Scattered Shots: The Next 10 Years

by Vic Williams and Darin Bunch

The Past 10 Years

We Gotta Do It: One Last Look Back at FG's Favorite Treks, Tracks and Tournaments

Weve spent the better part of this year looking around the next dogleg or two for some clues about where golf in the West (and beyond) is headed. We’ve tracked down experts well-known and otherwise, and you, to help us chart a route into the future of equipment, architecture and travel. And, to be honest, we only completed what amounts to a 3-foot putt of golf’s great journey. There’s so much more to explore and discover that to go any further would be foolhardy. Even Tiger can only plan for one major at a time. Same with issues of a magazine or web stories. It’s one spiked step at a time for us, too.

We remind ourselves every day that each step in our journey began back in 1997, with the first issue of Fairways & Greens. Life is a continuum, and a decade into this journalistic, sometimes off-the-wall section of that endless wire, it’s a worth a quick look back to 18 destinations, people and storylines that have helped shape this magazine, and the people who put it together.

1. Monkey Business — Talk about places we never thought a golf magazine would take us. But when two members of Team FG headed to Kenya in spring 2007, we found an unexpected wonderful world of golf carved into the natural beauty of Africa’s monkey-dotted landscape. Four days of golf and four days on safari, coming virtually eye-to-eye with lions, elephants and hippos, just to name a few, left us wanting more. We can’t wait to go back — and take all of our friends. In the meantime, you can read the full story in the upcoming Signature Series issue of FG Magazine.

2. Trump Times — Love him or loathe him, Donald Trump has, to his credit, made a big public golf splash on the Pacific coast by taking over and redesigning the old Ocean Trails into his own waterfall-laden image. By all accounts, it’s a big hit, and we’ve been there during its entire evolution. Mr. Trump himself took us on an entertaining tour of the place back in July 2004, and he’s been a friend and FG supporter ever since.

3. Drama Club — Trump National also set the scene for perhaps our best cover story to date, with Kevin “Johnny Drama” Dillon of HBO’s hit show Entourage — an interview and photo shoot that felt like something out of a television show. With Trump and The Big Break filming their finale on the course, Dillon coming off a broken wrist and the FG Photo Team scrambling to finish before a wedding party showed up, the day had all the elements of a carefully scripted comedy. In the end, the groom and friends didn’t care that we were in their way upon arrival — they were Entourage fans, of course. But we didn’t stick around to ask the bride.

4. Across the Pond — One of many Tiger tie-ins came during an October 2005 trip to Northern England, where we played several under-the-radar courses and one very famous one, Royal Liverpool at Hoylake, eight months before The Man won his third Open Championship title. It was a treat watching him play the same holes we played, in far fewer average strokes for each of his four rounds than we racked up in one.

5. A Good Walk with Jack — The cover story of the 2006 Signature Series was a collection of our experiences with Jack the Designer, which have taken us everywhere from Truckee to Fresno to the Dominican Republic as the Golden Bear opened courses around the world. But one day, at the fledgling Coyote Springs development tucked in the desert north of Las Vegas, we joined the caravan of golf carts following Nicklaus, watching him work on the skeleton of a course, offering his unique insights on everything from tees to greens to bunkers — a rare opportunity to see the shot process of a master.

6. The ‘Other’ President — In the days after The West Wing cast shot the final episodes of the acclaimed NBC series, Team FG spent a very non-political day with TV’s Jed Bartlet. We found actor Martin Sheen a true golfing gentleman, but the round transcended pars and bogeys as conversation ran the gamut from Sheen’s early days as a caddie to talk of his son’s star-studded movie “Bobby” to remembrances of a round with Ethel Kennedy and a party with Bob Dylan.

7. The Ryder Rout — Which one, you ask? We were on hand for the 2004 edition in Oakland Hills, near Detroit, to watch the Euros pound the Yanks, 18 1/2 to 9 1/2 — a feat they repeated two years later in Ireland. But that’s not what we’ll remember from those few September days. We’ll remember the star wattage, the crowds, the course, the opening ceremonies — and the indescribable feeling of being part of golf history.

8. Monterey Magic — It’s still the epicenter of the good golf life in the West, and perhaps the most famous American golf destination of them all. And we first teed it up there long before FG existed. But over the years, it’s been a touchstone for us, an ongoing pilgrimage most recently reborn through a father-son excursion that, in the end, cemented a bond only Our Favorite Game can produce. We’ve played many of the Peninsula-and-environs’ public wonders — Pebble, Spyglass, Spanish Bay, Poppy Hills, Del Monte, Pacific Grove, Bayonet, Blackhorse — and even a couple of private courses, including the hidden, spectacular Preserve high above Carmel Valley and the reworked Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. And we’ll keep playing them, absorbing them, writing about them, revering them. Maybe someday we’ll even sneak on Cypress Point.

9. The Bandon Factor — Neck and neck with our Monterey Obsession is a little out-of-the-way spot on the Southern Oregon coast known as Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Our first visit came as the Iraq War broke out, in April 2003, and we’ve returned several times since to savor each of its three incredible courses — Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes or Bandon Trails — and continue to debate which is best. A fourth course, Old MacDonald, will deepen the argument when it opens by 2010. And there’s always the wild card known as the Sheep Ranch, which just might be the purest golf experience in the entire United States.

10. Tiger’s Footsteps — The world owns him now (or is it the other way around?), but Tiger Woods is a West Coast guy through and through. He’s pretty much the reason we started FG the year he turned pro, and we’ve since seen him do his amazing thing in person many times, mostly at Pebble Beach, including several close-up brushes at the AT&T Pro-Am, which he skips these days. But one event beats them all: Camping out at a KOA near Santa Cruz with media credential in hand for the 2000 U.S. Open, and being there not only to see Tiger put together the most dominating performance in major history, but witness his mentor Jack Nicklaus’ final Open appearance. It doesn’t get any better than that.

11. Hittin’ with Hickory — Meadowood Napa Valley would be a great resort even if it didn’t have a nine-hole golf course. But it might not be as magical. In a masterful nod to history, Meadowood offers hickory golf  — a game that barely resembles the one powered by today’s weapons of mass destruction. “Playing with vintage equipment is like a whole new game, like playing golf for the first time all over again,” said Head Professional Doug Pike when we teed off on the tree-lined track. “And most of us remember our first time on the golf course.” Everyone should play at least one round of hickory golf — it’ll change the way you think, and feel, about the game.

12. Idaho Island — On a family trip to the Northwest, we stopped in Coeur d’Alene for some father-son golf on one of America’s greatest twosomes: The CDA Resort Course and Circling Raven. It wasn’t the first visit for Team FG; after all, the Resort was on the cover back in July 2002. But it was our first stop since the opening of Circling Raven, about 3 1/2 miles down the road, not to mention the dazzling renovation of Coeur d’Alene Resort at the lake’s edge. As a destination, Coeur d’Alene rivals nearly everything the West — yes, even Pebble and Bandon — limited only by not having that all-inclusive, single-property cohesiveness. However, Coeur d’Alene Resort, towering above the emerald lake, helps you forget any shortcomings, with multi-level rooms designed to maximize the lake views and a sense of sophisticated comfort few hotels achieve. If you can stay away from the sublime golf for awhile — the perfectly manicured Resort Course, home of the famed Island Green, just might yield your best score ever; Circling Raven, on the other hand, is as stout of a natural test as you’ll find anywhere — make sure to find the water anyway, preferably as part of the beautiful brunch cruise.

13. Epic Vegas — Next to Reno-Tahoe, which is the cradle of FG civilization, we’ve probably dedicated more ink to Las Vegas than any other region. After all, it’s in our wheelhouse, everybody wants to go there, and it’s got some very good, and very original, golf courses — not to mention incredible restaurants, hotels and more nightlife than an army of wound-up golfers can handle in one sitting. One trip in particular stands out for us, a wild four-day jag in May 2004 that found us sullying the manicured landscapes at Shadow Creek, Cascata, Southern Highlands, Lake Las Vegas and Rio Secco. That’s a winning hand the casinos can’t touch.

14. Hawaii Times Three — Island fever runs rampant in FG country. Two trips to the Big Island and one to Kauai (reviewed in this issue) by a staffer, plus several visits to every major island by several FG freelancers, have us on the verge of being experts on the 50th state’s golf lineup. Highlights: Kauai’s Prince Course and Mauna Kea, Hapuna and Hualalai on the Kohala Coast. Favorite sidetrip: Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park.

15. Simply Golden, Arches —
No, we’re not talking the Hamburglar and Mayor McCheese. Far from it. The first time we met Dan Marcheano, old-school owner of The Arches in Newport Beach, we knew his historic red-leather restaurant would be an FG favorite for years to come. Lobster. Stone crab. Abalone. For one member of our team, it was his first foray into high-end seafood — and what an introduction it was. These days, we settle in for a long, luxurious meal at The Arches whenever we can, although word is Marcheano is closing the doors soon. Elsewhere, the Golfing Gourmet has kept searching for exquisite eateries. We’ve dined in high-rise Las Vegas locations such as The Foundation Room atop Mandalay Bay and Alize atop The Palms, and new hotspots such as Hush in Laguna Beach. But the two culinary experiences that stand out in our minds? Vegas icon Andre Rochat coming in to personally cook for us at his original downtown Andre’s location. And the Big Game Burger at the Bigfoot Bistro in Whistler Village — we’re still not sure what was in it, but all other burgers pale in comparison.

16. Across the Border — Several excursions to Western Canada and two destinations in particular, Whistler and Vancouver Island, have convinced us that our neighbors to the north harbor not only some of the Americas’ most underrated golf, but the game’s friendliest ambassadors, too. Rounds at Big Sky, Nicklaus North and Bear Mountain should be on every traveling hacker’s must-play list. And while you’re up there, hit the Okanagan Valley at the Banff-Jasper region of Alberta, too. But one non-golf experience stands out as the most memorable — a Hummer tour up Whistler to visit the dwindling glacier before settling in the rare air for an old-fashioned salmon bake served on cedar planks — the savory smell still lingers in our minds.

17. Private Access — Yeah, sometimes we’re conflicted about accepting invitations to, and writing about, courses that the average FG reader probably won’t ever enjoy. But as this issue’s Weekend Wisdom column concludes, these jewels have their own brilliant shine and represent a segment of the golf biz that can’t be ignored. Over the years we’ve played some doozies, from Shady Canyon in Orange County (where Tiger and Elin are members), to Southern Highlands in Las Vegas to Pronghorn in Bend, Ore. We’ve even snuck in some rarefied East Coast rounds, including Trump National Westchester near New York City. And there will more. Oh, yes, there will.

18. Sweet Sierra Soiree — To be honest, we thought we’d never again get the chance to write about Nakoma Resort’s incredible villas, which remain closed after their developers went bankrupt a couple years ago. Built on a pine-studded bluff near Portola, Calif., along the No. 10 hole at the former Dragon (now reopened and billed as the Nakoma Resort Course), these Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, octagonal structures house nests of high-end delight that are every bit as overstuffed with creature comforts as the Robin Nelson monster outside is somewhat unwelcoming and fraught with well-documented brutal danger.

One thing the mega-posh abodes and mountain golf course do share, however, is their architects’ obvious attention to beauty. In the Villas, that means a fireplace built of imported Mexican stone, a semicircular, huge shower and bathroom area that rivals anything at any five-star hotel we’ve had the pleasure to inhabit, a mega-comfy feather bed, flat-screen TVs installed before they were standard issue, and details that would make the most demanding aesthete swoon. It’s all laid out with intelligence and smart modern-meets-rustic style beneath soaring open-beam ceilings, impossible to forget and even tougher to leave behind.

Back in the good ol’ days of, say, four years ago, a couple could ensconce themselves into one of these capsules of indulgence and close out the world completely — interrupting it only long enough to head up the hill for an exquisite gourmet meal in Nakoma’s mountaintop clubhouse, which actually was designed by Wright. That singular, shoot-for-the-stars brand of high-elevation romantic escape, hopefully, is still within reach. Someday. Soon. FG