Just when you think the Yankees weren’t going to learn from one mistake and were about to make a bigger one, sanity prevails. Maybe Joe Torre played the wrong hunch sitting Giambi and playing Sheffield and Matsui, but who among us thought Matsui (and the rest of the Yankees) would get skunked by Kenny Rogers and Jeremy Bonderman? That was a lightning strike...
Part one of this article is here. Strantz’s eyes light up as he roars “Forrest Fezler, my design partner is a perfect compliment to me. We are brothers in arms. I saw that Fu Manchu moustache and I knew I had my man.” Together, they let it roll as high as it would go, creating scorching, towering golf adventures without being contrived or campy...
June 11, 2005 The greatest thing about Heaven is savoring the presence of the Almighty. The undending waves of peace and joy and love for all our siblings transcends any words I could write. It’s more wonderful than anything we could imagine – and it’s eternal! The second greatest thing about Heaven is that even though we don’t walk the Earth...
Pre-eminent golf course architect Mike Strantz passed away one year ago today from oral cancer. He was fifty. In honor of his legacy – Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course), Tobacco Road and Caledonia to name a few – but also to honor his legion of loyal, adoring fans, I’m reprinting my piece’s on Mike’s passing from last year...
Picture caption: “Mmmm! This IS…a tasty burger! I’ll have a new piece up on Golf Observer soon comparing Tobacco Road to the movie Pulp Fiction. Here are some excerpts: In his book Grounds For Golf, Geoff Shackelford once compared great golf courses to epic films. For example, he called Pine Valley The Godfather and he called National Golf Links of...
Just keep going until you can’t go any further. Then go further, because the moves you make then – when you’ve run out of steam and you’re totally on subconscious and not even thinking about the mechanics – the moves you make then are incredible. – Jeff Buckley Musician Jeff Buckley was talking about himself, but he was speaking...
American Airlines misrouted my golf clubs. I’m in Vegas, the clubs arrive later…courtesy of Orlando. They blame TSA at LaGuardia. Right. Meanwhile, here’s more of the Strantz interview. Tune in later for “things to do in Vegas when the airlines screws up your golf clubs. Jay: Tiger, Phil, Vijay and Ernie are finally fed up and decide they are...
I was rattling through all my notes and tapes and found some interview snippets form my 2004 interview with Mike Strantz that I never posted. I hope you like them. I’ll have more later this week. Jay: What is the driving concept you use when laying out your holes? Mike: Where the land lays. I really spend a lot of time walking the piece of property looking to...
I shed a tear as I typed the lead for this piece. It was a tear for a gifted man taken from us far too young and in the prime of an extraordinary career. It was a tear of sadness for a family’s loss of a devoted husband and father. It was a tear for his design partners, business associates and golf course design colleagues who sorrow for their collective loss...
AUTHOR’S NOTE: There will be a longer piece forthcoming, but I owe it to you to satiate your appetite and to share this treasure with you. I’m in Pebble Beach, CA, but even in this mecca of superlative golf, both public and private, the golf takes a back seat for now. There are many wonderful human interest stories to tell about this small patch of Heaven...
I’m thrilled to get the privilege to be invited by the club and designer to play Mike Strantz’s redesign of Monterey Peninsula Golf Club (Shore Course) It was hailed by the attendees at the American Society of Golf Course Architects as a triumph. Many have predicted it will host a major soon. Also…a very happy birthday to my mom, Jeanne Flemma. I...
The 6th at Tot Hill Farm