Kingdom 16

Arnold Palmer Relives His Major Triumphs

Issue 16—Spring 2010

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a r n o l d pa l m e r fo r e wo r d

What a Year, What a Prospect!

after all the excitement of 2009, including the pleasure of celebrating my 80th birthday, it’s tempting to view 2010 as a potential anticlimax, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In terms of major championships, the prospects are positively mouth-watering, especially with, arguably, the most storied selection of venues we’ve had in a long while.

For the first time, I shall be teaming up with my old friend and adversary Jack Nicklaus to share the ‘honorary starter’ duties at The Masters next month. We are both looking forward to the experience and we will warm up the day before at the famous Par-3 Tournament.

I’m sure we’re in for a treat at Augusta National, where they’ve been growing out the rough in recent years, so it will be interesting to see how well the players control the ball when they play into putting surfaces that are always firm and slick.

Then we move on to the U.S. Open in June and this year we are returning to Pebble Beach on California’s Monterey Peninsula. I played a part in implementing a number of adaptations, most notably so that the fairways are harder to find from the tees on this magnificent ocean-front layout. In some places we’ve tightened up and modernized the bunkering, and in others we’ve introduced some extra trees or grown out the rough.

I’m really pleased with the work we’ve done and, needless to say, I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

The third major of the year returns to the oldest venue of them all—the Old Course at St. Andrews. I made my debut in the British Open there 50 years ago, and I have to say I’m relishing the prospect of returning to the Auld Gray Toun where my love affair with the game’s oldest championship first began.

I’m planning to play in the four-hole former champions’ challenge which The R&A have scheduled for the afternoon before the first round, and it will be good to catch up with other leading lights of former eras like Jack Nicklaus, Peter Thomson and Gary Player.

The PGA Championship will be back after only a six-year gap at Whistling Straits on the southern shores of Lake Michigan. I don’t know the course personally, but it was certainly a stiff test for the game’s leading players in 2004 and I don’t anticipate it being any easier to play this time around.

Other notable events which I’m looking forward to in 2010 include the first staging of the Arnold Palmer Invitational Presented by MasterCard since we made a number of modifications to the course at Bay Hill, and the imminent opening of my latest course design at the Golf Club of Kunming in China.

Most importantly, though, I hope all of you, our loyal readers and lifelong lovers of the game, have a splendid golfing year to treasure in 2010.

Yours in Golf,

Arnold Palmer

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kingdom 16 spring 2010

Kingdom magazine Issue 16—Spring 2010

Arnold Palmer Foreword—Hello from the boss Publisher’s Letter—The importance of renewal Editor’s Letter—Always look on the bright side

20 20 30 36 44 52 60 66 74 80 86 91 92 101 112 116

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Arnold Talks—The King shares his thoughts on all things golf Chasing Kings—Casting for Chinook Salmon in British Columbia King Kohler—The owner of Whistling Straits and the Old Course Hotel meets kingdom Pure Golf—A new old breed of golf is opening up Seven-Year Itch—Canada’s Mike Weir muses about his past and future Home & Away—Driving Land Rover’s LR4 on the Pacific Coast Highway Along the 1— Ten courses on California’s golden coast Catalog of Success—The talent that brought J. Peterman to a wider audience One Nation Under Golf—USAF Ramstein continues a tradition of military golf A Grand Idea—Arnold Palmer and the idea of a modern Grand Slam of four majors U.S. Women’s Open—Arnie as Honorary Chairman at Oakmont May the Best Men Win—Anticipating a standout year of majors Life in Pictures: Part 16—Iconic images from seven iconic triumphs Behind the Gecko—GEICO’s legacy of good decision-making Viva La Republic—The Dominican Republic: Golf ’s new beauty

kingdom 16 spring 2010

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Kingdom magazine Issue 16—Spring 2010

128 1 24 126 128 134 142 148 152 160 166 170 1 74 176 181 182 186 194

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Proven Results—Strength coach Charles Poliquin tees off a new series of specialist fitness advice Short Game—Donald Trump on the importance of a putter in business From Scotland with Love—The country’s greatest export Southern Gentleman—Items of desire for the modern Rhett Butler Swing on Over—The popular hop to Portugal’s Algarve Bottle-Top Table—“Placomusophile” and other important words for Champagne lovers Traveling Man—Gifts for those on the go Spring Chill—Cool places in a warm season Cool Hand—Dr. Thomas Graham, Medstar and Arnold Palmer redefine health care Great Outdoors—BBQs and other backyard essentials Cocktail Corner—Libations to put a spring in every step Basically a Perfect Swing—Annika Sorenstam’s swing is easy—or so her coach tells us Gaining Distance—Strength guru Kai Fusser proves flexibility + strength = yards APDC Roundup—The latest from the excellent team at Arnold Palmer Design Company Course Directory—Our up-to-date checklist of must-play courses Waste Not, Want Not—Palmer visits Scottsdale to mark the Phoenix Open’s 75th Anniversary

kingdom 16 spring 2010

the usga far hills, new jersey, usa

1894. Two players find themselves sharing the title “national amateur champion.” There can only be one. Yet it’s not the players who settle the dispute, but representatives from five clubs.

An inauspicious start, but this gathering to determine the real title holder creates golf’s Rules and governing body in America: the USGA. With responsibility that lies beyond writing and protecting the Rules of Golf, the USGA also conducts 13 national championships for individuals, tests and evaluates equipment for conformance to the Rules and is home to both the USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History. Their history, dating back more than a century, leaves nothing to question.

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publisher’s

foreword

Publisher’s greeting

as my team around the office would enthusiastically confirm, I don’t often draw a blank when it comes to golf-related conversations, especially when the subject is a hot topic of the day. However, I currently have no idea what to say—not because I’m at a loss for words, exactly. It’s more that I’m drowning in them. Problem is, they’re not mine.

As I write this, Tiger Woods has just broadcast an apology to the world that has been followed by a torrent of media opinions and judgments, a burst river of columns, ruminations on body language and more behavioral analysis than you’d find in a four-year psych degree. Compared to Tiger the successes in my life have been less frequent—certainly on the golf front!

—but they are personal milestones that I treasure greatly. Commonly it would seem, many of them have come only after making mistakes, mistakes that I have always tried to be big enough to admit and for which I have been, in the majority of cases, forgiven.

I try, then, not to forget that lasting achievement is often inspired by redemption and that significant success is almost always preceded by second chance. Tiger’s a fighter. Remember him winning the 2008 US Open with a fractured knee? And remember the comments about the superficial nature of his injury before he did?

Whatever your opinion on Woods’ current state of affairs, how he got there and how it’s being covered in the media, I personally find myself being far more concerned at the transgressions I read about in the news and financial sections of the papers these days. Those, along with disasters like the one that hit Haiti, make the problems on the sports pages pale in comparison.

Travelling as I do between Northern Europe and the East Coast, this winter has been tough for many of us weather–wise.

But as the green shoots appear I am becoming increasingly excited about what is set to be perhaps the greatest extended summer of golf ever. Not only does every major seem to be overflowing with compelling storylines set to be played out at the most fabled of golfing theatres, but the summer also culminates in what should be one of the most keenly fought and equally matched Ryder Cups of all time. I can hardly wait.

Thankfully, we are also seeing signs of renewal in the economies of both golf and the world at large. What has become clear, though, is that those benefitting the most from the beginnings of recovery are not those that bunkered down and waited for better times to come to them, but those who invested, innovated and actively sought out the market. One such example is Warren Buffett’s GEICO, a corporate success story that is told on page 112 of this issue.

The story is similar in golf: those clubs and courses that are investing in the playing and membership experience are those that are strong and growing. And if courses as storied as Pebble Beach and the Bay Hill Club have benefited from ongoing tweaks, updates and re-designs then there can’t be many courses in America that wouldn’t benefit from calling in a skilled architect to freshen up the playing experience. We can certainly recommend those featured on page 182.

In this time of renewal, we at kingdom are looking forward to moving onward and upward into 2010 and beyond. With that in mind, we ask that wherever you play this spring, respect the sport and enjoy the game.

Matthew Squire Publisher

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the 2011

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editor’s

letter

Letter from the Editor

There is perhaps no place on the planet more indicative of the style vs. substance argument than the State of California. A world of stereotypes and ironies inhabit the home of the Beach Boys, Baywatch and blonde bombshells (not to mention the expression, “yo, dude”). But along with free love, surfing and an occasional puff of the sticky icky come Charlton Heston, Pastor Rick Warren and Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works—birthplace of truly amazing military marvels. California made governors of both Ronald Reagan (who once said, “Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement”) and Jerry Brown (who once said, “Inaction may be the biggest form of action”). Huh? And while California has long lead the national charge for gay rights (San Francisco, anyone?) it is also one of the only states to formalize a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriages. It’s enough to make your head spin.

And then there’s Schwarzenegger.

It may sound a little Left Coast, but in times of chaos I aspire to find what Buddhists call “the middle path.” Not a clever euphemism for compromise, the middle path (or “middle way”) is more of a perspective shift away from extremes, and is said to show the road to wisdom.

When it comes to California, I believe the middle path lies on the fairways of the state’s golf courses.

Torrey Pines, Trump National Los Angeles, Half Moon Bay and Cypress Point… PGA West, Poppy Hills, Indian Canyons and La Quinta… And Pebble Beach! PEBBLE BEACH! Where’s the irony in those? In golf, California has an answer for all of its critics: Style and substance together in a considered expression of natural beauty, athleticism and good times.

Whether you drive a Land Rover up the coast (as I did for this issue of kingdom) or a hybrid, no matter your political affiliation, you can appreciate that a California golf course is a place for all of us to come together as one. A place where we can let it all hang out, be free, take it easy and just go with the flow… And as a guy who moved from New York to LA a few years ago, that last bit of writing suddenly strikes me as a bit Left Coast.

The sun must be getting to me—but I’m not going to judge it. I’m just going to go down to the range to hit a bucket of balls, stop by the beach and catch a few waves, grab some eco-friendly sushi on the way home, pop in a Terminator film and watch my governor kick a** while I clean my shotgun and hang out with my rescued Chihuahua. He’s got yoga in the morning. Ah, life in harmony.

Like, totally,

Reade Tilley

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reade tilley

matthew squire

Contributing Editor

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special thanks / contributors

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The Exclusive magazine for members & Guests of Arnold Palmer Designed & managed courses

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kingdom 16 spring 2010

d Talks Traditionally, each new edition of kingdom tees off with an interview with Mr. Palmer that showcases his views on current issues and trends within the game. For this issue, we caught up with him at his lovely vacation home within the Tradition community in La Quinta, California Words: Paul Trow Photos: Evan Schiller kingdom: How often do you come out here to the Palm Springs area and what is its appeal to you?

Arnold Palmer: I came here for the first time in 1955 to see what was here and I liked it so much I’ve been coming back to play ever since. Back then there were only three courses here—Thunderbird, Tamarisk and O’Donnell, a public course down town. Now we have dozens of courses and I even have a nine-hole par-3 layout I can walk straight on to from my back garden.

Do you dine out much when you come to Palm Springs, or do you prefer to stay at your home and have a barbecue? Which are your favorite restaurants in the area?

Oh yes—I like to go to my own restaurant here quite a lot and I’m always very pleased to recommend it to anyone.

Would you ever act again as the host of the Bob Hope Classic, or was your participation in the 50th anniversary staging last year a strict one-off ?

No, certainly not as long as I have to organize and host my own tournament. But I’ll keep coming back here for the Classic because I like it.

Your successor is Yogi Berra. Are you friends and have you ever played golf together?

He is a good friend and a great guy. I have played golf with him and I like him a lot. I don’t remember where or when I first met him—I’m not sure it was on a golf course. It could even have been at a baseball game.

The [British] Open Championship celebrates its 150th anniversary at St. Andrews in July. Do you plan to take part in the Former Champions’ four-hole exhibition that the R&A have planned?

I’m planning to be there and participate in all the general festivities. I’m going to stay until the tournament itself starts. I’m also going to receive an honorary degree from St. Andrews University, though I don’t know at present exactly when that ceremony will take place—presumably during the early part of the week.

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kingdom 16 spring 2010

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Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead (right) get to grips with one of sport’s biggest trophies after wnning the Canada Cup for the U.S. in Ireland in 1960

What do you plan to do for the rest of the week?

My wife wants to go to Ireland for three or four days while we’re over, so we’ll probably do that once the tournament proper begins. She comes from an Irish background and we’re going to visit some of her relatives down in the south—a place I’ve never been to or heard of before. Mind you, I’ve been to Ireland a lot over the years, especially when I was designing my two courses there [The K Club and Tralee].

Wasn’t the first time nearly 50 years ago, just before you made your British Open debut?

Yes, Sam Snead and I played together in, and won, the Canada Cup [now the World Cup of Golf ] in 1960 at Portmarnock on the coast near Dublin. This was my first visit to Europe and it was the week before the centenary staging of the British Open at St. Andrews, which was my first appearance in the event.

Snead won at St. Andrews in 1946, straight after the Second World War, and then likened the experience to camping out. Did he advise you against playing there?

[Chuckling] He said a few things, but nothing I would repeat to you.

On the way to making your British Open debut over the Old Course, how did the idea of the modern Grand Slam evolve?

One of my strongest memories was of flying over with my journalist friend Bob Drum from Pittsburgh. He was the guy who got me riled before the final round of the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills a few weeks earlier. I asked him what he thought of my chances if I shot 65 and he said it still wouldn’t make any damn difference. I was seven shots

behind after three rounds and went on to win by two. When we were drinking vodka and eating caviar on the flight, we were talking about the Open and I began to philosophize. I said there was no way an amateur would ever win another major championship, let alone all four like Bobby Jones did in 1930, but it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that a professional could win a modern Grand Slam made up of the Masters, our Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship, which everyone regarded as a major— perhaps even more so then than today. Eventually Bob came round to my way of thinking and the idea was born.

What are your memories of going over to that first British Open and playing in it?

I remember the weather was fine until just before the final round. In those days, you used to play 36 holes on the last day. It started raining heavily just as I had got in close to the lead. At lunchtime I was in my room in Rusacks Hotel and my father and my wife were with me. They said to me ‘it’s raining so hard you may not play at all this afternoon.’ I replied ‘we will play—they’ve never postponed The Open in this country before.’ I was absolutely ready to play—couldn’t wait to get back out there. As I was saying this, I looked out of the window and saw the Valley of Sin in front of the 18th green had filled up with water. Of course, I was wrong and we had to come back the next day. My momentum had gone and [the Australian] Kel Nagle beat me by a shot.

Do you still keep in touch with Nagle?

I ask and hear about him, send him my regards, but we don’t correspond. He’s a few years older than me and I’ve heard he’s doing okay even though he’s not been too well recently.

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The R&A plans to move the championship tee back 35 yards on the 17th so that the hole will now measure 490 yards, yet remain as a par-four. Do you agree with this decision and what effect do you think it will have in the different conditions that can prevail at St Andrews?

It’s a tough and pivotal hole, and it will be even tougher with 35 yards added to it. The road and the [Old Course] hotel will probably come more into play, especially if the wind blows. I don’t know what the yardage of the Old Course is now—it might be as much as 7,200, maybe more, but that’s still not long when you think about it.

How are preparations going for this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill?

We feel like we’re in pretty good shape—we redid the course last year, as you know, and it’s coming through well. From the New Year, we cut back on the number of rounds played there.

Normally at this time of year [winter through to spring] we have anything between 160 and 200 rounds a day at Bay Hill, but we’ve cut it back to an absolute maximum of 150.

“FROM THE BACK TEES WE CAN STRETCH IT [BAY HILL] TO 7,400 YARDS ” What is your overall view of par-4s in championships that sometimes measure in excess of 500 yards, especially as the old rule of thumb had the maximum par-4 yardage at 474 yards?

With the distance these young guys hit it you have to think about how you’re going to maintain the challenge presented by a long par-4. You don’t want them hitting wedges and short irons into every par-4 because that takes away all the competitiveness. Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed long par-4s, especially if the wind’s blowing.

Do you still believe that legislation in relation to the distances the ball can travel is inevitable?

I hope so. I’d really like to see them slow the ball down. The alternative is longer and longer courses and we can’t go down that route because we’ll run out of territory one of these days.

You will be acting as joint honorary starter of the Masters in April with Jack Nicklaus. Will the two of you play a few holes before retiring to the clubhouse or will you just hit your drives and then walk in?

I think we’ll just hit our shots and walk in—at least I know I will. I don’t know what Jack plans to do, but I’ll do it and call it a day. We’ll be doing this at around 7.30 a.m.—just after day break—so I’d be surprised if he decides to play on.

What do you plan to do for the rest of the tournament?

I’ll leave once the tournament is under way. The other highlight for me at the Masters is the par-3 tournament. It’s great fun. Jack, Gary [Player] and I played together last year and I hope we do again this time.

What is your verdict after a few weeks of watching the top players adjusting to the new rules relating to grooves in clubs?

I don’t think there’s going to be a great change; in fact as far as their scoring is concerned it will be much the same.

That said, a lot of shots that bounce through the green are inevitably going to be blamed on the grooves.

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kingdom 16 spring 2010

As this will be the first tournament staged at Bay Hill since the recent course changes, how do you think it will play compared to recent years—harder or easier?

Everyone involved in this transformation has a different opinion. Score-wise, I think it will play pretty much as it has for the past few years. At one point I thought it would be easier, but now I’m beginning to think it will be about the same. The main thrust of our changes is that everything on the course—the traps and the greens—is now in clear view from the tees and fairways. The course has been lengthened a little but not very much. From the back tees, if the PGA Tour choose, we can stretch it to 7,400 yards. On the other hand, I think the greens will be a little less firm, in other words they should accept well-struck shots.

At present, do you think there’s chance that Tiger Woods will return to the Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational?

I have no idea. I hope so, but I’ve heard nothing from him.

Nicklaus, Player and Palmer still have a ball when they meet up at The Masters

two to three years still to go with MasterCard and we’ve just re-signed with Hertz for another four years.

Tiger’s absence represents an opportunity for a number of players to emerge from his shadow. Which ones would you expect to put their hands up and shine?

There are some good players coming along. I keep expecting the slightly-built lad who hits it a mile—Charles Howell— to break through. But the boy who really impresses me from the current generation is Ryan Moore. He’s up and coming and has real star potential, the potential I would judge to go all the way and win a major. I’m pleased with the way he plays. He has a strong mind and knows what he wants to do, which is very important. He’s quite happy not to have clothing or club sponsors, and I quite like that. Rory McIlroy, the young Irishman, is another to watch. I certainly hope he’ll be playing at Bay Hill in March.

Mr. Palmer often enjoys playing a few holes on the par-3 course at The Tradition

How do you think his delayed absence will affect the PGA Tour in terms of TV ratings, crowd figures and sponsor revenues?

I think it will affect it to some degree, but that said it will not be the end of the Tour by any means. The game was in pretty good shape [before the Tiger Woods furor exploded] and I’m betting it will survive.

“I’VE BEEN WORKING ON THE COURSE [PEBBLE BEACH] A LOT RECENTLY” This year’s Bob Hope Classic has no title sponsor. The organizers believe they have enough financial reserves to fund the tournament next year as well. Do you think other tournaments might find themselves in this situation this year and if so what steps do they need to take?

I think it’s possible other tournaments will find themselves in trouble. The Torrey Pines tournament [the week after the Bob Hope Classic] only got Farmers Insurance on board at the eleventh hour. But I’m optimistic enough to think the sponsor and business world will come to the rescue. Most tournaments are run to raise and save revenue for the future, and the PGA Tour as a body is looking at the same thing to ensure the preservation of tournaments. At Bay Hill, we always try to get our sponsors in a good position. We’ve got

This year’s PGA Championship is returning to Whistling Straits.

Have you ever been there or played the course?

I’ve never played it or been there, so I couldn’t possibly comment on it. Even after watching it on television a few years ago, I don’t feel I know it well enough to pass any sort of judgment. I know the owner, Herb Kohler, and see him occasionally at social events. I know he’s a great golf enthusiast, but I’ve never played with him.

The U.S. Open will be back at Pebble Beach in June. What memories do you have of playing there, both in U.S.G.A. events and in the old Bing Crosby tournament?

I have played a lot there—in the Crosby Pro-Am as well as U.S. Opens—but I never won though I had chances a couple of times. Once I think I was leading or tied for the lead in the final round when I hit a 3-wood shot to the 14th green. My ball caught the two tall pines just to the right of the green and kicked out of bounds. That was a disaster and I lost the tournament because of that. That night there was a storm and the following morning, when I was driving away from Pebble Beach, I noticed these trees had blown down overnight, which served them right.

On another occasion, Jack Nicklaus made a par putt from 10ft on the 12th green at exactly the time that I missed a birdie putt from a shorter distance on the 15th, and that turned out to be the difference between us as I lost by one shot.

You have been heavily involved with recent changes to the course at Pebble Beach. Briefly, what changes did you make and why?

I’ve been working on the golf course quite a lot over the last few years and in particular we have changed some of the bunkering and moved a few tee positions. One of the ideas has been to strengthen the fairway bunkering on a number of holes to make players aim a little more towards the sea off the tee, to ask questions of their accuracy if you like. For example, we’ve put in more traps and trees at driver length on the right of the 18th fairway, and anyone who messes with those will most likely have to come out sideways with their second shots. Pebble Beach is always a test for the players, but I think it will be especially tough at the U.S. Open when the U.S.G.A. will do their usual job in growing up the rough.

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a new course in order to host an Olympic golf tournament because they can’t really use any of the courses they’ve got at present. I’m hoping they’ll decide soon because it usually takes about three years to create a course from the start of the job to the opening. They will want this course to be open and playable well before 2016. I am already working in Brazil—on a course in Sao Paolo which should open in about a year’s time—so I know the country well.

How big an impact do you think Y-E Yang’s PGA Championship will have on golf in Asia?

It will have a huge effect and it’s a very good development within the game. Asia is going to be a major golfing Mecca in the not too distant future. China we all know about, but India is going to be big as well.

Did you ever imagine that countries like China, Brazil and Russia would be the future of golf course design?

Since I started out as a designer, I’ve been familiar with the international scene. I’ve been going to Japan for more than 40 years, since I designed the first of my 19 courses there.

I currently have a couple of projects on the go in China, but also in Sao Paolo, as I’ve already mentioned, Moscow, Romania and Acapulco in Mexico.

Mr. Palmer’s grandson Sam Saunders is starting to make his way on the PGA Tour

Have you ever done any ocean game fishing? If so, did you enjoy it?

I’m not a big fisherman. I do some trout and fly fishing, and I occasionally venture out for salmon. I never did much fishing when I was growing up in and around Latrobe. We had a few streams, and they were mostly stocked with bass.

Given that most of the courses you’ve designed have adjoining properties, do you adopt a different approach when it comes to designing a course which has no residential dimension?

It’s always nice to do a course where you’re not obliged to design it for residential purposes. Laurel Valley, a course I designed in Pennsylvania, falls into this category—it has no residences on the course.

As a kid, Mike Weir, famously, wrote to Jack Nicklaus asking whether he should switch to being a right-hander. Nicklaus advised him to stay as he was. Do you think left handers enjoy any advantages over right handers on the golf course, or encounter any problems that right handers don’t?

I think some left-handers have a little advantage in that they seem to swing physically the same way every time and this helps them to play consistently at a high level for a lot longer. Bob Charles is a classic example of this. I’m convinced his longevity [as a player] is due to the fact that he’s left-handed.

Do you think Rio de Janeiro needs a specially built course to host the Olympic golf tournament in 2016 and would you be interested in designing it?

Yes, I would be very interested in designing it and they [the Brazilian Olympic organization] know I’m interested. We’ve already told them! They are definitely going to have to build

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“ASIA WILL BE A MAJOR GOLFING MECCA IN THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE” The Dominican Republic is a wonderful place to visit and play golf. How much do you think this might be affected by the recent tragedy in Haiti?

The Haiti earthquake was a terrible tragedy, but even before that there was a huge contrast between Haiti and [its neighbor] the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a very comfortable place with a nice way of life, with the exception of the hurricanes and tornadoes you occasionally get in the Caribbean.

During the build-up to this year’s Bob Hope Classic, you spent time on the range with your grandson Sam Saunders to help him prepare for his PGA Tour debut as a pro. What sort of things did you work on with him and what advice did you pass on?

I’m trying to help him develop his own style and stick with it. I’d say he’s doing pretty well but it’s a little early to assess the results. I’m his swing coach and we’ve been working quite hard together, but it’s not really about basics like grip or stance—more about his overall style of playing. Certainly playing here and in the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in a few weeks’ time will give him invaluable experience. n

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An easy smile and a wicked swing A true sportsman’s style and sophistication A genuine approachability A trendsetter and a traditionalist A man of his word The gentleman athlete The father and the friend Host of the API sponsored by MasterCard The pilot and the businessman The Icon

The King.

Chasing 30

kingdom 16 spring 2010

British Columbia’s Queen Charlotte Islands hold some of the best salmon fishing in the world

g Kings a trip to british Columbia with langara fishing adventures proves to be more than just another fish story I don’t know what It Is. even though I grew up on the gulf Coast of florIda where every kId seemed to get a taCkle box before he got a bICyCle, I’ve never been muCh of an angler. yet, whenever I get some free tIme—and despIte grand plans for motorCyCle adventures through patagonIa or extended stays In faraway CItIes—It seems I always end up on a boat, rod In hand, attemptIng to pull some sort of thIng out of the water.

so it was last august, when an opportunity arose to go salmon fishing in british Columbia. I was interested in the trip: I’d never been to the area, and the plane-to-helicopterto-island thing sounded great, but the fishing itself didn’t necessarily hold any gold for me. That said, the trip coincided with my dad’s 74th birthday, and we’d never really gone fishing together. not sure why; maybe it’s because I never expressed any real interest in fishing. I mean, we lived on a creek and threw a line out there together once in a while when I was a kid, and we had a catfish pond at our farm… but now that I think about it, the only guy I ever saw fish at the pond was a local farmhand who paid dad a few dollars for the privilege. like throwing a ball or working on a car, it seems a fishing trip with your dad is something a guy should do once in his life, and so I said yes, I’ll take it.

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Dad, right, wasn’t sure about the helicopter, but he had no questions about the fishing

The STarT

On The Way

langara fishing adventures. That’s the company that ran the trip, and I can’t say enough good about them. located on the southern end of langara Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the west coast of british Columbia, their langara Island lodge is one of the most luxurious and well-run operations I’ve had the pleasure to visit. getting there, as I mentioned, involves both a plane and a helicopter. staying there is easier and even wonderful, but we’ll get to that later.

The trip begins in vancouver, and so that’s where I’ll start the story. dad, now retired with my mother in north Carolina, took a plane from atlanta; I decided to take the train from los angeles. That trip that warranted its own bit of editorial, which you can find in the last issue of kingdom. sufficeth to say the last leg of the journey, from seattle to vancouver, was the fast and comfortable part—and it was on a bus. dad’s plane landed several hours after I arrived. I’d checked in to the airport’s lovely hotel—langara fishing adventures took care of the arrangements—but dad was nowhere to be found. more than an hour waiting at the gate led me to approach an unmentioned airline’s representative, who emphatically confirmed to me that dad had never boarded his connecting flight in denver. This set off a frantic round of phone calls. but, in a predictable sort of way when it comes to stories, when I made my way back to the room to figure a course of action there dad was, already in his pajamas. we’d crossed paths near arrivals and missed each other. That small drama out of the way, we both slept well.

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we grabbed our bags (soft-sided, near 30lbs as requested) and headed for langara fishing adventures’ rather nice office in the airport’s south terminal. a fairly quiet bunch was milling around, everyone in little groups sipping coffees out of paper cups and chatting. for some this was an annual trip. others, like us, were here for the first time. a bit of conversation, then a quick safety video on how to escape a crashed helicopter, and we were on our way. we boarded a small, chartered plane for a two-hour flight to the town of massett, the largest community on the Queen Charlottes. here, in a small building next to the runway, we waited for our turn to board a helicopter and complete the journey to langara. among three small rooms, there was a plastic tray of pastries, a small gift counter offering a selection of native haida crafts and a glass case holding an ambitious assortment of dead flies and model planes and helicopters in various states of repair. killing time studying a wooden helicopter with two broken rotors, I mentioned that my girlfriend had never been on a helicopter. “neither have I,” said dad. I couldn’t believe it. here was an experienced pilot who’d owned a plane or two—even built his own once—and on his 74th birthday he was about to have a new air travel experience. I was floored. when I asked why he’d never gone vertical, dad—a bit loudly, perhaps—started calmly running down safety issues with helicopters, talking glide ratio and gravity, recalling dire statistics and stories he’d heard about people falling out of the sky like rocks, recalling one anecdote in particular about how he wouldn’t let his foster daughters ride on a helicopter at a midwest fair decades ago only to learn the

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same aircraft had plummeted from the sky and smashed into the ground the next day, a crumpled heap of metal. “I saved their lives,” he said. I noticed other members of our group moving away from us, husbands patting their wives on the back reassuringly and at least one man looking nervously into the glass case at the model with the broken rotors. They called for us to board, and dad— smiling big as Christmas—picked up his bag, walked out and jumped in for the first helicopter ride of his life. twenty-five minutes later, after touching down gently (and safely) on the dock at langara, he had this to offer: “It was ok. bumpy. and loud, y’know.”

On The ISland

Langara Island Lodge sets the bar for backcountry luxury

In the weeks before the trip, I hadn’t really had the time to consider it, to wonder what it would be like, what it would look like or even if I would enjoy it. once I’d said “yes,” I put it on the calendar, put it out of my mind and got back to work. standing on the dock one bus, a plane and a helicopter away from lunch the day before, I was overwhelmed with my location, immediately immersed and inexplicably optimistic. langara Island lodge sits high on the southern end of langara Island, accessible via a funicular platform that rises up the steep slope, similar to a diagonal elevator. a short ride through lush green forest and you’re there. dad and I stepped off the platform, were handed glasses of wine and shown our rooms.

The lodge itself is beautiful, as many upscale mountain lodge properties are: blonde woods used throughout, a large fireplace, the ubiquitous and requisite fishing trophies mounted on the walls. but what makes it incredible is that it was built from materials hauled here, to the middle of nowhere. The same building would look right at home in aspen. miles from the nearest highway—the nearest road even—with its elegant dining area, billiards room, lovely furnishings, fully stocked open bar, small assortment of books, shop and impeccably attentive staff, langara Island lodge sets the bar for what is possible in backcountry hospitality. our room (no locks—no need) opened onto the deck, which held a Jacuzzi and an assortment of tables and chairs overlooking the protected cove below. elegantly appointed with a private bath, nice amenities and a great bed, the room would prove to be comfortable to a fault—that is, it was tough to make those pre-dawn wake-up calls and get down to the boat.

On The WaTer we arrived mid-day, and being such everyone was anxious to get on the water. after being assigned boats and guides, we headed to the wet room to suit up. everyone fishing at langara Island lodge is required to wear a dry suit. This not only ensures you stay warm, it makes sure you stay safe. sizes were taken when we booked, and upon stepping into the wet room we found open lockers holding suits and boots with our names on them.

In the floor of each locker, there’s a round air vent through which warm air is constantly blowing. when you get back from a day on the water, your spray- (or rain-) soaked suit is hung in the locker, boots placed on either side of the vent. when you return, your suit is dry and warm. It’s a fantastic attention to detail that makes all the difference in the pre-dawn chill.

I should pause to explain what we were chasing, because there are all kinds of salmon. There are pinks, which are ok. I mean, they’re tasty. but they’re small, less than 10lbs maybe, and not much of a challenge. we throw them back. not Coho, though; Coho are fine. They’ll fight, and we’ll eat them all day long. There are Chum, sockeyes and a few others on the pacific side of things. but the one you want—the one that gets big enough to be called king—well, that’s the Chinook. now there’s a salmon, and I caught one just five minutes into my first day on the water. how, you might wonder? well, that’s on duncan. first afternoon there, the guy drives our boat—the kermode—to a spot, sets a rig, drops it in, hands me the rod and I pull up a Chinook. A guide? as far as I’m concerned, duncan is the greatest guide in the world. prove me wrong: find another guy who will get you a Chinook in your first five minutes on the water. It ain’t gonna happen.

STOrIed dayS back at the lodge, before dinner, everyone enjoys cocktails and conversation. we hear it’s not the best year. we hear some guy caught a 48-pounder just a few days ago. a fantastically beautiful bunch of guys from mexico break out bottles of fine tequila and rum, which they insist on sharing with everyone. a lively couple from texas tells me they come here every year. a Canadian man and his son live on an island far to the east; both end up catching huge fish. two hard-working and incredibly personable couples from b.C. are living it up, not minding the rain, the fishing or anything else. The crowd, it has to be said, is fantastic. everyone seems to get along; conversation is easy. one guy tells me the company he works for bought out a real-estate trust in the late ’90s for $1.3 billion, “back when that was real money.” I consider that I may be in the wrong line of work. dinner is incredible. a multi-course affair perfectly attended by staff with food worthy of a top restaurant in any major city. being dad’s birthday, the kitchen goes the extra mile and presents a surprisingly sophisticated cake for dessert, candles, beautiful girls and everything included. dad’s thrilled, and my heart swells for him. I can’t believe we’re on a remote island off the coast of british Columbia. a quick after-dinner shot (or two…) of tequila with the guys from monterrey, and then it’s off to bed. Just a few hours later, I pry myself out of bed and try to catch up with dad, who’s bright, alert, dressed and ready to get on the water. a cup of coffee later, we’re down the funicular. duncan steers

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us out, and after a few hours (with some luck and a few fish) I start to think I should have grabbed something off the loaded snack table in the lodge. Just then, I see a high-powered inflatable roaring across the waves toward us, and duncan announces that breakfast is on its way. next thing I know, the inflatable pulls up alongside loaded with hot chocolate, hot coffee and hot breakfast sandwiches—Canadian bacon and egg biscuits. unbelievable.

This service will continue throughout the day and throughout the week with on-demand delivery available for just about any food or snack the lodge provides. as stories go, my first Chinook was the only Chinook I caught over the four days at langara, but that’s not to say I went home empty-handed. In fact, I’m writing this not 30 feet from a freezer packed to capacity with Coho salmon, halibut and rockfish—and dad’s freezer looks the same. duncan steered us to the fish and taught us how to catch them, and catch them we did. but here I have to mention the one that got away…

BIg FISh

in reverse as he struggled to hold it steady. duncan helped with maneuvering the boat, but in the end it was no use. I don’t know how much time passed: 20 minutes? maybe more. however long it was, we set the resistance on the reel to maximum—more than 120 pounds—and when the fish on the end decided he was bored, he took off, diving and stripping out line like there was no resistance at all. all we could do was watch until it stopped and went slack. fair enough. It’s not like we needed to sustain a village through winter. and anything big enough to have lived that long may as well keep going. nevertheless it’s a good fish story, and we told it enthusiastically that night—and beyond.

gOIng hOme I’ve never been much of a fisherman. I enjoy it well enough, but I suppose I’ve so many other interests I just never make time for the rod and reel. That said, a fishing lodge is responsible for meeting relatively few—albeit challenging— expectations: provide a place for anglers to stay. provide guides to find the fish. and provide the foundation for a memorable experience. langara fishing adventures overachieved in all essentials. That they managed to add a top-drawer kitchen, a professional and charming staff, luxury accommodations, superb management and exceptional service to the mix seems to me to be an accomplishment of the highest order.

The lodge took care of shipping our catch home and months later, still enjoying grilled salmon and halibut, I’m glad I went to langara. glad because I met the greatest fishing guide in the world, glad because I was able to spend a few days in one of the most beautiful places on earth, and glad because, like working on a car or throwing a ball, going fishing with your dad is something a guy should do at least once in his life. If that trip happens to take place in langara, so much the better. n

on day 3, we left off salmon fishing and headed for deep, deep water to try our hand at some serious halibut. we ran lines with massive lures to 200’ and deeper and began a tiring ritual of reeling, dropping, pulling; reeling, dropping, pulling; and so on. after an hour or so of not much luck, dad announced he’d hooked something. his rod tip was stuck to the water, and so duncan backed off the motors and came over to help. at first, it appeared dad had hooked the bottom. “I don’t think so,” he insisted. after a few minutes of watching dad hold the rod with no progress, duncan took it from his hands and jerked on it a few times, sure it was hung on a rock or something. It only took a second or so before his face changed. kind of a quizzical look at first, head cocked to the side, duncan suddenly registered something else: excitement. “That’s a fish,” he said with determination. “That’s a big fish. a really big fish. do you want to bring in a really big fish? do you want to bring in a really, really big fish?” by now he was excited, and we were, too. “let’s — — — Langara Fishing Adventures runs several lodges, all of catch him!” said dad, and it was game on. them offering the finest service and fishing in the area. Visit we tried. oh man did we try. at one point I was in front langara.com or call (800) 668-7544 for more information. of dad pushing the rod up with my shoulder and reeling down The fish are down there; your job is to get them into the boat

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kingdom dropped by the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews on the east coast of Scotland last fall to pay its respects to $3 billion. For the next two hours, Paul Trow (words) and Leon Harris (photos) were given an unforgettable glimpse into the colorful world of their gregarious host Herbert VOllrAtH KOHler Jr. iS A beArded beAr OF A mAn. KnOwn uniVerSAlly AS ‘Herb’, He briStleS witH bOnHOmie And lOVeS tO CHew tHe FAt. He AlSO lOVeS tHe gAme OF gOlF. wHAt begAn AS A CASuAl Fling in HiS yOutH witH HiCKOrySHAFted ClubS HAS blOSSOmed OVer tHe yeArS intO A pASSiOnAte AFFAir. grAnd, eVen, but mOre OF tHAt lAter. to say Herb is one of America’s most successful citizens is an understatement. He has been president and CeO of the Kohler Company, best-known for its plumbing and household products, for three and a half decades. The company was founded by his grandfather John m. Kohler, who was born in the Austrian tirol in 1844 and emigrated to the u.S. at the age of 10. The community in wisconsin where the company is located, some 40 miles north of milwaukee, bears the family name. but Herb has yet another claim to fame—as the creator of what independent travel newsletter Golf Odyssey has dubbed “the best 72 holes of golf in the world”. designed by husband-and-wife team pete and Alice dye, blackwolf run is just south of Kohler by the Sheboygan river while the newer 36-hole complex, whistling Straits, where the pgA Championship will be staged for the second

time in six years this August, is laid out along the western shore of lake michigan near the village of Haven, a few miles north of the town of Sheboygan. many golfers visiting Kohler stay at the American Club, opened in 1918 as a dormitory for european immigrant factory workers. Herb restored the property and for 25 years it has been the midwest’s only AAA five-diamond resort hotel.

There is further accommodation at the mid-market inn on woodlake while more recently the company refurbished riverbend, a mansion built in 1923 by Herb’s uncle, walter J. Kohler, then governor of wisconsin. in 2001, it reopened as an exclusive private membership club with 31 rooms and its own spa.

As if that were not enough to keep a golfing romantic fully occupied, Herb also owns one of the game’s most prestigious five-star resorts—the Old Course Hotel beside the road Hole 17th at St. Andrews—along with the peter Thomson-designed duke’s Course in the hills overlooking the Auld gray toun. Also, he has recently increased his portfolio at the Home of golf by acquiring Hamilton Hall, the iconic five-story Victorian red-brick building that opened in 1895 as the grand Hotel and stands guard behind the 18th green.

Herb aims high in business as well as golf. After all, how else could he have accumulated a net worth estimated by Forbes recently at $3 billion?

King

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herb Kohler is very much at home at the old Course hotel in St. Andrews

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it is no surprise that herb once had thespian ambitions

herb Kohler has almost a century and a half of family history to look back on

Of course, his forebears made a considerable contribution along the way. “my grandfather went to study in Chicago. After graduating he became a salesman, first for groceries and then furniture,” says Herb. “He sold machinery to foundries across the western seaboard. He stopped when his market petered out and moved to Sheboygan to work at cutting and bending metal. He married a young girl [lillie Vollrath] in 1871 and her father gave them a half interest in his foundry as a wedding present.”

For ten years, John Kohler produced cast iron and steel implements for farmers as well as castings for furniture factories and ornamental iron pieces. Then, in 1883, he applied a baked enamel coating to a cast-iron pig scalder/horse trough and created a bathtub. “indoor plumbing was very scarce in the 1890s. my grandfather would sell a product for one cow and 14 chickens.

Then he thought ‘what else can we make that works in a bathroom?’ So the idea was born for a washbasin, sink and toilet tank, all with enamel surfaces. to this day we keep refining the technology and this keeps us in the forefront of the industry. Over the years we became the leader in the u.S. in kitchens and bathrooms, subsequently pushing out across the world and employing many thousands of people. “planned communities were first introduced to the u.S. in the first decade of the 1900s. The concept was based on the english garden city. my uncle walter toured this country [great britain] and John ruskin was an enormous influence

on him. He always used to quote ruskin: ‘life without labor is guilt; labor without art is brutality.’ That is the essence of what Kohler is all about.

“The village of Kohler is very independent from the company. The company does not expect any of its management to run for village government. Also we will not sell lots to more than 40 percent of people who work for the company. we encourage independent ownership and people buy freehold.” lillie died in 1883 after giving birth to six children and four years later John Kohler married her sister minnie, whose only child turned out to be Herb Sr., who ran the company from 1937-68. “when i was a young man, my father wanted me to work in the business. but i became a rebel and grew a beard. i wanted to be an actor and i married at 21 [linda, who died in 2005].” Their three children—laura, rachel and david— all work for the company, as does his second wife of 25 years, natalie. “She’s my lawyer and general counsel.”

Somehow it comes as no surprise to learn that Herb as a young man had thespian inclinations. “i finally got myself through yale with a business degree, but i was distracted for a few years by the university theatre. “i remember performing in a production of little Foxes by lillian Hellman about a degenerate southern family. i wanted the part of a negro butler but the director refused because i wasn’t black. i told him i could put a black face on but he decided he wanted a real negro. He cast a young actor who was then suspended because his grades weren’t good enough, so he had absolutely no choice but to use me. “it was a wonderful meaty character role—acting opposite a young woman who was a black activist from little rock, Arkansas. After the performance one night, the director was talking to some elderly ladies from the audience and we overheard one of them say, ‘you cast such a fine young negro to play the butler, so why did you not cast a negro to play the maid’. Afterwards, the director said to me, ‘you’re playing a stereotype and she’s playing herself. in front of this audience she looks white and you look black’.” years later—in 2003—Herb revisited the acting profession in the western Open Range, directed by and starring Kevin Costner, a frequent golf partner. Costner asked if he wanted a part. “i told him: ‘O.K., i’ll do it, but on two conditions: i want to ride a horse and i want to kill someone’.”

Costner replied: “well, i’m not sure about the horse, but i guarantee you can kill someone.” Herb, portraying a character called Cafe man, shoots a man in a pivotal scene. despite his rebellious streak, Herb didn’t totally sever his connections with Kohler Company in his youth. “i used to spend my summers working for the company from the age of 16, mainly picking mustard plant weeds in the farm fields.

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After yale i worked for another company as a management trainee. Then my father called and offered me a job—at the time i was rebelling and developing my own identity. we hung up but three days later i called him and said i’d come back on one condition—that he never involved himself in any success or failure of my performance, and never protected me; i wanted to suffer all the consequences of my actions. He agreed, i went back and i worked like hell.”

Herb Sr. died three years later in 1968, aged 76. “Four of us sat round a table and decided how the company would be organised. i became vice-president of operations in 1968 [he moved up to executive vice-president in 1970, CeO in 1972, and president in 1974]. i was like a duck—calm on the surface and paddling like hell underneath just to survive. “we articulated the company’s mission: to improve the level of gracious living for everyone touched by its products and services. if i sell you a bathtub there has to be something about it that gives you pleasure not only at the time of the transaction. years later we want you to think this is one of the best buys of your life. The same applies with everything we provide—an engine, generator, toilet, table, hotel room, spa service, golf course, you name it. if you think about it five years later and, inwardly or outwardly, it makes you smile and we can do this consistently then we’re living up to our mission. “we have three guiding principles: we invest 90 percent of our earnings each year back into the company; we live on the leading edge of design and technology of product and process; and we have a single standard of quality above the norm with everything we do, regardless of price point. “we have a broad range of price points, from high end to mass market. The materials, functions and details of what we provide might differ, but never our quality; and our annual growth in sales has been 10 percent-plus for the last 35 years. Our biggest market is new residential developments and our fastest growing market is China. The recession has affected us, no question, but we trade today on six continents and in 100-plus countries.”

Among the honors that inevitably came his way were the legend in leadership Award from yale School of management and induction into the u.S. business Hall of Fame as a legend of business. induction into the world golf Hall of Fame one day should be a shoo-in for Herb as well. by 2020, whistling Straits will have staged three pgA Championships, a u.S. Senior Open and the ryder Cup. meanwhile, blackwolf run hosted the 1996 Andersen Consulting world Championship of golf and the u.S. women’s Open returns there in 2012— just 14 years after its first visit. “my interest in golf as a young man was nominal. i played occasionally with my father’s wooden-shafted clubs, maybe two or three times a year. i was much more interested in horse riding in those days.”

A more committed approach to golf evolved in the early 1980s following the American Club’s conversion into a hotel.

“The wave of immigrants eventually subsided—people started to go to the surrounding states and by the mid-1970s the American Club was not needed. As a young executive i had to make a decision: knock it down or renovate it and turn it into a country inn? i hired three consultants and asked their

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opinion. two said create some green space and the other said renovate. i decided to go with a country inn. “it’s hard to teach people in the factory what they have to do to create five-star service, so i thought that if i created five-star service across the street it would enable them to see and learn. The board initially turned me down even though i had the majority of the shares. Then they took the attitude, ‘let the kid do it, we can’t lose that much money’—but they thought it would be a disaster.

“So we created 125 hotel rooms and within months of opening in 1981 we were overwhelmed with demand. by 1983 an executive brings about 100 suggestion slips to me from people around the village. They saw i was providing guests with transport to play golf and wanted to know why we didn’t have our own course. Fortunately, my vice-president of business development, rob milbourne, was a three-handicap player. He didn’t know about construction but he knew the essence of the game and what we had to do to build a course.

“So we brought in six architects, interviewed them and selected a pair who had designed two courses on the pgA tour together. but they had this strange philosophy that from the tee of any par-3 or the landing area of any par-4 you should always be able to look down on the green—their idea being to quicken play. The land was in and out of a glacial river basin and was fine for a resort course, but if you wanted championship play you were going to have long green-to-tee walks. That was unacceptable.

“So we interviewed a second group of architects, including pete dye who at the time was driving the pros crazy on purpose with his designs. we wanted a course on the

“Life without Labor is guiLt; Labor without art is brutaLity” leading edge so it would attract major championships. what he created was blackwolf run, the best new public course of 1988 according to Golf Digest. it was a parkland layout with two nines running through adjoining valleys. “no sooner had it opened than we were overwhelmed with demand and it took three months to get a tee time.

Soon it became clear we needed more capacity. i had to create a third nine without changing the land at all which was impossible. So we decided to split up the first course and build another nine in each valley. These became the river Course and the meadow Valleys Course.

“Thus pete and Alice dye and Herb Kohler committed the greatest crime in golf. we had taken the first course at blackwolf run, an absolute gem, and broken it up. you can’t imagine the hoo-hah this caused in the golf press. So when it was finished we said ‘come and look at it’. They came back

There is nothing Kohler likes more when he is paying a visit to St. Andrews than having a game with his chums at The Duke’s Course

and said they couldn’t believe you could create two courses out of one so both would be better than the original. “but we were still overwhelmed with demand, so we thought ‘where should we build another course?’ Then we decided we wanted a links. pete and i often came over to Scotland and ireland to travel and play. we absolutely love links golf—you’re so much a part of the elements and influenced by them. “we wanted our courses to be as natural as possible—no home developments. Then we found a two-mile stretch of land on the shores of lake michigan that was owned by a power company alongside a disused military airfield. i had to buy an adjacent farm as well, but we still had to persuade the state of wisconsin to permit construction on wetland.” eventually that difficulty was resolved and the Straits Course at whistling Straits opened in 1998. Six years later, stretching 7,536 yards from the tips, it hosted the pgA

Championship. purists argue it’s not a traditional seaside links, especially as 800,000 cubic yards of dirt and sand had to be imported to the site. but it certainly has many links features—vast rolling greens, deep pot bunkers, grass-topped dunes, off-shore winds, stone bridges, elevation changes (up to 80ft) and a flock of Scottish blackface sheep.

“The Straits course looks tremendous in August when you get a striking contrast of the fescues against the background of lake michigan. pete then built the irish Course at whistling Straits [an inland grass-and-dune layout that opened in 2000]. He’s designed all our four courses— they’re only 10 miles apart and there are no houses around any of them.”

Houses are in abundance in St. Andrews; indeed the Old Course is the epicenter of the town. but clearly this was not a deterrent when the chance of a trophy purchase arose. “in 2004, five days after the pgA Championship, i

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→

“our priority is to return hamiLton haLL to viabiLity” had an email from a fellow living in paris saying the Old Course Hotel was for sale. by chance it fitted our profile for the clientele of the American Club—we had all the systems and capabilities. if you want us to be involved we have to manage it ourselves. it took 40 days from receiving that email to complete the deal. we own it almost outright, though the r&A have two percent.

“St Andrews is a wonderful place and i don’t give a damn about the weather. i’ve played regularly in the Alfred dunhill links Championship, but i couldn’t this year [2009]. i used to play 90 times a year, but i’m down to about 20 now. but i love the game and will always play. i play everywhere i’m invited.”

So the invitation to rescue Hamilton Hall and restore it to its former glory was similarly irresistible?

“The previous owner [wasserman real estate Capital, llC] couldn’t pay its bills and it was repossessed by the bank of Scotland early in 2009. i don’t think you could make it economically viable as a hotel. Also you have to make it much more accessible than the previous owner planned [it was to be divided up into 23 luxury apartments, each sold in

five fractions]. He was trying to sell multiple ownerships to the super-rich but they prefer not to share. it’s gutted inside and hasn’t been cleaned up.”

Founder Thomas Hamilton built it immediately after his application for membership had been rejected by the r&A in an attempt, many believe, to belittle the clubhouse. during world war ii, it was requisitioned by the armed forces and never reopened as the grand Hotel.

From 1949, the building was a university of St Andrews hall of residence before being bought by wasserman for around $32 million in 2005.

“Our priority is to complete the preservation of Hamilton Hall and return it to a viable and prominent position in St. Andrews for generations to come,” Herb promised when the deal was announced in early december. “we are excited about the development opportunities, and appreciate both the support and enthusiasm the local community has for the property. we look forward to gathering input from the townspeople and Fife Council as to what the name of the building should be along with its future use.” when we spoke in October, his thoughts went along these lines... “maybe the way to go is to develop it as a mid-market time share on 99-year leases: vacation ownerships like gleneagles did next to their hotel, serviced apartments with access to golf—something like a St Andrews golf ticket.

Something good has got to happen there and quick.”

And within two months of our ‘grand’ chat something good, and quick, did indeed happen. n

hamilton hall, the big redbrick building that dominates the St. Andrews skyline, was allegedly built by its founder as an intentional snub to the r&A

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Kitchen Design: Past Basket of Geneva, Illinois Photographer: Saverio Turuglia ®QCCI. All rights Reserved

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Chef Alain Roby

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pure Residential property developments have funded the creation of so many golf courses over the past few decades that it’s easy to forget the game was once played on open tracts of land without a chimney pot or patio in sight.

Now, thanks to some innovative thinking from entrepreneurs who love the game, golf is returning to its non-residential roots

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Think abouT iT: When golf began back in The misTs of anTiquiTy on Those WindsWepT sTreTches of scoTTish linksland, iT Was seen by Those Who played iT as The perfecT escape from The duTies and responsibiliTies of Work, family and religion. To some golf iTself became a religion of sorTs, buT in general The course and iTs clubhouse provided a bolThole ThaT kepT The real World aT bay. somehow that concept—for the purposes of this article we shall call it “pure golf ”—became lost as the game expanded and modernized. consider: There are no cart paths at st. andrews yet today walking a course would be a total anathema for many, as opposed to an integral part of the natural golf experience that it was even 50 years ago. residential communities with golf courses at their hearts started to spring up in the 1930s and quickly gained an enduring momentum. The formula is simple, tried and trusted: build a beautiful golf course (preferably laid out by a high

golf quality designer) and sit back while all those adjacent plots of are sub-consciously harking back to their ancestral roots in some land are snapped up by retirees in search of year-round sunshine, strangely atavistic way. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re on to something. snowbirds from the north or folks in search of a second or Arnold Palmer, for one, can see the appeal, and not just third home. It works, and countless golfers across America from the viewpoint of the consumer but also that of the designer. have benefited from having a purpose-built doorstep with golf “It’s always nice to do a course where you’re not obliged to design right on it. Despite fiscal blips in recent times demand for new it for residential purposes,” he said. “Laurel Valley, a course I properties is still healthy, while existing course-side homes have designed in Pennsylvania [which staged the 1975 Ryder Cup], held their value far better than similar properties without golf falls into this category—it has no residences on the course.” attached. Golf communities also have the added benefit of Another such course is the Prairie Club just outside being safe havens with the necessary degree of security in place Valentine, Nebraska, near the South Dakota border. Home to to provide residents with peace of mind, especially those who two 18-hole courses with contrasting appearances—the Pines might be advancing in years, Likewise, they offer like-minded and Dunes—and (the original) par-3 layout, it is promoted social opportunities without compromising people’s privacy. under the slogan: “World’s most undisturbed holes in golf.”

It works so well, in fact, that many of golf’s newer markets On The Pines, the Ponderosas for which the course is are enthusiastically embracing the approach, places like China and named, wrap around the Snake River, which flows through a the Middle East. But back where this process began—in the British terrain-defining canyon. It’s a unique enviroment and there’s Isles and the United States—the appetite for pure golf and the “away a windmill pump on the 3rd where you can get a drink from from it all” experience is coming back in a big way. More and more “the world’s largest aquifer.” Meanwhile, the Dunes has an golfers yearn for the uncluttered version of the game their equally natural setting amongst sand hills and is particularly forefathers enjoyed, out on the open range and far away. Maybe they challenging when the winds blow. →

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The Prairie Club is the brainchild of Paul Schock, a acquiring additional land adjacent to the property, doing conservationist and land owner (he has a ranch in Nebraska an extensive amount of due diligence on business models, along with a farm and family property in South Dakota). In a architects, master plans and all of that. About two years ago, former life he was a banker and venture capitalist. we raised all the money, some of it from former clients in the “I’ve lived here most of my life and I’ve had some success venture capital business. with the game. I’m not a great golfer, but not too bad for a “Because golf is near and dear to my heart and because of South Dakota amateur, and that gave me a chance to play golf the experiences I’ve had, this has been the greatest and most around the country. Golf ’s been my passion, besides family. fun work project I’ve been involved in.

“I’ve got a lot of golf experience. I’ve been a USGA “It really was a combination of the land and my committee member and a Golf Digest writer for 10 years. I’ve experiences at Sand Hill, Bandon Dunes, places like that, been around golf for a long time. where I felt really strongly that if you make great golf available “I started a venture capital firm in South Dakota, the first to people, they will come—but it has to be great. one actually. With a partner I grew that, had a great 15-year “We’ll see what the world thinks, but in terms of run and did well. voting with their pocketbooks, we’re well ahead of schedule “One area of investment was in the lodging industry. We filling memberships.” put a lot of experience into that, then retail work, restaurants, An integral part of the Pure Golf concept, and a pillar retail mall operations. I’ve been around the hoop of lodging, of its potential appeal to golfers, is conservation. “Land retail and golf my whole life.” stewardship is very important to me. We’ve been very careful Clearly Schock had the financial wherewithal and with that. The beauty of this land is that because the golf connections to create his own golf course, but the pressing courses are literally there already, we moved almost no dirt (or question is why did he pick such a secluded location? in this case sand) to build our golf courses. They were just there.

“An opportunity came up, and I ended up with this land “Another beautiful thing about this region is because of in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. It’s so incredible for golf—it’s the sand there’s virtually no runoff. Our courses are on about an incredible place anyway. People that visit the ranch and the 1,200 acres of land, I forget the exact number, but the total area are blown away by the scenery and the quiet. number of irrigated acres is like 100, by far most of that is “I met the former owner, who still owns some adjacent native prairie. Since there’s no runoff, the normal issues you property, through Sand Hill Golf Course [in South Dakota]. have with a golf course aren’t there.

He’s a retired surgeon. He had a desire to do a golf project on “In addition to that, we have a very strong philosophy his land, and I helped him as a friend. I ended up buying two about minimal use of fertilizers—only if we think it’s good for thirds of his ranch and inherited the golf project. the playing conditions. We want it to be like golf in Scotland or “That was five years ago. I spent the next couple of years Ireland, so minimal fertilizers, very little disturbing of the land. → Prairie Club 7th

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“We keep track of bird and wildlife counts, and we’ve seen increases in the amount of wildlife, a lot of them like the grass. I’m hoping the geese don’t find it!

“The Sand Hills are unique. The average [annual] rainfall is about 20 inches. It’s a nice stand of native prairie, but it’s fragile. Virtually none of the Sand Hills has been plowed up.

It literally looks like it did when the land was settled.

“We’re surrounded by big cattle ranches, a few buffalo ranches, almost no farming. It’s a beautiful watershed, with streams, rivers and lakes, and this canyon that goes through our property. The Snake River, Ponderosa pines. You feel like you’re in the mountains when you’re on the edge of the canyon. And it’s a great trout stream.”

The great outdoors, surely, doesn’t get better than this, and it’s easy to forget that ultimately this project centers on golf.

“I have, over my years in the game, developed some very strong philosophies about it. To sum it up, I’m a tremendous fan of Alister MacKenzie’s; his ‘Spirit of St. Andrews’ spoke to me.

First of all, a golf ball is a ball, it was meant to roll. What people have fun with is watching it roll, and we have lots of natural shapes—big greens and a lot of grass around the greens.

Most of the bunkers are off to the sides and just about every single hole has a run-up shot without a bunker in the way.

“Fairways are mowed tight so you can putt from 40 yards away; it’s very much a ground game.

Another key philosophy is lots of variety, with short par 4s, short 3s, long 5s, short 5s—a lot of variety.

“Walkability is also very important to me; the game was meant to be walked. Both courses are very walkable. There will never be a building or a house that you’ll see from the golf courses.

You’re in the middle of the prairie and that’s all you’ll ever see.

“Playability is very important to me; I don’t think people like the hunt for lost balls. Our courses are plenty challenging, but we have wide fairways. We pay attention to how the courses play, where people tend to hit it into the native. And even the native here, it’s a little wispier so it’ll be easier to find [your ball] and hack it out, but we’ll hay those areas if we notice people are hitting into one area consistently.

“People can’t believe two golf courses that start and finish in the same spot are as different as ours are. One goes out into the prairie, the other has a parkland feel to it. You’ll probably play the courses a little differently: the prairie runs a little fast, the greens are bigger, fairways wider and there’s the wind. The Pines is somewhat that way but has a little more traditional feel to it.”

Despite all the good intentions, the acid test of the Prairie Club is whether it stacks up as a business. Its obscure location is both an asset and a deterrent, but Shock believes the quality of the experience on offer must be his overriding objective.

“That was one of my biggest concerns: Are we going to get good people to come to Valentine, Nebraska? In some ways we’ve gotten good people because we’re here. Many people were raised in the Midwest, then moved away to the big city to pursue their careers. Then they come back.

“And the State of Nebraska and the Valentine community have just been wonderful. I believe very strongly in working with communities. We are membership oriented, and I explain to people that the more members we have the harder it’s going to be for the public; members will have priority on getting times.

But I want to be always available to that golfer that can’t afford to join but wants to play. We’ll always find a place for him.”

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where else to find pure golf?

Thirty-five miles northwest of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is Erin Hills. It didn’t open for play until 2006 even though the 650 acres of land on which it sits were purchased in the previous century. The wait was worth it though, and since opening the club’s feet have scarcely touched the ground.

Following on from its first USGA event, the Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship in 2008, Erin Hills will host the 111th U.S. Amateur Championship in 2011 and is also under consideration as the venue for the U.S. Open in 2017.

Bob Lang, the original owner, sold the course to Andy Ziegler, co-founder (with his wife Carlene) of investment firm Artisan Partners, in October 2009. Veteran PGA professional Rich Tock was brought in from Ozaukee Country Club in nearby Mequon as president and after some recent construction in late 2009, the golf course will reopen on 1 August 2010.

Erin Hills is just golf—exactly what it says on the tin.

There are no houses, tennis courts, swimming pools, spas or weddings. Just golf: Tee it up and enjoy the experience.

“Our goal at Erin Hills has always been to create a unique golfing experience which will hopefully be reflective of the Irish and Scottish links style golf courses that were once built by horse-drawn plows,” Tock says. “Mike Hurdzan, Dana Fry and Ron Whitten, the architects, found the best 18 holes and linked them together. Erin Hills is highlighted by natural terrain, undulating fairways, glacial dunes and a variety of greens; oh, and the wind. The star of Erin Hills is the contours and the grasses, which create a links style experience.

“Does Erin Hills have water? Each hole is encircled, lined or surrounded by a sea of fescue, the ever blowing natural grasses lining each hole, an integral part of the golfing experience.”

15th at Erin Hills

The high cost of maintaining and reworking the course— it was closed from the fall of 2008 until last July for renovation— took its financial toll on Lang, and now Ziegler is in charge.

“I did not buy Erin Hills with a profit motive,” says Ziegler, 52. “I bought it to try to give something back to the game of golf and to do something positive for the state of Wisconsin, and something that I could have fun with. In a lot of ways it was essentially a bailout of a business that was undercapitalized and in some level of financial distress.

“The changes we plan at Erin Hills fall into three categories: the golf course, maintenance and conditioning, and customer service. On the golf course, we redesigned the 10th hole, we have essentially restored the 18th hole and we made a number of what I would describe as subtle changes to green complexes and green surrounds so that on a number of holes approach shots can be played on the ground now as opposed to just flying the ball in.

“We’ve doubled the maintenance budget; we’re going walking-only, and we’re building a permanent state-of-the-art maintenance facility. You put all of that stuff together and give us a little bit of time and I think that when we get to the point of opening this summer the golf course will be in terrific shape.”

Another course with a similar mission, although with a much higher-profile owner, is Mirimichi, a public facility just north of Memphis, Tennessee. Its joint owner and frontman is pop star Justin Timberlake and his ambition, mirroring that of Ziegler, is to stage a major championship, also following extensive renovations.

“We initially planned to make these improvements over the next three years and stay open,” says Timberlake.

“But I felt the Memphis community deserves the best now and shouldn’t have to wait through three years of gradual

improvements. So I challenged the team to make all of the changes by our first anniversary.”

“We knew we had a great golf course when we opened in July,” added Mirimichi’s director of golf, Greg King. “And, through a season of heavy play, as well as visits from golf ’s elite, we have the input necessary to take Mirimichi to the next level - hosting a major championship by 2020.”

Apart from improvements to the drainage, bunkers and greens, the enhancements included extensive additions to wetlands, wildflowers and native grasses to showcase the course’s aesthetic beauty.

“The cost of these renovations will not be passed on to our customers in terms of pricing,” said King. “This is a continuation of the investment by our ownership group in creating a world-class public course that will be comparable to the best courses in the country.”

Mirimichi means “place of happy retreat,” and a happy retreat is just what golfers will experience when they play there.

Underlining this virtue, it has been designated as the first golf course in the country to be a Certified Audubon International Classic Sanctuary. Best management practices have been implemented to enhance and conserve nature by improving water quality and wildlife habitat, while reducing water and energy consumption.

Mirimichi is not only an environmental haven, it is also a challenging course as well and measures more than 7,400 yards from the tips.

Another Pure Golf gem is Primland Resort’s Highland course in Virginia’s majestic Blue Ridge Mountains. Not only is it one of America’s newest golf courses, it’s one of the best.

Designed by British architect Donald Steel, who recently redesigned last year’s British Open venue Turnberry, the Highland course is the jewel in a 14,000-acre crown.

→

Mirimichi Woods

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Most of the accommodation at Primland is made up of former golfers who like to bite off more than they can chew. These holes must hunting lodges once owned by America’s elite but since spruced up (as be tackled boldly or in stages because the elevated greens and narrow in modernized) by the resort’s European owners. fairways are all any golfer can handle.

Primland, quite frankly, is mountain golf at its best. Steel carved All through your round at Primland you are treated to wonderful out his masterpiece by letting the natural terrain dictate the routing. The mountain vistas that include glimpses of the mighty Dan River Gorge, fairways are tight and menacing, as you would expect of a great mountain known in these parts as “The Grand Canyon of Virginia.” course, and the greens are slick and just as undulating as the fairways. In The stand-out hole is perhaps the 16th. A thinking man’s hole, fact, it’s hard to know where the fairways end and the greens begin. you stand on the tee at ‘Sweet 16’ and wonder how to plot your way Steel explained the name Highland by saying, “once I strode around a doglegged fairway that sets up a shot to a well guarded, over the plateau at Primland, the views reminded me of the highlands sloped green. The risks are high—but then again, in a microcosm of of Scotland.” From the start, Steel challenges your shot-making ability the whole playing experience at Primland, so is the reward. n with a downhill second shot on the first hole to an angled green that drops off quickly. You’d better have the eye of a deer hunter to bag a — — — theprairieclub.com par on this 509 yard beauty.

The first of Primland’s five par-3s greets you at the second tee erinhills.com and, like four others, this one requires navigation through a valley to mirimichi.com reach the green. Holes 3 through 5 are eye candy and sweet treats for primland.com Primland 18th

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after winning the masters in april 2003, the world was at mike weir’s feet. he hasn’t done a bad job of kicking it further into shape, but no more majors have come his way since. Paul Trow met the canadian left-hander on a wet afternoon in the californian desert to reflect on his past successes and hear his rosy plans for the future It’s tIppIng down, but those green Jacket memorIes only come floodIng back once I spot thIs dapper, purposeful, almost pIxIe-lIke fIgure marchIng towards me across the foyer of hIs la QuInta hotel. smart, neat, medium-height and medium-build, mike weir makes a point of blending into his surroundings. on this occasion, he’s visiting the world’s wettest desert for his annual tilt at the bob hope classic—a five-round, pro-am tournament he won in 2003, less than three months prior to the highlight of his career (to date) as a pga tour pro.

It’s hard to believe that nearly seven years have elapsed since the playoff victory over len mattiace at augusta national that lifted him into golf ’s most exclusive inner sanctum—the one to which only major winners need apply. and it’s equally hard to believe that canada’s outstanding male sportsman of the past decade—the personification of clean-living, timeless, optimistic youth—will turn 40 in may. remarkably, he shares his birthday—12 may 1970—with, another of the bedrocks of the tour, Jim furyk. his smile is friendly and sincere, and his conversation open and refreshing. Then again, this sweet-swinging lefthander has much to talk about, not least about how he blossomed into a hardy perennial in the world rankings with 14 titles and ten top-10 finishes in major championships. mirroring his tendency never to waste shots out on the course, weir is impressively succinct in summing up his career.

“I learned to play at huron oaks golf club on the south banks of lake huron. we moved across the street from the course [a few miles east of sarnia, where he was born, to brights grove] when I was 13 and we took out a family membership. It was a three-hour drive from niagara falls but only one hour from detroit. my dad [richard] was a chemist in the rubber industry while mum [rowie] stayed at home to look after me and my two older brothers [ Jim and craig]. steve bennett, the head pro at huron oaks, took me under his wing and is still a good friend.” bennett treasures his memories of weir growing up.

“I always knew he’d make it,” he said. “I knew he had it in him. I’ve never met anyone with his level of determination.”

Indeed, bennett was so confident he introduced the newly professional weir as “canada’s next great golfer” in 1992 →

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Moment of triumph: Weir salutes the gallery after winning The Masters

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during a fundraiser at huron oaks which yielded $10,000. but weir was confident in his own ability from a much earlier age. “The moment I realized I could do something in this game came when I was 13. until then my best score had been 79 and I was desperate to beat it. Then I played in a junior tournament at seaforth [ontario] which at the time was a nine-hole course. first time round I shot 36, so I was getting nervous about setting a new personal best, but I needn’t have worried—I went round again in 34 for a 70. I was only an average player at the time, but I improved a lot as a teenager and I had a summer job at huron oaks cleaning clubs. I was off scratch at 15 and by then I was hooked. my first national victory was in the canadian Juvenile [16 and under] championship at windermere g&cc near edmonton.

“I won the ontario Junior championship in 1988 and the ontario amateur in 1990 and 1992. I never won the canadian amateur, but I was second in 1991 [at royal ottawa] and 1992 [at riverside cc, saint John, new brunswick].” weir was named western athletic conference player of the year and a second team all-american in 1992, the final year of his studies for a bachelor’s degree in recreation management at brigham young university. The utah city of provo is a long way from canada, and he isn’t a mormon, so the obvious question arises—why did you go there? “I was quite heavily recruited—three or four colleges were after me.

The brigham young golf team played in a tough conference with a good schedule and karl tucker, the golf coach, was also a ski instructor. he made me feel at home the moment I got out there. perhaps the key was that several older canadian players—including richard Zokol, Jim nelford and rick gibson—had been there. also, being a religious college there were not so many parties or distractions.” sadly, tucker, who built byu’s golf program into a national power and sent dozens of players to the pga tour, including Johnny miller, bobby clampett and mike reid, died just a few days before this interview at his home in orem, utah, aged 83. utah clearly struck a chord with weir, not least because in his sophomore year he met his wife bricia, a mexican who grew up in los angeles. “we still live in utah, in the foothills of the mountains. I love the outdoors—skiing, fly fishing and river rafting. and it’s a great place to bring up our two daughters [elle, aged 12 and a keen soccer player, and lili, nearly 10 and an ice skater].” draw a straight line from los angeles to ontario and it goes through utah, so the decision to live there had practical as well as sentimental reasons. but bricia, a former tennis player, is no stranger to visits north of the border. she was one of the keynote speakers—along with bennett—when her husband was inducted into the canadian golf hall of fame at huron oaks towards the end of last year. “tenacious, competitive and relentless in his pursuit to excel at golf,” she said. “one of the main reasons is, in his heart of hearts, nothing is more important to him than putting canada on the golf map. If you ever want to push one of my husband’s buttons, tell him he’s not canadian because he doesn’t live in canada. he never forgets that he is sarnia’s own, and canada’s own, mike weir. and the town of sarnia has always been number one in supporting him and believing in him.

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Weir struggled during the final round of the 1999 PGA Championship

I’ve never seen anyone—with the possible exception of tiger, maybe—carry the weight of one country on their shoulders.” weir certainly does bear the brunt of canada’s golfing expectations and it surely won’t be long before he increases his tally of pga tour titles, currently standing at eight—the same as his late countryman george knudson. but it took a long time before the good times started to roll. “after turning pro [at the end of 1992], I’d play five or six tournaments each winter in australia and the canadian pga tour in the summer [he was rookie of the year in 1993]. I missed out on my pga tour card six times at the Qualifying school—I’d make it through the first stage but the second stage was always my nemesis. I knew how to score back then but I was still figuring out how to swing the club properly. I kept going out of determination and perseverance, I suppose.” he eventually won his card for the 1998 season, but after finishing 131st on the money list it was back to school again. This time, though, he finished top of the class over the weiskopf private and dunes courses at la Quinta, and the corner was turned for good. not that he was worried, you understand. “my goal was to somehow get on the pga tour. when it finally happened, that was a huge hurdle to get over after six years struggling, trying to make ends meet, living out of my car, →

“i kept going out of determination and perseverance, i suppose”

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way. hopefully the guys coming through now look to me as an example: small town, small club, not the greatest climate for golf, but I made it. I hope it motivates them.” weir’s breakthrough victory on the pga tour came in the air canada championship at northview g&cc, surrey, british columbia in 1999. “It was huge and gave me the security of a two-year exemption. I remember holing my second shot at the 14th for an eagle and that gave me a two-shot cushion over fred funk. The timing was perfect and it really lifted my confidence: It was only my second year on tour and three weeks beforehand I was tied for the lead with tiger going into the final day of the pga championship at medinah and had a bad last round [he shot 80]. “my next win was at Valderrama [in southern spain] in the wgc-american express championship. That was my first big one because I beat the best in the world. The following season I won the tour championship in houston, beating Receiving the Green Jacket from Woods is the highlight of Weir’s career to date

“ultimately, this is a sport in which you have to find your own way” in and out of different apartments, staying with friends. but it was pretty much set in my mind from an early age that I’d be a golfer. my back-up if golf didn’t work out was teaching—I love kids. also I could have become general manager of huron oaks—it’s not just a golf course, it’s a recreation center with tennis and squash courts and a gymnasium [remember, his degree was in recreation management].” another corner was turned in 1996 when weir was introduced to mike wilson, an instructor at the david leadbetter academy in palm desert (20 minutes’ drive from where we’re sitting). together, they mapped out a plan to improve his game and wilson remains a key member of team weir to this day.

“I had a hiatus from mike for a couple of years but I’m back with him now. I come down the week before the classic for a fine tune with him. I’m not one of the shorter hitters—I’d say I’m mid-range, I can move it out there. “perhaps a dozen years ago, he got me to groove a drill into my pre-shot routine—taking the club halfway back along a defined plane before addressing the ball to make my full swing—and I’ve stuck with it ever since. The idea is to keep the clubface more open on the way back. before, it tended to be a little shut at the top of my backswing.” as methods go, weir’s routine has stood the test of time and gathered a few disciples along the way. of greater concern, though, was how to handle pressures and challenges that were, in the main, entirely new. “when I got out on tour, Zokol was like a sounding board for me. In the same way, I can now help younger canadian players like graham delaet and chris baryla who are starting to make their way. I hope they look to me if they have questions and are seeking advice. but ultimately this is a sport in which you have to find your own

Many younger Canadian pros look up to Weir as a role model

ernie els, sergio garcia and david toms in a playoff—not a bad trio of scalps for my first win in the u.s.! That’s another top event because only the top-30 money winners can play in it. “but every pga tour win is big. The bob hope classic win was important because I’d had a similar off-season then to now. I’d taken time off to work on my technique [having dipped to 78th in the pga tour money list in 2002]. being canadian, I’m used to long winters and when I come back out I’m fresh mentally. In addition, I’ve always played well in pro-ams. I find them more relaxing, that’s why I always play here and at pebble beach.” next stop, of course, was the masters. “It was tough the way that tournament unfolded. I was either leading or near the lead every day. Then in the final round mattiace set a target one and a half hours ahead of me. I had five holes to play and no one else on the course had a chance apart from me. I got a couple of birdies at 13 and 15, and almost birdied 16. Then I holed good putts at 17 and 18 to get into the playoff.” only minutes after donning his green Jacket, weir →

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received a congratulatory phone call from the canadian prime minister Jean chretien, but his thoughts have remained with the player whose dreams he confounded in that playoff. “len seemed to fade away almost immediately after that. I know he had a lot of bad luck. he went skiing the next winter and blew both knees in an accident. he’s such a great guy and I always look for his score and wish him well. when I last heard he was playing on the nationwide tour. It could easily have been me—after all, it all boils down to a single shot here and there.

“I’ve not had many injuries in my own career. but there was one which was nagging me for a couple of years. I had two compressed discs in my neck. It all happened at the 2004 canadian open at glen abbey [in toronto]. I’d just birdied 10 to take a one-shot lead when this drunken fan grabbed me and wrenched my shoulder. I wasn’t thrilled at the time and nor were the security guards who threw him out. we don’t normally have drunks at our golf tournaments, but team canada was playing that night in toronto and I think he was a hockey fan getting tuned up. whatever, the injury affected my form and I didn’t do a good job in assessing it. I got it x-rayed, but only about a year later when I had an mrI scan was it properly diagnosed so I could get the right treatment.” talking of hockey, was weir once a puck wizard? “I played a lot of hockey from four years old. my brothers and my dad are right-handed, but I played hockey left-handed—I suppose the slap shot is similar to the golf swing, it’s a natural move. when I was young my best sport was baseball. I was a lefthanded pitcher. I’m right-handed really but, along with golf, everything I do overhead I do left-handed. In tennis, I serve left-handed then play the rest of the point righthanded.” roger federer, are you listening? famously, he wrote to Jack nicklaus as a kid, asking whether he should switch to right-handed play to make it in golf. fortunately, the word came back to stick as he was.

In 2004, he set up the mike weir foundation and soon afterwards the mike weir estates winery.

“The pga tour has a tradition of charity work and over the years I’d visited a lot of hospitals in different cities. we’re lucky our daughters are normal and healthy, so we decided to support children with mental, physical or financial deficiencies. It started when we helped raise $5 million from 14 golf events for the children’s miracle network hospitals. one event alone in saskatoon raised $1 million in a day and half, largely because the saskatchewan government kicked in as well. “all the proceeds from the winery go to the foundation.

It’s still a small winery—only supplying canada and a few smaller markets in the u.s. but it’s growing and we’re up to nearly 50,000 cases a year. Its potential is 100,000 cases a year maximum because maintaining the quality is important. It’s based at whirlpool near niagara falls. chateau des charmes, where the wine is bottled and then distributed from, is about 20 minutes away. whirlpool is home to a lovely old parkland golf course designed by stanley Thompson, canada’s greatest course architect, back in the 1930s. also, we’re looking to get bigger in british columbia by opening a vineyard in kelowna. “we produce merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon noir, sauvignon blanc, cabernet merlot, cabernet sauvignon and ice-wine. Ice-wine is when you take the grape off the vine

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Weir studies a putt en route to a final-round 66 at the Bon Hope Classic

when it’s frozen so it comes out sweet. It’s ideal for a dessert wine or even a white port. The niagara region is well known for it. The ice-wine retails typically at canadian $45 a bottle whereas most of the bottles retail between canadian $19-25.

“we help children with mental, physical and financial deficiencies” “me? I don’t drink wine during tournaments, but in the off-season I do. barry katzmann is the company president and he works with my brother Jim. my other brother craig works on the foundation and our website, mikeweir.com.” weir spends plenty of time in his homeland despite living in utah. “I go back perhaps half a dozen times a year, to see my family and parents mainly.” he also enjoys spending time with his sponsors, particularly the royal bank of canada and Thomson reuters, the worldwide news agency with whom he signed a five-year agreement in 2008. despite nearing 40, he hopes to add plenty of victories before his canadian golf hall of fame plaque can be signed off. “It’s been a lot of hard work over a lot of years,” he said at the huron oaks ceremony. “I don’t feel like I’m being put out to pasture, but it’s a great honor. I definitely feel like there’s a lot of business to take care of in the years going forward.” talking of business, once the rain eased at the bob hope classic he finished a respectable sixth-place with four 67s and a 66 for a 26-under-par total. not bad first time out, you might think. as bricia says, “sport is an obsession. athletes tend to be obsessive about trying to get better and better.” mike weir is no exception, come rain or shine. n

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Land rover’s new Lr4 provides the perfect escape for kingdom’s editor. four days on the most beautiful road in america makes the case puLLing north onto hwy 1 out of santa monica with the cLock tickLing the chin of 5pm, the first thing that occurs to me is that Land rover’s 2010 Lr4 is a comfortabLe ride. good thing, because we’re averaging 15 mph in stop-and-go traffic, and with a Late January sun aLready eyeing the horizon it’s going to be dark before i’ve cLeared La city Limits. it’s during the next two hours that i start to reaLLy appreciate what Land rover has accompLished with its Latest creation.

Home i’ve done the company’s off-road driving course and am completely in touch with how good the vehicles are at fording streams, dominating fallen trees and nimbly finding their ways around mountain goats while rolling in a computer-controlled creep down roller-coaster-steep inclines in complete comfort (the hill descent control feature is unreal) but—quite the opposite of many Land rover owners, i suspect—i’d never driven one of the storied vehicles on a paved road. in addition to the off-road cred of these vehicles—and if you’re not a believer, visit a Land rover experience driving school and be prepared to shut your mouth—the on-road performance of the new Lr4 was a revelation to me and to my traveling companion. our test vehicle was well-appointed and, because we couldn’t exactly drive it at first (due to traffic), the initial few hours were spent marveling at the comfort of the elegant, electronically controlled leather seats (loved the arm rests), the intuitiveness of the capable on-board navigation system, the excellent harman/ kardon audio system, substantial overhead glass and myriad other little comforts, including the center console cooler box that kept our bottled water pleasantly drinkable despite the sea of heated engines around us.

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Neither sand, nor snow nor urban coffee run shall keep the LR4 from being completely under control

In MotIon As any LA driver knows, if you wait long enough the traffic will eventually disperse. When ours did, the cooler box and stereo suddenly became less interesting because—wow—the engine came into play. The all-new direct-injection V8 is a monster. The product of an in-house Jaguar/Land Rover effort, the beast makes 375 hp with 375 lb-ft of torque and is managed via a 6-speed automatic transmission with manual select capability. You notice it the second you press the accelerator because, unlike Land Rovers of yore, a satisfying roar from under the hood is followed almost instantly by a tremendous surge of power that launches you forward in a smooth, controlled burst. Within its class, I would even use the word “quick,” which is fair considering its 0-60 time is 6.5 seconds (the new Audi A4 does it in 6.4 seconds despite being a sedan and near 2,000 lbs lighter). When it comes to Los Angeles, quick is good— and much more important than top speed, actually, because switching lanes, slipping into tight spaces between other moving cars and carving daring paths toward last-second exits are all part of every motoring Angeleno’s arsenal. Amazingly, the almost 6,000-lb LR4 handled these moves well. That’s because along with the power comes improved steering, excellent brakes and a sincerely refined suspension. Body roll, a common problem in any vehicle approaching these dimensions (at its lowest height the LR4 rides a hair over 76 inches) isn’t completely non-existent but it’s mild enough to not be an issue. No kidding: when the road started to open up, cutting through the quick-moving LA traffic felt effortless and caused no rise in blood pressure at all—quite a trick.

AutoMAtIcAlly Good We lost the sun just north of Malibu, but a quick flick of the intuitively located switch on the left side of the dash positively bathed the road in light (thank you for the manual switch, by the way). An optional high beam assist will make sure you don’t blind oncoming drivers by automatically switching between high and low beams as sensors decide, but I was content to work the beams myself. That said, I don’t mind a bit of automation now and then, and the LR4 doesn’t disappoint. Bits I loved: When you press “unlock” on the key as you approach the LR4 in a parking lot, it “kneels” to make entrance a bit easier, then rises once you push the start button on the dash. The automated temperature control system worked perfectly—and quietly. A rearview camera turns on the second you put the LR4 into reverse and is surprisingly useful. Likewise, the proximity alarms aren’t as arresting or annoying as some others I’ve experienced. iPods are completely integrated into the LR4’s audio system via a cable in the center console, mobile phones sync with the vehicle via Bluetooth and can be controlled from a button on the excellently designed steering wheel, and the touch-screen navigation system (as mentioned before) is easy to operate, easy to read and tremendously capable, offering topographical information along with more standard map services. There’s even an off-road navigation mode, complete with compass. Interior lighting is, to my taste, quite modern, elegant and useful while exterior lighting is in line with contemporary offerings from other luxury manufacturers, namely making obvious use of LEDs. Whether or not you like the dotted circles of “Christmas lights” for tail lights and exterior lighting, there’s no arguing that LEDs are effective, and that’s certainly true on the LR4.

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With plenty of room for clubs, the LR4 doesn’t mind a stop by Morro Bay Golf Course

BehInd the Wheel After a good night’s sleep along California’s Central Coast, we jumped on Hwy 1 (also called the Pacific Coast Highway or “PCH,” in case you didn’t know) and headed north. Free of yesterday’s urban congestion, awareness of the automatic features, fancy onboard computers and modern lighting gave way to amazement at the LR4’s driving performance. The scenery along “The 1,” as Californians call it, is stunning, no question. The road has been featured in numerous movies, commercials and the like. But the dramatic views are matched by dramatic twists and turns that can, in some places, prove rather narrow going—complete with detritus from the occasional mudslide, rock spills, fallen branches or tourist stopped along the way, camera in hand, standing right on the dotted line. Good handling is essential to really enjoying the PCH, and the LR4 was a solid performer. Just as it did in the fracturing LA traffic, the Land Rover accelerated smoothly and carved neatly through the road’s sweeping curves, thanks in part to the integrated Dynamic Stability Control and the Electronic Air Suspension. This allowed both me and my passenger to take in the natural beauty around us, made more accessible by the formidable windshield and numerous overhead windows. The experience was akin to riding in one of those glass-topped coaches offered by some railways. We carried only luggage in the back, but had passengers been sitting in either the second row or optional third row (concealed beneath the generous cargo area), I’m sure they would have been wowed by the ride.

A highlight of the brand, Land Rover’s Terrain Response system helps drivers deal with urban driving, grass, gravel, snow, rocks and sand—all with the turn of an easy-to-manage dial on the center console. This and a new feature, Sand Launch Control, came in particularly handy when we pulled onto the beach at Pismo for a drive alongside the waves. Sliding sideways during forward motion along a dune, the LR4 advanced confidently with no loss of control whatsoever. And after parking for a while to enjoy the sunset, we pulled away and left without incident. A quick turn of the dial later, we were back on the PCH and racing toward Morro Bay.

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2010 Land Rover LR4 engine: 5.0 Liter v8 375hp with 375 lb-ft of torque pricing starts near $48,100 Finally as a writer who loves cars—and as kingdom’s editor—i’m fortunate enough to test drive quite a few vehicles. it’s rare that one stands out to the point where i can imagine owning it, but i can easily picture one of these in my garage. in fact, i had no interest in this class of vehicle at all until i drove the Lr4. now i’m a bit smitten. The list of convenience features is long and perfectly in line with what one would expect at this price point (ours was nicely equipped near $55,000), and the off-road capabilities are unquestionable. but where the Lr4 really surprised me was with its around-town behavior. more than “friendly,” as some like to describe suvs that bumble around city streets then adequately get the boat to the lake on weekends, the Lr4 behaves like a performance vehicle—and it is. i expected it to manage well in the mountains and dunes of the central coast, but when we were done sliding around in the sand and negotiating dirt roads in wine country, it was the excellent handling on hwy 1, the quick cuts in La traffic, easy parallel parking in crowded santa monica and ultimately pleasant drive through the morning rush on the way to return the Lr4 that really shocked me. it was genuinely tough to hand over the keys. while the majority of Land rovers in hollywood may face the same squandering of talents that many of the city’s artists endure, the fact is that a dirt-free Lr4 isn’t a complete case of wasted ability. Liken it to a capable mountain man who’s fashionably and ably at home in the big city. on road or off, i’d say the Lr4 is a star. n The LR4’s ride-height adjust accommodates any situation

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California’s Pacific Coast Highway is a road for every driver

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torrey pines torreypines.com

located a few miles south of where Hwy 1 officially begins, torrey Pines cannot be excluded from any list of west Coast golf destinations. The property’s north and south Courses may be the most beautiful in southern California, making it no surprise that torrey Pines is host to the Pga tour’s buick invitational every February. bordered by mountains to the north and the ocean on the west, the course features deep ravines, steep cliffs and the famous pine trees for which it’s named. That the golf is as spectacular as it is, what with the unbelievable setting, isn’t as surprising as the fact that torrey Pines is a municipal course, maintained by the City of san diego and open to all comers. rarely is this level of golf so accessible. →

Torrey Pines

Photo: Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com

Featured in CommerCials, movies and most automotive entHusiasts’ dreams, CaliFornia’s PaCiFiC Coast HigHway is as muCH a Part oF ameriCa’s image as it is tHe state’s. tHe Familiar PiCtures oF blue waves CrasHing against golden bluFFs, sea lions lazing on roCky beaCHes, surFers, Hot rods and rolling green Hills join more tHan a Few iConiC golF Courses to make “tHe 1,” as CaliFornians Call it, one oF tHe greatest Paved exPerienCes in tHe world. winding from near san juan Capistrano at its southern end to its termination an hour north of mendocino in the town of leggett, the PCH runs for 656 miles past the towns of malibu and Pismo beach, Hearst Castle, the cliffs at big sur and the golden gate bridge, among other landmark stops. along the way you’ll also find some of the best golf on the planet. great scenery is a given, with the Pacific on the west side of the fairways and greens, but most will find coastal courses offer great challenges as well. whether you’re at the storied Pebble beach or the quaint little river inn, the PCH is as much a top golf trail as it is a driver’s paradise.

The following represent ten of our favorite stops along the way, from southernmost to northernmost. Fly into san diego, then rent something fun and sporty with good handling—just make sure there’s enough room in the trunk for your clubs.

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Pelican Hill

four seasons aviara

pelican hill

Like Torrey Pines, the Four Seasons Aviara isn’t on The 1 exactly, but as it’s just 30 miles south of where the PCH begins—and because it’s absolutely fantastic—we thought it was safe to sneak in. This fine resort features great dining, great accommodations and incredible amenities (along with a top bartender in the lobby bar) but it’s Aviara’s golf offerings that really impress. Honored by Condé Nast Traveler as Southern California’s No.1 golf resort for 2008, Aviara features a stunning Arnold Palmer-designed course that winds around the natural topography and includes water hazards as visual extensions of a central lagoon. There’s a TaylorMade Performance Lab on site, where guests can be computer-fitted for clubs (just like the pros), which can then be ordered and delivered to your room direct from TaylorMade, headquartered just a few miles away. Top instruction is available as well, and the clubhouse is a two-storey, 32,000-square-foot Spanish colonial wonder that has to be seen.

Roughly 20 miles from Dana Point, Pelican Hill is one of the first golf resorts one reaches traveling north from the southern end of the PCH. Thirty-six holes of Fazio-designed wind-swept golf await visitors to the town of Newport Coast and the resort’s 400 acres. Along with the beautiful ocean setting, the resort’s courses border the protected Irvine Ranch Land Reserve, ensuring views are great no matter which way you’re facing. As is the case with many PCH courses, Pelican Hill features more than a couple of holes along the cliff ’s edge. Bring a camera, and a few extra balls. →

fourseasons.com /aviara

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pelicanhill.com

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Trump National Los Angeles

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trump national los angeles trumpnationallosangeles.com

Billed as The Ultimate California Golf Club, the Trump National Los Angeles is as visually stunning and professionally operated as one would expect from Trump, himself an avid and excellent golfer.

Top restaurants and service complement magnificent views to create a must-play experience just outside of—but a world away from—the lights of Hollywood. With more than $250 million invested, it’s well worth a visit.

rancho san marcos golf course rsm1804.com

This lovely course is an absolute must-play just over the hill from the charming city of Santa Barbara. The property sits in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, home to many top Central Coast wineries, celebrity ranches and unequalled sunsets. Ancient oaks and 19th century adobe structures dot the property, built on the grounds of the ranch for which it’s named, while a historic stagecoach trail adds a bit of original Valley flavor. Originally a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design, recent renovations by owner Ty Warner have made it even better.

morro bay golf course slocountyparks.com

Often referred to as “The Poor Man’s Pebble Beach,” Morro Bay GC is indeed a less expensive round of golf, but it doesn’t short players on challenge or setting, both of which are fantastic. Elevation changes are dramatic and club selection can be puzzling, with coastal eucalyptus and other trees bordering the thickly lined fairways and predictably picturesque shots at every turn. Situated in Morro Bay State Park and Estuary just 12 miles north of San Luis Obispo, this is one not to be missed.

sea pines

seapinesgolfresort.com

Basking in the sun on the southern tip of Morro Bay, Sea Pines Golf Resort is old-school California, with grand pine, cypress and eucalyptus trees rising above wind-swept dunes. Featuring a charming 9-hole course that’s absolutely fun and, of course, beautiful, the resort also offers horseback riding and other coastal activities, creating an overall experience that reminds one what a traditional Central Coast vacation is all about. →

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little river inn littleriverinn.com

pebblebeach.com

Icon and home to the 2010 U.S. Open, Pebble Beach is, at its heart, an elegant and refined resort with unbelievable courses and one of the most storied histories of any golf destination anywhere. With late Victorian roots as the Hotel Del Monte and a golf course on-site since 1897, Pebble Beach has hosted more tournaments and is responsible for more anecdotes—from pro golfers, amateurs and tourists alike—than any other place we can think of at the moment.

Do we really need to tell you that Pebble Beach is exceptional, beautiful, photogenic beyond belief and perfect for making golf memories? No, but we will anyway. Play it if you haven’t already; play it again if you have.

half moon bay golf links halfmoonbaygolf.com

Situated on the bay for which it’s named with a beautiful Ritz-Carlton hotel on-site, this property just received a Gold Medal rating in GOLF Magazine’s 2010 edition of Premier Resorts, and it’s no wonder. The links-style Ocean Course is lovely, but our favorite is— surprise—the Palmer-designed Old Course, a classic beauty with a stunning cliff-side 18th that has been ranked as one of the best holes in the world. Joe DiMaggio liked it, and you will too.

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Located just an hour from the northern end of the PCH, Little River Inn is yet another example of classic California hospitality. The Inn itself is perched above the Pacific and has been housing travelers on The 1 for five generations. Wood-burning fireplaces and cocktails on your private deck make for good traditions, while the on-site 9-hole course provides a charming little challenge among the redwoods and gentle hills. As the story has it, in the mid 1950s Inn owner Ole Hervilla was watching Arnold Palmer on television and decided guests would appreciate a golf course on his property. He called a few golf course architects but didn’t like the numbers he was hearing. After the third course designer quoted him a price, Hervilla told him, “Thanks, you just made a golf architect out of me,” then built the course himself with local contractors, opening it for play in 1957. A prime example of both the independent spirit and natural beauty for which California is known. n Photo: Blake Marvin

pebble beach

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The look that launched the J. Peterman Catalog: John O’Hurley is in a reflective mood as he unwinds after a game of golf

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Catalog of Success

ubiquitous, prolific, versatile, urbane and charismatic are all words that readily apply to the entertainment phenomenon that is John o’hurley. he also happens to be a keen golfer, which is how Paul Trow came across him during a rare window of relaxation ReadeRs familiaR with PaRkinson’s law— graduating from Providence college, Rhode island, with a ba in namely that woRk exPands to fill the Theatre back in 1976. as michael douglas, aka gordon gekko time available—will be delighted to in the film Wall Street, might have said, “down time is for wimps!” leaRn that the obveRse to this tRuism o’hurley, now 55, was a performer of substance long is alive and well in the shaPe of John before he took on the Seinfeld role of Jacopo Peterman, a o’huRley, a Renaissance man of ameRican fictionalized version of real-life catalog-company entrepreneur stage and television.

John Peterman, from 1995-98. strangely, though, he landed The roll call of this twinkle-eyed son of maine’s interests the part at one of the few low points of his stellar career. and accomplishments is lengthy enough to fill that quaint yet “getting on to Seinfeld was a funny story because my game comprehensive document with which his name has long been show on abc, Over the Top, had just been cancelled,” he recalls synonymous—the J. Peterman catalog of Seinfeld fame. as we chatted during his visit to the east coast of scotland last actor, musician, singer, dancer, writer, pitchman, fall to play in the alfred dunhill links championship Pro-am. businessman, tv host, PR man, fund-raiser and golfer: you “i was having a night out crying in my beer when larry david’s name it, the hyperactive o’hurley has been parading his office called out of the blue. i went over there to see them and kaleidoscope of skills with the aplomb of a circus juggler since they gave me the J. Peterman catalog. “i loved it because it gave me a chance to do something that was very much in tune with my sense of humor. it was quite british in some respects, i suppose. Peterman was a John cleese type of character—a parody, totally over the top. “i’ve been lucky enough to live a life similar to Peterman—one of adventure with a dash of lunacy, and a healthy respect for the way life should be.” →

“i’ve been lucky enough to live like PeteRman, with a dash of lunacy”

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according to o’hurley, Peterman’s wry oral delivery in september 2006, o’hurley became the fifth host of was inspired by “1940s radio drama, combined with a bit of Family Feud. “They were the same producers as on To Tell the Truth. [late cbs journalist] charles kuralt.” and the content of his it’s been going for 33 years, 165 shows a year. i took over from catalog consisted of “pencil drawings of vintage men’s and Richard karn but they had several hosts before him. This show’s women’s clothing and accessories married to a florid style of one of the reasons i’ve had so little time to play golf recently. description, reminiscent perhaps of ernest hemingway.” “i’m the referee between two competing families and i’ve while the fictional Peterman employed Jerry seinfeld’s got to come up with the comedy—as in Family Fortunes, fast and ex-girlfriend elaine benes (played by Julia louis-dreyfus) and quick. i’ll do it for the rest of my life, if they let me. i love it—it’s became a household name to 60 million regular viewers, the great fun. give me the freedom and flexibility to do whatever set real Peterman enjoyed sales of more than $75 million at the peak i want to do and i’ll give you a really good 40 minutes of tape.” of the show’s popularity. and o’hurley didn’t do badly from o’hurley has also hosted the annual National Dog the spinoffs either, fronting dozens of advertising campaigns Show presented by Purina every Thanksgiving since 2002. for companies such as xerox and The travel channel.

“This is the no.1 show on nbc. it started as a whim to find but the J. Peterman company’s commercial success has some program to follow Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The not been without its hiccups. after opening several retail stores, viewing figures average 20.25 million for a two-hour show, the business, based in lexington, kentucky and not new york so it’s an absolute blockbuster. it’s one of the few times that city as it is in Seinfeld, filed for chapter 11 protection in January tv programmers have got something right. everyone has a 1999. eventually, Peterman bought back the rights to his own favorite dog—it’s like crufts compressed into two hours.” name as a brand and the company was relaunched in 2001, The popularity of this canine cavort led, naturally, to a helped by funding from o’hurley and a few other associates. couple of bestselling comedy books—it’s Okay to Miss the Bed apart from Seinfeld and Over the Top, o’hurley’s back on the First Jump and Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, catalog of tv shows features A Whole New Ballgame, The First You Have to Do It—but it’s the spoken rather than Weber Show, Scorch and To Tell the Truth. written word that remains his forte.

“To Tell the Truth was my favorite show—i loved it more “hosting tv shows is something that comes easily to almost than anything i’ve done,” he says. “it was based on a me because i grew up with parents who made us stay up when british tv show of the 1970s and ’80s, Call My Bluff, and the other adults came round for dinner. That way we learned the celebrities were hilarious—there were six of them and they art of conversation with grown-up people.” were either actors or genuine experts.” in addition to guest roles in the likes of Murder She Wrote, Frasier, The X Files and Melrose Place, o’hurley the O’Hurley and Charlotte Jorgensen won Dancing with the Stars on a viewers’ vote actor has appeared in several television movies, including Life of the Party opposite ann-margret, Inner Sanctum opposite victoria Principal, Murder of Thelma Todd with loni anderson and Blood on Her Hands with susan lucci. in films, he has appeared in Race to Space, starring James woods, and with val kilmer in Billy the Kid, while on the production side he is working on The Richard Petty Story and Ahab’s Wife.

Then there are his cartoon voiceovers—king neptune in SpongeBob SquarePants, captain star Johnson in Duck Dodgers and king wallace ii in Kim Possible along with smaller parts on Lloyd in Space, Family Guy and What’s New, Scooby Doo? in december he was one of the guest speakers in the candlelight Processional at the epcot center in walt disney world, and he is also the voice of the owner of the cow & corset bar in the in-demand Fable II videogame on xbox 360. his main stage role over the past three years has been as king arthur in the wynn las vegas production of Spamalot, which he began in march 2007 and reprises from time to time as his schedule allows, though currently he is starring on broadway as billy flynn in Chicago. music is another of o’hurley’s passions. he is a selftaught pianist and has been composing since his early teens. “i’m a classically trained vocalist, having studied opera at Providence college, yet privately i’ve been singing all my life. i learned the piano based on how i played guitar. even though i’d studied music with my degree, i’m a difficult person to teach. “in 2004 i did a two-album project, Peace in Our Minds, with the renowned cellist marston smith which featured a number of my own piano →

“my PaRents made us stay uP when otheR adults came Round foR dinneR”

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compositions, including the track For Lisa for my wedding kelly monaco and her partner, alec mazo, but fans of the day [to second wife lisa mesloh]. i’ve just completed another program petitioned the network, alleging that their victory album with marston called Secrets From the Lake—i suppose was a set-up. so a special “grudge rematch” episode was you’d call our style ‘classical fusion.’” broadcast in september 2005 with the result determined by briefly married in the 1990s, he tied the knot with lisa viewers’ votes rather than the three professional ballroomin august 2004 and their son, william, was born in december dance judges. o’hurley and Jørgensen emerged as the 2006. “my wife played collegiate golf and she’s still a pretty good player. she was head of marketing with the golf channel for 10 years—mr. Palmer hired her. who knows what her handicap is? she always seems to beat me! our home course is mountain gate near los angeles. “do i play in many pro-ams? i don’t have the time—that’s my problem. golf has been a luxury for the last three or four years. but my handicap is still single-digit—just!” it comes as no surprise to discover that mr. and mrs. o’hurley, like so many celebrities, only get the opportunity to play golf when there is charitable work to be done. “my wife and i host the annual schultz celebrity golf classic [named after the late cartoonist and keen golfer charles schultz] at macayma [a Jack nicklaus designed private golf, lodging and wine club near windsor in northern california].

“The tournament’s proceeds go to sonoma county children’s charities, which is a coalition of O’Hurley has limited opportunities for golf, but still plays off a single-digit handicap five local causes—the charles m. schultz museum and Research center, the valley of the moon children’s winners and their victory earned $126,000—the prize money foundation, the boys and girls club of central sonoma put up by abc—for golfers against cancer. afterwards county, the wcc charitable foundation, and the sonoma the duo produced an instruction video, learn to dance with county scholarship foundation.”

John and charlotte. in his younger days, o’hurley was director of public “as they were cutting their eye teeth they [the program relations for the american Red cross and also the teaching organizers] didn’t really figure out the voting implications,” hospital at yale school of medicine. as one would expect of says o’hurley, diplomatically. “but they had so many the son of an ear, nose and throat surgeon, the campaign for complaints they had to have the dance-off, which i won. medical advancement is never far from his thoughts.

“The following week i won a further $350,000 for golfers since the death of his older sister carol in 1970 at the against cancer in The cliffs challenge, a made-for-tv golf age of 17 due to epileptic seizures, he has been committed match on cbs, competing against kurt Russell, branford to the epilepsy foundation. “i’m their national spokesman marsalis and annika sorenstam. several corporations and i give educational talks. it’s not by nature a fatal disease, matched that figure, so, overall, we raised $900,000 for nine but people in the company of sufferers need to know how to different research projects.” control what’s going on during a fit. what happens after a fit as our conversation in the foyer of the five-star old is that the brain reboots itself. course hotel in st. andrews drew to a close—several “we’re also involved with golfers against cancer. it was other interviews were scheduled before the o’hurleys could started in 1999 by a group of golfers who had lost a couple retreat to the luxurious and well-earned sanctuary of the of buddies to cancer and has since raised over $18 million. dining room—i reflected that he must be a born competitor They were broken-hearted and decided to put together an as well as a born entertainer. a smile of quiet satisfaction organization which had wall street standards and could traced his lips. at that point, all he needed to complete the provide seed capital to help progress several projects aimed at all-encompassing “cool hombre” image was a halo—one of trying to find a cure for cancer. it takes the government years J. Peterman’s urban sombreros, maybe. n to do what we can do in a few weeks.” golfers against cancer directly benefited from one of the more controversial events of o’hurley’s public life. he was a contestant on the first season of Dancing With the Stars, which aired during the summer of 2005, and with his dance partner, charlotte Jørgensen, made it to the final competition.

They lost in the final to abc soap opera star

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“golfeRs against canceR has Raised $18 million since 1999”

A member of the U.S. Army’s 333rd in Iraq tees one up at TPC Sandbox (Editor’s note: not a real course)

One Nation 80

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Members of the USAF and the people working at Ramstein AFB’s Woodlawn Golf Course enjoy a military tradition as old as the game itself MeMBeRS oF the MilitARy hAve Been plAyinG GolF SinCe the eARlieSt dAyS oF the GAMe. At Any tiMe, the SpoRt pRovideS A ChAnCe FoR FiGhtinG Men And WoMen to Meet Up With FRiendS, eStABliSh And MAintAin RelAtionShipS, Spend SoMe qUAlity tiMe in the SUn And teMpoRARily eSCApe the hiGh StReSS oF theiR phenoMenAl oBliGAtionS. in times of war, the importance of the game’s benefits increases substantially, with golf offering a relaxing bit of home away from home and even a way to cope with the potential consequences of conflict. Groups like Bunkers in Baghdad, Wounded Warriors and a recent pGA of America program with disabled Sports USA and the department of defense use the sport as a way to rehabilitate our injured men and women and help them return to life at home.

The importance of the game to active duty personnel is evident by the resourcefulness golfers have displayed in the field. in WWii, prisoners of war in German camps fashioned golf balls from the leather and rubber of their boots, then made clubs from whatever was at hand. More recently, in iraq and Afghanistan the media has been quick to cover the “homebuilt” courses set up by soldiers, sending back pictures of the humorously named “tpC Mosul”—just a few holes in the sand built around tires and other obstacles—and other similar examples. Such “courses” were built by the Air Force’s tSgt Mark Greene and Spc. Agent James Blair and their friends while they were deployed “down range” in desert conflict regions. Those two and the other men featured on the following pages are all stationed at or work at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany and are all bravely committed to supporting our country and their fellow soldiers and airmen and women abroad and at home. Additionally, they’re all part of the larger community of golfers worldwide. here’s hoping the game gives them as much as they give us.

DErEk TUrnEr Golf Course ManaGer WoodlaWn Golf Course raMstein afB, GerMany

Since January of 2008, derek turner has been managing the golf course at Ramstein, and from what golfers are saying he and the people he works with are doing an incredible job, most recently by addressing a couple of important priorities: “our active duty folks here are really involved with what’s going on in the Middle east and places like that, and we really owe it to them to give them the best customer service we can; that’s been no.1,” says turner. “Secondly, course conditions; we’re getting them as good as we can with what we have.”

Built in 1955, the course itself is beautiful. it’s no surprise that it spent nearly eight years as a stop on the european tour, turner says. only 6,044 yards from the blues, he explains, “it’s narrow—extremely narrow. you hear this when you’re at other bases: people that have been stationed here at Ramstein, they fondly remember playing here. oftentimes you see them coming back years later. people have fond memories of this course.” in times of conflict with budgets already stretched, a golf course might not command as much care as it could, but that hasn’t stopped turner and his team from staying true to Woodlawn’s roots and maintaining it as a quality place for active duty folks and authorized nAto forces to meet for a little recreation, camaraderie and chance to de-stress. From the numbers, it appears his work is well appreciated.

“For those folks looking for a place to recreate, that enjoy golf and all, [the course] is tremendously important. We’ve had over 36,000 rounds per year, and for a secure installation—as secure as this one is—that’s showing that we have a restricted market doing that many rounds, that’s kind of telling.” →

Under Golf

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TSgt MArk GrEEnE CoMMand Postal ManaGer Age: 35 Home: Marion, Ma YeArs in UsAF: 16 years

“Mail is extremely important; it’s the vital link between personnel and home,” says tSgt Mark Greene, whose job inspecting military postal operations is part of making sure that neither rain, nor sleet nor snow—and not even active combat—prevents the mail from getting through.

Communication with loved ones has long been a key point of morale for both the personnel in the field and their families back home, making military postal operations an absolutely crucial service. in times of conflict, Greene says, those operations face a substantial increase in mail traffic. “it gets pretty complicated,” he says, “but it’s pretty neat. Wherever there’s a base folks will get their mail.” it was at a base in Japan that Greene discovered golf.

And as many of us can sympathize, his first outing wasn’t exactly a championship experience. “it was about 12 or 13 years ago,” he remembers. “A bunch of buddies took me out golfing. i was already in the Air Force, stationed at yokota where there’s a great golf course [tama hills]. They took me out and i saw how hard golf really was.

The first experience was humbling. i was using rental clubs, but they could’ve given me anything. i wouldn’t have known the difference.”

From l-r: Mark Greene, Derek Turner and Tanner Spani Greene says that though the game didn’t exactly come easily, he stuck with it because of the relationships SPECIAl AGEnT JAMES BlAIr he’s built with friends and because of the good times the usaf offiCe of sPeCial investiGations game provides.

“They were a good bunch of guys [in Japan], and it’s Age: 40 Home: duluth, Mn the same here at Ramstein,” he says. “With golf, it’s not YeArs in UsAF: 22 so much the sport itself but the camaraderie you have with friends that makes it enjoyable. All golfers go through “My father was in the Air Force from the day i was born until the same challenges together.” i joined; he was a golf fanatic.”

That camaraderie is even more important in times of Blair was near five years old when he first picked up conflict, a point which is underlined when troops and airmen a golf club. he hit golf balls around the back yard, and later are “down range,” deployed in one of our currently active joined the youth golf program at Wichita’s McConnell AFB desert combat zones, Greene says. near eight years of age. “i’ve been iraq, qatar, up in Baghdad… quite a few “i was on the golf course every day that summer,” he says. places. When we’re down range in the desert we can’t wait to “i loved it. i can’t remember a moment i haven’t loved it.” get back and see our buddies.”

Because of his job, it’s no surprise that Blair has golfed even here, golf has its place. in some interesting locations. Among them, Curaçao, the “We would find an old sand wedge and just go whacking around out there; sometimes it’s possible to go out in the sand, philippines, the UAe, and even on an improvised course in qatar. “last time i deployed, i brought a couple of clubs with in other locations not so much,” Greene says. “Most of the me and left them there for the guys. We built a little pitch ’n’ time it was just a bunch of guys in a tent with a golf club putt in the sand, just went down with a couple of clubs and telling stories. We’d have an old 1960s sand wedge that was laid it out. Who knows the condition of it now…” worn out, just having fun.”

Blair’s responsibilities are heavy: he runs our european Whether in the desert or at a base like Ramstein, tech services office, providing specialized surveillance support Green says that for soldiers and airmen, “Golf is huge, and for law enforcement and counter intelligence operations. Golf, the military does a great job with the courses, making morale he says, “is something to keep my mind off of work, really. The good for the soldiers. it’s good bonding with a bunch of stress from the office. And the camaraderie on the golf course friends, to come back to a taste of home. i’m pretty much out and from the guys is phenomenal. Wherever you go—and i’ve there whenever the sun is shining.” been a lot of places—you go to a golf course and you meet phenomenal people there.”

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CAllAWAy STEPS UP As important as golf is to many of our troops serving overseas, golf clubs aren’t exactly standard issue military hardware. At forward bases in desert regions of Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan, golf gear can be tough to come by. And despite the fact that there aren’t many proper courses on hand, troops still enjoy a bit of hitting balls around on improvised courses. To make sure this tension-easing recreation is available to troops, Callaway Golf has sent a substantial amount of golf gear to military bases abroad. The company has partnered with a number of organizations, one of the more recent being Bunkers In Baghdad, for which Callaway supplied 75,000 golf balls and 900 golf clubs that headed for Iraq and Afghanistan late last year and to Wounded Warriors locations across the United States. The latter organization uses golf as a rehabilitative tool for those brave men and women wounded in action. Additionally, Callaway has donated hundreds of clubs and balls directly to various military groups, including Task Force 449 of the North Carolina National Guard, among others. Efforts like Callaway’s, along with local efforts to send donated used and new clubs, ensure our fighting men and women have access to at least one bit of home-style recreation while they’re overseas.

SrA TAnnEr SPAnI airfield systeMs teChniCian Age: 26 Home: PanaMa City, fl YeArs in UsAF: 4

Woodlawn GC; James Blair hard at work

one such meeting happened in orlando. during his time at tyndall AFB and patrick AFB in Florida, Blair made it to the Arnold palmer invitational in 1999—“When tim heron beat tom lehman, and i’m a huge tom lehman fan”—and again in 2007, when Blair met a phenomenal person indeed: Mr. palmer himself.

“We came through the gate on the 8th and he shook my hand. it was a great moment,” Blair says, adding that “i am on active duty in Arnie’s Army.”

At the end of the day, Blair says golf provides great camaraderie and an often necessary escape from the stress that comes with the incredible responsibilities our fighting men and women face. “during my time in the military it’s always been great having these military courses to play on,” he says. “especially here at Ramstein, with Mr. turner and the program they have here; it’s absolutely the best.”

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As an airfield systems technician, tanner Spani maintains the equipment on the airfield at Ramstein. This includes the instrument landing systems and all of the technical bits and pieces on the ground that ensure our planes can take off—and more importantly, land—in a safe and secure manner. Though it’s a huge responsibility, “this is my first base, and because i’m kind of young… there hasn’t been much stress,” he says. Spani has spent time with the USAF in hungary, iceland and “places like that,” he says, great deployments for a relatively fresh face. Through it all, there’s been golf.

“My father is the superintendent at a golf course in panama City; i grew up playing,” he says, adding that he first started near age 5. “i played throughout high school… worked at golf courses, anything from cart boy to snack food vendor.” now, with his responsibilities at Ramstein, you’d think it would be difficult for Spani to keep his game in shape. however, he points out that in the summer months it doesn’t get dark until near 10pm and so, with the added benefit of his wife working at the golf course, maybe it’s not so surprising that “Right after work, i get in 18 almost every day.”

Still, we think he’s being modest—or at least understated—when he refers to his 3.6 handicap as “decent.”

“Golf has always been more than a sport to me,” he says. “it’s the greatest game on earth. A chance to get away from reality, great camaraderie and the chance to meet a bunch of great people. Besides the game itself, it’s about the relationships and friendships.” n

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arnold Palmer, sporting a natty white cap, splashes out of a pot bunker during his British Open debut at St. andrews in 1960

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The concept of a slam of four major golf championships had its origins in the mists of antiquity, but it took Arnold Palmer to provide it with a modern definition and, in so doing, inject some much-needed commercialism and vitality into a stagnating game When the World’s leAding PlAyers Assemble At st AndreWs for the 150th AnniversAry of the british oPen next July, they Will in All ProbAbility be contesting A $10 million Purse And Pursuing A $1.5 million Winner’s check. in terms of prize money, global status, media profile and course set-up, the 139th version of the world’s oldest championship will be light years ahead of its 89th staging over the old course.

The only good thing the british open had going for it in 1960 was that it was celebrating its centenary. As it proved, this was the allure that teased an entry out of a 30year-old American who was rewriting golf ’s history books at a whirlwind rate. And it was not long before the british open began to feel the benefit of his blast of stardust.

Arnold Palmer had won The masters for a second time that April and followed up two months later with a thrilling, come-from-behind triumph in the u.s. open at cherry hills country club in denver, colorado—as it turned out, his only victory in his own national championship.

At the time, the only ‘grand slam’ concept to have entered the sport’s thinking was the annexing in one year of The open and Amateur championships of both the british isles and the united states—a feat achieved just once, in 1930, by bobby Jones and immediately dubbed by writer o.b. keeler as ‘an impregnable quadrilateral’.

As the professional game grew stronger, the two amateur championships took a back seat. The old slam had thus faded into sepia-tinted obscurity and nothing had been devised to replace it in the public consciousness by the time Palmer decided to make his first challenge for the claret Jug. After adding the first of his four green Jackets in 1958 to the us Amateur championship he won four years earlier at the country club of detroit, Palmer was swiftly installed as the heir apparent to what had hitherto been regarded as the golden generation of American golf—spearheaded by snead, hogan and nelson. each of these men was a star performer with a devoted public following, but none could claim with any conviction, even at the height of his fame and prowess, that he was financially made for life. indeed, byron nelson had walked away from the PgA tour having helped himself to 32 titles between 1944 and 1946 because he reckoned running a farm was a safer and more lucrative way of earning a living. →

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The fact that he had won the first two of these major titles in 1960 was no doubt a motivating factor in Palmer’s reasoning. They stopped off in ireland so he could team up with sam snead at Portmarnock to win the canada cup [now known as the Wgc-World cup of golf ], and drum started to spread the idea amongst the british journalists in the press tent.

When Palmer arrived in st Andrews to tackle the third leg of his self-defined quadrilateral, he was nearly washed away in a tidal wave of public support. “everybody picked up on it [the grand slam idea] right away at st Andrews that year,” he said.

Thus Palmer’s concept of the modern majors became popular reality even though, in truth, the fans were equally taken with his swashbuckling style and magnetic personality. on this occasion, though, his trademark final-round charge was not quite enough to dislodge the 54-hole leader, kel nagle, and Palmer came up one stroke shy of the Australian. but his love affair with the british open had permanence and he duly lifted the claret Jug at birkdale the following year and successfully defended it at troon in 1962. both courses received the royal assent shortly afterwards, and the british crowds loved him: his style, the way he hitched his pants, the way his powerful swing ended in a signature flourish and, most of all, the way he played. Palmer always → arnold Palmer holes a key putt during his final round at Cherry Hills Country Club en route to winning the U.S. Open in 1960

At the time there was some merit to that view. in the decade or so after World War ii, professional golf struggled to shake off its image as something akin to a travelling circus. titles fell in the main to the usual suspects and the feeling gradually developed that the game was stagnating.

Palmer’s first win as a professional was in the 1955 canadian open and he claimed a further seven PgA tour titles before that historic breakthrough victory at Augusta national. like a meteor, he struck golf ’s firmament just as Jones had done almost two generations earlier. in truth, though, it was not until Palmer boarded his transatlantic flight two summers later, in the company of golf journalist bob drum from the Pittsburgh Press, that the concept of a modern version of the grand slam began to crystallize. “my desire to play in the open in britain went back to my days as a schoolboy golfer when i read newspaper accounts of top American players like bobby Jones and Walter hagen winning there,” said Palmer. “i didn’t think you could become a world-renowned player unless you participated internationally.

With the british open being the foremost and most prestigious championship in the world, i felt it was one i had to play.”

At some stage on their journey—Palmer says it was “during our extended cocktail hour”—he and drum started talking about Jones’s slam and how it could never be repeated. it was then that Palmer revealed his hand: “What would be wrong with a professional grand slam comprising The masters, both opens and the PgA championship?” he asked. initially drum was quizzical, but gradually the idea struck a chord with the veteran reporter.

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Winnie and arnold Palmer cradle the Claret Jug at Troon in 1962

“my desire to play in the british open went back to my schoolboy days”

“everyone picked up on it [the grand slam idea] right away at st. andrews in 1960”

Mr. Palmer waves to the galleries from the Swilcan Bridge 15 years ago on his final British Open appearance over the Old Course

went for the pin and fans could identify with that. Suddenly, Appropriately, he bade an emotional farewell to playing in Arnie’s Army had troops in a foreign field. the event from the Swilcan Bridge in 1995 and has not returned He also found himself a Scottish sergeant at arms in since. But he refuses to rule out the possibility of a sentimental the shape of gnarled St Andrews caddie Tip Anderson, who visit at some stage. The most fitting time, surely, would be this played Sancha Panza to his Don Quixote for most of his year at St Andrews where his odyssey began half a century ago.

Open tilts.

After all, not only did he twice embrace the Claret Jug, he also “He was invaluable on the Old Course. If I’d putted a gave the British Open as a whole the kiss of life. little better, I would have won that first Open, but Tip was Ironically, Palmer never completed his own personal certainly the key to my playing well there,” Palmer recalls. “The grand slam because his best finish in the PGA Championship only times I chose not to take his advice was when he wanted turned out to be three second places. Instead, he saw his Big me to lay up and that wasn’t an inclination in my repertoire.

Three rivals Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, and more recently “He was also very good at Birkdale and Troon. He knew Tiger Woods, add their names to that of Gene Sarazen as the those courses very well. That was extremely important to me.” only men to have achieved the feat.

Strangely, Palmer was never again a serious contender at So does he still believe, nearly half a century later, that the British Open, his best subsequent finishes being an eighth The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA remain the and tie for seventh at Muirfield (in 1966 and 1972) and seventh game’s four true majors, a grand slam to stand the test of time? on his own at Turnberry in 1977.

“They stand above all the rest.” To this very day, so does he. n

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Palmer to Chair Women’s oPen Arnold PAlmer’s commitment to the concePt of mAjor chAmPionshiPs hAs been further recognized with the united stAtes golf AssociAtion nAming him honorAry chAirmAn of the 65th u.s. women’s oPen At oAkmont country club from july 8-11, 2010. mr. Palmer, who was brought up at nearby latrobe in western Pennsylvania, competed in four u.s. opens at oakmont and has played his part over the past four decades in helping update the layout of the Pittsburgh course from the original 1904 design by henry c. fownes.

Palmer playing out of the famous Church Pews during the US Open at Oakmont in 1994

This is one major championship Mr. Palmer could never have played in, but he is well aware of its importance within the game and is honored to accept his new role at Oakmont Country Club

“we approached Arnold to serve in this capacity because we wanted to honor his lifelong commitment to the game of golf and his connection to western Pennsylvania, oakmont country club and the united states golf Association,” said carol semple Thompson, general chairman of the 2010 u.s. women’s open and world golf hall of fame member. by serving as honorary chairman, mr. Palmer will assist in the promotion of the championship by appearing in a ticket sales advertising campaign. he will also appear at an exhibition during the week of the championship to welcome the crowds back to oakmont. mr. Palmer’s last u.s. open appearance at oakmont was in 1994 when he missed the cut, but his most memorable performance there came in 1962 when he lost to jack nicklaus in an 18-hole playoff. he also tied for fourth behind johnny miller in 1973 and for 60th in 1983 when the winner was larry nelson. “it is an honor to serve as honorary chairman for the u.s. women’s open and the usgA,” said mr. Palmer, who added with a chuckle: “it will be fun to participate in a championship that i could never win.” it will be the second visit by the u.s. women’s open to oakmont—Patty sheehan won the 1992 championship in a playoff against juli inkster.

Annika sorenstam, a friend of mr. Palmer and a hall of fame golfer, has been named as honorary chair for the 2011 u.s. women’s open at The broadmoor—at the foot of the rocky mountains in colorado springs, colorado—from july 7-10. “i am extremely honored to be able to serve in this role with the usgA,” said sorenstam. “The u.s. women’s open is our premier championship and when i won at The broadmoor in 1995 it was my first professional victory in the united states.” it was also the first of her 10 major championship wins and her three u.s. women’s open titles. tickets for the 2010 championship are now on sale visit 2010uswomensopen.com n

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“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue.”

This ‘good luck’ checklist for superstitious Victorian brides on their wedding days could equally have been composed with the locations of golf ’s major championships in 2010 specifically in mind.

Paul Trow explains why

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Something old—they don’t come any more Venerable than the old courSe at St. andrewS on the eaSt coaSt of Scotland where the 150th anniVerSary of the [britiSh] open will be celebrated from 15-18 July.

Something new—whistling Straits, pete dye’s haunting masterpiece on the shores of lake michigan, hosts the pga championship for the second time in six years from 12-15 august.

Something borrowed—bobby Jones made no secret of the homage he was paying to the old course when he laid out augusta national where the masters will be played for the 74th time from 8-11 april.

Something blue—what could be bluer than the majestic expanse of pacific ocean that flanks the pebble beach golf links on california’s monterey peninsula—home of the 110th u.S. open from 17-20 June?

The stages on which this year’s four majors will be acted out could hardly have been more distinguished, or their settings more theatrical. They represent the perfect marriage of all the possible questions that any sport could ask of the varied skills of its most proficient practitioners. under normal circumstances, the first name at the top of every golfing prophet’s list of potential winners would have to be tiger woods. The world no.1 already has four green Jackets in his wardrobe while in 2000 he lapped the field at both pebble beach (15 shots) and St. andrews (eight shots). his performance was modest when whistling Straits made its debut as a major venue back in 2004, but he usually proves to be a fast learner whenever he returns to a course he has played before. however, ‘but’ is very much the operative word when assessing his prospects this year. circumstances have been far from normal for woods of late, and at the time of writing it is unclear when he will return to tournament play, let alone the majors, or, indeed, what frame of mind (or form) he will be in following the recent upheavals in his private life. no purpose would be served by reflecting further on this matter here, save to say that an ever-expanding group of players now have good reason to fancy their chances this time round. →

Photo: Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com

Rocky outcrops, surfers’ waves and the bluest of oceans add color and spice to the 8th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links

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AugustA NAtioNAl, where honorary starters arnold palmer and Jack nicklaus will tee off the forthcoming majors’ season, has made a habit in recent times of springing surprises with its course changes. it was stretched to 7,435 yards in 2009 and a further extension seems likely this year with players continuing to bomb the ball massive distances, not only from the tee but throughout the bag. one interesting recent development at the former nursery down in the heart of georgia was the introduction of rough at certain strategic points around the course. whether this would have met with the approval of Jones, or his design collaborator alister macKenzie, is a moot point. what is certain, though, is that the rough is here to stay as long as billy payne remains chairman of the tournament. with the players having to contend with new rules governing the grooves in their irons, and the greens likely to be as slick and firm as ever, there will be a renewed emphasis on straight driving down amongst the azaleas and dogwood at the business end of magnolia drive. the rough, for once at a u.S. open, will not be at the forefront of the players’ problems when Pebble Beach plays host to the national championship for a fifth time. opened in 1919 to a design by douglas grant and Jack neville, america’s most iconic links layout has always relied largely on the elements for its defense against low-scoring predators. its proximity to the cliff edges and the ocean below is a daunting enough deterrent to the over-exuberant approach, and to some extent negates the need to prepare narrow, ribbon-like fairways. in 2000, the weather, cool and sunny in roughly equal measure, was far from inclement apart from some fog on the first couple of days. woods was the only player to finish below par (12 under) while his nearest rivals, ernie els and miguel angel Jimenez, headed the rest of the field—for whom the fog seemed never to have lifted—despite failing to better three over.

The first open at pebble beach was as recent as 1972, when Jack nicklaus followed up his win a few months earlier in the bing crosby pro-am with a three-shot victory over bruce crampton. ten years later, nicklaus was again center stage but this time he was playing the lead supporting role to tom watson, who famously turned the tide by chipping in audaciously from thick greenside rough at the short 17th to cement a two-shot triumph.

The 1992 u.S. open was the scene of tom Kite’s only major success. The victim of many a near miss throughout his career, it looked as though this perennial bridesmaid might be confounded yet again as colin montgomerie unfurled an astonishing 70 in high winds on the final day to set a level-par clubhouse target of 288 which at one point looked unassailable. nicklaus again got in on the act, this time in a broadcasting capacity, when he asked the burly Scot on air what it felt like to win his first major even though several players were still out on the course. miraculously, or predictably depending on your view when it comes to tempting fate, the winds dropped to a mere zephyr as Kite made his way down the back nine. he was thus able to negotiate safely holes that had been nigh-on impossible an hour earlier. his total of 285 gave him a margin of two shots over Jeff Sluman and three over the hapless montgomerie, who has since finished second five times in majors. The expression ‘close but no cigar’ really could have been coined for the man who will captain europe’s ryder cup team in wales this fall. pebble beach has undergone quite a few changes in recent years, overseen by mr. palmer. “we’ve put a few new tees in but mainly we’ve tightened up a lot of the bunkering around the course—taking out traps that are no longer needed and putting others in at strategic points,” he said. “we’ve also tightened up holes like the 18th by putting in some more trees at driving distance up the right as well as more traps. nearly all the changes are designed to present players with a tighter line off the back tees, pushing their line more towards the ocean and out of a comfort zone they may have had in the past.” →

The short 12th at Augusta National is the cornerstone of Amen Corner, a lethal run of holes that has thwarted many Masters contenders

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The Old Course at St. Andrews has played host to the Open Championship 27 times since 1873

if the sun shines and the breezes are gentle, St. Andrews can provide a genuine comfort zone for most players at the highest level. The only significant change to the old course, from the 7,279 yards it stretched to in 2005, when woods strolled to a five-shot victory over montgomerie, is on the ‘road hole’ par-4 17th, arguably the most revered plot of land in the whole of golf.

Photo: Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com

hotel will add a premium of extra difficulty to the tee shot, especially if the prevailing crosswind does decide to kick up.

This will be the 28th playing of golf ’s oldest championship over the old course and rarely during the previous 27 incarnations has the cream failed to rise to the top. This year will mark the centenary of James braid’s second victory at St. andrews while others to lift the claret Jug there include J.h. taylor (twice), Jones (in 1930, his annus mirabilis), Sam Snead (1946), peter Thomson (1954), tony lema (1964), Jack nicklaus (1970 and 1978), Seve ballesteros (1984), nick faldo (1990), John daly (1995) and woods the last two times of asking. one of the greatest opens to be played at St. andrews marked its centenary in 1960 when mr. palmer made his debut in the championship and missed out by one solitary shot to Kel nagle. mr. palmer will be back at St. andrews for a four-hole exhibition event to be contested the evening before this year’s opening round by the former champions. it is doubtful whether nagle, who has recently suffered from ill health, will be well enough to make the journey from his native australia to attend, but ballesteros, who has been battling a brain tumor for the past 18 months, has pledged to take part. →

arnold palmer will be bacK at St. andrewS for a paSt championS’ eVent The tee has been pushed back 35 yards, which means the hole will measure the best part of 500 yards and the players in general will be forced to hit a lower trajectory into the often elusive green that angles away from front right to back left, parallel with the infamous road and tucked behind the cavernous bunker that has wrecked many a promising card. assuming the organizers, The r&a, grow in the rough on both sides of a relatively narrow fairway—as they did in 2005—the extended carry across the corner of the old course

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The 7th hole at Whistling Straits exemplifies Pete Dye’s innovative and adventurous style of course design

in a neat and intriguing coincidence, two of St. andrews’ stand-out buildings—the old course hotel and hamilton hall, the redbrick edifice next door to the r&a clubhouse— are now owned by herb Kohler, who also happens to be the proprietor of Whistling Straits. in the space of less than a month, mr. Kohler will therefore be a central figure at two majors—first as mine host to many of the richest and most famous players at St. andrews, and then as the master of all to be surveyed back home in wisconsin. in 2004, when the Straits course first hosted the pga championship, a mere six years after its official opening, the wanamaker trophy was claimed by fiji’s Vijay Singh following a three-way playoff with Justin leonard and chris dimarco. at the time, Singh was providing woods with genuine competition at the top of the official world golf rankings and finished the year as Vardon trophy winner on the pga tour. but he is now in his late forties and even though he topped the money list for a third time in 2008, a combination of injuries and anno domini caught up with him last year as he tumbled to 68th in the order of merit.

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Photo: Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com

at 7,514 yards in 2004, whistling Straits at the time was the longest course ever to have staged a major. hazeltine national, at 7,624 yards for last year’s pga championship, now holds that distinction, but the chances are that mr. Kohler’s pride and joy will soon be reclaiming its place in the record books. when it comes to major championships, 2010 surely represents the heavyweight version of the title.

These four courses are among the ultimate cathedrals, churches, shrines, altars—call them what you will—to the game of golf. where better for the brides, perhaps once all bridesmaids, to fulfill their destiny? where better for the best man to prove his worth? n

whiStling StraitS Stretched to 7,514 yardS off the bacK teeS in 2004

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It’s amazing how much you can grow when you care.

What started 20 years ago as a dream to bring lifesaving healthcare to the families of Central Florida is today one of the few medical campuses in the nation dedicated exclusively to both children’s and women’s services, Arnold Palmer Medical Center.

Together Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies have become recognized leaders, providing high quality, compassionate care and specialized services to families in Central Florida and visitors from around the world.

Help us continue providing leading-edge pediatric care. Visit arnoldpalmerhospital.com or call 407.841.5114 to make a gift to support the Arnold Palmer Medical Center. Together, we can change the lives of our future’s most valued hope... our children.

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a r nold palmer ’ s

life in pictures Glimpses from behind the scenes of the most celebrated career in the history of the game part 16

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1958

The Masters

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Arnold Palmer celebrates his first victory in a major championship when he receives the Green Jacket traditionally presented to the winner of The Masters from his immediate predecessor as champion, Doug Ford

1960

The Masters Palmer leaps for joy across the 18th green at Augusta National after holing the putt that clinched his second major title, and his second victory in The Masters

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1960 U.S. Open

Palmer is a study in concentration as he crouches to line up a crucial putt at Cherry Hills Country Club on his way to his only victory in the U.S. Open

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1961 The Open

Palmer’s trademark high finish to his swing provided a welcome flourish at Royal Birkdale where he claimed the Claret Jug for the first time

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1962

The Masters It was Green Jacket No.3 for Palmer, who celebrated his third victory in The Masters with his late wife Winnie

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1962 The Open

Arnie’s Army lines the fairway as Palmer unfurls another long drive on his way to a second successive Open triumph at Troon on the west coast of Scotland

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1964

The Masters

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Palmer’s seventh and final major championship victory came at Augusta National, the scene of his first six years earlier. Jack Nicklaus was on hand to do the Green Jacket honors

His name is on tHe course, as well as His signature.

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GEICO has hugely popular ad campaigns, a solid business structure and something else besides: Good ol’ fashioned customer service

Some Say it waS in 1667, in the wake of the Great fire of London. otherS cLaim it came aLmoSt a miLLennium earLier foLLowinG the LoSS of a roman fLeet in a Storm (there are recordS from 300 B.c. to Support thiS…). whenever the worLd’S firSt officiaL inSurance company came into BeinG, there’S no denyinG that peopLe have Been SecurinG the vaLue of their GoodS aGainSt potentiaL LoSSeS for a LonG time. of courSe, that Security LikeLy didn’t come via a SmaLL Green Gecko and the SoLid company he repreSentS: Geico.

The Government Employees Insurance Company was established by Leo and Lillian Goodwin in 1936.

Since its founding, GEICO has grown to become one of the largest and most dependable of insurers, with assets near $28 billion (and growing). In business, the company—a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway—represents a solid model, with a legacy of excellent decision-making and top customer service. In popular culture, it’s better known for its groundbreaking popular advertising campaigns, which include both the famous GEICO Caveman and the beloved Gecko, among others. Appealing to a wide range of consumers, GEICO’s recent brand awareness may be due to its creative marketing, but its history of success is based on a triedand-true business fundamental: Taking care of customers.

Beginnings In the midst of the Great Depression, Leo Goodwin came up with a business plan. By selectively marketing to carefully targeted customer groups, Goodwin figured he could build an auto insurance business. And in 1936 he set out to do exactly that, establishing the Government Employees Insurance Company. The original idea was to reach federal employees and certain categories of enlisted military officers, but of course GEICO’s scope grew far wider.

Working diligently next to Leo, Lillian Goodwin not only helped market the new company, she managed the accounting, set the rates and handled the underwriting as well. With the Goodwins working hard and sticking to their ideals, within a year GEICO had written 3,700 policies and hired 12 staff members. Not bad work for any year, never mind that it was during one of the worst economies in history.

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Not quite ten years later, in 1948, Lorimer Davidson joined the company. The investment banker was a friend of the Goodwins, and when the original investors moved on, Davidson helped them find new ones.

One such was Benjamin Graham, a business professor at Columbia University. Prof. Graham, as it turned out, had a bright young student in his class by the name of Warren Buffet, and in 1951 that bright young student became forever linked with GEICO. After hearing of the company from his professor, Buffet took a train to Washington to learn more. Unfortunately, he took the train on a Saturday and so GEICO’s offices were closed for the weekend. Being diligent, Buffett found a janitor who directed him to Davidson. The two had a meeting, after which Buffet made his first purchase of GEICO stock. A decade later, in 1958, Goodwin retired and named Davidson as his successor.

The following year, Davidson presided at the opening of GEICO’s headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md., and the modern history of the company was off and running.

Bigger, Better Throughout the next decade, GEICO continued a line of virtually unbroken growth, passing the 1 million policyholder mark in 1964 and reaching $150 million in premiums by 1965. With net earnings doubling to $13 million in 1966, GEICO opened a number of walk-in offices for sales and service and even a drive-in claims office. Following 30 years of near constant growth, it was inevitable that the company would experience some growing pains. These came with the economies of the 1970s and the passing of the Goodwins. GEICO went through a bit of a rough patch but emerged, with stronger underwriting and reserving activities that ultimately helped to build the company’s reputation as a fiscally superior organization. Buffet re-emerged and made a second purchase of GEICO stock, reported to be 1 million shares, while a new chief investment officer came on board in Lou Simpson.

The 1980s were stronger still, with prudent underwriting and the introduction of 24-hour, 365-day telephone service for claims, sales and service. The tradition of customer service continued, bigger and better than ever.

→

Behind the gecko

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Buffet era With the beginning of the 1990s came a new chairman, president and CEO: Olza “Tony” Nicely, who came on board in 1993 and worked to expand the customer base.

Along with a new “four company” strategy to broaden its customer base came a substantially increased advertising effort. The changes got the attention of Warren Buffet, who acquired the remaining shares of GEICO in 1996, making the company a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the most profitable organizations in the country.

The advertising component went into overdrive, with ads, mailings, and TV spots and, finally, in 2000, the appearance of what is today one of the most recognizable pitchmen— err, pitch creatures—in history: The GEICO Gecko. In 2001 Leo Goodwin received industry recognition posthumously by being named to the International Insurance Society Hall of Fame, while the company he founded acquired its 5 millionth policyholder in 2002.

It didn’t take long to add another million policyholders: GEICO passed 6 million in 2004. Motorcycle coverage became a bigger part of the corporate profile. But the real news that year was the introduction of the GEICO Cavemen. In an effort to let people know that using GEICO.com was “so easy a caveman could do it,” the company created an advertising icon that has spawned numerous incarnations and even a short-lived TV show.

Incredible. A new 250,000-square-foot regional center was opened in October of that year as well, in Buffalo, NY, further adding to GEICO’s customer service capabilities.

and More GEICO’s 7 millionth policyholder was signed in 2006, its 8 millionth the year after. New and expanded services, like Auto Repair Xpress and the Powersports unit, were introduced and the company’s growth continued—as did the growth of its cultural popularity. The Cavemen, who were all over TV in a number of popular ads, also appeared in a popular interactive Web site. Additionally, they were voted America’s favorite advertising icon of the year and joined the GEICO Gecko on the Advertising Week Walk of Fame. The Gecko himself stayed busy, taking on the role of spokescreature for a national touring live gecko exhibit at several zoos and aquariums across the country that promotes conservation efforts. Both advertising icons were recently joined by a stack of money with eyeballs, which has already made its own mark in popular culture.

Today, with 24,000 associates in 12 major locations around the country, insurance offerings in all 50 states, more than 9 million policyholders and unbelievable brand awareness, it’s unfathomable Leo and Lillian Goodwin could ever have expected this kind of success. Whatever their reaction to the size and scope of GEICO’s current operation, there’s no question the Goodwins would recognize the core values they instilled and which are still very much at the heart of the company: excellent coverage, low prices and outstanding customer service. n For more information on GEICO, its services and offerings, visit GEICO.com

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GEICO founders Leo and Lillian Goodwin

geico in the gaMe In addition to sending the GEICO Cavemen and Gecko to all kinds of sports events and competitions, the company has made sure GEICO has a presence on golf courses as well. GEICO sponsors a few top PGA pros, including Johnson Wagner, Webb Simpson and Steve Marino (who finished fourth at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and tied for fifth at the Northern Trust Open the week before). In addition, GEICO is making an appearance at a number of Tour events this year. Look for their simulator, putting green and gifts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and a number of other top stops this season.

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The irresistible blend of generous hospitality, championship golf courses and vibrant scenery on offer in the Dominican Republic was more than enough to persuade Giuseppe Velotta to pack his clubs and pay a visit on behalf of kingdom

Viva La Re The Dominican Republic fiRsT appeaReD on The map, so To speak, on 5 DecembeR 1492—DuRing chRisTopheR columbus’s maiDen voyage To The new woRlD. The inTRepiD TRansaTlanTic exploReR lanDeD on The islanD anD immeDiaTely nameD iT hispaniola, even Though iT was alReaDy known as “QuisQueya” To The 600,000 Taino inDians who liveD TheRe. The Tainos weRe peaceful anD hospiTable To columbus anD his cRew of spanish sailoRs. in TuRn, columbus gRew fonD of hispaniola anD DescRibeD iT in his jouRnal as a “beauTiful islanD paRaDise wiTh high foResTeD mounTains anD laRge RiveR valleys.” within a few years the settlement of santo Domingo had been confirmed as the capital despite being dwarfed by pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the west indies at more than 10,400 feet. fast forward to 2010, more than 500 years since the first tourist checked in, and the Dominican Republic, which occupies the eastern part of the island, is once again highlighted on a map—this time the golfing map. voted golf destination of the year in 2009 for the caribbean and latin america by the international association of golf Tour operators (iagTo), it has 25 courses and counting (mostly dotted around its coastline) along with eight international airports and a population of approximately 10 million people. situated in the heart of the caribbean, just west of puerto Rico and a couple of hours’ flight time from miami, the Dominican Republic is well established as a tourism hot spot—in stark contrast to haiti, its near neighbor on the western side of the island for which the recent earthquake and subsequent humanitarian disaster are just the latest in a seemingly unending catalog of tragedies. more than a million americans make the trip each year to the Dominican Republic, including a rising number of celebrities, musicians, politicians, billionaires and even royalty,

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many of whom have rallied round impressively in recent weeks to help arrange funds and medical supplies for stricken haiti.

The attractions of the Dominican Republic start with its sandy beaches, dazzling green landscapes, waterfalls, year-round sea breezes and exotic cuisine, not to mention its friendly policies towards the environment. a leader in eco-tourism, the Dominican Republic created the world’s first sanctuary for (humpback) whales at samana on the east coast in 1986, and has since established protection zones for more than 20 percent of its land and coastal areas. further along the east coast from samana the Dominican Republic is benefitting from the investment of over $6.5 billion in luxury developments, championship courses, marinas and the maintenance of ecological sites to preserve the pristine beauty of the land.

This region now has half the country’s courses, so this seems as good a place as any from which to launch our golf adventure. one development that inevitably catches the eye is Cap Cana. located on the easternmost tip of the Dominican Republic, once fully developed it will encompass 33,000 acres and be home to three signature golf courses, 5,000 residential units and at least five 4-star luxury hotels. after an extremely comfortable flight from europe with air france, we landed at the local punta cana airport. cap cana is only 10 minutes from the airport and an integral part of the resort is a state-of-the-art marina which has up to 1,000 slips and is capable of mooring yachts measuring up to 150ft in length. as it is the only full-service marina within a 250-mile radius that encompasses both puerto Rico and the Turks & caicos islands, cap cana is the ideal place to stop if your yacht needs a service or refuel during an island-hopping spree round the caribbean. in addition, the marina has a grand canal surrounded by boutique shops and restaurants that are guaranteed to keep you occupied if your dreamboat does indeed require some remedial attention.

Those wishing to sleep on dry land will be made especially welcome by the elegant Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa resort. The sanctuary has 176 suites, innovatively laid

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Golf doesn’t get a lot better than the 10th hole at Punta Espada

epublic!

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All the guests at the Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa resort can enjoy their own piece of a private beach with a clear view of the sea

out to form a small yet romantic colonial town dotted with palm trees, gardens and waterfalls. Designed with more than a nod to its Spanish colonial heritage, the resorts’ buildings are adorned with rich woods, marble and tiles throughout.

The majority of the suites and villas are either directly on the beach or have clear views of the sea. The most attractive of these have to be the island suites: set on two levels, with their own private mini-island complete with beach, palm trees and enough space to practice wedge shots. For the visitor whose budget cannot quite stretch to an island suite, the Sanctuary offers over half a mile of private beach, five swimming pools and a spa. And once the sun has set there are four restaurants catering, seemingly, for almost every taste. Meat lovers can enjoy the renowned David Crockett steak house while those who prefer fresh fish can try the day’s catch at the Blue Marlin seafood bar.

The delightful scenery and relaxed surroundings of the Sanctuary notwithstanding, the highlight of your visit could well be a round on Cap Cana’s Punta Espada course. Laid out by Jack Nicklaus and home to the Champions Tour’s Cap Cana Championship in late March, Punta Espada showcases 7,396 yards of golfing beauty that is never far from the pristine Caribbean coastline at any stage during the round. It opened to rave reviews in November 2006 and four months later earned a place in Golf Digest’s top-100 courses outside the U.S. Currently 46th in that particular ranking, it also features prominently in similar listings in other reputable publications.

Even though it is Nicklaus’s first foray into the Dominican Republic, he has created a layout that offers sea views from every hole. The layout cleverly incorporates the limestone cliff that cuts through the course and also features

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interesting elevation changes, tidal lagoons, beaches, bluffs and jungle foliage. Eight of the holes either hug or cross the coastline, most notably the par-4 17th where the tee shot has to carry a bay, while perhaps the most memorable view is from the back tee of the 2nd, perched high above the fairway of a 611-yard par-5 that doglegs right towards the sea.

Las Iguanas, the second of the projected trinity of Nicklaus courses at Cap Cana, is due to open later this year and is expected to have a distinctly windswept, almost linksy feel.

But golf isn’t the only attraction on offer. The Golden Bear Lodge & Spa provides a privileged level of service that includes the personal attention of both a butler and a golf concierge. Inspired by the life and legacy of Nicklaus, the lodge’s elegantly styled suites form a condominium village that overlooks Las Iguanas. Throughout the lodge are framed pictures and souvenirs from Jack’s glittering playing career.

Another of the lodge’s highlights is its Magnolia restaurant where the cuisine served up by chef Jose Alias is sumptuous.

More stunning golf can be found a few miles up the coastline at Puntacana Resort & Club, home to two courses—P.B. Dye’s La Cana and Tom Fazio’s Corales—with a third, P.B. Dye’s La Hacienda, due to open in a few months’ time.

Born from the vision, passion and commitment of New York labor negotiator Ted Kheel and local crop duster Frank Rainieri, the resort has grown from a jungle covering 30 square miles into one of the world’s most sustainable tourism developments.

Originally the location comprised miles of coastline, coconut groves and coral reefs, but had no infrastructure for access. Beach cottages were built in 1971, with a school opening the following year for the children of employees. Then, driving his own

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On arrival we are greeted by the smile of Jay Overton, director of golf and the course’s unofficial guardian angel. “I know Mr. Rainieri will come and ask me about the course condition,” he tells me. “He wants the playing experience to be perfect”.

Stepping out on to the 1st tee you can understand why Rainieri gave Fazio carte blanche, and as much land as he needed, to create the best course possible. Certainly, the fruits of his labor do not disappoint. The adventure of playing Corales takes you from inland holes bordered by lush trees

Evan Schiller / www.golfshots.com

bulldozer, Rainieri cut a rough road through the undergrowth and subsequently cleared a modest airstrip. Throughout, Rainieri and Kheel maintained a constant focus on nurturing the local community and environment in the knowledge that it was the only way to bring about long-term success on a sustainable basis.

By 1983, the single dirt runway had turned into the world’s first fully private international airport. Today, it’s the third busiest hub in the Caribbean with direct flights arriving daily from the likes of New York, Miami and Paris, but there’s no shortage of

Fazio’s design skills are memorably showcased by the glorious 8th hole on the Corales course at Puntacana Resort & Club, “where land meets the sea”

VIP treatment. An automobile is often waiting on the runway to whisk guests through customs and deliver them to the first cocktail of their visit within 20 minutes of landing.

Four decades after construction began, the resort now contains 420 elegant guest rooms found in a variety of treeshaded villas, most ocean fronted and all set in extensive gardens. Puntacana also has a full-service, deep-water marina, five restaurants, a 1,500-acre ecological reserve, three miles of white-sand beach and a variety of home sites beside the golf course. The jewel at the heart of the property, though, is Tortuga Bay, a collection of 15 private beachside golf villas with interiors designed by fashion guru Oscar de la Renta. One of the country’s most famous citizens, De la Renta first became involved with the development of Puntacana in 1997, and he soon persuaded fellow celebrities Julio Iglesias and Mikhail Baryshnikov to move there. Today, all three own beachside residences along the north shore of the Corales enclave.

Fazio’s stunning Corales layout (‘where land meets the sea’) has only recently opened to provide a deeply personal golfing experience for the residents and guests of Tortuga Bay. With a maximum of 40 tee times available per day, there’s no danger of the holes ever showing signs of wear and tear, or of golfers being put on the clock by the course ranger because they’ve slowed down to admire the breathtaking views.

and resplendent flower beds to holes circling crystal blue lakes and ultimately toward and alongside the crashing waves of the rocky, turquoise Bay of Corales. The highlight of this closing stretch is the stern challenge set by the final three holes, symbolically named “Codo del Diablo” the Devil’s Elbow. Another unusual variation from Fazio—alternative greens and tees—can be found on two holes at Corales—the par-4 15th (two greens) and par-3 17th (two tees).

Water is a dominant aspect of the La Cana course with ocean views on 14 holes with the other four—the 5th, 7th, 17th and 18th—all positioned right on the beach. The par-3 holes are particularly challenging, especially the 12th which has an island green in the middle of a lake, but the signature hole is the short, ‘risk and reward’ par-4 7th where long hitters can aim at the green over some coconut palms and a cluster of pot bunkers or play safe with an iron to an island fairway.

P.B. Dye, whose favorite bumper sticker reads “My Other Car is a Bulldozer,” has helped to design two other courses in the Dominican Republic in addition to his two creations at Puntacana. At Barcelo Golf de Bavaro, he is currently updating Juan Manuel Gordillo’s 1991 design, while his other layout is La Estancia, perched on a cliff edge 400 feet above the Chavon River near the town of La Romana on the south coast.

P.B. is a natural for the Dominican Republic. He

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graduated from the University of Tampa where he studied Spanish and on the day La Cana opened he delivered a 20-minute speech in the native language. “Everyone came up to me afterwards and said ‘wow,’ speaking to me in Spanish,” he recalled. “I had to tell them that I can speak it and write it, but I can’t hear it that well.”

P.B. Dye is, of course, the son of Pete Dye, who has also left an indelible mark on the Dominican Republic— most notably at the port of Casa de Campo, a 7,000-acre playground a few miles east of La Romana. Casa de Campo has long been a popular stop-off for passengers of the ubiquitous cruise liners that zigzag across the Caribbean. In addition to golf, this five-star complex offers tennis, shooting and riding while shore excursions take visitors to the restaurants and shops of such nouvelle villages as the Marina and Altos de Chavon which was designed to resemble an old Spanish town. The most celebrated of Dye’s three creations at Casa de Campo is the evocatively named and hauntingly beautiful Teeth of the Dog, a genuinely challenging test that is regarded as one of the best courses in the Caribbean and was recently ranked 33rd in Golf Digest’s non-U.S. ranking.

Seven of the 18 holes on Teeth of the Dog are set directly alongside the Caribbean Sea—a distraction that few golfers can resist whatever the state of their game. Not surprisingly the Teeth of the Dog has an abundance of devilish doglegs and signature Dye obstacles such as elevated greens and trick-of-the-eye trees.

Teeth of the Dog might be ‘top dog’ as far as Casa de Campo aficionados are concerned, but its nose is only just ahead of the 18-hole Dye Fore course which boasts, in the 12th and 15th holes, two of the finest and most picturesque par-threes in the world, and can stretch to a Gargantuan 7,770 yards off the tips.

The Links course, Dye’s other effort at Casa de Campo, is hilly with a plethora of bunkers and notably tall rough made up of bahia and guinea grasses. Compared by many visitors to traditional Scottish links courses, it meanders around a number of lagoons and features several lakes populated with a bewildering variety of wading birds. It also has only five holes where water does not come into play and is thus quite a challenge in its own right. Dye’s other Dominican Republic design, dating from 1980, was in a completely different setting.

Las Aromas is a short (6,210 yards), inland gem set amidst tobacco fields in the hills to the south of the town of Santiago.

Space limitations mean we can’t profile all the Dominican Republic’s golf resorts, but suffice to say there has been no shortage of ‘big name’ designers practicing their craft there. Among the other notables are: Sir Nick Faldo (Roco Ki), Nick Price (Punta Blanca) and Jose ‘Pepe’ Gancedo (White Sands and Cocotal)—all immediately north of Puntacana; Greg Norman, whose Signature course near the town of Juan Dolio on the south coast opens later this year; Gary Player at Guavaberry, also near Juan Dolio; and Robert Trent Jones Sr., who built Playa Dorada (1976) and Playa Grande (1997—the last course he designed) on the north coast.

None of this golfing creativity, though, would have been possible without the warmth of Dominican Republic hospitality and service. One enthusiastic traveler describes it as “the ultimate home away from home.” It was that way for Christopher Columbus, and has been for visitors ever since. n

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Jetblue AirwAys to fly to PuntA CAnA from J.f.k.

JetBlue Airways, the leading airline servicing the Dominican Republic, are launching a new nonstop international service to Punta Cana from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Boston’s Logan International Airport in May. The daily flights between Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana and JFK begin on 6 May with the weekly service from Logan International starting two days later.

“JetBlue flies nonstop to 35 destinations from Boston and Punta Cana is its ninth Caribbean destination from Boston,” said Ed Freni, Director of Aviation for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

“JetBlue is proud to be launching a fourth destination in the Dominican Republic,” said Scott Laurence, JetBlue’s vice president of network planning. “We are very happy with our operations in the Dominican Republic and look forward to continuing our growth and sharing the JetBlue Experience— complete with free snacks, drinks, seatback TVs and friendly service—with more travelers to and from the country.”

The Punta Cana service will be operated with spacious 150-seat Airbus A320 aircraft.

JetBlue serves 53 cities with 600 daily flights. All seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations, call 1-800-JETBLUE (1-800-538-2583), TTY/ TDD 1-800-336-5530 or visit jetblue.com

Water is a treacherous presence on the 5th hole at Pete Dye’s Teeth of the Dog

Golf websites capcana.com casadecampovacation.com cocotal.com legr.com (La Estancia) punta-blanca.com puntacana.com rocoki.com

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Proven results

Leading strength coach Charles Poliquin lends his expertise and advice to kingdom—improving our games and our lives in the process

For some oF us Fitness is an obligation, a notion we equate with losing a little weight or keeping it oFF. but For others Fitness represents an opportunity, a responsibility even, to excel and to maximize our potential as human beings. strength coach charles poliquin lives by the latter perspective, and he wants you to as well. that’s why he’ll be contributing a Fitness column to kingdom starting this summer; and there’s no doubt we’ll all be better For it. poliquin started training professional athletes in 1979, “and by 1984 i had my first olympic medalist,” he says. he’s serious about fitness, and his results are unassailable. in fact, athletes he’s trained have earned olympic medals in 17 different sports, set world records in 10 different sports and pushed themselves to the absolute edge of personal achievement. Their results come from eating right, sleeping right and training right in accordance with poliquin’s philosophies and methods. nutrition is a big part of poliquin performance, the company he founded in 2001, now headquartered at the poliquin strength institute in east greenwich, rhode island. “i became concerned—obsessed is a better word—with how i can make people better, and that led me to nutrition,” he says. “i realized early on that nutrition can impact performance. if you feed the brain better, you can do better. and your ability to make gains is a direct function of how fast you can recover.” in golf, he says, that means eating the right foods before and after a round. beyond that, improving performance means learning how to sleep correctly—and that’s not necessarily as straightforward as you might think. “most people’s perception of good sleep is that you put your head on the pillow and you wake up in the morning. but for 72.6 percent of the population, when they go to the doctor, on their wish list they say they want more energy. They’re not sleeping well. The number of times you wake up in the middle

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of the night tells me what’s wrong with you. if i can get a golfer to sleep soundly, i can improve his game dramatically.” and he can get you to sleep better. he’s done it for numerous athletes, including those on several european soccer teams. improved concentration, improved strength and the ability to relax and focus are all benefits of poliquin’s work, which has been refined into a proper system: The biosignature method, which poliquin himself developed. in future issues of kingdom, we’ll learn more about this and his effective nutrition plans and supplementation, along with his guidelines on improving overall strength, sleep and ability to perform. There won’t be any quick fixes, but the efforts will yield benefits—after all, the results for olympians and other professional athletes don’t lie. if you’re willing to put in a bit of work with poliquin, you will see gains. as he puts it, “in the world of strength training, you make dollars with pennies. you lift a ton a kilo at a time.” starting this summer, look for fitness advice from charles poliquin in future issues of kingdom. in the meantime, visit him at charlespoliquin.com n

Let Charles Poliquin Drive Your Game to the Next Level!

Charles Poliquin is the most successful strength coach in the world, and he wants to show you how to achieve physical superiority to improve all aspects of your game. Need more power in your swing? A stronger grip?

Better exibility? How about relief from lower back pain? Coach Poliquin can show you how to get it.

Coach Poliquin has trained Olympic medalists in 17 different sports, along with hundreds of professional baseball, football, soccer and hockey players. Coaches using his system are in high demand for the simple reason they can improve performance – fast! And his proprietary blends of functional medicine supplements will give any athlete an edge, along with an improved quality of life.

Stay tuned for tips on health, training and performance from Coach Charles Poliquin in future editions of KINGDOM magazine!

CharlesPoliquin.com

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all great golfers must have a fantastic short game. it’s similar to business in that the technique has to be in place first. The short game equals the long haul in business. one obvious difference is that in golf we aim for the low score.

The similarity is that to be consistent in the short game is to be consistent in business—it means taking care of the details. it means knowing your tools, whether wedges or leverage. if you have a problem with your wedge play, you work on it. if you have a problem with an area of your business, you specify and deal with it. as golfers, we know the difference between wedges and putters and what their properties are and in business it is the same. golf is a brain game, and to have a solid short game is common sense when it comes to the big picture of success in golf, life and business. for example, there’s no point dreaming of building a skyscraper without a proper foundation to support the structure. The short game in golf is the same foundation. Wedge motion is crucial on any shot around the greens.

We’d all like to one-putt every green, we’d all like every business deal to be hassle free and lucrative. it doesn’t work like that, but there are ways to smooth our path to success. When i do a deal, there’s a lot of work that goes on before it even gets started. People don’t see this aspect of how i work, but sometimes many years are spent planning, working and waiting for the right moment to proceed. likewise, every great golfer has spent untold and unseen hours working on their game. it’s very similar. The results speak for themselves when the groundwork has been attended to, while the focus on the final result has been kept intact.

We all know how great it is to have our game under control and to enjoy the freedom that expertise allows. so don’t neglect your short game in business. The fairways and greens are waiting for you to close the deal, and secure that big win. haPPY golfing

Donald J. trump

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John Reid, a steel merchant from Dunfermline, was in many respects the founder of American golf

Courtesy USGA Archives

F r o m S co t l a n d with love

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The flowering of the royal and ancient game in the united States had its roots in a unique sporting migration across the atlantic more than a century ago.

Paul Trow discovers how golf benefited more than most ways of life from the exhortation, ‘Go west, Young man’ there’S

no tellinG how manY people From Scotland and enGland croSSed the atlantic to make FreSh liveS For themSelveS in north america durinG the latter part oF Queen victoria’S reiGn. But there can Be no douBt the caledonian inFlux in particular had an indeliBle inFluence on the Growth oF GolF in a countrY that went on to produce So manY oF the world’S FineSt plaYerS, courSeS and tournamentS. Surprisingly, perhaps, canada was in the vanguard of golf ’s arrival in north america with the formation of royal montreal in 1873 and Quebec Golf club two years later, followed by a course in toronto in 1876.

South of the border, however, the seeds of america’s love affair with golf weren’t planted until February 1888 when John reid, a steel merchant from the Fife town of dunfermline, laid out three short holes on a cow pasture in Yonkers, new York, for a match against an old school friend, robert lockhart. a few months earlier, lockhart, armed with six hickory-shafted clubs and two-dozen ‘guttie’ balls bought from ‘old’ tom morris in St. andrews, had been ‘warned off ’ by new York city police after trying to play in central park.

Fired by the success of their three-hole outing, reid immediately built the country’s first proper course—St. andrew’s Golf club—on a nearby 30-acre site. like fellow emigré andrew carnegie, who hailed from the same town and had made his fortune in the same industry, he was not a golfer of note but was no less smitten with the game having played it since childhood. carnegie, the world’s richest man at the time, was one of the club’s early members before returning to live in the county of Sutherland in the Scottish highlands where he bought Skibo castle and acted as patron to dornoch Golf club. in 1894, St. andrew’s and four other new courses— The country club at Brookline near Boston, Shinnecock

reid laid out three holeS on a cow paSture in YonkerS, new York

hills on long island, newport Golf club on rhode island and chicago Golf club—formed the united States Golf association for the purpose of administering the rules and creating the u.S. open.

The modern jewel that is Shinnecock hills, host of three u.S. opens in the last 24 years alone, was built as long ago as 1891 by 150 native americans who lived on a nearby plantation beside Great peconic Bay and worked under the direction of willie dunn. a native of the town of musselburgh a few miles south of edinburgh, dunn was recruited for the task by william k. vanderbilt and two wealthy associates when they tracked him down to a project he was overseeing at Biarritz in southern France. next door to Shinnecock hills is the national Golf links, created shortly afterwards by charles Blair macdonald, who studied in his youth at the university of St. andrews and had previously put his learning to good effect by ushering chicago Golf club into existence. coincidentally, philadelphia insurance broker hugh wilson, with no previous design experience, also went to Scotland to learn what he needed to know to complete the incomparable layout at merion which largely remains intact to this day. whilst John reid kick-started this american revolution that led to the multi-faceted, multi-million-dollar activity that fascinates us so much today, he was but one of hundreds of Scots (not to mention several young englishmen) who brought to the new world a profound empathy for this quaint game that was invented in the land of their birth. naturally, these immigrants dominated the playing of golf in the u.S. during its fledgling, formative years. two englishmen—horace rawlins (1895) and Joe lloyd (1897)—along with three Scots—James Foulis (1896), Fred herd (1898) and willie Smith (1899)—won the initial five u.S. opens before willie anderson, from north Berwick near musselburgh, claimed four of the first six to be played in the opening decade of the new century. By then, more than a thousand clubs had opened in the u.S. with five brothers from carnoustie near dundee, in particular, doing as much as anyone to lay the foundations that transformed golf from a niche pastime into a sport of genuine stature. needless to say, alex, willie, George, Jimmy and macdonald Smith, who sailed to america around the turn of the century, were all formidable players. during that period, at least 300 sons of Scotland’s east coast, unable to earn much more than a pittance from the game at home, moved to america to take →

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Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com

up the relatively lucrative positions that were opening up in abundance for professionals and greenkeepers.

The one exception to this golfing stream of immigrants from Scotland was St. andrews, the self-styled home of Golf in the kingdom of Fife. Thanks to the exploits of ‘old’ tom morris and his predecessor as head greenkeeper and clubmaker, allan robertson, a better living was on offer at the time to professionals based at St. andrews than anywhere else. despite his brother willie’s earlier triumph, alex, the eldest of the Smith clan, was regarded during this period as the top player in the american game, and following several close finishes he finally won the u.S. open in 1906, a victory he repeated four years later. after that, the brothers continued to compete for major honors though willie later moved to mexico to become that country’s first professional golfer.

By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, home-grown american talent was inevitably emerging.

But the Scots were far from finished. aberdeen’s willie macfarlane outlasted the great Bobby Jones to win the 1925 u.S. open at worcester country club, massachusetts, while another Scottish immigrant who made his mark, admittedly as a naturalized american citizen, was tommy armour. The winner of the first [British] open to be played at carnoustie, in 1931, he was blinded in one eye during the First world war but still managed to perform at the pinnacle of the game. with due deference to martin laird, who claimed his maiden pGa tour title last fall, armour, who also won the 1927 u.S. open and the 1930 pGa championship, was probably the last in a lengthy roll call of Scottish-born players to make a name for himself as a golfer capable of beating the leading american players on a regular basis. ironically, the shift in power towards u.S. players during the game’s formative years was largely due to the expert tuition they received from Scottish pros. in 1913, young american amateur, Francis

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ouimet, recorded a sensational win in the u.S. open at The country club, an achievement immortalised in mark Frost’s wonderful narrative, The Greatest Game Ever Played. afterwards, ouimet, who never turned professional, preferring to work instead as an executive in the sports goods business, put his success down to the guidance of montrose-born charles Burgess.

Bobby Jones, arguably the finest golfer of his generation, was also taught by a Scot, Stewart ‘kiltie’ maiden, while alex Smith was partially responsible for the prowess that enabled Gene Sarazen and walter hagen to win 18 major titles between them. not only did the Scottish influx shape the game in terms of playing skills, it also had a huge impact on course design. arguably, it is the Scottish triumvirate of tom Bendelow, donald ross and dr. alister mackenzie—every bit as potent in their field of expertise as harry vardon, James Braid and J.h. taylor—to whom golf in the u.S. owes its deepest debt.

Courtesy USGA Archives

Shinnecock Hills (above) was mapped out by Willie Dunn, whose countryman Willie Anderson (below) won four early U.S. Open titles

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JoneS, Sarazen & haGen all had leSSonS From ScottiSh proFeSSionalS

Bendelow, from aberdeen, crafted more than 800 courses across the u.S. and canada between his arrival in new York in 1892 and his death in chicago in 1936—a record that earned him the nickname ‘Johnny appleseed.’

First employed in new York as a newspaper compositor, Bendelow acquired a reputation for producing low-cost courses, and his flat fee of $25 for visiting and ‘marking out’ a plot of land did little to dispel this impression. true to his origins, he concentrated for most of his career on pioneering municipal golf centers, but occasionally he took on more ambitious projects toward the upper end of the market. notably, he laid out the no.3 course at medinah near chicago during the early 1920s for the Shriners, more grandly known as the ancient arabic order of nobles of the mystic Shrine. But his creation was overhauled within a decade after the english-born harry cooper, a leading professional of the time, shot 63 en route to winning the 1930 medinah open. ross, who hailed dornoch, a three-hour drive north of carnoustie, was a former subordinate of ‘old’ tom morris at St. andrews. he was responsible for the construction of 413 courses in the u.S. before his death in 1948, and his portfolio of masterpieces includes no fewer than four u.S. open courses—pinehurst no.2 in north carolina, oak hill in new York State, oakland hills in michigan and Donald Seminole in Florida. ross’s philosophy for course design certainly stands the test of time. “The championship course should call for long and accurate tee shots, accurate iron play, precise handling of the short game and, finally, consistent putting,” he wrote. “These abilities should be called for in a proportion that will not permit excellence in any one department of the game to too largely offset deficiencies in another.” mackenzie, born, of Scottish parents, was in fact raised in Yorkshire in northern england. he trained as a doctor and served in the second Boer war before abandoning his medical career and returning home to design various courses in Britain in association with harry colt.

The first prominent designer who had not been a leading player, he published Golf Architecture in 1920 before emigrating to the u.S. where his two most notable achievements were cypress point on the monterey peninsula in california and augusta national in Georgia, which he helped Bobby Jones lay out from scratch. mackenzie worked in the era before large-scale earth moving became a routine feature of course construction, so his designs, in excess of 400 worldwide, are notable for their sensitivity to the nature of the location. he is celebrated for his ability to produce holes that balance risk and reward, and courses which both challenge and accommodate golfers with differing levels of skill. undoubtedly, such attributes explain why he appealed so much to Jones.

The quality of this tartan trio’s creations, and the requirements of the clientele they served, varied greatly, but there can be little argument that each deserves his position in the course architects’ pantheon.

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Ross (above) learned his craft as a golf course architect under ‘Old’ Tom Morris

it is possible that golf would be no bigger in america today than, say, cricket or rugby had its founding fathers from east of the atlantic not warmed to their task with such intensity and commitment. The result is that the u.S. is the game’s epicenter today, and the contribution from those early Scottish settlers cannot be understated.

Golf would probably have found its way Stateside eventually anyway, as it has done to almost every country to some degree throughout the world. But if its arrival in america had taken place 10 or 20 years later, who knows whether we would have ever witnessed, and celebrated, the sublime skills of Ben hogan, Byron nelson, Sam Snead or even arnold palmer, let alone the likes of Jones, hagen and Sarazen? a visit to the u.S.G.a. headquarters confirms the legacy of those pioneering Scots—from playing and teaching to course design and maintenance—and the important role they had in establishing the game’s rich heritage.

Golf today is a mighty oak, yet it originated from the humblest of acorns. indeed, few industries or companies can claim to have grown so significantly in 122 years. and to think it all began with a mere cow pasture in Yonkers! n

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Hundreds, if not thousands, of North American golfers now make the journey each year to the Algarve in southern Portugal. Paul Trow, who first played there more than four decades ago, marvels at how the region remains the game’s most popular European destination

Swing You can’t miss them. BY the side of seeminglY everY road theY BomBard Your eYes with their viBrant shapes and colors—hand-painted pots, ewers, urns, dishes, vases and tiles.

This is artisan pottery at its best, the national product that tells you exactly where you are. portugal—or to be more precise, its southern province, the algarve. These (largely terra cotta) ceramics, beautiful in a rustic, utilitarian way, are a defining feature of the algarve—from the headland town of sagres on the westernmost tip of its atlantic coastline to the border with spain the best part of 100 miles further east.

But earthenware is far from being the algarve’s only claim to fame. for the last half a century, its earth has been carved and shaped in an entirely different way, a process no less beautiful, though undeniably more sophisticated. however, in terms of the boost this has given to the region’s year-on-year tourism figures it is arguably even more utilitarian. remarkably, the first of the region’s 35 golf courses, designed and built by the late sir henry cotton on a soggy old rice field at penina, a few miles east of sagres, was not constructed until 1966. since then the algarve has become a year-round land of sporting promise for northern europeans and, more recently, golfing snowbirds from across the atlantic.

The algarve has long deserved to stretch beyond its traditional european market and its historical significance and pristine beauty are now being rewarded with a rapidly growing influx from the united states and canada. But when you visit, you are buying into an ancient civilization and culture as well as the pleasure to be derived from leisure pursuits. faro, the regional capital, is not just the home of one of southern europe’s busiest airports. its 13th century cathedral, built over an old mosque (a reminder of 500 years of moorish rule), dominates the old town, which is still surrounded by roman walls. The central square used to be a roman forum and other interesting buildings include the episcopal palace, a 16th century convent (now an archaeological museum) and the nosso senhora do carmo church with its elaborate

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gold-leaf woodwork. The naval museum next to the small boat basin showcases the region’s maritime history through an interesting selection of model boats and galleons. faro is also surrounded by the ria formosa, a nature reserve covering some 44,000 acres, where migrating sea birds find protected breeding places and many northern atlantic fish and other marine organisms gather to spawn. livelihoods in this protected area tend to be earned in shellfish farming, small-scale fishing and the garnering of sea salt. along the coast to the west lie the towns of lagos, portimao and albufeira, while the main population center to the east is tavira. The principal highlights inland are the moorish castle and underground cistern at silves while further into the mountains there are the hot roman springs of monchique.

But golf is now very much the jewel in the algarve’s crown as a tourist destination, and especially alluring is a string of 15 courses, old and new, spread out like pearls along the 15-mile coastline immediately west of faro. we start our golfing trail at the marina resort of Vilamoura where the sport arrived early in 1969 when the english designer frank pennink laid out the old course.

This pine-clad gem, which meanders through mature, gently undulating woodland, received an extensive facelift from martin hawtree, another englishman abroad, in 1996. in the intervening years, vilamoura has sprouted four more lots of 18 holes—Pinhal (1976), another pennink production updated a decade later by robert trent Jones sr.; Laguna (1990), designed by the american architect Joseph lee and recently reopened after a refurbishment; Millennium (2000), a collaboration between lee and hawtree; and Victoria (2004), arnold palmer’s wetlands gem that has staged the portugal masters on the european tour since 2007. victoria, the result of an investment approaching $20 million, has wide fairways in between its native carob and almond trees, and a generally flat terrain. But the sting in its tail is the amount of h2o that lurks throughout with the intention of punishing errant shots. a lengthy reign in the algarve is assured for this imaginatively constructed layout

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on over Monte Rei is at the forefront of golf in the eastern Algarve

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Photo courtesy of Oceânico Golf Watery graves, like this one beside the 18th green, are not uncommon on the Palmer-designed Oceanico Victoria course at Vilamoura

where the natural lakes and waterfalls serve both as hazards and irrigation reservoirs. The Vilamoura courses are now owned by Oceanico Golf whose local portfolio also includes two relatively new courses, laid out in the hills a few miles inland at the Amendoeira Golf Resort. Designed by six times major champion Sir Nick Faldo and his former European Ryder Cup team-mate Christy O’Connor Jr. of Ireland, both opened for play late in 2008.

Golf at Vale do Lobo has a slight edge in terms of seniority over Vilamoura Old, its near neighbor, having been introduced at the heart of an exclusive residential community

by Cotton towards the end of 1968. Since then it has been reworked by another American architect, Rocky Roquemore, into two 18-hole courses—the Royal and the Ocean.

The golfing terrain at Vale do Lobo, which is also home to the fabled 5-star Dona Filipa Hotel, varies from pineflanked, rolling parkland to wind-lashed links. The latter is characterized by one breathtaking, much-photographed par-3, the 16th on the Royal. It is perched on the cliff ’s edge, high above the voracious, foaming Atlantic waves, so in order to avert disaster the tee shot has to carry two ravines to reach a green 230 yards away.

Overall, Vale do Lobo, its undulating and narrow fairways mostly lined with umbrella pines and fig trees, presents a worthwhile challenge to golfers of all ability levels.

A couple of miles east of Vale do Lobo and less than a 10-minute drive from Faro airport is a sprawling residential resort with five strikingly different 18-hole layouts, four of them designed by Americans. The North and South courses at Quinta do Lago, with their generous fairways, wide greens,

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hilly terrain and sweeping views, are best navigated via a buggy due to the lengthy distances between greens and tees.

William Mitchell laid out the original 27 holes at Quinta do Lago in 1974 and his compatriots Lee and Roquemore came along 14 years later to build the fourth 9-hole loop. The North enjoys a picturesque, unspoiled setting, but the South, which has staged eight Portuguese Opens (it was here, back in 1989, that Colin Montgomerie claimed his first European Tour title), is possibly the more memorable to play, not least because of its spectacular bunkering. The par-3 15th, with a carry across a lake to reach a green shaded by an amphitheater of umbrella pines, certainly sticks in the mind along with the course’s four magnificent, ‘risk and reward’ par-5s.

The Algarve’s newest course, which opened just a year ago, is Quinta do Lago’s third. Designed by Portuguese architect Jorge Santana da Silva, Laranjal was originally an orange grove, so it’s no surprise its narrow rolling fairways are lined with mature orange trees, cork oaks and umbrella pines. With five par-5s and five par-3s, not to mention five shimmering lakes and well-defined greens that require both concentration and accuracy, Laranjal is without doubt an impressive and unusual addition to the Algarve’s golfing canon.

The other two courses in the Quinta complex are Ronald Fream’s Pinheiros Altos and San Lorenzo, another Lee-Roquemore production.

Pinheiros Altos, which dates from 1992, offers two distinctly different sets of nine holes—the front half follows hilly contours through pine forests while the back nine, by contrast, winds through the flatter landscape of the Ria Formosa valley.

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EAST SIDE STORY

After a quiet start, San Lorenzo bursts into life with a series of tricky holes

some generous fairways gently undulating between the mature pines, San Lorenzo (1988) is without doubt one of the most treacherously beautiful courses I have ever played.

That said, it never fails to lift my spirits despite my inevitably dwindling ball count.

A mesmerizing blend of inland and water holes, San Lorenzo hosts thousands of nesting birds and remains a crucial port of call for countless more of their aquatic cousins when they make their annual winter pilgrimage to North Africa.

It starts fairly quietly but once you reach the par-3 5th the whole place opens up with stunning views towards the confluence of the Ria Formosa with the sea. The wetlands hugging 6th, 7th and 8th—two par-4s and a par-5—make these holes every bit as awkward to navigate as the infamous Bear Trap at PGA National in Florida. From that point on it’s a classic Man v Nature contest, culminating in a masterful par-4 closing hole with a water-flanked fairway which doglegs left towards a semi-island green.

Vila Sol, a 20-year-old Donald Steel design only a few miles inland, provides this vicinity with its sixth significant challenge, this time across 27 holes.

This British designer’s philosophy is to preserve the native vegetation and keep large-scale earth movements to the bare minimum by using the terrain he is given. Thus, having maintained much of the original topography of this undulating terrain, Steel created a lengthy and demanding front nine (Prime), but was able to ease up on the shorter back nine (Challenge) and on the third nine (Prestige) he added in 2000.

This has been but a snapshot of the golf on offer in the Algarve, a stretch of coastline that should carry a mandatory warning: Those in no mood to be besotted must turn back now because once you’re in it, you’re in love with it.

A comfortable climate (though visitors are advised to pack something warm and dry outside the summer months, just in case), a clean coastline with white beaches and red cliffs sheltered from the north by the Monchique Mountains, excellent food and the friendliest of natives are all excellent reasons to head for the Algarve.

And, of course, all that roadside pottery! n

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Maybe it was the habit of a lifetime, but heading east out of Faro Airport didn’t seem right. Each previous visit to the Algarve had begun the same way—down the westbound lane of the EN125. I’d never turned right there before. God knows where I thought it led. Spain, eventually—I knew that much thanks to my geography schooling. But golf courses as well? Believe it or not, there are now six of them between Faro and the border.

This time our route is east, through the delightful coastal market town of Tavira. Our destination is Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus design spread across sloping foothills that deliver sweeping views of the Serra do Caldeirao mountains to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. This $75 million project, which opened in June 2007, is a work in progress.

Colonies of holiday homes have been completed at the sea-view end of the course and overlooking the 18th hole, while the owners’ plan to construct a 5-star hotel, a second 18 holes and a further 200-plus property units.

The countryside around Monte Rei is pleasantly undeveloped. Indeed, only orange groves, tomato plantations and the occasional white-walled farmhouse provide much evidence of human habitation.

Four other courses were already up and running to the east of Tavira before Monte Rei’s arrival—Benamor, Quinta da Cima, Quinta da Ria and Castro Marim—while the Seve Ballesteros creation at Quinta do Vale opened in 2008.

But with no disrespect to these worthy clubs, Monte Rei sets the gold standard. The landscaped gardens and courtyards surrounding the ornate ‘Mediterraneanrevival’ clubhouse hint heavily at the delights to come.

Having made a deposit at the bag drop, we are soon surveying the spectacular par-5 18th hole from the clubhouse veranda, while enjoying a culinary concoction from award-winning chef, Jaime Perez, who learned his trade under the iconic Ferran Adria at the 3-star Michelin ranked El Bulli restaurant in Catalunya.

Monte Rei has five par-3s and five par-5s. Water comes into play on 11 holes, but the greens are receptive and true. Most of the tees are elevated, ensuring a clear view of each hole as well as all the hazards. Apart from the ubiquitous lakes, a total of 82 immaculate, mainly clover-shaped bunkers populate the course.

You should use every club in the bag before walking off the 9th green—to be greeted by a tray of ice-cold towels—but the fun really starts on the inward half where the views are panoramic, the elevation changes more pronounced and the greens more contoured.

Four holes on the back nine lodge in the memory— the 440-yard downhill 13th towards a shallow green flanked by water; the 200-yard par-3 14th with water front and left; the mesmerizing 575-yard 16th which has to be picked as clean as a lock through 10 traps and a meandering stream; and the 18th that doglegs left to right round a massive expanse of water.

Then it’s back to the veranda for reminiscence, and something cool and refreshing. They say old habits die hard, but it’s surprising how adaptable one can be.

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The sparkling wine that’s made Champagne a byword for sophistication and impeccable taste throughout the civilized world is not the only attraction on offer in this cultured region of northeast France.

As Steve Killick discovered, it’s also a Mecca for placomusophiles SAturdAy Morning in reiMS And the MArket in the PlACe du Boulingrin iS in Full Swing. AS trAFFiC roArS down the neArBy BoulevArd louiS roderer And PASt the 3rd-Century gAte oF MArS, ShoPPerS CroSS the Street At their Peril AS they go ABout SeleCting their PurChASeS FroM StAllS heAving with riPe CheeSeS, SeASonAl FruitS, golden roASt ChiCkenS And olive oilS. towards the western end of the market, one unusuallooking stand is doing brisk business, but not for foodstuffs.

This is where placomusophiles head to see what new is on offer.

For readers unfamiliar with placomusophilia, it is big—not just as a word but as a pastime as well—throughout Champagne in general and its regional capital in particular.

There’s nothing nerdy about this back-room hobby—it is the collection of plaques de muselets: the small, shiny, tinplated discs that are placed on top of the caps on most bottles containing effervescent drinks in France. There are tens of thousands of varieties, and some of them, especially those on Champagne corks, are now extremely valuable. it was a Champagne producer, Adolphe Jacquesson, who first came up with the idea of putting a metal top on the cork. Previously hemp twine had been used—well into the 1800s—but this would sometimes cut into the cork when under pressure from the bubbles inside the bottle. Jacquesson took out a patent in 1844 on his design for the cage or capsule—made of galvanized steel wire and sometimes called a muselage after a dog’s muzzle—that is now universally used on all Champagne bottles.

But it was only during the 20th century that Champagne houses decided to stamp their own brand names or trademarks—usually painted, lacquered and polished—onto the disk, and in so doing they inadvertently created something collectible. in 1906, the house of Pol roger, from the town of epernay some 20 miles south of reims, decided to declare vintage years by putting the date on its muselets. These are now changing hands for as much as $1,400 each.

More than 12,300 different Champagne bottles have been produced to date, depicting every type of design from hunt and farmyard scenes to colored corporate trademarks to small contemporary works of art. Therefore, there is no shortage of places to start collecting—in stores, via magazines and, more recently, the internet; and saving the muselets takes up a lot less space than hanging on to a long-emptied, favorite bottle, quite apart from often proving a much better investment.

Although Michel drappier’s family have been producing their eponymous Champagne since 1807, they did not create their corporate muselets until as recently as 1979 when the name André drappier—after Michel’s father—first appeared on the capsule. now the company just uses the word drappier, even though it produces seven types of Champagne with different muselets on each, plus the occasional special to mark anniversaries. An original André drappier capsule now sells for at least $50. drappier is based in the village of urville on the verdun road west of troyes in southern Champagne and includes cellars that were used as a crypt by Cistercian monks dating back to the 12th century. to celebrate the 850th anniversary of the building, a special capsule was produced bearing the face of Saint Bernard in a variety of colors, depending on the cuvée or blend. drappier achieves its seven cuvées by varying the mix of Champagne grapes. Simply, the Pinot noir grape will be found in the house’s first creation, Brut nature. Another, its Blanc de Blancs Signature, consists of 100 percent Chardonnay while a balance of the two, including a small amount of Pinot Meunier, can be found in its most prestigious cuvée, Millésime exception.

As general Charles de gaulle used to serve drappier’s Pinot noir Champagne when hosting presidential parties in his home at Colombe les deux eglises, there is now, not surprisingly, a vintage named after him, complete with a sought-after black and gold capsule that sells for $20.

Most collectors of muselets are French, of course, although, with nearly 36 million bottles of Champagne being consumed in 2008 in the united kingdom alone, the number of British collections is increasing rapidly. Collectors start for a variety of reasons, but often they simply want a memento of a much cherished bottle of Champagne drunk in enjoyable or romantic circumstances.

A fine bottle consumed in one of the many stunning Champagne houses or their equally beautiful gardens often seems to taste just that little bit better than one cracked open at, say, a formal reception or an office party.

But whatever their reason for tuning into this pursuit, would-be placomusophiles need to get started, and the first thing to do is to decide where you want to store your muselets. epernay, generally regarded as Champagne’s other main production center after reims, is home to major producers such as Moet et Chandon, Mercier and Perrier-Jouët as well as Pol roger. Many stores there are dedicated to every conceivable Champagne accessory as well as selling some splendid bottles that are seldom available on general sale outside France. →

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The sun rises one hazy morning over a well-stocked Champagne vineyard facing towards Reims

Champagne golf

For those wishing to mount the capsules on a wall, there is an impressive array of different boards to choose from. Some come in the shape of Champagne corks and some resemble bunches of grapes while others are simply rectangular boards with small circular depressions that snugly hold anything up to 120 capsules. These are ideal for displaying in the office or in a study at home.

Alternatively, for those who want to keep this hobby, and their Champagne consumption, to themselves, there are albums with three specially formulated loose-leaf pages that hold 30 capsules per page and slide neatly away into a holder.

These cost around $40 with additional pages typically priced at around $6. There is also a shallow display case covered by a glass lid that can hold up to 60 muselets and also sells for around $40.

Finally, given the huge number of capsules that are produced, a keen collector needs to know how much his or her collection is worth. For this, the placomusophile’s bible is essential reading.

Sadly it is only widely available in France, though there is no denying that Laurent Lambert’s Repertoire des Plaques de Muselets du Champagne is an essential tool that details an astonishing number of different capsules and their recommended asking prices. every Champagne house—from Accaries to Zimmerlin-Flamant—is featured. in addition, and perhaps most importantly, this comprehensive work of scholarship carries a separate section on the particularly valuable, old muselets that serious collectors should look out for. Published annually, no aspiring placomusophile should approach this subject seriously without a copy.

Similarly, most information about Placomusophilia on the internet is in French, although one or two sites worth investigating are actually published in english.

John holland’s champagnemagic.com is a good place to start—only he spells placomusophilia as placquemusephilia. in fact, despite its origins back in the mid-19th century, so far there is still no agreed spelling of the word!

Then, after a thorough examination of lambert’s manual and holland’s website, you should know enough at least to get started. happy collecting! n

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It is not hard to find golfers who love Champagne. The late, great Tony Lema, who borrowed Arnold Palmer’s caddy, Tip Anderson, to ‘bag’ him to glory in the 1964 British Open at St. Andrews, was even nicknamed ‘Champagne Tony’ because of his penchant for celebrating victory with a few bottles of the very finest.

Despite the financial crash of the past 18 months, Americans are still third in the world when it comes to quaffing Champagne (after the French and the British), although they tend to go for the traditional big names such as Moët et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Bollinger. So what could be better than a golfing pilgrimage to the heart of the region to combine a tasting at some of the lesser known but equally wonderful Champagne houses to be found around the great vineyards of Reims and Epernay?

For sure, tours of the big names can still be arranged but an appointment may be needed and there is often far more intimacy and enjoyment to be derived from some of the smaller houses where the product invariably puts the heavyweights in the shade anyway.

Of the names less well known in the U.S., look out for Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, still owned by the same family that founded it in 1818 and renowned as producers of a superb rosé; Gosset, from the small town of Ay and the oldest winery in the region (founded in 1584); or Pierson Whitaker, showcased in a beautiful 19th-century house in Avize which also offers hotel accommodation.

For those wishing to combine golf with some serious tasting, Reims is an excellent base with a wide range of hotels to choose from and some exceptional brasseries in which to dine.

For a small, family-run, middle-priced stay, the Hotel des Templiers on the north side of the city offers comfort and an exceptionally warm ‘bed and breakfast’ welcome for guests who intend to go out for lunch and dinner. For either or both of these, do not miss the wonderful Brasserie du Boulingrin, deservedly a gastronomic legend in the city since 1925.

The nearest golf course is a 25-minute drive from the city center at Reims-Champagne Golf Club where every hole is named after a different Champagne house.

In many respects this is the ideal resort layout, running gently through a wooded valley. It is rarely busy, especially as most of the locals wouldn’t dream of teeing off until at least 10.00 a.m. For some post-match sparkle there is also a wide selection of Champagnes in the cellar at the charming clubhouse, served either by the glass or the bottle.

There are tougher challenges further afield at L’Ailette Golf Club near the town of Laon, 15 miles northwest of Reims, while any visit to Joan of Arc’s tomb in the historic, half-timbered city of Troyes should allow time to take in 18 holes at Forêt d’Orient.

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Road Trip When the sun is high and spring is in the air throw your clubs and some of these fine accessories in the trunk and hit the road

TERVIS TUMBLER Established in 1946, Tervis Tumbler is the original maker of insulated double wall drinkware, and a big favorite here at kingdom. Tervis keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold through all 18 holes.

Available in six different sizes and an ice bucket with 100’s of design choices. The 16oz. and 24oz. tumblers fit snugly in your golf cart drink holder.

Perfect for a road trip and any number of outdoor activities, Tervis provides something for everyone from golfers to fishermen. tervis.com

FRoM ARTEdonA: L’InSoLEnT SILVER CUTLERy The “Insolent” cutlery from Ercuis takes its inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. Eye-catching filigree arabesques and petals, forged in 925 sterling silver, decorate the black resin handles. It is a particularly fine piece of work that makes cutting a good cheese almost as pleasurable as eating it. At $340 just be careful not to lose it down the side of a back seat. artedona.com

KEnyon CUSToM ALL SEASonS ELECTRIC GRILL The Kenyon Custom All Seasons Electric Grill seals in the flavor and juices without the fuss of charcoal or gas.

The days of lugging heavy bags of charcoal or tanks of gas to enjoy grilled food are gone, and the grill is easily transportable making it perfect for any number of outdoor excursions.

Fantastically easy to use, simply by touching the on/off circle and then adjusting the heat setting by pressing the + or – graphic on the sealed waterproof ceramic glass panel means you are instantly cooking.

The nonstick grate imparts characteristic barbeque grill marks while sealing in the flavor and juices. A concealed electric element eliminates grease flare-ups while providing a virtually smokeless heat source.

The Grill is constructed of 304 stainless steel and backed by the Kenyon three-year warranty. kenyonappliances.com

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Mulholland Mulholland have long been famous for combining luxurious leathers and high performance textiles with impeccable design and quality workmanship. Featured here is the Endurance Two Bottle Wine Carrier. With the brand’s roots near the heart of California's premier wine region, it is perhaps only fitting that you should transport your favorite libation within a Mullholland.

Four sizes are available: single, twobottle, six-bottle and rolling six-bottle. No matter the capacity, all of the bags have an insulating liner to help keep wines at the right temperature.

The two bottle carrier is equally suited to the task of transporting cooled champagne to a picnic or to driving cross continent with fine wine on board. shopmulholland.com

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kenwood wines

In this writer’s humble opinion neither short overnight trip nor epic world adventure should ever be even contemplated without the reassuring presence of trusted corkscrew. And if you are going to spend time with spiralled metal in hand pursuing cork to entwist, then selecting a high quality hand companion is simply a sensible traveler’s strategy. We like this vintage-inspired offering from Gershon with warthog tusk handle and sterling silver endcap.

It comes packaged in a fine black leather pouch, but we prefer to see it out in motion exiting bottle with wine bloodied cork impaled. gershonlimited.com

For 30 years, Kenwood Vineyards has had the exclusive rights to produce wines from Jack London’s historic vineyard in Glen Ellen. In commemoration, they have released a 30th anniversary Cabernet Sauvignon. Viscous and full-bodied with firm tannins and an excellent lingering finish, the 2006 vintage enjoyed a long growing season giving grapes of intense flavor and rich character. The resultant wine has a superbly opulent mouth feel and powerful fruit flavors. kenwoodvineyards.com

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xIKAR hAVAnA CUTTER Handmade by Parisian artists, a mixed media decoupage art piece created from cigar bands and more is assembled, hand painted, sealed with varnish, then sanded and polished and mated to the excellent XIKAR Xi3 cutter body to create a one-of-a-kind tool. Comes in an exotic Stingray leather sheath. xikar.com

zIPPo LIGhTER The Zippo BLU butane lighter delivers a consistent, clean-burning blue flame. It features many iconic characteristics, like the company's trademark flint-wheel ignition system, rugged metal construction, hinged lid, one-hand operation and the ‘click’ that has made Zippo lighters famous since 1932. zippo.com

CzECh And SPEAKE London based Czech & Speake combine traditional English craftsmanship with cutting edge technology with this unique carbon fibre travelers shaving kit.

Sleek carbon fibre is gaining cachet with designers worldwide but this may well be the first to use this innovative material in a personal grooming context. The Traveller’s kit precision engineered trays gently protect the selection of finest No.88 shaving and grooming products from damage whilst travelling. A separate lower compartment means the rest of your vacation essentials are also close to hand.

Designed to last, with a little care this set should age as gracefully as its sophisticated and well groomed owners. czechandspeake.com

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BAMFoRd & SonS

dAVIdoFF CIGAR

Time to kill with a companion on your weekend trip away? Fill it in this most modern representation of the Mesopatomian master game by the classic fashion house Bamford & Sons.

This backgammon collectors editon set comes in in a lockable calfskin case with the signature perforation detail on the leather and metal hardware.

Themed after the Concours d’Elegance it takes from the world of sports cars and racing with a finishing in colors of black and Ferrari red. bamfordandsons.com

Zico Davidoff knew where to get his cigars: Production on his namesake smokes first started in Cuba in 1969. By 1991, the love affair with the country was over, but a new one had already begun with the Dominican Republic, which now creates the brand’s beautiful offerings. With eight different ranges of premium handmade cigars crafted from five different tobacco blends, each aged for a minimum of four years, Davidoff cigars provide a smooth, refined and distinctive taste that is not to be missed. davidoff.com

ASPREy PoLo hoLdALL Do you like packing, ironing and neatly folding clothes? If so maybe this rugged holdall isn’t for you.

This is a proper bachelor bag; one designed for bourbon, a loose assortment of clothes and sports equipments to be thrown into.

Built with leather, leather and a little bit more leather this is a holdall built to last, and inevitably gains character with every nick, scratch and wear mark. Forget grace, buy, keep and in the fullness of time pass on only to male heirs. aspreypolo.com

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ConTE oF FLoREnCE The name immediately brings to mind strong ties to the brand’s Renaissance– inspired city of origin. Dating back to the 1950s, the company first found fame thanks to its sponsorship of the National Italian Skiing team, the renowned “Valanga Azzurra.” But it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the brand entered the world of golf. That they did so with such refined elegance and timeless style meant that they managed to immediately represent both cutting edge design and heritage.

We have packed one of their 2010 polos made in a cool, stretch fabric and amused by golfing cartoon. conteofflorence.com

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hAndMAdE GoLF ShoES FRoM nAPLES, ITALy My Grandmother said she could always judge a man by his shoes and certainly nothing adds more of a mark of style and quality to a man than hand made shoes.

Driven by pure passion and delicate dexterity, for over fifty years the Scafora family has been designing premium quality leather goods and accessories, all built to last forever. Every pair of their shoes is a unique example of their search for perfection, care for the finest detail and love of tradition. Shaped by experienced master artisans, each pair is rigorously hand-made following traditional Goodyear and Norwegian welt constructions. Client satisfaction and loyalty is of particular concern to the Scafora family and for those with unique or particular requirements made-to-measure shoes that can be agreed upon and fitted in New York under the direct supervision of Paolo Scafora.

Scafora also boast a superbly elegant golf collection comprising only the finest of materials, including golf bags that can be custom made from a selection of precious leathers. paoloscaforanapoli.it

TAyLoRMAdE PEnTA TP Before the feathery there were wooden balls made of elm or beech. Oh, how far we’ve come. TaylorMade’s new Penta TP golf balls represent the latest achievement in things that can take a hit and roll with it.

Designed to deliver a balance of performance in five key shot categories, three years’ worth of research went into the Penta TP’s development. You may not understand fancy terms like “LDP technology,” but you’ll appreciate the added control and distance. Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen and Justin Rose love it, and you will too. Created for pros, the Penta TP is a great ball for players of every level. taylormadegolf.com

InTRodUCInG ThE woRLd’S FIRST PERFECTLy BALAnCEdToRqUE FREE PUTTER The Axis1 Eagle is a revolutionary patented innovation that shifts the heel weight forward of the striking face and places the center of gravity of the club exactly on the sweet spot and in line with the axis of the shaft at the same time. This unique approach provides a true pendulum swing that eliminates the torque inherent in all major brand putters, which have a tendency to open up while a player swings the club. axis1golf.com

SUMI-G The Sumi-G Trunk Collection of holdall, shoe, and shag bags make it fashionable to be organized and ready for a round at any time. Designed to stay open for convenient access until securely closed with the magnetic handles. The exterior features durable Scotchgrain and a reversed zipper for improved water resistance to protect the fully-lined micro suede interior.

Available in black or brown.

The Sumi-G holdall (pictured) is the perfect size for trunk and travel and includes a detatchable shoulder strap. The accompanying shoe bag has a large main compartment that accommodates most shoe sizes, and interior pockets that are ideal for holding small items. The shag bag adds luxurious style and convenience to holding practice golf balls. sumi-g.com

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CInEMIn SwIVEL

TISSoT PoCKET wATCh

Ever been caught in the woods without a movie? No longer. This multimedia projector will project any video you have onto any surface you like—including a tent wall. Astonishingly small, picture quality is nonetheless excellent from this hand-holdable swivel-headed device, which is designed to work with devices like Apple’s iPod and iPhone. Boardrooms, bedrooms, even the great outdoors can all be transformed into your personal cinema. wowwee.com/en/cinemin

Founded in 1853, the company lives by its signature phrase: “Innovators by Tradition.” As perfect evidence of that, Tissot offer an old-school pocket watch along with their latest timepiece creations.

As the official timekeeper and partner of NASCAR, MotoGP and a number of other sports organizations, precision is a given. As a cutting-edge innovator with an Old World-inspired offering in their catalog, style is assured. tissot.ch

BLooMInGdALES Today the premiere destination for discerning shoppers in search of the best of anything, Bloomingdale’s was born on the back of a relatively flippant fad: the hoop skirt. In 1860, Joseph and Lyman Bloomingdale carried only that single item in their Lower East Side New York “Ladies Notions Shop.” By 1872 they were branching into other examples of fashion and the rest, as they say, is history. The iconic store at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue opened in 1886, cementing the department store’s emergence as a modern-day institution and establishing one of the greatest names in American business history. Whether you know it as Bloomingdale’s or “Bloomies’,” the store’s designer shopping bags, tremendous customer service and iconic status only add to its incredible selection of the finest fashions and accessories. Take, for example, the Black Mystery collection from Montblanc, an elegantly dark take on scribe-worthy accessories. The Starwalker ballpoint pen, cufflinks and key ring bring a mysterious sense of twilight to modern style, and contribute to what is sure to be a period-defining aesthetic reminiscent of the best decades’ design examples. No question that it’s limited, beautiful and top-drawer.

No wonder it’s available from Bloomingdale’s. bloomingdales.com

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the

Photo: Igor Perchuk

Venetian Collection

18k Cobalt Blue Gold 18k Chocolate Brown Gold 18k Denim Blue Gold 18k Black Gold

123 West Main Street, Barrington, IL 60010 • 847.381.7900 • www.mjmillerjewelers.com

Spring Chill

Second-home destinations for those who prefer cool places in warm seasons

When spring’s green shoots first pierce the failing White tarpaulin of Winter’s final camp, many hail the advancing armies of blue skies and golden suns With joy and revelation. but a select feW Would remain in cold embrace and instead sound quick retreat, falling CALIFORNIA back to elevated luxury fortresses With the chill, Waiting through a seeming Santa Lucia PreServe eternity of dank nights and sWeltering Carmel days until darkness closes in and Avg low in May: 49˚F With 20,000 acres of stunning land on the old Rancho San Winter’s frosted Winds bloW again. for those who prefer their evening’s nip by firelight, for Carlos—assembled by land grants and held intact by the owner whom tropical climes bring naught but thoughts of tropical families from 1857 to 1990—this property is simply stunning. insects and sweat-soaked clothes, the following abodes require Relatively unknown compared to its neighbor in Pebble Beach, coats and jackets well past april’s showers and may’s flowers. this community offers an exclusive bit of living for people here, temperatures dip low when the sun falls, clouds of who appreciate nature. Ninety percent of The Preserve’s native breath hang in the air after words are spoken and looking too landscape is permanently protected, meaning just 300 residents long at the bright sharp stars in the sky will cause eyes to tear and guests can access the Tom Fazio course, extensive aquatic and cheeks to redden. best to get back inside and pour some center, equestrian facilities and elegant lodging and dining. santaluciapreserve.com cocoa. bundle up, and happy warm season.

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teháma Carmel Avg low in May: 49˚F One of the most private residential golf communities in the world (as it says), this Clint Eastwood-founded enclave is only allowing 90 families on its 2,000 acres. Incredible views, a Jim Morrish golf course, hilltop Clubhouse and extensive Social Fitness Center are all minutes from the organic produce farms, galleries and amazing lifestyle opportunities around Carmel.

Eastwood insisted the community blend into the natural landscape, so don’t look for dissonance here. Just pure, crisp, California, and that includes cool evenings and star-filled skies. tehama-carmel.com Lahontan GoLf cLub Truckee Avg low in May: 32˚F Located just 11 miles from Lake Tahoe, this private gated golf club community (the only one in the area) offers both a Tom Weiskopf designed 18-hole and nine-hole par-3 course on its 910-acre site. With plenty of activities for families, golfers, hikers and those who like a little nightlife, Lahontan is a perfect place to enjoy the Tahoe area. lahontan.com

COLORADO roarinG fork cLub Carbondale Avg low in May: 38˚F In the lush valley of the Roaring Fork River sits this beautiful club, which provides a top Colorado lifestyle to all residents, members and guests. Mountain biking, fly fishing, culinary arts and golf are all here at Roaring Fork. The intimate and rustic main Members Lodge is reminiscent of an old fishing lodge, with wide, inviting porches and a cozy two-storey Great Room with a native moss rock fireplace and veranda overlooking the golf course’s 18th fairway. A fitness room keeps everything in shape no matter the weather outside, while a vintner room, billiards room and library provide a great way to spend a chilly spring evening. roaringforkclub.com

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White cLoudS reSidenceS at Sun vaLLey Sun Valley Avg low in May: 35˚F This exclusive residential neighborhood offers 27 holes of golf, nine of which are surrounded by nothing but nature. Those are adjacent to a biking and hiking trail, within walking distance of the incredible new Sun Valley Club and offer mind-blowing views of Bald Mountain, Dollar Mountain, the Pioneer Mountains and Sun Valley Village. The emphasis here is on the land and enjoying your life. Fantastic. whitecloudsresidences.com

MONTANA

Lodges at Eagles Nest in North Carolina

reSidenceS at the LittLe neLL Aspen Avg low in May: 34˚F Limited and magnificent may be the best way to describe The Residences at The Little Nell. There are only 26 of the incredible ski-in, ski-out residences on the edge of Aspen Mountain directly adjacent to the Silver Queen Gondola. When the snow melts and the sun comes out, residents enjoy the services and management of Aspen’s only Mobil Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond hotel, including amazing amenities and service. rlnaspen.com broadmoor WeSt reSidenceS Colorado Springs Avg low in May: 43˚F Anyone who’s visited Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor hotel can imagine how amazing it would be to live there and to enjoy the superb amenities year-round. Incredibly, the hotel includes 32 single-level luxury homes ranging from 2,500 square feet to over 6,000 square feet. Private lobbies and elevators servicing a maximum of two homes per floor are the basics; Broadmoor’s incredible grounds, pool and golf club are the reason you stay. broadmoorresidences.com

IDAHO

the kootenai Big Fork Avg low in May: 39˚F Montana’s Flathead Valley is a breathtaking stretch of old-school North America: big sky, cold water, snow-capped mountains, clean air and stunning views. The community is rugged luxury, featuring multimillion dollar log homes that are rugged on the outside and plush inside. With a tremendous members lodge that is a true “time machine,” as the Web site has it, you’ll be transported to an America of the early 1900s. The Lodge has entertained John D. Rockerfeller, Will Rogers, Charles Lindbergh and even royalty.

Make it home and live the real American backcountry high life. thekootenai.com

NORTH CAROLINA LodGeS at eaGLeS neSt Banner Elk Avg low in May: 53˚F If you’re looking for cool-country ideal family living in North Carolina, this could be it. Hiking trails through a lovely forest, campfire sites, big front porches and lovely cabin-style homes await at this community, which also features an incredible clubhouse, art studios, a relaxing spa, equestrian facilities and an amphitheater for live performances. Fly fishing, a heated lagoon, beach volleyball, a library, wildlife sanctuary and even, should you require, a helipad all grace this beautiful bit of the outdoors down South. eaglesnestbe.com

OREGON

beLLerive ranch at the canyonS Coeur D’Alene Terrebonne Avg low in May: 42˚F The area’s most desirable new waterfront community, Bellerive Avg low in May: 36˚F is a collection of condominiums, lofts and single-family homes Oregon’s natural beauty is on full display at this private ranch located on the Spokane River at the lake’s entry. The nearby estate, which offers four hidden canyons, lush meadows, Riverstone Development means there’s plenty of shopping, vineyards, orchards and incredible views along with quality dining and movies at hand, while the lake and the beautiful living. Trout-filled lakes sit under the breathtaking Smith Rock country (complete with plenty of nearby golf ) means you’ll and the snow-capped Cascade Mountains while wine flows at never think twice about Idaho living. Curling up by the fire the Old Winery Clubhouse & Spa. With 18 holes of exquisite golf on site, this may be as close to perfect as a place can get. lakeside never looked so good. ranchatthecanyons.com belleriveidaho.com →

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UTAH St. reGiS reSort & reSidenceS Park City Avg low in May: 48˚F St. Regis has it that this is the best ski address in the United States, and they may be right. Two buildings linked by funicular tram let guests and residents take advantage of the slopes or the shops and amenities of Deer Valley, as they like. St. Regis hotels are known for service, and that carries on with the residences, 27 private homes and 67 hotel condominiums. The St. Regis Butler is there 24/7 to warm ski boots, prepare après ski beverages, pick up shopping or arrange a picnic. In warmer months, the area is stunningly beautiful, and with the resort’s swimming pools and other luxuries, why would you want to leave? dcdeervalley.com

VERMONT Quechee LakeS Quechee Avg low in May: 43˚F Playtime abounds at this Vermont community, which opens all the state’s natural playgrounds have to offer to residents and St. Regis Resort & Residences in Utah guests. Two private 18-hole golf courses join a swimming pool, fitness center, biking and hiking trails, beachfront activities WASHINGTON STATE at Lake Pinneo and more. Surrounding the community, the beautiful Ottauquechee River Valley, full of inviting lakes Suncadia and rivers to explore. With plenty of shopping and dining Cle Elum opportunities nearby, this is a perfect home or second home site. Avg low in May: 37˚F The Suncadia Resort is one of Washington’s best, offering quecheelakes.com tremendous outdoor recreational opportunities in the state’s Cascades alongside the sparkling waters of the Cle Elum River.

SPruce Peak at StoWe Residents get to enjoy all of the resort’s offerings, including fly Stowe fishing, hiking, spa treatments, shopping and dining, and also Avg low in May: 40˚F Bridging the gap between village, city and mountain, Stowe is get use of the private Suncadia Club, priority access to the two a charming destination for skiers and snowboarders in winter, golf courses and use of a swim and fitness center. America’s and for outdoor lovers in spring and summer. A New England Northwest never lived better. village at heart, this community offers top-drawer amenities to suncadiaresort.com residents and guests alike. A ski-in, ski-out community when snow’s on the ground, golf, hiking and other pursuits open up as the white stuff melts. The on-site spa and clubhouse are WYOMING available year-round, and when construction is completed on PoWder horn ranch & GoLf all structures this should be one of Vermont’s best.

Sheridan sprucepeak.com Avg low in May: 39˚F Washington’s Suncadia With 900 unspoiled acres on Little Goose Creek in Wyoming, this property is simply amazing. A spectacular 30,000 sq. ft. clubhouse looks out over 27 holes of top-notch golf, a pool house, trout-stocked ponds and plenty of nature trails. The community is a designated National Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, ensuring a peaceful environment. Regularly voted among the top 100 golf communities in the country by such magazines as Travel + Leisure and Links Magazine, The Powder Horn is a winner. And with no state income tax, no state inheritance tax and a very favorable business tax climate, Wyoming could just be your kind of place. thepowderhorn.com

Precise Minimally Invasive Prostate Cancer Removal

The World’s Most Experienced Robotic Prostate Cancer Surgeon Florida Hospital Global Robotics Institute has a resident professional, Dr. Vipul Patel, who along with his world-class surgical team and the daVinci® robot, is getting men back in the game quicker.

• Dr. Vipul Patel has personally performed more than 3,000 cases • Robotic prostatectomy is one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer • Robotic-assisted prostate surgery allows for minimally invasive prostate cancer removal • Precise techniques result in minimal blood loss and much faster recovery Vipul Patel, MD

Small strokes of genius. Big results.

visit www.GlobalRoboticsInstitute.com or call 1 (866) 923-2863 201000809

cool hand

Dr. Thomas Graham explains why helping others is job one at the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center—and why it’s a personal responsibility East LivErpooL, ohio, is a pottErs’ town. that is, it’s known for pottEry. in fact, thErE arE thrEE major pottEriEs in thE arEa just down thE ohio rivEr an hour from thE rELativELy major strEEts of pittsburgh, pEnn. daLE carnEgiE usEd to summEr hErE, coach Lou hoLtz grEw up hErE and, morE rEcEntLy, dr. thomas graham LivEd hErE. not an industriaList or mEdia sports pErsonaLity, graham’s achiEvEmEnts havE nonEthELEss touchEd many and had trEmEndous impact. whEn thE spEciaList hand surgEon mEt anothEr smaLL-town kid—this onE from LatrobE, pEnn.—a rELationship was born that wouLd EvEntuaLLy producE thE arnoLd paLmEr sportshEaLth cEntEr, and amErica’s LEgacy of grEat achiEvEmEnts EmErging from humbLE bEginnings was furthEr rEinforcEd. but yEars bEforE that couLd happEn, thErE was a young boy with a vEry important dEcision to makE… while most characterizations of the late 1960s as a time of change tend to focus on the shifting dynamics of american politics and social mores, the fields of technology and medicine were advancing as well, and in ways that would prove to be as critical in shaping our modern world. the same year Elvis married priscilla, the beatles released sgt. pepper’s and debut records appeared from pink floyd, the doors and jimi hendrix, the world’s first human heart transplant was performed. dr. christiaan barnard, the south african doctor who performed the surgery, was making a name for himself in the world of heart medicine, but he wasn’t the only one. denton cooley and michael debakey were in the news as well, and to a young tom graham in East Liverpool “they were rock stars,” graham remembers. “i think i was about 10 years old and i was reading time magazine or something… there was michael debakey, the most famous physician in the world at that time maybe, and

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Future doctor Tom Graham with future wife CeCe

it showed him doing open-heart surgery. there was a beating heart, and a man’s hand moving around it, reconstructing it. while everyone else was focused on the heart, i became focused on the hands.” after reading the article, graham wrote debakey a letter. the great doctor replied, and a 30-year correspondence began. “he encouraged me in my career,” remembers graham, “celebrated milestones like my getting into college and med school. we met on several occasions, and he became a very important person in my life.” the same year graham wrote his first letter to debakey, the 10-year-old decided to be a hand surgeon. he credits early self-awareness and the specificity of his chosen career with his success. “it’s hard to beat a niche player,” he says, explaining that focusing intently on hand surgery opened up a number of opportunities to move forward as a surgeon— and even to advance the field itself, which graham has certainly done.

Arnie on course with Tom and at the 2010 Kingdom Cup with the Grahams

“Our hands are our instruments of communication and commerce, and besides our faces, are our most personal of characteristics. We rely on them throughout our lives,” he explains.

He took that appreciation of hands to where he is today, a specialist working with the world’s most elite athletes. Interestingly, his first work with sportsmen had to do with training and a series of ideas he developed in his late high school years and earliest time at college. Applying various scientific principles to athletic training, Graham came up with a concept and, “Next thing you know, the U.S. Olympic Committee picks up on this and I become an exercise physiologist for them,” he says.

“I travelled the world. When you make the decision to do something like this when you’re so young, it phase-shifts your whole life.”

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Eventually, during his residency at the University of Michigan, Graham took care of the school’s Wolverines.

Years later, during training at The Cleveland Clinic, it was professional players on the Indians and Cavaliers. When another Ohio business—the locally based sports agency, IMG—began sending its athletes to Graham, the young doctor started noticing that he and a certain Arnold Palmer kept crossing paths.

“My parents were living around Latrobe, near Arnold,” Graham says. “My childhood sweetheart [CeCe] and I grew up 200 yards apart, went years without seeing each other, and then when we did we were engaged three days later, like [Palmer’s first wife] Winnie and Arnie. Through the ’60s and ’70s Palmer was my hero. Through the ’80s and ’90s he became my friend and my patient. When we got to the end of the ’90s we became partners in ventures to bring better health care to a lot of people.”

ShoulderS of GiantS One of those ventures is The Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center at Baltimore’s Union Memorial Hospital. A place for athletes of any ability or level to get treatment, it is the premier destination for sports-related injuries and a forward-thinking model of hospitality in health care.

“It was in the early 2000s, when Mr. Palmer was visiting me,” Graham remembers. “He was having a hand problem, also there were some health challenges in his family, and he lamented how difficult navigating the medical system can be for anybody. And as we thought about it, we really started to focus on the notion of hospitality-enhanced health care and to concentrate on the medical experience.

“We embraced very early on the concept that the modern paradigm for patient satisfaction isn’t just the outcome. Nowadays, there is a new equation for patient satisfaction: Clinical outcome multiplied by the point-of-service experience. Because of Arnold’s focus on hospitality, we really started to understand that—‘hospitals’ and ‘hospitality’ had heretofore not been synonymous. As inviting and personal as a meeting with Mr. Palmer is, we wanted anything that bore his name to have the same effect. I think that’s so critical, and it’s one of his legacies: He has been a prime mover in having us realize that medicine is a service industry.”

In addition to being the founder and medical director of MedStar SportsHealth, Graham is Chief of the Curtis National Hand Center. He reconstructs hands after trauma, works with children with congenital differences and treats all manner of issues. He’s treated approximately 1,700 pro athletes over the years and is affiliated with pros and teams including the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Flyers.

That noted, Graham says his work at the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center has ultimately always been about something else: A belief of his, Arnie’s and everyone else’s at the Center that you don’t have to be a professional athlete to get hurt like one, so you shouldn’t have to be a pro to get treated like one.

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Many of the more than 40 specialists at the Center are athletes themselves—Graham is an excellent golfer, Senior Physician William Howard is a rugby player and Consulting Physician Eugene Diokno is a marathon runner and SCUBA diver, just to name a few. They understand sports injuries, are the best in the world at treating them, and don’t care if you’re an active adult, weekend warrior or—like many of their patients—a pro.

Everyone gets the same top-notch treatment.

“We really wanted to establish something that spoke to Arnold’s commitment to health care. Here’s a man who’s been a professional athlete for over five decades. What does that say about commitment? His game, his active lifestyle… He’s a complete package with his commitment to people, to the integrity of the game, to personal fitness and his interest in being able to participate. Arnold’s a beacon, he inspires a lot of people. I was the beneficiary of that. Mr. Palmer and many of my mentors extended themselves to try to ensure my own success.”

Soon, that success will enter a new chapter. While Graham is going to continue in his focused practice and stay involved with the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center, the doctor is returning to Ohio and to The Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he once studied. This time he’ll be there in an executive capacity, helping to run one of the world’s most highly regarded medical centers, a place that President Obama recently toured and praised for providing “the highest-quality care at costs well below the national norm.”

It should be a great fit for both parties. Ranked No.1 in cardiac care for the last 15 years by U.S. News & World Report and consistently among the top in numerous other specialties, The Cleveland Clinic’s pursuit of excellence and vision for care is well in line with the doctor’s own philosophies and efforts—efforts that have resulted in great achievements evidenced in the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center, MedStar SportsHealth and the high caliber of doctors and associates with which Graham has worked. Quick to give credit where it’s due, the doctor is thankful looking back even as he’s excited to move ahead.

“None of us sees far if we don’t stand on the shoulders of giants. I’ve been touched by great men in science and medicine and in sports.

My family is great. I have benefited from others helping me be successful, so I have a responsibility to help others be successful.

That’s the legacy I try to continue on a personal level every day.” n For more information, see Medstarsportshealth.com

Graham routinely gets pro athletes back in the game

Our motto, Pro humanitate, is brought to life through our extraordinary people.

“You might wonder how somebody my age, whose greatest success came many years ago, can still be in tune with what works in the world which has changed so very much in my lifetime. Certainly, there are many things that I cannot fully comprehend, but there are still the absolutes that transcend place and time: Hard work will always yield positive results. Be fully aware of the world around you. Act purposefully on your strongest perceptions, and then with no regrets.�

- Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest University alumnus and Life Trustee, in his commencement address to Wake Forest graduates in 2005

Great OutdOOrs New ways to accomplish an age-old tradition: cooking with fire Rituals aRe impoRtant to us. they Remind us who we aRe and set the tone foR who we will be as a people. england has the changing of the guaRd. the fRench have the nightly glass/bottle of wine. but in the united states, we have the good ol’ fashioned backyaRd bbQ. eveRy weekend in spRing and summeR, fRiends, families and uninvited guests gatheR to feast at tables set by gRillmasteRs and theiR well-fiRed cReations. the Rituals tools aRe simple: tongs, foRk, laRge metal spatula, apRon beaRing an obnoxious slogan and, of couRse, the centRepiece of the paRty, the temple aRound which eveRyone gatheRs: the gRill itself. grills take many shapes and forms, from metal buckets with lids to stealth-fighters with hidden openings and computer-controlled heat monitors. we’re not partial as long as the steak’s good, and so with summer already on our minds, here’s a selection of ways to fire it up, lay it down and serve it hot. flame on.

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Weber you know weber. They make the black metal ufo with legs that launched a billion ballpark dogs in backyards across the world. you might not realize that the company also makes top-of-the-line affordable modern gas grills. The summit s-670 is as up-to-date as anything, featuring six stainless steel burners, a tuck-away rotisserie system, smoker system and box and storage underneath. The company’s first grill was a metal buoy cut in half—really. This one is a world away from that in design and capabilities, but maintains the heart of the original: families and friends together in a backyard, watching in amazement as the grillmaster forges an amazing dining experience over fire. from near $1,520 weber.com

Porsche Grills

chicaGo Brick oveN

Holy enchilada, what just landed in the backyard?!! No, it’s not an alien shuttlecraft; it’s a Porsche grill. It won’t do 0-60 ever—unless you drop it off a balcony, but that would be a shame because this smart little cooker designed and engineered by Porsche is actually quite a piece of backyard bling. Featuring “Crossray” Burner technology that offers four laterally mounted infrared burners and an integrated and concealed rotisserie kit, it shouldn’t surprise you that in addition to using gas, this superdesigned grill takes a battery.

At least it’s included, and it’s rechargeable.

From $5,999 bbqgalore.com

Anything from Mario Batali has to be good, right? Well, we hope so. Chicago Brick Oven has, in our honest opinion, scored the mother of all celebrity chef endorsements by getting the famed Italian/New Yorker’s name on its range of wood-burning brick ovens, and they look absolutely fantastic. In accordance with Batali’s belief that wood-fired ovens bring out the best and most natural flavours in food, these backyard beauties are attractive, effective and glorious. State-of-the-art modular construction meets Old World methodology and amazing capability. Now if only he’d drop by and help us out with a pizza…

Vesuvio (pictured) from near $10,000 chicagobrickoven.com

NaPoleoN

Grillery

Almost as tall as the little general himself, Napoleon Prestige V PF600 grills are beautiful, well built and full of fantastically named features: the QUAD-HEAT cooking system accommodates an infinite number of grilling styles. Patented stainless WAVE rod cooking grids make for even, consistent heat and the company’s trademarked sear lines. Drawers use ULTRA-GLIDE sliders. And there are even built-in halogen lights for nighttime grilling and entertaining. The grills are hand crafted and hand tooled. Cooking areas are huge and power is sincere. We like the craftsmanship and directness of purpose and we’d gladly have one in our backyard.

From near $5,000 napoleongrills.com

Meat and a fire. Ultimately, this is what grilling is all about.

Grillworks’ Grillery sums it up nicely with a modern design, ancient premise and simple way to achieve backyard greatness.

This is a wood-burning grill, so there’s no tanks, bags or other ephemera common to the modern cookout. You just stoke it with kindling, light it, and cook. The grill surface itself can be raised and lowered, so heat control is precise and, again, easy.

Handmade in the USA and guaranteed to last a lifetime, this grill harkens back—way back—to a time when life was simple, well made and tasty. One of our favorites.

From $2,475 grillery.com

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Cal FlaMe

Del Mar

Another dream-building company that believes grilling is about more than just a bag of charcoal and a cold one in hand, Cal Flame and Cal Spas create outdoor kitchens to spec, adding value to the home, entertainment space to the back patio and an excuse for every neighbor, friend and party-crasher to call your poolside paradise their own come summer. Barbecue islands from 4’ to 10’ can be built into alarmingly elaborate spaces that also hold refrigerators, sinks, and even televisions, not to mention all manner of food-prep glory. Add a few barstools and a nice set of stemware and we’ll meet you for dinner.

Cost: More than nothing and as much as you want. calflamebbq.com

Ahoy, landlubbers. The Del Mar grill from MAGMA, a company usually associated with marine grills, is the perfect alFresCo little addition to a small backyard area, condo, balcony or These guys don’t make grills, they build culinary empires. If you’re petite patio. It’s manageably sized, leaves plenty of room for used to having friends stand around you with brews in cozies while grilling up a nice lunch for you and a couple of friends and, you turn dogs, get ready for a whole new experience. Alfresco will additionally, it’s not half bad looking, we think. In line with design and construct an entire resort kitchen in your backyard, marine sensibilities, the grill operates around the notions of complete with grills (yes, plural) fridges, sinks, cabinets, whatever both simplicity and compactness. It runs on 1lb gas canisters you want. They even make an outdoor Multi-Use Cooker that can that are user disposable and easily changed. It’s entirely made handle a wok—try stir frying at a typical picnic ground. Friends of stainless steel, has a simple, pop-out single knob temperature and poachers can sit around an elegantly designed poolside bar control and piezo lighting system and even manages to hold a finished in stone or whatever you like while you hold court, steering the afternoon into evening and beyond. Dream big, and grill large. patent in its double-hinged lid.

Cost: From not a little to what you can imagine.

Cost: $529.98 alfrescogrills.com magmaproducts.com

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/ Terrace Concept

jardindeville.com - 1 877 527 3468 - Chicago: 312 755 1414 - Florida: 239 947 4005

EUROPE

NORTH AMERICA

Spring in Your Step Spring iS a time for new beginningS, new StartS. Spring iS clean, Spring iS freSh. Spring iS happy, delightful and delighted at the Same time. Spring makeS you dance; Spring iS bright, incredible. you want to tell everyone about it. Spring iS fun, Spring iS your friend. and if nothing elSe, Spring iS green.

So it is that we come to our selection of cocktails for this issue of kingdom. made to put the season in your step, spring’s cocktails are fashioned from 360 vodka, which is, like the season, green. in fact, 360 vodka is the first and only true eco-friendly premium vodka. new 360 flavors include 360 cola and 360 double chocolate, both of which would be lovely by themselves or on the rocks. but in the spirit of the season, we’re going to mix it up and have some fun.

Cola PoPPer

Island 360

you won’t find this at a soda fountain, but it will bring back memories of good times—and give rise to new ones.

fans of don ho, blue waves and bad shirts, step right up. This cocktail is as colorful as tropical as the last swimsuit you bought, but it will no doubt be better received by your poolside guests.

1oz 360 cola 1/2 oz tequila top with lemon/lime soda

360 Blue lemonade a classic twist on a warm-season favorite, this likely won’t be sold on your local street corner for 10 cents a cup, but—like the classic stuff—it will help you beat the heat.

2oz 360 vodka 1/2oz blue curacao fill with freshly squeezed lemonade top with soda

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2oz 360 vodka 1/2oz melon liquor 1/2oz peach liquor 1/2oz coconut rum fill with oJ and pineapple juice. top with cranberry juice and lemon/lime soda

Eco-Original

Friendly Vodka.

360 Vodka, the world’s first Eco

Celebrate with the world’s favorite spirit, 360 Vodka. Quadruple-Distilled. Five-Times Filtered. For an experience beyond natural. Beyond clean. Beyond smooth. Presented in 85% recycled bottles with unique, reusable closures. Eco-friendly, from design to debut. Stand out from the ordinary, with the first luxury vodka that’s good for the planet.

© 2010 Earth Friendly Distilling Co., Weston, MO 40% alc./vol. (80 Proof) Distilled From American Grain Drink Responsibly. Drive Responsibly. Exist Responsibly.

Vodka360.com

Annika Sorenstam’s personal swing coach and fitness guru explain to the editor that the perfect swing is actually a simple feat—just learn the basics and don’t think about it too much

Basically A Perfect Swing AnnikA SorenStAm’S coAcheS hAve Some good newS for you: the perfect golf Swing iS Simple. “i’m an engineer, and from an engineering standpoint there is no easier sport than golf,” says kai fusser, a fitness expert with a nautical engineering degree and personal trainer to the only woman to ever shoot a 59. “There’s no movement; you’re standing still. nobody’s trying to take the ball away or attack you while you’re doing it. you have time. it’s all levers, angles and physics, basically.” fusser started training Sorenstam in 2001. his work (and hers) added 25 yards to Annika’s drive and improved her overall accuracy. today fusser is the director of fitness at the Annika Academy at orlando’s reunion resort. he maintains that good fitness not only boosts performance on course, it protects joints and adds years to enjoyment of the game. But he quickly adds that fitness without technique won’t get the job done. “what’s important for adding distance is, no. 1, that your swing is good,” he says. enter henry reis, Annika’s swing coach and countryman, who shares fusser’s opinion that there’s no mystery to a good swing. “everyone thinks there are so many secrets—that [the pros] are doing this or that,” reis says. “But it’s not that; it’s just the basics.”

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Those basics, reis says, are all one needs to begin developing a winning swing. And he should know: the man who crafted Sorenstam’s beautiful arc—“from a biomechanical standpoint and from a physics standpoint, there is no more efficient swing than hers,” says fusser—can take a lot of credit for creating one of the most effective weapons ever to grace the game.

“The first time i saw her she was only 15 years old,” reis says of Sorenstam. “She had a normal junior swing; working a lot with her arms, and her hips were gliding through and things like that. normally when you’re young you’re not strong and you push with the hips and things, and that’s what she was doing. i tried to get her to feel that she was turning more instead of gliding through the ball. it took a long time.”

Annika retired early last year, but she sees henri more now than she did when she was on tour: he’s the head instructor at her Academy.

“The last four or five years, there was maybe about six to seven weeks between every time we saw each other,” reis says. “The basics… That’s normally what Annika and i were working on. we’d go back to that. That’s what most good players are doing.”

Those basics include: grip, posture, balance, ball position and alignment—five fundamentals that, reis says, are crucial to building an effective swing.

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This sequence proves that Henry Reis has a mechanically sound swing of his own

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Sorenstam mastered them and that’s what led her swing 1. The Grip “i always say that you have six fingers in your left hand.” we to be, as fusser calls it, so technically ideal and efficient. “it’s very simple, the whole body moving as one,” he says. couldn’t guess what the sixth was, so reis told us: The heel of your “it’s very quiet, all around the axis; there’s no extra bending. hand. reis says to grip the club with the third, fourth and fifth fingers of the left hand, then fold the rest of the hand over so it’s very easy to repeat, and consistent that way because there the “sixth” finger holds the club firmly in position, with your index aren’t many parts moving. finger falling into place. “if you grab it like this you can hinge your “can we all do it? probably not. Should we try to take wrist,” reis says, explaining that this is crucial to achieving the some element from that? i would say yes.” more important than trying to copy Annika’s exact form, kick at the end of the swing that helps achieve clubhead speed. says reis, mastering these basics will help people understand “Then, when you put your right hand on, it’s the same as if i shake hands with you.” it’s important to note that reis is speaking of a their own swings and identify areas that need improvement. polite handshake, not your father’s blood-stopping seize of a paw. “when i work with students, it’s important that they understand their own swing. They don’t need a coach always,” The club should rest in the finger joints of the right hand, not in the center of the palm. Another way to explain it, reis offers, is to reis says. “A lot of people make it harder than it is.” we’re sure, like reis says, that you don’t need a coach. think of how you throw a baseball: you hold it at the ends of your fingers, not gripped like a treasure in your fist.

But just in case you’re curious how Annika spends her practice lastly, reis says, always assemble your grip holding the time, here are henri reis’ tips on, as he says, the BASicS. club up in front of you, not resting on the ground. “good players, they stay more like this,” he says. “you never see them get it down here [indicating the ground].”

2. posTure

On this and the next page, Reis demonstrates his five basics

“if you have bad posture, you cannot turn or anything,” reis says. he explains that your stance should be not unlike a professional swimmer about to dive into a pool: knees slightly bent and a slight forward bend at the waist, with balance basically distributed but secured on the balls of your feet, not the heels. fusser explains that he tells people to imagine they’re standing in a cylinder. “you can do two things,” he says. “you can slide up and down and rotate, but you can’t throw your hips or dip your shoulder in any way, so you have to stay level.”

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3. Balance “you must be on the balls of your feet, not back on your heels,” says reis. if your balance is off you could start to sway, leaning away from the ball, then having to overcorrect either by leaning forward or by stretching your arms to compensate. either option forces you to take the swing off-arc. poor balance is often responsible for the most common issue in golf, the slice. golfers come over the top of the ball and swing from the outside, which throws accuracy out the window.

4. Ball posiTion Besides having the ball in front of you and somewhere behind your front foot, “The old books always say… a half-inch back for every club,” reis says. “ok, maybe theoretically that’s good, but when you’re out there everything slopes up, down or sideways so you always set up differently because of the lie.” Basically, according to reis, you let the club and the lie determine the ball position for normal shots—but it’s good to be aware of the general rules of thumb as well, he says.

5. aliGnmenT “why is alignment important?” reis says. [i think he’s getting ready to make a statement, but he’s actually asking me.] “oh, uh, because it determines where the ball is headed,” i stammer. “And do you hit with your body or do you hit with your golf club?” he questions. This time i readily give the obvious answer—club—and in a solid Swedish accent he says, “Jah.” The point is important because, he explains, so many people align themselves to the target then set the clubhead on the ground and settle into position. in fact, reis says, “Set up the clubhead first to the target, then set up the body parallel to that lie. The order is clubhead, then shoulders, then arms.” The legs, he says, will essentially sort themselves.

——— Meet Annika Sorenstam, take a lesson from Henri Reis and let Kai Fusser help you get in shape at the Annika Academy at Orlando’s Reunion Resort.

Visit theannikaacademy.com or reunionresort.com for more info.

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Gaining Distance

Annika’s personal strength coach teaches you how to go further with less effort —and it works. Don’t believe us? Look at Annika’s game…

WHEN KAI FuSSER STARTED WORKINg WITH ANNIKA SORENSTAm IN 2001, SORENSTAm WAS ALREADY AT THE TOP OF HER gAmE. SHE’D bEcOmE THE FIRST NON-AmERIcAN TO WIN bAcK TO bAcK u.S. WOmEN’S OPEN TITLES, THE FIRST PLAYER IN LPgA HISTORY TO FINISH A SEASON WITH A Sub-70 ScORINg AvERAgE, bEEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR, WON NumEROuS mONEY LIST TITLES AND EARNED A WHOLE cAbINET FuLL OF TROPHIES. IT cOuLD bE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHINg WRONg WITH HER gAmE, buT SOmEHOW KAI FuSSER mADE IT bETTER. The following three exercises will help with just that. Fusser says these are appropriate for golfers of any age, with intensity being the only changing variable. When you try them, remember two things: 1. Do all exercises in both directions. uniformity of strength and evenness of training are crucial to a balanced body and a more efficient and effective swing.

2. Engage the core every time before you exert. That means pull your belly button in and draw it up, creating hip tilt underneath you and making sure you’re in the same form every single time. This has lots of advantages: It takes pressure off the spine, straightens the spine, and keeps everything together. Want to see how it’s done? Watch Annika.

To learn more about Kai Fusser and his work at the Annika Academy, visit kaifusser.com or theannikaacademy.com

Three exercises To add disTance: Straight Cable rotation This teaches you to rotate around your axis and how to set into the proper swing sequence: hips, shoulders, arms. It also builds strength in muscles crucial for stabilization.

1. Assume a good stance holding the grip at the end of the cable, knees slightly bent.

2. Picture yourself in a cylinder. You can slide up and down and rotate; but you can’t throw your hips or dip your shoulder.

Keep your spine straight at all times.

3. Start straight, arms in front forming a triangle between your chest, shoulders and hands. Throughout the exercise, the triangle needs to stay intact.

4. Draw your abs in and initiate with the hips.

5. Straighten out the axis as you rotate, then slowly rotate back.

6. No leaning or pushing or anything; your arms stay in front, turning your shoulders.

Shot Put Just like the Olympic event, this exercise teaches you to build strength from the ground up. It also teaches you to use your whole body together in the right swing sequence and finish with a full rotation.

1. Sit down, shoulders over hips, not leaning in any direction.

2. Engage the core: Abs in.

3. Initiate from the ground and rise up with a weight in your hand.

4. As you rise, rotate through 5. Finish with your upper body stacked over your leg, abs drawn in to support your back, and with your hips facing toward your target.

6. It’s important to make sure your hips are facing toward the target; many people stop short, which is a shame because most power comes from the glutes. For a good swing finish, see Tiger Woods.

MediCine ball rotation Another exercise to help you learn to rotate your body and build power from the ground up. It also helps with engaging the abs and with understanding the importance of continuous swing motion.

1. Hold a medicine ball in front of you, arms out; straighten, align hips with shoulders.

2. Engage the core: Abs in.

3. Rotate through as in the illustration.

4. You can do this exercise slow or strongly— the same thing, but releasing the ball toward a wall. With this, engage the abs twice: Abs in, rotate; abs in, release.

5. Finish with hips squared, facing the target.

6. This also helps with understanding continuity in a swing, with power being loaded throughout the backswing and unloaded in a continuously increasing motion throughout the swing’s completion.

It wasn’t that many years ago that golf was regarded as a dIstInctly western—even a specIfIcally european—sport. no more. golf Is now the world’s game, and the arnold palmer desIgn company Is leadIng the way In makIng sure everyone has a place to play. to that end, apdc has built more than 300 courses in nearly 30 countries around the planet, pioneering the game in the far east and setting the world standard for what defines a top quality golf experience. That tradition, established nearly 40 years ago, continues today with projects ongoing in south america, china, cambodia and elsewhere. time was you only needed a driver’s license and a set of clubs. In the modern game, you’d better have a passport in your bag if you’re going to visit any of the following international offerings from arnie and his excellent team at apdc.

Home APDC Executive Vice President and Senior Architect Erik Larsen is set to become president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects after being elected at the organization’s recent meeting. The long-time ASGCA member and current treasurer will be taking the prestigious position once held by Ed Seay, whom he counts as a mentor, and also by Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye, among others. Larsen plans to promote the “value of the golf course” as a recreational, social and economic amenity.

Also in the spirit of awards and accolades, APDC architect Thad Layton has been picked to judge the 2010 Lido Competition, a prominent golf design contest. Co-sponsored by Golf World and the Alister MacKenzie Society, the competition awards the designer whose hand-drawn entry best utilizes MacKenzie’s design philosophy within the confines of a two-shot par–4. The Lido is based on a magazine design contest MacKenzie won in 1914. His winning hole, a par–4 with triple avenues of play, was later constructed by contest founder C.B. Macdonald on his Lido Golf Club on Long Island, NY. Sadly, the course, and hole, did not survive World War II. Layton, the 2003 Lido Prize winner, is an excellent choice to judge this year’s entries.

The APDC-designed Rivers Edge Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, SC, celebrated its 10th anniversary last September with improvements to the greens and a heartfelt pat on the back from Mr. Palmer himself.

“All of us at Arnold Palmer Design congratulate Rivers Edge on their 10th anniversary,” offered the King. Greens have been transitioned to the environmentally friendly SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum turfgrass, a grass APDC has utilized with success at other courses, Palmer says.

“All the courses that we have designed that use paspalum grass are very pleased with the results and we think everyone at Rivers Edge will enjoy the new greens.”

SoutH Moving south from Myrtle Beach—way south—APDC architect Eric Wiltse has been working on a course near São Paolo, Brazil, called Fazenda Boa Vista. The site, which will feature 18 holes from APDC, reminds Wiltse of the rolling hills of Kentucky and is simply beautiful, he says. Look for more golf in Brazil, with the sport returning to the Olympics in Rio in 2016. Not content to stay in the land of girls from Ipanema, Wiltse is also working on a course in Uruguay. Named “Las Piedras” for its boulder-strewn landscape, this project near Punta del Este will feature rolling hills, beautiful views and a storied atmosphere. Larsen says the project represents authentic golf with minimal impact and a complete sense of respect for both the game and the environment.

“It’s core golf.,” he says. “There’s very little earth movement, wild flowers and native grasses can grow easily and will remain as features of the course. The best word for it: Authentic.”

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GameA The arnold palmer design company stays on the road with a host of top projects around the world

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aPDC architect Thad Layton’s winning design for the Lido Competition

AbroAd

aPDC architect Brandon Johnson’s vision for a new course in Kunming, China

East some 25 years after building the first golf course in china, apdc is continuing to create that country’s premiere golf venues—and the latest have been exquisite indeed. Beijing welcomed the amazing Beijing cascades from apdc in 2007, and since then the rest of the country is moving to host their own apdc clubs. future clubs, like a project at huizhou that would offer views of hong kong, are in the works, while The golf club at kunming is likely within a year of opening and should be one the most beautiful anywhere. people with vertigo should be warned: kunming’s latest gem is going to feature some serious elevation changes. The beautiful lake below should distract from any issues with heights, but craggy cliffs and forced carries might add to the stress a bit.

Brandon Johnson, the apdc architect who’s been working on the project since the start, says numbers 12 and 14 are especially challenging.

“There are big ravines in front of them and it’s dramatic,” he says. “There’s room for error but, yeah, if you miss it there, wide in the right spot, you fall off into oblivion.” apdc architect david couch isn’t having the same issues with his project, also in kunming. while the inspirationally named chinese entrepreneur home golf club doesn’t offer the dramatic changes in elevation of its neighbor, it does feature a freshwater lake nearly five miles in length. and with 27 holes, there will be plenty of challenging golf for all. yet one more apdc course under way in china, panda valley golf course should be a stunner. Just 45 minutes from chengdu, it offers unique mountain play, a fast-moving river and incredible views. layton, who’s working on the project, explains: “usually mountains are arranged such that they form ridge lines that connect.” In contrast, he says, “These look like they’re dropped out of the sky… Independent mountains, thousands of feet high.”

Its name comes from its proximity to a panda reserve, near 50 miles away. Incorporating terraced slopes that have held kiwi, rice and other crops, the project is part of a local rebuilding effort following a massive quake two years ago.

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not far from china, Johnson is also continuing work on a project from cambodia’s sokimex development group. construction on the 18-hole wonder should begin this year, and they’re hoping to get a few basics completed before the rainy season kicks off. The incredible downpours southeast asia experiences between may and october are followed by severe dry weather, making course maintenance a bit of a headache. however, the fantastic natural beauty makes all efforts worthwhile. “we took cues from the existing natural jungle terrain,” Johnson says. Because of the thick jungle (chasing balls will be a daunting experience), “There’s big, bold movement in the fairways that will allow people to play, and a lot of strategy around that, too, because your angle of approach could be better from one side of the fairway versus another.” set on the edge of a national park, and with planned hotels, a casino and entertainment, look for this to be most impressive.

Onward as engaged as apdc is around the world, there’s more to come. In the meantime, apdc is also getting creative at home. In addition to updating existing designs, the company is moving forward with plans to refit and reposition distressed golf courses currently without stable financial foundations.

Bank-held properties that could be viable investments have the potential to benefit from apdc’s design and business expertise. “It’s a response to the economic condition in the u.s.,” says larsen, explaining that the new effort has the potential to help banks clear their books while also giving communities positive recreational possibilities. with forward thinking at home and ongoing interest from mexico, china, south africa, south america, russia, India and other locations abroad, the architects at apdc will be busy for a long time coming up with fantastic new projects. we’ll be right there behind them, passports and driver’s licenses up to date, ready to travel as far or near as needed to play their great designs. n

Course Directory

Courses around the world designed by the Arnold Palmer Design Company KEY: + Remodel @ Certified Audubon Sanctuary @* Certified Audubon Signature Sanctuary

ALABAMA Craft Farms-Cotton Creek and Cypress

Gulf Shores, Alabama

www.craftfarms.com

ARIZONA Arrowhead Country Club

Glendale, Arizona

www.arrowheadccaz.com

Mesa del Sol

Yuma, Arizona

www.mesadelsolgolf.com

The Refuge at Lake Havasu

Lake Havasu City, Arizona

www.therefugegolfclub.com

Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club

Scottsdale, Arizona

www.starfiregolfclub.com

Starr Pass Resort

Tucson, Arizona

www.starrpasstucson.com

Wildfire at Desert Ridge

Phoenix, Arizona

www.wildfiregolf.com

CALIFORNIA The Classic Club

Palm Desert, California

www.classicclubgolf.com

Empire Lake Golf Course

The Presidio Golf Course +@

www.empirelakes.com

www.presidiogolfclub.com

Rancho Cucamonga, California Four Seasons Resort Aviara

Carlsbad, California

www.fourseasons.com/aviara/vacations/golf.html

Hiddenbrooke Country Club

Vallejo, California

www.hiddenbrookegolf.com

Indian Ridge Country Club

Arroyo and Grove Courses Palm Desert, California www.indianridgecc.com

Los Valles

San Francisco, California

Rancho Murietta Country Club

Rancho Murietta, California

www.ranchomurietacc.com

Rolling Hills Golf Club

Palos Verdes Estates, California

www.rollinghillscc.com

SilverRock Resort

LaQuinta, California

www.silverrock.org

The Tradition Golf Club

LaQuinta, California

Valencia, California

www.traditiongolfclub.net

Mission Hills Country Club

COLORADO

The Arnold Palmer Course Rancho Mirage, California www.missionhills.com

Mountain View Country Club

LaQuinta, California

www.mountainviewatlaquinta.com

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Monterey, California

www.pebblebeach.com

PGA West

Palmer Course La Quinta, California

www.pgawest.com

Bear Creek Golf Course

Denver, Colorado

www.bearcreekgolfclub.net

Cherry Hills Country Club +

Englewood, Colorado

www.chcc.com

Eagle Ranch Golf Course @

Eagle, Colorado

www.eagleranchgolf.com

Lone Tree Golf Club

Littleton, Colorado

www.golfcolorado.com/lonetree

CONNECTICUT

Lakewood Ranch

Palmer Legends Country Club

The Villages, Florida

www.gilletteridgegolf.com

Cypress Links and King's Dunes Bradenton, Florida

www.lakewoodranchgolf.com

FLORIDA

Legacy Golf Club

St. Petersburg, Florida

Gillette Ridge Golf Club

Bloomfield, Connecticut

Adios Golf Club

Coconut Creek, Florida

www.adiosgolfclub.org

Bay Hill Club and Lodge +

Orlando, Florida

www.bayhill.com

Bella Verde

Wesley Chapel, Florida www.bellaverde.com

www.thevillages.com

Pasadena Yacht and Country Club +

Bradenton, Florida

www.pyccgolf.com

Legends at Orange Lake

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

www.legacygolfclub.com

PGA National

Kissimmee, Florida

www.pgaresort.com

Lost Key Golf Course @*

Palm Coast, Florida

www.orangelake.com

Perdido Key, Florida

www.lostkey.com

Majors Golf Club at Palm Bay

Pine Lakes at Palm Coast Resort

www.palmcoastresort.com/golf.html

The Plantation at Ponte Vedra

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Boca West #1 and Boca West #3

Palm Bay, Florida

www.majorsgolfclub.com

www.theplantationpv.com

www.bocawestcc.org

Marsh Landing Country Club

Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club at Sawgrass +

Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club

Coral Gables, Florida

www.dbycc.com

Frenchman's Reserve

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

www.frenchmansreserve.com

The Golf Club at North Hampton

Fernandina Beach, Florida

www.hamptongolfclubs.com/NHampton.html

Hidden Hills Country Club +

Jacksonville, Florida

www.hiddenhillscc.com

Isleworth Golf and Country Club

Windermere, Florida

The King and The Bear

St. Augustine, Florida

www.kingandbear.com

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

www.marshlandingcc.com/mlcc.asp

Matanzas Woods at Palm Coast Resort

Palm Coast, Florida

www.palmcoastresort.com

Mill Cove Golf Club

Jacksonville, Florida

www.millcovegolfcourse.com

Mizner Golf and Country Club @

Delray Beach, Florida

www.miznercountryclub.com

Monarch Country Club

Palm City, Florida

www.monarchclub.com

Naples Lakes Country Club @

Naples, Florida

www.napleslakesfl.com

Orchid Island Golf Club

Vero Beach, Florida

www.orchidislandgolfandbeachclub.com

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

www.pontevedragolfandcc.com

Reunion Resort & Club

The Legacy Course Orlando, Florida www.reunionresort.com

Saddlebrook Resort

Wesley Chapel, Florida www.saddlebrook.com

Sawgrass Country Club + Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

www.sawgrasscountryclub.com

Spessard Holland Golf Park

Melbourne, Florida

www.brevardparks.com/brevard/spessardholland

St. Andrews Country Club +

Boca Raton, Florida

www.standrewscc.com

Suntree Country Club

Melbourne, Florida

www.suntree.com

Photo by Chris Miller / imagineimagery.com

Boca Raton, Florida

The Classic Club, CA, hole #12

Tesoro

Port St. Lucie, Florida

www.tesoroclub.com

Wildcat Run Country Club @

Estero, Florida

www.wildcatruncc.com

GEORGIA Atlanta Athletic Club +

Duluth, Georgia

www.atlantaathleticclub.org

Augusta First Tee

Hawaii Prince Golf Club

Ewa Beach, Hawaii

www.hawaiiprincehotel.com

Kapalua Golf Club @ The Village Course Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

www.hawaiigolfacademy.com

Turtle Bay Resort

MASSACHUSETTS TPC of Boston at Great Woods

Norton, Massachusetts

www.tpcboston.com

MICHIGAN

Coyote Preserve Golf Club

Fenton, Michigan

www.coyotepreserve.com

The Palmer Course Kakuku, Hawaii

King's Challenge at Lakeview Country Club

www.turtlebayresort.com

Cedar, Michigan

ILLINOIS

www.kingschallenge.com

www.thefirstteeaugusta.org

The Den at Fox Creek Golf Club @

The Legend at Shanty Creek

Champions Retreat

www.thedengc.com

www.shantycreek.com/golf

Augusta, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia

www.championsretreat.net

Cherokee Run Golf Club

Bloomington, Illinois

Hawthorn Woods Country Club

Hawthorn Township, Illinois

Bellaire, Michigan

Northville Hills Country Club @

Northville, Michigan

www.hwccgolf.com

www.northvillehills.com

Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course

Ravines Golf Club

www.spencertolingolf.com

www.ravinesgolfclub.com

www.eaglewatchgolf.com

White Eagle Golf Club

MINNESOTA

Forest Hills Golf Club +

www.whiteeaglegc.com

theforesthillsgolfcourse.com

IOwA

Conyers, Georgia

www.cherokeerun.com

Eagle Watch

Woodstock, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia

Landings on Skidaway Island @

Alton, Illinois

Naperville, Illinois

Tournament Club of Iowa

Saugatuck, Michigan

Deacon's Lodge

Nisswa, Minnesota

www.deaconslodge.com

Minnesota Valley Golf Club +@

Polk City, Iowa

Bloomington, Minnesota

Magnolia Course Savannah, Georgia

www.tcofiowa.com

www.thelandings.com

KENTUCKY

TPC of the Twin Cities @

Stouffers Pine Isle + Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia

Lake Forest Country Club

www.tpctwincities.com

www.lakeforestgolf.com

MISSISSIPPI

Whitewater Country Club

LOUISIANA

The Bridges Golf Club at Hollywood Casino @*

www.whitewatercc.com

The Bluffs on Thompson Creek

www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com/golf

HAwAII

www.thebluffs.com

The Hapuna Golf Course

MARYLAND

Fayetteville, Georgia

Kamuela, Hawaii

www.hapunabeachhotel.com

Louisville, Kentucky

St. Francesville, Louisiana

Country Club at Woodmore

Mitchellville, Maryland

www.ccwoodmore.com

Blaine, Minnesota

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

MISSOURI Big Cedar

Arnold Palmer Practice Facility* Ridgedale, Missouri www.big-cedar.com

Osage National Golf Club

Lake Ozark, Missouri

www.osagenational.com

Arbor Links Golf Course

Nebraska City, Nebraska

www.arborlinks.com

The Players Club at Deer Creek

Omaha, Nebraska

www.playersclubomaha.com

NEVADA Angel Park Golf Club

Palm Course and Mountain Course Las Vegas, Nevada

Birkdale Golf Club

White Oak Plantation

www.birkdale.com

www.whiteoaktryon.com

Huntersville, North Carolina

Tryon, North Carolina

Brier Creek Country Club @

NoRtH DAKotA

www.briercreekcountryclub.com

Grand Forks, North Dakota

Raleigh, North Carolina

The Carolina Golf Club

Pinehurst, North Carolina

www.thecarolina.com

King’s Walk Golf Course

www.kingswalk.org

oHIo

Oasis Golf Club

Loveland, Ohio

Cullasaja Club

www.oasisclub.com

www.angelparkgolfclub.com

www.golfinhighlands.com/cullasaja_club.htm

ArrowCreek Country Club

TPC at River’s Bend

Scotch Hall Preserve

www.tpcatriversbend.com

www.scotchhallpreserve.com

Tartan Fields Golf Club

Mid South Club

www.tartanfields.com

www.talamore.com

oREGoN

The Legend Course Reno, Nevada www.arrowcreekcc.com

Dayton Valley Country Club

Dayton, Nevada

www.daytonvalley.com

Oasis Golf Club

Mesquite, Nevada

www.theoasisgolfclub.com

Highlands, North Carolina

Merry Hill, North Carolina

Southern Pines, North Carolina NCSU—Lonnie Poole Golf Course

Raleigh, North Carolina

Running Y Ranch Resort @

Klamath Falls, Oregon

www.runningy.com

Oak Valley Golf Club

The Tribute at Thornburg

www.oakvalleygolfclub.com

www.runningy.com

Advance, North Carolina

www.redrockcountryclub.com

TPC at Piper Glen @

NEW HAMPSHIRE

www.tpcpiperglen.com

Golf Club of New England

Dublin, Ohio

www.lonniepoolegolfcourse.com

Red Rock Country Club

Arroyo Course and Mountain Course Las Vegas, Nevada

Cincinnati, Ohio

Charlotte, North Carolina

Bend, Oregon

PENNSYLVANIA Blue Bell Country Club

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

www.bluebellcc.com

Greenland, New Hampshire

Quail Hollow Country Club +

Charlotte, North Carolina

The Club at Blackthorne

NEW JERSEY

Rivers Edge Golf Club

www.theclubatblackthorne.com

www.golfclubne.com

Laurel Creek Country Club @

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey

www.laurelcreekcc.org

Regency at Monroe

Freehold, New Jersey

www.regencyatmonroe.com

NoRtH CARoLINA Balsam Mountain Preserve

Sylva, North Carolina

www.balsammountain.com

Shallotte, North Carolina

www.river18.com

River Oaks Raleigh, North Carolina

Penn Township, Pennsylvania Commonwealth National Golf Club @

Horsham, Pennsylvania

www.commonwealthgolfclub.com

Seven Falls Golf and River Club

Hendersonville, North Carolina

www.sevenfalls-nc.com

Woodlake Resort and Golf Club

Vass, North Carolina www.woodlakecc.com

Photo by Evan Schiller / www.golfshots.com

NEBRASKA

Bay Hill, FL, hole #5

Laurel Valley Country Club +

Ligonier, Pennsylvania

SOUTH DAKOTA Dakota Dunes Country Club

Dakota Dunes, South Dakota

Oakmont Country Club +

www.dakotadunescountryclub.com

www.oakmont-countryclub.org

TENNESSEE

Treesdale Golf and Country Club @

The Governors Golf Club

Oakmont, Pennsylvania

Gibsonia, Pennsylvania

www.treesdalegolf.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

Brentwood, Tennessee

Park City, Utah

TEXAS

Musgrove Mill Golf Club

Barton Creek Resort @

Myrtle Beach National

Palmer Lakeside Course Spicewood, Texas

www.bartoncreek.com

Twin Creeks Golf Course

King's North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Allen, Texas

Old Tabby Links @

The Golf Club at Fossil Creek

www.mbn.com

Okatie, South Carolina

http://www.springisland-sc.com

The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Sunset, South Carolina

www.twincreeksgolf.com

Fort Worth, Texas

www.thegolfclubatfossilcreek.com

Lakecliff on Lake Travis

Spicewood, Texas

www.reserveatlakekeowee.com

www.lakecliff.net

RiverTowne Country Club

Newport Dunes

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

www.rivertownecountryclub.com

www.thewoodlands.com

King's Creek Spring Hill, Tennessee

www.crescentpointegolf.com

www.musgrovemill.com

The Woodlands

The Palmer Course The Woodlands, Texas

UTAH

www.kingscreekgolf.com

Clinton, South Carolina

San Antonio, Texas

www.lacanteragolfclub.com

www.thegovernorsclub.com

Crescent Pointe Golf Club

Bluffton, South Carolina

The Palmer Course at La Cantera Resort @

Port Aransas, Texas

www.newportdunesgolf.com

Jeremy Golf and Country Club

www.thejeremy.com

VIRGINIA Bay Creek Golf Club @*

Cape Charles, Virginia

www.baycreekgolfclub.com

Belmont Country Club @

Ashburn, Virginia

www.belmontcountryclub.com

Dominion Valley Country Club and Executive Course

Haymarket, Virginia

www.dominionvalley.com

Fawn Lake @

Spotsylvania, Virginia

www.fawnlakevirginia.com

The Federal Club

Glen Allen, Virginia

www.thefederalclub.com

Keswick Golf Club @

Keswick, Virginia

www.keswickclub.com

Kingsmill on the James @

The Plantation Course Williamsburg, Virginia

INTERNATIONAL

GERMANY

AUSTRALIA

Hannover

Signature at West Neck

Sanctuary Cove, Queensland

www.kingsmill.com

Virginia Beach, Virginia

www.signatureatwestneck.com

wASHINGTON

Pines Golf Course at Sanctuary Cove

www.sanctuarycove.com

BAHAMAS West End Golf Club

Seattle Golf Club +

West End, Grand Bahama Island

www.seattlegolfclub.com

CANADA

Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club @

Cloverdale, British Columbia

Seattle, Washington

Northview Golf and Country Club

Rethmar Golf Links Sporting Club Berlin

Bad Saarow

www.sporting-club-berlin.de

GUAM LeoPalace Resort—The Palmer Course

Yona

www.leopalaceresort.com

INDIA DLF Golf Club

Blaine, Washington.

www.northviewgolf.com

Prospector Golf Course At Suncadia

Whistler, British Columbia

INDONESIA

CHINA

Desa Tapos, Cimanggis ( Jakarta)

www.semiahmoo.com

Roslyn, Washington

www.suncadia.com

wEST VIRGINIA

Whistler Golf Club www.whistlergolf.com

Beijing Cascades Golf Course

Speidel Golf Club, Palmer Course

Beijing

www.oglebay-resort.com/golf/index.cfm

Chung Shan Hot Springs Golf Course

Wheeling, West Virginia

Stonewall Jackson Lake Resort

Walkersville, West Virginia www.stonewallresort.com

wISCONSIN The Bog

Saukville, Wisconsin

www.golfthebog.com

Geneva National Golf Club

The Palmer Course Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

www.genevanationalresort.com

wYOMING Teton Pines Resort and Country Club @

Guangdong Province Kunming Piexing

Kunming

COSTA RICA

New Delhi

dlfgolfresort.com

Emeralda Golf and Country Club

www.emeraldagolfclub.com

IRELAND Kildare Hotel and Country Club

Straffan, County Kildare

www.kclub.ie

Tralee Golf Club

Ardfert, County Kerry www.traleegolfclub.com

Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo

ITALY

FRANCE

Martellago

Papagayo, Guanacaste Vignoly

Crecy–la–Chapelle

www.domainedelabrie.com

Ca'della Nave Golf Club

www.cadellanave.com

Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club

Milano

www.golftolcinasco.it

Jackson, Wyoming

Photo by Evan Schiller / www.golfshots.com

www.tetonpines.com

Barton Creek Resort, TX, hole #10

Prato www.golfclublepavoniere.com

Golf Club Le Pavoniere

Tochigi Prefecture

Shimotsuke Country Club

Imperial Golf & Country Club (formerly Cebu Mactan)

Japan

Tsugaru Kogen Golf Course

Aomori Prefecture

www.theorchardgolf.com

Ajigasawa Kogen Golf Course

Aomori Prefecture Asahi Miki

Osaka

Aso Prince Hotel Golf Course

Kumamoto Prefecture

Forest Miki Golf Club

Hyogo Prefecture

Fuji Excellent Ono Club

Hyogo Prefecture

Furano Golf Course

Wakasa Country Club — Suigetsuko Course

Fukui Prefecture

Washington Club Sapporo Golf Course

Hokkaido Prefecture

Washington Club Meihan Golf Course

Mie Prefecture

Wakasa Country Club—Hyugako Course

Kukui Prefecture

REpUBLIC OF KaZaKHSTan Zhailjau Golf Resort

Hokkaido Prefecture

Almaty

Japan Classic Country Club

KOREa

Iga Ueno

Kanegasaki Golf Course

Iwate Prefecture

Manago Country Club

Tochigi Prefecture

Minakami-Kogen Golf Course

Gunma Prefecture

Misawa Adonis Golf Club

Gifu Prefecture

Niseko Golf Course

Hokkaido Prefecture

Eunhwasam Country Club

Seoul

Muju Resort

Muju-Gun

www.mujuresort.com

MaLaYSIa Damai Golf & Country Club

Sarawak www.damaigolf.com

pHILIppInES Caliraya Springs

Lumban, Cavinti, Laguna

www.calirayalake.com

Cebu

Evercrest Golf Club and Resort

Nasugbu, Batangas

Forest Hills Golf & Country Club

Antipolo, Luzon

Orchard Golf and Country Club — The Legacy

Dasmarinas, Cavite

http://theorchardgolf.com

Sun Valley

Kingsville

Sun Valley Golf Course

Antipolo City, Luzon

pORTUGaL The Victoria Course at Vilamoura

Vilamoura

www.oceanicogolf.com

SpaIn Hyatt La Manga Club Resort

Cartagena, Murcia

www.lamanga.regency.hyatt.com

TaIWan Formosa First Country Club

Taoyuan County

Formosa Yangmei Country Club

Taoyuan County

THaILanD Bangpoo Country Club

Bangkok

Bangpoo Country Club, thailand, hole #18

Nestled at the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in Western Pennsylvania lies one of golf’s genuine American treasures.

Photo: Dr. Thomas W. Cline

est.1920

Latrobe Country Club is much more than 18 wonderful holes of golf...

This is where Arnold Palmer and his love of golf was born.

Stay in one of our guest houses for an experience unlike any other in golf...

Arnold Palmer plays here and you can, too.

(724) 539-8588 | LatrobeCountryClub.com © 2010 Latrobe Country Club All rights reserved. Arnold Palmer® and the “Umbrella” Logo® are registered trademarks owned by Arnold Palmer Enterprises, Inc.

waste not, want not

Arnold Palmer demonstrated his continued support of one of the PGA tour’s longest-running tournaments as the organizers welcomed a new sponsor Arnold PAlmer wAs joined At A sPeciAl luncheon for the 75th AnniversAry of the Phoenix oPen in jAnuAry At the ArizonA Biltmore resort By the 2009 chAmPion Kenny Perry And Golf chAnnel BroAdcAster KrAiG KAnn. The luncheon focused on the tournament’s history and that of its host, the Thunderbirds, a prominent and highly successful local fund-raising organization.

The event began life as the Arizona open back in 1932 when the winner was former u.s. open and masters champion ralph Guldahl. it was first played as the Phoenix open in 1935, when the winner was the combustible and colorful Ky laffoon, who played on the u.s. ryder cup team that year. not played from 1936-38, it was restored to the PGA tour schedule in 1939 and immediately gained credibility when Byron nelson, at the time one of the game’s leading players, claimed an impressive victory.

Palmer won three times in succession from 1961-3, most famously in 1962 by 12 strokes from jack nicklaus and Billy casper at the Phoenix country club, taking home a winner’s check for $5,300 for his efforts. his last top-five finish at the event was in 1978. contrastingly, Perry received $1.08 million for winning the 2009 open.

“Both the tournament and Phoenix itself has a special place in my heart—that’s the reason why i went [to the luncheon],” said Palmer. “i’m a Thunderbird and i wanted to tell them ‘thank you’ for everything the tournament has done, both for the tour and charities, and for sticking with it over the years. it’s no coincidence that this event attracts the biggest crowds by far in the whole of golf.”

A new sponsor, waste management, inc., headed up this year’s event, taking over from previous incumbent, fBr. The waste management Phoenix open is seen by the company as a major platform for showcasing its Think Green® solutions. “we’re thrilled to have waste management on board as our new title sponsor,” said the Thunderbirds’ Big chief john felix. “since 2004, when fBr became our tournament’s first title sponsor, we have raised close to $38 million for local charities, including a PGA tour record $8.6 million following the 2008 tournament. our new relationship with waste management will

194

kingdom 16 spring 2010

allow the Thunderbirds to continue our philanthropic efforts in the Phoenix community for years to come.” david Aardsma, waste management’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, said: “we plan to turn this major sports event into the greenest tournament on the PGA tour. we plan to showcase practical reduction and recycling solutions and raise awareness about solutions that fans and communities can incorporate into their businesses and lives.” waste management, inc., who have committed to sponsoring the tournament for six years, are based in houston, texas.

The Thunderbirds have raised almost $66 million for charities through the tournament since 1939. n

Palmer shows winning form at the Phoenix Open

A proud history of savings and reliability, backed by the strength of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Note: the above portrait is not Mr. Buffett.)

Nearly 15 years ago, GEICO became a proud part of Warren Buffett’s famed holding company. Back then, the Gecko was one of the hardworking people — sorry, reptiles — in our GEICO offices. Now he’s helped GEICO become not only the third-largest car insurance company in the country, but also the fastest growing. Which is no surprise. For over 70 years, GEICO has worked hard to save people hundreds on car insurance. So why not give the Gecko a call to see how much you could save? You’ll find he’s easier to reach than Mr. Buffett.

A SUBSIDIARY OF BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC. Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States as reported by A.M. Best 2008 market share data, June 2009.

Government Employees Insurance Co. • GEICO General Insurance Co. • GEICO Indemnity Co. • GEICO Casualty Co. These companies are subsidiaries of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. GEICO Gecko image © 1999-2010. GEICO: Washington, DC 20076 © 2010 GEICO