a bad course and I would play it again but there are other courses in the area I would put higher on my list.

Shingle Creek opened for play in 2003 after a design by David Harman. In 2013, Thad Layton of Arnold Palmer Design Company completed a redesign.

My tee time was 1:19 and as it turned out, my group didn't tee off until an hour later after several false starts. There was some sort of a scramble tournament occupying the course and a queue of people waiting for that to finish so they could tee off. We were finally sent to the tenth tee before the starter changed his mind and sent us to the first tee.

I was paired with Colin Dobbyne from Cambridge, England, David from Provo, UT, and Ben and Dot (Ben's wife who rode along). Ben left after nine holes which gave David, Colin and I time to talk as we waited on the groups ahead.

Colin was a small business owner in the technology space and had flown in from England to make a presentation at a conference. After the conference, he went to the onsite Brad Brewer Golf Academy to work on his swing. This was his first round after his lesson. Let me tell you, Colin had a nice game. David was a dentist and he too was a pretty good player.

Shingle Creek does not have much elevation change but the designers did a nice job in contouring the land. Water comes into play on at least half the holes. The greens range in size from 3500 square feet to 9500 square feet and provide interest and challenge by the way of swales, nobs and pitch.

​This course could be awesome but on the day we played, there were additional changes being made on the back nine which shortened one hole by 200 yards. And play was sllooowwww. I don't want my review to be sullied by the delays before tee-off and slow play but it probably is.

I paid $45 for my round which I thought was quite fair. Shingle Creek has an award winning Pro Shop.

I left Orlando on a Sunday morning and traveled 85 miles southwest to Bowling Green, FL where I met friend Steve Ramp who traveled north from Cape Coral, FL. We had a 10:43 AM tee time at the Black Course, the third and newest of the courses at Streamsong Resort. We had played the Red and the Blue courses shortly after they opened in 2013.

The Black Course is a bit south of its sister courses and plays out of a different clubhouse. The entire property is 16,000 acres and the site of an old phosphate mining operation. The Black is a massive golf course and the entire 18 hole loop is over six miles.

The course is a Gil Hanse design that opened for play in 2017. Like its sister courses, it did not take long for the Black to gain accolades, entering Golf Digest's 2019 "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" list at number 32. That may be too low.

Let me say before I begin, the weather was not our ally on this Sunday. The horn blew as we finished the ninth hole and we sat in the clubhouse for over an hour before the rains subsided. After hitting our tee shots on hole 10, the rains came again and we never returned. So we have a nine hole rain check we will use in the future.

The Black Course plays fast! Its fairways are hard and closely mowed and you get a great deal of roll. The greens are also firm and MASSIVE! And they are very undulating. During my research, I read the total acreage of the 18 greens on the Black course is more than the total acreage of the 36 greens on the Red and Blue courses combined.

The front nine plays to a par of 36 with two par threes and two par fives. The back nine has three par fives and plays to a par of 37.

There is more elevation change than I expected for this relatively flat site. There is no way you can play the Black Course without a caddie until you have played it a few times. The second hole, a par 4, plays uphill to a green surface you can't see. The fifth hole, a medium length par 3 also plays to a green far above the tee which can't be seen. Of special note is a putting green you will certainly read about, the ninth hole's Punchbowl green. It sits above the fairway and is also blind to the golfer. A clever sign on the tee indicates where the pin is located that day.

You will find huge fairways on the Black Course and as a result, you will hit a lot of fairways. But you won't always have an ideal shot to the green unless you have taken the correct line. This is where your caddie comes in handy. You will face every kind of shot you can imagine. On just the front nine, you will face uphill and downhill shots, blind shots, easy greens to hit, greens that are impossible to hold, putts that are impossible to make, shallow bunkers, deep bunkers (even a Devil's Asshole on hole 6) and not much in the way of water.

 I am not usually a fan of blind shots but I must admit, this course is fun to play despite the blind shots. As a matter of fact, after only nine holes on the course, I think the Black Course may end up being my favorite of the three.

Obviously, ​I will have more to say about the Black Course when I have a chance to play the back nine.

​By the way, the greens fee was $89 with a caddie flat fee of $75. Tips are optional but most caddies do deserve a tip. Ours was very helpful. ​

After the rain chased us away from the Streamsong Resort, I drove a little over two hours through intermittent rain to my hotel in Ocala, FL where I would complete the golf portion of the trip with two rounds on Monday, the first at Juliette Falls and the second at Ocala National.

John Clark, a frequent golf partner of mine from Fort Wayne recommended I stop in Dunnellon, FL and play a favorite course of his, Juliette Falls, just 15 miles west of Ocala.

Designed by John Sanford, Juliette Falls opened in 2007 and is the focal point of this golf course community. The community has 540 golf home sites on 546 acres. Just adjacent to the community is Florida's fourth largest natural spring, Rainbow Springs, that produces more than 460 million gallons of crystal clear water daily.

The land is rolling and the course is dotted with native Oak Trees, many of which are over 100 years old.

Golf Advisor rates Juliette Falls the 4th Best "Underrated Golf Course" in Florida.

I had the first tee time of the day and was joined by two super seniors, K.E. and Jack, regulars who play the course six times a week. They played the forward tees and I chose the whites which play to 6269 yards.

WIth K.E. and Jack speeding up to the forward tees, I had a little trouble getting good unobstructed pictures of the course.

Juliette Falls was in decent shape with the exception of the Par 3 thirteenth hole. This is a beautiful hole called "The Falls" and surrounded by water beginning front center and wrapping around the left side of the green to back center. K.E. and Jack explained to me they have had trouble with flooding on this hole and as a result, the green was in poor shape. It is certainly the signature hole and I would have liked to take a picture of it.

I really enjoyed the course. It has a good blend of long, medium, and short par threes, par fours that demand both fades and draws off the tee, and reachable par fives.

​I paid $45 to play, a good late Spring bargain.

Ocala National was the last of my eighteen rounds on this nine day golf trip. I wish I had done a little better research as Ocala National was not the best choice for my last round.

The course was designed by Charles Pace and Lee Poppel and opened in 1964. Rees Jones and Steve Weisser did a complete redesign in 2003.

The course was the first private golf club in Marion County and is now offering tee times to the public. The course is surrounded by "majestic oaks and towering pines." It is set among rolling hills and surrounded by thoroughbred horse farms.

Like many Florida courses, this course is surrounded by homes.

I had a 1:00 tee time and the course was very crowded when I started. Ocala National has five sets of tees and two sets of combo tees that are rated. I waited on every shot and didn't leave the course until almost 5:30. Additionally, there was distant thunder as I got to the sixteenth tee and I was anxious to get on the road and complete a six hour drive to Prattville, AL where I would spend the night.

​I only paid $30 for the round so I probably shouldn't complain too much. But the course was rough around the edges and the property seemed a little dilapidated. I would not play it again. There are better options in the Ocala area.

I drove to the resort after my Sunday morning round at the May River course in Bluffton, SC. Because I arrived several hours before the 3:00 PM check-in time, I had time to tour the facilities. One of the first things I learned is that gentlemen are not allowed to wear hats anywhere inside The Lodge or Pro Shop.

I chose to stay at The Lodge during my visit because of its proximity to the golf courses and practice facilities. There are several other lodging options including The Cloister, Sea Island's original hotel, The Inn, six cottages close to The Lodge, and Broadfield, a Southern-style Sporting Club.

Very simply, everything at this resort is first class. The Lodge has rich wood, exposed beams and marble baths. And while relatively new, it is made to look like an older English-style manor. I appreciated the smaller scale, quaint experience as opposed to some of larger resorts I've experienced. One simple example is the ability to park the car right below my room near the check-in area.

​Additionally, the lodge overlooks the ocean and a mammoth 18 hole putting course designed by Davis Love III. The Pro Shop for the Seaside and Plantation courses is attached to the Lodge and it is within walking distance of the practice facilities and the two courses.

While there are many dining options at the resort, I chose to have a few IPA's in the Oak Room at The Lodge before checking into my room and later, experienced The Colt & Alison, a seaside steakhouse also at The Lodge. As you would expect, the dining experience was first class.

After dinner, I spent time on the 18 hole Putting Green before watching as a bagpiper walked up the path along the ocean near dusk.
 
Turn down service included warm chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk. How could anyone complain about that?!

Of course, my visit to Sea Island was necessitated by The Quest, my attempt to play all the courses that have ever had a spot on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list.

And the need to spend a night at the resort is a requirement to play golf at the resort.

Seaside is ranked 22 on the most recent list and has been as high as 16. It is ranked 33 on Golf Digest's most recent list.

Famous golf course architects Harry S. Colt and Charles Alison were the designers of Seaside's original nine holes in 1929. In 1999, Tom Fazio blended these original nine holes along with another original nine hole course, the Marshside, and delivered what Davis Love III described as "18 holes that didn't match into 18 matchless holes."

The golf course is a links style course that borders a large marsh adjacent to the sea. Its conditions were impeccable. The recent rains were nothing for this sand-based course.

There are two other courses at the resort. The Plantation Course (which was undergoing a redesign by the Love brothers during my visit) and The Retreat, redesigned by the Love brothers in 2001. The Plantation Course incorporates Walter Travis' original nine hole course which opened in 1928 and The Retreat was reconfigured on the site of the original St. Simons Island Club course.

Although I had the first tee time of the day, a twosome snuck out in front of me.They soon found out they would be pushed hard and allowed me to play through on hole 4. As is usual with a first tee time, I encountered many grounds crew workers and had no issue. I don't think they did either.

The front nine plays back towards the clubhouse in case golfers need to make a stop. The 13th green and 14th hole are really the only holes along the sea.

If nothing else, the slideshow depicts the flatness of the land, the prevalence of marshland, the gorgeous vistas, and its impeccable condition.

The Pro Shop at Sea Island is one of the best I have ever seen. It has a little of everything and its selection of hats and shirts is a golf tourist's dream. Needles to say, I got my money's worth there.

I had only one small issue during my entire stay. On the morning of my round, I received no direction from anyone at the facility and wasted time trying to find Seaside's first tee.

​That said, you will love this resort. It has everything for the golfer and the golfer's family.

The May River Golf Course at Palmetto Bluff has been on my radar for many years. Opened in 2004, this Jack Nicklaus Signature design made its debut on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list in 2006. It sits at number 52 on the current list. It is rated even higher on Golf Digest's "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" 2019 list at number 40.

The course is in Bluffton, SC, just west of Hilton Head Island along the May River in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. The drive to the golf course through the May River Forest is picturesque over winding roads lined by centuries old Live Oak trees.

While you may read that the golf course is private, it is actually open for play to guests of Montage Palmetto Bluff resort. Caddies are required.

​The course features tee boxes and fairways of Paspalum, the newest eco-friendly turf. And Mr. Nicklaus chose to fill his bunkers with sand from his home state of Ohio since the angular grains adhere better to sloped surfaces, holding up better to the coastal weather.

My drive through South Carolina from Indiana featured many powerful bursts of rain and I had some doubts about the course being open for play given the forecast for that Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Storms did move through during the night but by early morning, sunshine was plentiful.

Needless to say, the golf course was soaked and played long. While the grounds crew did a marvelous job draining the bunkers, the sand was hard and wet.

Taylor Sanders was my caddie and after a warm-up on the range and a few putts, I was first off at 8:30 as a single.

​There are many things I like about May River. One is the absence of paved cart paths. A second is the food at the Comfort Stations. On each nine is a cooler with water, apples, and hard-boiled eggs. A very nice touch. And finally, the practice area is large with a separate area for short game work at the back of the driving range.

I really like the creativity of May River's logo. My caddie, Taylor, pointed out that it is taken from the very large and very old Live Oak tree just short and to the left of the 18th green. As you can see in the picture, there is a Palm tree centered in front of the Live Oak. These trees are incorporated into the logo as can be seen above in the picture of May River's logo ball. Taylor made sure I took several photos of the trees from various angles.​​

Interestingly, I hooked my second shot on this par five hole under that very Live Oak tree.

There is no question this course deserves its accolades and lofty ranking on the Top 100 lists. I had a fabulous day and caddie Taylor, an accomplished player himself, really knew the course and was quite helpful.

One very minor quibble: the selection of merchandise in the Pro Shop is very average as compared to most courses as highly rated as May River.

​​​The 2020 Memorial Tournament began the next day, Thursday, May 30 in Dublin, Ohio at the Muirfield Village Golf Club

This was my second trip to the Memorial as I also attended the 1998 tournament.

As nearly every golfer knows, Muirfield Village Golf Club was designed by Columbus, Ohio native Jack Nicklaus and he is the tournament's host. Each year, the tournament honors a golf legend. The 2019 honoree was Judy Rankin, LPGA Hall of Famer and Golf Channel/NBC golf broadcaster.

John and I were guests of his financial adviser and we began the day at a home to the right side of the par 5 11th hole. We were not shy about partaking in the food and beverages provided by our hosts. Our goal was to walk the entire golf course and of course, make frequent stops to watch tournament play.

Now John has resided in the Columbus area for many years and as a local football, basketball and baseball official, knows a lot of people! As we made our way around the golf course, we stopped frequently to chat with friends of John and a few times, were invited to join parties at other homes.

And again, we were not shy about partaking in the offered beverages.​

After day one, Ryan Moore led the field after shooting a seven under par 65 with Jorndan Spieth one back after a six under 66. Five players were tied for third after rounds of five under par.

Ultimately, Patrick Cantlay won the tournament by two strokes, banking a cool $1.638 million with Adam Scott as the runner-up. Cantlay was the only player in the field to shoot four rounds in the 60's.

The Memorial Tournament has a history of poor weather. Luckily, John and I had temperatures in the low 80's, overcast skies with a threat of rain and very few sprinkles.

All in all, it was a good short trip. I got a closer look at The Ohio State University, watched John enjoy his sports officiating, walked the entire Muirfield Village Golf Course, watched many of today's great players and enjoyed cold beverages and excellent food. Perfect! 

I would say for first time visitors, it is not easy to find your way around the resort. I drove a bit in circles to find the bag drop area. And parking for the courses was a bit of a trek.

Arrival at the resort is at the top of the hill under a large covered area where resort employees await to assist with your luggage and vehicle. Check-in is quick and painless and you are presented with a resort map to aid you in making your way around the resort.

The resort is large with over 1000 rooms including 85 suites. I was placed in a fourth floor king room with all the amenities you'd expect from a high end resort. The room even had a porch overlooking a plaza with the resort's River Bluff Water Experience just to the right. I was extremely pleased.

Parking is in the parking lots below the resort and valet service is available.

There are five dining options and all are casual and laid back. They are located on the level below the lobby.

The Cibolo Moon is the resort's main restaurant and is open for breakfast at 6:30 and also lunch and dinner. The cuisine is Texas casual. My breakfast was served in this restaurant and a person could not ask for more as it was a complete breakfast bar with omelets to order, fresh fruit, all the staple breakfast eggs and meats and even a pastry station.

The High Velocity is an American grill with a sports bar menu. Most bar drinks are served and the grill has 24 local craft brews on tap.

The Rivertop Grill is across the outside patio at the waterpark serving San Antonio regional cuisine such as fish tacos, carne asada and carnitas made with fresh ingredients.

The Replenish Spa Bistro, located at the resort's Spa serves food and beverages intended to assist in relaxing the body and mind such as smoothies and after treatment lunches.

The Crooked Branch Lobby Bar serves American cuisine focusing on fresh products from the San Antonio region. I had a late afternoon meal here with several craft beers.

There is also a Starbuck's onsite and a Tequila Bar next to the Cibolo Moon.

As stated above, I played the AT&T Canyons Course upon arrival at the resort on Tuesday afternoon. The Canyons Course is a Pete Dye design. It is unlike any Dye course I have played and I never would have guessed it's his design. The course features extremely wide fairways and a great deal of elevation change. Various strains of Bermuda grasses carpet its ground. Water comes into play on only one hole, the par 3 fourth hole.

Although the course is ranked the 20th best public course in the state by Golf Magazine, I was quite disappointed with the conditioning of the course. As I made my way to the first tee, I spent a little time on the Canyons' practice green which was infested with poa annua grass making it impossible to gauge the green speeds. Many of the tees were pocked marked with deep divots.

There are five sets of tees ranging from 5053 yards to 7106 yards with a slope rating of 119 to 139. The front nine does not play back to the clubhouse and there is a halfway house with food and a comfort station.

All in all, the Canyons Course is a good warm-up for the Oaks Course.

​The Oaks Course is ranked 84th on Golf Digest's 2017 "America's Top 100 Greatest Public Courses" list and ranked the 6th best public course in the state by Golf Magazine. The course was designed by Greg Norman with assistance from Sergio Garcia.

The course is much flatter than its sister Canyons Course with only 100 feet of drop from the highest point to the lowest point of the property. The course winds through native oak trees and features bunkering with rugged edges. And the bunkers are deep! Only two holes have forced carries but just about every green is guarded by bunkering and elevated from the fairway.

One interesting design feature is that the downhill holes play into the prevailing wind and the uphill holes play downwind.

Finally, Norman placed a bunker right in the middle of the 16th green mimicking the 6th green at Riviera.

There are five sets of tees ranging from 5514 yards to 7435 yards with a slope rating of 123 to 145. The course is quite a bit more difficult than the Canyon Course. Bring your A game.

​I stayed at the resort on a Stay & Play package which included the room for one night, two rounds of golf (one at each course), complimentary drinks at the Crooked Branch Lobby Bar, and a full breakfast at the Cibolo Moon, the resort's main restaurant. Total cost, including the resort's $40 resort fee, was just a shade over $500.

​I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here and give it my full endorsement.

Formerly known as the TPC at The Woodlands and a public course, it is now a private course and known as the Tournament Course at The Woodlands Country Club. Opened in 1978, Bruce Devlin and Robert von Hagge were the course architects. The course was ranked 90th on Golf Magazine's very first "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list in 1996. ClubCorp purchased The Woodlands Country Club in 2015.

The Tournament Course was the longtime home of the Houston Open from 1985 to 2002, hosted the LPGA Tour's Samsung World Championship in 2003, and beginning in 2008, has hosted the PGA Champions Tour's Insperity Invitational.

I left Orange Beach, AL at 5:00 AM on Saturday, April 6 and drove just less than eight hours to The Woodlands to get ready for my 3:00 PM tee time. Unfortunately for me, my tee time was directly behind a group of 24 golfers in a Ryder Cup competition...and the booze was flowing freely! So I had a good bit of time for "on the course" practice as the traffic behind me was light and all eventually gave up. This was one of the first times on a course that I've heard the on course beverage cart employees complain about the sobriety of a group.

I have no complaints about the golf course. Crews were at the site erecting spectator seating for the Insperity Invitational which would be held May 3-5 so the tenth tee was shifted to protect the workers. The course was in excellent shape and greens were fast. I experienced a first on a golf course during this round. From 100 yards in, golfers were required to hit approach shots to the par 5 15th hole off movable mats in order to save the course from unnecessary scars four weeks prior to the tournament. Made lots of sense to me.

After a round of over five hours, I spent the night at a brand new Holiday Inn & Suites in Shenandoah, TX, a mere 4 miles from the course.

Several years ago, Randy Matthias, a member and shareholder of my home course Coyote Creek in Fort Wayne, IN moved to Austin, TX for employment reasons. This Sunday, I would finally achieve a goal of playing a round of golf with Randy in the Austin area before he moves back to The Fort.

But would Mother Nature cooperate?

The day dawned with electricity in the air and my two hour and fifteen minute drive to Wolfdancer Golf Club in Lost Pines, TX, due west and just south of Austin was going to be a very wet one. So wet that I even pulled off to the side of the road to wait out the torrential thunderstorms.

Randy had been warning the weather would be iffy and he was correct. When I arrived at Wolfdancer, it was raining hard and our 10:50 tee time was not going to happen. So Randy and I did what any upstanding golfer would do. We sat in the pub and drank beer until the course reopened.

Two hours later, we were on the first tee of a course that was drenched with a "Cart Paths Only" rule in effect.

Wolfdancer is a fabulous Arthur Hills designed golf course owned and operated by Hyatt Regency.

That is, the design is fabulous. The course is in TERRIBLE shape! Randy and I were very surprised. This course was ranked the #10 "Best Courses to Play" in Texas by Golfweek as recently as 2017. The greens fee is over $100. Hyatt obviously is not putting any money into course maintenance. The greens were shaggy, the aprons were overgrown with poa annua. The tees were unkept. And I will not allow an excuse of "bad weather" for the state of the golf course. What we saw was several years in the making.

​Although Randy and I had a great time playing the course together, there were so many better options had we known. And we are not going to blame our friend, Dan Meese, a former Austin resident for his lousy recommendation. He could not have known.

The course was in such bad shape I didn't even try to capture images for this blog. But I did see a nice hillside of bluebonnets, the state flower of Texas.

Randy and I left the course and I followed him to a great little burger joint in downtown Austin where we ended the day as all upstanding golfers would, drinking beer and eating bar food. Ha!

We said our goodbye's and Randy headed north to Leander and I headed south to my lodging for two nights, another Holiday Inn & Suites in San Antonio where I would play five rounds of golf the next three days.

I had a 7:20 tee time, the first of the day at The Quarry Golf Course in the Alamo Quarry Market area of San Antonio. The Quarry is ranked the 17th best public course in the state of Texas.

The course has two distinct nines. The front nine is a links style course with undulating greens, native grasses and a good amount of water. The back nine is set in an old limestone rock quarry pit.

Prior to being developed as a golf course, the land was the site of Cementville and the Alamo Quarry. The company on the site, Alamo Cement Company, produced Portland cement for buildings, roads, and structures throughout San Antonio. The company built the neighborhood called Cementville where the employees and their families lived. Still prominent to the west of the course are the 200 foot smokestacks that are reminders of the cement plant.

I neglected to write down the name of my partner for the day, a gentleman who was a member at the course and who served as a good guide as I played the course for the first time. It was a pretty uneventful round until the twelfth hole when we encountered the first skunk I have seen during a round of golf. We cautiously made our way to the green, staving off what could have been a trip ruining mishap.

By the time I walked off the course, the temperature was a splendid 80 degrees under a sunny sky.

I had been waiting for years to play The Palmer Course at La Cantera and was unable to work it into my course plan during my first three trips to Texas. I had the second tee time in the afternoon just after 2:00 following a morning event where the course had been unavailable for public play. So I had over two hours to kill before I could begin my round.

As I was sitting in a comfortable leather chair overlooking the 18th hole, I started thinking back to my final minutes at The Quarry and realized I had left a wind shirt and my putter cover in my cart. So much for time to kill. I quickly headed back to The Quarry and after a brief search in the cart storage area, I had my items and was back at La Cantera.

La Cantera Resort & Spa is one of the premier luxury resorts in San Antonio. In addition to golf (there is a second course called fittingly, The Resort Course), the resort overlooks Six Flags amusement park and offers fine dining and world class accommodations.

The Palmer Course was ranked as high as 48th on Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses You Can Play" list before dropping off in 2002. It is still ranked as the 8th best public course in Texas. The Arnold Palmer design features many uphill tee shots and just as many that are downhill. I am not normally a fan of blind tee shots but there were aiming stakes for every blind shot and I was not bothered by this feature.

There are five sets of tees ranging from 5684 to 6926 yards with a slope ranging from 116 to 142.

​​I really enjoyed the round and by the time I left the course, the temperature was in the low 90's. Ahhhhh. How I enjoy the hot weather!

I had the 7:15 tee time at Brackenridge Park on Tuesday morning and misjudged the traffic I would encounter as I drove to the course through the center of the city during rush hour. I arrived with less than ten minutes to spare, paid for the round and was on the first tee in a very ill-prepared state.

Brackenridge Park is the crown jewel of the Alamo City Golf Trail, a system of eight public golf courses. It was was opened in 1916 and is the work of famous golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast. Over the years, like many old public golf courses, it fell into a state of disrepair and many of Tillinghast's design features were lost. Fortunately, a 2008 redesign re-routed the course to Tillinghast's original layout. With a bigger budget came better course maintenance and today, the course is ranked the 19th best course in the state.

Additionally, the Texas Golf Hall of Fame is housed at the course.

If you follow me, you know I am a huge fan of the architects of old -- Donald Ross, Alister MacKenzie, C. B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor, George Thomas, William Bell, and of course, A. W. Tillinghast.

Tillinghast spent time in Scotland with Old Tom Morris and became a student of the game in addition to an excellent golfer. He is credited with over 260 designs and 24 of those designs have hosted major championships. He designed Pine Valley, Bethpage Black, Winged Foot, Philadelpia Cricket Club, Canterbury Golf Club, and San Francisco Golf Club to name a few.

He liked deep bunkers framing short par threes and double dogleg par 5's to test a player's accuracy. And he was a proponent of tee shots in which the best strategy brought danger into play but rewarded the successful shot. He loved trees and used them to define the proper line of play but never used them to encroach the front of greens. He wasn't into blind shots into greens and designed greens that sloped front to back with one of the sides higher than the other. And he did not use template holes like some of his contemporaries.

I was paired with Brad and Lisa, a couple from the Pacific Northwest vacationing in the southern US with a next stop of Scottsdale, AZ. We had the first tee time and played at a good pace.

The only annoying aspect of play was the condition of the greens. All the greens had been heavily sanded the previous day and with the dew of the early morning, were very slow as the ball was covered with a line of sand whenever it came to a stop. Early during the back nine the dew had dried, the greens were still slow, but the ball no longer picked up the sand.

One interesting note about the layout is the back nine begins with a par 3 hole and ends with a par 3 hole. There are four sets of tees and yardage ranges from 5543 to 6243 with a slope from 118 to 126. This is a very nice course that is not overly demanding.

If the other seven courses on the Alamo City Golf Trail are as fine as this, I can see a return trip to San Antonio.

​Like the previous day, the temperature rose throughout the day and we enjoyed a mid-80's temperature by the end of the round.

​Last, check out Brackenridge Park's logo ball above. It is one of the more unique logo balls I've seen.

Upon completing my round at the Canyons Course, I checked into the resort. You can find my review of the resort elsewhere on this site.

​I had the first tee time on the AT&T Oaks Course on Wednesday morning and as a result, my breakfast at the resort was a bit rushed. The restaurant opens at 6:30 AM and I needed to be out of there no later than 7:00. I checked out of my room and loaded my vehicle in plenty of time to be at the door of the restaurant when it opened.
​
I spent about 10 minutes on the driving range getting loose for the round and when I arrived at the first tee, was greeted by a twosome, one of whom very rudely announced they had the first tee time. Knowing they were making it up and that I had a seven hour drive facing me at the conclusion of the round, I pushed back and let them know I would be playing along, hoping I could move ahead of them pretty quickly as the round unfolded.

As we hit our tee shots, a fourth person arrived at the tee and we began the round as a foursome. Bob and James were the two characters in the twosome and the single was Tony Gill, a retired PGA Club Pro from Connecticut. Tony was at the resort with his wife, an executive with one of the New York banks attending a sales conference.

Let me just say Bob and James selected the wrong tees to play. At 6624 yards, it was way beyond their level of skill. This worked in my and Tony's favor as they sent us ahead before we finished the second hole.

So it would be smooth sailing.
​
The Oaks Course is ranked 84th on Golf Digest's 2017 "America's Top 100 Greatest Public Courses" list and ranked the 6th best public course in the state by Golf Magazine. The course was designed by Greg Norman with assistance from Sergio Garcia.

The course is much flatter than its sister Canyons course with only 100 feet of drop from the highest point to the lowest point of the property. The course winds through native oak trees and features bunkering with rugged edges. And the bunkers are deep! Only two holes have forced carries but just about every green is guarded by bunkering and elevated from the fairway.

One interesting design feature is that the downhill holes play into the prevailing wind and the uphill holes play downwind.

Finally, Norman placed a bunker right in the middle of the 16th green mimicking the 6th green at Riviera.

There are five sets of tees ranging from 5514 yards to 7435 yards with a slope rating of 123 to 145. The course is a bear to play. Cory Connors had just completed 72 holes three days earlier at 20 under par to win the Valero. And you're struggling to break 90! It is quite the wake-up call to understand the level of professional play compared to your own.

After finishing my last of seven rounds of golf in Texas, I was on the road, facing a seven hour drive through Austin, Waco, and Dallas. Amazingly, the drive came off without a hitch and traffic was not an issue.

I spent the night at a Baymont by Wyndham and was on the road the next morning before 4:00 AM, facing a drive of five hours to Blytheville, AR where I would play Thunder Bayou Golf Links, ranked the 5th best public course in the state of Arkansas.

I arrived a bit before 9:00 AM and was on the tee by 9:15. The sky was overcast and the wind was fierce! And I was one of a very few people on the course. I played through a foursome on the eighth tee and it was smooth sailing from there.

Thunder Bayou is a links style course with over 80 bunkers and water on seven of the holes. It has five sets of tees with yardage ranging from 4851 to 7232 with a slope of 120 to 143. The Bermuda fairways were just leaving their state of dormancy as the ground had not yet reached the temperature at which Bermuda grass begins to green up. The bent greens were firm and average in speed.

I know it was early in the season but you could see the course had lacked some TLC for awhile. See the two photos. The layout is outstanding...very enjoyable to play. Perhaps summertime with a good spurt of growing will cure the course's ills. 

I was off the course by 11:15 and began an eight hour, 533 mile drive home. For the day, I drove 860 miles in a little less than thirteen hours with a break at Thunder Bayou of two hours and fifteen minutes.

For the trip, I covered 3179 miles over ten days through Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, back through Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and finally back into Indiana.

And on the logo golf ball front, I was a perfect ten for ten.

And so another successful trip by the Logo Ball Traveler is in the books.

​Next up: Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina in June. 

Once I was settled into my room I headed back to the Pro Shop where I checked in for my round. ​

Old Waverly Golf Club is ranked 43rd on Golf Digest's 2017 "America's 100 Greatest Public Courses" list. It has been in my sights for several years but every time I attempted to schedule a round when I would be in the area, an event at the venue precluded me from playing. Now I was finally in West Point, MS.

Old Waverly has a massive practice area and I spent some time getting rid of the cob webs from four months of golf inactivity and the long drive.

The 2019 Women's US Amateur will be held at Old Waverly Golf Club from August 5 through 11 and that was a key reason I wanted to play the course in 2019. Old Waverly was designed by Jerry Pate and Bob Cupp and opened for play in 1988. Golf Digest rates Old Waverly as the number one golf course in Mississippi.

You will find gently rolling hills, tree-lined fairways, a good bit of water with risk/reward golf choices, complex green sites, and par threes that are not long but make you think.

There are four sets of tees ranging from 5244 yards to 7088 yards with slopes from 119 to 144.

In addition to the 2019 Women's Amateur, Old Waverly hosted the 1999 Women's US Open won by Julie Inkster.

This is a southern course where you will need to deal with the various strains of Bermuda grasses including the added variable of the grain on the greens.

​It was sunny with a temperature in the high 60's as I began my round.

I encountered only one other group on the course, a twosome which I caught on the 14th hole. I was in no hurry so I completed the round in a leisurely fashion.

It was early spring and the temperatures had not yet risen enough for the Bermuda grass to reach its peak color but all-in-all, the course was in excellent shape.

Since my round for the next morning at Mossy Oak was a mile away, I loaded my clubs, headed back to my room, showered and got ready to sample the resort's cuisine.

There are several dining options at Old Waverly but you need to be a guest at the resort on the correct days or with a reasonable outside temperature to take advantage.

The premier restaurant, the Magnolia Room is only open for diners on Friday and Saturday with a requirement of jackets for all gentlemen. Since this was a Tuesday, this dining option was not available.

Cameron's is a cigar/wine/liquor bar.

The Garden Room caters to the meetings crowd, is casual and reservations are required. It was not an option this Tuesday evening.

The Terrace is an outside option next to an open air fireplace. This also did not appear to be an option.

The English Garden is another outside option with an original smokehouse where various meats are prepared. I did not find this option available on this Tuesday evening.

Murphy's is located on the lower level of the clubhouse and that is where I ended up. It was a bit crowded and I was seated in what felt like a greenhouse that also served as a passageway from the kitchen to the main parts of Murphy's. Chairs were mismatched at the four tables, two tables on each side of the aisle and there wasn't a feeling of coziness.  It was "gourmet hamburger night" at Murphy's and the rest of the menu was essentially upscale bar food. I settled on a Chicken Strip basket which was ordinary and could have been ordered anywhere in West Point.

Disappointing is the only way to spin the dining options.​

Like Old Waverly, the temperatures had not yet risen enough for the Bermuda grass to reach its peak color. But I found the course to be in excellent shape.

Old Waverly is an excellent resort in just about every way except for onsite dining. You won't find two better and more different courses to play in this part of the south. From a cost standpoint, I played two stunning courses with a night's lodging for less than $500. I strongly encourage you to put this resort on your bucket list.