This is the day that brought my westward movement on Route 66 to a close and I began the long journey home. I was up early and made the short drive to Annandale Golf Club. What a fabulous course! After an enjoyable (but quick) round, I started a relatively short (25 miles) but stop and go trip down Route 66 to Santa Monica Pier. What traffic! I met friend George Kubach at the pier and after some obligatory pictures, had a nice lunch and began the long trip home, arriving Sunday morning.
The Simple Plaque at Annandale Golf Club Annandale Golf Club is an ultra-private golf club in Pasadena, CA. It was established in 1906 by several well-healed industry magnates including George S. Patton, Sr., father of the famous Army general. Members included people with well known names (Gamble, Kellogg, Weyerhaeuser...all household names to this day) who wanted to escape the winter weather of the Midwest. Paul Runyan, two-time winner of the PGA Championship and member of the Golf Hall of Fame was the club's pro in the 1950's.
As I headed up the drive to turn into the club, the only sign was a bronze plaque still spotlighted in the minutes before sunrise.
As I headed up the drive to turn into the club, the only sign was a bronze plaque still spotlighted in the minutes before sunrise.
As I tuned the corner, I saw what was in store for me. So easy on the eyes! The course borders California 134 Freeway but large vegetation eliminates the sounds and sight of the road.
Without question, Annandale was the crown jewel of all the courses I played on the trip.
I spent a little time trying to determine the lay of the land. All golfers have experienced the unfamiliarity of a club visited for the first time. There may be a member clubhouse separate from the Golf Shop with access to tennis, swimming, or dining. Or they may be attached. There may be several parking areas.
At Annandale, the Golf Shop sits below the aforementioned with a separate parking area above.
After parking, I made my way down to the just opened Golf Shop and spoke with Luis who was getting carts ready for member play. He gave me further directions and soon, I was in the Golf Shop speaking with Mark Somers, one of the Assistant Pro's.
Mark could not have been nicer! We spoke a little about my adventure and he was truly taken aback with what I was in the process of concluding.
Annadale had a large supply of logo balls so the final count for the trip is a disappointing twenty-eight for forty-three.
I must say, there was not a hint of attitude in any person I encountered during my three plus hours at the club. That is not always the case at such prestigious venues.
With a 7:00 tee time, I had time to warm up at the Annandale Driving Range and Putting Green before heading to the first tee. Starter Eduardo gave me a pin sheet for the day's pin positions and I was off.
The first hole was made for my swing, right to left uphill but was followed by its opposite, left to right but also uphill.
Without question, Annandale was the crown jewel of all the courses I played on the trip.
I spent a little time trying to determine the lay of the land. All golfers have experienced the unfamiliarity of a club visited for the first time. There may be a member clubhouse separate from the Golf Shop with access to tennis, swimming, or dining. Or they may be attached. There may be several parking areas.
At Annandale, the Golf Shop sits below the aforementioned with a separate parking area above.
After parking, I made my way down to the just opened Golf Shop and spoke with Luis who was getting carts ready for member play. He gave me further directions and soon, I was in the Golf Shop speaking with Mark Somers, one of the Assistant Pro's.
Mark could not have been nicer! We spoke a little about my adventure and he was truly taken aback with what I was in the process of concluding.
Annadale had a large supply of logo balls so the final count for the trip is a disappointing twenty-eight for forty-three.
I must say, there was not a hint of attitude in any person I encountered during my three plus hours at the club. That is not always the case at such prestigious venues.
With a 7:00 tee time, I had time to warm up at the Annandale Driving Range and Putting Green before heading to the first tee. Starter Eduardo gave me a pin sheet for the day's pin positions and I was off.
The first hole was made for my swing, right to left uphill but was followed by its opposite, left to right but also uphill.
 The Uphill Dogleg Left 1st Hole at Annandale |  The Uphill Dogleg Right 2nd Hole at Annandale |
As the first golfer on the course, I encountered many maintenance employees readying the course for the day's play. One of the things that became obvious right away was the inaccuracy of the pin sheet. I'm not sure where the foul up occurred but I simply played yardage to the middle of each green. That really works folks!
 The Short Uphill 8th Hole at Annandale |  The Downhill Par 3 9th Hole at Annandale |
As I made my way to the back nine, I encountered something I never like to see so early in the morning. A twosome had teed off on the back nine. I caught them on the 13th hole but the ladies graciously waived me through on Annandale's signature hole, the 14th cut through a natural funnel running left to right and slightly uphill.
 Annandale's Signature Hole, the 14th |  The Downhill 16th Hole at Annandale |
Annandale had a great deal of elevation change and its 16th hole, a 431 yard beauty drops way downhill making booming drives and short approach shots possible. I don't often mention my successes or failures on the course but I did just that with only a lob wedge left into the green (which I promptly chunked).
I finished the round, stopped back in the Pro Shop to thank Mark Somers for the opportunity to play and was off to the Santa Monica Pier, still wondering if a second opportunity to play the Los Angeles Country Club would come to fruition.
I finished the round, stopped back in the Pro Shop to thank Mark Somers for the opportunity to play and was off to the Santa Monica Pier, still wondering if a second opportunity to play the Los Angeles Country Club would come to fruition.
As I struggled with the Southern California traffic and watched the sights, a text came from friend Scot Alexander that the afternoon round did not work out.
Not a problem! Although the Los Angeles Country Club is one of the top rated venues in the world (currently rated 30th on Golf Magazine's courses in the world), I had played it two years earlier and had already obtained that checkmark.
Not a problem! Although the Los Angeles Country Club is one of the top rated venues in the world (currently rated 30th on Golf Magazine's courses in the world), I had played it two years earlier and had already obtained that checkmark.
The Clubhouse at the Los Angeles Country Club The Los Angeles Country Club was founded in 1897 and sits right in the heart of Beverly Hills. The current clubhouse, formerly the Club at Beverly Hills, officially opened in 1911 and has served as the club's home ever since. The North Course was designed by George C. Thomas, Jr. in 1921, extensively renovated by John Harbottle in 1996, and finally, in 2010, was reopened after the completion of a five year project to restore Thomas' original masterpiece by the Hanse Design Team.
You might think that any golf course in this area would be relatively flat. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Los Angeles Country Club is quite hilly and the elevation changes are a key part of the course's design.
You might think that any golf course in this area would be relatively flat. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Los Angeles Country Club is quite hilly and the elevation changes are a key part of the course's design.
 Lionel Ritchie's Home Overlooking the 4th Hole |  The 13th Green with the Playboy Mansion Behind the Shrubbery |
The fourth hole is a pretty downhill par 3 protected by a deep bunker short right. Off to the right of the hole and well above the hole is the considerable home of Lionel Ritchie. Apparently, "Three Times a Lady" was a bit more lucrative than I thought.
The thirteenth hole is a lengthy par 4 protected by six bunkers. The Playboy Mansion sits right behind the green, protected from view by a significant stand of tall shrubs. The mansion of Barbie Benton, former Hugh Hefner girlfriend and mother of some of his children sits to the left of the green.
I have great memories of playing the course and am looking forward to seeing how the greatest players in the world navigate the property as it is the site of the 2023 US Open. It is one of the more difficult tracks I have played.
The thirteenth hole is a lengthy par 4 protected by six bunkers. The Playboy Mansion sits right behind the green, protected from view by a significant stand of tall shrubs. The mansion of Barbie Benton, former Hugh Hefner girlfriend and mother of some of his children sits to the left of the green.
I have great memories of playing the course and am looking forward to seeing how the greatest players in the world navigate the property as it is the site of the 2023 US Open. It is one of the more difficult tracks I have played.
So now I was getting excited. I would soon be at the western terminus of the Mother Road, the Will Rogers Highway, good old Route 66.
As I neared Santa Monica, the traffic, both vehicles and people was overwhelming and it was difficult to determine where to turn for parking at Santa Monica Beach. After a spin around several blocks (not a quick spin), I decided to park at the first place I could find near the pier and ended up at a bank parking lot where my car was valeted. I had visions of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (one of my favorite movies) where friend Cameron is talked into taking his father's prized 1961 Ferrari into Chicago for the day by Ferris. They left the car with two parking attendants who promptly took it on a joyride without their knowledge.
I was only a block from the pier and walked toward the terminus in the middle of the pier to meet friend George Kubach. George had driven his classic Mercury Cougar XR7 for the meeting.
As I neared Santa Monica, the traffic, both vehicles and people was overwhelming and it was difficult to determine where to turn for parking at Santa Monica Beach. After a spin around several blocks (not a quick spin), I decided to park at the first place I could find near the pier and ended up at a bank parking lot where my car was valeted. I had visions of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (one of my favorite movies) where friend Cameron is talked into taking his father's prized 1961 Ferrari into Chicago for the day by Ferris. They left the car with two parking attendants who promptly took it on a joyride without their knowledge.
I was only a block from the pier and walked toward the terminus in the middle of the pier to meet friend George Kubach. George had driven his classic Mercury Cougar XR7 for the meeting.
 Pacific Park, a Family Amusement Park |  Looking Back at the Beach from Santa Monica Pier |
As I waited for George, I took in all the sights.
Pacific Park has a state-of-the-art solar paneled Ferris wheel. It has an old carousel, an aquarium, a video arcade, many shops, sidewalk entertainers and fishing at the end of the pier. And don't forget a beautiful Pacific Ocean beach.
It was lunchtime and the pier was extremely crowded. I walked up and down and eventually saw the End of the Road Souvenir Stand (it wasn't the only souvenir place).
Pacific Park has a state-of-the-art solar paneled Ferris wheel. It has an old carousel, an aquarium, a video arcade, many shops, sidewalk entertainers and fishing at the end of the pier. And don't forget a beautiful Pacific Ocean beach.
It was lunchtime and the pier was extremely crowded. I walked up and down and eventually saw the End of the Road Souvenir Stand (it wasn't the only souvenir place).
 There are many places to eat on the pier and I'm sure if I was a frequent visitor, one of my staples would be the Route 66 Pier Burger, the "Last Burger on Land." I took many pictures and can't do the place justice. The weather was absolutely gorgeous...perfect for the beach, perfect for cruising the pier, perfect for just about anything. |  Route 66 Souvenir Stand |
I Made It! Midway to the end of the pier is one of the famous Route 66 Landmarks, the "End of the Trail" sign. Many people were posing under the sign but I am not sure they had just traveled the entire Mother Road in a 1966 Mustang while playing every Route 66 golf course along the way.
I could be wrong.
I asked a stranger to take a picture of me under the sign and a few minutes later, got a text from George that he had arrived.
We met near the beginning of the pier (he had been able to park at the pier just before the "lot full" sign went up). We immediately walked to his XR7 while we discussed my journey and where we would have a celebratory drink.
Forrest Gump in the movie of the same name (also one of my favorites) ends his coast-to-coast three and a half year run across the country at this pier. Fittingly, there is a Bubba Gump Restaurant and that is exactly where George and I decided to bring my journey to an end.
Right before we walked to the restaurant, I asked George to take a few pictures of me under the terminus sign (just to make sure I had that moment captured on film).
We sat at the bar next to William Spencer who regaled us with tales of his broker and the residence he had just purchased in the Pebble Beach area with his chunk of some inherited money. We of course let him know what we thought of the fees charged by brokers. And I had to tell him the story of the broker who was trying to impress a prospective client by showing him around the bay where he stored his yacht. The client then asked a great question: "Where are your clients' yachts?"
I could be wrong.
I asked a stranger to take a picture of me under the sign and a few minutes later, got a text from George that he had arrived.
We met near the beginning of the pier (he had been able to park at the pier just before the "lot full" sign went up). We immediately walked to his XR7 while we discussed my journey and where we would have a celebratory drink.
Forrest Gump in the movie of the same name (also one of my favorites) ends his coast-to-coast three and a half year run across the country at this pier. Fittingly, there is a Bubba Gump Restaurant and that is exactly where George and I decided to bring my journey to an end.
Right before we walked to the restaurant, I asked George to take a few pictures of me under the terminus sign (just to make sure I had that moment captured on film).
We sat at the bar next to William Spencer who regaled us with tales of his broker and the residence he had just purchased in the Pebble Beach area with his chunk of some inherited money. We of course let him know what we thought of the fees charged by brokers. And I had to tell him the story of the broker who was trying to impress a prospective client by showing him around the bay where he stored his yacht. The client then asked a great question: "Where are your clients' yachts?"
 A (Really Bad) Selfie of Gus Gutoskey and George Kubach at Bubba Gump's |  William Spencer, Our Fellow Bar-Mate |
And that was it!
George walked with me to the bank where I parked and the Mustang was in the very first spot, right off the sidewalk in full view. What a sight! We said our good-byes and I immediately headed East toward Indiana. My goal was Mesquite, NV, 365 miles northeast, where I hoped to spend the night.
I averaged about 35 MPH for the initial 60 miles before finding the open road on I-15. I began noticing roadside information signs announcing an accident at Cima Road with traffic backed up for 20 miles and a two and a half hour delay. There had been a fatality when two semis collided and hazardous material was spilled.
I was driving in the desert at the time and the mercury showed 111 degrees in Baker, CA where I stopped for gas. Knowing I couldn't afford stop and go driving due to the likelihood of vapor lock in my fuel line, I determined I could get around the back-up by driving 34 miles southeast and then 34 miles northeast using desert backroads to avoid the accident scene.
And that's just what I did. I drove 68 miles out of the way to cover the 26 miles of I-15 with no delay. I wasn't alone on that road.
As I made my way through downtown Las Vegas on I-15, I noticed tremendous lightning strikes in the eastern skies and soon, the wind picked up the rains came and I drove the final 82 miles in a deluge to Mesquite, finally arriving at the hotel at 10:30 P.M., nearly nine hours after I left Santa Monica Pier. I barely averaged 40 MPH for the day!
On Thursday, I drove 740 miles through the Colorado Rockies to Colorado Springs to visit family. The mountain piece of the trip was harrowing, driven in significant rain, up the 10,666 ft. elevation of the Vail Pass and then up to the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft. in elevation. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and the highest point on our Interstate Highway System. The Mustang struggled up these significant climbs, often following the flashing lights of semis also moving slowly up the mountain.
After a day of R&R, I drove 930 miles on Saturday, spending the night in Effingham, IL before making the final 280 mile, four hour drive to Fort Wayne.
What a trip! The Mustang gave me 5500 miles of nearly flawless performance, I was able to play the 43 golf courses of Route 66 in 19 days, made many new friends, and captured memories on which I'll look back for the rest of my time.
As The Logo Ball Traveler, I have never experienced a trip where more golf courses did not have logo balls in supply. Beginning the trip, I lacked only 10 logo balls for the 955 courses I had played, almost a 99% success rate. The success rate on this trip was only 65% and the number of courses on the Logo Ball Hall of Shame went from 10 to 25!
But it's still good to be home.
George walked with me to the bank where I parked and the Mustang was in the very first spot, right off the sidewalk in full view. What a sight! We said our good-byes and I immediately headed East toward Indiana. My goal was Mesquite, NV, 365 miles northeast, where I hoped to spend the night.
I averaged about 35 MPH for the initial 60 miles before finding the open road on I-15. I began noticing roadside information signs announcing an accident at Cima Road with traffic backed up for 20 miles and a two and a half hour delay. There had been a fatality when two semis collided and hazardous material was spilled.
I was driving in the desert at the time and the mercury showed 111 degrees in Baker, CA where I stopped for gas. Knowing I couldn't afford stop and go driving due to the likelihood of vapor lock in my fuel line, I determined I could get around the back-up by driving 34 miles southeast and then 34 miles northeast using desert backroads to avoid the accident scene.
And that's just what I did. I drove 68 miles out of the way to cover the 26 miles of I-15 with no delay. I wasn't alone on that road.
As I made my way through downtown Las Vegas on I-15, I noticed tremendous lightning strikes in the eastern skies and soon, the wind picked up the rains came and I drove the final 82 miles in a deluge to Mesquite, finally arriving at the hotel at 10:30 P.M., nearly nine hours after I left Santa Monica Pier. I barely averaged 40 MPH for the day!
On Thursday, I drove 740 miles through the Colorado Rockies to Colorado Springs to visit family. The mountain piece of the trip was harrowing, driven in significant rain, up the 10,666 ft. elevation of the Vail Pass and then up to the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,158 ft. in elevation. The Eisenhower Tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel and the highest point on our Interstate Highway System. The Mustang struggled up these significant climbs, often following the flashing lights of semis also moving slowly up the mountain.
After a day of R&R, I drove 930 miles on Saturday, spending the night in Effingham, IL before making the final 280 mile, four hour drive to Fort Wayne.
What a trip! The Mustang gave me 5500 miles of nearly flawless performance, I was able to play the 43 golf courses of Route 66 in 19 days, made many new friends, and captured memories on which I'll look back for the rest of my time.
As The Logo Ball Traveler, I have never experienced a trip where more golf courses did not have logo balls in supply. Beginning the trip, I lacked only 10 logo balls for the 955 courses I had played, almost a 99% success rate. The success rate on this trip was only 65% and the number of courses on the Logo Ball Hall of Shame went from 10 to 25!
But it's still good to be home.
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