Modern Pin Locations

“In the past, we used to think that front hole locations were more difficult when they were protected by hazards,” he says. “But today, players hit the ball so high and they impart so much spin, getting the ball to those locations is not so difficult . . .

“Often, it is hole locations at the back or the corners of the greens that are most difficult because players want to fly the ball, even beyond the flag, and spin it back.

Source: Creating a new kind of championship course for the future | Golf Course Architecture

University of Michigan – My First Website – Archive

The following content is from my first website, which I created while at the University of Michigan . . . sometime in 2003 or 2004. They are taking the web hosting offline as of October 30, 2015, so I’m posting the content here to save it.

rogers_mountain

Climbing in Nevada between time at the poker tables.

From the page of the website titled, “GOLF THOUGHTS”:

I started golfing when I was nine years old. My dad took me to the local junior golf lesson camp and I was instantly hooked. The next year I played in a few nine hole tournaments, which was fun except for having to talk to the other kids in the group. Eventually, the interest grew into obsession and throughout high school I ate, breathed and played golf. Golf is more casual now, though I plan to play in a few tournaments this upcoming summer.
Continue reading University of Michigan – My First Website – Archive

Valley High C. C.

I had the pleasure of playing the Valley High C. C. on this beautiful 71° sunny October Sunday. Ed and Tyler had played before, but Brandon and I we’re seeing the unique 9-hole golf course for the first time. We played once to record individual scores (35 for me) and again for scramble scores (25 for team Brandon & Chris; 24 for team Ed & Tyler … the champs!). Even after one round I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge on where not to go. Great fun! Here are some pictures.

Actual yardage, 123 yards. Below, looking from the first tee to green.

Hole 4 tee shot, 49 yards. A fat half sand wedge works well. Next is a shot from over the green. The penalty for going long is a second shot much longer than the tee shot.

Beautiful view of Lake Michigan. If you look closely, you can see Gull Island and the stone fireplace ruins of the old Ustick house where many cherry pies were baked in the late 1930s. Here’s a link to the full story.

Above, Ed and Brandon putting on the 6th green. I’m wearing my souvenir hat.

Looking across the 8th green, down to the 9th green. Clubhouse behind; range to the right.

The Devils Dive 5k

Lindsey and I ran the Devil’s Dive 5k on Old Mission Peninsula this morning. I finished in 32 minutes; she, just under 38. It was a beautiful, cool, windy morning. The views of West Bay were a treat and almost completely distracted me from the  tough uphill finish.

Sleeping Bear 5k

We woke and bundled the boys early this morning and shipped off to Empire Beach, Empire, MI. It was cold and windy when we arrived. Lindsey ran the 5k race while I played in the sand with Harvey and used Carson (“The Furnace”) to keep me warm. Before Lindsey returned, we sought the comfort of the Escape and then lined up to greet Lindsey as she beat her goal and crossed the finish line in under 40 minutes! After a warm-up breakfast at the Good Harbor Grill in Glen Arbor, we picked up donuts and apples at Gallagher’s Farm Market on M-72 and headed home. Fun morning!