Golf & Travel Thoughts

Golf has been front and center of my lifestyle (and career) for many years. During this time I have been fortunate to meet and play golf with a wide range of fascinating characters. I also have been blessed to play golf in some of the most remarkable venues around the world. As our business has grown, so have my opportunities to experience some of the most interesting and challenging golf courses and ancillary endeavors. Insofar as much of my time is spent with golfers, talking golf, I feel there may be some benefit to put my comments and experiences to paper and share them. Currently the plan is to update this blog from time to time as the information warrants, keep it simple and concise, with the knowledge that I shall gladly amplify or answer any questions which may arise. This is not sales sheet, but rather my musings on interesting ideas within the golf world;

Titleist Performance Institute - in Oceanside, CA....$3M later it reopened in December 2003 and focuses on the swing, strength & health of the golfers. Primarily designed for their Tour Staff Players, they do provide limited access to amateur golfers throughout the year (approx 600 annually). The 36 acre facility is state of the art with three dimensional swing analysis amongst other bells & whistles. For the golfer who enjoys being at the cutting edge of technology, this is very much inside the ropes. Other manufacturers have testing facilities, but at the current time, this is leader in the clubhouse.

TopGolf UK- an interesting concept that revolves around one patent....a golf ball fitted with a microchip that records every time it is hit! Styled as a driving range, the golfer then buys a predetermined number of range balls and hits to targets. The targets recognize which ball landed where and who hit it....this information is then displayed on a screen in your hitting bay. It is a combination bowling, darts and golf. Currently two ranges in the London, England area with plans to expand to USA and Asia. On two days I watched the "golfers"...to the majority this is bat ball. Most likely they shall never walk on a golf course....but as they drink beer and engage in games of skill with their friends, it opens up a new audience to a "kind of" golf. Each golf ball retains the data on every shot and the central database records every time a player hit a ball, when, how often, etc. Is the player improving, is he a target for lessons? Special offers? Fascinating business model.

Sand Hills - Built in the 1990's in Nebraska by the team of Crenshaw/Coore. Construction costs were $1M, of which the majority of these funds were for irrigation. The natural green sites are remarkable. It vaulted to a Top 10 listing the year after it opened. Having finally played there in early August, it surpassed my lofty expectations. A wonderful golf experience. Many of the green sites are surrounded by bunkering which is completely natural....created by cattle on the fence line! Sand Hills is located 50 miles north of North Platte, Nebraska. If you are given a chance to play at Sand Hills....go. This is pure golf. Eat, sleep, golf.....and then repeat.

Whistling Straits - I have the good fortune to play the venue for the 2005 PGA Championship the week after the event. It is an interesting course, and very hard. The fairways are narrow and unforgiving. A fun golf experience but due to the heavy post event (PGA Championship)play....tee times in the morning are preferred. We started at 2:10pm and finished at 7:50pm. Pete Dye did a remarkable job at creating a natual look. Opened in 2001, the Riverbend Club at Kohler is a private, members club within the Kohler complex. The club has 30 bedrooms in the former Mansion of the last Kohler family member to be Govenor of Wisconsin. It is a delightful building, very reminiscent of your favourite country house in the British Isles. The service is excellent and if you have the opportunity it is worthy of a visit.

Sea Island, Georgia - The Jones have family have cherished Sea Island for many decades and with the recent additional of the Golf Lodge and the pending reopening (in 2006) of the Cloister, they shall have the greatest, golf resort on the east coast. For a quality experience which also includes tremendous family activities, I believe Sea Island is incomparable. The courses are invariably in excellent condition and the level of service is second to none