Reads of the Day – Scot Duke on We-Ko-Pa, Czaban on the (candy) BCS

I’m going to introduce everyone to a great filmmaker and playright named George Larkin tomorrow, but today two quick hits.

First, I sent Scot Duke of Business Golf fame to We-ko-pa G.C. in Scottsdale.  He played Scott Miller’s Cholla Course.  For those of you scoring at home, Coore and Crenshaw did the newer Saguaro Course.

Here’s Scot’s review.   From the article:

What gigged this facility most was it being a public course and its apparent inability to hold a larger Business Golf outing. We-Ko-Pa receives a four star rating for a medium to small size group, but the lack of a large private meeting facility would make managing an event with more than 20 business people a harder operation. The Radisson had a small hotel adjacent to the facility that was sufficient but not up to a full five star business golf rating. We-Ko-Pa would be an outstanding location for a small to medium size (less than 20 people) Business Golf outing. The Mr Business Golf Recommendation would be to use We-Ko-Pa for that special one-on-one or Foursome Business Golf outing.

Personally, I think they’s have no trouble hosting an event and Jeff Lessig may be able to clarify more on that, but Scot is looking more at the facility’s size and I’m looking more from a strict design perspective.  I love the bifurcated fairways and strategic requiorements.  Scot alludes in his piece that the course’s embracing the doctrine of deception didn’t resonate with him, but I think that’s what makes the course succeed; you have to think the whole way around.  They don’t spoon feed you distance and direction, it’s up to you to do the math.  Here’s my review from last year.

Scot and I may do a back and forth discussion of the course next week talking about these points exactly, so expect some highbrow analysis mid-next week.

Finally, Steve Czaban cracks me up again with his comparison of candy and college football programs.  Here’s a snippet:

LSU (Snickers)
This is a meaty, serious gut stuffer of a candy, just like the football team. However, LSU isn’t likely to make many fall in love with them, just as you don’t rave about a Snickers aside from it’s ability to satisfy your hunger.

Arizona State (Spree)
On the one hand, every once in a while, this candy makes sense. A big long roll of sweet, hard, disks. What’s not to like? The chafed tongue. Arizona State seems like a good idea now. We’ll end up thinking different.

Oregon (Mike & Ike)
The colorful candy chewies now come in different flavored boxes – regular, tangy typhoon, tangy twister, jolly joes and berry blast. Like Oregon’s uniforms, you could theoretically mix and match Mike and Ikes into 2,432 flavor combinations.

Oklahoma (Milky Way)
They perfected the basic chocolate, caramel and nougat bar combination. A triple threat, just like Oklahoma perfected the wishbone.

West Virginia (Fun Dip)
This is a “candy” that involves a sugar stick you lick, and pouches of sugar powder to dip them in and lick off. Total novelty, gimmick candy. Like the spread with Slaton and White. Gimmicky, but delicious to watch.

Kansas (Candy Cigarettes)
People always ask: “Do they still make candy cigarettes?” Yes, yes they do. Just like people ask: “Does Kansas really play Division I football?” I’m afraid so.

Missouri (Abba Zabba)
Nobody is really sure what they are, where you can find them, and whether anybody really likes them.

Here’s the rest of the piece.  Brilliant.