Cruden Bay Golf Club

At several of the top 100 courses I have played, I've been disappointed upon seeing the course for the first time. St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Hoylake fit into this category. Not to say they are bad courses, quite the contrary, but when you first look at them they look flat and dull.

The anthesis of this is Cruden Bay (ranked # 76 in the world). When you drive into the parking lot for the first time you are simply stunned. Below you in a valley is set a collection of massive sand dunes. Among the dunes weaves a golf course bordering on the North Sea. Not any golf course, but a golf course that you will probably have more fun on than any other course you've ever played. Cruden Bay is located along the Aberdeen coast of Scotland about two hours drive north of Carnoustie. If there was ever an apt description of the term hidden gem, then Cruden Bay is it. The golf writer James Finegan says of Cruden Bay: "Outsized, non conformist, unpredictable and flamboyant".

In the world of golf there are much stearner tests such as Carnoustie, Oakmont and Olympic. Muirfield, Merion and Shinnecock are more historic. Turnberry, Pebble Beach and Kingsbarns are more scenic. But for pure fun, Cruden Bay cannot be beat. The course defies being pigeonholed. So far I have developed some broad classifications that courses have fit into as I'm playing the top 100:

1. International/National membership courses - Pine Valley, Loch Lomond, Cypress Point and the ultimate: Augusta. These clubs transcend their geography.

2. Historic courses - Merion, Chicago, The National, Lahinch

3. Championship courses - Generally all the courses on the British and U.S. Open rotations

4. The ultra-wealthy and low-key clubs - Maidstone and Fishers Island

5. The heathland courses - Ganton, Sunningdale, Wentworth, Woodhall, Walton Heath

6. The new school - Kingsbarns, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Dunes

7. Those that honor greats in the game - Muirfield Village (Nicklaus), Colonial (Hogan), Pinehurst (Ross), East Lake and Peachtree (Bobby Jones)

8. Pete Dye Courses

9. Courses designed by legendary designers - Quaker Ridge, Prarie Dunes, Camargo, Southern Hills

10. Courses designed by Alister Mackenzie

Cruden Bay doesn't fit neatly into any category. It is a truly unique location and a one of a kind golf course. Golf at its simplest is a game. Over time, you can lose sight of that as you get more competitive in matches; try to beat your personal best; try to tinker with your game or perfect your swing.

I found Cruden Bay to be a refreshing and enlightening experience. The point of golf after all is to have fun and enjoy yourself. Cruden Bay would be ranked #1 in the world if you used this as your only measurement criteria. It makes you see golf like through the eyes of a five year old. If you haven't been around a five year old lately I'll remind you: everything is exciting; there is a sense of discovery around every corner; life is good and full of promise.



I've spoken to a lot of well traveled golfers and it's no surprise to me that almost all of them rank Cruden Bay among their personal favorite courses. To be sure, Cruden Bay is quirky. There are a lot of blind shots; there are back to back par threes; some really short par 4's including one that is 258 (the 8th hole plays uphill); the course is only 6,300 yards long. You hit out of valleys up onto the tops of hills and then down into them. There are times when the Cruden Bay landscape almost seems lunar and surreal. On the 10th tee box if you look north over the beach and ocean you can see the ruins of a castle. Slains Castle provided the inspiration to Bram Stoker when he wrote Dracula. It is all truly unique and brilliant fun!

The course is located in a rather isolated location away from any real population center and as a result the members serve as caddies for visitors. The are a very welcoming and friendly group who are happy to share their wonder of the golfing world with visitors. As an added bonus I recommend staying at the Udny Arms located in nearby Newburgh. A family owned B and B, it is cozy and inviting. Being isolated you might assume they would serve basic meat and potatoes fare. In fact, the food is world class. The bar areas are cigar friendly and the wait staff makes you feel at home. Don't expect American size rooms or 200 channels of cable television. As is typical in Britain the amenities are basic, the showers are tiny but there is a facility to make a cup of tea in each room. It is one of my favorite places to stay in the world.

The first time I saw Cruden Bay was on a golf trip with eight of us touring Scotland. This was prior to my now obsessive quest to play the top 100. We were so enamored with the place that on the spot we changed our plans to stay an extra day so we could play the course over and over again. On every trip to Scotland I try to play Cruden Bay.

Cruden Bay's home page:

Cruden Bay Golf Club

Riviera - My Great Expectations

The boyz of the PGA are playing in my 'hood this weekend for the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club in beautiful Pacific Palisades, CA. Opened in 1926, the course is well-known for the dominance of Ben Hogan. Over a span of 16 months, Hogan won 3 tournaments at Riviera. He won the 1947 L.A. Open, the 1948 L.A. Open and the 1948 U.S. Open. As a result, Riviera is also called "Hogan's Alley." Other notable winners at Riviera include Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Nick Faldo, and Ernie Els. But Riviera is also known for it's "Hollywood" club members. Some of those include Glen Campbell, Dean Martin, and Gregory Peck.

With all of this rich history, Riviera is considered a legendary golf course. This is especially true amongst LA-area golfers. It is one of the local courses that all LA golfers would die to play, but the majority can't because it's a private golf club. Luckily, I had the rare opportunity to play Riviera as a guest 2 summers ago.

I had circled the date of my Riviera tee time on my calendar weeks in advance like it was a major milestone in my life. The course already occupied a special place in my heart because it was the site of the first professional golf tournament that I attended as a spectator. Watching the pros play Riviera in person was one of the main reasons that I took up the game seriously. Needless to say, my expectations to actually play the course were astronomical.

But like that blockbuster movie that you've been dying to see for months, my expectations for Riviera grew to such lofty heights that only golf nirvana would have satisfied them. My actual round got off to a bad start when I learned on the famous 75-foot elevated tee of the opening hole that it's green was under repair. So the first green that I played at Riviera was a chalk outline in the fairway!

I knew that my round was bound to improve, but somehow it just didn't improve enough. I just couldn't help but think throughout my round that Riviera was like a really nicely manicured $25 green fee LA muni. I realize that it's sacrilege to write that, but that's truly how I felt and still feel to this day. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice course, but not one that blew me away.

I realize that my grossly over-inflated expectations ruined my Riviera golf experience. Since that time, I try to play all new golf courses with an open mind. I don't try to read up too much about a new course or ask people for their opinions. I've learned that, like many things in life, golf is usually best enjoyed free of hype and expectations. Remember this the next time you're invited to play Augusta National!

A Tip for Playing Golf from the Tips

Playing golf is fraught with mega-annoyances. One of the biggest is when high-handicap hackers feel the macho need to play from the longest tees, otherwise known as the "tips."

Isn't golf hard enough? I just don't understand why so many golfers want to make the game needlessly harder than it has to be. It's fine to be a sadomasochist on the golf course, but don't bring your pain to others. That's exactly what happens when hacks play from the "tips." It slows the pace of play down to a crawl. Even Ben Crane would be miffed.

I endured an especially trying round once when the foursome in front of me all played from the "tips." After the first 3 tee shots traveled a total of 100 yards at most, I rolled my eyes knowing that these clowns were going to make me late for my haircut appointment. As I was tapping my barber's number into my cell phone, a small sonic boom interrupted my call. It came from the driver of the 4th guy. He smashed his drive well over 280 into the fairway.

Over the next several holes, it became apparent that the foursome in front of us was comprised of the Italian Tiger Woods ("ITW") and the 3 Stooges. The handicap difference between the ITW and the best Stooge must have been at least 25 strokes. While I was irked that there were 3 hacks playing from the "tips," I was more annoyed at the ITW. Of all the people on the golf course, the ITW should know that his playing partners shouldn't be playing from those tees. It was obvious that they all knew each other, so there's no reason why the ITW couldn't have told them to play from the shorter tees.

The more I thought about it, the more I became incensed. I realized that the 3 Stooges probably didn't know any better. They were so bad, they must have just started to learn the game. In such a case, it's the more experienced golfer's responsibility to teach proper golf etiquette to the novices. The ITW knew that their foursome would be holding up play and he just didn't care. In addition, the ITW made the game less enjoyable for his partners because of the additional difficulty. But even worse, the 3 Stooges will believe that they should play from the "tips" every time, perpetuating the problem.

If you're not sure which tees are appropriate for your skill level, for the sake of mankind (or at least the golfers who play after you), please ask the starter. If one isn't available, most score cards indicate the handicap range appropriate for each tee position. I'd write more, but I'm just too friggin' upset right now to continue...

Merion - The Vatican of Golf

Most major cities have their well healed suburbs - in New York Greenwich and Darien. In Chicago, the communities along the North Shore of Lake Michigan. In Philadelphia, the affluent leafy suburbs are known as The Main line. Named after the train line west of the city, the Main Line is old world, understated and rich. Merion is located in the heart of Philadelphia's Main Line and plays the part well. The land the course and clubhouse are on trace their title back to William Penn.

Memory is not one of my strengths. One minute after meeting someone I don't remember their name. Many times I have had to look at the bag tag of the member I'm playing with every three holes to remember his name and not make a complete fool of myself. And, I have gotten very good at not saying names. "Nice shot" instead of "Nice Shot, Dave", in case his name is in fact Bob.

There is, however a part of my memory that works very well when it sees greatness. I have found that the mark of a truly great course is how well you remember it both immediately after a round and six months later. Using this measure Merion is a truly great course. After playing it once I could describe every hole in detail. The shape, terrain, bunkers, doglegs, green contours, etc. At Pebble Beach you sort of feel compelled to like the course because it is so pretty and everybody raves about. But, if you're being honest with yourself, aside from the 18th hole, can you visually remember all 18 holes at Pebble? I'll bet you can't. Merion is seared into my memory. So far this has happened to me on only three courses in the world: Merion, The National Golf Links of America and Cruden Bay.

What makes Merion so memorable? It is the ultimate strategic golf course. It is not a terribly long course. First, you have to hit the fairways or it will be a long day. Second, you have to be on the correct side of the fairway in order to have a decent shot at the green. And finally, you have to be on the correct part of the green or you're in three putt territory. On every green. Also, the shot variety is really good as are the changes in direction, doglegs and uphill/downhill shots. No monotomy here. As if the golf course itself is not good enough (and it is) you also have the grandeur and majesty of the clubhouse and the Bobby Jones history. When you play the 11th hole, where Jones won the Grand Slam, you have chills up and down your spine. I have, on the half dozen times I've been fortunate enough to play.



If there was ever a course that new equipment has destroyed it is Merion. It is too bad that the U.S.G.A and R. & A. have let the situation get out of hand and length is now the primary driver of competitive golf. It would be a shame if this course is lost from major competition forever. I consider Merion to be the spirtual home of golf in the U.S. due to its greatness, its history, its association with Bobby Jones and the architecture of the course and the clubhouse.

This is the first course Bobby played a major on (the 1916 Amateur), the first course he won a major on (the 1924 Amateur) and the last course he played competitive golf on (the 1930 Amateur), completing the fourth leg of the Grand Slam at Merion in September 1930. Also, the photograph which is the golfing equivalent of the sailor on VJ day kissing a woman in Times Square was taken at Merion.

Taken by Life Magazine photographer, Hy Peskin, it shows Ben Hogan hitting a one iron on the 18th hole in the 1950 U.S. Open. It is an iconic picture of this great player at one of the most historic of courses in a perfect finish position. Hogan almost stopped playing during this final round because he was in such a state of fatigue recovering from a near fatal car accident the year before. Hogan hit the one iron onto the green and made a par to qualify for a three man playoff the next day which he would go on to win. It is one of the most heroic finishes of all time.

Merion has many unique characteristics: the red wicker baskets as flags, the bunkers with clumps of grass in the middle (known as the white faces of Merion) and the scene around the first tee. You tee off right next to the outside patio with members and guests about five feet away from the tee box. It is one of the best opening holes in golf. The view in all directions is impressive, the clubhouse building with its white-washed stone and porch, the green awnings, the mature trees, the wicker baskets. Merion also still has what has unfortunately become a rare entity in American golf: Experienced caddies, and lots of them. The clubhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the golfing equivalent of St. Peter's. Also, like the Vatican, Merion upholds the traditional and the conservative in the game and in many ways is truer to the traditions than the governing bodies because they don't have to compromise with the equipment manufacturers.

In the clubhouse and on the course at Merion you naturally speak in hushed tones and in a respectful manner. In sounds absurd but it is close to a religious experience. If you get invited to play Merion, by all means make the pilgrimage.

Merion's web site:

http://www.meriongolfclub.com/default.aspx

Cameron Diaz - Golf Club Chucker

Many people give grief to golfers who show a little frustration out on the golf course. These golfers are often quickly written off as jerks or hotheads who taint the gentlemanly game of golf. Take Pat Perez. At the 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Pat led by one stroke with 5 holes to play. But after two balls ventured out-of-bounds and one splashed into the Pacific, Pat exhibited a display of rage that included F-bombs, club slamming, and attempts at shaft snapping. As a result, the public crucified him for his behavior and he has had to live with it ever since.

But to anybody who's ever played golf, Pat's reaction is understandable. He may have gone overboard, but as golfers, we can sympathize with the maddening amounts of frustration that this seemingly simple game can heap onto a person. If there is anything that can bring out the worst in a person, I am convinced that it is golf.

Not even celebrities are immune. The Golf Gods do not favor even the rich and beautiful. Cameron Diaz experienced this first-hand on a recent golf outing. Apparently, Ms. Diaz has taken up the game to spend more quality time with her golf-nut fiance, Justin Timberlake. The Boy Band frontman showed some serious game at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic earlier this month with a smooth serenity reminiscent of his music. Cameron, on the other hand, played the game quite differently with several bouts of maniacal rage. I guess that's what happens when you can hurl your club farther than you can hit the ball. Thankfully, the paparazzi was there to capture the moment in pictures. So much for that carefully crafted public image!