Kingdom 18

$20 where sold Issue 18—Winter 2010

Arnold Palmer At work, home and play

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Mayakoba Resort Set to Celebrate 5th Anniversary of Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR Event February 23-27, 2011

F

or the fifth consecutive year the Mayakoba Resort will open its doors to the PGA TOUR, 132 top professional golfers and a worldwide television viewing audience, when it plays host once again to Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR Event -- the Mayakoba Golf Classic, February 23-27, 2011.

“The Mayakoba Golf Classic following tremendous success in its first four years, looks to celebrate its 5th Anniversary in

grand fashion,” said Larson Segerdahl, Tournament Director.

The event week features a one-day Pro-Am competition followed by four days of professional competition. There are a variety of spectator experiences including: the popular El Camino ($75 USD per day) and Fiesta Club ($150 USD per day) passes which include food and beverage and access to premier hospitality facilities around the golf course.

“Having drawn in the past World Golf Hall of Fame Members –Greg Norman and Nick Price; Major Champions – John Daly, David Toms, David Duval, Tom Lehman, Corey Pavin and Graeme McDowell; and fan favorites –Fred Funk, Boo Weekley and Charles Howell III to name only a few, the Mayakoba Golf Classic creates moments and memories that will forever be a part of golf history and the Mayakoba story,” continues Segerdahl.

“Mayakoba Golf Classic creates moments and memories that will forever be a part of golf history and the Mayakoba story,”

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CELEBRATING FIVE YEARS

“The development offers an array of amenities within the various resorts such as fine dining, spas, beach clubs, a state-of-the-art Jim McLean Golf School and the picturesque Greg Normandesigned championship golf course, El Camaleón, it’s no wonder the Mayakoba Resort has established itself as one of the most enjoyed venues on the PGA TOUR,” states Lewless.

Mayakoba Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico Mayakoba, ancient Mayan for ‘City over the Water’ is an inspirational combination of ecological elegance and archeological awe. It is a place where lagoons, waterways and cenotes weave magically through tropical mangroves, leading to one of the Caribbean’s most spectacular beaches.

Set on 640 acres of tropical mangroves bordering the white sand beaches of the Mexican Caribbean, Mayakoba’s natural beauty is the inspiration for the most exclusive and private resort destination on the coveted coast of the Riviera Maya, Mexico.

“This resort community features the world’s most prestigious collection of ultra luxury first-class hotels: Banyan Tree, Fairmont and Rosewood, as well as vacation residences,” states Jerome E Lewless, Director of Sales & Marketing for Mayakoba Real Estate. “Mayakoba has fast become the measure of opulence on the Caribbean coastline.”

“Mayakoba has fast become the measure of opulence on the Caribbean coastline.”

Easily accessed via the Cancun International Airport, the Fairmont Mayakoba, Rosewood Mayakoba and Banyan Tree Mayakoba each present a unique experience for resort guests and residents.

Live Out Your Golf Fantasy For those interested in living out their golfing fantasy at the Mayakoba Golf Classic and teeing it up with a PGA TOUR professional on a course set up for PGA TOUR competition, individual Pro-Am positions are available for $4,440 USD or foursomes are available for $15,540 USD. Now is your chance to be a part of the Mayakoba story, create your own memories within this special destination and witness first hand Mexico’s Only PGA TOUR Event.

For more information on the Mayakoba Golf Classic or to purchase tickets visit: www.MayakobaGolfClassic.com For information on real estate opportunities at Mayakoba visit www.MayakobaResidences.com or call toll free US/CA: 01-800-365-3365

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

Just What the Doctor Ordered Welcome to the 18th edition of Kingdom which, as usual, is packed with fascinating articles.

After what must go down as one of golf’s more exciting years, it’s time to reflect on the state of our great game. We’ve enjoyed four memorable major championships, starting with Phil Mickelson’s brilliant victory in the Masters. Boy, what a shot he played from the trees on the 13th! It had to be a shock to Lee Westwood, but all credit to Lee for bouncing back to play a key role in Europe’s Ryder Cup win in Wales and becoming world No.1 for the first time.

It seems like decades since Tiger Woods last looked up to someone else in the world rankings, but, make no mistake, he’s still the man to beat and I expect him to have a vintage season in 2011.

Certainly his game seems to be moving in the right direction. That said, Tiger and Phil will have their work cut out to hold off the young guns now making their mark on Tour. I for one will view with interest the progress of Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa and Dustin Johnson among others.

But given the stand-out performances of Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer in the other three majors in 2010, I would hesitate to predict who’s going to come to the top. All I know is the competition’s getting fiercer and winning, therefore, must be getting harder.

Looking forward to 2011 on a personal basis, my initial focus will be on the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. We had an excellent champion in Ernie Els this year and we look forward to welcoming him back to defend his title in March. Certainly the course will be in tip-top condition and guaranteed to set the players a thorough and searching examination.

Two weeks later, I will be returning to Augusta National for The Masters—to renew old friendships and act as honorary starter again. I’ve been going to this wonderful place for 55 years and it still sends a tingle down my spine.

Another place that always gives me a thrill is my home town of Latrobe, the place that gave me roots to keep my feet on the ground and wings so I could fulfill my potential.

St. Andrews is also a favorite haunt. My most recent visit, during the week of the British Open, was particularly enjoyable. I received an honorary degree from the town’s university and one wit from the Kingdom staff addressed me afterwards as Doctor Palmer. If I’d been a witch doctor, perhaps I could have stopped the terrible weather the following day that forced the abandonment of the Champions Challenge. It was wonderful to meet up with old friends like Peter Thomson and Roberto de Vicenzo in Scotland, but I felt really sorry for the thousands of fans who’d gathered to watch us play.

In 2013, St. Andrews University will celebrate its 600th anniversary and I look forward to joining in at some stage.

For the moment, though, I’m concentrating on 2011 and what it might bring. I know many of you folks will be snowed in this winter. So if you fancy some golf in the sun, don’t forget there’s always a warm welcome waiting for you down here at Bay Hill.

In the meantime, best wishes for the forthcoming festive season and beyond. And don’t forget to keep in touch by checking out arnoldpalmer.com.

Arnold Palmer

kingdom 18 winter 2010

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Kingdom magazine Issue 18—Winter 2010

Arnold Palmer Foreword—Seasonal Greetings from the King Publisher’s Letter—Looking back on a Year to Remember Editor’s Letter—Handcrafted: Was there any other way?

20 20 30 38 44 52 58 64 70 76 80 87 96 104 110

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30

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Audience With The King—Kingdom talks with Mr. Palmer at Bay Hill Two Wheels—The world’s best bicycles are American, and made of steel Time For The News—Catching up with Huey Lewis at the Home of Golf Just One Hole Left To Play—Our fantasy course of golf’s iconic 18th holes The Complete Monty—What next for Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup captain?

Hall of Memories—Paul Trow chronicles the tale of an infamous stately home Rings and Clubs—Ideal places to tie the knot and play 18 the same day Vin de Play—C’est magnifique: Golf and bottled libation in the country of ooh la la Breaking Clays—Places where you can shoot both pigeons and birdies Top Golf Executive—The R&A’s Peter Dawson tees off our new series of profiles Life in Pictures: Part 18—Action shots from a stellar playing career Home is Where the Heart Is—Chris Rodell walks us around his hometown of Latrobe Dr. Palmer—The King receives an honorary degree from St. Andrews University Range Rover Sport—Land Rover’s latest among New England’s falling leaves

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Kingdom magazine Issue 18—Winter 2010

116 116 122 126 128 136 140 147 160 166 168 170 1 74 179 186

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Small Pleasures—Good friends and flavors with micro-brewed beers How Sweet the Sound—Make beautiful music with McPherson Guitars Trump Talks Golf—The Don updates readers on his Scottish golf project Hilton’s Head—There’s golf galore in this delighful corner of South Carolina Domestic Bliss—How to create the perfect spa in your own home Above it All—Cessna Aircraft Company is a flight services partner for life Gift Guide—Luxury presents to spoil golfers with this Christmas Winter Sun—Hammock Beach is an idyllic resort on Florida’s East Coast Get an Advantage—A card full of benefits from Arnold Palmer Golf Management Staying on the Ball—Charles Poliquin’s advice on what to eat to keep in focus Putt for Dough—Oakmont pro Eric Johnson on how to handle slick greens Course Remodeling—Time for a facelift from Arnold Palmer Design Company?

Course Directory—Our up-to-date checklist of must-play courses High Flyer—Two business aviation awards are presented to Mr. Palmer

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Time for Reflection With the golf season noW behind us, it is a considerable pleasure to look back over the events of 2010 and reflect on what a great year it has been.

We were treated to four exciting majors—which delivered a fabulous victory for Phil Mickelson at the Masters followed by three first-time champions—and a nail-biting if rather soggy Ryder Cup. And let’s not forget the news that golf will make its return as an Olympic sport in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. On a more personal basis, my twin golfing highlights were being able to spend some time with Mr. Palmer during the week of The Open Championship at St. Andrews and witnessing him receive his Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of St. Andrews, and then co-hosting another successful Kingdom Cup in far sunnier climes at The Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, FL. It was during this event that I was introduced to Marius Filmalter, a genuinely nice man who, believe it or not, gave me my first-ever putting lesson. He talks an enormous amount of sense and, armed with his words of wisdom, I have no excuses not to shave a shot or two off my handicap next year.

On that note, I am looking forward with enthusiasm to the 2011 golf season, not least in the hope that I will be able to play a bit more myself. From a viewing perspective, it will be fascinating to watch next year’s majors unfold. All sorts of questions spring to mind, like whether any more of the game’s young lions—Rory McIlroy, Ryo Ishikawa, Rickie Fowler or Matteo Manassero spring most readily to mind—can emulate Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer and enter the major winners’ circle. Or whether 2011 will see a return to the older order with Tiger Woods resuming his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ 18 major titles. Other experienced performers like Mickelson, new world No.1 Lee Westwood and $10 million man Jim Furyk will also no doubt have something to say about the destination of the big titles.

Over the past few years, many people have complimented me as the publisher of Kingdom on the consistent quality of our magazine, but really the credit is due to Mr. Palmer, his staff at APDC and all my colleagues here at TMC USA, without whose hard work and dedication none of this would be possible.

Finally, as a patriotic Briton—and don’t worry America, I’m not going to mention the Ryder Cup again—I would direct readers to our article about the relationship between the university and golf in St. Andrews. As we went to press, the town’s links with the Royal Family were strengthened by the announcement of Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton. In 2004, Prince William’s uncle, the Duke of York, captained the R&A during their 250th year, and in 2013 the royal newlyweds will no doubt return to their student haunts to help St. Andrews University celebrate its 600th anniversary.

Not everyone is pro-royalty, but we wish them well as individuals and express the hope they will prove to be worthy role models for their generation.

Matthew Squire

kingdom 18 winter 2010

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Handcrafted For most oF human history, “handcrafted” was implicit in a thing’s existence—how else would you make a pair of shoes in 17th century London or a coat or watch? Quality varied, of course, but until relatively recently the distance between an idea and a final product was mostly covered by human effort.

In today’s computerized, mechanized world we’re willing to pay a premium for handcrafted items, and not necessarily because the quality is better—though that’s often the case. There’s no arguing modern technology when it comes to mass production and achieving ridiculous tolerances.

But quality isn’t always about repeatable mathematical precision. Handcrafted means that an individual (or individuals) cared, that the item in question is as important to the creator as it is to the purchaser, and that what you’re getting is one-of-a-kind and perhaps even personalized—qualities that carry value beyond price.

That’s certainly true for the bicycles made by Peter Weigle and Richard Sachs. We look at their exquisite, handmade modern steel machines on p30. Likewise, the microbrews featured on p116 are the products of a true love of libation and camaraderie rather than any desire for monetary success. Also, we visit McPherson Guitars on p122. Matt McPherson’s instruments might be the perfect marriage of technology and handcrafting, marrying the latest materials and methods with old-world craftsmanship.

At the end of the day, maybe we value handcrafted things because they connect us to another human rather than to a computer, even making it possible to develop a kind of relationship with these creations. Take, for example, a motorcycle owned by T.E. Lawrence (“of Arabia”). He liked his custom Brough Superior enough to give it a name: “Boanerges.” Though built in a factory, much of the bike was assembled by hand with many handmade and hand-machined parts. “A skittish motor-bike with a touch of blood in it is better than all the riding animals on earth,” he wrote. “Because Boa loves me, he gives me five more miles of speed than a stranger would get from him.”

I’ve seen the workshop where Arnold Palmer grinds away on his clubs, and we’ve all seen what he does with those clubs on course. I’d like to think I might achieve something similar if only my clubs loved me more, but I know I’ll always get more mileage out of my bicycle than my game. It’s steel, handmade by a great guy I met in Italy, and I’m sure it loves me. I really should call it more often…

Happy holidays to you and yours,

reade tilley—Editor

kingdom 18 winter 2010

17

reade tilley

matthew squire

editor

publisher

paul trow

leon harris

contributing editor

art director

designer

special thanks / contributors

Matthew Halnan

special contributors Cori Britt, Doc Giffin, Arnold Palmer, Donald Trump

contributing photographers Patrick Drickey /stonehousegolf.com Getty Images, Arnold Palmer Picture Library, Evan Schiller, Leon Harris

vp, operations Joe Velotta

head of advertising sales Jon Edwards

advertising sales Andy Fletcher Deric Piper Michael Sullivan

executive assistants Carla Richards Lola Aina

production tmc usa

Sam Abdelnour Ray Easler and all his team at Bay Hill Alan C.Birch Eric Brown Peter Dawson Rhona Graff Dr. Thomas Graham Ree Hartwell Helen Heady Melanie Hickey Roger Kelly Huey Lewis Paul Mahoney Colin Montgomerie Geoff Morris Mark Murphy Charles Poliquin Chris Rodell Richard Sachs Amy Saunders Leo Stanton Shelly Storm Jessica Sweeney TEAM APDC (as always!)

J. Peter Weigle Ernie Witcomb Helena Woodcock Wilfred Zaha

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Founders: John Halnan, Matthew Squire and Steve Richards. Commercial Enquiries—ms@tmcusallc.com Tel: 866.486.2872 Fax: 518.691.9231 arnieskingdom.com

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llc Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The articles appearing within this publication reflect the opinion of their respective authors and not necessarily those of the publisher. The contents of advertisements and advertorials are entirely the responsibilty of advertisers.

No responsibility is taken for unsolicited submissions and manuscripts.

Cover image: Walter Iooss Jr. [Sports Illustrated]

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kingdom magazine is exclusive to members and guests of arnold palmer designed and managed courses and to distinguished private clubs, friends and associates.

ArnolD PAlmer While looking forward to a weekend of South Dakota pheasant shooting, Arnold Palmer took time out from his morning duties at Bay Hill to answer Kingdom’s questions from correspondent Chris Rodell. Interested in learning one of the few unfulfilled longings in Palmer’s life? Continue reading

20

kingdom 18 winter 2010

Kingdom: Did you enjoy your visit to St. Andrews for the 150th anniversary of the British Open?

Arnold Palmer: It’s always great to visit St. Andrews.

The weather was terrible this time and that was unfortunate because they had to call off the Champions Challenge. It would have been fun to participate in that.

K: When do you next plan to visit the Home of Golf, perhaps during the university’s 600th anniversary celebrations in 2013?

AP: I’m going to make every effort to be there for that.

It’s always a pleasure visiting St. Andrews where we have so many great memories and friends.

K: St. Andrews recently honored you with a degree...

AP: It was very nice. It’s certainly flattering to have a degree from such an historic and esteemed institution as St. Andrews University.

K: Where do you stay in St. Andrews?

AP: I’ve always enjoyed staying at the Rusacks Hotel.

That’s always a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time talking to old friends there. Kit and I enjoyed shopping around town and I made it a point to go have a pint of Guinness down at the old Jigger Inn where my old caddie Tip Anderson used to tell his stories.

K: The weather in south Wales was awful at this year’s Ryder Cup. Do you think the tournament should appear earlier in the schedule?

AP: Really, it wouldn’t hurt to move it earlier in the year where poor weather might not be so great a factor. It’s worth considering.

K: Was this year’s Ryder Cup one of the great contests?

AP: It was certainly an interesting Cup. The course looked great. I suppose I would have liked it more if the U.S. team had retained the Cup, but I know the outcome certainly pleased the hosts. It was all fun to watch.

K: How highly do you rate the performances of Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer in 2010?

AP: That’s also a very interesting group of young guys.

They look like they’re going to have an impact on the game and will, I believe, win again. I think they’ll be around long enough that everyone will one day agree on how to pronounce Oosthuizen’s name.

K: Tiger Woods is back on Tour, but he no longer has a vice-like grip on the world No.1 spot.

What do you think he needs to do next year to regain the ascendancy?

AP: I think he’s going to get his game back in shape in fairly short order. He’s working on it and that’s just what he needs to do. The drive to win is still there, I’m sure.

kingdom 18 winter 2010

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K: Jim Furyk won a $10m bonus for winning the Tour Championship. Do you think such an outcome is a fair reflection of the PGA Tour season as a whole?

AP: I’m sure Jim Furyk thinks it’s all right. He deserved it. He even missed a tournament for sleeping in and still won. He got hot when it mattered most. It’s the way it’s set up and I don’t have a problem with it.

K: Ever sleep through a tee time?

AP: No. I made sure I was always up and at ’em. I always had a wake-up call and didn’t have to worry about things like phone batteries dying.

K: How often do you ride a bike?

AP: Very much. I haven’t done much of it lately, but I’ve always found it very enjoyable and great exercise. It’s good for the legs and you need strong legs if you want to keep playing golf as you get older.

K: When you and Kit decided to get married, did you always plan on getting married in Hawaii?

AP: The year before we got married we were in Hawaii and decided it would be a lovely place to get married. So we had talked about it. Then when we were at Turtle Bay the next year, we just were so taken with the whole situation we decided the time was perfect. So it was spur-of-the-moment, but we’d considered it before.

Jim Furyk’s FedExCup triumph clearly pleased wife Tabitha

K: Does Phil Mickelson have a realistic chance of taking top spot in the world rankings?

AP: He has a chance, but Phil’s getting older. He still has the motivation, the will to win and certainly the ability.

There are so many good young players out there these days. Phil will have his work cut out for him.

We decided Hawaii would be a lovely place to get married. We were so taken with the whole situation at Turtle Bay the next year, we decided the time was perfect K: Lee Westwood became World No.1 in November but would apparently have done it in October had he sat out the Dunhill Links Championship. He chose to play, finished in the top-10 but failed to claim the No.1 spot because by playing in the event he would have needed to win it to do so. Do you think the qualification procedures for the world golf ranking are too complicated?

AP: I don’t know how they could change it or what they could do to make it much different. Like the FedEx Cup, the numbers are confusing even to many golf writers.

They might want to try and simplify the formulas.

K: Did you score any points for being a spontaneous romantic?

AP: I hope so.

K: Have you ever tried sporting clays? If so, were you any good and did you enjoy it?

AP: I used to do a lot of hunting and sports shooting.

I do enjoy it. I’m looking forward to heading to South Dakota with friends this weekend to hunt pheasant.

K: Latrobe had Rolling Rock beer. Accordingly, in your travels do you ever try other locally crafted beers?

AP: I’ve always been a fan of Rolling Rock. Still am.

It’s sad they left Latrobe. It was good for the town and we miss them. I do enjoy a good craft beer and order them whenever we’re out and someone has a good recommendation.

K: Have you ever played a musical instrument?

AP: You know, I’ve always wanted to play a musical instrument. I have a great love for music and the people who write and play it. Musical ability is something I’ve always admired. I’ve never taken the time to learn to play an instrument and it’s something I regret. I enjoy the piano and have several guitars given to me by Vince Gill and some other friends. I like to take them out and strum them once in a while.

K: What would you tell someone who’s considering purchasing a Cessna Citation for business?

AP: I’ve been flying Cessna for 40 years and I love

kingdom 18 winter 2010

23

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ROLEX GREEN: 100-0-75-85

Mr. Palmer hopes to act as honorary starter again at the Masters Tournament in 2011

them. I’ve had numerous first production airplanes and I’ve flown the Cessna Citation X since 1996. Part of whatever success I’ve had has been having the ability to travel around and take care of business. It’s made a big difference for me. The benefits far outweigh the costs.

K: How do you rate Hilton Head, SC, for golf?

AP: It’s deservedly one of the most popular golf destinations in our country. There are so many great golf courses there and a wonderful beach. I have some great memories there, too. I won the first Harbour Town tournament ever held in 1969. I was the first one to land an airplane at the new airport. They opened it for me so I could participate in the tournament. It worked out great for me.

The LPGA have a bright future. There are so many popular and appealing women playing their Tour. They held a great U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont this year K: What are the best drills snow-bound golfers can do to get their games ready for spring golf?

AP: There are some great warm-up clubs, shortened so golfers can swing them in their basements. It’s good to use those to keep the swing in shape. And I welcome any golfers to come visit us at Bay Hill to enjoy a mid-winter tune up.

K: Potential major winners in 2011?

AP: After the cast of winners in 2010, it’d be silly for me to try to pick a winner for 2011. It’s wide open.

K: Will you be acting as honorary starter at The Masters again in 2011?

AP: I plan to be there and assume I’ll be invited again.

It’s a great honor and always a pleasure to be at Augusta.

K: How well do you think the LPGA Tour is recovering from the loss of Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa?

Who do you see picking up the baton there?

AP: It was difficult for the LPGA to lose its two most popular stars on tour, but they have a bright future.

There are many popular and appealing women playing their Tour. They held a great U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont this season with a very popular winner, Paula Creamer. They have a great bunch to watch.

K: We recently had a co-sanctioned PGA Tour event in Malaysia. Do you think the PGA Tour should be looking to create more of these international events?

AP: I’m sure eventually we’ll see a lot more international golf. It’ll probably happen when a combination of PGA Tours from around the world get together and decide on format and scheduling. But it’s bound to happen soon. That may naturally lead to some form of world tour, but I don’t see that dominating the existing tours.

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K: This year Matt Kuchar made his Ryder Cup debut, he won the Arnold Palmer Trophy for topping the money list and also the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for the lowest stroke average. What do you think of him and how far can he go in the game?

AP: Matt is a very fine young man and he has been a member here at Bay Hill since he first turned pro. He struggled a little but he has really come on good and I think that’s just wonderful. I’m rooting for him and wishing him all the best and congratulating him on a really great year. I hope that he continues to play the way he did this last year, and I’m sure that he will become one of the great players of the game.

K: Are you planning any changes to the Bay Hill course for next year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational?

AP: Not really. The course is in as good a shape as I’ve ever seen it. We’re really excited to have the pros come in and compete in March.

K: At the Ryder Cup we saw a top pro’s chipping technique break down. What advice would you give a golfer on the edge of the green?

AP: Use the putter! That’s a tip for any golfer who finds themselves reasonably close in a tight match. Just putt it. It reduces the chances you’ll chunk it. There’s no rule about what club you should use. If you’re close enough to use the putter, use the putter.

K: How does your Bay Hill office differ from the one in Latrobe?

AP: The memorabilia’s not as extensive here as it is in Latrobe. I have more at my garage here. The Golf Channel’s coming over to film over there so viewers can get a peek at it. The Bay Hill office is more of a working office, while the Latrobe one can be very ceremonial.

Visitors love the Latrobe office. The Bay Hall office is more utilitarian. Still, it’s very comfortable and I like the feeling of being here and what I do here.

Matt Kuchar just played the season of his life

The Bay Hill office is more of a working office, more utilitarian, while the Latrobe one can be very ceremonial.

Visitors love the Latrobe office K: We’ve seen you enjoying your iPad; have you seen arnoldpalmer.com?

AP: I use the iPad all the time. It’s a great piece of equipment. I enjoy it very much. I look up golfers, engineers and use it to keep up with the news. You can check out anything you want on it and get an answer in an instant. Yes, I have checked out arnoldpalmer.com. It’s great. I think my fans should check it out. It’s packed with information. I don’t spend too much time on it. I know most of the answers.

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k k ii n ng gd do om m 11 8 8 w w ii n nt te er r 2 20 0 11 0 0

K: The best Christmas present you’ve ever received?

AP: Christmas is such a special time. I’ve always looked forward to it. Some of the best Christmases have been back home before the girls were married and just sitting in front of the fire and watching all the magic of the girls opening their presents. Such happy memories. If I had to pick the best Christmas present, I’d have to go back to when I was a boy back home in Latrobe. My parents got my sister and I wristwatches.

They put them in these huge boxes filled with paper.

It must have taken us a half a day to dig through all those papers and find them there.

K: Do you still have the watch?

AP: I do!

K: Do you recall the brand?

AP: Yes, it’s a, uh . . . Rolex! (he says with a wink and a grin).

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T W

W h e e l s It would have been about 1977 or ’78, next to the Christmas tree: A Schwinn Stingray with the signature “ape hanger” handlebars, chrome fenders and a banana seat. In Flamboyant Red (as opposed to Kool Lemon or Campus Green), it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen

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o

I dIdn’t know It at the tIme, but my first bicycle came in the waning years of a sort of revolution. over the decade the Beatles played together—from 1960 to 1970—the american bike market grew slowly from 3.7 million bicycles sold annually to 6.9 million. But three years after the group’s breakup, the world was a different place. Credit the oil crisis or a cultural shift, in 1973 americans bought 15.2 million bicycles, and sales were only growing. england produced some of the best examples and so, for reasons of business-minded optimism, wanderlust or perhaps ennui, a handful of young americans crossed the atlantic to learn the trade of frame building. many never progressed past fixing a flat, but a few of them emerged not only as bicycle makers, but as legends—really, legends—of the trade. two of these, J. Peter weigle and Richard Sachs, probably don’t want to read that they “clipped-in to ride their share of an artisan relay, carrying the flame of two-wheeled tradition across the atlantic, blah, blah, blah,” but gilded statements to that effect aren’t exactly wrong, even if the men themselves are more matter-of-fact. Both went to england in the 1970s to learn how to build bicycles, both worked at witcomb Lightweight Cycles in London, and today both build exceptional bikes. their frames are made of steel, but neither man lives in the past.

“I got a call one day from a friend of mine,” remembers Peter weigle, who currently specializes in crafting randonneuring bicycles, a specific type of longdistance bike. “‘You’ve gotta come down to Connecticut and interview for this job!’ It was 1973, which was the oil embargo—what the bicycle industry refers to as the bike boom. they were bringing in all of these bikes, thinking bikes were going to replace a lot of the around-town transport. It never really worked like that.

“I was 23 years old and I really hadn’t left town a whole lot. I’d been to Colorado, but I really hadn’t stepped out… So I thought about it, talked to my parents about it, and two weeks later I was on a plane flying into heathrow.”

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Above left and below, courtesy of Richard Sachs. Above right, Peter Weigle in his Connecticut shop

For Richard Sachs, who’s known for his racing frames, the path to England was slightly different. “I didn’t plan this,” he says. “I got a 10-speed back in the ’60s…

Which to me back then meant a bike with turned-down handlebars and skinny wheels. It was a departure from BMX—those were the kinds of bikes I knew: I jumped curbs, got off the bike, and I threw it down. All of a sudden I saw 10-speed bikes and thought, ‘hey, that’s really cool.’”

Sachs had time to kill before college, saw an ad in New York’s Village Voice for a bike mechanic position at a shop in Burlington, VT, threw his things in a bag and boarded a bus. But when he arrived in Burlington he found the position had already been filled.

“I was beside myself,” Sachs said in the film Imperfection is Perfection, a documentary about his work. “I sat down and I wrote some 30-odd letters to companies in England... I said I would like to come work for free in return for learning how to make bicycles. I got three responses, one was in the affirmative. A company in London called Witcomb Lightweight Cycles said ‘We’d love to have you.’ I went to England and I lived with the Witcomb family, and that’s how I started in the bike-making trade.”

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WITCOMB LIGHTWEIGHT CYCLES The patriotically named Englishman Stan Brittain rode a Witcomb bicycle to 66th place in the 1958 Tour de France, and 12 years later the company was contracted to build bikes for the British Olympic Team. These successes, and founder Ernie Witcomb’s history as a bicycle racing official, led to Witcomb being chosen, for a time, to represent British cycling internationally.

“Britain Builds Best,” Ernie recollects. Now 92 and living outside of London, the elder Witcomb (his son Barry was the primary frame-builder and mentor at the

who also trained Ron Cooper, another top frame-maker.

It was Barry who worked with most of the young Americans that visited Witcomb. In addition to Weigle and Sachs, the shop’s “graduates” include Ben Serotta and Chris Chance, both of whom are regarded as luminary frame-builders in their own right.

“Going over there I had no idea what to expect,” Weigle says. “It was… Dickensian, really. So dark and gloomy. You’d go in the morning and there were huge flames shooting across the room from the gas line near the braising hearth, that’s how they’d warm the room when it was cold.

“They had no jigs, they had no lathe. They’d just got a drill press when I was leaving over there. It came in and it was a big deal. It was the cheapest, pot metal with exposed springs, a wing nut on the top that would screw into the top of a 3/8” drill… In this hundreds-ofyears-old building they mounted it to one of the beams, and for the next couple of days the guys would come in and almost genuflect, it was like this deity hanging on the wall. It was the most basic thing in the whole world and they were just in awe of this thing.”

The barebones shop was a rude awakening for Sachs as well, as he explained in the documentary: “I thought bikes were beautiful,” he said. “They were antiseptic, part of a beautiful sport and that somehow or other in a clean atmosphere with people wearing lab coats, and nice beakers... that somehow or other bikes would be made. But when I got [to Witcomb] and I saw it was a job of work is when my eyes were really opened…

I realized that the life that I was throwing myself into had no similarity to what I had left [primarily academics].

It was mostly a fantasy.”

Handcrafted, Weigle-style

Witcomb shop), traveled in the U.S. in the early 1970s at the behest of the British government, promoting English cycling—and having a rather nice time.

“They called me up and said, ‘Would you like to go to America, you and your wife, all expenses paid, stay in a Hilton hotel,’” he remembers now, chuckling.

“Well, who’d say no?”

British bicycles were selling, and in a bid to grow the new U.S. market Ernie and a few others formed Witcomb USA. It was on the back of this that Weigle and Sachs headed across the pond, just two of the handful of Americans who went through the small shop on Tanner’s Hill in the Southeast London neighborhood of Deptford.

Witcomb shut its doors last year, but in eight decades of business it made a profound impact on cycling. Ernie’s son Barry (who once declined the opportunity to work for racing icon Eddy Merckx) was trained to build cycles by the legendary Jim Collier,

The small shop on Tanner’s Hill in London trained some of the greatest American bike-makers, including Sachs, Weigle, Ben Serotta and Chris Chance kingdom 18 winter 2010

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NOT THE ART OF STEEL After London, Weigle and Sachs returned to the States and started building their respective careers, trying to earn money while fighting the notion that young Americans couldn’t make great bikes.

“In the early ’70s when Richard and I were building, we’d get these guys to come in and order a bike,” Weigle says. “We were young upstarts, we weren’t European, we weren’t old school, there wasn’t the aura or the myth of a bike coming from England so they would come in and they would be quite dictatorial.

They weren’t trusting us, but the prices were pretty low back then so they were willing to take a chance—but they had to tell you how well a Frejus rode, how well a Cinelli rode, Masis, all these [top bike brands], you were just kind of a subservient builder at that point…

You’d hope that you could do something that they would actually like and tell their friends about.”

Weigle’s shop wall and detail of one of his bikes

Today, it’s different of course. Both men are tremendously respected, and both continue to influence a new school of builders. In fact, there’s a kind of bike-building resurgence happening in America right now, with names like Jeff Jones, Sacha White and Dario Pegoretti coming to the fore, just to name a few. Oregon might be considered to be at the heart of the scene, due to the United Bicycle Institute and its frame-building school in Ashland, but the Northeast, where Sachs (Massachusetts) and Weigle (Connecticut) live is still popular as well. The Museum of Arts and Design in New York City recently put on a “Bespoke” exhibition featuring their work, along with that of some newer builders. Understandably, many today take advantage of computer-assisted design and modern frame materials, like titanium and carbon fiber. But Weigle and Sachs still use steel. That does not mean they build old bikes.

“You can’t spend your time beating your chest and saying, ‘These are not what you think they are!’ It’s not worth the energy; some people just don’t get it,” says Sachs. “It’s a huge mistake to think that just because I use steel that I’m making the same bikes we made in the ’70s. Steel has improved a lot over the years. I’m not into the ‘Ye olde frame-builder’ thing, not into the past.

It’s a huge mistake to think that just because I use steel, that I’m making the same bikes we made in the 1970s

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Detail on a Richard Sachs bike

WHAT IT IS I’m more from the racing community, and largely I’m “We live in a world where nobody really needs the making bikes that are winning races in 2010.” stuff that we’re doing,” Sachs says. “It’s a desire thing.

Likewise, though Weigle’s randonneuring frames There’s no explaining why anybody gets anything are inspired by classic builders like René Herse and Alex Singer and may include vintage components, except food, shelter, a couple of friends… It’s the same thing with a lot of tangible goods, like watches... they’re hardly throwbacks.

“The fact that someone has to pay me for [my “I did a big ride up in Massachusetts,” Weigle bikes] so that I can make a living and continue, it’s says. “I rode one of [my bikes] and they’re looking at really just a detail. I make bikes for racers. Discerning me like I’m an old man on a dinosaur bike, like this is tastes, needs, desires, all of those visceral things. But a ritualistic reenactment of something that was done first and foremost I’m trying to make these things for back in France back in the old days, and that this is myself. I’ve been saying this for a long time now: If I this old gent on this merry jaunt through the hills of ever really figure out how to get it licked I’d not want to Massachusetts. I take exception to that.”

The “granddaddy” of randonneuring events, do the next one, and there you have it.”

In similar tone, Weigle says the time he takes on Weigle says, is Paris-Brest-Paris: 750 miles with a each bike is as crucial to his experience of building 90-hour time limit. “One of my friends did it in 49 as it is to the finished product: “It’s not just about 1/2 hours a couple of years ago, and he was riding a getting it out the door,” he says. “I’m looking at the bike like this, he wasn’t on carbon fiber, he wasn’t on overall proportion and balance: You’ve got the floor, anything new wave or high tech.”

Along with discarding notions that they’re hyper- ceiling and the space in-between. But then after that nostalgic flame-tenders, don’t call either man an artiste. there’s the sky and heaven also, and I want all those things to come together in the same bike. I could make “If you go to a lot of other shops, they call their shops ‘studios.’ This is my shop,” emphasizes Weigle. something much quicker and just knock them out, but I’d quit tomorrow.

“I don’t enjoy Rococo lugs and things that look like “As the years have gone by, I won’t even ‘sell’ if you watered them they’d grow. I want each line my bikes. I had a guy show up one day, and he got to to mean something, each thing is supposed to take my shop and said ‘I’m here, I’ve been thinking about you somewhere.” this for a long time, what’s your pitch?’ I looked at him And Sachs: “An artist? No. At the beginning, when and I said, ‘I don’t have one. These are the bikes that I I was young, I had this notion that we’re creating rolling build. I’d be glad to do one for you but I’m not going to works of art… It was the ’70s, I was different. When sell one to you. This is what it is.’” you realize these are vehicles, not sculpture… You take a lot of responsibility. People go out in traffic. You are You can find Peter Weigle on Flickr and Richard not making woven baskets or vessels that you drink Sachs on Flickr and at richardsachs.com. coffee out of.”

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T i m e for The N e w s huey Lewis is one of an increasing band of rock musicians who love to golf. each year he goes on tour, to places like st. andrews and Pebble Beach. he loves to play as much as he loves to party, and it helps keep him young. Paul Trow, accompanied by photographer Leon Harris, caught up with him on the road—the road hole, that is whaT’s The News, huey? how the man must be sick of this line of questioning. Naturally, i steered well clear.

But i needn’t have bothered. The guy’s so cool, and charming, and life-embracing, he couldn’t give a @*!#. on this occasion, though, as we bumped into each other in one of the many labyrinthine corridors of the old Course hotel at st. andrews, i didn’t even have a chance to ask. i was an old friend of 24 hours’ standing and he was bursting to tell me. “shot a 79 today at Kingsbarns, Paul. Played well, really happy! awesome place!” seventy-nine is good, even for a 9-handicap golfer, especially when compiled round one of scotland’s most beautiful and challenging courses. apart from anything else, it sounds a lot better than 80, even though there’s only one shot in it. for the uninitiated, huey—hugh anthony Cregg iii, according to his birth certificate—is the lead vocalist, harmonica player and main songwriter for huey Lewis & the News, perhaps best known for their third album Sports and their contribution to the soundtrack of the 1985 film Back to the Future. he’s also an occasional actor, on Broadway (Chicago) as well as films (Duets and Short Cuts), and a more-than-occasional golfer.

But in recent times, his fans might have been

we meT iN The Jigger iNN NexT To The oLd Course hoTeL for a PiNT of BeLhaveN’s fiNesT aLe aNd a TriPLe-sTaCK CheeseBurger

forgiven for taking the view that their hero’s only a parttime rock star. more of a sibelius man myself, i couldn’t comment, but i know a force of nature when i meet one. after all, you don’t become one of the biggest-grossing stars of all time without a bit of go in your mojo. so it came as a surprise to discover that prior to his forthcoming world tour early next year—to promote his first album since 2001—he had to undergo a heart bypass. True, he’s 60 years old (the age when this sort of thing might become necessary), but you tend to forget that when you’re in his company. fit, tanned, ebullient, dynamic. huey Lewis fitted all those descriptions the evening before his fine round at Kingsbarns. we met in the iconic Jigger inn next door to the old Course hotel and he was tucking into a pint of Belhaven Brewery’s finest ale and a triple-stack cheeseburger (not precisely what his doctor ordered, but i won’t let on about the side plate of french fries). appetites refreshed, a most enlightening interview unfolded. first up, he was keen to tell us about his new album. “we make a record every decade,” he boasted.

“This one’s called Soulsville and it’s a collection of 14 cover tracks from great artists from memphis, Tennessee. most of these artists are relatively unknown but they all recorded on the stax label, which was famous for tracks like The Midnight Hour, House of Sound and Dock of the Bay. i’ve picked a collection which i believe we’ve captured faithfully. “while motown was very much black music for

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white people, Stax specialized in R&B music for R&B people, black and white. The artists whose tracks we’ve recorded include William Bell, Eddie Floyd, the Staple Singers, Johnnie Taylor and Isaac Hayes.”

So how did this unlikely, though extremely eclectic exercise come about?

“It was actually my manager Bob Brown’s idea; then we rehearsed everything and went to Memphis to record it. I was a little wary because I’m a big fan of this stuff.

But I figured there’s no harm in trying to work the songs up. I was wary because some of these performances are so great they shouldn’t be repeated. But I think we’ve done it justice and we’ll turn a lot of people on to this stuff.

“We’re not spring chickens. And the public isn’t clamoring for new Huey Lewis & the News material. We’ve written a few things, but you want it to be meaningful, so it becomes increasingly harder. It’s interesting to contrast the market now to the Stax period in the Sixties when the music was created by black and white people—integrated musicians—in a segregated society. Now society is integrated, but music is more segregated than ever.

“Soul music is a wonderfully short but fertile period in American popular music. This little period is a very important part, and looking back it doesn’t sound that dissimilar from Huey Lewis & the News stuff. It’s very strange to me, almost a new realization that clearly we were influenced by Johnnie Taylor. I’ve never heard it in our music before. Now I hear those Johnnie Taylor tunes, those tunes could have been our tunes.”

No doubt, much of this was the background music to Huey’s upbringing in the San Francisco Bay area, subliminally absorbed though he was largely unaware of it at the time. “When I was 15 years old, my favorite radio station was KBIA which was a sister station to WBIA in Memphis—and these were the only two stations to play this type of music. In a sense, I was returning to my roots with this album. B.B. King made his name in Memphis, and Aretha Franklin was born there.”

From one form of swing to another, why golf?

“I didn’t take it up till I was 33. Why do I love it? It’s a gentlemen’s game, but we all give in to pressure which is a wonderful lesson for life. The Ryder Cup creates the most immense pressure, obviously—but it tells you that you must concentrate on every shot. At the same time, though, you must relax. What does it mean to me? Golf to me is not a game or a sport, it’s a pastime. It’s America’s pastime, not baseball. The object is to enjoy yourself while passing the time. Golf is about the smelling of flowers, as Walter Hagen once said. I’m a huge fan of golf and I love its integrity. Everyone who plays is transparently honest.

“I got married in 1983 to my wife, Sidney, in Hawaii—we separated after six years, but we’re still pals. I was over there with my wife-to-be, her mother and sister. They wanted to sit on the beach all day. So I went to Kapalua, rented some clubs and I was hooked. I played baseball as a kid [he’s being modest here because he was all-state at high school in New Jersey] so I had a little hand-eye coordination going for me.

“The next season we were in Dallas and I said to

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the boys ‘let’s go play golf.’ It’s the perfect complement to rock touring because there’s always a great golf course nearby and it’s the ideal way to fill the day before you go on stage to perform. My job takes me to some of the best golf destinations on the planet—Orlando, Hawaii, Puerto Rico to name but three. If you’re in places like that and you don’t play golf, it’s a drag. But if you do, wow!

“My band members who I’ve been playing [golf] with for 18 years are Bill Gibson (drums), now off 9, and John Pierce (bass), off 12. We beat each other’s brains out for 5 dollars a game. We may be the most together band in the world, but when we play golf someone’s going to owe 5 dollars. We’ve been together as a band for 32 years—we all grew up together. Gibson and I met in 7th grade when we were 12 years old.

“After high school, we all gravitated together. We’re the union of two rival bands in high school. Three were from a band called Soundhole while Clover was my band.

Johnny Colla (sax, guitar), Sean Hopper (keyboards), and Steph Burns (guitar) form the rest of the current band along with a three-piece horn section.

“We play 75 dates a year, always in the U.S. We come to the rest of the world every third year. We’ll play anywhere. We play a lot of Indian casinos. They all have neat little rooms that hold up to 2,000 people.

We also play in wineries, outdoor amphitheaters and suchlike. In our heyday we were the business. We were a hotdog band, now we’re the wine and cheese set. We Huey Lewis has a ball playing with screen actor Samuel L. Jackson during the 2010 Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns

WE MAy BE THE MOST TOGETHER BAND IN THE WORLD, BUT WHEN WE PLAy GOLF AGAINST EACH OTHER SOMEONE’S GOING TO OWE 5 DOLLARS

get smaller crowds, but we charge considerably more for the tickets. The money’s the same [as it used to be] but we get a more intimate atmosphere.”

From hotdog to wine and cheese, via a few pints of Jigger Ale and the odd cheeseburger, Huey has served his dues. He’s also a veteran of the celebrity golf circuit.

How come? “I’ve played for 22 years in the AT&T at Pebble Beech, which is what the Dunhill is over in Europe, but I’m going to miss it next year because of our tour.

“The most fun here [at St. Andrews] is in the practice rounds. We played the Old Course today [Wednesday, the day before the tournament] in three hours and 45 minutes, but on Monday we played it in three hours. For this reason, I get angry when we celebrities are accused of playing slowly. It’s not our fault, and you can quote me on that. We all pick up straight away when we’re out of a hole.

“I ask you, how many days of the year do you get to play the Old Course? This [2010] is my fourth Dunhill in a row. Nick Faldo originally got me in. He turned 50 and asked me to sing at his birthday party. He got me tickets to the Masters and we played together in the Dunhill. I will do anything for attention or money, usually in that order! Since playing with Faldo, or Sir Nick as we now know him, I’ve played in the Dunhill with Oliver Wilson, a Ryder Cupper two years ago, Nick Dougherty and this year Peter Lawrie who is from Ireland.

“I’m a member of two clubs back home—Meadow

Club in Marin County, northern California, which was Alister MacKenzie’s first U.S. course design, and Stock Farm, a Tom Fazio layout in Missoula, Montana. I’ve had a home there for six or seven years, it’s my bolt-hole.

I fly-fish there with Mark O’Meara, who’s a good friend.

I use a two-handed Spey rod which has a graphite shaft.

I’ve been fly-fishing all my life. I’ve been sea fishing as well with O’Meara and Faldo.

“I ride horses on my ranch in Montana—I’ve got 600 acres. It’s known as the Garden City because its winters are so mild compared to the rest of the state. My caretaker on the ranch is 80 years old, so the place must be really healthy.

“Getting back to golf, among the places I’ve played is Latrobe—with Mr. Palmer as it happens. He’s my man, he’s the King, but he’s so sweet. Howdy Giles [Mr. Palmer’s longstanding friend] is a big fan of our band and he arranged for me to get invited to play. When I got there Mr. Palmer was so friendly. ‘Huey, how you doing?’ he said. ‘Would you like a beer and a bite before we go out?’ So we sat down and had a meal. For my generation of golfers, you’re either an Arnold guy or a Jack guy.

“But that wasn’t the first time I came across Mr. Palmer. I know Kit [Mrs. Palmer] from the Meadow Club.

Her first husband was a member there. One day, about seven or eight years ago, I was playing at the Meadow Club when word circulated that Arnold Palmer was playing the course with Peter Jacobsen, who’s a good

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friend of mine. When I was on the 14th, they were playing the 5th so I went up and introduced myself. Our pro was caddying for Mr. Palmer and our club champion was playing with him. When I got to the green at 18, he was in a greenside bunker on the 9th—they’re alongside each other—and about 60 people were watching him. I was on the front of the green, about 35 feet from the cup.

I holed the putt for a gross 75, but only one person saw it—me. The spectators only had eyes for Mr. Palmer.”

But those with eyes for Mr. Lewis yearn to know where he’s come from, what turned him from a promising mathematics student into a rock musician. And whether he regrets any of the decisions he’s made along the way.

“I had to skip second grade. My Dad said ‘don’t go to college straight away,’ so I went bumming round Europe for a year. That was back in 1966-67. I hitchhiked everywhere. I did it all on my own. My father didn’t realize how potentially dangerous an exercise it was.

Certainly, I’d never have let my kids do it. In retrospect, though, it was the best thing that ever happened to me because I learned to play the harmonica. Heck, I made four dirhams a day playing it in Morocco.”

The kids, who protective Dad would never have exposed to the follies of his youth, are daughter Kelly, who’s 27 and works as a journalist for Bloomberg, and 25-year-old son Austin.

As for Huey’s own academic education—well, that went out of the window, sooner rather than later. “When I got back [from his European jaunt], I attended Cornell University and I got in a band straight away. Really, I was only there for five minutes and then dropped out when

the exams caught up with me. I wish I’d played golf back then. Who knows how good I might have been?”

Perhaps as good as he is at rock music, but, as he says, who knows? That said, he’s in the prime of life at the time of writing, and he’s off on tour again soon.

I HOLED OUT fROM 35 fEET fOR A 75 AT MEADOW CLUB, BUT nO OnE SAW IT BECAUSE MR. PALMER WAS In A BUnKER By THE ADjOInIng gREEn To be fair, he does have half an eye on the distant future, well till April at least, and he does realize he’s not getting any younger. “The fortunate thing about my job is that you can always reduce your schedule. Even though I still enjoy it, I don’t have to do it, but I have to feed the company. Everyone, from the trumpet player to the roadies, needs to work.

“We’re a big band and overall we have 25 employees. So that makes me a small businessman. We have a pension plan, we have a health plan. We have a rehearsal space and an office. I have to make enough money if I want to keep this thing going, so I have to work. I play Heart of Rock N’ Roll and The Power of Love for the best money. I’m very happy to play my songbook as long as I’m paid for it. We love doing it. We play our songbook 75 nights a year because I have to keep my business alive. I didn’t get a bailout.” Bailout? Huey Lewis the golfer would never want such a thing, surely?

Huey Lewis has come a long way since his hitchhiking days. Not only has he learned to play the harmonica, he’s also learned to play golf

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JusT ONe HOle lefT TO Play In the 17th edition of kingdom, we put together an 18-hole fantasy course consisting entirely of outstanding 17th holes from golf clubs around the world.

This idea met with so much approval and discussion from our readers that we have decided to go down the same road again in Issue No.18, but this time we have compiled a dream layout of 18 of the game’s very best 18th holes. What we do after this is undecided, though the editorial team would be delighted to embark as soon as possible on research into the 19 best 19th holes for Issue No.19! sticking with No.18 for the time being, though, we hope our selection of holes (and the order in which we propose to play them) will strike a chord with our knowledgeable readers who are well aware of the importance of, and difficulties involved in, finishing off a round without blemish or recrimination.

Hole No.1

Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland Par-4, 357 yards Named ‘Tom Morris’ after the founding father of the [British] Open Championship, the iconic 18th at the Home of Golf is one of the game’s least intimidating though most deceptive finishing holes. The view from the tee presents perhaps the world’s widest fairway. The stone bridge over the swilcan Burn in the foreground, barely 100 yards from the teeing area, catches the eye immediately, while the scene is completed by the R&a clubhouse rising above the 1st tee, the 19th century buildings lining the road to the right and Granny Clark’s Wynd crossing the fairway at around 240 yards. as the 18th adjoins the 1st fairway, most tee shots will veer slightly to the left. The front of a deep green that slopes from back to front is protected by the Valley of sin into which countless balls have toppled cruelly over the years.

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kingdom 18 winter 2010

Hole No.2

Cherry Hills Country Club, Colorado Par-4, 477 yards

Hole No.4

The fact that Sam Snead claimed his final hole-in-one here in 1995 should be sufficient recommendation for this golfing rarity—a closing par-3. It certainly struck a chord with new owner Jim Justice who put up a $1 million prize for any player that managed a hole-in-one during the inaugural Greenbrier Classic on the PGA Tour in 2010. He even extended the offer to $100 for every fan witnessing the event from the stand. As it turned out his money was safe, but his gesture served to highlight the qualities of an amazing finishing hole. Created in 1914 by Charles Blair Macdonald, the grand old man of U.S. golf course design, the horseshoe-shaped green is surrounded symmetrically by four bunkers and can be a nightmare to putt on should the tee shot come to rest on the wrong side of the cup.

Hole No.3

Hole No.5

This Palmer-designed course’s greatest attribute is a finishing hole that is both challenging and charming. Even though Bangpoo features dramatic waterfalls and huge floodlights to facilitate night play, its most memorable feature is the twisting journey back toward the club’s palatial clubhouse, first weaving right then left. Before you can even contemplate reaching the green, your drive must avoid a pair of large fairway bunkers lingering at the end of the landing area on the right as well as the lake that runs down the left side. This assortment of hazards prevents most players from reaching the green in two shots, but laying up is no easy task. Another fairway bunker sits at the left corner of the dogleg and the green is ringed front, left and behind by a trio of deep traps, while a pond defines and defends the right edge.

Often ranked the hardest finishing hole on the PGA Tour. Since it usually plays into a left-to-right crosswind, the drive is extremely tough. The fairway narrows to only 25 yards at the end of the lake down the left but widens beyond it, so longer hitters have a bigger target.

Driving the ball into the right rough leads to a terrifying second shot to a long, narrow green bordered by water all the way along its left side. Smashing a drive down this fairway and then firing at the back-left Sunday pin position requires real precision, and nerve.

The ultimate demonstration of such courage came in March 2004 when Australia’s Craig Parry holed a 6-iron from 176 yards for an eagle-2 that won him the Ford Championship in a playoff against Scott Verplank.

Bangpoo Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand Par-5, 552 yards

Blue Monster, Doral, Florida Par-4, 467 yards

Photo: St Andrews Links Trust

Courtesy of Doral Golf Resort & Spa

This uphill hole plays as a par-5 for members and ordinary mortals, and as a par-4 whenever a major championship is in town. Quite simply, it has it all: Water left, length, elevation, out-of-bounds right, and a testing, undulating green. Longer hitters will push the envelope by biting off the left side of the lake because the more you chew the shorter the uphill second shot is. Thick rough runs up the right side while the front of the green is heavily bunkered, making the pin placement hard to judge from the bottom of the hill. Arnold Palmer chipped and putted for a four and a closing 65 when he won the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. Jack Nicklaus (in the 1993 Senior Open) and Birdie Kim (in the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open) also held their nerve impressively here to claim big titles.

Old White Course, The Greenbrier, West Virginia Par-3, 162 yards

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Hole No.6

Hole No.7

The Country Club of Detroit was the scene of Arnold Palmer’s 1954 US Amateur Championship triumph.

Founded in 1897, the club did not have its own course until 1912 when the designer was Britain’s Harry S. Colt. Remodeled by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in the 1950s, it’s a flat layout dotted with deep, treacherous bunkers.

Trees line the fairways en route to the grand finale, and the wind sweeping from Lake St. Clair makes No.18 the course’s most challenging hole. Following a recent relocation of the 17th green, the 18th tee has been moved 25 yards to the left by Tom Doak who is overseeing a full-scale redesign. With a left-to-right dogleg fairway leading uphill to an elevated, well-bunkered green, this hole, unsurprisingly, plays a lot longer than its yardage on the scorecard. Having holed a few clutch putts here, though, Palmer has largely fond memories.

This rugged finishing hole, a left-to-right dogleg perched above the cliffs that stretch along its right side, faces south from the tee. To the right, the Pacific Ocean crashes against rocks a hundred feet or so below; in the distance is the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, a solid, imposing sentinel guarding the left side of the green.

The prevailing breeze helps prevent tee shots from straying too close to the beach, a lateral hazard best left unexplored. Assuming your drive is in pole position, the second shot, which must carry an unusually wide ravine, is far tougher than when Arnold Palmer designed the course back in 1973, due to a new bunker to the front left of the green. The putting surface, wedged between the cliffs and the uphill slopes toward the first level of ocean-view rooms, is also protected by a ring of four bunkers.

Old Course, Half Moon Bay Golf Links, California Par-4, 418 yards

Hole No.8

Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, England Par-3, 210 yards

Lindrick, the scene of a rare Great Britain & Ireland Ryder Cup victory in 1957, began life as a 9-hole course in 1892 and expanded to 18 holes two years later. Spread across beautiful heathland, its primary defenses are vast, threatening areas of gorse and an abundance of trees, while its limestone subsurface enables it to drain quickly and remain in excellent condition all year round. The River Ryton runs through the course as does a main road that separates several holes from the clubhouse. After playing 17, golfers must cross the road to conclude their round on one of the most delightful par-3s in the British Isles. The green, set beneath the imposing shadow of Lindrick’s spacious clubhouse, is receptive to a wellstruck shot, but anything mishit is likely to fall foul of the groups of bunkers to the front right and left of the green.

Hole No.9

Plantation Course, Kapalua, Hawaii Par-5, 663 yards

This is the hole around which the Plantation Course, laid out across an old pineapple grove on the northwest shore of the island of Maui, was formulated. “Home,” as it is known, is an extremely long, downhill, generally downwind par-5 with a magnificent Pacific backdrop which comes to prominence each January when the SBS Championship is contested by the previous year’s PGA Tour title winners.

Over the years it has seen many dramatic events, especially as the tournament draws to a close. The putting surface slopes away from front to back and is reachable in two powerful blows. But, wide and receptive though both fairway and green may be, it is sometimes difficult to pick the correct line or judge how far the ball will travel. Any mistake with the second shot brings a huge impenetrable ravine, not to mention double-bogey or worse, into play.

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kingdom 18 winter 2010

Photo: Alan C.Birch

Country Club of Detroit, Michigan Par-4, 425 yards

Hole No.11

Pebble Beach, Monterey, California Par-5, 543 yards

Young PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson has become all-too familiar with this hole following two AT&T Pro-Am victories over these fabled links. However, his pleasure at those successes was cruelly undermined by his final-round collapse in the 2010 U.S. Open despite holding a three-shot lead after 54 holes. Pebble Beach, designed in 1918 by Jack Neville and Douglas Grant along an intoxicating stretch of cliff-top Pacific coastline, has established a track record for exacting standards.

Nowhere is this borne out more acutely than on the par-5 18th—for most pros a genuine three-shotter with the ocean a constant threat down the left. The line off the tee is left of the trees; the second shot should finish on the left half of the fairway to avoid the tree overhanging the green; the short-iron approach must carry the front trap; and, finally, putts tend to fall oceanside.

Hole No.10

Hole No.12

East Lake, Atlanta, Georgia Par-3, 235 yards

The scene of the first of Arnold Palmer’s two victories in the [British] Open in 1961, the links at Royal Birkdale has one of championship golf’s toughest finishing holes. Played by the members as a par-5, this hole is shortened by some 40 yards for major events to create a true test of nerve for any would-be champion holding the slenderest of leads with one hole to play. The best line off the tee is down the right of the fairway but a small pot bunker and extensive rough beyond await any drive that is pushed. A new bunker, put in for the 2008 [British] Open, ensures that driving down the left is not an option. However, making sure of hitting the fairway by laying up with a 3-wood leaves a lengthy approach through a narrow entrance to a backwardly-sloping green guarded by three bunkers.

It takes a special hole to be handed the responsibility for showcasing golf’s biggest ever cash countdown. Back in September, we all held our breath as Jim Furyk, a solitary shot clear of Luke Donald, splashed imperiously out of a soggy greenside trap to within a couple of feet to claim the Tour Championship presented by Coca-Cola and, even more significantly, a $10 million bonus for winning the 2010 FedExCup. Sunday at East Lake, massaged to greatness by Donald Ross in 1913 from Tom Bendelow’s original design, is the denouement of the top players’ season. Thus, how they play the 18th is the memory they take home for the winter.

Depending on the wind, club selection varies from fairway wood to long iron. Deep bunkers left and right of the two-tiered green leave little room for error, but any ball finishing above the pin faces a treacherous putt.

Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Royal Birkdale, Lancashire, England Par-4, 472 yards

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Hole No.13

Hole No.15

Thanks to television, this is Hollywood’s most instantly recognized finishing hole. During the Northern Trust Open’s early years, Riviera alternated as host with other Los Angeles courses, but since 1973 it has been the tournament’s permanent home. Over the years, the tee has kept creeping back so that on most courses the hole would now be rated a par-5. In January, when the PGA Tour comes to town, there is no run on the fairway. The tee shot is blind and uphill to a wide fairway, but a sharp upslope, from which the ball does not bounce down, lies to its left while another sharp slope down into trees lies to the right. Assuming the drive finds its mark, the second shot flies straight uphill to a raised kidney-shaped green set in a natural amphitheater just below the clubhouse.

The fourth of our par-3 holes is known locally as ‘Heaven’s Reflex,’ apparently because “who cares if you hit into the water.” The initial 9-hole layout was expanded to 18 in 1939 when the late television commentator Henry Longhurst and his aristocrat friend, Sir Guy Campbell, completed the design of Mahony’s Point, the first of the club’s three parkland courses beside the lakes of Killarney and Ireland’s highest mountain range, Macgillycuddy’s Reeks. The tee shot carries 150 yards or so over a breathtaking corner of Lough Leane to a wellbunkered green that is beautifully framed by mature pines and rhododendron bushes. The immortal Gene Sarazen once said: “When the wind blows in off the lake, even the best player in the world will be hard-pressed to break 80. The 18th, in particular, is one of the most memorable holes in golf.”

Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California Par-4, 475 yards

Hole No.14

Hole No.16

This hole may look simple (straight drive, mid-iron approach), but it actually poses a considerable challenge, especially to players trying to adopt a positive frame of mind while protecting a narrow lead. Coming immediately after an awkward par-3 that seems to have more water and sand than land, Bay Hill’s 18th is all about taking a deep breath, picking a distant line and not hitting the ball too hard. The first part of the hole is as simple as it gets: Wide, flat fairway, yet with thick Bermuda rough on its peripheries. But that’s where ‘simple’ ends. The kidneyshaped green is fronted by rocks and water, and requires a longer carry across the lake to the right half where, invariably, the weekend pins are set for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Meanwhile, a cluster of three bunkers behind and left of the green await errant, hydrophobic bale-outs.

When Olympic plays host to the U.S. Open in 2012, the 18th hole, the second shortest par-4 on the course, will find itself very much under the spotlight. The last time the national championship was staged at this historic San Francisco layout, in 1998, nearly a third of the field made bogey or worse during the second round. The root of the problem was the green which is small and narrow with bunkers on both sides. It slopes severely from back to front, making any pin position in the back two-thirds especially tricky to access. The severe sloping, the players’ and officials’ primary beef 12 years ago, has been softened, but, make no mistake, the hole remains very challenging. It doesn’t look difficult from the tee—straight and pretty rather than intimidating—but the key still is to keep the approach below the hole.

Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Florida Par-4, 458 yards

Photo: Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Mahony’s Point, Killarney Golf & Fishing Club, Ireland Par-3, 196 yards

Lake Course, Olympic, San Francisco, California Par-4, 347 yards

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Hole No.17

Hole No.18

After winning the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational, Ernie Els explained his secret to hitting a good tee shot on 18 at Bay Hill—imagine you’re playing the 18th at the Masters. The two holes, though admittedly similar in length and shape, are totally different in appearance.

While Bay Hill’s finale is flat, the closing hole at Augusta National is a cardiovascular challenge with the leftto-right fairway first plummeting then rising steeply toward the distant putting surface. The tee shot, as Els intimated, requires a controlled fade off the two bunkers on the left elbow of the fairway, though a drive straying anywhere near the line of trees up the right will be blocked out. As the green, guarded by a deep bunker front left and a shallower trap front right, is not very receptive to uphill long-iron approaches, the tee shot should be long enough to leave a mid-iron second.

For our ultimate 18th, pride of place goes to a hole that is fiercely, and appropriately, demanding. Having hosted nine U.S. Opens (it will again in 2016), three PGA Championships, five U.S. Amateur Championships and three U.S. Women’s Opens, Oakmont is America’s most decorated golfing venue. And if its closing hole’s place in history had not quite been nailed down before, it surely was in 1994 when Arnold Palmer bade a tearful farewell to the U.S. Open amid some of the most emotional scenes ever seen on a golf course. The challenge posed off the tee by this hole, where Mr. Palmer won the 1949 Pennsylvania Amateur Championship, is to avoid the large bunker to the right and two smaller bunkers to the left. Then comes a mid-iron uphill to a severely contoured green guarded by four left-hand bunkers and a large trap on the right.

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

OUT

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

357

477

552

162

467

425

418

210

663

3731

472

543

235

475

458

196

347

465

484 3675

4

4

5

3

4

4

4

3

5

36

4

5

3

4

4

3

4

4

4

Bangpoo Country Club

The Greenbrier (Old White Course)

Doral (Blue Monster)

Country Club of Detroit

Half Moon Bay Golf Links (Old Course)

Lindrick

KapaluaClub (Plantation Course)

Royal Birkdale

Pebble Beach

East Lake

Riviera Country Club

Bay Hill Club & Lodge

Mahony’s Point

Olympic (Lake Course)

Augusta National

Oakmont Country Club

St. Andrews (Old Course)

1

Cherry Hills Country Club

Hole yards par

50

Oakmont Country Club, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Par-4, 484 yards

Photo: Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Augusta National, Georgia Par-4, 465 yards

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total 7406 71

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The CompleTe monTy for so long Colin Montgomerie has been the bridesmaid at golf’s greatest festivals. five times he has finished a runner-up in major championships. yet he has consistently saved his best golf for the ryder Cup. last fall, though, he capped everything he had ever done on a course by masterminding europe’s recapture of the iconic old trophy. now the dust has settled on that triumph, Paul Mahoney enquires what the veteran scot plans to do next

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So that’S it, then, for Colin MontgoMerie? exit stage left, fly off into the sunset, fade to blaCk, roll titles. not so fast. Monty says he was so inspired by the atmosphere at the ryder Cup in Wales that he wants to qualify for the european team in 2012, on merit! that would make him a player again at the age of 49 years. Perhaps he really does have one last hurrah left in him. or perhaps he just can’t bring himself to retire only one-and-a-half points behind the all-time ryder Cup points’ scorer, sir nick faldo. if Monty could somehow inch ahead of faldo, you just know how much satisfaction that would give the scot. “Well, you know, ray floyd played at 51,” Monty said. “there will be no records broken if i play. i know i have to play extremely well these next two years, but i would love to play again.”

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Colin Montgomerie relaxes with Wales’s national daily newspaper following Europe’s historic victory

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Monty had 12 players and five vice-captains under his thumb at Celtic Manor

It’s maybe fantasy golf from Monty but you have to admire his blind ambition. He just will not go quietly. And that’s his prerogative. Okay, so he is outside the world’s top-400 and hasn’t enjoyed so much as a top-10 finish for two years. But this is a fact he cheerfully acknowledges and is happy to front up to. “I really want to get my world ranking back. I feel I can get back into the top-50,” he says. “You’re entering all the majors and world events and

“If I can find 20 or 30 yards, I can compete again. I’m using equipment that’s the highest technology affordable, so I don’t really know how else one can do that”

that’s where I want to be. That’s a start. I’m four hundred and something. Bit by bit, we’ll get back into the top 50.

Everybody who played in the Ryder Cup, all 24 of them, were in the top-50 in the world. So that’s the first goal.”

And so, just like Baldrick in Blackadder, Monty has a cunning plan. You may want to sit down for this. Okay, here goes… For the first time in his life, the 47-year-old plans to work up a sweat in the gym. It’s been good enough for Vijay Singh, who is a few months older, so why not? “I need to find 40 yards,” he said. “If I can find even 20 or 30 yards, I can compete again. I’m using equipment that’s the highest technology affordable, so I don’t really know how else one can do that… Get to the gym. That’s what you want me to say,” he says, laughing.

“Into the gym, I’m afraid. Lift one of those weights that I’ve never lifted before. I think that’s the way to go.”

But Monty is no fool. He is under no illusions as to the severity of the task ahead and he is aware that time is against him. “I have five years left, I’m exempt to 2015,” he said. “I have to make an extra effort to attain new standards. And not just the standard I was at in the 1990s.

I’ve got to be better than that. I’ve really got to work at it, on and off the golf course. I’d love to be able to come back and win again. I’m still very ambitious. I stand on the first tee of a tournament and I’m raring to go.”

Still, if all else fails, there’s always the coursedesign business. His latest venture at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain is to host the season-opening tournament on the European Tour’s Desert Swing.

Important thought that design work may be, especially going forward to the next phase of his career, it is stature as a player that still concerns the great man.

“I need to get the confidence back,” Monty admitted.

“That comes from 66s and 67s. If I can get that, I don’t need to beat balls all day long. I’ve never done it. I have relied on a natural rhythm in my swing.”

Having spent two years plotting Europe’s Ryder Cup victory, Monty says he is looking forward, mentally and physically, to the new year to get back to concentrating solely on his own game. He began the first day of the rest of his career at Kingsbarns during the Dunhill Links Championship, just three days after ‘Monty’s Monday’at Celtic Manor, and shot a perfectly acceptable 72. “All things considered, that was a bloody good effort,” he said.

At his peak Monty was unquestionably Europe’s finest golfer, and the greatest ambassador for its Tour. He won 31 tournaments and eight Order of Merit titles, seven of them in a row. It is an achievement that will probably never be beaten. Despite failing to capture that elusive major championship title, he is a dead-cert to be enrolled at some stage in the PGA Tour’s Hall of Fame for his services to golf.

And as for the Ryder Cup, Monty is a legend. Eight matches unbeaten in the singles. Indestructible! He marched out in the No.1 position in the singles against Scott Hoch at The Belfry in 2002, birdied the 1st hole and sent Europe on the way to victory. He holed the winning putt at Oakland Hills in 2004 as a captain’s wild-card pick—and every member of Bernhard Langer’s team signed the flag from the 18th hole and presented it to Europe’s talisman.

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And then there was Celtic Manor. Victory—and his place in sporting history guaranteed. “I know I will be called ‘Captain Useless’ if we lose,” Montgomerie said in Wales on the eve of the 38th Ryder Cup. He needn’t have worried. He was Captain Fantastic. He channeled the spirit of Langer with his attention to detail. Monty soundproofed the team-room. He drew on Sam Torrance’s passion. Monty admitted he gave his players a roasting after they lost the first two sessions. He declined to reveal what he said to fire them up other than to say, “well, it was quite rude.”

Something that rhymes with ‘rollicking’ would be close, apparently. And, of course, the influence of Seve Ballesteros, engaged so movingly in his own battle with cancer, was everywhere. Monty arranged a teleconference with Seve at his home in Spain. Then, on the course, Monty invoked memories of Seve at Valderrama in 1997.

The Scot was seemingly everywhere—on foot or in his buggy, with his walkie-talkie clamped to his ear like a 1980s stockbroker’s cellphone.

It’s all about the captains. Always has been. Boozie Woosie at The K Club in 2006; Seve and that buggy at Valderrama; Hal Sutton and his cowboy hat at Oakland Hills in 2004; Paul Azinger and his SEAL pods at Valhalla in 2008; and Nick Faldo and his sandwich list.

“The captain,” as Azinger knew, “is a hero or a goat.”

Torrance revealed the secret to what makes a great Ryder Cup captain at The Belfry in 2002: “Winning.”

For Monty, it was mission accomplished. Hero! Would he do it all again? “No, there are no circumstances to make me do this job again. No,” he insisted. But Monty just couldn’t walk away completely and has already volunteered to be an assistant in 2012. “I wouldn’t hesitate at all. I would be honored to help the European cause,” he said.

“It’s all about the team,” was Monty’s mantra at Celtic Manor. “I take no personal satisfaction from this,” he said. But he couldn’t contain his pride come the closing ceremony. And only a bitter curmudgeon would begrudge him his moment of glory. “This is one of the finest moments of my golfing career... sorry, the proudest moment of my golfing career,” he said to mass adulation.

Arise, Sir Colin. Or how about Lord Monty of Troon? Surely, it is nothing more than this charming, though often irascible, Scot deserves than to join the pantheon of Britain’s great sporting Knights of the Realm.

Captain Fantastic and his Starship troops lifted the trophy thanks to McDowell’s heroics on the final day

Now Monty’s stint as captain is over, he is dedicating himself to returning to the Ryder Cup as a player in two years’ time at Medinah

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Hall of MeMories.

Paul Trow delves into the colorful history of an ancestral home where an impeccable political pedigree went hand in hand with more than a whiff of scandal. Now the place is reinventing itself as a luxurious 21 21st century golfing, gastronomic and cultural retreat

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“

Take me hu nting.

Let me do what I love.

Take me to the wide-open fields of South Dakota.

We ca n work the m together.

Y ou shoot. I’ ll retrieve.

Take me hu nting . . . it’s what I live for.

”

Experience world-class pheasant hunting in South Dakota.

Visit www.HuntInSD.com/KingMag for a full listing of exclusive lodges and hunting outfitters in the state.

& rings & Clubs Getting married can be a planning nightmare. Let these venues help you manage the big day—whether it’s yours, a family member’s or a vow renewal ceremony—leaving you with plenty of time for a couple of rounds, for better or for worse

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Any mAn thAt’s popped the question to his beLoved knows thAt GettinG her to sAy “yes” is LikeLy the eAsiest pArt of GettinG mArried. in fact, everything that comes between “yes” and “i do” can be a right headache to plan, pay for and execute. mind you, this goes for first time nuptials, veteran spouses and even those seeking to renew their vows. there are flowers, food, guest lists and a million other things to deal with, but no matter if you’re planning a gala event or an intimate ceremony the first and biggest question is always “where?” the good news is that “where” could be your only question because many of today’s finer resorts and clubs can handle the other details for you. whether you’re tying the knot yourself, helping to plan a wedding for a family member or renewing vows, the following locations offer fantastic, worry-free wedding options in spectacularly beautiful settings—and there’s golf at every one. that leaves you with only two things to worry about: not forgetting your clubs, and getting her to say “yes.”

Jonathan’s Landing Jupiter, Florida jonathanslanding.com 800.310.1248 If the hustle and bustle of a popular resort isn’t your cup of tea and you’d prefer more privacy, this golfing and boating community just minutes from Palm Beach International Airport may hold the key. Jonathan’s Landing is a private club, but staff will work with non-residents on a variety of membership, event and accommodation options to make sure your special day is all it can be.

Three golf courses don’t hurt the cause, of course, and provide as beautiful a setting as one could want for any occasion. The newly renovated main Golf Club at the Jonathan’s Landing “Village” course offers a marblefloored foyer and freshly updated décor, along with a host of on-site catering and event planning possibilities.

Likewise, a three-mile drive through the Fazio and Hills golf courses ends at the Old Trail Golf Club and its wrap-around tiled patio, members’ lounge, dining room and large outdoor grilling area. Lush landscaping is everywhere, and the tropical Palm Beach evening air can’t be beat.

Signature Wedding amenitieS: A lush, tropical setting, on-site catering and event planning and the intimacy and sophistication of a private club.

Signature Hole: No.17, the Village course. After crossing water off the tee on this par 5, the fairway turns right to a second shot over water. After the second shot, golfers are transported across the water of a connecting tributary to the Intracoastal Waterway on a small, automatic ferry designed to hold two golf carts.

Unique and difficult, No.17 is just part of what makes Jonathan’s Landing such a special place.

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Living here may not improve your handicap, but it will do wonders for your spirit.

Experience all the enchantment Florida can offer at Jonathan’s Landing.

Imagine living in a premier golf course community, spanning 600 pristine acres, featuring three championship golf courses and a 13,000 square foot modern fitness facility and spa — all nestled along the stunning Intracoastal Waterway.

Just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, the highly-acclaimed Jonathan’s Landing is the natural choice if you’re looking for a great golfing environment that’ll lift your spirits, every day.

Call about our special membership promotions today!

jonathanslanding.com 561.744.4250 Jonathan’s Landing Golf Club • 16823 Captain Kirle Dr., Jupiter, FL 33477 • 561-744-4250 • www.jonathanslanding.com

Tucker’s PoinT HoTel & sPa

PosT rancH inn

Bermuda tuckerspoint.com 866.604.3764

Big Sur, California postranchinn.com 888.524.4787

What bride hasn’t at some point dreamed of a destination wedding on a tropical beach with golden sand, palm trees waving in a soft breeze and waves crashing under a sunset? Believe it or not, the idea isn’t as far-fetched or difficult to plan as it might seem.

The stunning Tucker’s Point in Bermuda is just 90 minutes from most major U.S. East Coast cities but, as the saying goes, it’s also a world away. With 200 acres of prime Bermuda to call its own, the island’s newest resort has a host of options for weddings: a lavish ballroom, charming courtyard overlooking the pool and ocean, clubhouse high on a hill with commanding views of the supple greens and fairways, beach club, rosy soft sand… It really is the ultimate destination, offering unmatched versatility to accommodate any taste or scale of ceremony. As a top-tier resort, catering, planning, musicians, florists, photographers and the like are all handled on-site, and there are more dining and activity options than any group could possible enjoy in a single visit. In addition to excellent spa and accommodation options (including the option to buy-out the entire 88-room hotel), the on-site Tuckers Point Golf Course is perhaps the island’s finest. With a tropical beach setting worthy of a romantic blockbuster, a variety of world-class options for venue, activities, spa and golf, and a few unique surprises in terms of old world island traditions, a wedding at Tucker’s Point is an unforgettable experience.

Featuring one of the most dramatic coastlines anywhere in the world, California’s Big Sur was a natural home for poet Robinson Jeffers, who extolled the beauty and power of the region’s majestic cliffs, forceful waves and dense, towering forests. Located on California’s Pacific Coast Highway, the Post Ranch Inn celebrates all of these attributes with a property that is as luxurious as it is breathtaking. If you’re looking for a boldly romantic, yet remotely quiet, small wedding location this could be it. The resort’s architecture is, as the website describes it, “organic,” and that’s accurate. A chic rustic aesthetic inspires the superb accommodations; wood-burning fireplaces, dramatic glass walls, polished concrete floors with radiant heat and custom furniture mark room interiors while deep soaking tubs and private balconies offer views of the Pacific and its glorious sunsets. A host of top spa treatments are available on-site, as are nature walks and, depending on the season, “Mimosas and Whales” morning whale viewing from the Inn’s renown Sierra Mar restaurant. Carmel is just up the coast, and that means the golf at Spyglass Hill and the incomparable Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Post Ranch Inn is small, so big weddings need not apply. But if you’re looking for a small and exceptional ceremony—or a wedding renewal—the resort is happy to help. They’re well acquainted with organizing small ceremonies and have a line on the best of the best in the area. No question a ceremony here will be special.

Signature Wedding amenitieS: Rosy pink sand; a short flight to a tropical world away; top-drawer resort amenities; a number of Bermudian wedding traditions, including separate cakes for the bride and groom, hers topped with a small cedar sapling (to be planted by the newlyweds in the resort’s Wedding Grove as a symbol of growing love), his topped with a gold leaf as a symbol of prosperity.

Signature Wedding amenitieS: Full-service spa; remote location; dramatic seaside cliffs; and top-tier accommodations and food.

Signature Hole:

At Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill?

Take your pick.

Signature Hole: We’ll say No.17, though there are so many beautiful holes on this course the question is arguable. A superb vantage point offering views of Tucker’s Town and the island, with a round-defining drivable green that is fraught with danger.

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Castle Hill inn & ResoRt

GRand luxxe Hotel

Newport, RI Castlehillinn.com 888.466.1355

Riviera Maya, Mexico vidantaweddings.com

There are few resorts that can boast being local landmarks, but Castle Hill Inn & Resort is exactly that.

Occupying a spot on its own 40-acre peninsula just off Newport’s storied Ocean Drive for more than a century, the Victorian Inn with its lighthouse is one of the most recognizable sites in this old-school seacoast town. When it comes to weddings, Castle Hill can handle everything, offering full-service catering and event planning staff along with its seaside setting. Ceremonies can take place on a lawn overlooking beautiful Narragansett Bay, while receptions of any kind can be hosted in the Chalet or Terrace, depending on season and party size.

Also, the Schooner Adirondack II is available to take the wedding party on a four-hour private charter. Back on dry land, luxurious accommodations of numerous types are available, but couples should reserve the Inn’s celebrated Turret Suite and its 360-degree pictureperfect views of the bay. When you’re ready to get out of the room, nearby Newport National’s Orchard Course is an Arthur Hills design that is one of the highest-rated courses in the state.

Heidi Klum, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eli Manning all liked Mexico for their weddings, and for good reasons: Great weather, stunning beaches, excellent food, and plenty of activities have long made the country a top destination, while the proximity and reasonable prices mean that five-star destination weddings here are accessible and won’t break the bank. The Grand Luxxe Hotel, located in the Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, is a stunning option with top-drawer amenities and service (there’s a Grand Luxxe in Nuevo Vallarta on the Pacific side as well). Part of the Grupo Vidanta’s portfolio of top properties, the Grand Luxxe is the height of luxury. Accordingly, weddings here are unforgettable affairs, benefitting from the resort’s excellent kitchens and well-organized staff. Every detail will be attended to, every guest will feel personally pampered. A full-service spa makes sure the wedding party is relaxed, while a bold Nicklaus course provides ample challenges. Should you have another location in Mexico in mind, Grupo Vidanta is the top hotel and resort operator in the country, so there are great luxury properties available wherever you are. All of them offer the same top service and amenities for which Grupo Vidanta is known, and any of them would make a great site for an unforgettable wedding.

Signature Wedding amenitieS: Stunning New England Victorian seaside setting; unique accommodations; schooner for wedding party private charter.

Signature Hole: No.17 at Newport National’s Orchard Course. This par-4 plays almost 490 yards and has a massive bunker on the left side of the fairway landing area. Distracting you from the challenge are the beautiful Atlantic views from this Irish-style links course. Fairways and greens are screaming fast, and the rough includes fescue of more than four feet in length. Add strong breezes off of Narragansett Bay, plenty of sand and New England’s fickle weather to the mix and you’ll be happy for a neat nip at 19.

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Signature Wedding amenitieS:

Personalized service as only Mexico and Grupo Vidanta can deliver; sumptuous cuisine and postcard-perfect settings.

Signature Hole: No.3, Nicklaus Legacy Course, Puerto Peñasco. The Grand Luxxe Riviera Maya offers a fantastic course, but among all of the excellent golf options among the Grupo Vidanta resorts, the Nicklaus Legacy Course at Puerto Peñasco has to be mentioned. Set on a two-mile peninsula with a tidal estuary on one side, the Sea of Cortés on the other and an inlet to the south, this work of art features a number of unbelievable holes. The tee shot off No.3 is blind and uphill, but when you climb to the top for your second shot and see the view—Wow!

wine and golf! has there ever been a more delicious juxtaposition of delights? Paul Trow takes readers on a whistle-whetting tour of france’s standout courses, with considerably more than a passing nod to some degustation along the way Despite Dubious claims from jealous rivals, france is still the worlD’s leaDing tourist Destination, welcoming more than 75 million visitors each year. granted only a tiny percentage of them go there to play golf, but this is just as well because otherwise the country’s 600 or so courses would be as overcrowded as gare du nord train station in the paris rush hour. however, this does not mean the french are not serious about cultivating the loyalty of visiting golfers. for the best part of two decades, it has been public policy for regional governments to support, with up to 50 per cent financial subsidies in some cases, any private developers committing to build new courses. the upshot of this enlightened policy is that france is fast developing as a viable (and less expensive) alternative to longer-established european golf destinations like the algarve and costa del sol—in southern portugal and spain respectively.

not only does its intricate network of airports enable golfers to jet directly in to any region they fancy, but motoring visitors are similarly spoiled for choice as they drive across the country. as with everything else in france, its golfing variety is the spice de la vie. the different regions each have their own gems, unique in character and memorable for aesthetic as well as playing reasons. indeed, golf is only part of the story. how about france’s history, culture, food and, above all else, wine? visitors in search of golf courses will not cross the massif central, perhaps even the atlantic ocean, in search of birdies alone—there have to be a few diversions along the way. over the next few pages, Kingdom identifies an outstanding golf course in each region and drops a few hints about the wines that are likely to be on offer in the clubhouse.

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Region: Provence CouRse: Golf Club de Barbaroux

Region: Normandy CouRse: Golf de Saint-Saens

Playing at Barbaroux is like being anywhere in the world on the same day. Some holes make you think of Ireland while others could have been transported from a Scottish links. Pete Dye and his son P.B. have incorporated six vast lakes around the vineyards that also form part of the attraction. The undulating fairways and the design of the greens (with some blind approach shots) make this 1989 design a tough test, especially as many seemingly good shots will go unrewarded.

Contact: barbaroux.com Yardage: 6,637; Par: 72 also in provence: The Four Seasons resort at Tourrettes a few miles inland from Cannes is home to the Terre Blanche club which has two 18-hole hillside courses (Le Chateau and Le Riou), designed by former British Ryder Cup player Dave Thomas, and a David Leadbetter golf academy.

Contact: terre-blanche.com Yardage: 7,168; Par: 72 (Le Chateau). 6,567; Par: 72 (Le Riou) local wine: Provence, perhaps the warmest wine region in France, produces mainly rosé and red wine. It covers eight major appellations led by the Provence flagship, Bandol.

Some Provence wine can be compared with the southern Rhône wines as they share both grapes and, to some degree, style and climate. Provence also has a classification of its most prestigious estates, much like Bordeaux.

Situated 18 miles northeast of the town of Rouen, SaintSaens is an undulating, tree-lined course crossed by the La Varenne river that comes into play on several holes. Located near Baryon village and surrounded by the Fawy forest, France’s first beech grove, this is a fabulously picturesque place to play. Denis Robinson, who designed the course in the late 1980s, has used these natural elements to manufacture a pleasant test of golf. The clubhouse is a spectacular 19th century chateau that serves traditional Normandy food.

Contact: golfdesaintsaens.com Yardage: 6,508; Par: 71 local wine: Arpents du Soleil in the heart of Calvados, near the northern cities of Caen and Bayeux, is known for producing excellent wines, largely due to the area’s dry and sunny microclimate, and the richness of the soil’s mineral and calcium content. Most Normandy wines are white, but reds are produced as well. The prominent grapes are: Melon de Bourgogne, Auxerrois, Pinot Noir, Muller-Thurgau and Pinot Gris.

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Region: Champagne CouRse: L’Ailette Laid out alongside Le Chemin des Dames (literally ‘the ladies’ path’), the site of three First World War battles some 15 miles northwest of the historic city of Reims, L’Ailette is a gently undulating, high-quality public course. Michel Gayon’s 1988 creation through open woodland cleverly alternates more easily playable holes with tougher challenges to set a pleasant tempo and give players a breather. Most of the difficulties are caused by elevated greens which are generally quite large and well protected by neatly designed bunkers, although water does encroach on three holes on the back nine.

Contact: golfdelailette.com Yardage: 6,638; Par: 72 loCal wine: Champagne, in northeast France, is the country’s coldest wine region and home to its iconic sparkling wine. Champagnes can be both white and rosé. A small amount of still wine is produced in Champagne, some of which is red. When visiting the vineyards of Reims and Epernay, where names like Moët et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Bollinger cut their teeth, why not seek out some lesser-known marques?

Like Billecart-Salmon in Mareuil-sur-Ay, still owned by the family that founded it in 1818 and producers of a superb rosé; Gosset, the oldest winery in the region (founded in 1584); or Pierson Whitaker, showcased in a beautiful 19th-century house in Avize.

Region: Ile de France CouRse: Le Golf National (Albatros) Designed by the late Robert Von Hagge and Hubert Chesneau, this course, where the French Open now has its permanent home, was opened in 1990 on a (once) completely flat piece of land. Not that you would know it now, as the course winds up and down artificial dunes to create a golfing experience that is a mix of links and American-style holes. The greens are well defended and the slightest slip-up can sabotage a scorecard.

Eighteen miles southwest of Paris, L’Albatros is rightly acknowledged as one of Europe’s outstanding courses.

Contact: golf-national.com Yardage: 7,103; Par: 72 also in ile de fRanCe: The Vignoly course at the 36-hole Crécy Golf Club, 25 miles northeast of Paris, is France’s first, and to date only, Arnold Palmer Signature Course.

A tough test, it was designed (in 1989) to stage national and international tournaments.

Contact: domainedelabrie.com Yardage: 6,703; Par: 72 loCal wine: Wine production in and around Paris is modest.

The region now produces 33,000 bottles a year from 11 hectares of vineyards. The grapes generally are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Semillon and Sauvignon, and the best wines are sparkling.

It’s difficult to buy them, except those produced in Suresnes.

Other varieties can be tasted through Autour du Vin events organized by the Ile de France winegrowers’ association.

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Le Golf National—Albatross

Region: Aquitaine CouRse: Golf de Seignosse Situated 16 miles north of the historic ports of Bayonne and Biarritz, this Von Hagge design opened in 1989.

It’s a hilly course with narrow fairways. Translated into golfing reality, this means that if your game isn’t in shape you could be in for a torrid few hours. It provides a searching examination of the golfer’s course management skills but even though there are some lengthy walks between greens and tees, Seignosse is not especially long. Accurate iron play is the key and the heavily-contoured, multi-leveled greens require precise approaches. Also worth a visit in this golf-rich region are: Chiberta, laid out through a pine forest

by Tom Simpson in 1927; Moliets, a Trent Jones parkland layout just north of Seignosse; Makila, Rocky Roquemore’s pride and joy in the hills just outside Bayonne; Hossegor, a flat, parkland facility that dates back to 1930; and d’Arcagnes, a picturesque Ronald Fream design in the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Contact: bluegreen.com/en/accueil-seignosse Yardage: 6,631; Par: 72 loCal wine: You can count the departements of Aquitaine on the fingers of one hand: Gironde, Dordogne, Lot-etGaronne, Landes and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The five include no fewer than 14 wine regions, each with its own Destination Vignobles System. This is France’s most productive wine region, occupying 144,000 hectares (14 times the size of Paris!). From Bordeaux to the Baïse River, from Bergerac to the hills of Irouléguy, wine lovers will be in their element

Region: Brittany CouRse: Golf de Dinard

Region: Dordogne CouRse: Chateau des Vigiers Golf & Country Club

With an abundance of broom and gorse, this seaside course retains a Scottish feel even though some holes could be described as parkland. Those who have played links golf in Scotland will appreciate that when the wind blows Dinard plays a lot longer than its yardage and club selection to small, well bunkered greens can be tough. The Art Deco clubhouse serves superb steak frites—the prefect riposte to a buffeting from the wind.

Contact: dinardgolf.com Yardage: 5,748; Par: 68 loCal wine: Like Normandy, Brittany is a strong cider region, but several varietals—Muscadet, Merlot and Gros Plant—also thrive here. While visiting Brittany, try the local shellfish with a bottle of Gros Plant, a robust, full-bodied wine with a strong bouquet, though perhaps a touch too acidic for some palates.

Dating back to 1597 but now a luxury hotel, Château des Vigiers forms the centerpiece of three spectacular 9-hole loops (La Vallee, Les Vignes and Le Lac) designed

by Donald Steel who specializes in “natural” golf course architecture. The original 18 holes were opened in 1991 and the third nine was introduced two years ago. Laid out amidst plum orchards, oak woods, lakes and vineyards, the course, located about an hour’s drive due east of Bordeaux, is maintained with short rough to promote quick play and accommodate higher handicappers as well as better players.

Contact: vigiers.com Yardage: 3,403; Par: 36 (La Vallee). 3,372; Par: 36 (Les Vignes). 3,212; Par: 35 (Le Lac) loCal wine: Gironde is the Dordogne’s main wineproducing region and its roll call of wines says it all: Barsac, Bordeaux Supérieur, Cadillac, Canon-Fronsac, Cérons, Côtes de Blaye, Côtes de Castillon, Côtes de Francs, Fronsac, Graves Supérieur, Haut-Médoc, Lalande de Pomerol, Listrac, Loupiac, Margaux, Moulis, Pauillac, Pessac-Léognan, Premières Côtes de Bordeaux, Pomerol, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, Saint-Emilion, SaintEstèphe, Saint-Julien, Saint-Macaire, Sauterne. Ladies and gentlemen, take your pick!

Region: Loire Valley CouRse: Golf International des Bordes Les Bordes was founded by Baron Marcel Bich (of Bic pens fame) in 1986. He wanted to create a worldclass golf and residential resort in a Loire Valley deer park and achieved his objective thanks to Von Hagge’s groundbreaking design—a tough woodland layout featuring water on 12 of the 18 holes. A second 18, which Von Hagge designed just before he died in October, will open in 2013. The restaurant, offering a full range from bar snacks to cordon bleu fare, is highly recommended.

Contact: lesbordes.com Yardage: 7,062; Par: 72 loCal wine: This is primarily a white-wine region that stretches the full length of the Loire River in central and western France, and where grape varieties and wine styles can vary enormously. Along the way, we will find: Sauvignon Blanc, which yields wines such as Sancerre; Touraine, producing cold climate-styled white wines from Chenin Blanc; and Muscadet from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.

Chateau des Vigiers

Region: Alsace CouRse: Golf de Soufflenheim Bernhard Langer and Kurt Rossknecht have landscaped a golfing paradise in the leas of the Rhine Valley, less than half an hour’s drive from the city of Strasbourg and the town of Baden-Baden, just across the border in Germany. With 18 lakes that affect play on 14 of the 18 holes and numerous greenside and fairway bunkers, Soufflenheim, which opened in 1995, represents a stern test of golf. But it is also a visual delight. Shielded by dense woodland, it has been enhanced of late by the club’s program of planting shrubs, small trees and bushes across the course.

Contact: golfclub-soufflenheim.com Yardage: 6,903; Par: 72 loCal wine: Alsace is primarily a white-wine region, though some reds and rosés, along with sparkling and dessert wines, are also produced. Its grape varieties include Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir and Muscat. Perhaps the archetypical Alsace wine is Gewurztraminer—an aromatic grape that performs best in cooler climates with a pink to red skin color. It has high natural sugar content and shares the same aroma compounds as lychees.

Region: Rhone-Alpes CouRse: Evian Masters Golf Club The Evian Masters course is part of the Royal Parc Evian, one of the world’s most exclusive resorts. Overlooking the shores of Lake Geneva, the complex has two hotels

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Region: Bordeaux couRse: Golf du Médoc (Les Chateaux)

Golf du Médoc

(the Royal and the Ermitage), two spas and a casino. The club hosts the Evian Masters tournament on the LPGA Tour each year and is set at the heart of a 60-hectare wooded park. Created in 1904, the course was totally re-designed by Cabell Robinson in association with Robert Trent Jones Sr. and is now a challenging test of anyone’s game in superb surroundings.

Contact: royalparcevian.com Yardage: 6,644; Par: 72 local wine: Although primarily a red-wine region in southeast France, the styles and varietal composition from north to south differ markedly. Within the region’s general ambit, we find: Savoy, primarily a white-wine region in the Alps close to Switzerland; Jura, a small mountainous region, also close to Switzerland, where some unique wine styles, notably Vin Jaune and Vin de Paille, are produced; and Burgundy, where red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay) wines are equally prolific.

Region: Languedoc-Roussillon couRse: Golf de La Grande-Motte (Pink Flamingos) La Grande Motte may be a 42-hole, vacation-resort complex, but its championship layout, ‘Les Flamants Roses,’ is really special. Designed by Robert Trent Jones in 1987, this Florida-style course is located on the edge of a lagoon, a short walk from the beaches.

Water is a constant threat though the course is fairly flat and easy to walk. However, if the wind gets up it can become a tough test. Its location—12 miles from the Mediterranean city of Montpellier—means that golfers can combine a family holiday with a few rounds.

Contact: ot-lagrandemotte.fr/golf.php Yardage: 7,228; Par: 72 local wine: This is the largest region in terms of vineyard surface, and the amount of cheaper wine that is produced.

While still the source of much of France’s and Europe’s overproduction, the so-called “wine lake,” LanguedocRoussillon is also home to some innovative producers who combine traditional French and international styles with New World techniques. Readers should note that local wine is often sold as Vin de Pays d’Oc.

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You can’t forget you’re in the heart of wine country here as each hole is named after a Médoc vintage and the 150-yard markers are wine bottles. However, this course more resembles a Scottish links than anything else. Built by Bill Coore in 1989 on land reclaimed in the 17th century, Les Chateaux has fast greens and the wind whips in off the Atlantic. This challenging set-up will test even the finest exponent of links golf. The other course at Golf du Médoc is Les Vignes, which was opened in 1991.

Contact: golf-du-medoc.com Yardage: 6,917; Par: 71 local wine: Bordeaux has a long history of exporting wine. It’s primarily a red wine region, famous for names like Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux and Château Haut-Brion from Médoc; Château Cheval Blanc in Saint-Émilion; and Château Pétrus and Château Le Pin in Pomerol. The reds are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc. Bordeaux also makes white wines, including Sauternes such as Château d’Yquem.

Region: Corsica couRse: Golf de Sperone As spectacular a course as you will ever play, Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s masterpiece on the south coast of the French island of Corsica has drawn comparisons with Pebble Beach. The course is surrounded by heather, gorse and scrub, and has six holes perched on the cliff top with views of Sardinia to the south that will alone make the day memorable. Sperone, now 20 years old, is not particularly long but it’s tough due to its exposed layout, difficult sloping greens and the wind whipping in off the sea. This absolute gem is also only a 45-minute ride by ferry from Sardinia.

Contact: sperone.com Yardage: 6,677; Par: 72 local wine: The wines produced on this mountainous Mediterranean island tend to be consumed domestically.

It has nine wine-producing regions and mass production is still very much a work in progress. Most prevalent are its rosé and white wines, which must be drunk young and fresh, but its reds are also surprisingly smooth.

Golf de Sperone

Go Primal.

It’s a given that playing golf competitively requires focus for long periods of time. What many golfers may not realize is that what you eat before teeing off can have a dramatic effect on how mentally sharp you’ll be on the course. During a game, what are your options when your attention level is diminished because of a decrease in blood sugar?

Food bars are your best choice for a portable, convenient snack that will maintain your focus for the rest of the game. Poliquin Primal Bars come in a variety of flavors and present a healthy, nutritional alternative to the protein/energy bars offered in grocery stores.

Poliquin Primal Bars. Finish the game strong!

To learn more about Primal Bars, visit our online store at us.cpoliquin.com.

Click on supplements to view our snacks/meal replacements category.

CharlesPoliquin.com

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Often called “golf with a shotgun,” sporting clays gives you the good walk, tough targets, rewards for accuracy and camaraderie of the stick and ball game, but with a little kick. Kingdom looks at a few clubs and resorts where you can try both sports in high style OCCASIONALLy THeRe ARe GOLF SHOTS yOU WANT BACk. Watching an errant drive arcing toward a stand of trees or water hazard, we sometimes imagine shooting the ball out of the sky, seeing the scattered fragments fall away as if the shot had never happened.

And if golf and sporting clays were combined, then errant shots really could be erased. Of course they’re different games, but they are often enjoyed by the same sorts of people, occasionally at the same resort.

Like in trap and skeet, participants in sporting clays use shotguns to target round clay discs. But unlike trap and skeet, which feature set target sizes and repeatable target presentations in a single location, sporting clays is meant to represent an actual hunting experience. Rather than shooting from a single location, participants walk over a natural terrain course that holds 10 to 15 shooting stations, shooting up to 10 targets at each one. Targets are unpredictable, varying in size, speed, trajectory, elevation and even angle.

Targets can appear one or two at a time, crossing in front of the shooter, rolling on the ground, spinning high through the air, etc. The variations are limited only by the course designer’s imagination.

The sport dates back to early 20th century england, where shooting clubs used clay targets to practice for game shoots. The practices proved so popular the activity became a sport of its own. Due to the unpredictable nature of the targets, sporting clays is one of the most difficult forms of sport shooting. even professionals who boast 100 percent “kill” rates in trap and skeet hover near 85 percent with sporting clays. expert or beginner, the following locations make a fine place to try your hand—whether you’re carrying a driver or a 12 gauge.

Nemacolin offers some of the best shooting and the best golf on one single property

NemacoliN WoodlaNds ResoRt Farmingdale, PA nemacolin.com 866.344.6957 In Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, just about an hour south of where a certain Mr. Palmer grew up, the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort sits beautifully ready to entertain. Built by industrialist Willard F. Rockwell (Rockwell International) as a private game reserve, the property eventually came under the ownership of 84 Lumber Company founder Joseph A Hardy III. In 1987, the same year he bought the property, a lodge on site was expanded, a conference center was improved and The Woodlands Golf Academy was established. Other amenities followed in subsequent seasons: a top spa, equestrian options, wildlife habitats, fine dining (Lautrec, an on-site restaurant, is one of only 50 in the U.S. to earn the AAA Five Diamond award, making Nemacolin one of only 21 resorts world-wide to have both Five Diamond lodging and dining), and today Nemacolin stands as one of the finest resort destinations anywhere— and not just for humans. Should your four-legged friend desire a relaxing escape, The Nemacolin Wooflands Pet Resort & Spa opened in 2009, presumably well away from the sporting clays course.

Golf There are two courses at Nemacolin, and they’re both gems. The Pete Dye-designed Mystic Rock, well known to many golfers, was rated No.1 in the state last year, and for good reason. Huge bunkers, rolling greens and plenty of tricky shots will challenge even the best among us. The Links is a different animal altogether, but it’s no less challenging if you want it to be. It’s not a long course, but the greens are positively maddening (or insanely rewarding, depending on your short game). Plenty of rocks, water and other features provide equal measures of beauty and frustration, but the views and overall experience are well worth any amount of the latter.

SportinG ClayS Just down the street from the resort proper, The Shooting Academy at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort sits on 140 acres and holds what is unquestionably one of the country’s finest sporting clays facilities. There are 30 sporting clay stations in all, spread over two courses, towers, five stand pavilions and a Wobble Trap Field. Instructors certified by the National Sporting Clay Association ensure even first-time shooters break clays, while a large banquet facility and full-service pro shop mean the Academy could provide the perfect day for your group, no matter how big or how small.

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The homesTead Hot Springs, VA thehomestead.com 540.839.1766 Twenty-some years before the United States was even a country a young George Washington visited the natural springs for which this area of Virginia is named; roughly ten years later on the same site, The Homestead was born. The list of visitors to “The Grande Dame of the Mountains” is distinguished indeed: the likes of Thomas Jefferson, J. Pierpont Morgan, Thomas Edison and a large number of U.S. presidents have all enjoyed the fine dining, accommodations and activities offered at what is arguably one of the world’s finest resorts.

Woodrow Wilson honeymooned here, Harry Truman enjoyed walking here almost every morning during his visits, and President McKinley was the first sitting president to play golf here, teeing off at the Old Course in 1899. The entire property is steeped in Southern tradition, from the elegantly appointed rooms to the columns in the Grand Hall Lobby. Archery, falconry, horseback riding, an Orvis fly fishing school, a bowling alley, theatre, skiing… There’s almost no end to the available activities, and all of it is handled with topnotch facilities and Southern charm.

Golf There are three golf courses at The Homestead, and none of them is named “The Presidents’ Course”— though any of them could be, considering how many commanders-in-chief have played here. The resort’s Cascades Course is regularly ranked as one of “America’s 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses,” and is considered by some to be the finest mountain course in the country. Designer William S. Flynn made good use of the local topography, working with the hills to create a challenging, but not punishing, course. The Old Course has been on the property since 1892 and holds the nation’s oldest first tee in continuous use. Wide fairways with plenty of contouring hearken back to traditional designs but the course is no relic, its upkeep and design having continuously evolved with the game.

The Lower Cascades course gets you out of the hills to some degree, but this Robert Trent Jones, Sr. design is tough, with its rushing stream, severe green contouring and cleverly placed bunkers.

SportinG ClayS Shooting games are as native to Virginia as green hills, and The Homestead honors the tradition with a formidable Gun Club. The resort’s sporting clays course is legend among the sport’s aficionados: it hosted the first-ever U.S. Open Sporting Clays Championship in 1992 and is the home of the prestigious Homestead Cup event, which takes place in summer. The scenic course winds nearly a mile through the Virginia woods and simulates numerous types of game birds and rabbits, and the shooting instructors there are among the finest in the world, meaning you’ll actually have a chance at scoring.

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The Homestead (above) and activities at The River Plantation (below)

NumerouS u.S. PreSideNtS HAVe eNjoyed tHe HomeSteAd’S loVely old courSe—ANd you cAN, too

The RiveR PlanTaTion Queenstown, MD theriverplantation.com 800.697.1777 Made up of three distinct resort features—Hunters Oak, Pintail Point and Pintail Yachts—The River Plantation is a luxury destination for all occasions and tastes.

Covering more than 1,000 acres and four miles of shoreline along the historic Wye River in elegant and picturesque Eastern Maryland, this retreat offers a bevy of activities and a wide range of recreational options for families, couples and groups of any size. No wonder that it has found fans among many notables, most recently including famous television culinary personality Paula Deen. Hunters Oak Golf Club is a not-to-be-missed complex for anyone looking to hit a few balls in New England, Pintail Point brings a top-tier twist to the best area hunting and fishing, and Pintail Yachts’ fleet of luxury watercraft puts you on the river for a gentle cruise or a large event. Accommodations are handled with two bed & breakfast locations: Pintail Point Manor House, built in 1936, and the smaller “Irishtown,” a turn-of-the-century Victorian-style farmhouse. Both are elegant and welcoming, ensuring nothing gets between you and a relaxing bit of fun at The River Plantation.

Golf Hunters Oak Golf Club sits on the tranquil grounds of The River Plantation, and it’s a true example of what the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland is all about.

Thick stands of trees form long lines and patches on the Bay area’s marshland, and water features add as much peril as they do beauty. River Plantation’s website describes Hunter’s Oak as “a look back in time, and at the same time a modern, state-of-the-art facility,” and we agree. Old school charm meets modern challenge at this lovely bit of golf. A smaller 9-hole challenge joins the property’s signature par-72 Scottish links-style course to create 27 holes of New England beauty, as challenging or as kind as you like. Dornach House, a Scottish-style Pub & Grille, is on property, along with private card and billiard rooms, full-feature locker facilities and more.

SportinG ClayS Among the more substantial sporting clays courses in the area, the Pintail Point Sporting Clay course offers 22 diverse shooting stations and an exciting array of targets. There’s a water-backdrop wobble trap and a unique 5-stand with seven traps, including a tower.

Target presentations can be tailor-made to match the shooter’s abilities, while a well-maintained walking and cart path ensures everyone can cover the course’s 55 beautiful acres in style. Additionally, NSCA-certified instructors are available to school new shooters and old hands as well on how to maximize your time on course.

To make sure everyone’s accommodated, a number of packages are availalble for families, corporate groups and parties of any size.

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Room at the top

Who are golf’s movers and shakers? the people who shape the game’s image and determine what we all discuss when we congregate in the grill room? over the next few issues of Kingdom, we will talk to the men and women in charge, find out what makes them tick, and profile their achievements and unique skills. First up is the chief executive of the R&a in Scotland, peter Dawson

photo: Kevin murray

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It must be the vIew: to say It’s specIal Is an understatement. panoramIc would be more accurate. From a spacious, well-ordered office in the upper echelons of the r&a clubhouse, we take in hamilton hall, various age-old golf shops, the rusacks hotel, the old course hotel, the links trust clubhouse, the himalayas putting green, the west sands (immortalized by the film Chariots of Fire) and the north sea beyond. and that’s just the picture frame. slap bang in the middle of all this eye candy is one of the world’s iconic sporting arenas—the old course. as I gaze into the middle distance, a trio of jets from nearby raF leuchars buzzes over and even the sun beams its approval.

It defies comprehension to think that the home of Golf’s inner sanctum, its tabernacle no less, was only used by card players until 1956—by people who almost certainly weren’t looking out of the window. “not a bad view, eh?” remarks my chummy companion as we sit down for a chat. “makes getting up to come to work a lot easier!” the more-than satisfied beholdier of this astonishing kaleidoscope of golfing folklore is a gentleman called peter dawson who took up his dual position as chief executive of the r&a and secretary of the royal and ancient Golf club in 2000, just in time to take charge of the millennium [british] open. (we have ritish’ in brackets because, while the put the word ‘british’

tournament is commonly known as the british open in america, its true title is the open championship, and has been since 1860 when it became the first ever ‘open tournament to be contested.)

In more than 30 years of writing about golf it has been my privilege to interview three r&a secretaries, and there is no doubt in my mind that the modern success of the open, not to mention the growth of the game worldwide, can be attributed to their standard-bearing efforts. no triumvirate of people, though, can have been more different in temperament and personality than Keith mackenzie, sir michael bonallack and dawson. mackenzie, a bluff, gruff royal navy man with a penchant for smoking untipped senior service cigarettes, had a heart of gold beneath his fearsome exterior, and his commitment to transforming the open into the world’s foremost golf tournament was indefatigable. when mackenzie stepped down in 1984, he was succeeded by bonallack, the best amateur golfer produced by the british Isles since ww2. despite being shy and reserved, bonallack was equally as passionate about the importance of the open and the r&a’s mission to foster the development of golf. by the time dawson came to grasp the reins in time for the new millennium, he had inherited a welloiled machine that knew precisely where it was going and understood fully its role in the game.

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The spacious office of the R&A’s Chief Executive, Peter Dawson, is situated on the second floor of golf’s most exclusive clubhouse

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Prince Andrew re-opens the Golf Museum in 2004

it was very appropriate and fortuitous to have a member of the royal family as captain But Dawson, who only became a member of the R&A in 1994, was certainly pitched in at the deep end with the 2000 Open taking place at St. Andrews during his first year, but at least he had the benefit of being ‘eased’ into the job with Bonallack on hand as R&A Captain.

Bonallack was a hard act to follow, but Dawson in his decade as one of the principal guardians of the game has consistently proved himself to be a safe pair of hands. He is swift to reiterate the R&A’s manifold global roles: To preserve golf’s noble traditions while modernizing its public image; to administer and update the rules; and to provide governance for the game outside the USA and Mexico.

“We want evolution at the R&A, not revolution,” he insists.“Our main revenue stream is The Open, but this is not the members’ money—it is used for the betterment of golf. The R&A supports golf worldwide and we have shifted the emphasis of our grant aid from being roughly 70 per cent for U.K. causes and 30 per cent for the rest of the world to something like 40-60 the other way.

“We support programs which encourage golf to grow through the development of a country’s junior players. Our golf development committee visits many countries before deciding which projects to support. The rules schools we run around the world are not cheap either, due to our staff’s travel costs. But we also look after the elite end of the amateur game, like the Walker Cup and the various championships we stage. Therefore, we are careful to maintain our financial reserves so that if there were any unforeseen disasters we could continue our governance role.”

Despite presiding over a further ten Opens since he came into office, including this year’s 150th anniversary championship, perhaps the biggest event of Dawson’s tenure to date has been the R&A’s own 250th birthday celebrations in 2004, coinciding with the captaincy of His Royal Highness, the Duke of York.

“We had a tremendous time,” Dawson says. “It was very appropriate and fortuitous to have a member of the Royal family as Captain. Prince Andrew was very enthusiastic. Despite the demands of his schedule, he was able to attend most of our big events. For instance, he spent two weeks here in St Andrews when the celebrations were at their height.”

Dawson discharges another key duty, of course— that of secretary of the world’s most distinguished private golf club. “We have 2,400 members—1,800 full members and 600 supernumeraries, generally older members who no longer play—and we organize a number of events for them during the year, most prominently our Spring and Autumn meetings.

“We are also very conscious of the importance of our role in St. Andrews. The R&A’s prime position is as a local club. The Links Trust manages the town’s seven courses which are all totally public. However, five private clubs also use the courses, three for men (including the R&A) and two for ladies.”

With so much on his plate, it must be frustrating for Dawson that his life revolves around golf and yet the responsibilities and timetable of his job allow him so little chance to play. Once a scratch man, he still plays off a handicap of three but he self-deprecatingly says his game “goes in fits and starts these days”.

He might feel off the pace with a club in his hand these days, but a Scottish golf-writing friend of mine assures me that Dawson still strikes a mean 2-iron off a tight lie. And when it comes to running the game of golf, he is definitely on the ball.

Born in Aberdeen, in 1948, Dawson graduated from Cambridge University in 1969. His subsequent career included more than 25 years at CEO level in various companies—experience that honed his antennae when it came to fielding awkward questions from the media.

During the build-up to the 2005 Open, Dawson was publicly asked when women would be allowed to enter golf’s oldest championship—a red herring, but not an easy topic to argue against. However, he did his interrogators the courtesy of accepting their questions at face value, even though he surely knew that he was being set up.

“The Championship Committee is looking at removing

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the ‘male only’ stipulation from the competitors’ entry form for 2006,” he revealed. “Approving the principle about women playing in the Open is not difficult, but the system to determine how they might get in and qualify is.

“The R&A is determined to maintain the standard of the championship and the stringency of its entry conditions. Without any objective method of comparing the standard of men and women players, it is not as straightforward a matter as many might think.”

In those four sentences, he displayed a diplomat’s genius for massaging his audience’s ego without actually saying anything. This is the sort of thing he takes in his stride, and no doubt will continue to do so until he retires—a date that is not imminent, he believes, “unless you know something I don’t,” he quips.

More problematical for him are things like the abrupt cancellation of the Champions Challenge at St. Andrews on the day immediately before this year’s British Open due to a near-monsoon over the east coast of Scotland. With the likes of Roberto de Vicenzo, Arnold Palmer and Peter Thomson cooling their heels in bars and lounges around the Old Course as the storm raged, their pitch for almost $80,000 for charity was also blown off course.

“We were terribly disappointed, especially after the success of the 2000 event,” Dawson says. “But we had absolutely no option but to call it off in the circumstances.”

For Palmer, ironically, it must have felt like the world coming round full circle. His first visit to St. Andrews and the British Open, 50 years previously, coincided with similarly horrendous weather conditions.

But Palmer was so enamored of the experience that he vowed to keep coming back and was swiftly rewarded with victories in both 1961 (Royal Birkdale) and 1962 (Royal Troon).

Thereafter, he was hooked and he was still playing in The Open well into his sixties. A good job too, as well, because by general consensus the event was dying on its feet at the time he first decided to come over.

Dawson, only an awe-struck schoolboy at the time of Palmer’s first tilt at the Claret Jug, is in no doubt of the importance of the King’s intervention. “We on the eastern side of the Atlantic owe Arnold a great debt and I think he encouraged many other Americans to come over to play in the Open,” he says. “[Ben] Hogan and [Sam] Snead played and won in the Forties and Fifties, but mostly the Fifties were dominated by Thomson and [Bobby] Locke before the Americans started to come.

“It goes without saying that they have enhanced the championship since Arnold’s intervention and they have provided many worthy winners over the last 50 years.

We are very much in Arnold’s debt for that.”

Palmer is not the only American institution worthy of Dawson’s admiration.“Our relationship with the USGA is very close,” he says. “The governing bodies were definitely slow in grappling with the equipment issue in the 1990s, but we have since thoroughly researched the impact technology relating to balls and clubs, and are in a position to react if the need arises. Ball and club development has reached its limits within the rules and

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hopefully we have drawn a line in the sand. Our current brief is to anticipate any problems that might arise. The R&A want to do what’s best for golf, not what’s best for the R&A, and we’ll not shirk that responsibility.”

Dawson believes clubfaces are now largely under control. Interestingly, he also argues, quite vehemently when pressed, that the golf ball is not going any further than it did in the late 1990s; ‘‘As far as the quality of the ball is concerned, I don’t think we’re seeing a huge swing at the moment. And the Tour stats bear this out.”

One recent development that lights Dawson’s eyes lighting up is when discussion switches to the subject of the admission of golf into the 2016 Olympics.

Golf will be a very active member of the olympic family in 2016. china has chanGed attitudes around the world to Golf “I’ve never known such an outpouring of joy about anything in golf,” he says. “We had so many messages from around the world about this it took me days to reply to them. Golf will be a very active member of the Olympic family in 2016. China has changed attitudes around the world to golf—we expected it to become a powerhouse but the speed with which it has grown there has surprised most of us.”

His primary involvement in the scheme came through the World Golf Foundation. “Apart from acting as a voice for golf and helping to grow the game, one of the WGF’s main advantages is it provides a forum for the game’s senior figures to get together. Getting us all round one table enables big subjects to be discussed.”

There’s a big table in Dawson’s office—no problem getting everyone round that. But can they resist the temptation to be distracted by the view? Or will they take their eye off the ball?

Arnold Palmer escapes from a bunker at St. Andrews in 1960

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10ORA151

Arnold Palmer’s

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

part 18

Arnold Palmer gets a grip while playing in the First Tee Open at Pebble Beach on the Champions Tour

The King practices on the driving range during the 1976 British Open at Royal Birkdale

Mr. Palmer lets rip another pin-seeking missile

Arnold Palmer in action during the 1978 British Open at St. Andrews on the east coast of Scotland

Notice how the eyes remain rooted to the spot where the ball once lay in this iconic action shot

It’s back to Royal Birkdale, where he won in 1961, for another tilt at the British Open 22 years later

Home is wHere tHe Heart is the lives of arnold Palmer and Latrobe are indelibly intertwined. whatever project may have his attention at any given time, or wherever in the world it may be, Palmer has always returned to this small town in western Pennsylvania to recharge his batteries.

Latrobe resident Chris Rodell explores and salutes this mutual attraction

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About the only plAce you’d find the pAlmer fAmily nAme in the eArly 20th century wAs in the lAtrobe phone book. now, 81 years, 92 professional victories and countless philanthropic endeavors later, the palmer name is everywhere. it’s on the latrobe airport and hospital, car dealerships, nature reserves, roads and library walls. As for the local phone book, not only is Arnold palmer’s name still listed in it, his smiling picture featured on the cover of one recent issue. in so many ways, latrobe has become Arnold palmer and the best parts of Arnold palmer have become latrobe. the two cannot be pried apart. maybe that’s why he’s never left the small western pennsylvania town 40 miles east along u.s. route 30

from pittsburgh. despite his fortune and access to palatial homes and posh property around the world, he still calls latrobe, pop. 7,634, home. has this man, recognized world-wide, ever thought of leaving? “never once,” he says. “And i never will.” it is a golden autumn day when he sits down for this kingdom interview. soon the tartan leaves will lose their tug and it will be possible for palmer to peek through bare branches across the street named in his honor to where he grew up, where he learned to play golf. it’s where he still golfs, still frolics and is still surrounded by admirers and loved ones. yet, this man with so much glory to look back upon still wakes up every day with his gaze firmly fixed on the future. today, he and his latrobe staff are busy

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preparing for a fall groundbreaking for a SpringHill characteristics could not have been forged elsewhere?

Suites by Marriott that will serve as the destination “I like to think I’d still have been a success if I’d grown hotel for Palmer pilgrims from around the world. “This up someplace else, but the people here were always is going to be really great,” he says. “We’re very excited very encouraging and helped me succeed.” about what this fine hotel will be bringing to guests.”

Now, Latrobe without Palmer can still do some It’ll be a hotel where people can see for themselves bragging. The town along the banks of the scenic the ample reasons why he’ll always call Latrobe home.

Loyalhanna Creek gave America and the world a “This is the most beautiful place in the world,” he beguiling mix of strong and tough, sweet and tender. says. “It has everything. You have mountains, fresh It was here in 1904 that apprentice pharmacist water, four beautiful seasons and friendly people. I’ve David Evans Strickler began tinkering with ice creams been all over the world and have never found a place and fruits. First a little vanilla here, a scoop of chocolate better than this. I live in Florida the rest of the time and there, some strawberry, a host of other tasty confections I love Orlando. But if I were forced to choose one place all cradled by the monkey’s yellow mainstay and— over all the others, this would be it.” voila!—you have the banana split. It happened in the Palmer’s been lavished with multi-million dollar old Tassel Pharmacy down on Ligonier Street. “I used fees to endorse Rolex, Cadillac and many other products Latrobe is home to the Banana Split and a Palmer Cadillac dealership that crave his association. But none has more reciprocal value than the one he bestowed for free. “It’s just like the MasterCard commercial filmed here in Latrobe,” observes Andy Stofan, president of the Latrobe Chamber of Commerce. “What Palmer brings to Latrobe just by calling it home is priceless.” Palmer’s had just three primary residences in his entire life and they’ve all been within 200 yards of the house in which he was born.

Always a proud little town, Latrobe would have been famous without Arnold Palmer and, yes, it’s likely Arnold Palmer would have been famous without Latrobe.

Palmer had the swing, determination, grit, charisma and elegance, characteristics that were shaped by the tough little steel town. But who’s to say those same

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to have a banana split every day at lunch down at the Valley Dairy,” Palmer says. “They’re delicious. I never knew they’d become world famous.”

No one familiar with his humble origins would have figured the same was destined for him, either. Gone is the old farm house where Deacon and Doris raised Arnold and sister Lois Jean Tilley (siblings Sandra Sarni and Jerry would be raised in a since-demolished home on the club’s 15th fairway some 15 years later). In its place is a tidy little putting green beside the creek locals call Nine Mile Run that scoots alongside the 5th hole at Latrobe Country Club where Deacon was head pro and superintendent until his death in 1976. Chainsaw artist Joe King was hired in the late 1990s to carve a statue of the proud old man from a stout stump of one of the many Scotch pines Deacon planted alongside the 18th fairway more than 70 years ago. Palmer’s attachment to the land and its memories is euphoric.

“The house where I was raised was really an old farm house from before they built the golf course,” Palmer says. “It was rickety, but wonderful. I remember the snows would come in through the windows. I’d wake up in the morning and there was snow on the bed.

“I’d pump well water from the kitchen to the basement for my mother to do laundry. Then it was hung out to dry right there beside the old 6th hole.

That’s the way it was. We had pigs and chickens in the backyard and every fall we’d butcher the pigs for food.

That was in the 30s, during the Depression.”

Palmer bought the club in 1971. He spent three years considering what to do with the old home before deciding it had to go. “I gave serious thought to fixing it up, but it would have been so expensive. Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer wanted to keep it and preserve it as a historic site. Now, I wish I had done just that. If I had to do over, I would have kept it.”

It would have made a dandy little tourist attraction and, if the cards had fallen the right way, given Latrobe a one-two punch that many larger cities would envy.

Because at one time and by all rights, the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be in Latrobe, not Canton, as many sport historians contend. Latrobe is the birthplace of professional football. It was September 3, 1895, not far from Memorial Stadium where the current Greater Latrobe High School Wildcats play their home games, that John Braillier accepted $10 from the Latrobe Athletic Association to play a home game versus a rival team from Jeannette.

It was money well spent. Latrobe beat Jeannette 12-0 Braillier, who became a local dentist, was selected in 1979 by the Pro Football Researchers Association as among the “Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame.”

Old timers talk about how in 1963 Latrobe was a whisker away from being selected as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the votes went to Canton.

By then, it hardly seemed to matter. A local golfer was in the midst of a historic string of championships that made losing a major sport’s HOF seem inconsequential.

And it wasn’t like Latrobe’s link to professional

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football snapped. Latrobe has for 45 years been the summer home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, six-time Super Bowl champions. Each August, tens of thousands of Steeler fans from all over the world make a pigskin pilgrimage to Latrobe to watch the Black ‘n’ Gold get ready for another fall campaign.

Then there is Latrobe’s other touchstone icon.

Oddly for a town so intent to tout its toughness, Latrobe also nurtured one of the most famously sweet men in American history. The appellation “Mister” is often bestowed out of trembling respect to prison guards or ill-tempered mob bosses. But in this instance it connotes a gentleness so benign it became legend.

That’s Mister Rogers, Mr. Fred Rogers, that is, because you have to land at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport if you want to visit the real Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

The world knows Arnold Palmer is from Latrobe, but to be asolutely specific people in Latrobe know he’s from Youngstown, the tiny village of just 400 people a mile south across U.S. Route 30. So while it makes geographical sense to say Palmer is from Latrobe, Uncle Sam sends his mail to a PO Box in Youngstown.

How this one village produced such global icons confounds logic. Yet, today the ceremonial Arnold Palmer Drive leads right down Youngstown’s Main Street straight on to Fred Rogers Way. Youngstown is dominated by a three-story building that housed the bar Deacon frequented. Formerly known as Amer’s Bar, it is now the Tin Lizzy and features fine

Old timers talk about how Latrobe was a whisker away from being selected as home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame If you fly to Latrobe, you will land at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport

dining in the Barnhouse Bistro, a place where the Palmers often dine. The delightful old inn has distinct bars on three floors. The Tin Lizzy is just across the street from a popular family restaurant, The Rainbow Inn, and a short stumble away from the Youngstown Volunteer Fireman’s Social Hall. Not only can locals brag that tiny Youngstown gave the world two famous icons, they can also boast it’s a town with one stop light and five liquor licenses, a convivial equation even places like New Orleans and Key West can’t match.

Growing up in the 1930s, it was a good place to be and a good place to be from. Unlike Palmer, Rogers’ family was well-off, particularly for the times, and the McFeeley-Rogers Foundation is, like Palmer, a beloved source of benevolent largesse for the community.

“Fred was a year older than I was,” Palmer says.

“He took golf lessons from my Dad.” Clearly, Deacon’s teaching abilities didn’t extend to even the most earnest students. But, as the world knows, Fred Rogers had a flair for other pursuits that continues to nurture generations of children around the world, seven years after his death.

He and Palmer were classmates at Latrobe High School, now an elementary school on Ligonier Street.

Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and the host and creative force behind one of the most successful children’s shows in television history. When he died at 74 in 2003, his gentle manner was mourned by generations. A man famous for working in sneakers

“I knew him well. We’d get together and talk about old Latrobe friends and what we were each up to. He was a great guy”

the water. “From the glass-lined tanks of Old Latrobe we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment, as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you.” From 1939 to 2006, those 33 words were printed on the labels of the green bottles of Rolling Rock beer, brewed by Latrobe Brewing.

The Laurel Highlands beer was an American cult favorite until Anheuser-Busch bought it in 2006 and moved it to New Jersey. Before that, beer lovers would debate theories as to why the enigmatic “33” was stenciled on the bottom of the bottles of every beer. Was it because 1933 was the year hated Prohibition was repealed? No. Was it because, as rumor had it, a horse named Rolling Rock won the Kentucky Derby in 1933?

No, that was Broker’s Tip ridden by Don Meade. The answer is on the label. The word count from hearty little welcome is 31. Add “Rolling Rock” and you have 33. That was written on the label so the printer would understand the precise word count to charge.

You don’t want to order a Rolling Rock in Latrobe anymore. You’d get the same reaction in town if in 1965 you rooted for Jack Nicklaus instead of Deacon’s kid.

Palmer was an unofficial ambassador to the beer. This from John P. May’s 1965 Golf Digest story about visiting the Palmer home: “The atmosphere was unhurried and unpretentious. It could have been the residence of a successful druggist or the high school principal. There was no indication that this was the home of the world’s busiest, most exciting, most successful golfer. Winnie offered to fix a salad lunch, and then Palmer had a suggestion of his own. ‘Let me get you a glass of Rolling Rock draft beer I keep here,’ he said. ‘I guarantee it’ll be the best you’ve ever tasted.’”

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Mister Rogers received golf lessons from Arnold Palmer’s father

and a sweater, Rogers left landmarks as indelible as the Hoover Dam. In 1969, he appeared before the U.S. Senate to explain why the government should give $20 million to public television when it was waging a costly war with Vietnam. Rogers spoke for six spellbinding minutes. Cantankerous Sen. John O. Pastore, famous for his brusqueness, was unfamiliar with Rogers or his work. He said Rogers’ words and manner gave him goose bumps. Instead of the proposed cuts to children’s programming, Pastore’s subcommittee increased federal funding of PBS from $9 million to $22 million in a decision that made headlines around the world.

“I knew him pretty well,” Palmer says of Rogers.

“We’d get together and talk about old Latrobe friends and about what we were each up to. He was a great guy.”

When Rogers and Palmer were graduating in 1946 and ’47 respectively, the men had nothing in common.

All these years later, they share at least one uncommon distinction: both are recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rogers from 2002, Palmer from 2004.

What could it be about Latrobe that simultaneously produced two such titans, each so revered, each so different? Must be something in the water. Ah, yes,

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You won’t find him offering the brand anymore.

Now, it’s Arnold Palmer Tee, the half tea/half lemonade brand inspired by Palmer. “It’s too bad Rolling Rock left town,” he says. “It really meant a lot to Latrobe.”

Other brewers scrambled to use the facility and Pittsburgh mainstays Duquesne and Iron City now brew their beers there. That’s not all. Palmer again played white knight and had Arnold Palmer Tee crafted in the glass-lined tanks that once made Rolling Rock. “I was happy to do that,” he says. “It helped a lot of our neighbors keep their jobs at the brewery.” Now, even more local people will turn to him for their paychecks with the new hotel likely creating nearly 100 jobs.

“That hotel will be a beacon for tourists,” says chamber president Stofan. “I know this summer Vince Gill and some band members from Rascal Flatts were here to golf at Latrobe Country Club.” He’s right. They were among nearly 1,000 names scribbled in the embossed guest book at Palmer’s office. Others from recent years include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Donald Trump, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Pittsburgh Steeler legend Jerome Bettis, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, and politicians Tom Ridge, John McCain and Pat Toomey.

Stofan says the new hotel confirms a commitment to risk to succeed in Latrobe. “We have so much to be proud of in Latrobe,” Stofan says. “Communities all over the country would love to have just one of these landmark icons to celebrate.” Why does Palmer stay? Why not take the word of a California transplant who left the Golden State for the Laurel Highlands. “I came here and just fell in love with the area,” says Kit Gawthrop Palmer, who

Visit the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, a 50-acre wilderness saved from development in 2007

on January 26 celebrates her sixth anniversary with her dashing Latrobe spouse. “I thought it was going to be flat and midwestern looking.

But the scenery is beautiful all year round. And the people are so welcoming.”

Besides Latrobe, there’s golf at Laurel Valley, a course with which Palmer’s been involved since 1959, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, all within an hour of Latrobe.

Other attractions include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Idlewild Park.

For spiritual solace, visit the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, a 50-acre wilderness saved from development in 2007.

It was Palmer’s late wife’s wish that the scenic meadow fronting St. Vincent College be preserved from bulldozers and big box stores.

There’s fine dining and cigars at DiSalvo’s Station and friendly sports talk at taverns like The Pond run by the Carfang family since 1954. Owner Dave Carfang still beams about the time Palmer told him, “You know, my daughters were raised on Pond pizza.”

As for icons, rural southwestern Pennsylvania is bustling with them.

Just 35 miles northeast of Latrobe is Indiana, birthplace of actor Jimmy Stewart. Genial on screen, it’s doubtful Stewart would have minded Palmer appropriating the title of one of his films to describe his own joyful existence.

It’s a wonderful life. And Arnold Palmer’s inviting you to come to Latrobe and see so for yourself.

Photo: Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

The golf course at Laurel Valley played host to the 1975 Ryder Cup

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doctor Palmer the award of an honorary law degree to arnold Palmer by st. andrews university on the eve of the 150th [british] open championship last summer was the latest in a long line of tributes paid by scotland’s oldest seat of learning to its favorite game. Paul Trow studies the relationship in this unique setting between town, gown and golf

F

rom First sight, more than halF a century ago, arnold Palmer was entranced by both the old course and the ‘auld grey toun’ oF st. andrews. the King, so to sPeaK, Found himselF very much at home at the home oF golF in the Kingdom oF FiFe.

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Palmer’s first appearance in the game’s oldest major championship, the [british] open, was the occasion of its centenary during the summer of 1960. he finished runner-up to australia’s Kel nagle that year, yet to this day he believes his chances of victory were drowned by the vagaries of the inclement weather that descended that week upon the east coast of scotland.

Arnold Palmer (center) was joined by two other recipients of honorary law degrees in St. Andrews University’s Younger Hall—five-time British Open champion Tom Watson, left, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who has won the Claret Jug twice in recent years

“It’s a real honor to be recognIzed by the UnIversIty of st. andrews. walkIng down the street here, I feel lIke I’m at home”

The final round, hitherto contested on Friday afternoons, was postponed for the first time till a Saturday due to the driving rain that deluged the course.

Lesser men would have taken this as a signal never to come back: Not so Arnold Palmer.

He teed up in pursuit of the Claret Jug a further six times over the Old Course, culminating in an emotional farewell, aged 65, from the Swilcan Bridge in July 1995.

That was it for Arnie as far as playing in The Open was concerned, though he has visited St. Andrews once or twice since in his capacity as a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club—the original organizers of The Open and proprietors of the imposing grey clubhouse that overlooks the iconic 1st tee and 18th green.

Earlier this year he returned to The Open for the first time in 15 years—with not one, but two major appointments in his diary. The second, mirroring his experiences of 50 years previously, was the Wednesday afternoon Champions Challenge that was regrettably, but sensibly, canceled because of a horrendous storm that swept in from the north just as the former champions were donning their rainwear.

The first, in brilliant sunshine the previous day, was an altogether more academic experience. Along with Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington, and a further two of the game’s more distinguished servants, Palmer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from St. Andrews University, an august establishment that celebrates its 600th anniversary in 2013.

Before a capacity audience of more than 1,000 onlookers, this trio of Open champions received their degrees in Younger Hall. Also honored were Jim Farmer, honorary professional to the R&A, and Johann Rupert,

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CEO of luxury-goods company Richemont and sponsor of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The degrees were conferred by the university’s chancellor, Sir Menzies Campbell, a former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrat party and past Olympian.

In presenting Palmer’s degree, Professor Alan Cairns of the school of mathematics and statistics described him as an “iconic figure,” a name familiar to most people as one of the 20th century’s outstanding sportsmen whose charisma helped golf to develop into a major spectator sport by attracting extensive television coverage. Professor Cairns described the Palmer approach to the game as “trouble is bad to get into but fun to get out of. If you’re in trouble, 80 percent of the time there’s a way out. If you can see the ball, you can probably hit it; and if you can hit it, you can move it; and if you can move it, you might be able to knock it in the hole. At least it’s fun to try!”

Palmer told his audience: “I’m pleased to be here and thankful for the opportunity to see what I have seen today. Little did I think back in 1960 when I told my father and a friend that I was coming to The Open and they said ‘really, are you ready?’ what might happen 50 years later.

“It is a thrill to be back here and a real honor to be recognized by the University of St. Andrews. Walking down the street in St. Andrews, I feel like I’m at home.

Thank you all.”

In an unexpected tribute to Palmer, Watson revealed that the King had been the inspiration for his legendary battles with Jack Nicklaus. Turning to Palmer, he said: “I want to tell you Arnold... the reason I beat Jack all those times was because he beat you too many times.”

Previous golfing recipients of honorary degrees at St. Andrews include Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson, Gary Player, Peter Alliss, Sir Michael Bonallack, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Laura Davies. And on alternative scales of human achievement, the names of Bob Dylan, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas and the Dalai Lama also appear in the academic register.

Dr. Louise Richardson, the principal and vicechancellor of St. Andrews University, said: “The five men we have just honored exemplify many of the qualities we try to impart to our students. Padraig Harrington’s discipline and hard work, Arnold Palmer’s gusto and determination, Tom Watson’s intensity and grace under pressure are all qualities that our students will need if they are to realise their ambitions.”

Dr. Richardson, a political scientist originally from Ireland and a former executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, hosted a reception for the newly anointed honorary graduates in the Principal’s garden immediately afterwards.

However, the next big event on her radar, unquestionably, is the university’s forthcoming anniversary. She only joined two years ago, but the university goes all the way back to 1413. The man in charge of delivering a successful celebration, and one that is also expected to generate a significant boost to the coffers, is Geoff Morris, who rejoices in the title of director of special projects and corporate relations.

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Prince william met his fiancée kate middleton while the two were both students at st. andrews university With a surname so suited to the history of St. Andrews (though neither ‘Old’ nor ‘Young’ Tom, he informs us, appears in his family tree), Morris has warmed swiftly to his task. “Almost as soon as I arrived, I was detailed to look after Arnold Palmer—in fact, we served his iced tea at the VIP reception,” he says. “It was a fantastic experience.” Morris, a self-confessed sports nut whose promising rugby career was ended by a back injury in the 1980s, talks a far better game than his golf handicap of 10 might suggest.

“My job is to organize the 600th anniversary— starting from next year and running through to 2013,” he adds. “I was recruited from Cambridge University where I was in charge of the 800th anniversary celebrations. You could say I’m a birthday party coordinator! Cambridge, Oxford and St. Andrews are the three oldest universities in the English-speaking world, so it’s a fantastic honor for me to help organize such milestone events at two of them. I spent just under three years at Cambridge before delivering their anniversary events during 2009-10.”

His work is cut out for him with the St. Andrews celebrations as the university is receiving more media attention than ever following the recent announcement of Prince William’s engagement. The prince met his fiancée Kate Middleton while attending St. Andrews, where she was also a student.

Morris is in charge of organizing the university’s 600th birthday

Morris is certainly up to the task. After working as a junior economist for the National Education Development Council in the United Kingdom, he underwent a Damascene career change in the mid1980s when he joined Live Aid, and then Fashion Aid. He went on to work for rugby, mental health and children’s charities. He’s the first to admit that he’s a hard-nosed fund-raiser, but he’s well aware that: “You have to balance celebration with the academic pursuit of excellence. You mustn’t waste money but it’s still important to celebrate even if we’re in an economic downturn. The university’s goal is to become as selfsufficient and as independent as it can be.

“On the other hand, this town has a population of 20,000 people, 7,000 of whom are students and 2,000 of whom, in term-time, are employees of the university, so our need to be successful is the town’s need.

“St. Andrews is a much smaller university than Cambridge but it punches well above its weight. The breakdown of its personnel is one-third Scottish, onethird from elsewhere in the EU and one-third from outside the EU, so international relations are very important.

“Our major launch will be in the summer of 2011.

During the week of graduations, the program will be about respecting the past and its achievements... Everything will take place in harmony with the town, to benefit the town.

Since his arrival from Cambridge, Morris wasted no time setting up a golf committee involving the university, the St. Andrews Links Trust and the R&A. “It’s chaired by Andy Mackenzie, a physics professor, a senior member of the University Court and, of course, a very keen golfer,” says Morris.

“To help us with our celebrations, the Links Trust has given us the use of the Old Course for an entire Sunday

“the university sits beside the golf community. lots of students play golf and lots of golfers send their children to st. andrews” in June 2013 to stage a big golf event—an exceptional gesture bearing in mind that the Old Course is always closed on Sundays. Obviously we’d like the day to be a big income generator, but it also has to be a memorable occasion... We’d like to make it the cornerstone of a three-day event that would perhaps operate over other courses in the town.

“The university and the golf community sit side by side. Lots of people at the university play golf and lots of golfers send their children to St. Andrews. In the shorter term, the celebrations will kick off in 2011 with a new website and really come to the fore during graduations week with such activities as street banners, events on the West Sands and guided tours through secret gardens.”

And what about the weather? “Anyone thinking about taking a rain check had better think again!” Are you listening, Mr. Palmer?

New for old?

There’s more to golf at St. Andrews than the Old Course. Not only is there the New, which is actually quite old, but there are many other young tracks on tap. The Castle, St. Andrews

Links Trust’s newest course, is a mile southeast of the town on the headland where a medieval fortification known as Kinkell Castle once stood. Designed by David McLay Kidd, a Scot who established his reputation with links-style creations like Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Nanea on Hawaii’s Big Island, the Castle was built in the hope that one day it might be deemed worthy of admission to the roster for The Open. At present, that day would appear to be some way off, especially as the set-up of the course has attracted criticism in certain quarters for the extreme sloping of its greens and overgrown fairway mounds.

None of this, though, should detract from Kidd’s astonishing achievement in converting a flat site consisting originally of potato fields into an imaginatively shaped links overlooking St. Andrews Bay and the town’s ecclesiastical spires, replete with sinewy fairways, blind shots and more than a mile of rugged shoreline. In addition, a mosaic of natural habitats has encouraged a diverse wildlife to return to the site where the extensive meadow land is studded with colorful native flowers.

Kingsbarns Golf Links, six miles southeast of St. Andrews, dates from 1793 when golf was played over nine holes set tight to the North Sea as the land tugs in towards the Firth of Forth. In 1939 the site was commandeered for military purposes and, thereafter, it took more than half a century of special pleading to deliver the full 18 holes this sublime piece of coastline deserved. American designer Kyle Phillips sculpted and massaged the landscape into a course that follows links traditions and feels as if it’s been in place for centuries.

Halfway between St. Andrews and Kingsbarns is another ambitious project: The Fairmont St. Andrews.

This $90 million, 5-star venue has two courses, the Torrance and Kittocks, perched commandingly on the clifftop overlooking the town. The Torrance, designed by former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, is the championship links with challenging bunkers, undulating fairways and rolling greens that, along with the occasional meandering stream, place a premium on precision, especially if a strong wind is blowing.

The other major ‘new’ course to open near St. Andrews in recent years is the Duke’s, named after The R&A’s 250th anniversary Captain, His Royal Highness, the Duke of York. Now 15 years old and firmly established as an integral part of the Old Course Hotel property now owned by Kohler Co., the Duke’s Course was originally designed by Peter Thomson as the region’s first heathland course and revised by American designer Tim Liddy in 2006. On a clear day, its views not only overlook St. Andrews but stretch across the Firth of Tay to Dundee, and Carnoustie beyond. standrews.org.uk kingsbarns.com fairmont.com/standrews oldcoursehotel.kohler.com/golf/dukes

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19tH Hole?

After a challenging round, there’s always a perch in the Dunvegan Hotel less than a well-struck wedge away from the 18th green of the Old Course. This is a popular haunt for caddies and anyone remotely connected with the game, including Arnold Palmer whenever he’s in town.

Photographs of past Open champions—from ‘Old’ Tom Morris to Tiger Woods—grace the walls.

Texan Jack Willoughby and his Scottish wife Sheena started the Dunvegan in 1994. In the short time since, it has become a St. Andrews institution. “When we took over, this place was a boarding house. But we had the vision that it could become a great 19th hole,” says Jack.

“We wanted to create a casual atmosphere where golfers could walk in wearing golf shoes and carrying their clubs to drink, eat and relax amongst fellow golfers.”

Venues for refreshment Dunvegan Hotel—dunvegan-hotel.com Scorecards Bar and Chariots Bar—scoreshotel.co.uk 1 Golf Place— 1golfplace.com Jigger Inn, Road Hole Bar—oldcoursehotel.kohler.com Ogston’s Pilmour Sports Bar—ogstonsonpilmour.com Playfair’s Restaurant—ardgowanhotel.co.uk Ma Bells—standrews-golf.co.uk

Where to stay Fairmont St. Andrews: A few miles southeast of St. Andrews, this 5-star resort features two 18-hole courses, five restaurants, six bars, spa, health club and indoor swimming pool. fairmont.com/standrews Old Course Hotel: Located between the tee and the fairway of the Road Hole 17th on the Old Course, this 5-star resort has its own course, the Duke’s, along with four restaurants, two bars and Kohler Waters Spa. oldcoursehotel.kohler.com Best Western Scores Hotel: Occupying two 19th century town houses, this 30-room hotel has two restaurants and commands views of St. Andrews Bay and West Sands beach which featured in the film Chariots of Fire. scoreshotel.co.uk St. Andrews Golf Hotel: A short distance further up The Scores (Road), this elegant 22-room hotel has a beautiful garden and is home to two restaurants and two cocktail bars in addition to Ma Bells. standrews-golf.co.uk Macdonald Rusacks Hotel: Looking across the 18th fairway of the Old Course and the Swilcan Bridge, this historic old establishment has recently opened a new restaurant, the Rocca Bar & Grill, and a gastro pub, the One Under. macdonaldhotels.co.uk/rusacks Ardgowan Hotel: This 24-room hotel in North Street comprises two Georgian houses designed by Scottish architect Sir William Playfair. Its ground floor is home to the Playfair’s Restaurant/Bar. ardgowanhotel.co.uk

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John Knox’s firebrand preaching once incited a mob to vandalize St. Andrews

A Rule of HistoRy Rumor has it that St. Andrews was founded in the 6th Century when a Greek monk called Rule (St. Regulus) had a vision telling him to take a cask containing the remains of the martyred St. Andrew (a few bones) to the land of Albion, and was washed up on this chilly stretch of Fife coastline.

Not surprisingly, St. Andrews became the focus for Scotland’s religious life and in the 12th century the country’s biggest cathedral was built at the eastern end of the town.

It didn’t take long for St. Andrews to become a major trading centre, but at some point during the 16th century the cathedral burned down. Despite this, its ruins are still worth a visit; as is the graveyard where monuments and gravestones can be found commemorating many golfing heroes—most notably a memorial to ‘Young’ Tom Morris.

Play a round on the Himalayas, arguably the biggest and most exciting municipal putting green in the world; visit the British Golf Museum, just across the road from the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, and see how they used to make hickory clubs; go into St. Salvator’s Church in North Street, which forms one side of the quadrangle of the university; and, finally, look up at the spire and commit it to memory. This is your line as you stand on the 15th tee on the Old Course. The Fifeshire Journal described the Old Course in the summer of 1850 as “every evening populated by hundreds of all sexes, sizes and grades, to witness or participate in what is going forward. Bowls, tossing the caber, putting the stone or iron ball, quoits, skittles, hammer-throwing, football, even cricket, were all going on at once, and tending to get mixed up with the golfers, and putting them off their aim.”

It’s a wonder that a stronger expression than ‘Fore’ didn’t emerge from those pioneer days! But the early golfers would have already felt that fate was on their side.

If ever destiny deliberately chose a sporting birthplace, it was at St. Andrews.

By the 1400s, golf was reportedly being played on a track hacked through the bushes and heather on the common, and in 1457, King James II, who was educated in St. Andrews, banned the game because it was distracting young men from their archery practice.

Over the next three centuries, the game acquired numerous names—golff, gouff, goff, gowf, gow’lf, and even kolf. And during the Reformation, martyrs were burned at the stake and St. Andrews was vandalized by a mob incited by John Knox.

By the 18th century, though, things were calmer and in 1754 the club that became the most powerful in the world was formed. Called the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, it was originally composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners.

In 1834, the society changed its name when it was given royal patronage by King William IV and thenceforth was known as The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

The extraordinary fact about the Old Course is that no architect or designer has had a hand in its creation. It evolved naturally over six centuries and was, at some point, whittled down from 22 holes to 18. General information: visitscotland.com

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

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience Bay Hill’s legendary Championship course. With architectural and aesthetic enhancements made by the King himself, Bay Hill now proudly bears the distinction of an Arnold Palmer Signature Course. And with our new golf packages, it’s one of golf’s most memorable destinations.

1.888.422.9445 • bayhill.com/km

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Open the door of Land Rover’s 2011 Range Rover Sport and see why the company has such a stellar reputation: They get it right. From the fit and finish of the interior to the vehicle’s off-road abilities, the Range Rover Sport is the perfect machine. It does what it says it will: help its driver and passengers surmount all reasonable (and some unreasonable) obstacles in complete comfort. Better than anything else on four wheels

luxury TOuRIng ThROugh cOaSTaL cOnnecTIcuT’S denSeLy packed neTwORk OF cOLOnIaL vILLageS In Land ROveR’S 2011 Range ROveR SpORT, it’s hard not to believe that the vehicle was custom-made for the area. a recent nor’easter covered the rolling hills in a shower of autumn leaves and those, stuck to the roads by a constant drizzle of rain, are making things slick. no problem for the Range Rover. Thanks to a world of sophisticated traction control systems, we could be driving on a Texas highway

in summer. and with the well-sealed interior holding steady at a spring-like 74, the only thing autumnal about the experience is the wash of vibrant colors outside the windows. It occurs to me that this is the essence of luxury travel, —to erase environmental distractions and thereby reveal the beauty of the journey, whatever the destination. For the world outside, it’s a cold and rainy day. But for us inside the Range Rover, untouched and unfazed by the elements, fall is glorious and wonderful.

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at first glance, the 2011 Range Rover Sport looks like its more expensive brother

Capable Land Rover’s latest Range Rover Sport, a vehicle first added to the model lineup in 2006, shares a platform with the company’s LR4 (reviewed previously in Kingdom), but it’s a different animal altogether, evidenced in its styling and a few key refinements.

At first glance, it looks like its more expensive brother, the Range Rover. In fact, it’s slightly smaller, despite sharing the LR4’s platform—near five inches shorter in the wheelbase and a couple of inches more trim overall. Interior dimensions are different as well, with the Range Rover Sport holding 33.8 cubic feet of cargo behind its second row vs. the LR4’s 44.3.

The rear seats fold down, of course, more than doubling load space so there’s plenty of room for ski gear or golf clubs, camping equipment or even a five-course picnic (there’s a small refrigerator in the console

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between the two front seats for the caviar and a few cans of soda).

Though it might be a bit smaller overall than its higher- and lower-priced siblings, the Range Rover Sport excels in both comfort and performance. The elegant, fully adjustable and superbly finished leather interior is a delight for everyone inside, while off-road performance is in line with Land Rover’s best—that is to say, it’s exceptional, with formidable approach and ramp angles, a wading depth of more than 27 inches and nearly nine inches in off-road ride height to keep you above the fray.

For most of our New England jaunt we kept it nice and low at 6.7 inches, the standard ride height, which made our Range Rover Sport handle more like a performance car than an off-road monster. Full-time four-wheel drive and the powerful V8 kept us rolling along (it’s

offered with a 510hp supercharged V8 or a naturally aspirated V8 engine that comes in at 375hp), while the six-speed adaptive automatic transmission made sure the ride was smooth and controlled. An upgraded version of the standard CommandShift six speed, our transmission adapted to an individual’s driving style and accounted for surface conditions. Had I wanted to, I could have manually selected the gears, but it was easier to leave things to the Range Rover Sport—and it never let me down.

Handling was further assisted by the vehicle’s Four-corner air suspension, which features Land Rover’s revolutionary Terrain Response system. Basically, via a clearly marked dial on the console, drivers can select the terrain they’re traversing and the vehicle adjusts accordingly. Rather than raising or lowering the Range Rover Sport, or simply stiffening or loosening the

suspension, the system actually makes a world of complex adjustments to the engine, transmission, suspension and traction control settings. In extreme situations, Land Rover’s Hill Descent Control can even manage a tricky slope for you, while Hill Start Assist does exactly what it says, ensuring traction is maintained no matter how steep your starting grade.

In our hilly and wet conditions, we made more use of the Range Rover Sport’s Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), which monitors traction and applies the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) to individual wheels, helping to correct errant trailing. Likewise, the Four-wheel Electronic Traction Control (ETC) system monitors each individual wheel’s speed and ensures drive is applied where it’s needed.

Of course, while these millions of corrections and changes were being applied, we drove along blissfully unaware, simply enjoying the trip and the colorful foliage outside.

Comfortable The electronic complexities under the hood are in contrast to the classical simplicity of the Range Rover Sport’s immaculately finished interior. Our vehicle featured the upgraded interior in black leather with contrasting ivory stitching. Wood and leather trim abounds, completely covering the cleverly styled seats and dash and giving the overall impression of functional luxury and class. Land Rover’s Command Driving Position is put to good use here, with all controls easily accessible and the driver given a secure post from which to operate in any conditions.

It’s a matter of opinion, but we love Land Rover’s taste when it comes to tech vs. old-school. The speedo and tach are simple needle gauges, headlights are activated by a basic switch and there’s an analogue clock on the dash—all huge pluses, as far as we’re concerned. The

A recent storm left the roads wet and covered with leaves, but the vehicle’s traction control systems kept us on track

off-road performance is in line with land rover’s best—exceptional

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Land RoveR 2011 Range RoveR SpoRt Engine: Naturally aspirated 375hp V8 or Supercharged 510hp V8 Performance: 0-60: 7.2 seconds for the 375hp engine; 5.9 seconds for the Supercharged version Cost: from $60,495, nr. $68,000 as tested

heated seats, digital climate control and comprehensive system and touchscreen that control everything from the top-end audio package to navigation and monitoring of vehicle systems are left to computers, and the Range Rover Sport is better for it. As with the vehicle’s other systems, there’s a perfect sense of balance between hands-on and automated.

The key is a bit weighty for our taste, but it activates a range of functions, including the push-button start and instant awareness for unlocking doors, so we’ll give it a pass. For a first-time Range Rover Sport driver, it is quite remarkable to witness the vehicle come to life as one approaches and pushes the “unlock” function on the key: Side mirrors deploy, a light illuminates the ground in front of the doors and the door opens without a hitch. Fantastic. Same goes

range rover Sport is the perfect balance between hands-on and automated

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for the electronically adjustable driver’s seat, which can memorize a number of different drivers’ preferences, and niceties like the aforementioned cooler box in the console, sunroof, “one touch” windows and interior mood lighting. In terms of aesthetics, the interior looks phenomenal, fully complemented by a range of deep exterior colors and standard 20-inch wheels that do as much for the looks as they do for performance.

Six airbags, immensely strong brakes and the latest in stability software keep things safe, while a fully integrated portable audio interface and Bluetooth connectivity keep things cutting-edge.

Overall We actually took our Range Rover Sport off-road: A few tricky sections of a local state park offered an irresistible challenge.

Without question, the vehicle performed flawlessly, making the off-road sections of our trip as comfortable and carefree as the highway sections. That said, we understand that many of the brand’s fans

choose not to get their Land Rovers dirty, preferring simply to enjoy the capabilities of their vehicle without testing its limits.

Fair enough: The Range Rover Sport is a luxury vehicle and should be enjoyed as such, but the real beauty of Land Rover’s creations is that luxury is only half the equation. The vehicles are perhaps the most consistently rugged off-road animals rolling today and to stay on-road is to miss the point, we think.

If you’re considering owning a Land Rover, or even if you just want to know what the fuss is about, we suggest a Land Rover Experience Driving School. Offered at a number of locations worldwide, the schools will open your eyes to the incredible world of Land Rover and will certainly help you understand why, like the LR4 we tested last year, it was so difficult to hand over the keys to the 2011 Range Rover Sport when our evaluation had concluded. Impeccably finished, beautifully designed and ruggedly capable, this is a vehicle everyone should drive—if not own—at least once.

To stay on-road with anything from Land Rover is to miss the point, we think, but it is a shame getting such a remarkable vehicle dirty

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small Pleasures Micro-brewed beers offer a lot of personality, a legacy of hard work and—most importantly—a lot of love. Here’s to backyard and basement brewers everywhere

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It Is one of the most endurIng beverages In hIstory, predatIng nasCar, the ten Commandments (both the movIe and the real deal) and even modern relIgIon. the anCIent egyptIans wrote about makIng It, artIsts and sports fans have happIly abused It for CenturIes, and today It ranks just behInd water and tea as the drInk of ChoICe—and not just for u.s. tourIsts vIsItIng mexICo. beer, It seems, Is always In style. no wonder, then, that beer is big business.

Companies like Coors, which in addition to its own brands owns the miller brewing Company family of beers, and Inbev, which holds the likes of anheuser– bush and such hallowed marques as budweiser, stella artois and beck’s, ship millions of gallons of golden libation across the globe on a daily basis. but in the shadow of these sunday game staples flows a small but strong river of complex, handcrafted beers, hard-won expressions of something more than just the need for a beverage to wash down your pizza. for the teams of alchemist brewers making small-batch brews in old warehouses, barns, and even backyards, what you’re pouring in your glass isn’t just a beer, it’s pure love itself. “these guys, they really care,” says leo stanton (pictured), the beverage manager and resident beer guru at library alehouse in santa monica, California. “many of them started in their backyards as home brewers and made their beers because they went looking for a beer they wanted but couldn’t find it.”

microbreweries have long been around in some form or another, but they enjoyed a huge surge in popularity in the 1990s, many opening brewpubs or partnering with restaurants, and some even growing to become household names (e.g., the boston beer Company’s samuel adams). but taking over the world isn’t on every microbrewer’s list, and it doesn’t seem to be at the heart of the culture. more indicative are places like library alehouse, a bright modern pub with a warm neighborhood feel to it that serves excellent food and, of course, offers a range of artisan beers to its cadre of regulars and walk-ins alike. library’s commitment to its community, offering a great place to get together, regularly sponsoring charity events and the like, mirrors the behavior of many of the breweries it showcases. It’s an important distinction because, unlike many larger beer companies that might operate from a bottom-line perspective, many of these smaller breweries started with, and are still driven by, a love of beer and the notion of community and friends having a good time—“friends” being anyone who wants to sit down and raise a glass. furthermore, microbreweries are often employee-owned and feature fewer than 100 workers (oregon’s full sail brewing boasts “a massive brewforce of 47”), both facts that lend themselves to tremendous pride, a solid work ethic and a “quality over quantity” mentality. leo says that some of the brewers featured at library will actually stop by and say “thanks” because the alehouse makes their products available. others stick around and hold conversation and even mini clinics on how they do what they do. that kind of dedication is one of the reasons that—even if you’re a die-hard fan of the ubiquitous mass-market stuff in cans, and that’s fine if you are—you should consider picking up a micro-brew next time you’re at the market. better yet, search your neighborhood for a place like the library alehouse— perhaps short’s brewing Company in bellaire, michigan, or the two goose Island brewery pubs in Chicago, Illinois.

Chances are there’s good conversation and a cold pint of something beautiful just around the corner.

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Small-Batch Shopping liSt If your idea of a beer adventure is opting for a Bud instead of a Bud Light (and we like both on occasion), many artisan beers are likely going to blow your taste buds away. Leo Stanton, beer guru at the Library Alehouse in Santa Monica, California, suggests starting with a Pilsner (like the Pils from Lagunitas Brewing Co.) or a Lager, then working your way up to a good IPA or über-creative offering from the likes of Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, which makes “Off-centered stuff for off-centered people,” as their website has it.

To get you started, here are a few of the selections currently offered at Library Alehouse, along with Leo’s tasting notes. Search your local market or alehouse for offerings from the following breweries and you’ll be fine.

Better yet, if you’re in Santa Monica, just drop by and let Leo custom-select a beer for you. libraryalehouse.com

Maximus Petaluma, CA lagunitas.com Somewhere between an IPA and a double, this hop monster has some delicious, resinous hop oils with lots of citrus character. Drinks too darn easy.

7.5% ABV

Liberty Ale San Francisco, CA anchorbrewing.com The first IPA made in California. By today’s standards it’s a light version with even hop overtones of lemon and lime.

5.9% ABV

Big Barrel DBL IPA San Diego, CA karlstrauss.com A great malt character with tons of fresh pineapple on the nose. A bracing hop character keeps this big boy balanced.

9.0% ABV

Punkin Milton, DE dogfish.com A medium-bodied beer, brewed with pumpkins, brown sugar and Thanksgiving spices. Strikingly balanced and amazingly quaffable.

7.0% ABV

Mama’s Lil Yella Pilsner Lyons, CO oskarblues.com The OTHER yellow beer from the Colorado Rockies.

Clean, light and refreshing. A great craft beer.

5.3% ABV

Old Rasputin North Coast, CA northcoastbrewing.com Rich, dark, creamy Imperial Stout. Like Buttah! Served on a Nitrogen tap.

9.0% ABV

Arrogant Bastard San Marcos, CA stonebrew.com Strong ale brewed with High Alpha Acid hops. Bitter, complex flavor. The recipe is a secret. Such arrogance!

7.2% ABV

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Big StorieS Microbreweries rarely start with an MBA and millions in financing. Here are just a few examples of how bold brilliance can begin with big dreams and modest means.

Fort Collins, CO Notable Brew: Fat Tire newbelgium.com In 1989, electrical engineer Jeff Lebesch rides a “fat tire” mountain bike through beer-loving European villages, returns to Colorado and builds a home brewery in his basement out of repurposed dairy equipment. Friends like his Belgian-inspired beer and in 1991 he goes commercial.

His wife, Kim Jordan, is CEO. The couple’s next-door neighbor still paints the watercolors on the labels.

San Marcos, CA Notable Brew: Arrogant Bastard Ale stonebrew.com Late 1980s in Los Angeles and Greg Koch opens a few music rehearsal studios. He teams up with a member of one of the bands, Steve Wagner, at a “Sensory Evaluation of Beer” class taught at UC Davis, and three years later they open a brewery. Greg’s business savvy and Steve’s love of beer convince a few private investors to drop some cash and Stone Brewing was born.

Brooklyn, NY Notable Brew: Brooklyn Lager brooklynbrewery.com Working as a Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, Steve Hindy couldn’t exactly nip down to the bar for a cold beer, but he knew a few diplomats in various Islamic (read: alcohol-forbidden) countries who were fans of home brewing. When he moved to Brooklyn,

NY, after six years overseas, his downstairs neighbor, Tom Potter, was a banker who shared his love of beer.

In 1987 they quit their day jobs to start The Brooklyn Brewery. Lacking funds, their first Brooklyn Lager was contract brewed in upstate New York. They hand-labeled the bottles and sold their product door-to-door. In 1996, they opened their own brewery in the Williamsburg neighborhood and Mayor Rudy Giuliani cut the ribbon.

Bellaire, MI Notable brew: Bourbon Barrel Sustenance shortsbrewing.com Founded in 2004 by Joe Short in Bellaire, northern Michigan, first-year production totaled 178 barrels.

By 2013 the projected annual output could be as high as 10,000 barrels. The brewpub features 16 taps, but Short’s brews are also available in 300 retail outlets.

Look out for Village Reserve, a steam beer that’s like an IPA (5.3% ABV); Sustenance, a lager made of dark malts with a light body (7.0% ABV); Autumn Ale, a strong London bitter with caramel overtones (6.0% ABV); and The Magician, a dark red London ale with toasted caramel, raisin, toffee and chocolate flavors (5.3% ABV).

Chicago, IL Notable brew: Honker’s Ale gooseisland.com Began trading in 1988 as the Clybourn brewpub in Lincoln Park, Chicago. A second brewpub, Wrigleyville, came along a decade later. Goose Island now produces several craft beers, the best-known being 312 Urban Wheat Ale and Honker’s Ale (both 4.2% ABV). Inspired by owner John Hall’s visits to English country pubs, Honker’s Ale is a golden beer that combines a fruity hop aroma with a rich malt middle. Goose Island distributes across the U.S. and U.K., and since 2006 it has diversified into different beers, including a Bourbon County Stout.

Know Your Beer!

Just a few types of what’s good in your glass, definitions from thenibble.com.

Pale ale: Bronze or copper-colored ale. Term originated with the English town of Burton-upon-Trent, where local hard water brewed a beer traditionally considered pale.

IPa/IndIa Pale ale: Plenty of hops and alcohol, both of which helped the beer survive the long trip from England to India in the 19th century. Brits there drank only home-country beer as the water in India didn’t sit well with many of them.

PIlsner: Crisp, golden-hued, highly hopped. Medium-bodied, dry with strong malt flavor. The most popular lager made. amber: Originated in Austria, mid-19th century. Rich, fragrant malt flavors with crisp hops.

Porter: London style, strong and dark. Roasted malt gives flavor and color. Named for workmen who… Well, it’s obvious. stout: Darkest of beers, full-bodied, brewed with barley roasted to the point of charring. Darker and maltier than porter. abV: Alcohol by Volume (a percentage measurement).

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H ow sweet tHe sound Hi-tech meets old world with McPherson Guitars, a Wisconsin company that builds dependably divine instruments

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Driven

LIke dreAMs Or fALLING IN LOve, MusIcAL INstruMeNts Are better exPerIeNced thAN dIscussed. but if you want to talk about them, and if you want to talk about McPherson Guitars in particular, there’s not much to say. As it is with most truths, the discussion on McPhersons is a short one: they’re the best. Accordingly, if you want the best acoustic guitar, buy a McPherson. simple as that.

Now if you want to know why they’re the best and why so many discerning musicians play them, well, that’s an interesting story, and it begins with the man for whom they’re named: Matt McPherson.

“You see this?” Matt asks me, holding up the back of a disassembled guitar, a guitar not built by McPherson Guitars. “this is a butt joint, and you can see glue in there, you can see sanding marks all over the place, gouged areas and pencil marks… Granted, it’s inside the guitar, but if I built this guitar and I knew it was inside, it’d drive me crazy.”

In contrast, he shows me the inside of a McPherson guitar. there are no dried beads of glue along the braces, no gouges, no pencil marks. everything is fit perfectly, sanded smooth and clean. Insanely clean. When I ask Matt if he’s a perfectionist, he doesn’t hesitate: “Oh my Lord, yes. ridiculous. but wouldn’t you rather buy a guitar from a perfectionist? see what I’m saying?”

Matt McPherson made his money with Mathews, Inc., the No.1 archery company in the world. It’s been written that he holds “more patents to his name than Imelda Marcos has shoes in her closet,” a truth made even more impressive by the fact that Matt, an entrepreneur, family man, innovator, man of faith and musician (not necessarily in that order), doesn’t have a college degree hanging on his wall.

“I grew up in a family of seven kids, and we were economically challenged,” he remembers. “If I wanted something I had to figure out how to make it. I wanted a go-kart, so I made it; wanted (archery) bows so I made them.”

Over the years Matt kept building things, teaching himself what he needed to know by reading books on engineering, metallurgy, compression molding, composite materials—you name it. And after a library’s worth of books and a countless number of experiments, a self-taught engineer emerged.

“I was married and I didn’t have a lot of time or money so I thought, ‘I’ve got to nail this out of the park,’” Matt remembers. “I knew that I could engineer things but who would hire me?

I’ve only got a high school diploma. I knew it was one of those things where I had to make a go of it myself: I had to get a company going, design something and sell it myself because nobody else would hire me—they would now, of course, but thank God they didn’t because I would hate to be working for someone else right now!”

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Offset sOundhOle It took a lot of experimentation to get this right, but the elliptical shape, size and location of the McPherson Guitars soundhole collectively solve an issue with the more traditional center-hole design, which tends to rob a guitar of sound-enhancing flexible surface area. In contrast, Matt’s design increases the flexible surface area on the central part of the guitar, allowing vibrations from the bridge to travel unchecked across the soundboard, increasing sustain and resonance. Matt explains it as the difference between an upright piano and a grand.

A Four Seasons guitar from McPherson Guitars

Mathews, Inc. is fantastically successful, due in no small part to Matt’s pioneering (and patented) work in dampening vibrations and innovative cam designs.

A musician from a family of musicians, Matt says that one day it occurred to him to use his expertise to build guitars, something he’d always wanted to do.

“I have a number of patents on dampening things,” he says. “Trek bicycles, they use my technology in the handlebars to take the road buzz out. And if I know how to dampen things, then I know how to make them ring.

You just do the opposite.”

McPherson guitars, as it turns out, ring like the Liberty Bell itself. The tone and sustain on these instruments are incredible, and it’s all down to Matt’s standards and innovations. Just a few examples of what sets McPhersons apart:

Hands On The list of top artists who use McPherson Guitars on stage and in the studio is long. Here’s a small selection: Jake Owen, Carrie Underwood, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Phillip Sweet (Little Big Town), Paul Brandt, Steven Curtis Chapman, David Cabrera (Sting, Carlos Santana, Lenny Kravitz), Mark Baldwin (Whitney Houston, Amy Grant), Peter Cetera (Chicago), Michael Ripoll (India Arie, The Temptations), Mac McAnally (Jimmy Buffet), Pablo Olivares, Dave Cleveland, Bruce Gaitsch, Tom Hemby, Lenny LeBlanc, Paul Baloche

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neck The neck is stiff. Really stiff. A large carbon graphite truss rod runs the length from the headstock to the tongue. Through the rod there’s a brass taper pin that goes into the heel, joined with a stainless steel screw, which is sent through the rod and tapped into the pin. The system prevents flex anywhere along the neck and in the neck heel. Furthermore, the fretboard isn’t glued down to the body; the cantilevered design kind of “floats” over the body, again allowing the top to vibrate and resonate to its fullest potential. Inside, a triangulated system stabilizes the neck to the point where it doesn’t need adjusting. McPherson even created a system of stacked Bellville washers to attach the neck to the body, which ensures constant tension is maintained on the bolts despite any changes in humidity. The guitar has an amazing ability to stay in tune—every note. And it travels like no other: fly across the country, take it out of the included custom Ameritage case, and it’s likely ready to go.

Braces The grafted braces inside McPherson guitars minimize connection to the underside of the top, maximizing top vibration and resonance. Where they intersect, they cross over or under each other rather than butting up against one another, meaning they can all vibrate independently. Resonance is further enhanced by side braces, aligned with their top and back counterparts to mechanically channel vibrations around the entire body of the guitar. Additionally, the braces are made from fine woods, not “throwaway” scraps.

Intonation is handled via the Buzz Feiten system; three custom bone saddles are included to facilitate low, medium and tall action setups. All frets are dressed by the plek pro, an expensive in-house machine system that is the absolute gold standard. An L.R. Baggs RTS2 electronics pickup system is included—custom set for McPherson Guitars—and the list goes on. Quality inspections are fierce at every step of the process, including intensive interior inspection via a small video camera. All of this and a lot more come together to create an instrument that is, frankly, astonishing, making it no surprise that McPhersons are common on top stages and in top studios.

Exquisite fit and finish, inside and out

Four SeaSonS ColleCtion There is always a best example of a company’s abilities, and in the case of McPherson Guitars it is the Four Seasons Collection. These absolutely extraordinary guitars—Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter—are visually stunning and acoustically sublime. Each leaf on each of the inlayed trees is a hand-laid separate piece of wood, individual icicles on the “Winter” guitar are handcut abalone, the nuts and saddles are fossilized wooly mammoth tusk from Siberia—really!—and the list goes on. Each guitar comes with a custom-built Mahogany display case with a mirror on the inside because these guitars are beautiful from every angle.

“Another level of extraordinary above extraordinary,” as described by Matt McPherson himself. Exactly.

Just a few of the basic specs: Honduran Mahogany neck Adirondack Red Spruce/Brazilian Rosewood braces Brazilian Rosewood backgraft and bridgeplate 14” Ebony fretboard and Ebony bridge Hand cut exotic wood inlays on peghead and fretboard Gold EVO fretwires Gold engraved Waverly tuning machines Custom Ameritage case Custom Mahogany display case

PeoPle For as large as Matt’s archery company is—a veritable small town of manufacturing—it is clean, bright, organized, and running like clockwork. The guitar company is the same, clean and organized, with 11 people, including six builders, making the best guitars you’ll ever find.

“We hire the best of the best,” explains Larry Klenc, McPherson Guitars’ General Manager and Matt’s longtime friend. “Sometimes they make it here, sometimes they don’t.”

Unfamiliar technology (because Matt invented it) and bespoke building methods mean already-skilled builders have to re-learn their craft—and they have to match McPherson’s unbelievably high standards.

“How are they psychologically going to handle putting five months into a guitar, and then somebody finds a problem and so we’re not selling it. It will be given away,” says Larry. “A lot of these guys have a hard time letting go of something they’ve poured their passions into and their hearts into... To find the precision worker who has the mental and psychological toughness and the skill level that we want is really, really hard. This group of guys here, I’d put ’em up against anybody.”

You don’t get performance like that out of people unless you’re someone pretty special yourself, and we believe Matt is. His material worth is evident in the success of his various companies, but nothing says more about the man himself, perhaps, than this fact: Some years ago, when Matt moved his archery company from Minnesota to Wisconsin, 30 of his 39 employees moved with him.

He doesn’t have a dedicated parking space (“I park wherever I can and I tell my employees, ‘If you want a good parking space, get here early’”), he puts his faith, family and employees before his business, and he’s quick to give credit to the people around him. Working for a guy like that, what kind of guitars do you think the people at McPherson Guitars build? We believe the answer is simple: The best.

Find out more at mcphersonguitars.com

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Trump on Golf

Donald Trump believes the amazing contours and rolling landscape should ensure his golf course will be like no other in the world

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I am currently buIldIng a golf lInks course In aberdeenshIre: trump InternatIonal golf lInks—scotland. It Is an extraordInarIly beautIful place. my mother was born In scotland and It Is also the bIrthplace of golf. these are all good reasons to be buIldIng In scotland.

I spent five years reviewing sites throughout europe, over 200 of them in fact. when I saw the links land at menie estate, which is in northeast scotland’s grampian region, I knew I had found what I’d been looking for. menie estate and menie house, which dates from the fourteenth century, is twelve miles north of aberdeen, which is scotland’s third largest city and the oil capital of europe. I had never seen such a dramatic unspoiled seaside landscape—three miles of spectacular oceanfront and sand dunes of immense proportions. there are 2,000 acres in all and it is stunning.

I am proud of my heritage and wanted to give scotland something that will enhance their already beautiful country. while this has been a labor of love for me, it has also been a challenge. we had resistance at times, and fortunately sir sean connery stepped in to voice his opinion that this would be a good thing for scotland. we have been environmentally and culturally sensitive and sympathetic to the rich history and heritage of the area and have worked closely with scottish national heritage. I’ve visited many times and have formed a bond with scottish culture that has been rewarding to me on several levels. the golf links includes 50 acres of amazing sand dunes. In order to protect these dunes, we found the leading expert on geomorphology (the study of movement landforms) to make sure they’d be thoroughly protected, and also to protect the golf course—they can move by natural forces. we worked with environmentalists and were meticulous in our respect for the land as well as the diversity of wildlife. there will be a great championship golf course—and later, a more modest resort course. the first has been designed by dr. martin hawtree, who is the acknowledged master of links golf course architecture. between both courses will be a driving range and golf academy, and the clubhouse will be located within the dunes with amazing views out to the sea. the clubhouse will offer both modern and traditional facilities for both visitors and guests. on the grounds will be an iconic five-star hotel with a spa and conference center, holiday homes and golf villas. recreational facilities will include tennis, archery and an equestrian center. the hotel and holiday homes will have exceptional sea views and dune views, and the undulating landscape provides a beautiful backdrop for all the buildings.

a new residential village of approximately 500 homes will have community facilities and amenities, with pedestrian and cycle routes providing beach access. the core is based around a central square and the essence will be a community with easy access to shops, cafes, playgrounds and public facilities. awardwinning scottish architect gareth hoskins is designing the master plan for the golf, residential and leisure development, and trump International golf links— scotland is the largest planning development ever approved by the uk. construction on the golf links started in June of this year and we expect to be finished by spring of 2012. trump International golf links—scotland will be a destination point for all golfers. when you see the sea, the dunes, the amazing contours and rolling landscape, I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say there will be nothing else like it in the world.

Donald J. Trump

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H i lto n ’ s it hosted native Americans for thousands of years, was a stopover during the colonial era and eventually functioned as an important military post. But whether you value it for its strategic importance or its natural beauty, there’s no denying that hilton head island is the perfect place to golf At Age 6, the young WilliAm hilton WAs CresCent Pointe Golf Club 843.706.2600 AlreAdy An explorer—Although he couldn’t hAve reAlized it At the time. Born in 1617 crescentpointegolf.com in cheshire, englAnd, the Boy hAd crossed visitors to hilton head island know the place is a the AtlAntic As A 4-yeAr-old With his fAmily little challenged for topographic variety. put simply: As one of the eArly settlers At plymouth it’s as flat as a ball marker. leave it to Arnold palmer colony. By 1662 he was in charge of a ship exploring the carolinas, and on september 28 the following year, and the excellent team at the Arnold palmer design company to change things up a bit with the lovely he spotted—and named—the island that would become crescent pointe golf club in Bluffton. here, amidst lush one of the most popular golfing destinations in the magnolias and century-old oaks, players will find plenty united states: hilton’s head island, later shortened to of graceful, rolling hills—topography as surprising as hilton head. it is refreshing on an island where the highest spot today, the island that boasts a year-round is only 28 feet above sea level. crescent pointe is the population near 40,000 but welcomes more than 2.24 only public palmer course in the area, which means million visitors per year is one of the south’s—and the country’s—most beloved places to hit a ball with a club. it’s as popular as it is beautiful and challenging. Amply sized fairways are there for the taking, but should A host of public, semi-private and private courses dot the marshland and oak groves of the “low country,” you miss one you’ll find what all the beautiful beach bunkers are about. namely, Apdc gilt the edges of the as locals call it with it good reason. the highest point lakes and ponds with gold sand and solved a drainage on hilton head island is 28 feet above sea level, and this spot, not surprisingly, is found on a golf course. problem at the same time. so while the sand all looks Whether you’re scaling this peak, relatively speaking, lovely, in fact it’s shoring up marshland—literally. think quicksand jungle adventure more than tropical beach to catch a view of the natural coastal beauty, hitting vacation. note: if you like the look of your shoes, stay one of the more than 30 excellent golfing options or just on the fairways. When crescent pointe opened in 2000, chilling out at a 19th hole somewhere and watching the the late ed seay—Arnie’s long-time friend and design birds fly by, hilton head island is one of the few golfing partner—said the course’s variety is its strong point. destinations where “must play” actually means “must play.” if you’re an American and you golf, hilton head “crescent pointe’s really a different golf course,” he said at the time. “there isn’t one hole on that layout that island should be on your travel diary. When you get even comes close to looking like another.” there, may we humbly suggest the following: good for us, because 18 individual masterpieces are more fun than one work of art repeated 18 times.

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Crescent Pointe Golf Club

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Palmetto Dunes oceanfront resort 866.380.1778 palmettodunes.com When Capt. William Hilton and his ship ‘The Adventure’ (sailing for England’s King Charles II) entered Port Royal Sound in 1663, the good captain humbly christened the island at the sound’s mouth “Hilton’s Head,” noting a high bluff on the northern end of the land. Today, near the bluff that inspired the name, sits the Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort, which, in addition to holding some great golf, also features the one true remaining lighthouse on Hilton Head Island (the striped harbor lighthouse on all the postcards is a fake). Built in 1880, the Leamington Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was decommissioned in 1932, served as a lookout in WWII and today comes with the requisite number of historical anecdotes and local ghost stories (the most interesting involving a hurricane and a lighthouse keeper’s daughter who is said to still walk the tower in a long, blue dress on rainy nights). In the shadow of this rather inelegant structure sits the tremendously graceful Arthur Hills Golf Course, which finds directional use for the landmark as a guidepost for both the 5th and 15th greens.

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No kidding: With 10 holes on the water, a lighthouse is exactly what you’ll need. This course, like many on the island, rewards precision and punishes errant drives. As much as we like Arthur Hills’ Course, there’s no denying that the Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes is amazing as well. Benefitting from a 2002 renovation, the course is highlighted by a unique lagoon system, which winds its way through 11 of the course’s beautiful 18 holes. The par-5 No.10 is one of the few proper oceanfront holes on Hilton Head Island, and offers a breathtaking opportunity for visual respite from what is assuredly a sincere challenge.

If that’s not enough, Palmetto Dunes’ George Fazio Course is routinely considered to be one of the most challenging on the entire island. It’s the only par-70 on Hilton Head, with no shortage of bunkers or water hazards. The good news: Even if you lose a whole box of ProV1s at Palmetto Dunes, you won’t care because the resort’s views and amenities will soothe even the most bruised of egos.

The Sea PineS ReSoRT 866.561.8802 seapines.com In 1969, Hilton Head wasn’t the massive tourist destination it is today. In fact, few people could readily find it on a map. Despite this, staff at the island’s Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort wanted to open their new course with a Thanksgiving weekend tournament they dubbed the “Heritage Classic.” They weren’t sure anyone would show, but they needn’t have worried: Once Arnold Palmer committed to playing, the event’s success was assured. Arnie won the first Heritage Classic in front of a modest crowd, taking $20,000 in prize money. Last year, nearly 135,000 attendees watched Jim Furyk earn just over $1 million with his victory, and the tournament (which is now played the week after The Masters) is only growing. The good news is that you don’t need to be a world-class golfer to enjoy Sea Pines’ fabulous courses: Harbour Town Golf Links, Heron Point and the Ocean Course. In fact, the resort is happy to set you up with a package in which you could enjoy some of the best golf in the country, no matter how long you’re staying in Hilton Head. A precision game is favored on the courses, which tend to badly punish missed fairways, but there are enough choices in play to make sure everyone has a good time.

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Hilton Head national

Country Club of Hilton Head

843.842.5900 golfhiltonheadnational.com

843.681.9147 hiltonheadclub.com

The first thing you’ll notice about Hilton Head National is that it’s not on the beach. In fact, this was the first public course to be built inland, and that was a good move for all concerned—especially for golfers. The property’s 18 holes are divided into two nine-hole courses, one designed by Gary Player and one by Bobby Weed. We’re not sure either designer knew how good this place was going to turn out, but it’s ended up being one of the best spots on the island, as friendly or as nasty as you want it to play. What currently sits as the front nine are the Weed holes, which offer bigger greens than Player’s designs but with more undulations. The back nine, also called the National Nine, kicks off with three increasingly longer par-4s, letting you know you’re in for a challenge.

However, as Player says, it’s “a fair challenge.” We love the course-provided advice on the Player-designed No.5 (No.14 if you’re playing the course as 18): “You might feel like you need to call in Henry Kissinger to negotiate the huge waste bunker.” Either way, we’ve no doubt the serene and beautiful landscape will help you achieve some kind of emotional détente, whatever your score.

The semi-private course is a thing of great joy to traveling golfers anywhere, and the benefits of a clubsupported golf venue is certainly evident to anyone who spends a day at the Country Club of Hilton Head, whether you’re a member or a guest. The excellent Rees Jones design deftly maneuvers through pine forests, substantial hazards and the native (and pristine) marshland common to the island’s courses and quite beautifully featured here. The Club has hosted several U.S. Open Qualifiers along its 14 doglegs, offering anyone who makes it to No.12 a view from the highest point on all of Hilton Head Island. No surprise this towering (well, relatively speaking) tee 28 feet above sea level is the Club’s signature hole, and it’s a stunner.

Course reviews praise the front nine for a relaxed, Southern experience while simultaneously expressing pleasant surprise at the back nine, which snap golfers out of their daydreams and wake them up with a few challenges and some amazing views. Look for mossdraped oaks, marshland and freshwater lagoons, and don’t forget your camera.

Hilton Head National

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Other NOtables Oyster reef oysterreefgolfclub.com Regularly awarded but not on the tips of many tourists’ tongues, Oyster Reef Golf Club nonetheless deserves mention because of its par-3 No.6 (if not for other reasons), which plays 192 yards and finishes on a green with one of the best backdrops of any hole on the island: Port Royal Sound in all of its splendor. Additionally, this lushly landscaped course offers a bit of distance compared to many of its island brethren, playing near 7,100 yards from the championship tees.

PalmettO Hall PlantatiOn palmettohallgolf.com Like many of the plantation properties on Hilton Head Island, Palmetto Hall offers golf along with its other amenities. Its Robert Cupp course isn’t a beginner’s best choice, but isn’t completely out of reach for the ambitious novice, and certainly provides a great round for more accomplished golfers. Also: Palmetto Hall is the site of the island’s other Arthur Hills Course (there’s one at Palmetto Dunes), and it’s one of the best rated courses in all of Hilton Head. The par-4 No.18, specifically, is considered to be one of the best finishing holes on the island.

Old sOutH GOlf links oldsouthgolf.com

Oyster Reef

Fans of days gone by will love the Old South Golf Links, which, true to its name, provides some seriously old-school game among classically styled surroundings.

Natural beauty, abundant wildlife (including the odd gator or two) and a laid-back energy that stretches from the style of play to the staff members themselves permeate this delightful gem, which is routinely voted a favorite among locals. A beautiful picture of what the coastal Old South is all about.

Old South Golf Links

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A. O. Smith Is Taking High Efficiency To New Heights.

Call us overachievers, but when it comes to high efficiency in water heaters, we’re always ahead of the curve. From hybrid gas water heaters to solar panel systems, we have a high efficiency water heater to fit the needs of almost any lifestyle. Best of all, we continuously bring new and innovative products to the market that bring you increased energy savings.

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Kick back, close your eyes and relax: the spa is where you hang your robe A dAy At the spA doesn’t hAve to be A dAy out of the house. In fact, a home spa has a huge advantage over its resort counterpart: At the end of the experience, when you’re über-relaxed and limp as a warm wet rag, you won’t have to get dressed and drive home—you’ll already be there. Creating the perfect home spa is easier than you think: you’ll need water features, perhaps an exercise pool, whirlpool spa or custom rain shower. then there’s a sauna, fine towels and robes, soothing music and lighting, a few candles... someplace to kick back, perhaps an automated massage table or chair, and cool refreshment near at hand. your home spa could be situated in a single wet room space indoors, or it could be split between your indoor and outdoor spaces, perhaps incorporating a garden. however it’s configured, design your home spa experience to appeal to your specific relaxation needs. If you’re a candle guy, go for it. And if watching the game relaxes you, there’s a television built for spa environments. Just don’t go yelling at the screen, and don’t forget to breathe.

Float away Water features are key to any spa, and diamond spas offers a variety of options perfect for both exercising and relaxing at home—indoors or out. the company’s custom stainless and copper spas and hot tubs are aesthetically stunning, environmentally responsible and unbelievably inviting, and their full-size custom pools, sinks and shower pans are all luxurious as well. this top-tier manufacturer believes in freedom of expression, and says there are no boundaries when it comes to their craftsmen’s abilities to realize your vision, making your aquatic retreat truly custom. If you like a little action at your spa, diamond spas also make a line of custom swim spas. basically a water treadmill of sorts, diamond spas’ offerings in this department are so beautiful we can hardly believe they’re good for you, but in fact these are some of the finest exercise machines on the market. With a range of workout options controllable by a user-friendly remote—a hardcore workout for intense swimmers or just a relaxing hydrostretching session—diamond spas swim spas can be installed indoors or out and are available in the same gorgeous custom-fabricated stainless steel and copper as the company’s other creations. of course, if you’d rather just relax we don’t blame you. visit diamondspas.com or call 800-951-spAs (7727) for more information.

sweet smell no spa environment is complete without a few candles and a bit of body scrub pleasantness—olfactory excellence is endemic to relaxation after all. enter Jo Malone of London, which offers all of that and more. they’ll help you fire up a little mood lighting and then “decorate with scent,” as the company’s Web site has it, after stacking your home-spa shelves with essential oils, scrubs and the like. “Lime basil & Mandarin,” “pomegranate noir” and “Wild fig & Cassis” may sound like something on order at the local gourmet restaurant, but they’re just the scents for a home spa, especially when the candles and oils that make them are as beautiful as these. the candles are contemporary and burn evenly, the oils turn any bath into a sumptuous soak and the body lotions will repair and rejuvenate the skin you’ve been abusing in the sun for all these years. If you want to go the whole nine yards, Jo Malone also offers shampoos, cleansers and a host of other smell-good accessories to transform any home spa into the ultimate pampering refuge. jomalone.com

soothing sounDs pleasing sonic stimulation is as important to any spa experience as soothing scents and a good soak. bowers & Wilkins makes angelic acoustics available with its Zeppelin ipod dock. this tranquil design enhances any chillout mix with its 1x50W (bass) and 2x25W (midrange/tweeter), meaning the music will help untie knotted shoulders and ease any aching head. even if you don’t like music, soothing sounds of the ocean (or traffic, if you’re from new york) are sure to add the perfect atmosphere to your home spa. bowers-wilkins.com

ovitaero volupti quas sed eum nonsecaes minctem possuntes

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sink What’s the big deal with a sink, you might ask. but consider what your home spa would be without one. that’s right: A wet mess. When it comes to places for water to land, we like the Comet polished brass sink from philip Watts design because it’s oddly beautiful, it’s functional and—as the mold is broken after each fabrication—each Comet sink is unique. they’re not cheap, but then what would you expect from something unique, useful and galactically attractive? philipwattsdesign.com.

clean shaven shower besides the bath, a shower is the true centerpiece of any home spa. you’ll want to spend some serious time under the jets, letting the intensity of rushing water work its magic to beat the stress out of your back, shoulders and neck. We like tAG signature’s silvertag shower. Water flows at different temperatures and different pressures from 18 computer-controlled showerheads to give a luxury spa experience at home.

A touch screen allows selection of several sequences designed by spa specialists for relaxation, invigoration or increased circulation. Custom sequences are possible as well. the standard shower is designed with six zones: overhead, shoulders, upper torso, Lower torso, upper Legs, and Lower Legs. each and every zone has independent controls for both temperature and pressure, and fixtures have been carefully selected for each zone. the end result of all this technology? bliss. tagsignature.com for more.

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you might remember when the “blade wars” were on. various razor companies kept upping the ante with the number of slicers they could fit onto a razor head, claiming each time that, to provide a really, really close shave, the perfect razor just needed one more blade... thank heavens those days seem to be over, and companies have instead turned their design teams to developing truly functional shavers. the Gillette fusion Chrome Collection power Razor with built-in spotlight

by Art of shaving is a perfect example of things going in the right direction. unlike your standard plastic shaver off the rack, this Art of shaving fusion has some heft to it, meaning it balances perfectly in the hand and feels like the razor your dad used to use. In fact, it’s light years beyond, featuring Gillette’s latest blades, a small vibrating motor that stimulates the skin and raises hairs for a closer shave, and a built-in light that shows exactly where you’ve missed. It’s shower safe, feels great to hold, and it’s attractive. What more could you ask for in a home spa product? artofshaving.com

DO THE MATH Find out why the new CitationAir Jet Card is a much better value than Marquis Jet. TM

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A b ov e it All more than just a business that builds and sells airplanes, cessna aircraft company is a top-tier flight services partner for life. it’s also the aircraft manufacturer of choice for arnold palmer By most definitions, Rago, Kansas, only BaRely qualifies as a town—in 2002 it neaRly douBled in size when a local woman gave BiRth to sextuplets, and a centuRy ago it wasn’t much BiggeR. But what the old railroad junction on the banks of the chikaskia River lacks in population it has always made up for in open space, and that’s all a young clyde vernon cessna needed. growing up on a family farm, his dreams of flight led him to build and fly his first airplane in 1911. in 1927, he founded what is today the world’s premiere business aircraft provider: the cessna aircraft company. cessna currently accounts for almost half of all global light and mid-size business jets in the air. part of textron inc., a multiindustry company that includes such storied brands as Bell helicopter, e-z-go golf carts and textron systems, among others, cessna has put more than 192,000 planes in the sky since clyde’s “all purpose” took off from a wichita airpark in 1927; more than 6,000 of those are citation business aircraft. citations are among the fastest, most cost-effective and reliable planes flying today, and the company’s customer service—at point of purchase and throughout ownership—is unparalleled. no wonder cessna is the business jet of choice for industry leaders and top pilots like arnold palmer, who’s owned six citations over the years. the aircraft are eminently capable, exquisitely appointed and offered in the widest range of configurations available for business jets. at one end of the spectrum, the citation family includes the finest and most affordable business jet in the sky, the citation mustang, while the top-tier citation x leads the industry as the fastest business jet ever certified. altogether, there are nine unique citation business jet models to accomplish any mission you throw their way. whatever your mission, no matter whether your company is just getting off the ground or headed for new heights, there’s a citation to fit your needs. here’s a quick look at just a few on offer:

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The Citation X can make the Los Angeles to New York flight in under four hours

Citation Mustang

Citation X

Speed: 391 miles per hour Range: 1,150 nautical miles The world’s first fully certified entry-level business jet.

For just over $3 million (2010 delivery), customers get a top class jet featuring Garmin avionics, Pratt & Whitney Canada engines and a maximum 1,150-nautical mile range. The company has delivered more than 300 Mustangs to date, quickly making it the most popular light jet on the market today. And it’s not surprising why: What was conceived as an entry-level aircraft is proving its versatility, being flown as a training aircraft, a medical evacuation jet and filling a host of other roles.

“We knew the Citation Mustang would be popular the world over as a business jet, both as an owner-flown aircraft and in traditional on-demand roles, but we are finding our customers leading us to define new applications such as training and special mission work,” said Jack Pelton, Cessna chairman, president and CEO.

Top Speed: Mach .92 Range: 3,070 nautical miles First Delivered: June, 1996, to Arnold Palmer While current offerings from competitors are trying to match the Citation X’s top speed of approximately 700mph, the X is still the only certified civilian aircraft to go that fast. Elegant and efficient, the X can make the Los Angeles–to–New York flight in just under four hours, and the New York–to–London journey in under six hours. The wings are swept back 37 degrees to decrease drag and increase efficiency, the baggage compartment is heated and pressurized, the galley is more elegant and better equipped than most bachelor apartments and the available communications and electronics are state-of-the-art. If you want to get where you’re going super fast and in impeccable style, take eight friends along and stand up in the aisle, then this is the plane for you.

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Cessna by the numbers

6,000+

Number of Citation business jets delivered since the first production aircraft was completed in 1972

49

Percentage of global light and mid-size business jet population that are Cessna Citations

97+

Percentage of all Citations produced that are still flying today

24,500,000

Estimated number of hours flown by Cessna’s Citation Fleet

100,000+

Number of pilots who learned to fly through Cessna Pilot Centers since their inception in 1973 The interior of the Citation CJ4 is an ergonomic and sophisticated design

Citation CJ4 Speed: 521 miles per hour Range: 2,002 nautical miles The CJ family of business jets has proven to be the most popular range of Citations, and the CJ4 is the newest and largest among them. Furthermore, the large number of CJ owners and pilots all had a say in the CJ4’s development, which means engineers and designers had a lot of input to go on. State-of-the-art technologies, exceptional performance and an incredibly ergonomic and aesthetically sophisticated cabin are just some of the features of this incredible aircraft. Along with its immense capabilities, the CJ4 is FAA-approved for single-pilot operations and it shares a common pilot type rating with the other CJs, meaning pilots rated to fly any one of the CJs are rated to fly them all. The CJ4 features a four-screen Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and debuts the Rockwell Collins Venue cabin management system. Standard features include multi-scan weather radar and a maintenance diagnostic system. The first European CJ4 was delivered to a UK customer this year, and continental European deliveries are scheduled to start in 2011. This is already proving to be another winner for Cessna and for businesses.

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The Citation Ten is scheduled to have its first flight in 2011

EvEr Forward Joining the Citation family, Cessna recently announced development of a larger, more advanced version of the X—the new Citation Ten. The aircraft will mark the debut of a range of sophisticated systems and appointments, including the new Garmin G5000 avionics suite and a Cessna-exclusive advanced cabin management system, along with more powerful and more efficient RollsRoyce engines. Look for its first flight in the next year and delivery as early as 2013.

Cessna also offers a complete transportation solution to its customers, regardless of the amount of travel you or your company conducts annually. Through CitationAir, customers can access the use of Citation business aircraft in

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It’s not about finding an angle.

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ways beyond traditional full-aircraft ownership. CitationAir has developed a wide range of innovative programs to cover most every travel need. CitationAir offers a private jet service product line to include the CitationAir Jet Card, Jet Shares, Jet Management, and most recently, Corporate Solutions for companies looking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their corporate flight departments. The industry-leading range of options at CitationAir puts the convenience, flexibility and value of travel on a private plane more easily within your reach.

All Citations come with Cessna’s top-rated customer service and the company’s new ServiceDirect offering, meaning the lifetime experience of owning a Citation is as satisfying as the first flight. There are nine companyowned Citation Service Centers and another 33 Authorized Citation Service Centers around the world meeting all inspection, maintenance and service requirements for the aircraft. ServiceDirect expands customer service options to on-site maintenance operations and long-term logistics support, including airframe and powerplant mechanic placement or contract support.

In its ever-expanding range of service capabilities, Cessna recently announced the addition of 16 new mobile service trucks, which have been dispatched nationwide to provide even more support service options convenient for Citation owners. Along with the existing fleet of service trucks, these make sure assistance is at hand no matter where you are.

Added to all of this, if you consider the service centers for Cessna’s line of propeller aircraft—which includes the trusted and supremely business-capable Caravan and Grand Caravan—there are over 400 Authorized Service Stations in more than 18 countries.

That means Cessnas are among the most supported aircraft on the planet, working to ensure Cessna owners spend more time in the air and less on the ground.

Family Along with building the world’s best business aircraft, Cessna is also the world leader in training some of the best-qualified pilots in the sky—more than 100,000 of them at last count. Cessna Pilot Centers offer top training in top aircraft, and aim to teach the world to fly. You might say this legacy of instruction pre-dates the company itself: Clyde Cessna started a flight school in 1916 and enrolled five students, working out of a warehouse in which he was also building some of his first aircraft.

The business has come a long way since then, but Cessna’s level of serious commitment to customers hasn’t changed. Cessna isn’t just a company that builds and sells airplanes, it’s a legacy enterprise that can meet the flight and service needs of any of its clients for life. Whether you’re looking for the perfect aircraft to serve your business or just looking to get off the ground, there’s something in the Cessna family of products and services for you.

For more information on Citation jets, Caravan series aircraft, Cessna Pilot Centers or the company overall, visit cessna.com or call 1.800.4.CESSNa.

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1976

Arnold PAlmer’s CitAtions Palmer currently flies a Citation X, and

Citation i it’s as comfortable and fast as they come.

Fact: When the Concorde was retired, the

1978

current model Citation X stepped up as the fastest civilian aircraft in the world.

For Palmer, who in 1996 received the first

Citation ii Citation X ever delivered, the aircraft is more than just another plane: he actually

1983

had a hand in the design. Former Cessna President (and former Palmer chief pilot) Charlie Johnson told Airport Journals

Citation iii that Palmer “influenced the range of speed perimeters and the interior” in the

1992

X and that the golf legend was likely the first non-Cessna person to fly it.

Citation Vii

1996

First Citation X

2002

seCond Citation X

the new Citation ten is scheduled for client delivery in 2013

Your Peace of Mind is our Priority. ®

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As IMG’s first client, I am delighted that my friend and fellow Wake Forester, Ben Sutton, Jr., will lead IMG College. I salute this extraordinary man of character who exemplifies what it means to be a Demon Deacon. — A r n o l D PA l M e r

IMG College President Ben Sutton, Jr. at the headquarters building in downtown Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Gifts for Every Golfing Taste The search for luxury presents to brighten the lives of discerning golfers isn’t confined to the festive season—it goes on all year. Kingdom tracks down some products worth considering AdIdAs tOur360 4.0 GOlF shOE Engineered with ThiNTech, a technology that brings golfers closer to the ground, this shoe has a low center of gravity. The resulting stability and balance promotes more consistent ball striking.

adidasgolf.com

E-Z-GO IntrOducEs thE 2FIvE E-Z-GO introduces the 2Five, its first street-legal vehicle designed for neighborhood road errands. The 2Five travels at speeds up to 25mph and its standard features include a 48-volt AC electric powertrain, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, three-point seat belts and an on-board charger. “The 2Five is a convenient, fun and environmentally sound transportation alternative,” said E-Z-GO president Kevin P. Holleran. The vehicles are issued with an identification number, like any automobile, and can be operated by licensed drivers on most public roads with a speed limit of 35mph. ezgo.com/2Five

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rOssA GhOst PuttEr The Rossa Ghost Putter from TaylorMade has three black alignment lines running from just above the face to a centered, circular vent through the back of the head. The two outer lines are a ball’s width apart to further aid alignment and promote a solid contact. On the face, an AGSI+ insert promotes a smooth and consistent forward roll. The white appearance complements the color of the ball and stands out against green grass, thus taking the strain off your eyes. “The easiest putter to see is the easiest to align,” says former PGA champion and Ryder Cup captain Dave Stockton. taylormadegolf.com

Musty PuttErs When pioneer golfers first played the game, clubs had heads shaped from either wood or iron while shafts were made of wood. Eventually steel replaced wood, then graphite replaced steel, and now titanium is King—or was…

Feel was the one thing steel never really offered while titanium delivers the sound of an empty oil can. But wood? Well, wood always sounded and felt great.

David Musty of Musty Putters has combined that great feel with superior performance to create the world’s only high-tech wooden putter. By raising the entire weighting system to the equator of the golf ball, Musty has also eliminated face hop and back spin, which was impossible to achieve with steel.

The center of the putter head, a super-light beater bar with aiming line, facilitates a separation of the weighting system and ensures that off-center putts still roll straight and the same distance as full-center putts.

Thanks to Musty Putters’ specialization in laser engraving, each putter can be individually tailored to the owner, making them ideal, and longlasting, gifts.

Six styles and six hardwoods are available—see them all at

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tAylOrMAdE Xd bAlls TaylorMade has produced a forgiving golf ball with a sweet spot that is considerably expanded due to its blend of dimple sizes, edges and depths. The XD ball’s LDP technology, combined with a low spin zone, promotes added lift on off-centre hits by most brands of driver to keep the ball airborne for longer. The result should be improved distance and a livelier feel off the clubface for golfers of all levels of ability.

taylormadegolf.com

MArIus GOlF Marius Filmalter, instructor to 40-plus PGA Tour pros, has researched the biomechanics of the putting stroke for more than two decades. His data, gathered from over 50,000 golfers, including 34 major champions, has enabled him to identify ten characteristics he believes are shared by all the great putters. His scientific conclusions have been distilled into the Automatic Putting Package, a three-disc DVD set containing almost 80 minutes of HD-quality, simpleto follow-instruction. Also featured in the DVD set is former Ryder Cup player Brad Faxon, who demonstrates the drills that helped earn him the reputation as one of the game’s finest putters.

mariusgolf.com

cAllAwAy X sErIEs JAws wEdGEs Designed by Callaway Golf’s chief designer Roger Cleveland and named by Callaway staff professional Phil Mickelson, the X Series Jaws wedges produce maximum spin and versatility for the short game results you’ve always dreamed of. Plus, the forged carbon steel provides Tour-level feel. Each wedge is available in either the Soft Milky Chrome or Dark Vintage finish.

Also choose from steel or graphite shafts to match your irons.

callawaygolf.com

thE lIttlEst GOlFEr FIrst sEt clubs The earlier you can get your kids and grandkids to have fun with golf the more they will enjoy the game as they grow up. The Littlest Golfer’s First Set clubs are perfect for preschoolers who want to play “big kid” golf but don’t have the arm strength to swing a junior club. TLG’s unique clubs are scaled and weighted especially for 3 to 5 year olds. The driver and 7-iron have forced grips that guide small hands into a proper grip. These ultra-light clubs are made with composite shafts and high-impact, plastic clubheads that enable young children to develop a proper golf swing (no more hands-apart hockey grips!).

TLG’s First Set comes with a driver, 7-iron, putter, Sunday bag, and foam practice golf balls. The set features the company’s signature golfing turtles, Putter and Sandy, who also adorn a full line of infant and children’s golf apparel, accessories, toys and books.

thelittlestgolfer.com

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conte of florence This quintessential Italian brand’s coat of arms—a C within the Florentine lily—is a worldwide emblem for elegance and excellence. Conte of Florence was founded in the 1950s when the Cavaliere del Lavoro Romano Boretti, still the chairman, acquired the CON.T.E. shop, a short walk from the Ponte Vecchio. The company’s first sportswear venture was to sponsor the Italian national ski team, followed by those of other countries including the U.S. The company later moved into golf, then yachting to de-seasonalize its range. As this rain jacket demonstrates, its simple and harmonious lines are always allied to high-quality materials and production techniques.

conteofflorence.com

Bionic Pro Glove Made from a special, micro-thin, superpremium cabretta leather, the Bionic Pro Glove provides the fit and flexibility that low-handicap players seek along with amazing durability and breathability.

The pre-rotated finger design promotes a relaxed grip, increased clubhead speed and precise club control. New from the company in 2011 is a magnetic ball marker that can be customized by high-end clients. bionicgloves.com

train reaction luGGaGe Perfect for the frequent flyer, durable Club Glove Train Reaction luggage by West Coast Trends easily locks together, allowing for effortless maneuverability of all your bags through busy airports.

And for you golfers, there’s the Last Bag golf bag, used by more golf pros than any other travel bag. Its lightweight yet durable construction makes for easy handling and provides exceptional protection for your clubs. And since both products are made with ultra-tough CORDURA fabric, they’ll keep going strong trip after trip.

clubglove.com

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nIckEl PuttEr usA Nickel Putter, the highly engineered putter producer, adds a little something to every golfer’s main club for the greens with its Ball Pick-Up. Far superior to suction pickups, the Nickel Putter Ball Pick-Up fits any putter grip, attaches easily with no drilling required and enables ball retrieval following a putt without bending over.

Like all good design, simple and effective. Marvelous.

nickelputter-usa.com

sEEMOrE PuttErs From SeeMore’s private reserve collection of exclusive, ultrapremium, handcrafted putters, the Black m3 has a midsize mallet-style with two small vents cut into the back flange. Its alignment benefits derive from RifleScope Technology. The toe hangs 60 degrees down, best for golfers who prefer small offset mallets. It is made from 395 series milled stainless steel with a bimetal aluminum back-cavity insert behind the face for enhanced feel, an enlarged sweet spot and copper-face insert for ultimate feel, and a Black Ox finish for optimal visual feedback in all light conditions. Extremely limited, special run, right-hand only. seemoreputters.com

PAulO scAFOrA GOlF shOEs Based in Naples, Italy, Paolo Scafora have been making handcrafted shoes from premium leather for more than half a century. The company’s elegant golf collection, which also includes bags as well as these shoes, are custom-made from a selection of precious leathers.

paoloscafora.com

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POlO rAlPh lAurEn What began 43 years ago as a collection of ties has grown into an innovative, world renowned, high-end casual/semi-formal style for men, women, children and homes.

Ralph Lauren’s quality apparel and accessories can be found in stores that invite customers to participate in its lifestyle and dream. Being transported into Ralph Lauren’s world is an adventure in style and culture, a home for unique vintage pieces and exquisite gifts. Pictured right are four newish luggage pieces, spanning a range of prices. These are (from the top): a Tartan attaché case, a small Cooper bag, a Tartan canvas ‘suiter’ bag and, where price is no obstacle, an alligator Boston bag that retails at a cool $24,000.

ralphlauren.com

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rOlEX EXPlOrEr One of golf’s most enduring relationships began in 1967 when Rolex presented Arnold Palmer with a gold Oyster Perpetual to honor his achievements.

The design of the new Oyster Perpetual Explorer imparts a fresh élan to the sober, elegant lines that are Rolex’s hallmark. Crafted from 904L steel with exceptional anti-corrosion properties, its 39mm case offers added comfort.

Other key features include a polished bezel, black dial with luminescent Chromalight hands and hour markers, a bracelet with Oysterlock clasp, and a Parachrom hairspring that is ten times more resistant to magnetic fields and other shocks. Waterproof to 330 feet.

rolex.com

PAulO scAFOrA The Scafora family has been designing and creating bespoke artisan shoes since 1956. Wearing a pair of Paolo Scafora shoes is a unique experience—one that combines elegance and tradition with the highest standards of craftsmanship.

All shoes are hand-made following the traditional Goodyear and Norwegian constructions that add that extra touch of style.

The company’s workshop is dedicated to caring for your comfort while ensuring your footwear has durability and strength.

Besides the ready-to-wear collection, Paolo Scafora also makes customized men’s dress shoes for its most discerning customers, under direct personal supervision. The leathers are skillfully hand-dyed to suit your taste so you can select nuances you will not see on anyone else’s shoes.

Paolo Scafora also offers a superb golf collection (see Page 151) and elegant leather accessories. Beautifully crafted and perfectly fitting, bespoke Paolo Scafora shoes provide a truly life-changing experience and are a big favorite of everyone at Kingdom. paoloscafora.com

GlEnMOrAnGIE sIGnEt A unique fusion of rare elements, Signet is a blend of Glenmorangie’s oldest whisky—dating back more than thirty years when malting still took place at its distillery in the Scottish Highlands—and spirit matured in a selection of fine sherry casks. A double gold winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, this deep amber whisky crackles with sizzling spices and bitter mocha.

glenmorangie.com

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AvO hErItAGE Centuries of tradition, knowledge and passion are waiting to be discovered in each AVO Heritage cigar. Derived from the original creation of Master Cigar Composer Avo Uvezian, aided

by Master of Tobacco Hendrik Kelner and an extensive cast of talented farmers, blenders and rollers, the new AVO Heritage cigar is the result of an incredible and unique collaboration.

Medium to full in body and strength with deep spicy undertones, rich complexity and balance from beginning to end, the AVO Heritage bears the unmistakable signature of these cigar masters.

davidoff.com

swIss ArMy GOlFtOOl This piece of golfing gadgetry combines tools like a pitchmark repairer, ball marker and groove cleaner with more familiar components of a Swiss Army knife: Blade, scissors, nail file, bottle opener, tweezers, toothpick and lifetime warranty. swissarmy.com

bEn hOGAn wInEs It is widely believed Ben Hogan had the purest swing in golf. His peerless swing sequence, photographed before the advent of high-speed cameras and enshrined in his best-selling instruction book Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, has been reproduced on the labels of a collectible set of 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

The seven-bottle Swing Set depicts the entire sequence from address to followthrough. The 2008 grape harvest had a low yield that resulted in wines with an exceptional robust, fruity flavor.

This Cabernet is full-bodied with rich, ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruits, balanced with spicy oak and firm finish.

Limited to 500 sets.

benhoganwine.com

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bAMFOrd & sOns 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

nOkA chOcOlAtE Noka Chocolate is called the ‘food of the Gods’ for good reason: A mouthful of this dark, velvety confection delivers the most divine experience. The life’s passion of NOKA chocolatier, Katrina Merrem, has been to return chocolate to its purest, most luxurious state by handcrafting these succulent truffles and chocolates. Orders for this most desirable of gifts can be placed online where you will receive exceptional service and attention to detail. Boxes are ribbon-wrapped and customizable in more than 100 colors with complimentary handwritten messages.

nokachocolate.com

GErshOn wInE OPEnEr In this writer’s humble opinion, neither short overnight trip nor epic world adventure should ever be contemplated without the reassuring presence of a trusted corkscrew. Thus, should you find yourself far from home with spiralled-metal-in-hand pursuing cork to entwist, the selection of a high-quality hand companion was simply a sensible traveler’s strategy. We like this vintageinspired offering from Gershon with warthog tusk handle and sterling silver endcap. It comes packaged in a fine black leather pouch, but is best seen out and in motion, exiting bottle with wine-bloodied cork impaled.

gershonlimited.com

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sublIME sOund Top audio company Bowers & Wilkins brings all its expertise to bear in the 800 Series Diamond, part of its reference loudspeaker range. More than just a name, diamond is the secret ingredient in the flagship series’ tweeter, which is “on top,” as the company has it, helping to increase clarity. In addition to being simply gorgeous, the Sphere/Tube Enclosure is functional, absorbing reward energy from the driver and allowing precise imaging for all kinds of music. There are more than a few speakers in the range, meaning there’s something to fit your needs, and there’s an awful lot of technology here to explore. All basic audiophiles need to know is that the 800 Series is used in the likes of Abbey Road Studios, which makes them more than good enough for us.

bowers-wilkins.com

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McPhErsOn GuItArs Based in Sparta, Wisconsin, McPherson Guitars handcrafts instruments from the highest quality tone woods and some of the highest-tech materials anywhere. Featuring a number of innovations, including an offset soundhole and cantilevered neck that allow the top of the guitar to resonate uninterrupted, these guitars are simultaneously “new school” and Old World. The company’s quality standards are intense, evident in the sound of their instruments, which is sublime. Sustain is unbelievable, and clarity exquisite. Even if you don’t play, McPherson guitars are simply gorgeous to look at— though honestly, it would be a shame to leave one on the wall.

mcphersonguitars.com

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drOMArtI Dromarti have revived the spirit of cycling itself with their beautiful, handmade Italian leather cycling shoes.

They may look old world, but these shoes provide a fit and finish lost to consumers of today’s mass-market, yielding a tailor-made ride all around.

The Classic Race shoes seen here employ the standard three-point fixing system, meaning your cleats of choice can be used. And if you want to stick with toe clips, there’s a small cleat to facilitate that as well. At a price near that of today’s commercial offerings, these are not to be missed.

dromarti.com

rAPhA wAXEd cAP When it comes to modern cycling wear, Rapha is at the front of the peloton. This Portland, Oregon-based company sits at the heart of the modern cycling movement, and it shows.

Working with the likes of designer Paul Smith, Rapha products blend style with optimum performance. The company’s passion for performance and cycling is evident in everything they make, including this waxed cap—sure to keep you covered in fine style.

rapha.cc

rIchArd sAchs Richard Sachs is one of the foremost frame-builders in the world today, and his bicycles are legend among racers and enthusiasts alike. A longtime racer and racing team sponsor himself, Sachs was trained in London in the early 1970s. He still makes bikes the old fashioned way—namely: by hand and out of steel—but his creations are as modern as they come, built from the latest and best steel available, with incredible attention to detail.

richardsachs.com

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PHOTO BY CHRIS MILLER

A PREMIER GOLF EXPERIENCE

For reservations please call: 1-760-601-3690

Voted “Top Ten New Public Course” by GolfWeek Voted “Best Places to Play” by Golf Travel Annual Voted “Top 10 Best Desert Courses” by Desert Golf Voted “America’s Top Golf Courses” by Zagat Survey

G O L F • D I N I N G • M E E T I N G FA C I L I T I E S PGA GOLF INSTRUCTION

Conveniently located off I-10 in Palm Desert

760-601-3600 Go To

www.PlayClassicClub.com To Book Your Tee Times Online Now! Classic Club is managed by Troon Golf,® the leader in upscale golf course management.

Voted “One of the Top Five New Public Courses in the America’s in 2006” by Golf Digest Voted “Number Seven Best Places You Can Play in the State of California” by GolfWeek Awarded ”Best Playing Conditions for ALL of Southern California Year Ending 2007” by Greenskeeper.org The 564-yard, Eighteenth Hole at Classic Club, Palm Desert, California. Voted in 2008 as One of the Three “Most Beautifully Brutal Par 5 Golf Holes in the Southwest United States” by John Deere Credit

“SnowbirdS.” To naTive FloridianS and yearround reSidenTS alike, ThiS word iS more Social meTaphor Than avian claSSiFicaTion. it describes the large groups of people who each winter descend from places north of shorts-and-flip-flops territory to enjoy the Sunshine State and all it has to offer. There are a number of favorite landing spots for these seasonal travelers, and the state’s east coast is one of the more beautiful. Set along the line of beaches just north of Florida’s Space coast, there’s one place in particular that offers a tremendous resort experience whether you’re visiting or living in the sun full-time: hammock beach resort in palm coast.

There are birds that fly south for winter and birds that nest in warm places year-round. whichever kind you might be, Florida’s hammock beach resort is a great place to land

The city of Palm Coast is on one of Florida’s nicest stretches, just south of historic St. augustine and about an hour and a half northeast of orlando. if you’re a beach-loving golfer with family, there is perhaps no better area of the country in which to find yourself. area golf courses and activities abound, though you’ll find plenty to do at hammock beach resort itself. The resort calls itself “Florida’s premier oceanfront destination,” and it’s easy to see why: Top accommodations, top golf courses, fine dining, and a massive number of on-site activities and recreational options are all located at this substantial property, which even boasts its own 91,000 square-foot multi-level waterpark. There’s no shortage of things to do, but we’ll start with one of our favorites: Golf.

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Golf

A c c o m m o d At i o n s

Hammock Beach Resort has two golf courses on site, and both of them are stunners. The Ocean Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design, and The Conservatory Course, a Signature Design from Tom Watson, offer 36 holes of absolute top-drawer golf in one of the most beautiful settings anywhere. The Ocean Course plays right along the Atlantic, putting six holes right on the ocean’s edge, four of which make up the “Bear’s Claw,” one of the best finishing stretches in the game. Indigenous forests and wetlands were integrated into the design along with the dunes—and the notorious ocean breeze. The Conservatory Course is an altogether different beast, with elevation changes and undulating greens not often found in Florida. With 76 acres of man-made lakes and three waterfall features, it more resembles something from the Carolinas, though there’s plenty of Florida beach to be found in the 140 bunkers to remind you where you are. Interestingly, three are sod-faced, a nod to Watson’s affinity for British links-style golf.

Both courses have their own clubhouses, and both of those are lovely. The Ocean Course Clubhouse is part of the main Lodge, which holds guestrooms and the Atlantic Grille restaurant (more on that later). As one would expect from a top golf destination, top equipment and instruction are available as well.

As Hammock Beach Resort’s website puts it, “Every resort has hotel rooms, we have living spaces.” And oh what spaces they are. There are a number of accommodation options, including suites and villas that offer all the comfort of proper homes but with the service of a AAA Four Diamond resort. Top amenities are found throughout and, dependent on accommodation type, include king beds, eat-in full-size kitchens with granite countertops and built-in appliances, large dining areas, large garden tubs, laundry rooms, high-speed Internet and much, much more. Appointments are top-drawer, views from the balconies are superb, and there’s enough room for any sized vacation, whether it’s a romantic getaway for two or a full-scale family reunion.

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Hole 10 on the Watson-designed Conservatory Course, right.

Below, a typical Hammock Beach living space

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Wat e r , Wat e r e v e ry W h e r e

activities

Water factors heavily into daily life at Hammock Beach Resort. The centerpiece of the resort’s aquatic offerings is the Water Pavilion, 91,000 square feet of swimsuitrequired recreation. There’s a lazy river to float upon, a twisting water slide, shaded oasis-like areas, upperand lower-level pools, an adult pool, swimming poolsized spa, beach pool, beach volleyball, poolside bar and more. Quite obviously, there’s also the Atlantic Ocean and the resort’s pink shell beach—towels and chairs provided. If you want to get out of the sun for a bit, Hammock Beach also offers a large indoor pool, with a range of games and recreational opportunities nearby. Additionally, all accommodation options—The Lodge, Yacht Harbor Village, Cinnamon Beach and others—all have pools within easy reach, meaning you can take a plunge whenever the urge strikes.

For those who like to keep fit, Hammock Beach Resort has a state-of-the-art fitness center and aerobics studio. There’s also a lighted Hydro-Grid Tennis Center, bicycle rentals, a putting course, sea kayaking, nature walks, weekly cruises aboard the 117-foot yacht Sundancer, and more.

Eventually, even if you only participate in a fraction of Hammock Beach Resort’s activities, you’re going to want to relax. Thankfully, the property takes care of that as well with The Spa at Hammock Beach Resort.

With two miles of pristine coastline as inspiration, the spa was created to be in perfect harmony with its surroundings. A full range of massages, facials and other relaxing and rejuvenating experiences are offered here. Indulgent and not to be missed.

You’re never far from water at Hammock Beach: Whether it’s on a golf course, in a pool or beside the ocean

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Dining After all of the golf, swimming and relaxing, you’re going to want to eat. Not surprisingly, Hammock Beach Resort has that covered with a veritable banquet of dining possibilities. For those who like their seafood fresh—and we mean raw—there’s a Sushi Bar with sophisticated eats and a substantial sake list. Fine dining options include Delfinos, where the wine vault is well-stocked and meat and seafood get an Italian kiss, and the Atlantic Grille, which offers a delectable menu along with its ocean views. The Coffee Bar will help you get your day started right, while Loggerheads Lounge will take you through the evening. For casual lunch poolside, it’s the Ocean Bar & Grill; for a fine cocktail and premium cigar at the end of the day, it’s the Hammock Beach Resort Cigar Bar (which offers some of the finest single malts, ports and cognacs around).

The Ocean Bar & Grill is perfect for either a poolside lunch or a special event

get Here It doesn’t matter how you get here—whether you drive to the property or pull your boat into The Marina at Hammock Beach Resort—this is a must-see and must-play Florida destination. It’s environmentally responsible, with a number of “green” initiatives in place. It’s capable, with facilities for any sized group or event, whether it be a corporate golf tournament, wedding, family getaway or special holiday. It’s comprehensive, with a wide range of activities and services to suit any need. And lastly it’s beautiful, sitting along one of the most enjoyable stretches of coastline anywhere. If you’re a golfer and you’re looking for the perfect place to stay out of the cold—whether you’re a snowbird or a year-round resident from another part of the state—Hammock Beach Resort will help you create an unforgettable getaway.

OrlandO Gem Reunion Resort and Club, pictured below, isn’t just one of the best places to go on vacation—whether you’re with your family, taking a romantic weekend away or just after some quality golf—it’s also one of the most beautiful spots in the Orlando area. Close to all major Orlando attractions, including Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, Reunion has major attractions on site as well. Three tremendous golf courses from Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson are joined by Annika Sorenstam’s own Annika Academy. There, with Annika’s personal swing coach Henri Reis and personal trainer Kai Fusser, your game will improve substantially. Top-drawer accommodations and great dining complete the property, which hosts excellent manifestations of all expected amenities: swimming, tennis, fitness opportunities and

Find out more at hammockbeachresort.com or call (866) 841-0287.

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more. One of the best places to stay in Florida.

Find out more at reunionresort.com or call (866) 880-8563.

The new 2011 Musty Putters are created with patented technology that will have you putting with confidence no matter how intimidating the putt.

With a superior feel and legendary forgiveness, Musty Putters are truly the first name in finesse and accuracy.

Each Musty Putter is custom built to the clients specs.

Laser Engraving allows us to personalize each putter, making them perfect for corporate or personal gifts.

mustyputters.com

david @mustyputters.com

1-800-815-4454

TAKE ADVANTAGE WITH PALMER essayist logan P. smith writes— “there are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. only the wisest of mankind achieves the second.”

Arnold PAlmer Golf mAnAGement hAs creAted An excitinG And unique collection of benefits And oPPortunities for members of their AffiliAted clubs to enjoy more of life’s PleAsures.

After all life is not a dress rehearsal. We have but one time to savor the beauty and diversity of this remarkable planet, to experience its delights to the full, to capitalize on the fleeting moments that constitute a life well-lived. there is no time like now to satisfy our sense of adventure, to tee it up on the playgrounds of champions, and to enrich not only our lives but those of the ones we love.

Palmer Advantage was created with this in mind; as a way to help members to share life’s most rewarding experiences with spouses, children, grandchildren, and friends on an easy-to-use basis. the offering has been available to members of Arnold Palmer managed clubs wishing to upgrade their membership benefits since the end of november 2010. And starting in january 2011, Palmer Advantage will also become available to members of Arnold Palmer-designed courses.

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At its core, Palmer Advantage is all about facilitating access; it enables members to play golf at many of the world’s most prestigious private clubs and courses, but it also offers so much more— for example, dining at the finest city clubs and relaxing at the most salubrious of beach and yacht clubs.

Palmer Advantage also offers its members a diverse range of other travel experiences—cruises, private jet services, limousines, resorts, vacation homes and getaway excursions—along with preferential access to tickets for sports contests, theater shows, galas and other major events.

Reservations for these services are conveniently available through the Palmer Advantage Concierge on a seven-day-a-week basis. In addition to extending your membership beyond the confines of your club, Palmer Advantage provides a one-stop reference point for virtually every form of entertainment you should desire.

Imagine the tantalizing pleasures of exotic cuisine, relaxing tropical massages or the finest of wines; witness the winning putt, the buzzer-beater, the moment of sudden victory, the final ‘out’ or the worldrecord performance; be there for the exclusive premier, the red carpet, the final tour; experience incomparable,

remarkable and extraordinary events at the casinos of Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Atlantic City. Run on the beaches, ski the powdered slopes, dive in the oceans, balloon across the deserts, cruise the seas. Go where your heart desires and create treasured memories for those with whom you share Palmer Advantage.

In a world where balance is increasingly difficult to achieve, there are few opportunities to experience the passing blinks of time that restore, entertain and invigorate us. We must reach for and grasp each of these opportunities without hesitation.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, one of the Roman Empire’s most influential philosophers and statesmen, believed that “travel and change of place imparts new vigor to the mind”. To stimulate our sense of wellbeing we seek variety, to flavor and color our lives! Palmer Advantage provides members with an opportunity to spend time in places of rejuvenation, enlightenment and vitalization. It opens the door to new and wonderful experiences all around the world.

If your club would like to learn more about how its members can participate in Palmer Advantage, please contact Mark Murphy of Arnold Palmer Golf Management directly on (949) 716-9634.

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Focusing on a Better game Practical tiPs for staying on the ball

By Charles Poliquin

It’s a given that playing golf competitively requires focus for long periods of time. What many golfers may not realize is that what you eat before teeing off can have a dramatic effect on how mentally sharp you’ll be while on the course When I’m asked for the best type of meal to have before startIng a round, I invariably recommend what can best be described as a “meatand-nuts breakfast.” my clients, who range from professional football and hockey players to corporate executives, rave about the increased mental acuity and focused energy they derive from this food combination.

It works because the meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar, and the nuts provide a great source of healthy “smart fats” that allow the blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time.

What you eat for breakfast sets up your entire neurotransmitter production for the day. multiple studies – ranging from measuring employee productivity to tracking children’s attention patterns—have demonstrated that a high-protein breakfast not only maintains one’s energy and productivity levels from morning until noon but also extends its positive effects into the late afternoon. below is a sample five-day plan for the meatand-nuts breakfast. It’s important to not add anything to it in terms of food or beverage. tea, coffee or herbal infusions are permissible, but milk, juices or other liquids are not allowed. here are a few suggested combinations:

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Day 1: 1-2 buffalo meat patties and 1 handful of macadamia nuts Day 2: 1 large venison steak and 1 handful of cashew nuts Day 3: 1-2 lean turkey burgers and 1 handful of almonds Day 4: 2 lean ground beef patties and 1 handful of brazil nuts Day 5: 2 chicken breasts and 1 handful of hazelnuts another advantage of this system is that it reduces the development of food sensitivities, which are known to increase cortisol in people. very often, when we test first-time clients at our institute for food sensitivities, we find that they have developed antibodies to foods they have consumed on a daily basis for years, such as nuts. for those of you who are allergic to nuts, I recommend adapting this breakfast plan by replacing the nuts with one portion from the following list of low-glycemic/low-fructose fruits: apples apricots avocadoes blackberries blueberries

grapefruit mandarins nectarines olives oranges

papayas peaches plums raspberries strawberries

Make sure to choose fruits that are organic, especially strawberries, as they are among the most-sprayed crops in the world. After breakfast, I recommend taking one to three teaspoons of quality fish oil to further mitigate the insulin (i.e. the sugar hormone) response. This will ensure top-level concentration until your next meal.

Another question I am often asked is what to eat during the game when you realize your attention level is diminishing, most likely due to a decrease in blood sugar.

First, stay away from protein bars and energy bars.

Calling these products “protein bars” borders on false advertising. I say this because it is difficult to design a bar that makes a significant contribution to daily protein requirements. Take, for example, the protein content (in grams) of the following health food bars: BTU Stoker, 10; Clif Bar, 5; Exceed Sports Bar, 12; Edgebar, 10; Forza, 10; Gator Bar, 3; K-Trainer, 10; PowerBar, 10; Thunder Bar, 10; Tiger Sport, 11. Take these numbers with a grain of salt: ConsumerLabs evaluated 30 health food bars and found that 18 of the bars did not contain the levels of nutrients reported on their labels!

Energy bars are even worse: Most popular energy bars are full of things you really don’t want in your system. For example, a single PowerBar contains 230 calories broken down into 45g carbs, 2.5g fat and 10g protein. Unfortunately, the No.1 ingredient in these bars is fructose corn syrup. In fact, most “health” bars on the market contain fructose, which causes a high spike in blood sugar that is associated with an insulin crash that causes drowsiness and carbohydrate cravings. Further, excess consumption of fructose products is considered a contributor to insulin resistance and the obesity epidemic in America. Instead of containing fructose or artificial sweeteners, better bars contain polyols that occur naturally in fruits and vegetables.

Food bars are your best choice for a portable, convenient snack that will help you maintain focus for the rest of the game. A food bar provides a balance of the three macronutrients and is designed to be a healthy snack and an occasional, low-calorie meal replacement.

Food bars present a healthy nutritional alternative to the protein/energy bars usually offered in grocery stores. Their primary value lies not in falsely claiming to be an ideal way to help you gain muscle, lose fat or replace meals but to stabilize blood sugar levels. Make certain that the food bars you choose do not contain soy. Soy products are associated with hypothyroidism and attention deficit disorder, and can block mineral absorption and decrease testosterone levels in men.

Soybeans are also a highly sprayed crop, and the resulting high pesticide content increases the toxic load on the body.

Better-quality food bars contain whey or rice protein and some form of nut butter. Rice protein is easy to digest

and the least allergenic of all protein sources. Also, make sure the bars you choose are free of wheat, corn, trans fats and hydrogenated fats. Finally, here’s a question I hear very often: What do you do if your concentration is not what it used to be? Thanks to nutritional scientists’ hard work, we now have access to combinations of herbs that increase focus and reverse brain aging. Here are some nutrients known to increase focus: Bacopa: This natural brain enhancer coming from Ayurvedic medicine has been shown to increase concentration, memory, alertness and focus.

GinkGo: Through extensive research in humans, we now know that standardized (which refers to a type of manufacturing process) ginkgo biloba supports healthy thinking processes and memory, improves blood flow to the brain, repairs oxidative damage to the brain and auditory system, and enhances blood vessel tone and blood viscosity. For years, standardized ginkgo biloba has been the primary nutraceutical recommended in Germany for memory loss and cognitive decline. citicoline: Harvard shows that citicoline supplements help improve focus and mental energy and may be useful in the treatment of attention deficit disorder.

Gotu kola: This is another Asian herb that has been shown to improve IQ and memory scores and to provide protection to the brain against aging.

Taking a formula that contains the above ingredients will certainly help build and sustain new levels of concentration. Many agencies that offer protection to VIPs routinely use those nutraceuticals to stay on task while protecting their clients.

For more tips on how to eat like a champion and how to choose natural supplements that will help improve your game, go to charlespoliquin.com

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putt for dough Forget putters from high-tech labs with price tags that bring tears to the eyes! When Eric Johnson, director of instruction at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh since 2003, needs to sink something really slick he reaches for a $3 putter he bought at an old thrift shop.

Johnson shares some jiffy tips with Chris Rodell on how to putt on lightning-fast greens

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Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com

Use the entire hole “Never up, never in” is the conventional wisdom. Not at Oakmont. A putt that rockets a few feet past the cup drastically reduces its diameter to the size of a thimble. The ball rolling fast has only a sliver of the hole available to it, but a more measured putt that dies at the hole has a chance of rolling in through any of the 360-degree doors ajar for deftly struck putts. It can drop in the side, fall in the front or dosey-do ‘round the entire circumference. “It’s simple physics,” he says. “Racing the ball to the hole reduces the size of the hole. You want your ball to die at the hole and just fall right in.”

line ‘em Up right Johnson says 84 percent of all golfers cannot align the putter properly at the hole from six feet. The face determines both path and acceleration, but the minds of most golfers engage in mental warfare on fast greens about the speed and shape of the break. For example, if a putt breaks two feet from right to left and you only aim the putter one foot outside the hole, then the mind overcompensates, and again shrinks the hole. Golfers can correct this by practicing with a laser or other face aligner. If you find you’re aiming too far to the right, move the ball a little more forward. Move the ball back in your stance if you’re aiming too far left.

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Micro-course ManageMent Savvy golfers know to play approach shots that leave you with the best angle of attack. Do the same on fast greens. Former Oakmont pro Lew Worsham said Oakmont was the only course where you’d think about your second putt before hitting your first one. “At Oakmont, a putt a few inches short of the hole is better than a putt that just misses and goes 3 feet past,” he says. “I’ve never missed a 3-inch putt, but I’ve missed plenty of 3-footers. And on fast greens you want to reduce the number of second putts three feet or longer.”

Putt for dough... conservatively A rolling ball will make a rotation the length of a dollar bill (see left). So five rotations equals five dollars. Each dollar bill past the hole cuts its size by 12 percent.

Think about that as you consider going deep on fast greens. It’s not worth it. Each extra roll beyond the hole is costing you dollars or a crucial match.

Master the Pendular stroke

Be like stockton

There are two types of putting styles. Linear putters go short back and have a long follow-through. That’s a good stroke for slower Bermuda greens that require getting the ball airborne more quickly. Fast greens require a more graceful stroke that gets the ball rolling.

To achieve this, swing the putter like the pendulum in an old grandfather clock (see below). Striking the ball on the upswing will create a low launch of the ball with the force coming from gravity, not your hands.

A zen-like mindset helps to achieve this stroke. “The words ‘coasting, gliding and calm,’ need to apply when you’re putting on fast greens. Keep those in mind as you sort of massage the ball toward the hole.”

Dave Stockton holds the record for the longest streak without a 3-putt. “He went 940 holes,” Johnson says, shaking his head in amazement. “Arnold Palmer would have beaten Jack Nicklaus here at Oakmont in 1962, but he had 13 3-putts and Jack didn’t have any. The biggest letdown I see from someone playing Oakmont for the first time is that the greens just killed them. I’ve seen guys walk off these greens devastated by giving up 40 putts. Most of that comes from being too aggressive and not using all the hole. At Oakmont, aggressive putting shrinks the size of the hole. Four and a quarter inches is small enough. You don’t want to shrink it to thimble size with questionable putting techniques.”

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N ew Mod el Ar Nie 174

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creating a new course from an untamed piece of land can sometimes result in a work of genius. But the staff at arnold Palmer design company will tell you that taking an existing layout and reshaping it to unlock its true economic and golfing potential while respecting its natural environment and reducing maintenance is perhaps an even more valuable skill. Paul Trow reports There are many reasons why a golf course mighT need remodeling. it may have been crudely built in the first place, it may be too expensive to maintain. it may have started life several decades ago and been rendered obsolete by modern playing equipment. it may suffer from inadequate drainage or irrigation control. it may have been seeded with inappropriate grasses, or it may simply be worn out from overuse.

The finest courses, conversely, always look as though they’ve been there for ever, crafted according to some divine law with their eventual construction purely the outcome of some minimalist human tweaking of the terrain. But as is always the way with an elaborate creation that ticks over with clockwork perfection, there’s a tendency to take the complexity of the skills and knowledge integrated within its mechanisms almost for granted. consumers know quality when they sample it, but nine times out of ten they’re unsure what it is that brings them such delight. on the other hand, they’re pretty good at identifying a fault when it manifests itself—whether it’s a green where the roots are infected with thatch, a bunker with inconsistent sand or a hole that neither interests nor excites. a golf course is a living, evolving organism, not an inert, finite product. yes, it is man-made and manmaintained, but the role played by mother nature is of paramount importance. on occasion a course can be over-designed with peripheral areas requiring significant on-going attention. in these situations a remodel can significantly lower maintenance costs while ensuring that a golf course’s natural attributes are in harmony with the ecosystems of the landscape on which it’s laid out.

let’s get the greens closer to the water, break up the long tees and fan them out, and get the sand up where you can see it The bunkering protecting the green on the 17th hole at Bay Hill was reshaped during the 2009 facelift

at arnold Palmer design company, where the folks “understand the importance of proper site analysis, sensitive siting and planning of the course, and creative yet innovative design that allows the distinctive character of the land to show,” the skills on offer to clients are just as valuable when it comes to a remodeling assignment as to a project built straight from the drawing board. The commitment of arnold Palmer and aPdc to sustainable and creative design goes back more than forty years—a calling card that has led to an ever-increasing portfolio of remodeling work, on all sorts of different courses. from historic championship layouts like cherry hills, oakmont and Pebble Beach, to modern gems like Quail hollow, starr Pass or The K club in ireland, remodeling work by aPdc has not only enhanced what was already there but brought the playing experience closer to the designer’s original concepts. They also understand that in the current economic climate there needs to be a solid business case for a re-model in terms of increased membership, rounds played and dues paid as well as the reduction of maintenance and running costs through environmentally positive layouts.

Perhaps aPdc’s highest-profile remodel in recent times took place in 2009 on its own doorstep, at Bay hill lodge & club where every hole of the championship course received the benefit of mr. Palmer’s personal attention. “let’s get the greens closer to the water, break up the long tees and fan them out, and get the sand up where you can see it,” he told his aPdc colleagues.

The previous greens needed to be replaced because of parasitic pests in the soil that made it difficult to maintain good turf quality. new emerald Bermuda grass was installed after proving the best performer in test plots grown at Bay hill prior to construction. however, the main point of the facelift was to inject more playing versatility into the course without changing its character.

But lots of lesser-known clubs have also received a spring clean from the King’s feather duster, and many more could well do so in the future. as aPdc’s strategy demonstrates, course remodeling is a highly technical exercise (schedule and budget permitting). This starts with a thorough analysis based on five primary considerations: economic feasibility, playability, safety, maintenance and beauty. how can we reduce costs while improving quality? is it a family-oriented club or one to stage big tournaments? do they want increased involvement from the local community, or do they want the course purely

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Paula Creamer, winner of the U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont this year, will have appreciated the changes Mr. Palmer made to the fabled layout

for their own use? This type of question is asked to elicit an answer that enhances the design while maintaining the original’s integrity, that lowers costs while increasing marketability.

From a maintenance point of view, APDC will work with the client to reduce costs. They determine if and when more natural areas are appropriate, often leading to less irrigation. Turf, drainage, irrigation systems, soils and hazards are all subject to regular review. Safety, when it comes to working out where possible errant shots might fly, is also extremely important.

Under playability, the on-course check list includes hole lengths, fairway widths, tee and hazard placements, and green shapes and slopes. In addition, the practice and teaching facilities need to be reviewed every once in a while.

Last but not least, is the course’s beauty, derived from its landscaping, elevation changes, color combinations, and other features such as trees, water hazards and sand traps.

Of course there is so much more to remodeling a golf course properly than simply sending out a team of laborers with a bulldozer and chainsaws. APDC and its sister companies offer a whole range of contracted services that are designed to put the whole project on a sound footing and see it through to a logical and successful conclusion.

But the most important commodity at any golf club remains the course. Erik Larsen, APDC’s Executive Vice President and Senior Golf Course Architect, attributes the company’s strong foundations to its flexibility.

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“it’s not easy when changes are made to an american treasure. it was a privilege to work with mr. palmer and his design team in preparation for the 2010 u.s. open” r.j. harper senior vp, golf, pebble beach company “Hopefully all of our courses are different,” he says. “We do not have a design trademark, nor do we want one. We do, however, strive to design all of our courses so they are beautiful, constructed soundly within the budget and are fun to play.” A remodel project must satisfy the economic, environmental and social aspects of the club. APDC works hard to understand each of those aspects, then plans and builds accordingly.

In the end, APDC courses work because, while everyone on the team gets a say in a course’s design, or redesign, there’s an underlying unity of both perspective and purpose. “Erik’s basic philosophy of golf course design is the same as mine,” Mr. Palmer says. “I believe in traditional, straightforward design that produces courses with lasting quality that are exciting and enjoyable for all players. The designs are founded on the principles and strategies of the game and are sensitive to the land and the environment. All of us work very well together.”

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Visit www.golfgamebook.com or call (561) 460-6152 Now available in the US

Course Directory Courses around the world designed by the Arnold Palmer Design Company @ 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

Starfire at Scottsdale Country Club

Scottsdale, Arizona

www.starfiregolfclub.com

Starr Pass Resort

Tucson, Arizona

Empire Lake Golf Course

Rancho Cucamonga, California

www.empirelakes.com

The Presidio Golf Course +@

San Francisco, California

www.presidiogolfclub.com

Aviara at Park Hyatt Resort

Rancho Murieta Country Club

Carlsbad, California

Rancho Murieta, California

parkaviara.hyatt.com

www.ranchomurietacc.com

Hiddenbrooke Country Club

Rolling Hills Golf Club

Vallejo, California

Palos Verdes Estates, California

www.hiddenbrookegolf.com

www.rollinghillscc.com

Indian Ridge Country Club

SilverRock Resort

Arroyo and Grove Courses Palm Desert, California

LaQuinta, California

www.indianridgecc.com

Mission Hills Country Club

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

www.starrpasstucson.com

Mountain View Country Club

Wildfire at Desert Ridge

www.mountainviewatlaquinta.com

www.silverrock.org

The Tradition Golf Club

LaQuinta, California

www.traditiongolfclub.net

COLORADO Bear Creek Golf Course

Denver, Colorado

LaQuinta, California

www.bearcreekgolfclub.net

www.wildfiregolf.com

Pebble Beach Golf Links +

Englewood, Colorado

CALIFORNIA

www.pebblebeach.com

Phoenix, Arizona

The Classic Club

Palm Desert, California

www.classicclubgolf.com

King & Bear, FL, hole #11

Cherry Hills Country Club +

Monterey, California

www.chcc.com

PGA West—Palmer Course

Eagle, Colorado

La Quinta, California

Eagle Ranch Golf Course @ www.eagleranchgolf.com

www.pgawest.com

Courtesy World Golf Village Associates

KEY: + Remodel

Lone Tree Golf Club

The King and The Bear

Orchid Island Golf Club

Littleton, Colorado

St. Augustine, Florida

Vero Beach, Florida

www.golfcolorado.com/lonetree

CONNECTICUT Gillette Ridge Golf Club

Bloomfield, Connecticut

www.gilletteridgegolf.com

FLORIDA

www.kingandbear.com

www.orchidislandgolfandbeachclub.com

Lakewood Ranch

Palmer Legends Country Club

Cypress Links and King's Dunes Bradenton, Florida

The Villages, Florida

www.lakewoodranchgolf.com

Legacy Golf Club

www.thevillages.com

Pasadena Yacht and Country Club +

St. Petersburg, Florida

Bradenton, Florida

www.pyccgolf.com

www.adiosgolfclub.org

Legends at Orange Lake

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Bay Hill Club and Lodge +

www.orangelake.com

Adios Golf Club

Coconut Creek, Florida

www.legacygolfclub.com

PGA National

Kissimmee, Florida

www.pgaresort.com

www.bayhill.com

Lost Key Golf Course @*

Palm Coast, Florida

Boca West #1 and Boca West #3

www.lostkey.com

Orlando, Florida

Boca Raton, Florida

www.bocawestcc.org

Perdido Key, Florida 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

Palm Bay, Florida

www.theplantationpv.com

www.dbycc.com

Marsh Landing Country Club

Ponte Vedra Golf & Country Club at Sawgrass +

Frenchman's Reserve

www.marshlandingcc.com

Deering Bay Yacht and Country Club

Coral Gables, Florida

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

www.frenchmansreserve.com

The Golf Club at North Hampton

Fernandina Beach, Florida northhampton.com/golfclub.asp

Hidden Hills Country Club +

Jacksonville, Florida www.hiddenhillscc.com

Isleworth Golf and Country Club

Windermere, Florida

www.majorsgolfclub.com

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida 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

PGA West, CA, hole #9

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.golfspessardholland.com

St. Andrews Country Club +

Boca Raton, Florida

www.standrewscc.com

HAwAII

LOUISIANA

The Hapuna Golf Course

The Bluffs on Thompson Creek

Tesoro

www.hapunabeachhotel.com

www.thebluffs.com

Hawaii Prince Golf Club

MARYLAND

www.suntree.com

Port St. Lucie, Florida

www.tesoroclub.com

Kamuela, Hawaii

Ewa Beach, Hawaii

St. Francesville, Louisiana

Country Club at Woodmore

Wildcat Run Country Club @

www.hawaiiprincehotel.com

Estero, Florida

Kapalua Golf Club @

www.ccwoodmore.com

GEORGIA

The Village Course Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

MASSACHUSETTS

www.wildcatruncc.com

Atlanta Athletic Club +

Duluth, Georgia

www.atlantaathleticclub.org

Augusta First Tee

Augusta, Georgia www.thefirstteeaugusta.org

Champions Retreat

Augusta, Georgia

www.championsretreat.net

Cherokee Run Golf Club

Conyers, Georgia

www.cherokeerun.com

Eagle Watch

Woodstock, Georgia

www.eaglewatchgolf.com

Forest Hills Golf Club +

Augusta, Georgia

theforesthillsgolfcourse.com

Landings on Skidaway Island @

Magnolia Course Savannah, Georgia

www.thelandings.com

Stouffers Pine Isle +

Lake Lanier Islands, Georgia Whitewater Country Club

Fayetteville, Georgia

www.whitewatercc.com

Mitchellville, Maryland

www.hawaiigolfacademy.com

TPC of Boston at Great Woods

Turtle Bay Resort

www.tpcboston.com

The Palmer Course Kakuku, Hawaii

www.turtlebayresort.com

ILLINOIS The Den at Fox Creek Golf Club @

Bloomington, Illinois

www.thedengc.com

Hawthorn Woods Country Club

Hawthorn Township, Illinois

www.hwccgolf.com

Spencer T. Olin Community Golf Course

Alton, Illinois

Norton, Massachusetts

MICHIGAN Coyote Preserve Golf Club

Fenton, Michigan

www.coyotepreserve.com

Manitou Passage Golf Club

Cedar, Michigan

www.manitoupassagegolfclub.com

The Legend at Shanty Creek

Bellaire, Michigan

www.shantycreek.com/golf

Northville Hills Country Club @

Northville, Michigan

www.spencertolingolf.com

www.northvillehills.com

White Eagle Golf Club

Ravines Golf Club

Naperville, Illinois

Saugatuck, Michigan

www.whiteeaglegc.com

www.ravinesgolfclub.com

IOwA

MINNESOTA

Tournament Club of Iowa

Polk City, Iowa

www.tcofiowa.com

KENTUCKY

Deacon's Lodge

Nisswa, Minnesota

www.deaconslodge.com

Minnesota Valley Golf Club +@

Lake Forest Country Club

Bloomington, Minnesota

Louisville, Kentucky

TPC of the Twin Cities @

www.lakeforestgolf.com

Blaine, Minnesota

www.tpctwincities.com

Photo by Evan Schiller / golfshots.com

Suntree Country Club

Melbourne, Florida

MISSISSIPPI The Bridges Golf Club at Hollywood Casino @*

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

www.hollywoodcasinobsl.com/golf

MISSOURI Big Cedar

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

Osage National Golf Club

Lake Ozark, Missouri

www.osagenational.com

MOntana Big Sky Golf Club

Big Sky, Montana

www.bigskyresort.com

nEBRaSKa

Red Rock Country Club

TPC at Piper Glen @

Arroyo Course and Mountain Course Las Vegas, Nevada

www.tpcpiperglen.com

nEW HaMPSHIRE

Charlotte, North Carolina

Golf Club of New England

Rivers Edge Golf Club

www.redrockcountryclub.com

Greenland, New Hampshire

www.golfclubne.com

nEW JERSEY Laurel Creek Country Club @

Charlotte, North Carolina Quail Hollow Country Club +

Shallotte, North Carolina

www.river18.com

Scotch Hall Preserve

Merry Hill, North Carolina

Mt. Laurel, New Jersey

www.scotchhallpreserve.com

Regency at Monroe

Hendersonville, North Carolina

www.laurelcreekcc.org

Seven Falls Golf and River Club

Freehold, New Jersey

www.sevenfalls-nc.com

nORtH CaROLIna

Vass, North Carolina

www.regencyatmonroe.com

Balsam Mountain Preserve

Sylva, North Carolina

Woodlake Resort and Golf Club www.woodlakecc.com

White Oak Plantation

Arbor Links Golf Course

www.balsammountain.com

Nebraska City, Nebraska

Birkdale Golf Club

www.whiteoaktryon.com

Huntersville, North Carolina

nORtH DaKOta

The Players Club at Deer Creek

www.birkdale.com

Omaha, Nebraska

Brier Creek Country Club @

Grand Forks, North Dakota

www.arborlinks.com

www.playersclubomaha.com

nEVaDa Angel Park Golf Club

Raleigh, North Carolina

www.briercreekcountryclub.com

The Carolina Golf Club

Pinehurst, North Carolina

Palm Course and Mountain Course Las Vegas, Nevada

www.thecarolina.com

ArrowCreek Country Club

Highlands, North Carolina

www.angelparkgolfclub.com

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

Cullasaja Club www.cullasajaclub.org

Mid South Club

Southern Pines, North Carolina

www.talamore.com

NCSU—Lonnie Poole Golf Course

Raleigh, North Carolina

www.lonniepoolegolfcourse.com

Oak Valley Golf Club

Advance, North Carolina www.oakvalleygolfclub.com

King & Bear, FL, hole #7

Tryon, North Carolina

King’s Walk Golf Course www.kingswalk.org

OHIO Oasis Golf Club

Loveland, Ohio

www.oasisclub.com

TPC at River’s Bend

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.tpcatriversbend.com

Tartan Fields Golf Club

Dublin, Ohio

www.tartanfields.com

OREGOn Running Y Ranch Resort @

Klamath Falls, Oregon

www.runningy.com

Bend, Oregon

RiverTowne Country Club

Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina

www.runningy.com

www.rivertownecountryclub.com

PENNSYLVANIA

SOUTH DAKOTA

Blue Bell Country Club

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania

www.bluebellcc.com

The Club at Blackthorne

Penn Township, Pennsylvania

www.theclubatblackthorne.com

Dakota Dunes Country Club

UTAH Jeremy Golf and Country Club

www.dakotadunescountryclub.com

TENNESSEE The Governors Golf Club

Brentwood, Tennessee

www.thegovernorsclub.com

Horsham, Pennsylvania

King’s Creek

Laurel Valley Country Club +

www.kingscreekgolf.com

Ligonier, Pennsylvania

Ridgeway Country Club

Oakmont Country Club +

Oakmont, Pennsylvania

www.oakmont-countryclub.org

Treesdale Golf and Country Club @

Gibsonia, Pennsylvania

www.treesdalegolf.com

SOUTH CAROLINA Crescent Pointe Golf Club

Spring Hill, Tennessee

Colliersville, Tennessee

Barton Creek Resort @

Palmer Lakeside Course Spicewood, Texas

www.bartoncreek.com

Twin Creeks Golf Course

Musgrove Mill Golf Club

The Golf Club at Fossil Creek

Fort Worth, Texas

www.musgrovemill.com

www.thegolfclubatfossilcreek.com

Myrtle Beach National

Lakecliff on Lake Travis

King’s North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

www.lakecliff.net

Spicewood, Texas

www.mbn.com

Newport Dunes

Old Tabby Links @

Port Aransas, Texas

Sunset, South Carolina

www.reserveatlakekeowee.com

www.baycreekgolfclub.com

Belmont Country Club @

Ashburn, Virginia

www.belmontcountryclub.com

www.dominionvalley.com

www.twincreeksgolf.com

The Reserve at Lake Keowee

Bay Creek Golf Club @*

Cape Charles, Virginia

TEXAS

www.crescentpointegolf.com

Okatie, South Carolina

VIRGINIA

Dominion Valley Country Club and Executive Course

Allen, Texas

www.springisland-sc.com

Park City, Utah

www.thejeremy.com

www.ridgewaycountryclub.com

Bluffton, South Carolina

Clinton, South Carolina

www.thewoodlands.com

Dakota Dunes, South Dakota

Commonwealth National Golf Club @ www.commonwealthgolfclub.com

The Woodlands

The Palmer Course The Woodlands, Texas

www.newportdunesgolf.com

Haymarket, Virginia 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 www.kingsmill.com

Signature at West Neck

Virginia Beach, Virginia

www.signatureatwestneck.com

The Palmer Course at La Cantera Resort @

San Antonio, Texas

www.lacanteragolfclub.com

Courtesy World Golf Village Associates

The Tribute at Thornburg

WASHINGTON

BAHAMAS

Seattle Golf Club + Seattle, Washington

West End, Grand Bahama Island

www.seattlegolfclub.com

Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club @

Blaine, Washington.

www.semiahmoo.com

Prospector Golf Course At Suncadia

Roslyn, Washington

www.suncadia.com

WEST VIRGINIA Speidel Golf Club, Palmer Course

Wheeling, West Virginia

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

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 @

Jackson, Wyoming www.tetonpines.com

West End Golf Club

CANADA Northview Golf and Country Club

Cloverdale, British Columbia

www.northviewgolf.com

Whistler Golf Club

Whistler, British Columbia www.whistlergolf.com

CHINA Beijing Cascades Golf Course

Beijing

www.cascadesgolf.cn/index_2.html

Chung Shan Hot Springs Golf Course

Guangdong Province

www.cshsgc.com.cn/index.php?lg=en

Kunming Piexing

Pure Scene Golf Club & Resort, Kunming

COSTA RICA Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo

Papagayo, Guanacaste

www.fourseasons.com/costarica/golf/

FRANCE Vignoly

Crecy–la–Chapelle

www.domainedelabrie.com

INTERNATIONAL

GERMANY

AUSTRALIA

Rethmar Golf Links

Pines Golf Course at Sanctuary Cove

Sanctuary Cove, Queensland

www.sanctuarycove.com

Suncadia, WA, hole #10

Hannover

www.rethmar-golf-links.de/

Sporting Club Berlin

Bad Saarow

www.sporting-club-berlin.de

GUAM LeoPalace Resort—The Palmer Course

Yona

www.leopalaceresort.com

INDIA DLF Golf Club

New Delhi

dlfgolfresort.com

INDONESIA Emeralda Golf and Country Club

Desa Tapos, Cimanggis (Jakarta)

www.emeraldagolfclub.com

IRELAND Kildare Hotel and Country Club

Straffan, County Kildare

www.kclub.ie

Tralee Golf Club

Ardfert, County Kerry www.traleegolfclub.com

ITALY Ca’della Nave Golf Club

Martellago

www.cadellanave.com

Castello di Tolcinasco Golf and Country Club

Milano

www.golftolcinasco.it

Golf Club Le Pavoniere

Prato

www.golfclublepavoniere.com

Japan Ajigasawa Kogen Golf Course

Wakasa Country Club — Suigetsuko Course

Aomori Prefecture

Fukui Prefecture

Asahi Miki

Washington Club Sapporo Golf Course

Evercrest Golf Club and Resort

Nasugbu, Batangas

www.evercrestgolfclubresort.com

Forest Hills Golf & Country Club

Osaka

Hokkaido Prefecture

Antipolo, Luzon

Aso Prince Hotel Golf Course

Washington Club Meihan Golf Course

Orchard Golf and Country Club — The Legacy

Kumamoto Prefecture

Mie Prefecture

Forest Miki Golf Club

Wakasa Country Club—Hyugako Course

Hyogo Prefecture Fuji Excellent Ono Club

Kukui Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture

REpUBLIC OF KaZaKHSTan

Furano Golf Course

Zhailjau Golf Resort

Hokkaido Prefecture Japan Classic Country Club

Almaty

www.zgr.kz

Iga Ueno

KOREa

Kanegasaki Golf Course

Seoul

Iwate Prefecture Manago Country Club

Eunhwasam Country Club Muju Resort

Muju-Gun

Tochigi Prefecture

www.mujuresort.com

Minakami-Kogen Golf Course

MaLaYSIa

Gunma Prefecture Misawa Adonis Golf Club

Damai Golf & Country Club

Sarawak

Gifu Prefecture

www.damaigolf.com

Niseko Golf Course

The Legends Golf & Country Resort

Hokkaido Prefecture Shimotsuke Country Club

Tochigi Prefecture Tsugaru Kogen Golf Course

Aomori Prefecture

Sedenak, Johor

www.legends-resort.com

pHILIppInES Caliraya Springs

Lumban, Cavinti, Laguna

www.calirayalake.com

Imperial Golf & Country Club (formerly Cebu Mactan)

Cebu

www.theorchardgolf.com

Dasmarinas, Cavite

theorchardgolf.com

Sun Valley

Kingsville Sun Valley Golf Course

Antipolo City, Luzon

www.sunvalleyphilippines.com

pORTUGaL Oceanico Victoria

Vilamoura

www.oceanicogolf.com

SInGapORE The Legends Fort Canning Park www.legendsfortcanning.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

www.bangpoogolf.com

high Flyer

NBAA President, Ed Bolen, presented Arnold Palmer with a Meritorious Service Award

two more awards, this time from the world of business aviation, came Arnold Palmer’s way in 2010 Arnold PAlmer wAs Presented with the nAtionAl Business AviAtion AssociAtion’s 2010 meritorious service AwArd At the orgAnizAtion’s 63rd AnnuAl meeting in AtlAntA, gA. the award, the highest the nBAA can confer, is presented annually to an individual who has made identifiable contributions that have materially advanced the industry’s interests. Previous recipients include charles lindbergh and Barry goldwater.

A pilot since 1956, Arnold Palmer has clocked up more than 19,000 flight hours. After taking flying lessons at his hometown airport in latrobe, PA, at a field that was renamed after him in 1999, he has owned and flown numerous business aircraft, from an Aero commander to a citation X. he even set a round-theworld speed record in a learjet 36.

Palmer continues to fly, and only the day before receiving his award he flew from orlando, Fl to charlotte, nc to conduct some business, returning to his office at Bay hill by early afternoon.

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nBAA President and ceo, ed Bolen, said: “Arnold Palmer’s service to the industry is the reason we are presenting him with the meritorious service Award. he has been willing to use his good name to promote business aviation at a time when we needed it most.”

Besides being given a standing ovation by the audience, Palmer was also lauded in video-taped congratulations from warren Buffett, a fellow ‘no Plane, no gain’ spokesman.

Palmer, who also received a wright Brothers master pilot certificate along with russ meyer, neil Armstrong, Bob hoover, clay lacy and gene cernan from FAA administrator randy Babbitt, said: “As a young boy i dreamed of flying, and aviation has allowed me to visit places all over the world and spend extra time with my family. i wouldn’t be here today without my airplane. “i met a lot of great people while playing golf, but business aviation has a lot of great people too. it’s been a wonderful trip.”

Own gold. Without upgrading your security system.

Leave the lasers, sensors, and robotic cameras to the spy movies. With SPDR ® Gold Shares, you won’t have to deal with any intrusions on your lifestyle. Instead, you’ll enjoy knowing that your gold ETF is backed by the real thing. So you get the advantages of investing in gold without the burden of storage and insurance costs. Visit our home at spdrgoldshares.com. And no, you don’t need to punch in a secret code.

Shares (the “Shares”) of the SPDR ® Gold Trust (the “Trust”) trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk and will fluctuate in market value. The value of the Shares relates directly to the value of the gold held by the Trust (less Trust expenses) and fluctuations in the price of gold could materially adversely affect an investment in the Shares. Investors should be aware that there is no assurance that gold will maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. The Trust does not generate any income and as the Trust regularly sells gold to pay for its ongoing expenses, the amount of gold represented by each Share will decline over time.

The Trust has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the Trust has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Trust and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Trust or any Authorized Participant will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling 1-866-320-4053 or contacting State Street Global Markets, LLC, One Lincoln Street, Attn: SPDR Gold Shares, 30th Floor, Boston, MA 02111.

The prospectus contains material information about the Trust and its Shares which is material and/or which may be important to you. You should read the entire prospectus, including “Risk Factors” before making an investment decision about the Shares.

Shareholders of the Trust will not have the protections associated with ownership of shares in an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or the protections afforded by the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act. Neither the Sponsor nor the Trustee of the Trust is subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Shareholders will not have the regulatory protections provided to investors in Commodity Exchange Act regulated instruments or commodity pools.

“SPDR ®” is a registered trademark of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services, LLC (“S&P”) and has been licensed for use by State Street Corporation. No financial product offered by State Street Corporation or its affiliates is sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P or its affiliates, and S&P and its affiliates make no representation, warranty or condition regarding the advisability of buying, selling or holding units/shares in such products. Further limitations that could affect investor’s rights may be found in the SPDR Gold Shares prospectus.

The Trust is sponsored by World Gold Trust Services, LLC (the “Sponsor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the World Gold Council. State Street Global Markets, LLC (the “Marketing Agent”) is the marketing agent of the Trust and an affiliate of State Street Global Advisors. For more information: State Street Global Markets, LLC, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA, 02111• 866.320.4053 • www.spdrgoldshares.com.

Not FDIC Insured – No Bank Guarantee – May Lose Value IBG-2316

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