We're back, and heading to Waterlefe for the first time in two years. Part of the reason for our extended absence is the new greens they installed in 2023. I imagine they're still a little firm, so take note.
I'm told they're also renovating their clubhouse, so there may be a food truck there... but no proper grill. Also, due to the construction, they have everyone going off the 10th hole for some reason.
The app (GameBook) should start you on 10, but double check!
Let's do long drive on 12 (par 4... our 3rd hole of the day).
Tee time is 10:04am. I've already dropped us down to 16 players.
Everyone is on BLACK tees (white/blue combo) except for Gary and Troy who are on WHITE.
Let me know if you want to move back to something longer. Black circles are the black tees.
A year ago we went on a road trip through northern Michigan. It was a fabulous
time, and as I've told many of you... perhaps the best
variety of courses we've experienced on our annual golf
vacation. Let's get into a detailed review, with subjective Golf Digest
rankings included for you people who think that stuff matters:
Travel Overview
We flew into Grand Rapids, and created a big counter-clockwise loop. Eight
days total, playing eight rounds of golf, and staying in five different
locations. Almost like backpacking through Canada!
Pilgrim's Run
Mike DeVries - 1998
#24 in Michigan (#11 public)
Mike DeVries is a celebrated architect who has done a majority of his work in
Michigan — most notably the Kingsley Club and
Greywalls. But the official story of Pilgrim's Run is interesting, as 6
different investors each "designed" three holes on the property, hiring Mike
DeVries to put it all together.
You would think this resulted in a discombobulated mess, but the course is a
gem. I'll go ahead and say it... this was my favorite on the trip!
A blasphemous statement if you're going off views alone. But the overall
layout and feel of Pilgrim's Run is one that you'll enjoy for all 18 holes,
every single day. I'd legit join this club if I lived nearby... something I
can't say about anything we have in Tampa.
Geoff on the tee.
Despite being carved out in a massive pine forest, the fairways are wide. The
bunkering is outstanding and natural. And the greens have sweeping contours
that are difficult, but not confusing. Overall the conditions were pristine.
Wide corridors with dense woodlands.
If you're ever near Grand Rapids, you must play this course!
Tullymore
Jim Engh - 2002
#22 in Michigan (#9 public)
A resort and residential community which contains two courses
(Tullymore and St. Ives), this was a weird one for a few reasons. First of
all, it's in the middle of nowhere. We found one restaurant nearby... which was surprisingly good.
The standard buddies trip lodging
is a fairly new one-story "motel" carved into the woods away from
civilization. Imagine the shitty outside hotel wing of Inn on the Lake (where
we stayed for the 2023 Rapture).
Small rooms with two twin beds in each.
Now — as a man of the people — this is right up my alley. Opulence is not
something I need on my golf trip accommodations, especially when we're only staying one night. But the rest of the boys
thought we were going to get murdered. It made for some excellent hanging out though.
Beers on the porch.
Literally one long porch, with about 20 rooms each side.
I booked Tullymore because it helped break-up the travel between Pilgrim's Run
and Forest Dunes. I also had a bunch of ex-Michiganders tell me it was
great!
Tullymore - from meadows to woods.
It was... pretty good... I think? I played well, but for some reason the round hasn't stuck with me the
same way Pilgrim's Run did. The layout weaves throughout a combination of
forest and meadow lands. It's very penal, with deep bunkers framed by unnatural mounding, and a handful of greenside lakes to avoid.
Lots of difficult approach shots like this one.
I'd definitely recommend Tullymore — and what little I saw of St. Ives looked
cool — but only if you were mimicking our itinerary. It's not something people plan their trips around.
Forest Dunes
Tom Weiskopf - 2002
#5 in Michigan (#2 public; #33 public in USA)
You should plan a trip around Forest Dunes.
Pros:
- "Three" courses on property (two are the same course that reverses each day)
- Two distinct styles of golf
- Large putting and short course
- Lodging was top notch
- Currently not on the golf influencer radar
Cons:
- Very remote so you'll be on property the entire time
- Only one restaurant which closes early
- The three courses are really just two courses
If they add another course, and some more lodging and dining, this place will explode in
popularity as a top "buddies trip" destination.
The lodges and clubhouse were awesome!
But after 10pm it was BYOB at a firepit.
The original Forest Dunes course was my 2nd favorite on the trip. Tom Weiskopf
— who passed away a couple of years ago — is responsible for some very fun layouts (ie: TPC Scottsdale). This course follows all those same
themes, with split fairways, drivable par 4s, and large greens with
interesting contours.
The routing is superb, as the name implies the front nine traverses a forest
in the foothills...
6th hole - split fairway with a tree in the middle!
...and then reveals an open dune landscape for the back nine.
8th hole looking toward the back nine.
Expect to be hearing a lot about Forest Dunes in the future.
The Loop (Black/Red)
Tom Doak - 2016
#10 & #15 in Michigan (#4 & #7 public)
Forest Dunes wanted to build a new course to attract visitors and keep them on
property longer. During the RFP process, the owner asked prospective
architects to "wow" him. Unfortunately, the land available was
extremely boring.
Tom Doak had always toyed with the idea of a reversible course, and for that
to logistically work you actually need uninteresting land. Big, bold features are very difficult to use in two directions.
His proposal was
gimmicky enough to make headlines, and it does keep guests on property since they
switch the routing every day.
Bottom right corner is first tee and 18th green for both routings.
The firm and fast sandy conditions made it a unique challenge, which a lot of
the guys struggled to adapt. It's wide open, but you have to play along the
ground and bounce your approach shots onto the greens.
The problem I had was twofold: 1) Doak's greens are too small and far too
penal 2) I genuinely can't distinguish between the two routings.
It was this for 36 holes.
If I had to give The Loop a glowing compliment... it's golf in its purest form. The way the sport developed in Scotland. Start here at this
marker... there's a hole off in the distance... go figure it out. It's definitely worth playing, but The Loop will not be anyone's highlight.
Old Mac at Bandon Dunes (another Doak design) did a much better job of turning
uninteresting land into a memorable experience.
The Bear (Grand Traverse)
Jack Nicklaus - 1985
#20 in Michigan (#8 public)
Jack Nicklaus is probably the most overrated golf architect in history —
single-handedly ruining the sport for generations with the "Signature Era" of
the 80s and 90s. Every course he developed was
built to withstand PGA TOUR pros... despite zero chance of hosting any
professional events.
The Bear was once ranked the 18th most difficult in America by Golf Digest. And we were warned it wasn't as "fun" as the other courses on property. Add to it the pouring rain before our tee time, and my expectations couldn't have been any lower.
Nonstop rain for 6+ hours before our round.
Almost every group scheduled to go out before us bailed. But Grand Traverse was not
about to give out preemptive rain checks! Luckily for us, the rain
miraculously stopped as we were heading to the first tee.
So it was a little soggy, and cartpath only, but I was pleasantly surprised! The Bear wasn't that much of a bear after all.
Sure, there were multi-tiered greens surrounded by water and artificial
mounding.
Like this one!
It also had multiple approach shots requiring a fade toward a lake.
Like this one!
But the experience was fun! Not a bad option if you're in the area.
Arcadia Bluffs (Bluffs)
Warren Henderson & Rick Smith - 1999
#3 in Michigan (#1 public; #14 public in USA)
The jewel of the trip, with most of our group ranking at the
top of their list. Arcadia Bluffs' original course is basically a mini
Whistling Straits. Luckily we caught it on a somewhat calm day.
The entire property slopes toward the lake, so while there aren't
a lot of holes on the water, you're still staring at it the entire round.
It's an amazing experience, but a very difficult test of golf.
Some of the hazards are comically deep. Half the holes have a bunker or ravine which will lead to a max
score. Here's Darren and Dave finding themselves in one, with varying results:
Weather is definitely going to dictate your experience at the Bluffs Course. And it will mentally wear you down. But it's arguably one of the best "American Faux Links" courses we've ever seen.
Arcadia Bluffs (South)
Jason Straka & Dana Fry - 2018
#7 in Michigan (#3 public; #53 public in USA)
The last stop was an excellent finish to our trip. The South course is a homage to C.B. Macdonald & Seth Raynor — similar to Old Mac at Bandon Dunes. It very much resembles the exclusive and highly praised Chicago Golf Club, one of the five founding clubs in the USGA.
It's flat, extremely firm and fast, the tee boxes and greens have sharp edges, and all the trees have been removed — the way golf was meant to be played.
Opening tee shot at Arcadia South.
Fairway bunkers are quite deep, and a true penalty. They're strategically placed to gobble up any tee shot not down the middle.
The greens are awesome! An old-style look with lots of difficult contours and multiple tiers. Most of the holes are C.B. Macdonald's famed "template designs." Like the Lion's Mouth par 3:
Horseshoe green wrapped around a deep bunker.
The golfing-neanderthals of the group (there's always at least one) might complain it looks boring. But the South course was the most thought provoking of the trip!
Will people please come to my house on Sunday to watch golf with me? I have no friends and I'm all alone.
Nice hack there commish.
But yes, feel free to stop in Sunday to catch the final round. Thinking 10:30-2:30.
Some asked if they could bring their kid(s) so to keep them enterained lets have them stay outside where they can swim and play in enclosed backyard. I'll have TVs on outside patio so adults can swim too and supervise their younglings.
For those DINK'S that hate kids (chandler), we'll have the inside TV area be 18&up.
Update: after much consideration, we're taking 12 people. Qualification tie-breakers are:
1) World Ranking
2) Number of events played in qualification period
3) Total points earned in qualification period
4) Number of Raptures previously attended
5) Perceived pace of play
6) DEI - (Dave's Etiquette Index)
7) Looks
8) Coin-toss
Remember, rankings lock AFTER our final event of this season. Then payment will be due for those who qualify, which locks in their spot. Rapture Handicap Indexes will also lock at that time.
Good luck! Play well! I'll update when houses are booked to give everyone an estimated cost.
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We're headed to Fort Myers this year, playing the private Verandah Golf Club. Home to Old Orange (a 2003 Bob Cupp design) and Whispering Oak (a 2007 Jack Nicklaus track).
This is my fourth attempt to get us on this property, as we were rained out the morning of our round in 2019, and they couldn't host us in 2021 or 2022 due to other events. Even this year, they could only offer us one specific weekend, and with less than ideal start times.
Friday, October 18th - Noon* - Whispering Oak
Saturday, October 19th - Noon* - Old Orange
Sunday, October 20th - Noon* - Whispering Oak
*they're going to move our tee times earlier if members aren't booked before us
There's also a chance I might switch our Sunday round to Riverwood in North Port, which is 30 minutes closer to home. We played there in absolute shit conditions in 2019 when Verandah had to close due to rain.
But our next issue is housing, and for that I need to know... are we taking 16 or 12 players?
Regardless of where you are in the World Golf Rankings, comment now if you're IN or OUT.
Geoff's year of impressive golf continued as he shot -5 (net) without losing a ball. That's difficult to do at TPC Tampa, especially as a mid/high-handicapper. Through 12 holes he had only pars and bogeys on the card, and was -7 (net). Unfortunately he pumped his tee shot OB on 13, and then got in some bunker trouble on 14.
But his +2 (gross) on the next three holes equated to -2 (net), and the victory was his.
Geoff's Index will now be a personal best 16.6 heading into the final stretch of the season.
Chandler (¡soy yo!) had issues throughout the bag but avoided the really big blow-up. Three near perfect strokes (seriously) resulted in a birdie (net eagle) on 15... a hole nobody else even parred.
His T2 finished was shared by Dan, who's going through a midlife-club crisis. New irons... new driver... and still carding the low round of 80 (gross) on the day.
The rest of you were stinky.
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Geoff's victory — and even Chandler's T2 — were hangover-esque, as Saturday was the Spring Champs Dinner. Fun times at Sacred Pepper, and O'Briens. Also good to see Travis. But I'm putting an end to the Saturday dinners before a tournament!
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We're off the next TWO weeks. A few of you with goldfish memories asked why we don't play during the British Open:
In 2016 we missed the entire epic duel between Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon — one of the greatest final rounds in history — because we were playing at Buffy Creek. I got a lot of shit from you people for booking golf that morning.
In 2017, we were going to miss the Jordan Spieth / Matt Kuchar finish at Royal Birkdale, but we got rained out at Pebble Creek after 3 holes. We had so much fun at the pub, you people again questioned why we were even playing golf on British Open morning.
Seven years later, you people are now asking why we AREN'T playing. It's like I have 20+ wives!
The following week is a make-up we shockingly don't need. Make-up weeks are essential to keep the schedule flowing. Sometimes we need them, sometimes we don't.
When we don't, use the time off to your advantage and make your family hate you a little less.
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Upcoming:
Our next tournament is at Waterlefe on August 4th. Start is 10:02am and it should be about $85 after taxes.
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Based on responses — and lack thereof — we are could be taking 12 to the 2024 Rapture.
We have 12 "IN" at the moment. Reid is "tentative."
Guys with no reply are: Crum & Billy (who have never attended a Rapture), Buchert (last appearance was 7 years ago), Adam (last appearance was 4 years ago and hates most of you), and Danny (that motherfucker is not real).
So 16 players ain't happening. Or is it?
I'll book housing this week, and deposits will be due as soon as the season ends and standings are locked. Play well!
Heading to TPC Tampa for the first time since 2016. We've stayed away from this course due to the high greens fees... but now it's basically in-line with everything else.
9:33am start.
Typically $159 plus tax this time of year... they're getting us out for $129+ (range balls included). Do not get overcharged.
The General Manager says it's "probably the best shape it's ever been in." Ever? In the middle of summer? When this course used to host a Senior TOUR event? Sure.
I think it's quite difficult and going to beat a lot of you up. Built in a swamp, it can get claustrophobic if you're spraying the ball off the tee. But the median net-to-par in our 3 previous events is only +3.5, so somehow it's "scoreable.".
I expect the winning score to be -4 (net).
Base tees are on the WHITE. There's no forward option for this Major, as the BLACK tees are far too short (420-450 yard par 5s for example).
You might want to move back to the GREENS though. Let me know.
Let's do long drive on 18. Which is a long par 4 but fairly wide if I remember correctly. As long as you don't go right into the giant lake.
Comments from our group I jotted down after each round. Also showing subjective current rankings from top100golfcourses.com:
Royal Portrush
World Ranking: 14
GB&I Ranking: 6
Northern Ireland Ranking: 2
FBGC Notes:
Cold, rainy, and windy morning. Got lucky as rain subsided and wind died down for our afternoon tee time. Very difficult course. Any miss off the fairway was easily lost in thick fescue. Coastal holes have amazing views. Green complexes weren’t overly impressive, but rolled great with subtle breaks.
Overall course was “fair”… but rough made it a challenge. We loved it despite high scores.
Routing was fantastic, moving in all directions without repetition.
Longest rough we have EVER seen on these trips. Rugged, but naturally beautiful. Gonna be fun to watch The Open here in 2025. We were told they cut the rough every other year around Christmas.
Royal County Down
World Ranking: 3
GB&I Ranking: 1
Northern Ireland Ranking: 1
FBGC Notes:
One of the most visually stunning courses we’ve ever seen. Backdrop of mountains on the links was amazing. Had blue sky and sun but wind was whipping. We were all mentally defeated after the round, but loved the setting.
Rough was more playable than Royal Portrush… but anything off the fairway still had 50% chance of being lost.
Fescue greens were amazing. Firm but true. One of those “need to leave it below the hole” set-ups.
Worthy of the ranking… but exists for the elite golfer. I could not imagine playing it every day. Irish Open is coming here later in 2024.
Trump Doonbeg
World Ranking: n/a
GB&I Ranking: 56
Ireland Ranking: 9
FBGC Notes:
A 5-star hotel resort course. Beautiful weather in the mid-50s with a cold wind. Landscape was farmland links with dunes sprinkled throughout.
Wide fairways meander around the dunes before eventually heading into them, and then back down to the beach. Greens on the smaller side, with contours limiting pin-able areas.
It will never win any awards, but we all enjoyed it.
Definitely an "easier" course, which was much appreciated after our first two rounds.
Ballybunion
World Ranking: 17
GB&I Ranking: 7
Ireland Ranking: 1
FBGC Notes:
Another day of nice sunny weather, and this time with zero wind. Perfect conditions for low scoring!
And most of us got pummeled by Ballybunion (Reid played ok).
Described as the top course in Ireland (ie: Southern Ireland) and one of the most "fair and true" tests of golf… we came away thinking it was tricked up. Almost all of us had it at the bottom of our list after the trip. Not that the course was bad, but rather it was overly penal. Perhaps we need a few rounds to "get it."
Stunningly beautiful, with a very natural routing… but narrow landing areas with thick fescue and steep dunes if you miss the fairway. Huge fall-offs on the greens, especially the par 3s. Putting surfaces were by far the slowest we’ve seen.
Tralee
World Ranking: n/a
GB&I Ranking: 70
Ireland Ranking: 16
FBGC Notes:
Today was brutally windy, but the golf course was one of our favorites.
Front nine is very enjoyable, and reminded us of Scotland courses — which were easier and "flatter" with smaller dunes.
The back nine is wild, very much like Ballybunion but easier to navigate. The wind we had made a few greens-in-regulation an impossible task.
Views were spectacular. Would definitely recommend this course.
Dave came up short on this par 3. Posted so you can see the scale of the dunes. Drop-off is over 100 feet.
Waterville
World Ranking: n/a
GB&I Ranking: 35
Ireland Ranking: 6
FBGC Notes:
Weather forecast was so bad most of the tee times in front of us cancelled. But it turned out to be a nice sunny day. We got extremely lucky as the entire area around us received rain.
Waterville was definitely a favorite. Perhaps the easiest course of the trip.
Smaller dunes, weaving throughout a peninsula. Very fair with only one or two "blind" shots. We'd highly recommend this course if you're ever in southwest Ireland. Just a fun place to golf.
Old Head
World Ranking: n/a
GB&I Ranking: 71
Ireland Ranking: 17
FBGC Notes:
One of the most amazing golf "experiences" for a multitude of reasons.
First... it was blowing sustained 30mph all day. Winds at the highest and most exposed section of the course — the signature 12th hole — were 50mph sustained with 100mph at the cliffs edges, as wind was collectively forced up the 300ft faces. It was literally impossible to swing "normally" in those conditions. The club head would be blown offline as you took a backswing. At one point, my beanie blew off my head!
Multiple shots throughout the round required you to aim 50-100 yards away from your target. It was also cold, and we got a light sprinkle of rain off-and-on. This specific round was as difficult as our experience at Pacific Dunes... but a lot less miserable due to lack of hard rain.
However...
The views can not be matched anywhere on earth. It didn't even look real. Imagine playing golf on the edge of the Grand Canyon.
The golf course itself was good. If that routing was anywhere else it'd be like... Southern Dunes maybe? Good routing, playable, nothing to complain about. The greens were very fast, which made putting impossible in the weather we had. Overall conditions of fairways, rough, etc were probably the best on the trip.
I can't even include this course on my own personal rankings, because it exists more of experience of the senses than one of golf. Go see this place at least once in your lifetime.
Tee shot on the 12th. Fairway blind to the right. Green way off in the distance. Wind left-to-right sustained 50mph.
Portmarnock
World Ranking: 44
GB&I Ranking: 15
Ireland Ranking: 4
FBGC Notes:
Final round of the trip was perhaps the most "proper" — ie: Scottish — golf layout. Very flat, deep riveted faced bunkers, interesting elevated greens, firm and fast conditions. We had light wind and lots of sun. A great way to finish as all of us were pretty beat down physically after Old Head.
Everyone on the grounds confirmed that Portmarnock will host the British Open sometime between 2028 and 2035. When it does, it'll be the first ever course outside of the UK to do so. They're going to have to tweak the routing for the event, and will have some infrastructure issues to figure out. And if there is no wind, the pros will destroy this course.
Dropping us down to 16 players based on current responses.
We've been waiting for Tall Mike to put his inflated handicap to use, and he finally did yesterday winning with an impressive -5 (net) over Ho (who shot a new course record 75) and Brendan (earning his first points).
We almost beat the summer storms, with most of the field playing the final 1.5 holes in crazy wind and rain. Overall, I'd say we were lucky with the weather.
Southern Dunes continues to be a great course for tournament play. Greens were a little slower more scarred from aerification than I was led to believe... but the bunched leader board made the back nine exciting. Seven players were within 5 of the eventual winning score.
Only one match (Ho vs. Dave) made it to the 18th hole, as Ho stole a tie from the jaws of victory with an untimely choke-job.
Melberg won, despite completing the New Jersey challenge... finishing his round with an 848.
Gary drove the ball better than I've seen in awhile, soundly beating Reid to square up their historical record at 2-2-1.
Troy and Geoff had a great back-and-forth match in Group A... with Troy holding on to the win after Geoff doubled holes 15, 16 and 17.
SoDunes loves their rules and laws, and I can't fail to mention Casey getting into an argument with the cart guy upon arrival. Attempting to bring in a cooler of ice and towels, Casey was immediately (and sternly) turned away. Responding with: "what is this, Nazi Germany" didn't help deescalate. It was the beginning of a long day for the Seaman, as he peppered houses with TaylorMades all afternoon. Sage and Voodoo dolls couldn't overcome the loss of his frozen towels.
Danny set a new bad course record — his 14th such record in current Club history. He's set 3 new records this season alone. Needless to say, he got waxed by Moostie.
John is the elixir that JW's golf game needed, as Dub unapologetically won 5&3, earning his first points of the season.
And Brendan dusted Adam 7&6, possibly ending they Mayor of Dade City's 2024 season.
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We're off next week as I figured some of you might be traveling for an extended 4th of July weekend. If not, post any rounds of golf you might have. I think Ho has some Friday spots open at Jovita.
Our next event is July 14th at TPC Tampa. I'm still dealing with their incompetence, but we should be teeing off at 9:30am for $135 (after tax). Course is allegedly in mint condition (so says their GM).
While they aren't making us pre-pay... we can't have anyone bailing the week of. So if you're NOT going to play... or if you're on the fence... update your RSVP now to OUT. If you have any guests who can fill spots, let me know.
