Kingdom 45

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SPECIAL D OUBLE ISSUE

Arnold Palmer’s Lasting Legacy Tiger’s Great Reprise The majors quest continues

Made for the Masters Tony Finau returns to Augusta

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PUBLISHER

Reade Tilley ART DIREC TOR

Matthew Halnan

Matthew Squire

MANAGING EDITOR

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a r n o l d pa l m e r

Contemplation during final round of the 1964 Masters Photo by Marvin E. Newman Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Kingdom magazine was first available to friends & associates of Arnold Palmer, members & guests of his designed and managed courses. Now it is available at distinguished private clubs and for discerning golfers everywhere.  Printed in the USA

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Jimmy Walker 2016 PGA Champion

EDITOR’S LETTER

CLEARLY

Lakewood national

A

s the 2019 season of professional golf begins to find its rhythm and we head towards the majors and summer, I’m reminded of a quote from Umberto Eco that goes, “I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth.”

In my mind today this is somehow joined with Arnold Palmer’s famous “golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated” quote, and in fact I think there’s a connection, at least this year. Consider that the field at the Web.com Tour’s inaugural Suncoast Classic in Florida included former Masters winners Mike Weir and Angel Cabrera, Masters runner-up Chad Campbell, U.S. Open runner-up Ricky Barnes, and three-time PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley. Fans at Lakewood National Golf Club (designed by the Arnold Palmer Design Company, p160) certainly got their money’s worth, and I wonder if Weir and Cabrera had much time for autographs as they hurried to pack their bags for the Masters. Sam Saunders has fond memories of his Web.com days, even as his PGA Tour career is picking up steam. He took a bit of time in-between practice and appearing at a kids event for St. Johns Insurance to speak with us (p66). He’s a fighter, and golf likes fighters— though sometimes it’s an entire course community that has to step up. We take a look at courses that have been beaten up and survived (or, in some cases, fallen) on p60. For those that recovered, it was collective efforts that made the difference, just as it did in the creation of some of our nation’s best courses (p46), and certainly golf’s potential to unite varying groups is one of its greatest strengths. In this issue we also take a look at some perfectly paired road trips (p146), a breakfast you wouldn’t want to eat every day (well, you might want to, but you certainly shouldn’t) on p154, and one of the most inspiring car companies we’ve seen in some time, Arkonik, on p140. These guys take old Land Rover Defenders and completely rebuild them from the ground up, turning them into what some might call better-than-new beloved icons. They’re superseding time by creating today a vintage future vehicle that was meant to be, from a vehicle that wasn’t quite what it could have been, and like trying to understand the whole world or the game of golf it’s an enigma that turns my head. But really it’s simple, isn’t it: Arkonik’s work is meant to be driven, professional golf is meant to be enjoyed, and the world at large?

Well, I’m keeping my eyes on course and counting on golf’s unifying potential. Here’s to all of you and to a wonderful year ahead.

Clearly, Reade Tilley

SPRING 2019

11

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

ANEW

G

etting dressed to play my first round of golf of the year at my home course, I realize I’ve no need for the extra layers of winter clothing!

Don’t you just love this time of year?

However, this spring will be made even more special on the golfing front as, not only do we get the Arnold Palmer Invitational and its amazing field of players in March, but with the revised tour schedule we then get four consecutive months of Majors, starting with the Masters at Augusta National in April.

On that note, this special double issue of Kingdom includes our dedicated Majors section that I hope you will all enjoy. For those of you who do not know, golf ’s modern version of the Grand Slam was defined over cocktails on a trans-Atlantic flight to Scotland for The Open when Arnold Palmer and golf writer Bob Drum discussed the possible feat.

The Grand Slam had been a forgotten term since Bobby Jones won his version three decades earlier, but Palmer stirred interest in 1960 with his wins in the Masters and U.S. Open.

I hope you will also enjoy the evolution of Kingdom’s already winning formula with new sections and enlivened design in this issue, arriving just in time for this dynamic season of golf.

Also dynamic: Sam Saunders was gracious enough to spend time with Kingdom for an exclusive interview (see page 66). I have been fortunate to know Sam for several years and he is one of the nicest guys you could hope to meet. A true credit to his mom and pop, Amy and Roy Saunders—although they could have told him to let a lesser golfer like me win at least one hole when we played!

Win or lose, it doesn’t matter. In this increasingly frenetic world, golf remains a calming touchstone and I hope you can all take some time to enjoy what makes you smile this spring, whatever that may be. Whether it be the return of the warmth of the sunshine, enjoying a good glass of wine (my current favorite is Eco Terreno’s 2015 Old Vine Cab Sauv) while watching some of the great talent on tour or simply playing a few holes with family and friends as the sun begins to set, those are the moments to which we are looking forward at this time of year.

Here’s to sharing a few with you, Matthew Squire

12

KINGDOM 45

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CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine ISSUE 45

27 38 46 60 66 72 86 92 98

DOUBLE ISSUE

SPRING 2019

30

52

80

Majors Preview

Tony Finau

Palmer & The Desert

Just when you thought Mickelson and Woods belonged to the bygone

Ever since Tiger in the 1997 Masters, it’s been all about the road to Augusta

The site of great wins, great course designs, great fun, and a place he called home

Short Game DeChambeau, Monty & Mickelson by numbers Double vision Brooks Koepka looks to follow-up on a career year WPA When America built its way out of the Great Depression Course Recovery When storms hit hard, golf digs deep Sam Saunders Tee times can’t come fast enough when you’re a fighter Amateur Spirit Amateur ideals come easier if you can afford them Palmer Cup A special occasion awaits at Alotian Philly Golf around the City of Brotherly Love Victoria Exploring the destination of the 2019 Presidents Cup

SPRING 2019

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CONTENTS

Kingdom Magazine ISSUE 45

104 109 118 131 146 150 160 162

16

DOUBLE ISSUE

SPRING 2019

124

140

154

Ocean Views

Pure Original

Rich Start

A colorful study in aqua blue, emerald green & varieties of sand

Arkonik builds a better Land Rover Defender— to your specifications

The way you should start not every day—but at least one day

Virginia Contemporary golf shrouded by Colonial times Bay Hill milestone 40 years on the PGA Tour Wimbledon Behind the ivy of the All England Club Spring In Your Step Looking good on a dance floor, dais or den sofa Road Worthy Perfect pairings for Bay Hill and beyond, courtesy of Hertz Cocktails Subtle but profound differences in commonly mixed(up) drinks APDC Pro events and California dreams growing-in nicely Last Page Men, listen up

KINGDOM 45

Play PlayWhere Wherethe thePros ProsPlay Play

Discover DiscoverGolf Golfon onFlorida’s Florida’sParadise ParadiseCoast.

Coast.

Looking Lookingfor foraaplace placetototee teeoff offan anincredible incrediblegolf golfadventure? adventure?Come Comeexperience experienceaa golfer’s golfer’sParadise Paradisewhen whenyou youplan planaavisit visittotoNaples, Naples,Marco MarcoIsland Islandand andthe theEverglades Everglades on Florida’s Paradise Coast. on Florida’s Paradise Coast.

Chosen as the International Association of Golf Tour Operator’s Chosen as the International Association of Golf Tour Operator’s #1 Golf Destination in North America, Florida’s Paradise Coast #1 Golf Destination in North America, Florida’s Paradise Coast has more than 90 public and private courses. All levels of has more than 90 public and private courses. All levels of ability are welcome, and everyone from scratch golfers to high ability are welcome, and everyone from scratch golfers to high handicappers will enjoy teeing it up on courses designed by handicappers will enjoy teeing it up on courses designed by legends such as Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Greg legends such as Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus. Also, many of our private courses Norman and Jack Nicklaus. Also, many of our private courses have reciprocal play benefits with out-of-state clubs, so you have reciprocal play benefits with out-of-state clubs, so you can play in both Paradise and at home. It’s easy to see why can play in both Paradise and at home. It’s easy to see why golfers travel from all over the world to stay, play and enjoy our golfers travel from all over the world to stay, play and enjoy our unforgettable golf getaway. unforgettable golf getaway.

Not only is the Paradise Coast home to breathtaking courses, it’s Not only is the Paradise Coast home to breathtaking courses, it’s also the site of multiple professional golf events throughout the also the site of multiple professional golf events throughout the year. The Chubb Classic Champions Tour is played in February year. The Chubb Classic Champions Tour is played in February at The Classics Country Club at Lely Resort in Naples. The Ritzat The Classics Country Club at Lely Resort in Naples. The RitzCarlton Naples Golf Resort’s Tiburón Golf Course hosts both the Carlton Naples Golf Resort’s Tiburón Golf Course hosts both the CME Group LPGA Final Tour Event in November and the QBE CME Group LPGA Final Tour Event in November and the QBE Greg Norman Shark Shootout in December. There is simply Greg Norman Shark Shootout in December. There is simply no better destination for golfers who want to play where the no better destination for golfers who want to play where the pros play! pros play!

Best of all, Florida’s Paradise Coast offers more than just Best of all, Florida’s Paradise Coast offers more than just world-class golf. After hitting the links, relax on our white world-class golf. After hitting the links, relax on our white sand beaches or enjoy watersports on the Gulf of Mexico. sand beaches or enjoy watersports on the Gulf of Mexico.

Fuel up on fresh-from-the-Gulf seafood, farm-to-table dishes, Fuel up on fresh-from-the-Gulf seafood, farm-to-table dishes, international cuisine and more at our many award-winning international cuisine and more at our many award-winning restaurants. Shop at our elegant downtown boutiques and restaurants. Shop at our elegant downtown boutiques and upscale malls. Fish the Ten Thousand Islands and explore upscale malls. Fish the Ten Thousand Islands and explore the world-famous Everglades on an eco-tour. Whether you’re the world-famous Everglades on an eco-tour. Whether you’re taking advantage of everything our destination has to offer taking advantage of everything our destination has to offer or simply relaxing in one of our luxury beach, spa and golf or simply relaxing in one of our luxury beach, spa and golf resorts, there’s something for everyone in Paradise. resorts, there’s something for everyone in Paradise.

Experience a one-of-a-kind golf getaway. Plan your Experience a one-of-a-kind golf getaway. Plan your visit to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades today. visit to Naples, Marco Island and the Everglades today.

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SCENE SETTER Bobby Jones

20

KINGDOM 45

A M AT E U R SPIRIT

B

y the time Bobby Jones arrived in St Andrews for the British Amateur Championship in 1930 he was already nicknamed by locals the “Unofficial King of Scotland”. The Scots took him in as one of their own when he successfully defended his title in The [British] Open on the Old Course in 1927 (having first won at Royal Lytham in 1926), posting a course record 68 in the process.

Jones set out in 1930 to achieve his Grand Slam of the British Amateur and Open and the U.S. Amateur and Open titles, and the first of the four championships to play was the British Amateur, the only one of the four trophies he had never raised and the one Jones rated as hardest to win.

It was notoriously difficult to claim the Amateur title as the champion had to win eight match play, knock-out matches. One slip and you’d be cutting a lonesome figure on the station platform by dusk. In the fourth round in 1930 Jones came up against the defending champion, Englishman Cyril Tolley, and on the 18th Tolley missed a 12-foot putt that would have sent Jones packing. His entire bid for what would be called the “Impregnable Quadrilateral” came within an inch of collapsing. So fine are the margins in golf.

Jones won at the first extra hole and said afterwards he felt as if the pair had battled “with broadswords”.

Jones eventually came up against another Englishman in the final, Roger Wethered, the Amateur champ of 1923 and runner-up in 1928, but in a 36-hole final at this time, with the form Jones was in, he was virtually invincible. He won by what the Brits still call a “dog licence”, 7 & 6 (the cost of a dog licence, in pre-decimalized Sterling, was seven shillings and six pence), and the Scottish crowd carried him up to the 18th green in celebration. An estimated 15,000 people swarmed around their hero.

Championship organizers the R&A had booked a brass band to play for the trophy presentation, but such was the pandemonium in front of the clubhouse that the band never played a note.

Jones remains the last golfer to have won both The [British] Open and the British Amateur titles.

Feature on page 72

SPRING 2019

21

SCENE SETTER Travel

VICTORIA

T

orquay is the Aussie surf capital, 60 miles to the south west of Melbourne, Victoria and beyond the channel that connects Port Phillip Bay with the Bass Strait. Some 300 miles across the Bass Strait lies Tasmania and beyond “Taz” is just the vast Southern Ocean, for more than 3,000 miles of open, rolling and increasingly freezing water until Antarctica looms. Back in the relative warmth, whether you are surfing or just eating sandwiches, Torquay is a beautiful spot and it is the gateway to one of the truly unforgettable journeys on which modern man can embark, on the Great Ocean Road.

From Torquay the Great Ocean Road sticks tight to the jagged, rocky shoreline of southern Australia for more than 400 miles, until it reaches the old fishing village of Port Fairy. They say you should take three days over the journey to fully absorb and appreciate the ocean-scape.

Along the way you’ll come to Port Campbell and its iconic 12 Apostles [pictured]. These are a series of limestone pillars that rise out of the Southern Ocean surf, and show where the cliffs once stood 20 million years ago. As the cliffs gradually retreated the Apostles would have first taken the form of caves, then worn away into arches, before eventually being batterd into lone columns, rising up to 150 feet above the sea.

The stubborn Apostles have bravely withstood all that the Southern Ocean has thrown at them over the millennia, although nothing lasts forever, and the 12 are now down to a hard core of eight, with the ninth pillar crashing into the ocean in 2005.

Feature on page 98

22

KINGDOM 45

SPRING 2019

23

SCENE SETTER Legacy

TRADITION GOLF

N

estled against the Santa Rosa Mountains in La Quinta, Calif., one of Arnold Palmer’s best course designs sits like an oasis in the desert, welcoming those thirsty for satisfying golf. The attention to detail is unbelievable, every blade of grass in place, bunkers seemingly cut with a straight razor— and filled with crushed marble, just like those at Augusta National. More than just pretty (and it is incredibly beautiful) the fill helps to keep

the bunkers intact during high desert winds, which can affect play as much as anything—and the course is tough enough, with plenty of risk/ reward options requiring strategic thinking.

Bighorn sheep and clear desert skies are joined by native grasses and epic floral displays, the latter a Palmer nod to Winnie, his wife of nearly 50 years. She loved flowers, and there was good reason to include them here as Tradition wasn’t just a course project for Palmer, it was also a place that he called home for part of the year.

Feature on page 80

Photo: Joann Dost

24

KINGDOM 45

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SHORT GAME

A selection of short stories as we look ahead to spring, the Florida Swing and the return of majors golf

66 Watch for the flat cap The 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational is fast approaching (at the time the printers began to roll...) and while picking a winner on the PGA Tour is usually about as easy as picking the fastest from a herd of 150 charging buffalo, it is hard to ignore the pedigree of Bryson DeChambeau at Bay Hill.

DeChambeau, the world number 5 (at the time of writing), will not be the highest ranked golfer in the field—that status will go to current No. 1 and Tournament Ambassador Justin Rose—but there are four arrows pointing to the 25-year-old: 1.

DeChambeau has won four times on the PGA Tour in the past nine months, or call it five if you include January’s Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour.

The kid has a taste for it.

2.

At the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational, DeChambeau shot 67-66-72-68 to finish runner-up behind the late charge of Rory McIlroy, so DeChambeau has already shown he can go low at Bay Hill for four days straight.

3.

He holds the amateur tournament scoring records of 66 over 18 holes (in the final round), and 282 for 72 holes, achieving both in 2016, just weeks before turning pro.

4.

In eight career tournament rounds in the API, DeChambeau is yet to post an 18-hole score over par.

We are not saying Dechambeau Will Win, but just watch out.

MAJORS MUSICAL CHAIRS They used to call the PGA Championship “Glory’s last shot”. Not any more. The 2019 PGA Championship will be played at Bethpage State Park from May 16-19, making it the second major of the year after April’s Masters.

The 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol was held in July to make way for golf’s return to the Olympics but before then, the last time the PGA Championship was held earlier than August—and earlier in the season than any other majors—was back in 1971 at PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens in February. The 1970 PGA Championship was played in its conventional August slot, so 1970-71 remains the only time the PGA Championship was played back-to-back in terms of the majors. Must have felt weird at the time.

Jack Nicklaus won the 1971 PGA, defeating Billy Casper by two to become the first golfer in history to complete the career grand slam twice (ultimately Nicklaus would complete three grand slams, in 1978).

The Golden Bear will never forget the date he won the ’71 PGA—it was February 28 and his wife Barbara’s 31st birthday.

The PGA was played in June, July and August going back through the 1960s and ‘50s, but the last time it was played in May was 70 years ago in 1949, when Sam Snead won in the tournament’s old match play format.

SPRING 2019

27

SHORT GAME

Be Nice The first U.S. Open to be held on a public golf course was in 2002 on Bethpage Black. They called it “The People’s Open” and the New Yorkers loved it, turning up the volume and giving a golf tournament the kind of raucous atmosphere not seen since the Ryder Cup at Brookline three years before.

In a deluded move by one of the leading golf magazines, it printed 25,000 pins that demanded: “Be

PHIL PEBBLESON Phil Mickelson needs a U.S. Open victory to complete his career Grand Slam and where is the 2019 U.S. Open heading? To Pebble Beach—in the resort’s centenary year—and where Mickelson has now won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am five times (1998, 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2019). It matches the tournament record set by Mark O’Meara (five wins between 1985-1997). It’s not just a February fling either. The last time the U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach, when Greame McDowell won in 2010, Mickelson finished three shots back, tied for fourth with Tiger Woods.

For Phil’s Grand Slam, are the pebbles finally aligned in 2019?

nice to Monty”, in an attempt to quell what had become customary crowd abuse dished out to the combustible Scot Colin Montgomerie, the leading European player of the day. And how did the locals react? Some wore the pins and Monty made his caddie wear one of each side of his cap, but mostly Monty was savaged. He shot 75-76, missed the cut by one and bolted. But what did everyone expect? As local reporter Johnette Howard wrote at the time: “A New York sports fan will boo his own mother if she burns the breakfast toast”.

17 loss of the

“First Lady” Alice Dye was often called the “First Lady” of course design, and with good reason. Alice was the wife of Pete Dye and she died on February 1, aged 91. Her memory will shine particularly bright come the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, March 14-17, because the iconic island green on the par-3 17th hole of the Stadium Course was her idea.

Husband Pete, the course designer, had a problem with 17 when they built the Stadium Course in the early ‘80s, because they had mined the area so deeply for its excellent sand.

As Alice Dye recalled to Women’s Golf Journal last year: “They had to cover those fairways with sand because they were muck and so they’d dug this huge hole where Pete had the 17th green planned. [The site] wasn’t my favorite spot to go. It was muddy and had snakes, a horrible piece of property. But Pete talked to me and said, ‘I’ve really got a problem, can you come and look at this 17th hole and see if you have an idea what to do?’ So I came out and I said, ‘Why don’t you fill up that great big hole with water?’ He did it.”

Alice Dye, 1927-2019

28

KINGDOM 45

All in the Details

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MAJORS Preview

TIGER, TIGER BURNING BRIGHT (AGAIN) Tiger Woods approaches the 18th green during the final round of the 2018 TOUR Championship at East Lake (and if you look carefully you might spot playing partner Rory McIlroy...)

30

KINGDOM 45

The schedule has been shaken up and the cast list spiced. So what do the four major championships of 2019 have in store? There are more questions than usual— is Bryson DeChambeau the real deal?

Can Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth recuperate their sublime skills?

Can Phil Mickelson finally complete the career Grand Slam?

When will Dustin Johnson realize how good he is?

Will anyone ever cheer for Patrick Reed?

And what about Rickie Fowler?

The biggest question of all, though, concerns none of these stars.

At Paul Trow’s invitation, read on…

SPRING 2019

31

T Two words encircle the forthcoming major championships, and no prizes for guessing the first starts with ‘T’ and the second with ‘W’.

Tiger Woods, becalmed on 14 of golf’s blue-ribbon titles since 2008, is at last firing on something approaching all cylinders after nigh on five years of ill health that necessitated no fewer than four bouts of back surgery.

After showing encouraging glimpses of form early in 2018 he became a genuine contender at the final two majors—the [British] Open at Carnoustie, where he led at the turn on Sunday only for a cold putter to push him back into a tie for sixth, and the PGA Championship at Bellerive, where he gave Brooks Koepka a serious ‘hurry up’ before claiming second place on his own with a closing 64.

The momentum continued when he claimed victory in the Tour Championship and the uninhibited crowds at East Lake hinted at further pandemonium behind the ropes should Woods look like emulating this exploit in 2019 at any of the four tournaments that matter most.

He now stands on 80 PGA Tour victories, just two behind long-time trailblazer Sam Snead, but his abiding goal is to eat into the four-win margin that separates him from Jack Nicklaus at the apex of the majors’ honors board. There are, of course, a few inspirational precedents for his heroic comeback, not least that of Ben Hogan, who claimed six of his nine major titles after surviving a head-on collision with a Greyhound bus in February 1949.

A parallel sub-plot will also unfold this year as golf fans—whether lining the fairways, propping a bar, slaving at work, or simply lolling on the couch—take advantage of new laws governing sports betting. Tiger has long been the punters’ darling, especially during the period when he won at least once every three times he teed up. Backers, despite being quoted 2/1 by miserly offshore bookies, still turned a lucrative profit. Naturally, many will root again for their hero; and if he hits the jackpot Uncle Sam will take a healthy tax cut too.

But despite last year’s fireworks, Woods can expect stiffer competition and longer odds this time compared to his halcyon days, from the instant he turned pro late in 1996 to the middle of 2013 when his ailing back started to get the better of him.

He’s still a long way short of reclaiming the No.1 spot he held in the world rankings for a record 683 weeks and the names in front of and immediately behind him in the current pecking order will not cower from a charging Tiger like those around him once did.

Woods [left] holes out for 64 in the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship; Francesco Molinari [top right] kisses the Claret Jug at Carnoustie; Justin Rose [right] celebrates victory in the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open in January

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Taking turns at the top Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Koepka have all donned the uneasy crown since the great one relinquished it in May 2014, and Woods, back up to 13th spot [at the time of going to print], still lagged behind McIlroy, Johnson, Thomas, Rose and Koepka at the turn of the year. Day is 11th and Spieth is down to 24th after modest 2018 seasons by their high standards—Spieth even failed to qualify for the Tour Championship—while Scott languishes in 30th despite showing signs of revival by finishing third behind Koepka and Woods at the PGA Championship.

Six younger men also sat closer to the top of the tree than Tiger, and all have the potential to become multiple major champions. Italy’s Francesco Molinari, who impressively held off Woods at Carnoustie and went on to secure a 100 per cent record at the Ryder Cup in Paris, is the only one to have breasted the tape in a major thus far; but it is surely only a matter of time before Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau and Xander Schauffele join him in the winners’ enclosure. And it should not be overlooked that the men at 15th and 16th are both Masters champions—Patrick Reed, who last April defied both an unsupportive gallery and a family desperate for reconciliation, and Bubba Watson, who donned the Green Jacket in 2012 and 2014.

Trawling through the 20s and 30s in the world ranking and a whole host of other major winners can be spotted.

Indeed, Webb Simpson, Keegan Bradley, Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson and Scott are all more than capable of landing another bauble if it turns out to be their week.

In the case of Mickelson, who hits 49 in June, who knows what to expect? After playing hockey on the 13th green at Shinnecock Hills in the U.S. Open and somehow escaping disqualification, he was all at sea at the Ryder Cup yet scooped the $9m pot in his winner-takes-all tilt at Woods, before winning at Pebble Beach in February. Lefty has won the Masters three times and could easily again if his putter heats up, plus he has [British] Open and PGA trophies in the locker. All his majors résumé requires is his national championship, after six runners-up finishes. So can Mickelson win twice at Pebble in the space of five months, as the U.S. Open is there from June 13-16? This probably represents his best chance as the traditionally thick U.S. Open rough—that would surely ensnare his increasingly wayward tee ball at any other venue—will largely be absent.

Ironically, the gargantuanly long and treacherously narrow Black Course at Bethpage Park, where the rescheduled PGA Championship will be held for the first time from May 16-19, has been the scene of two of Mickelson’s seconds in the U.S. Open (2002 and 2009). So it should be little surprise if the Long Island layout proves again to be a happy hunting ground.

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Given the successes of Reed and Molinari in 2018, it seems likely that at least one of the major winners over the next few months will be new to the experience. Fowler, having recently reached the relative maturity of his 30th birthday, would appear to be the outstanding candidate, especially as his 15 top-20 finishes in 36 major starts include three second places.

But DeChambeau, who has soared like a meteor in the PGA Tour firmament with five victories over the past 18 months, is proving to be a force of nature as well as the science he rigorously espouses across every aspect of his golf game.

Spaniard Rahm ended 2018 with a thumping victory in Tiger’s Hero Challenge in the Bahamas while Schauffele and Finau, who chalked up one-two in last October’s WGC-HSBC event in Shanghai, and England’s Tommy Fleetwood—Molinari’s comfort blanket at the Ryder Cup— are all in the frame. So too is the often overlooked though eminently worthy Marc Leishman, who is perhaps a better prospect for his native Australia at present than either of his countrymen Day or Scott.

But with the likes of Spieth, Thomas, Johnson, McIlroy and Rose around, any pretender to the throne will need to be on his A+ game. Spieth has gone from being the finest putter in the world to the most serial misser of three-footers; but rest assured—a terrible vengeance will be exacted when his gossamer touch returns. Johnson, despite regular brainstorms, can overpower any course on the planet while the two Justins, Thomas and Rose, are so consistent from tee to green that woe betide their rivals when their flat sticks warm up.

Johnson, despite regular brainstorms, can overpower any course on the planet

DeChambeau after winning the Dell Technologies Championship at TPC Boston [above]; Mickelson was a fan favorite at the last U.S. Open at Bethpage in 2009 [left]

The American way The key move by any of the top players as 2018 segued into 2019, however, came from McIlroy, who will be 30 in May. Not one to sidestep controversy, he announced last November, prompting much raising of eyebrows, that he’d decided to turn his back on the European Tour until after the FedExCup. The loss of his box-office star was a body blow to CEO Keith Pelley, undoubtedly, but surely a sensible move for a golfing genius determined to make the most of his precocious talents on the game’s most elevated stage before it’s too late. McIlroy plans a full schedule Stateside in 2019 and by the time he gets to Bay Hill in March he will have a fair idea whether he’s made the right move.

Notwithstanding his pride at defending the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one of the PGA Tour’s iconic events, and his determination to complete a personal Grand Slam at Augusta National (April 11-14) after so many Masters disappointments, McIlroy’s ultimate focus this year must

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be on his native Northern Ireland and the majestic links of Royal Portrush, where the Open returns after an absence of 68 years.

Since England’s Max Faulkner lifted the Claret Jug against a cut-price field that sprinkled little stardust and is only remembered in monochrome black and white, Royal April 11-14 MASTERS Portrush, located on the north coast of County Antrim and managed deftly through the Troubles to its glorious present Augusta National, Georgia by the redoubtable Wilma Erskine, has become a favorite destination for visiting American golfers.

At the age of 16, McIlroy carded 61 to set the course record over the Dunluce Links. Darren Clarke, Open champion at Sandwich in 2011, has a house that overlooks the 2nd fairway, and another local neighbor is Graeme McDowell, U.S. Open winner at Pebble Beach in 2010.

Expect this trio to be prominent during the week of July 18-21, though McDowell still has work to do to secure his June 13-16 U.S. OPEN place in the field.

But all of the above could turn out to be so much Pebble Beach Golf Links, California hot air if the man who was unchallenged as the player of 2018, Koepka, hits his straps again. After missing the Masters due to a wrist injury last April, the bomber from eastern Florida soon made up for lost time by holing putt after putt down the stretch at Shinnecock Hills to keep Fleetwood’s closing 63 at bay. His triumph in 2017 at Erin Hills in Wisconsin had been dismissed as a freak result on a singularly non-U.S. Open layout. Not so the hallowed and historic Shinnecock Hills, butchered though it was by the USGA both in terms of condition and appearance.

Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Rory Koepka maintained his momentum McIlroy pose together in simpler times, in 2009, by annexing the PGA Championship during before any of them were major champions a low-scoring week two months later and then, as an encore, maintained his irresistible momentum by breezing past a high-class field in the CJ Cup in South Korea in October.

With the four majors of 2019 concertinaed for the first time in living memory into a 15-week window, a player like Koepka, who has proved he can hit and hold the high notes when on song, will be a threat. The chip of non-recognition that sat awkwardly on his shoulder after last year’s achievements seems to be a continuing source of resentment and motivation.

So don’t bet against him this time, though the acid test may well come when he finds himself dueling in the heat of battle with the phenomenon identified by those initials ‘T’ and ‘W’. Golf fans, not to mention the bookies, can’t wait.

May 16-19 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Bethpage State Park (Black Course), New York

July 18-21 THE OPEN

Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland

At the age of 16, McIlroy carded 61 to set the course record over the Dunluce Links

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MAJORS Koepka

COOL HAND KOEPKA

Koepka closes in on victory in the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive

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Despite winning his first major title at the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Brooks Koepka came into the 2018 majors on the outer reaches of the media radar. The names Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler were more prominent in championship previews and opinion, but not any more. Koepka, now a three-time major champ and golfer who has reached world No. 1, spoke to Kingdom about winning big and re-setting his goals

I

t was the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship at Bellerive, St. Louis, and Brooks Koepka stood over a five-foot putt for birdie on the eighth hole. He held a two-shot lead over Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas, but as he settled over the ball, a roar from the crowd surrounding the ninth green echoed through the trees and washed over the eighth green. It wasn’t just any crowd roar; it was a Tiger roar, the force of energy that only occurs when Woods is on a charge.

Koepka immediately knew his lead over Woods was down to a slender, single stroke. This is how a short yet delicate putt on a slight downward slope becomes a bit more slippery in the mind’s eye. The hole shrinks. These putts look straight forward until you are the one gripping the putter, standing over the ball, with thousands of fans around the green glued to your every move and millions more via the television cameras.

Visibly at least, Koepka did not flinch. He did not step back, look up or adjust his routine, but took a last look at the hole before calmly delivering his ball straight into its shady midst. His two-shot lead was restored, 10 holes to play. It is not just booming drives that make Koepka a major champion, it is the short putts too.

“I was about to hit my putt and it was one of the loudest crowd roars I have heard,” recalls Koepka, 28, and like Woods a Testimonee for Swiss watchmaker Rolex. “I knew Tiger must have birdied nine. I thought, ‘Just make this one, get through this hole’. The atmosphere was unbelievable but I tried to focus on each shot, one at a time.”

Recalls Woods, 43, and golfing hero to the childhood Koepka not that many years ago: “The energy that day was incredible. There was a lot of excitement and the crowds were willing all of us to hit great shots. It was very positive and great to be in the middle of that kind of scene again.”

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Photo: Rolex / Chris Turvey

By this point it had been 10 years since Woods had lifted a major trophy, the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, when playing with a fracture in one leg he edged Rocco Mediate in a play-off. Since then and after a long line of injuries and four back surgeries, many presumed Woods was finished as a major contender. Then he held the final-round lead in the [British] Open at Carnoustie last July. He didn’t win—the unshakeable Francesco Molinari claimed the Claret Jug—but Woods showed for the first time in a decade that he, now a PGA Tour veteran, could still keep pace with the young new guard in the biggest championships. Old man Woods, 15 years older than Koepka, was turning the heat on the champion of the past two U.S. Opens.

Tiger kept charging, the crowd kept roaring, but Koepka kept his golfing idol at bay. Woods shot the lowest weekend 36-hole score—66-64, 10 under par—in championship history, but at no point did he catch Koepka on the leaderboard. Koepka had shot a second round of 63 to match the lowest score ever posted in 100 years of the PGA Championship and his fourth-round 66 was enough to leave Woods in second place by two. It was a classic finale to the closing major of last year.

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“Brooks literally drives the ball 340 or 350 yards in the air and when he’s hitting it straight that makes him very tough to beat” “Brooks is a complete golfer and he put it all together that week,” adds Woods, a winner of 14 major titles. “He literally drives the ball 340 or 350 yards in the air and when he’s hitting it straight that makes him very tough to beat.

Brooks didn’t just have the driving at Bellerive though; he had the iron game, he had the putting and he made some key up-and-downs over the weekend to keep himself in the lead and to win. It was very impressive.”

Koepka enjoys the defence of his U.S. Open title at Shinnecock Hills last year [left and below]; with the U.S. Open trophy for the first time in 2017 [bottom of page]

Photo: Rolex / Chris Turvey

to achieve this great American double was that man Woods in 2000, 18 years before Koepka. Back in 2000 Woods was in indomitable form and on his way to completing the ‘Tiger-slam’ of winning all four majors in succession (in 2000 he won the U.S. Open, The Open and PGA Championship before completing the quartet at the 2001 Masters). No wonder he was Koepka’s idol.

“When I sit and think about my 2018 season and see my name on the U.S. Open and PGA Championship trophies, it is amazing to think I am one of only five golfers to have won both of them in the same year,” says Koepka, who reached a World Ranking of No. 1 for the first time in October. “That is quite humbling and makes me very proud and that is what all the hard work is for.”

Before Woods, the last golfer to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year was the ‘Golden Bear’ Jack Nicklaus, who claimed both in 1980, the 16th and 17th of his peerless career haul of 18 major titles. The other two were Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

Before Woods, the last to win the U.S. Open & PGA Championship in the same year was Nicklaus.

The other two were Hogan and Sarazen

THE GREAT AMERICAN DOUBLE In the cauldron of a major championship final round, most golfers would melt under the added pressure of having to keep the resurgent Woods at bay, yet Koepka’s invariably ice-cool temperament looks unshakeable.

“When the heat is on I don’t want to let other golfers know what is going on in my head,” admits Koepka, now a winner of three major titles in his last six starts. “You sometimes hear about people complaining about being misunderstood but you know, I actually don’t want to be understood. That works fine for me. There are times when I want to jump up and down to react to something—be it good or bad—but it is better to keep those emotions to myself. It is also about keeping my focus while I am on the golf course. I have a job to do and I have decisions to make before every shot and I know I can perform to my best if I stay calm.”

Winning the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in the same year is more than rare; on a scale of achievement it is at the point of ‘Once in a generation’. The last golfer

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This is the company Koepka is keeping in the record books. And not even Tiger has yet hoisted the U.S. Open trophy in successive years. When Koepka successfully defended his U.S. Open title last year he became the first since American Curtis Strange in 1988-1989, 29 years before.

“The 2018 season was unbelievable for me on the one hand,” adds Koepka, “yet I have always felt I could reach this kind of success, that it was inside me and that I have the talent. But you can’t predict if or when it will happen.

There are so many factors that need to come together to win a tournament, and particularly a major.”

Koepka is leading the Rolex New Guard in men’s golf, along with fellow Americans Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. All five were members of the American Ryder Cup team in 2018 and they are set to remain the nucleus of the team for years to come.

There is another particularly exclusive club on which Koepka now has his eye on joining; those who have completed the career ‘Grand Slam’ of winning each of the four majors. The only members of this club are Sarazen, Hogan, Gary Player, Nicklaus and Woods, and Koepka needs the Masters and The Open to join them.

“I do think about the career grand slam and I am halfway there,” he says. “When it comes to The Open, St Andrews is where I think I have my best chance of winning. I have played so well on the Old Course in the past and hopefully I could have three more chances to win The Open there.”

Koepka with the Wanamaker trophy after winning the 2018 PGA Championship

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A WINNING TRADITION Perhaps some of Koepka’s knack for winning has been inherited, as his Uncle Dick—brother to Koepka’s late grandmother Mary—is Dick Groat, who was one of the best batting shortstops to play Major League Baseball.

An All-American college baseball and basketball star at Duke before playing for his local Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1950s and early 1960s, Groat [pictured below in 1960] was key to the Pirates’ World Series success in 1960 and was named National League MVP that year with a leagueleading batting average of .325. In 2018, Pittsburgh City Council even declared June 12 “Dick Groat Day”.

A keen golfer, 88-year-old Groat owns the Champion Lakes Golf Course in Ligonier, less than 20 miles to the east of Arnold Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, where a young Koepka would often play. Groat was a year younger than Palmer and they became good friends. They had a lot in common as the greatest pro sportsmen of their generation to come out of Western Pennsylvania (and arguably the greatest of all time), and in 1963 the pair played together in the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach.

The Open will next return to the “Home of Golf ” in 2021, when golf’s oldest major is played for the 150th time, so Koepka will have to be patient for the opportunity to win there, but even so, it will be exciting to watch his bids for further major success in the meantime. And if Koepka can win the U.S. Open for the third year in a row? Well, not even Tiger, Jack, Ben, Gary or Gene have reached that level of dominance. Scot Willie Anderson is the only golfer to have won three U.S. Opens in a row—1903, ’04 and ’05—and it will be exciting to see Koepka’s tilt at Pebble Beach in June.

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MAJORS WPA Golf

Roosevelt’s Lasting Gift

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Photo: PGA of America / Gary Kellner

The legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt includes the Works Progress Administration, that helped to lift the United States out of the Great Depression.

As Dave Shedloski writes, the WPA also added a new dimension to majors golf

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olf in the United States has realized several periods of robust growth but the game’s historians can readily point to two of the most consequential eras that inspired the masses to take up the game.

The first golf boom followed one of the most heralded upsets in championship history; Francis Ouimet’s stunning playoff victory over Harry Vardon and Ted Ray in the 1913 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The second followed in the late 1950s and ’60s, when Arnold Palmer and the advent of television perfectly conjoined to bring golf to the everyman with a new sense of glamor. It didn’t hurt that during Palmer’s rise there was a man in the White House, Dwight Eisenhower, who was so enthralled with the game that he practiced on the East Lawn and unashamedly left spike marks in the wood flooring of the Oval Office.

But another U.S. President—Franklin Delano Roosevelt—was in fact a bigger promoter of the game and was responsible for making golf accessible to American citizens in more impactful and far-reaching measures.

Roosevelt instigated a hugely significant period of growth for the game—after Ouimet and before Palmer—which in fact helped to drag the country out of the Great Depression.

Unlike William Taft, Woodrow Wilson or Warren Harding before him, Roosevelt showed no personal interest in golf while in office, even though he was a superb player before he contracted polio at the age of 39. “Golf was the game [he] enjoyed above all others,” his wife, Eleanor, once said. “After he was stricken with polio, the one word that he never said again was ‘golf.’” Nevertheless, he understood its allure as a challenging game and recognized its healthful benefits.

Which is why, when the Works Progress Administration was created in 1935, golf received a healthy injection of government funds. The WPA was arguably one of the most ambitious and important creations in the New Deal, a series of programs initiated by the Roosevelt administration in response to the Great Depression. (The Social Security Administration is the most well-known, enduring and consequential legacy of that era.)

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First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt tours a WPA project in Iowa in 1936

Financed to the tune of $4.9 billion just in its first year, the WPA sought to employ the hundreds of thousands of American citizens out of work by tackling a myriad of infrastructure projects including roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and post offices. But it also hoped to improve the daily lives of Americans by contributing an array of recreational and leisure facilities such as playgrounds, tennis courts, zoos, botanical gardens, gyms, baseball fields and, yes, golf courses. The belief was that recreation enhanced public well-being, both physically and psychologically, which was hugely important during that trying era.

From Maine to California and Oregon to Florida, golf courses were either being built or upgraded, which kept busy course architects like Donald Ross, Perry Maxwell, Robert Trent Jones and A.W. Tillinghast, even if it was at cut-rate fees. (Ross was believed to have bid on projects for 10 percent of what he charged prior to the Depression.)

According to an Associated Press wire story from early 1936, the WPA announced that it intended to finance the building or improvement of 600 courses, and it already had begun work on 306 courses at a cost of nearly $10 million.

Bobby Jones praised the work of the WPA and offered to consult on the creation of the courses, the vast majority of which were municipal layouts. A few years earlier Jones got his feet wet on course design working alongside Alister Mackenzie on building his private masterpiece, Augusta National in Georgia. “I had no idea their program was so extensive,” Jones was quoted as saying in an April news story.

“It will help to bring the game within reach of people who want to play but can’t afford membership in private clubs…

I’ll be glad to give them suggestions to help the program.”

Golf course designer and historian Dr. Michael Hurdzan said the WPA and the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), which helped man a lot of the projects, were not just instrumental in making golf more available, but also in offsetting the loss of other courses, mostly private.

“Not much talked about is that the number of golf courses in the U.S. plummeted between 1929 and 1945,” Hurdzan said. “Some went under, some were converted for agriculture or a wartime need. So the WPA was hugely important for the game—and not just in that era. The benefits are still felt today in a lot of parts of the country.”

Ross was believed to have bid on projects for 10 percent of what he earned prior to the Depression

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Parklife

A

ccording to another AP story dated December 17, 1936, of all the projects undertaken by the WPA, the largest by far was Bethpage State Park, situated on 1,368 acres in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. Four courses were eventually built, the last of them being the best and toughest; the Black Course, which opened on May 30, 1936. When the Blue Course hosted the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship that fall, first-round losers were given the chance to compete in a consolation event on the Black Course. A Brooklyn reporter observed that it wasn’t much of a consolation because “the Black Course is one of the world’s toughest golf courses, not shaded in the least by Timber Point, Shinnecock Hills or Pine Valley.”

The reputation of the Black Course is no less formidable today. When it welcomes the 101st PGA Championship, May 16-19, the Black will host its third major championship after the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Opens, won, respectively, by Tiger Woods and Lucas Glover. In 2024, it will welcome the might of the Ryder Cup. This year’s PGA, it should be noted, is being staged in a month other than August for only the third time since 1969. The exceptions were in 1971, when it went to PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, in February, and 2016 when it was contested in July to accommodate golf ’s inclusion in the Olympics. With the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open all cemented in their respective

slots in April, June and July, the PGA’s move to May fills a logical gap.

With its rolling terrain, elevated greens, large and deep bunkers, tall fescue native areas and a collection of long par-4s, the Black Course is a demanding layout, so much so that a sign welcomes golfers to the first tee with: “WARNING: The Black Course is An Extremely Difficult Golf Course Which We Recommend Only For Highly Skilled Golfers.” Woods—who won the 2002 Open there at 3-under 277—called it, simply, “a brute”.

“There is no let-up, no place to hide,” said Rees Jones, who has twice renovated the Tillinghast masterpiece, which for recreational golfers plays to a par-71 with a course rating of 76.6 and a punishing slope of 148. It measured 7,438 yards and played to par-70 for the 2009 U.S. Open.

Bethpage, which also hosted a FedExCup Playoff event on the PGA Tour in 2012 and 2016, isn’t the only celebrated layout with WPA roots. Perry Maxwell designed Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchison, Kansas, and Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1937. Brown Deer State Park in Milwaukee, which once hosted the Milwaukee Open, was another WPA creation, as was the renowned Mackenzie design, the Scarlet Course at Ohio State University Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio.

What made Bethpage such a standout project was its sheer size as well as the various attractions; hiking and riding trails, picnic areas, polo fields and tennis courts. But golf was the anchor to it all, as it remains.

Photo: PGA of America / Gary Kellner

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Opening day of the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in 1936 [left].

A horse-drawn carriage delivers golfers from the Farmingdale railroad station [below] in the 1940s Photos: Long Island State Parks

The People’s Country Club

T

hree centuries ago the land upon which Bethpage State Park sits was the property of three Native American tribes until English settler Thomas Powell purchased a 15-square-mile tract for all of 140 pounds sterling. Powell named the land Bethpage, inspired by the Bible. In the Book of St. Matthew in the New Testament, there is a passage that refers to drawing “nigh unto Jerusalem and were come to Bethpage, unto the Mount of Olives.”

What Powell started, Benjamin Franklin Yoakum refined. A railroad tycoon, he bought 1,300 acres of Powell’s original land purchase and developed it into a spacious estate that by 1923 included Lenox Hills Country Club.

By the time of the 1929 stock market crash Yoakum had passed away and his heirs sold the land to the Bethpage Park Authority, part of the Long Island State Park Commission, in 1933 for $1 million. Robert Moses, a master builder and president of the commission, oversaw the transformation of the expansive property into a multi-use park.

Using Tillinghast’s expertise and the Works Progress Administration that gave him more than 2000 workers, Moses brought four courses on line—the Green (formerly Lenox Hills), Blue, Red and Black. Greens fees for any of the four courses were $1 on weekdays, $2 weekends. A season pass good for weekday golf cost $15.

The Black Course was special from the beginning; Moses hailed it as “the People’s Country Club.” Rees Jones, who inherited the moniker of “Open Doctor” from his father, Robert Trent, said that Tillinghast was inspired by

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Pine Valley, which is still frequently ranked as the nation’s finest layout and this goes some way to explaining the difficult nature of Bethpage Black.

“The Black Course,” Jones said, “was quite clearly Tillinghast’s answer to Pine Valley in look and style of play. He was known to play there quite a bit. You see that especially with the bunkers. They are long, deep and massive, and they are pushed away from the greens, leaving long bunker shots, which are very difficult.”

The accompanying clubhouse also was built at the time with WPA funds and workers before a fifth course, the Yellow, designed by Alfred Tull, was added in 1958.

It’s ironic that the WPA’s contributions to golf intersected with the “Golden Age” of golf course design, the period from roughly 1910 to 1937 when many of America’s greatest golf courses were born. Among them were Pebble Beach, Oakmont, Cypress Point, Winged Foot, Oakland Hills and National Golf Links of America. Include Bethpage Black and Prairie Dunes in that mix.

With so many working-age men having gone off to fight in World War II or working in war production jobs, the WPA was discontinued in 1943 at Roosevelt’s recommendation. Operations in most states ended February 1, 1943 and the agency itself closed by the end of June. But the legacy of the WPA thrives, as golfers can well attest.

Today, 300,000 rounds are played annually on the five layouts at Bethpage alone. As sports historian and author George B. Kirsch wrote, “For golfers, the cloud of this great economic crisis contained a silver lining.”

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MAJORS Finau

MIND OVER MATTER Tony Finau is one of the most fascinating players in world golf and he is one to watch in the majors in 2019. Whether his fortunes rise or fall, just don’t expect him to jump up and down about it, seriously. Finau spoke to Robin Barwick about a golf career that has so far been much defined by the Masters, right from the start

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For two and half days last April, Tony Finau was soaking up the treasured atmosphere of Masters week at Augusta National; that sunny tranquility juxtaposed with the buzz of anticipation for the first major of the year. It was Finau’s first Masters and the realization of a long-held dream.

“I played practice rounds with Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Vijay Singh,” starts Finau, now 29, who earned his first Masters invitation by qualifying for the 2017 seasonclosing Tour Championship. “Walking around that place, knowing I would be teeing up in my first Masters, it was extremely cool. The Masters is the best sporting event to watch in my opinion and I was on cloud nine.”

The week got even better for Finau at the 7th hole of the Wednesday Par 3 Contest, when his tee shot spun back from

the edge of the green and into the cup for an ace, but then in an incredibly cruel twist, Finau’s Masters debut suddenly crashed when he partially dislocated his left ankle while celebrating.

You have almost certainly seen the footage of the incident at some point, as hard to watch as it is. It seemed an innocuous jig down the grassy slope until Finau’s left foot gave way and was turned inside by a near right angle, before the golfer calmly reached down and eased the joint back into place.

“I had so much adrenaline when I hit the hole-in-one that when my ankle went I was not in much pain, to be honest,” recalls Finau, who appeared to walk it off. “I played the last two holes of the Par 3 Contest because I was anxious to see how it felt.”

He may have walked off the course but Finau’s Masters preparations had been dispatched into nearby Ike’s Pond. Out of horrible misfortune a glimmer of hope came from Finau’s first-round tee time of 12:43 the next day— eight three-balls from the bottom of the start sheet—which granted around 20 hours to see if he could play. An early slot on the Thursday morning would have almost certainly forced Finau to withdraw.

“The pain was 10 out of 10 on the Thursday morning and I thought my chances of playing were pretty much gone” Tony Finau and family [left] get into their stride at Augusta National’s Par 3 Contest last year; Finau celebrates his ace [right] just before misfortune strikes

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Finau forces Stamina Pro launch For Luminas, the company that makes Stamina Pro adhesive patches, the way in which global media coverage of Tony Finau’s ankle injury unfolded was uncanny.

“We were not going to launch Stamina Pro until the fall,” starts Matt Case, CEO of Luminas, who only took delivery of the first ever branded Stamina Pro patches during the week of the 2018 Masters. “Tony Finau and his team literally got the first branded patches off the press after his injury.

The next thing you know there are pictures of Tony’s ankle covered in Stamina Pro patches on TV [see picture, below] and I had to turn on the e-commerce operation that very day. Bam! We have been off to the races ever since.”

As for Finau, he now won’t leave home without Stamina Pro. “The patches shined bright for me during Masters week and they just flat-out worked,” he says. “As I played in the Masters I had three Stamina Pro wraps around my foot and two up my Achilles. The pain level was worse when the patches were off and I don’t think people realize how much difference they can make.”

Adds Case: “If someone said, ‘here is $1 million to launch the product’, we could not have matched what happened at the Masters. It was crazy.”

“The worst pain was that night and the following morning,” admits Finau. “I don’t know if I slept that night because I was going on and off with an ice wrap and a heat wrap. I struggled to sleep, not just because of the pain and the treatment but mentally; man, I figured my chances of playing in the Masters for the first time had just slipped.

When it was time to get up in the morning to get an MRI and an x-ray I couldn’t walk or put any weight on my left foot. My manager had to help me down the stairs and into the car. The pain was 10 out of 10 on the Thursday morning and I really thought my chances of playing were pretty much gone.”

Finau was lifted from the nadir of the trauma when the x-ray and MRI came up clear.

“I was told it was up to my pain threshold whether I could play and at that point I knew I wanted to give it a go.

Once I knew I wouldn’t hinder the healing process I had some pretty intense massage treatment, trying to increase the blood flow and movement. That was excruciating pain but I understood the process.”

And Finau was also advised his ankle would recover better without any pain-killing shots, so ibuprofen pills were all he took, along with a lot of soft tissue massage work and strapping with Stamina Pro adhesive patches, that help to reduce inflammation. The mobility in Finau’s ankle started to return, so instead of heading home to sit back and keep his foot raised like any normal person, Finau headed to Augusta’s practice ground to work out with coach Boyd Sumnmerhays how he could keep the golf ball straight without transferring weight through his left side, all before his 12:43 tee time in the first round of majors golf of the year.

“I could not apply much pressure on my left foot so I started my swing with my weight back, kind of like Henrik Stenson,” explains Finau. “When I took the club back I really had to press into that right foot and then when I hit the shot I had to stay back there and not transfer my weight.

My launch angle became much higher on every club. That was something I had to deal with through the Masters.”

It was some kind of miracle that Finau even made it to the first tee that day. He bogeyed his first ever Masters hole—as do many of the world’s finest healthy players— before pulling the shot back at the par-five second hole and settling down to shoot 68, four under par. It was one of the more remarkable 68s in Masters history. Having made it to the weekend, Finau closed his debut with six straight birdies on the back nine on Sunday afternoon to finish tied for 10th, thereby securing his invitation to the 2019 Masters.

“I look back at how I played and it was a pretty cool feat,” he says. “When I walked off the 72nd hole I will never forget the feeling: it felt as if I had won the tournament.

Ultimately it was a dream week, the way it happened. I feel like it was meant to be and it goes to show that our minds are stronger than we sometimes realize. If you can have the attitude to never give up then good things can happen.”

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BREAKING BARRIERS A Masters debut is cherished by all who get there, but for Finau his first drive beneath the shady canopy of Magnolia Lane was particularly poignant.

Finau can pin-point the moment he became a golfer.

Up until the 1997 Masters, golf was not on the landscape surrounding Finau at all, and why should it have been when at seven years old he was already a budding basketball star in the less than salubrious Rose Park neighborhood of Salt Lake City? There were plenty of hoops in Rose Park and no shortage of pick-up games, but golf… what?

Then Tiger Woods, aged only 21 at the time, gave the sport what remains arguably its most significant shake-down ever, over 72 holes at Augusta. He shot 70-6665-69 for a total of 270 to beat Tom Kite into second place by 12 shots. 270 remains a scoring record and so does the winning margin, by the first black golfer to win at Augusta.

Kelepi and Tony Finau [above]; and teenage prodigies Gipper and Tony on the range [top] once Tony had turned pro

Tom Watson, aged 47 at the time, played brilliantly to finish fourth but no-one noticed. Woods set 20 Masters scoring records that week and remains the youngest to don the Green Jacket, the first of his 14 major victories. Back in Rose Park, Finau was gripped.

“The 1997 Masters kind of changed everything for me,” he says. “That is the reason I started playing golf. The ‘97 Masters drew my eyes to the game. It was very special for my dad, me and my brother [Gipper] to see someone like Tiger win, not only with how classy he was and with what he brought to the game, but to see that guy have the same skin color as ours. It was very meaningful because at that moment we realized that maybe we could have a place in this game. Tiger broke that barrier at Augusta in the ’97 Masters and from then we grew up to love golf and love playing the game.”

But it wasn’t straightforward for the Finaus. Tony was one of seven children of mom Ravena and dad Kelepi.

Ravena—who was lost to an auto accident in 2011 at the age of only 47—stayed at home or kept odd jobs while Kelepi was an airport baggage handler. Kelepi would scour local garage sales for cheap second-hand golf clubs and balls for the boys when he could, and he hoisted up an old mattress in the middle of the garage, so it was like a partition down the middle. While Tony would hit golf balls into painted targets on the mattress from one side, Gipper would do the same from the other. Thwack-thud, thwack-thud, thwack-thud, for hours on end. As an occasional treat, the boys would get a bucket of balls at a local range so they could actually see their ball flight.

The Finau family has Polynesian heritage. Kelepi was born in Tonga while Ravena’s parents were from Tonga and Samoa, and Ravena would organise traditional Polynesian celebrations—luaus—at which Tony and Gipper would perform dances with flaming knives to raise money to fund trips to golf tournaments.

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“We would hold the luaus once or twice a year and they would help to fund all the travel and tournaments,” says Finau. “It was a cool thing and serves as testament to my parents: they had two boys who wanted to play golf and they put a lot of time and resources into enabling us to pursue our dreams. When I look back, we didn’t have the money to play golf. Golf is an expensive game and we came from very humble beginnings. Golf shouldn’t have been an option for us but our parents sacrificed quite a bit and I am always humbled by the thought of what they did for us.”

At the local par-3 muni, Jordan River, the boys could hone their short games for free around the practice green, and play nine holes when they had a couple of bucks.

“At Jordan River we learned how to play the game from the green back,” adds Finau. “It was a very good golf course, tree-lined. The longest hole was 165 yards and the shortest was 65 or 70 yards.”

Today—sadly from a golf perspective—Jordan River has been converted into a frisbee golf course.

Some two decades later, Finau is a star of the world game. He edged into the world’s top-10 for the first time during the 2018 FedExCup Playoffs, was one of very few American Ryder Cup players to shine in Paris in the fall and now he just needs to convert a couple of his regular top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour into victories, to add to his success at the 2016 Puerto Rico Open. Standing 6-foot-4 and one of the longest hitters on tour, with that deft Jordan River short game to match Finau is too good to own a solitary title for long.

“I believe I can continue to get better,” he says.

“That’s what it’s all about. I have been able to do some pretty cool things in this game—like being on the Ryder Cup team—but I am hungry for more, to put myself in that type of atmosphere again. I was fortunate to play well in three of the four majors last year and I want to put myself back in those positions so I can try and win one. I believe I have a

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Time to eat at the Finaus [far left] and [left] Alayna and Tony with children [l to r] Leilene, Sage, Tony Jr. and Jraice

“Ever since Tiger in ‘97, for me, my dad and Gipper it was always about trying to get to the Masters” place in this game and my case has never been stronger than it is right now. I have a goal to become the best player in the world. That is a high mountain to climb but my coach, my family and I all believe I can do it. It is going to take a lot of great golf over the next few seasons if it is going to happen but I will continue to chase it.”

Once Finau had received his invitation to play in the Masters last year there were some added emotions swirling around Amen Corner when Kelepi joined him to play a couple early familiarization rounds at Augusta.

“Ever since Tiger in ’97, for me, my dad and Gipper it was always about trying to get to the Masters and Augusta National, so it was very special for me and my dad to share our first visit together. We spent two days there and played it twice with a friend who is a member. To be out there with my dad is something I will never forget.”

Finau was only one among vast legions of people— young and old, black and white, male and female—who took up golf after the ’97 Masters, all dreaming of fist-pumping on Augusta’s 18th just like Tiger, yet out of all of them, Finau is the one who might just do it.

FEATURE Course Recovery

The Great Storm of Yesterday With storms of the century seemingly happening every couple of years in recent times, golf has had to dig deep

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t’s easy to lose track. The weather has been so intense over the past few years, so gosh-darn crazy, that it gets difficult to remember which storm tore things up where, and what year it all happened. The details, like the damages, pile up, and while some communities hit by more recent storms have bounced back quickly, others affected by long-ago catastrophes are still picking up the pieces. With a thought to the millions of lives impacted, and those lost, damage to golf courses is less profound, certainly. But it’s worth remembering that the effects of their destruction often go beyond Sunday foursomes. Many courses and clubs represent employment and income in their communities, and they can provide a kind of staging point for life to return to normal. Thus it has been of tremendous importance that after the wind and rain stopped and the sun returned, that clubs get up and running as quickly as possible. Here are just a few stories from many...

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— Michael —

he third-most intense Atlantic hurricane (in terms of pressure) to hit the United States ever, the Category 4 Hurricane Michael walloped the Florida Panhandle on October 10 of last year. More than a year later, many were still picking up the pieces and the numbers were still being calculated: 72 deaths, 52 of those in the U.S., 15 in Central America; $53 billion in damages by some counts ($100 million in Central America); $6 billion worth of fighter jets at Tyndall Air Force Base destroyed; $3.87 billion in agricultural losses; and on and on and on. At one point the winds reached 155mph, and the destruction to personal lives and families and the communities likely will never be calculated. Among all of the damage, the worst of which occurred in the cities of Mexico Beach and Panama City, Florida, area golf courses were impacted severely, with some never to recover. Not long after the storm, in late October of 2018, Florida’s WJHG NBC 7 reported that, due to Michael, Hombre Golf Club in Panama City Beach would be closing. In need of some renovations, it had been for sale prior to the storm, but the course’s General Manager Robbie Willis said Michael had dealt the final blow.

Two neighbors, Panama Country Club in Lynn Haven and Bay Point Golf Club, likewise lost hundreds of trees and sustained heavy damage as well, and are still dealing with the effects of the storm. Panama Country Club has posted videos of cleanup efforts as recently as this January, and aerial drone photography shows a torn-up landscape that nonetheless appears much improved from the devastated scene of fallen trees and blocked roads on a video posted in October.

Bay Point, in contrast, has set a March 1 opening date for its Nicklaus Course, though its Meadows Course is still a long way from opening. As G.M. Ryan Mulvey told NBC7, “You know it all started after the hurricane, getting in and evaluating the damage. And getting some systems up and running. Getting our irrigation back and running on the Nicklaus Course so we could get water to the greens. And

After Hurricane Michael; Mexico Beach, FL, 2018

really it’s a testament to our staff here at the club who have been working tirelessly since the storm. Getting the debris removed, getting the golf course back into shape… The golf course looks great, the greens are in fantastic shape. The fairways are great. Everything’s really ready to go, minus a few things we have to get done with our structures.”

Underlining the club’s importance to the area, Mulvey pointed out that the course was important not just to those who live and work at Bay Point, but to the area’s economy as well.

“Absolutely,” he told the station. “It’s a draw for tourism, for bed tax money, for putting people in condos and hotels… People come here specifically to play the Nicklaus Course, people come here on golf trips. They’ve been coming here for ten, twenty years.”

Another local club, Indian Springs, wasn’t so fortunate.

Golf magazine interviewed the father-and-son owner team of Rod and Kyle Beebe in December and found two men working hard to recover their course, but acknowledging the reality that it might be over.

People come here specifically to play the course; it’s important for the community “It was like a locomotive running right through your house,” local club champ Sammy Basford told writer Michael Bamberger in the article. He estimated that the storm took out 5,000 trees on the course, though Rod said it could be double that. According to the article, Kyle spends his days trying to clear the fairways, making little progress but keeping at it because it’s all he has.

“You soul-search when you’re by yourself,” he said.

“One day I was on the loader, looking at all these downed trees, wondering if we’ll ever reopen, and I just threw up.”

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Two Storms

— Hurricane Maria —

By early October of 2017 there had been eight hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, double the usual average. Of those, three Category 4 hurricanes (Harvey, Irma and Maria) hit the U.S. and its territories, marking the first time this had happened in all of recorded hurricane history, which dates to 1851. The month of September alone saw six storms, beginning with Hurricane Harvey and then producing Hurricanes Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee and, one of the worst storms ever, Maria.

The real toll of these storms was the lives lost and those uprooted, the impacts to individuals and to families, and even today in 2019 the numbers continue to come in. People in Texas and Florida were hit along with those on islands in the Caribbean, and in addition to estimated material damages in excess of $200 billion the personal toll is likely incalculable.

Among all those affected, Puerto Rico was one of the hardest hit, losing nearly all of its electricity, communications and other services and seeing major destruction to its roads, housing and infrastructure when Maria tore across it. “It was as if a 50- to 60-mile wide tornado raged across Puerto Rico, like a buzz saw,” Jeff Weber, a meteorologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Vox after the storm.

All together now: Tropical Depression Sixteen (left),Tropical Storm Nate (center), and Hurricane Maria in 2017

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There’s ‘life before Maria,’ and ‘life after Maria’—it hit everything

“There’s ‘life before Maria’ and ‘life after Maria,’” said Michael Rios, General Manager of TPC Dorado Beach, in 2017. His club, like the rest of Puerto Rico, was severely impacted by the year’s storms and specifically by Hurricane Maria. Maria was a catastrophic event for the island, and Puerto Rico is still in recovery mode in 2019. Three weeks after the storm, only 392 of the island’s 5,073 miles of roads were open, half of Puerto Rico’s 67 operating hospitals were running on generators, few people had working electricity or telecommunications, and roughly a third of the island had no clean drinking water.

“In the tropics we don’t have fall,” said Jeff Willenberg, TPC Dorado Beach Director of Golf. “Afterwards, the leaves were stripped. It’s like everything had turned brown. A tropical island looked like November in the Northeast. It was very shocking to see.”

“Some people just started crying,” added Rios, describing what is was like to come back to the TPC Dorado Beach property after the storm. “At some point it touches your emotions. [The club] is known by its lush landscaping, and there’s green all over the place, so seeing everything you worked with when you drove in the gate, all the prettiness; it’s like an atomic bomb exploded. It’s really hard.”

Maria was the third storm in a row to affect Puerto Rico, following Hurricanes Jose and Irma. Maria was the final blow, but it didn’t knock them out. The first order of business after the storm was to ensure staff were ok, Rios explained, and then to form a plan.

“Our teams, many of whom had lost everything, their homes... showed up together and got everything going. Just two days after the hurricane, the team was back working.

It was an amazing, amazing experience, seeing how they dedicated themselves, how committed they were.”

Rios said gas stations had no gas because trucks couldn’t get through to make deliveries, and that electricity remained a problem into the following year. TPC Dorado Beach distributed some of its equipment fuel to staff and to some members’ generators, which often remained the only source of electricity, including for the club. Otherwise, Rios said, staff began carpooling from San Juan and everyone pitched in to help each other rally around the club, which became much more than just a place to work.

“Before the hurricane we’d stocked up pretty well,” said Willenberg. “In our minds we had to feed 500 people a day, three times a day for two weeks, just a simple buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner... And not only our members, but we were feeding employees: 400 lunches and dinners a day in our clubhouse.”

The resort’s Sugarcane Course was open within three weeks, Rios said, though it took longer to open the property’s famed East Course. The property’s third course remained

TPC Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana In 2005, four months after this course opened and hosted its first event, Hurricane Katrina hit. While loss of life and personal property damage deservedly were the focus of attention, the course was impacted as well. More than 2,000 oak and cypress trees were destroyed, not to mention the Bermuda grass, 40 percent of which sat underwater for weeks. Katrina changed the layout, which had made up for a lack of elevation changes by forcing shaped shots around trees. No trees meant less of a challenge, especially for the PGA pros who played in the annual Zurich Classic, and so a massive replanting campaign began as soon as things dried out. But mother nature wasn’t done: In 2012, just as some of the replacement trees were starting to grow in, Hurricane Isaac came and hit the course again. Mostly recovered from that, the course had a few changes made to its design, but continues as an excellent host for the Zurich Classic.

shut for months, but crews worked nearly nonstop to get everything cleaned up. Trucks transported debris out before the morning tee times and on off days, which on the East Course meant trucks worked Monday through Thursday just hauling debris.

“A little over a third of our members and guests are golfers,” said Rios, “so there is so much more to Dorado Beach than great golf. Our members, by coming in the next day and having staff welcoming them into the clubhouse…

That feeling is so important.

“And also with the tourism industry of Puerto Rico, I think we have a responsibility: we are the high-end tourism destination on the island. For us, bringing back TPC Dorado Beach as quickly as possible is bringing back the clientele as quickly as possible. We see ourselves with the responsibility of leading that effort.”

Willenberg agreed: “Getting the facility open showed a return to normalcy. It’s a place our members and guests feel comfortable being in, get away from the day-to-day challenges, where they can enjoy time with their families, the golf or the other outlets, and there really is not a lot of enjoyment on the island at this moment.”

— Hurricane Irma — “Living in Florida during hurricane season, you kind of feel like you’re sitting on a live rocket... and hoping that it doesn’t blow,” said TPC Tampa Bay General Manager Craig Cliver in 2018. “This hurricane season… it was a little interesting.”

According to recorded history, Florida has been hit by hurricanes more often than any other state. In fact, there are only 18 seasons on record in which Florida was not affected by a known storm. The 2017 season began in earnest in late July with Tropical Storm Emily, which spawned a tornado and created flash flooding in Miami.

Other storms brought rain and winds and damage, but it was Hurricane Irma in mid-September that really made an impact. After tearing through the Caribbean, Irma hit Florida’s Cudjoe Key on September 10 and proceeded to rip across the state, bringing severe damage and flooding from the Keys through Gulf Coast cities, inland through Orlando, and all the way to the state’s most northern regions. For TPC Prestancia in Sarasota, TPC Tampa Bay, and eventually TPC Sawgrass, near Jacksonville, the hurricane was an unwelcome event that brought out the best in their clubs and communities even as it wreaked havoc with their courses.

Cliver said the summer went well enough in Tampa, with Florida’s typical afternoon storms coming right on cue.

But on September 4, Labor Day, Hurricane Irma reared its head, the state’s governor declared a state of emergency, and “everybody started battening down hatches,” he said.

“It’s the simple things,” said TPC Sawgrass Assistant General Manager Matt Borocz. “Number one is to get everything off the course: flags, tee markers, garbage containers, anything that could potentially take flight or be damaged… Golf course rakes, hazard stakes, anything we could lose as part of the storm or that could float away or get caught in a drain is picked up. They’ll also bring down the lake levels. Beyond that, it’s really about getting together with contractors in advance, preparing for tree service, getting large equipment ready or other needs.

Really, assessing the property as much as we can and thinking of anything we could be doing differently.”

Back in Tampa, Cliver said they kept the course open half the day on the Saturday before the storm.

“Those that played gave the employees a standing ovation just for being open to play golf,” he said. “Then we had windows to board up, sandbags to fill…” Cliver said they also unplugged all electric items except for refrigerators, they put plastic bags over all computers and electronics, took all liquors off the shelves in the bars and so on.

Like TPC Sawgrass, all coolers, flags, tees, “anything that could go airborne” was removed. At the time the state’s clubs were preparing for Irma, it was still a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, and everyone was expecting the worst.

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Hurricane Irma hits golf in Pembroke Pines, FL, 2017

Once it was over, returning to work was tough for everyone, but all the clubs got right back to it with a focus on staff safety first, then on returning the properties to working order.

“Me personally, when I arrived back on Tuesday, the first thing is ‘Wow,’ just to see it,” said Borocz. TPC Sawgrass had the added issue of heavy rainfall in the days prior to Irma, thanks to a nor’easter that hit. This meant the ground was soaked, so when Irma’s high winds blew into town, many of the larger trees were in jeopardy of becoming uprooted, and some did.

“We had 18 inches of rain during that Irma period, in a 72-hour period. There were consistent winds of over 60mph, gusts up to 100mph, in that range… We had bunkers that were full of water, but really, it was the debris…

“One of the only holes that was affected from a strategy standpoint was Hole 15 on the Stadium Course.

There were oak trees on the right-hand side that guarded the green that were uprooted from the storm and removed…

Longstanding oak trees that had been there probably 100 years or longer. They were significant.”

At TPC Sawgrass, Borocz said staff were out working on the course just days after the storm hit, with the pros, the agronomy staff, food & beverage workers, caddies, everyone, all walking the course to help with the cleanup.

“We went hole by hole, every branch, every pine cone, getting all the debris up and moving it to a debris site,” he explained. Likewise, Cliver said it was all hands on deck. As to why everyone made the effort, the club managers echoed the same sentiments, and it comes down to community, the members, the staff and the community at large.

“When we’re looking from a total club standpoint,” said Borocz, “we want to get open as safely as possible. A lot of our staff are frontline staff, gratuity-based, servers or outside staff impacted by business levels. No. 1 is the safety of the team, safety of the staff, and then also you look towards the fact that you want to open for business in a feasible way to get our staff up and working. It means a lot.”

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Dakota Dunes Golf Club Dakota Dunes, South Dakota In 1991, with paint drying on the new homes in the Dakota Dunes Country Club neighborhood and the the club’s Arnold Palmer-designed golf course getting set to open, the accolades were quick to come. Golf Digest and Golfweek ranked the course as the best in the state, and the future looked bright—and it was, for 20 years. But in July of 2011 the Missouri River flooded, and all hell broke loose. Suddenly, the 18th hole was under six feet of water and residents were boating down Spyglass Circle, floating over their front yards and easily staring in second-floor windows, which the water was approaching. The golf course was almost entirely wiped out, with No.18 washed away, the green at No.17 gone and numerous other holes severely affected. Brandon Johnson, a Senior Design Architect at the Arnold Palmer Design Company, was quoted at the time as saying, “This isn’t something you see every day, and it is a bit of a unique challenge.” Johnson and other APDC team members worked with local architects and officials to restore the course, after a new levee system was put in place to ensure similar flooding doesn’t happen again.

“Lots of staff and guests didn’t have power for an extended period of time, and we had that,” explained Cliver.

“We offered our showers to anyone that came in, and a lot of my staff used our facilities to shower. And the guests that were still in town really appreciated that we got up and running so quickly, the fact that there was some semblance of life as it ever was for them. And I feel like that was my experience, too. I woke up Monday and saw the world was still going. Hoping that the coffee shop we frequent was still open, that you’d be able to go out and grab lunch somewhere… All of the players that came back the following week, they were so grateful that they got to go chase a little white ball around and have fellowship with their friends, so it was kind of cool to be able to do that.”

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READY FOR WORK

FEATURE Sam Saunders

The work ethic is strong, the family is stronger, and his morning tee time can’t come fast enough. Just don’t ask Sam Saunders to live in a van again…

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It wasn’t so long ago that PGA Tour player Sam Saunders was being referred to as “the grandson” by writers ever eager to point out (to the one cave-dweller who hadn’t heard yet) that Saunders was related to Arnold Palmer. As good-natured as some of that coverage might have been, much of it didn’t look past a single leaf on the family tree.

In fact, you might say it missed the whole forest because, to paraphrase Euclid, there’s no royal road to the Tour. Family tree be damned, Saunders earned his card like everyone else.

And last year, he did more than that.

Four Top 10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in summer, led to a place among the top 125 points-earners on the FedEx Cup list, Saunders’ first appearance in golf’s postseason and full exemption for this season. Going into 2019 the golfer seems comfortable with his progress, contemplative about his life on tour and appreciative of the support he receives. But more than anything, really, Saunders just wants to get back to work.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a little better every year,” he says, sitting outside at Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando. “I’ve always been just outside of making the playoffs, and last year was by far my most consistent. Any time you have four top 10s in a season, that’s a solid year and, more often than not, it means you probably had at least four chances to win a golf tournament. When you’re within that top 10, somewhere near the lead, at some point during the tournament you were thinking about winning. And that’s what I want: I just want to be in those situations making those decisions where I feel I’ve got a chance to win.”

His most obvious brush with victory was in his rookie year, at the 2015 Puerto Rico Open, where Saunders tied for 2nd after losing in a five-way playoff to Alex Cejka. But the way Saunders achieved that second-place finish, the decisions he made, showed the golf world that if it was close he was going to go for it. Starting the day three shots back and tied for 7th, five birdies and only one bogey saw him in contention. Facing a tough 40-yard bunker shot on the last hole, Saunders set his sights on birdie and went for the green rather than simply punching out to sit short.

Not enough sand meant too much distance and a playoff

(though he did make par), but the decision to go for it and the self-confidence it reinforced in Saunders paved the way for seasons like last year’s.

His time on tour seems to have added some reflective aspects to his confidence as well, and so while the to-the-moon power is still there, it’s been complemented by improvements in the game’s more subtle areas.

“It’s mental, and it’s comfort and it’s that you have to learn what you do well,” Saunders says of time on tour. “I’ve had to figure some things out; there’s been some honest, hard self-assessing where you get done with a season and you say ‘all right, well, good year, but I need to get better at this in order to be more successful,’ and I’ve done that.”

Putting was first up, he says, “and now it’s turned into working on my short game. I’ve really gotten better with my wedges and the results are starting to show this past year. I think that will ultimately be the difference between me having some of those good finishes and finally getting some wins.

“When I’m on, I’m on. I can go as low as anybody.

But it’s those days where, over the course of a four-day tournament, it’s that one day where maybe you don’t hit the ball so well, you miss some greens, and when you do that you have to get the ball up, you’ve got to save pars, you’ve got to score. And I think I’ve had times where I just haven’t done that as well as I should have. It was all about turning a 75 into a 73, and then a 72, and now I feel like I’m at the point in my career where I’m turning my bad round from a 72 to a 70 or a 69, still shooting under par. You’ve got to learn to make the bad rounds good, learn how to manage your game really well, and that’s kind of where I feel I’m getting to, that my game management has come up.”

Saunders isn’t boasting when he says he can go as low as anybody—he has the scorecards to prove hit. In 2017, playing in the season-ending Web.com Tour Championship at his home course of Atlantic Beach Country Club, Saunders became the first player to break 60 in a Web.com Finals event, shooting 59 in the opening round. An incredible 13 birdies got him there, including an incomprehensible 40-foot putt on the par-3 fifth, which he nailed. Speaking about that putt at the time, Saunders could hardly believe it himself: “I hit it over the green,” he said, according to a recap on PGATOUR.com. “I mean, you’re dead. You’ve got no shot there. I putted it up the hill and it was going Mach 1; it would’ve been 30 feet past the hole and it hit dead center.

I was just hoping for it to hit the pin. When I saw it was about two feet away, my heart rate went down thinking I was at least going to hit the pin. Then when it went in, I was

When you’re in that top 10, at some point during the event you were thinking about winning

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Living in a van on tour with your wife, a 5-yearold and a baby—what could possibly go wrong?

With the family; on the road again; and a score that few have made— much less made in competition

embarrassed because it was a horrible shot, but you need to get some luck sometimes. I hit a lot of good shots today, so to see something like that go in was fun.”

Also fun, the former Clemson golfer says, was playing on the Web.com Tour, which strikes a different tone than the top ranks of the PGA. [Saunders has played on the PGA Tour since 2015 season but returned to the Web.com Finals as a way to secure his tour status for 2017-18.]

“When I first turned pro I was unemployed,” he explains. “I was just the guy trying to make it somewhere, and that’s the case for everyone. Once I got on the Web.com Tour and started figuring out the life of a pro golfer, it was fun. You travel together, you go to dinner with the same guys, you have a good time. It’s a lot of guys hanging out, pulling for each other. It’s a lot more of a fraternity atmosphere than the PGA Tour is.”

That atmosphere also allowed for more family time, he says, an especially good thing in Saunders’ case as his early days in golf coincided with the birth of his son Ace. “You’re not playing for a million dollars every week, you’re not going out to fancy dinners, you’re not being entertained all the time—you’ve got to entertain yourself.”

With his wife, Kelly, and sons Cohen and Ace, “we were trying to be together as a family,” he says. “Ace was a newborn and Cohen was five and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m not going to play on the Web.com Tour and not see my kids, especially with a newborn baby over the first year of his life.’ So we got a small RV, one of those Sprinter vans, and the thought was we’ll travel in this together and drive tournament to tournament and sleep along the way.

“So we’re driving out of Denver, Colorado, and Cohen was in the back lying flat on a couch watching a movie, and that was the concept, that we could lie down and relax while we’re driving, and it was a fairly bumpy road and the suspension in this thing was working hard and we hit this big bump and I looked back in the mirror and saw Cohen fly about four feet in the air, and Kelly and I looked at each other and we were like, ‘Oh no! What have we done?’ We drove that thing all across the country, sleeping in Wal-Mart parking lots, dealing with 60mph crosswinds with the kids sick in the back… It’s stuff you laugh at now.”

Six months after buying it they sold the RV—“We couldn’t take it any more”—and never looked back, though Saunders says it made for some of their best family memories. Today, in contrast to the Web.com Tour days, life on the PGA Tour can be tough, he admits.

“There’s a lot of alone time on the PGA Tour where you go to the course and do your work and then you go back to the hotel. Everybody hits the gym at some point, but you can only do that for so long and the rest of it comes down to sitting in a hotel room alone and what are you going to do with that time? I’ve learned to relax a little bit and not feel guilty about it because I often feel like I should be

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doing something all the time, and you can hit the range or something else but it’s easy to get worn-out out there on the road. And I do hang out with some of the caddies and some of the other players, and it’s nice to grab a beer with a guy after a round and watch a game, football, or just talk about life and golf and what we’re doing. I wish there was more of that and I wish more tour players hung out with each other.”

Part of the issue, Saunders observes, is that today’s players at the top ranks rarely travel alone. Swing coaches, sports psychologists, personal trainers, agents, managers, representatives and the others that can comprise the modern athlete’s retinue all insulate their guy, to some degree.

“A lot of these guys travel with teams now, so they don’t really socialize,” he confirms. “There’s no camaraderie with other players as much because everybody has a larger group of people around them as an individual. But you’ve got to do what’s best for you.”

Along with the modern culture of traveling with trainers and teams is the culture of metrics and computer analysis, and on this topic it’s worth an Arnold Palmer mention because the two share an opinion.

“Every player has his own way of doing things, and I am old school—maybe to a fault. If I had racked up 20 wins at this point I could speak to my system being the best and say that everybody should be a ‘feel’ player and not use computers and all that stuff, but obviously there’s a place for it. Bryson DeChambeau has proven he can be successful by scientifically playing the game of golf. It’s not my cup of tea but I understand why it works for him and I respect that it works for him. I grew up playing the game with my dad [Roy Saunders, a gentleman and great golfer in his own right].

We’d be hitting shots and seeing shots, I’d look at the balls with my eyes—not with a computer. That’s the way it was.

A guy’s got to figure out what works for him and stick with it, and at the end of the day good golf is good golf and the guy who’s hitting the best shots and playing well, whether he does that through feel or through science, it doesn’t matter.

Getting it in the hole is all that matters.”

Saunders is doing that quicker these days, in fewer strokes, and if last season is anything to go by then his on-course career is set for continued success. Saunders was also named to this year’s Player Advisory Council, the group that consults with the tour’s policy board on various issues.

“The PGA Tour takes really good care of us and they take great care of our families,” he says. “A lot of people don’t realize we have PGA Tour daycare! I’ve got health insurance, I’ve got a retirement plan, and those are real life things, and it’s wonderful that the PGA Tour provides us with that opportunity.”

Beyond the tour itself, Saunders is also thankful for his sponsors and partners, which include St. John’s Insurance and Rust-Oleum. “St. John’s has had a long relationship with my family, obviously with my grandfather, and I’m so grateful for their support of me as a player. But more importantly I’m so grateful for their support of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation through Birdies for Babies, donating money for each birdie or eagle and hole-in-one that I make. That, to me, is more valuable than anything they can do for me personally, and the fact that they want to support not just me as a player but my family and the legacy of my grandfather, that they give back so much like they do, that’s the dream scenario for sponsorship. I’ve been so fortunate through the years to have nothing but great sponsors, not just because they sponsor me, but because they are good people and they do good things.”

Likewise, Frank Sullivan, president of RPM, the holding company for Rust-Oleum, “has been a good friend and an incredible partner for me for a long time now. So much more than just a sponsorship, they genuinely care. They’re great.”

Great sponsors, a great family, and the great opportunities that await each week… Saunders is grateful for it all, even if the long nights alone in hotel rooms aren’t easy.

“It’s hard for me on the road, I get very bored sometimes. And I hate the way that sounds because I’m so grateful to play on the PGA Tour and I love doing what I do, but I do get bored. I just want to compete. I want Thursday through Sunday to happen. Really, my tee time can’t come quick enough.”

I grew up playing the game with my dad; we’d look at shots with our eyes, not with a computer

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Competitiveness and powerful shots run in the family—as does good character

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FEATURE Amateur Spirit

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THE AMATEUR CREED With amateur golf being boosted by the inauguration of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2019, Robin Barwick reflects on the amateur spirit of Bobby Jones and the Victorian heyday of amateurism

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Robert Permedus Jones, born 1879, could have played major league baseball. With his big hands, sturdy build, sharp eye and smooth swing he shone playing first base for the Mercer University Bears in Macon, Georgia for three years, before transferring his star quality up-state to the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens for his senior year.

But his father, Robert Tyre Jones, a prominent businessman in Canton, 40 miles north of Atlanta, never watched a game. In his book, ‘The Masters—Golf, Money and Power in Augusta’, Curt Sampson writes that when a friend told R.T. Jones of his son’s potential he retorted: “You could not pay him a poorer compliment”.

Before they were called the Dodgers and decades before L.A. beckoned, the big-time National League outfit from Brooklyn was called the Superbas, and the story goes that R.P. Jones had signed on the dotted line for the Superbas before his domineering father threatened to disown him. R.P. conceded, passed his bar exams and established a successful law firm in Atlanta.

R.T. Jones was not mean but he was 19th century old school and life had not always been kind. As a young man he had to cope when his own father, a prosperous farmer in Covington, was murdered—shot on his way to buy a field with $300 in his pocket.

These were Victorian times, when sports were for fun on sunny afternoons, not for careers. This was when golf professionals were not allowed into the members’ bar and in these fledgling days of pro baseball the prospect of R.P. getting on the train to New York must have seemed to R.T. like running away with the circus.

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The path R.T. knew to prosperity did not involve sports. He was a staunch Presbyterian who believed that success in business depended on glorifying the Lord as much as it did on making a profit. He wouldn’t even drink Coca-Cola, so R.P. must have enjoyed the sweet taste of irony years later when Coke later became his firm’s client.

Robert Tyre Jones II—Bobby—was born in 1902, full to the brim with his father’s natural athleticism but also with his grandfather’s pragmatism. Bobby would become the greatest golfer of his generation, with his peerless playing career culminating in 1930 when he became the only golfer ever (to this day) to win the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in the same year. And with that staggering accomplishment he promptly retired at the age of 28.

In microcosm, this is how good Jones was: in the summer of 1927 he played a series of friendly matches against Tommy Armour, the “Silver Scot” and reigning U.S. Open champion—and ultimately a three-time major champ—yet the famously combatant Armour was so far from matching his opponent that Jones secretly started giving him shots, one-a-side. Jones was so hard to beat that throughout his career, against amateurs and professionals, no golfer ever defeated him in match play twice.

Jones was so good that even his grandfather softened.

A message from R.T. to a young Bobby read: “If you must play on Sunday, play well.”

Creed of the Amateur

Richard S. Tufts was president of the USGA and captain of the U.S. Walker Cup team. His grandfather, James Walker Tufts, established the Pinehurst Resort and R.S. ran the resort until the family sold its stock.

Dedicated to the amateur game, Tufts tasked himself with putting into words his interpretation of the amateur spirit, and his Creed of the Amateur has been immortalized on a bronze plaque by the first tee of Pinehurst No. 2.

“Amateurism, after all, must be the backbone of all sport, golf or otherwise. In my mind an amateur is one who competes in a sport for the joy of playing, for the companionship it affords, for health-giving exercise and for relaxation from more serious matters. As part of his light-hearted approach to the game, he accepts cheerfully all adverse breaks, is considerate of his opponent, plays the game fairly and squarely in accordance with its rules, maintains self-control and strives to do his best, not in order to win, but rather as a test of his own skill and ability. These are his only interests, and, in them, material considerations have no part. The returns which amateur sport will bring to those who play it in this spirit are greater than those any money can possibly buy.”

A message from R.T. to a young Bobby read: “If you must play on Sunday, play well.”

Jones’ pragmatism came in the fact that he never turned professional and after an exceptional academic career, followed his father into a career in law.

Historian Stephen R. Lowe writes in Georgia Historical Quarterly: “[Bobby Jones’] commitment to family, education, duty to country, personal modesty and of course amateurism and sportsmanship are all indicative of the traditional values of his grandfather’s generation. On the other hand, his willingness to violate Prohibition, his heavy smoking, and his decision to organize so much of his life around a sport, even if as an amateur, are manifestations of the modern values of his father’s generation.”

Jones himself would write: “My wife and children come first, then my [legal] profession. Finally, and never in a life by itself, comes golf”.

“Jones never entertained thoughts of playing golf

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Newly retired Bobby Jones turns his talents to film-making with Warner Brothers

[Left] Bobby Jones’ father R.P., Bobby’s wife Mary and Bobby Jones on their return from the UK in 1930 [Below] Clifford Roberts and Jones at the Masters in 1954

professionally,” wrote Charles Price in his book ‘A Golf Story’. “He had vast other ambitions... He held a degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, a degree in English from Harvard and had quit law school after his second year at Emory University because, just to see how difficult they would be, he had taken the bar examinations, passed them, and so went directly into practice.”

Jones has been described as the “complete amateur” and “unsullied” by professionalism. Ben Hogan, the greatest player of the era immediately following the Second World War and the Masters champion of 1951 and 1953, once said: “Jones was a winner but anyone can be a winner. It was the way he won that made him strand out above all others.”

Jones’ sense of sportsmanship and courtesy was unerring, yet his resistance to professionalism on the golf course paid healthy dividends off it. Within a year of his retirement from competition in 1930 he had produced two series’ of instructional films for Warner Brothers in Hollywood that paid a fortune to the tune of $240,000.

He also enjoyed a lucrative equipment deal with Spalding Brothers and among other interests, opened Augusta National Golf Club with friend and business associate Clifford Roberts, and established the Masters in 1934.

Walter Hagen, 10 years Jones’ senior, is said to have

“When papers make me out such a glowing example of moral discipline I don’t know what to make of it” been the first pro golfer to earn $1 million, yet he never signed a contract to compare to Jones’ Warner deal.

Jones was genuinely devoted to the amateur game but the PGA Tour did not yet exist and the career prospects as a pro had few of today’s enticements. Tour pros in the 1920s and ‘30s had to strike a balance with the stability of club jobs.

Jones is often described as a paragon of amateur virtue—and he was probably very close to matching the stipulations of the Creed of the Amateur, that was later written by USGA president Richard S. Tufts (see excerpt)—but this was glorification ascribed by an adoring media and public and anathema to Jones’ unfailing modesty. Jones had keen commercial acumen, and as he said in a 1927 interview: “Of course it’s nice to have people say nice things about you, but honestly, when New York papers make me out such a glowing example of moral discipline I don’t know what to make of it.”

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Old Course No.10, Bobby Jones, Par 4, 340 yards

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or more than six centuries it has safeguarded and

clubs and the sharp assault of today’s flashing blades of

cherished the game of golf.

steel and titanium.

Its hallowed turf has felt the tread of every great

It has evolved and developed like the shifting sands on which it stands, remaining as revered and celebrated today as when it gave the world the game.

champion; it has flinched as millions of golfers

through the years have hammered and hacked, swatted and swiped at balls of wood, leather, gutter percha and balata; it has felt the caress of carefully crafted hickory

Always inspirational, truly original and hugely rewarding, St Andrews Links is the Home of Golf.

standrews.com

Corinthian Spirit

The Corinthian Football Club was established by Nicholas Lane ‘Pa’ Jackson in London in 1882 as a bastion of the amateur spirit to counter the rise of professional soccer. The name ‘Corinthian’ derives from the Greek city Corinth, but became synonymous with sportsmen playing for the sake of enjoyment, and so was adopted by a club that insisted sports should be played for enjoyment and personal betterment but not for profit.

Wrote Jackson: “He is one who has not merely developed his endurance by the exercise of some great sport, but has learnt to control his anger, to be considerate to his fellow men, to take no mean advantage, to resent as dishonour the suspicion of trickery, to bear a cheerful countenance under disappointment, and never to own himself defeated until the last breath is out of his body.”

Penalties were introduced to “football” in 1891 but Corinthian C.B. Fry objected, writing (in strongest Victorian terms): “[It is] a standing insult to sportsmen to play under a rule which assumes that players intend toe tip, hack and push opponents and behave like cads of the first kidney”.

While pragmatism dictated Corinthians adhere to universal rules, during a tour of South Africa in 1903, when the Corinthians team believed a penalty had been awarded against them unfairly, rather than try to save the spot-kick, the Corinthian goalkeeper stood to one side to allow an open goal.

Years later, when the Corinthians were awarded an undeserved penalty, the captain stepped up and gently passed the ball to the opposition goalkeeper.

The Corinthian spirit thrives in London to this day in the form of the Corinthian-Casuals amateur side, after Corinthians merged with the like-minded Casuals in 1939.

The Corinthian team of 1896–97

Bill Campbell, 1964 U.S. Amateur champion

Last of a kind

Probably the last great career amateur golfer in America was Bill Campbell, who won the U.S. Amateur title in 1964 and went on to become president of the USGA. Former USGA executive director Frank Hannigan used to recall a conversation that illustrated the widely held respect for Campbell: “I was talking with Jack Nicklaus about the USGA’s amateur status rules, including a prohibition against accepting free balls or clubs from equipment manufacturers. Nicklaus, who had turned professional by this time, was telling me the rule should be changed. He asserted that the prohibition was unenforceable. ‘Name one top amateur who doesn’t take anything from the manufacturers,’ Nicklaus said. ‘Bill Campbell,’ I replied.

Nicklaus paused for a moment. ‘Okay, you can have Campbell. Name another one.’”

Campbell died at the age of 90 in 2013, but gave what might have been his last interview to Kingdom magazine weeks before he died.

“You don’t find lifetime amateurs anymore,” said Campbell. “Why? Well, it’s easy to understand when you consider the increase in prize money and the corollary money that come with being a touring pro.”

The UK has its equivalent to Campbell in Sir Michael Bonallack, who was British Amateur champion five times and the only golfer to win the title three times in a row, from 1968 to 1970. Bonallack would go on to become secretary of the R&A from 1983 to 1999, which effectively meant he ran The [British] Open among a multitude of other responsibilities.

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The biography of Sir Michael Bonallack, obe

DONALD STEEL

The biography of Sir Michael Bonallack, obe

His playing and working life seldom strayed far from St Andrews, the university of which his father was a medical graduate, and where Donald was the first to tee off in the 1970 Open. Par Excellence is his third literary contribution for the R&A. He was co-author with Peter Lewis on the third volume of the R&A’s history, Traditions and Change (2004), and he wrote the text for The Open, Golf’s Oldest Major, to mark its 150th anniversary in 2010.

He has been a member of the R&A since 1962.

PAR EXCELLENCE

PAR EXCELLENCE

Donald Steel watched practically every stroke of Michael’s ten English and Amateur Championship victories before reporting them in detail for the Sunday Telegraph. Michael was the hot news. Donald and Michael were contemporaries in a business and a playing sense; their paths also crossing in the 1980s and 1990s when Donald was commissioned by the Links Trust to carry out major work, including the provision of the Master Plan, for most of the new and revised facilities so familiar at St Andrews today.

DONALD STEEL

For Campbell and Bonallack—both dynamic, welleducated, natural high achievers—the prospect of playing amateur golf and joining their respective family businesses was a lot more appealing than the grind of professional golf.

“In those days there was very little money in the professional game,” starts Bonallack, now 84 and enjoying retirement near St. Andrews. “If you turned pro the PGA [in the UK] would not let you take any prize money for two years. I would have had to have spent two years with a lot of expenses going out but nothing coming in. There was no European Tour at that time so all the pros were club pros and all tournaments had to finish on a Friday—even The Open—so the pros could go back to their clubs to look after their members over the weekend. It is very different now.

“As an amateur you can have a bad round and get away with it but as a pro you have to play very consistently to make money. You can’t afford to have a bad round.

Then there is the intensity of competing week after week after week.

“So the amateur game was very attractive. You could make lots of friends and the tournaments were nearly always at weekends. In the professional game you also have to do a tremendous amount of travelling and that didn’t appeal to me.”

With the irrepressible rise of professionalism in sports—which has seen the evolution of a tremendously

Par Excellence is a tale like no other. As the book waited to go to print, golf’s unique couple, Michael and Angela Bonallack, celebrated sixty happy years of marriage.

Their bond is a continuation of the proud Bonallack dynasty that goes back centuries.

Golf may have been the matchmaker, and inevitably a central theme in their lives, but the family always came first.

Nobody could argue with the assertion that they are the best husband and wife combination in the history of golf. How Angela maintained her game in peak form for eight years, while raising a family at the same time, is another appealing conundrum, which coincided with Michael’s road to unparalleled playing glory. Graduation to a leading administrative role as Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which led to a knighthood and then election to Captain of the R&A, merely adds to the sense of romance. Not that it ended there; Michael and Angela’s subsequent supposed retirement has been more action-packed than most careers.

Jacket design: Catherine Hollingworth

Jacket photographs courtesy of: Getty Images (front); Golf Illustrated/Golf World (back) Printed and bound in Scotland by: McAllister Litho Glasgow Ltd.

Michael Bonallack sizes a recovery from the rough in 1971

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Foreword by Jack Nicklaus

the royal and ancient golf club of st andrews ISBN 978-0-9926240-8-8

Par Excellence

The Biography of Sir Michael Bonallack, OBE, by Donald Steel and with foreword by Jack Nicklaus, was published by the R&A in 2018.

With the irrepressible rise of professionalism in sports the amateur spirit has fallen back into the shadows entertaining and diverse, global industry—the amateur spirit has inevitably fallen back into the shadows. And as the careers of the amateur greats like Jones, Campbell and Bonallack illustrate, it is much easier to embrace amateurism when you know you have other means by which you can provide for your family.

It is refreshing when an institution like Augusta National celebrates amateur achievement, in inviting amateur champions to compete in the Masters and this year with the inauguration of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship. Announced by new club chairman Fred Ridley at the 2018 Masters, the tournament will be co-hosted with local club Champions’ Retreat, with the final round held at Augusta National on the Saturday before the Masters, April 6. It is a bold move and one that Jones would have applauded.

“Focusing on amateur golf is consistent with our history, with our co-founder, Bobby Jones,” said Ridley, who played in the Masters three times as an amateur. “It goes back to the inception of Augusta National… it’s a consistent part of our culture that we give back to the game.”

As Tufts wrote in his Creed of the Amateur: “Amateurism, after all, must be the backbone of all sport, golf or otherwise.”

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THE CLOVER Make room on the top shelf: The Clover whiskey has arrived, and with a little luck you might soon savor it at your local club

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obby Jones’ name endures as a touchstone for character and integrity. Now, as part of a broader Jones family effort to sustain Bobby’s legacy, they have created The Clover, a collection of single-barrel whiskeys that Jones himself undoubtedly would have enjoyed.

“We have been working on the collection for a number of years,” says Bob Jones IV. “We wanted to create something that would help fulfill on the family’s mission to share our grandfather’s legacy with those that share his passion for the game and great whiskey.”

As part of that mission, The Clover succeeds. A sublime collection of single-barrel whiskeys, they are offered in limited allocations. The first release includes a four-year aged, straight bourbon whiskey and a 10-year aged, straight Tennessee bourbon. The 10-year being from Tennessee, it enjoys the Lincoln County Process, which has the whiskey steeped in maple sugar-infused charcoal chips before entering the cask. The mellowness this produces is evident. Both whiskeys offer notes of citrus, light oak and spiced vanilla, while the 10-year adds depth and introduces a hint of toasted oak and char as well. The Clover collection is being exclusively offered to golf clubs and resorts, so you won’t find it on store shelves.

The Clover name comes from a four-leaf clover medallion Jones’ mother gave him and which he carried for good fortune during every round he played.

“He was born on St. Patrick’s Day,” Bob IV explains.

“And we liked the idea that the four-leaf clover represents faith, hope, love and luck, all helpful in golf, in life—and in the making of good whiskey!”

The whiskey is just one part of the Jones’ family commitment to sustaining the Jones legacy, and so a portion of proceeds from its sale go to the Chiari & Syringomyelia Foundation, established to support medical research on those two diseases. Beyond that, partnering the Jones name with a quality, handcrafted spirit is another way of exhibiting a commitment to the values Jones exhibited.

“The family believes the golf community embodies the values and characteristics of Robert Jones, the integrity, respect, sportsmanship... He was a great player but he was also a great person—and he loved a good smoke and three fingers of whiskey.”

To learn more or to refer your club or resort to join The Clover allocation list, please visit TheCloverWhiskey. com. An enhancement to your top shelf, this one’s special.

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LEGACY Desert

The 7th hole at Tradition Photo: Joann Dost

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Mr. Palmer at Tradition

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It was the setting for one of his biggest collection of wins, the site of interactions with celebrities and U.S. Presidents. It holds a restaurant named for him, some of his best golf course designs, and even a place he called home. Arnold Palmer won in the desert, he worked in the desert, he lived in the desert, and he played in the desert. A world away from his homes in Pennsylvania and Florida, Palmer made his mark in the sand, but it might as well have been in stone

n 1973, on the fifth day of the Bob Hope Desert Classic, Arnold Palmer stood in the rain eight feet from the hole on the 18th green at Bermuda Dunes, staring down a chance at birdie and victory. Playing without his rain suit, which he’d ditched earlier in the day, Palmer made the shot for a closing round 69, hurled his visor over the crowd and celebrated what turned out to be his 62nd and last win on the PGA Tour’s regular season (see sidebar: “Palmer’s 62nd”). It was a fitting setting—and a fitting audience.

Over its history, “The Hope” was known primarily for the celebrities who attended to play or to watch, and 1973 wasn’t short of those: executives Oscar Mayer and Harold Florsheim; singers Frank Sinatra and Glen Campbell; athletes Al Kaline and John Hadl; Bob Hope himself, of course, and numerous others were on hand to see history made in the rain. Vice President Spiro Agnew—a former pro-am partner of Palmer’s at the event—was meant to be there but had to be away to deal with the cease-fire in Vietnam. “I think my not playing is part of the cease-fire,” the Vice President said, according to a PGATOUR.com article by Jim McCabe, while Hope joked that Agnew’s absence helped Palmer’s great play.

But then Palmer had always played well here—when he was able. In his rookie year of 1955, Palmer hitched the trailer to his car and drove to the desert with Winnie, with whom he’d eloped just days before the Christmas of

1954. He wasn’t eligible to play what was then called the Thunderbird Invitational but he wanted to see what it was all about. The following year he was in the tournament, and in 1959, one year after winning the first of his four Masters titles, he took his first victory under the desert sun, with a thrilling final round 62, tying the course record.

Palm Springs Life magazine reported that the Thunderbird Country Club, host to the Invitational and to the 1955 Ryder Cup, saw nearly 5,000 people show up to see Palmer play that year—2,000 more than had showed to watch the Ryder competition.

The following year the tournament changed its name to the Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic and Palmer won the inaugural version of that, then took it again in 1962. Three desert victories under his belt, Palmer kept going after his friend Bob Hope took over as host in 1965. Victories in 1968 and ’71, and his final win in ’73, brought his Desert Classic total to five and his desert victory total to six. No one else has equaled five victories here, and Palmer won no other event as many times.

An ambassador for the tournament as much as he was a competitor in it, Palmer played in 42 Desert Classics over 43 years, missing it only in 1997 when he underwent surgery for prostate cancer. In 2001, the second-to-last year in which he appeared in the tournament, Palmer became the first pro in 22 years to shoot his age, making a 1-under 71 on the course he designed at PGA West.

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Palmer’s 62nd Win

In any other year it would have been madness to bet against Arnold Palmer, but in 1973 anyone looking for a mid-winter wager could have been forgiven for hesitating to put his money on the champ from Pennsylvania. Going into the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic, Palmer had 61 PGA Tour victories behind him. But he was 43 years old, he hadn’t won since July of 1971 (the Westchester Classic) and it seemed that his putting had gotten away from him. Woes on the greens largely were blamed for the fact that 1972 had been Palmer’s first tour year without a professional victory, bringing to a close his streak of 17 consecutive seasons with a win (currently Jack Nicklaus is tied with Palmer for the most; Billy Casper is second with 16, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods are third with 14).

The opening round of “The Hope” wouldn’t have inspired much confidence: Palmer shot 71 to Jack Nicklaus’ 64 and looked set for another frustrating performance. But Arnie regrouped for a second-round 66 and then made 69 in the third, leaving him at 206 and just one shot behind co-leaders Nicklaus and Alan Miller, the former University of Georgia standout then starting his third year on tour and looking for a first pro win.

The fourth round (of a then-five-round tournament) brought more drama with Palmer making 68 to stay one back of Nicklaus, while fireworks came from another Miller—Johnny—who carded 63 to tie Nicklaus for the lead at 273. Miller would go on to win that year’s U.S. Open in June at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh, not far from Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe.

The stage was set already for a landmark finish but the weather decided to up the ante, dumping heavy rain on the desert on the morning of the fifth round. Rather than dampening spirits the storm seemed to produce vintage form from Palmer, who opened with a birdie. Nicklaus three-putted the sixth, Palmer jumped in front and by No.9 Arnie led by two strokes. At 16 he made a nine-footer to save par while Nicklaus missed his three-footer for birdie, and it seemed the end was in sight. But Jack hit the 18th in two to set up an eagle try and so it went down to the final moments. Having ditched his rain suit, Palmer stood in tinted glasses, his broad collar extending over the neck of his sweater, and watched as Nicklaus fired his putt past the cup. Jack’s valiant attempt done, it was seven feet to victory for Arnie and he made it in fine style, nailing his birdie in the rain and then heaving his visor into the air over an adoring, cheering crowd. His closing 69 was “one of my best finishing rounds,” he would go on to tell the media.

Though no one knew it at the time, it would also be his last win on TOUR. Following his 50th birthday, Palmer won 10 PGA TOUR Champions events and his career off-course went on to define the game of golf and so much more, but on a rainy day in the desert in 1973, an era came to a close.

COURSES

That the moment came on a course Palmer designed might not be so surprising when one considers how many great desert area courses bear his name. The course on which he shot a 71 in 2001, The Palmer Course at PGA West, has a stunning array of five finishing holes carved among the rugged Santa Rosa Mountains, which played a starring role in David Duval’s 1999 victory in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. After getting out of the bunker and making a 10-foot birdie putt on No.14, Duval went birdie, birdie, par before facing an 8-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 18th. He made it—and set the course record, at the time becoming only the third player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59 (as of press time, nine have done it, including Jim Furyk, who’s also shot a 58). Another great area design by Palmer is at Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta, where Palmer also had a home.

Known for its pristine course condition and stunningly colorful landscaping (Palmer insisted, as Winnie loved floral displays), golfcoursegurus.com said that the course here “reminds you why you fell in love with golf in the first place.”

Bighorn sheep on the back nine are a plus for nature-lovers, and the breathtaking view from the elevated tee at No.17 will give anyone pleasant pause. Classic Club is another gem, 18 holes designed around a 63,000 Tuscan-inspired clubhouse, and host to the Bob Hope Classic from 2006–08. A proper oasis in the desert, it features 30 acres of water features and 14 bridges, making for a worthwhile escape for sand-weary visitors. There’s Indian Ridge, Mission Hills, Mountain View, SilverRock Resort (host to the Bob Hope Classic since 2008)… The list goes on. Ironwood Country Club, in Palm Desert, is another place where Palmer stamped his name on the desert, though this time as a consultant rather than course designer. The afternoon before they teed it up against each other in the 1973 Bob Hope, Palmer and Nicklaus drove two golf balls into Deep Canyon as part of ground-breaking ceremonies for the club, which opened the following year.

Photo: Evan Schiller | golfshots.com

The 9th hole at PGA West

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Desert Classic Today

President Eisenhower, Palmer and Nicklaus

DESERT LIFE

Beyond business and golf, Palmer also found time to relax and to enjoy the company of friends in the desert. Among other celebrities, this included visiting President Dwight D. Eisenhower at his Palm Springs home. President Eisenhower was a desert fixture, frequently seen at The Hope and forever remembered in Eisenhower Health (formerly the Eisenhower Medical Center). Today, in front of the center, Arnold Palmer has a “Golden Palm Star” on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars.”

Closer to his home at Tradition, since 2004 Palmer’s name has adorned Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant, a friendly upscale eatery in La Quinta that offers some of Arnie’s favorites (such as Arnie’s Homemade Meatloaf) and a top-notch wine list, impressively manifested in The Wine Room, available for special events and showcasing more than 2,000 bottles of the good stuff. There’s also a substantive collection of one-ofa-kind Palmer memorabilia and photos on display, most of it in the incredible Palmer Room, making the restaurant a perfect stop for fans in the area.

There’s more: The Nest restaurant in Indian Wells, which Palmer liked; a Palmer statue at Tradition, one of only three of the type (the other two are on display at Wake Forest and at Bay Hill Club & Lodge); “Arnold Palmer Day,” which La Quinta started celebrating in 2014, and plenty more. For the man who left an impression anywhere he visited, the desert provided ample opportunity for impact— and he left it better than he found it.

“I just like it,” Palmer had said of the Greater Palm Springs area. “I came here in 1955 and I never left.”

Thanks to a legacy of fantastic area achievements, he never will.

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Arguably possessing the most star-studded, dynamic history on the PGA Tour, the Desert Classic has returned to form in recent years, putting fans next to VIP entertainers and athletes, and putting pro-am participants alongside top pros like Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and tournament ambassador Phil Mickelson. Following a few changes, the Palm Springs-area event is on a vibrant upswing thanks to Lagardère Sports, which has run the tournament for the past two years. Their strategy is simple: bring back the fun.

“We brought back the ‘Desert Classic’ name,” says event Executive Director Jeff Sanders. “We’re bringing back entertainment, we’re bringing back music, we’re bringing back the idea that everyone should have a great time at an affordable price.” It’s working. Nightly concerts from top bands like Goo Goo Dolls, Sammy Hagar, Bad Co. and others, and access to exciting hospitality areas with large TVs and great food and beverage options—all included in the price of admission—plus the desert’s status as a great place to start each year doing business and entertaining clients, all have spurred the event’s recent threefold growth, with one paper referring to it as “Golfchella.”

Workday is the presenting partner, and Lagardère is looking for a suitable title sponsor, one that complements growth and the tournaments’ incredible distinctions. Consider that with a three-day pro-am, participants get to play with six different PGA TOUR pros—while those pros are competing to win. There’s nothing like it on TOUR. Somewhere, Bob Hope is smiling. desert-classic.com

LEGACY Palmer Cup

Phone a friend

It will be particularly poignant for the Palmer and Stephens families when the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup arrives at Arkansas’ beautiful Alotian Club

Photo: Evan Schiller | golfshots.com

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t was Friday, April 9, 2004 and Arnold Palmer was completing the second round of his 50th consecutive Masters. Aged 74 at the time, Palmer did not make the cut but that didn’t matter. This was his last ever competitive round in the Masters—the tournament that he cherished above all others and won four times—and his fellow Augusta National members wanted to offer him a fitting welcome off the 18th green.

“I had been out walking on the golf course and I was hot,” says Warren Stephens, a member at Augusta National since joining on the same day as Palmer, in the fall of 1999.

“Billy Payne is a friend of mine and he was chairman of the media committee at the time, and Billy grabbed me and said, ‘Warren, Warren, we don’t have enough members to greet Arnold coming off 18 after his last ever Masters round’. I said, ‘Billy, look at me, I’ve been out hiking around the golf course’. He said, ‘I don’t care, come on down here’.”

The persuasive Payne would become chairman of Augusta National, 2006-2017, but that is another story.

Continues Stephens: “So I went and stood at the back of all these members, by where the golfers used to go into the little scorer’s hut, when it was right behind the 18th green. There was nowhere else for me to go. Lo and behold Arnold came by and I took off my cap and shook his hand and I have a picture of that wonderful moment.”

It was a moment that united two generations at Augusta National. Stephens is the son of one of Palmer’s closest friends at the home of the Masters, the late Jackson T. Stephens, who was chairman from 1991 to 1998 and had been a member since 1962, the year that Palmer won the third of his four Masters titles.

So Warren Stephens has a few stories to tell.

“There was one Masters, when my dad was chairman, and Arnold had done something on the front side at the Masters that he had not done for a long time—I think he had birdied 7, 8 and 9. Arnold teed off on 10 and saw my dad to the left side of the 10th fairway and walked over to him, and they both laughed and my dad patted Arnold on the shoulder and off he went down the 10th fairway, with Arnie’s Army just following him like they always did. I said, ‘Dad, do you mind me asking what that little exchange was about?’ He’d asked, ‘Are you turning back the clock Arnie?’ And Arnold said, ‘I sure am. The club feels as light as a feather in my hands.’ That is when they both laughed. You know, Arnold never quit competing and he never quit believing that he could win. His personality was just that way.”

Alotian Club [main pic] and Warren Stephens [inset]

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Leadership qualities

Scott Limbaugh of Vanderbilt and Alabama’s Mic Potter will coach the United States team at Alotian, while the International side will be led

by Jan Dowling of Michigan and Canada and Mark Immelman of Columbus State and South Africa.

Limbaugh [pictured below, on the left] has lifted the Vanderbilt golf program to new heights in his seven seasons with the Commodores.

Limbaugh has mentored four Ping First-Team All-Americans, four Arnold Palmer Cup selections, a Walker Cup member and 13 total Ping All-America selections. Under Limbaugh, Vanderbilt has won 20 team tournaments—the most by a head coach in Vanderbilt golf history— and produced 16 individual tournament winners.

In 2017, he was awarded the program’s first Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award.

Potter is in his 14th season at Alabama and led the school to its first national championship in 2012. He received National Coach of the Year honors from the Women’s Golf Coaches Association in 2018.

Dowling, who was an assistant coach at the 2018 Arnold Palmer Cup, has spent the last four seasons reshaping the Wolverine program into a Big Ten and a national contender. Her Wolverines have made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championships in 2016 and 2017.

Immelman, the older brother of 2008 Masters champ Trevor, is in his 18th season at Columbus State. After 14 years heading up the men’s program, Immelman was promoted to director of golf in 2015 to oversee the men’s and women’s programs. He has rebuilt the CSU program to its traditional place among the Division II elite and was named 2009 NCAA Division II Dave Williams National Coach of the Year.

Arnold Palmer shares a joke with Jackson T. Stephens

So in September 2016, when Palmer phoned Stephens to ask for a favor—to host the 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup at the club Stephens built and owns, Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas—there could only be one answer.

Says Stephens: “I told him: ‘Mr. Palmer, for what you have done for golf and for your friendship with my dad, if you are asking then the answer is yes.’ And the call was only two weeks before he died, so I am particularly pleased I said yes. We are honored to have the Palmer Cup and preparations are going very well. We are excited.”

Stephens is CEO of the family business, Stephens Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas, a financial services company launched by his uncle, W.R. “Witt” Stephens in 1933. Witt’s brother was Warren’s father Jackson, who served as CEO himself for many years. With the outstanding success of the business and with the family’s strong golf heritage, Stephens found the perfect spot near Roland, 20 miles outside Little Rock, to invest in a labor of love.

The Tom Fazio-designed Alotian Club opened in 2004, with much of the design inspiration emanating from a particular club 700 miles east, near the Georgia-South Carolina border.

“I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time at Augusta with dad,” Stephens told Kingdom in a 2011 interview. “He once asked me, ‘Do you know what the secret is to Augusta? Every one of our members thinks they have a chance to par every hole out there. There’s not a hole they’re playing where they think there’s no way they can make par.’”

The highly-rated Alotian Club can been compared to Augusta National, only hillier (and Augusta is hardly flat).

“Our course is hillier than Augusta National but the two golf courses were built from the same philosophy with generous fairways, but if you want to attack certain pins then you need to position your tee shot in the right part of the fairways,” explains Stephens today. “The greens are ample and we don’t really have rough so the defence of the golf course is its greens. That is the same as Augusta. The views from our golf course are pretty spectacular at times.”

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The 7th hole on the The Old Course at Lahinch

The Arnold Palmer Cup It will be the 23rd Arnold Palmer Cup at Alotian Club, June 7-9, and the first chapter of the event on US soil to include collegiate women golfers, after women participated for the first time alongside the men last year at the Evian Resort near Geneva.

The Arnold Palmer Cup was inaugurated at Palmer’s beloved Bay Hill Club in Orlando in 1997, and Palmer said at the time: “I had long thought that an international competition such as this would enrich the lives of young men through the universal bond of the great game of golf.”

Not for the first time or the last, Palmer’s vision has been vindicated. Created in collaboration between The Golf Coaches Association of America and Palmer, the event has gone from strength to strength.

At the last count, seven Palmer Cup collegians have gone on to win major titles: Ben Curtis (2003 British Open), Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open), Graeme McDowell (2010 U.S. Open), Webb Simpson (2012 U.S. Open), Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open), Justin Thomas (2017 PGA Championship) and Francesco Molinari (2018 British Open). PGA Tour stars Rickie Fowler, Jon Rahm and Billy Horschel also have Palmer Cup pedigree.

As the Arnold Palmer Cup has grown in stature, the teams grew with GB&I expanding its parish to include all European college players in 2003. Another big step followed in 2018, when women college golfers were included for the first time and the European squad extended to a rest-of-the-world ‘International’ team.

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In 2020, the Arnold Palmer Cup will maintain its record for taking in only the most magnificent golf courses of the world when it returns to European turf and to Ireland’s Lahinch. Herbert Warren Wind, one of the most influential golf writers of the last century, described Lahinch as the St Andrews of Ireland, and indeed, Lahinch is blessed with some of the finest natural links terrain a golf course could hope for.

The club was founded in 1892 and Old Tom Morris laid out the original 18-hole Old Course. Alister Mackenzie redesigned the course in 1927 to bring it much closer to how the course plays today, before he headed to the United States to help create Augusta National among other great courses.

What goes around, comes around Not many years ago, Warren Stephens saw Palmer eating breakfast in the Trophy Room at Augusta National, early one morning during the Masters.

“Arnold’s forearms and hands were like vices, like Popeye,” recalls Stephens. “He grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘You know Warren, every time I think about this place I always think about your dad. I sure miss him.’ And I said, ‘Well, I miss him too and I also think about him more when I am here than at any other place’. It was very touching that he said that.”

The 2019 Arnold Palmer Cup is going to the right place.

The Arnold Palmer Cup is supported by the Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation. ArniesArmy.org

TRAVEL Philadelphia

The 1776ers The PGA Championship will head to Philadelphia in 2026 to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

We followed up to discover a golfing community that is as diverse as it is historic

I

ndependence Hall cuts an understated yet stately figure in Philadelphia’s “Old City”, just across Chestnut Street from where its retired Liberty Bell is set in grand repose, six blocks west from the Delaware River. Modern, sky-scraping America surrounds the Old City today, but back in the 18th century Independence Hall—or the Pennsylvania State House as it was then called—emanated regal grandeur, hope and authority from the heart of this City of Brotherly Love.

More than that, built between 1732 and ’51, at the time it was the most ambitious construction project ever undertaken across the 13 American colonies.

Of course it is what happened inside Independence Hall that was of towering significance, led by the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, to mark the birth of this country. A year before, in 1775, George Washington was there appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, in 1777 the design of the American flag was agreed and it is where the U.S. Constitution was drafted and signed in 1787. Not even Phillies legend Mike Schmidt could beat that for a grand slam.

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And so it made perfect sense last December when the PGA of America adjusted its forward schedule to bring the PGA Championship at nearby Aronimink Golf Club—slated for 2027 originally—ahead to 2026, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Nestled deep in the tranquil, wooded Montgomery County suburbs yet less than 20 miles west from the Old City, Aronimink is the ideal destination for such a milestone celebration and the club had preferred 2026 from the start.

Aronimink is among the truly great old golf courses of America’s northeast and a Donald Ross design, which also benefitted from a careful restoration by Gil Hanse.

Aronimink is a proven venue for golf ’s biggest championships. It was here in 1962 when Gary Player won the PGA Championship to complete his career Grand Slam (which was historic but still not a scratch on Ben Franklin & Co.) and most recently it staged the 2018 BMW Championship last September. This was the penultimate tournament of the PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs, when American Keegan Bradley picked up the theme to repel the British old guard—in this dramatization played by Justin

Photo: Visit Philadelphia

[Clockwise from top left] The Liberty Bell; Independence Hall; the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 [painting by John Trumbull]; Philadelphia and the Schuylkill River

Photo credit: Stonehouse Golf

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WHEN YOU PARTICIPATE IN PATRIOT GOLF DAY THIS IS WHO YOU ARE PLAYING FOR.

Meet Eliana Rao, Folds of Honor scholarship recipient and daughter of Army Sergeant Elijah Rao. SGT Rao was killed in action on December 5, 2009 by a roadside bomb while serving his country in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when Eliana was just one year old.

If SGT Rao hadn’t answered the call to serve, volunteered to lay down his life and leave everything he loved behind to defend a nation he believed in, we wouldn’t be granted the privilege to enjoy the life we live each and every day. In honor of his sacrifice and the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces, will you pick up your clubs and dedicate one day, one game, to say ‘Thank you’ to our nation’s heroes? Participate in Patriot Golf Day. Learn more and get involved at patriotgolfday.org

Rose—in a sudden-death playoff. It was the first win on the PGA Tour in six years for Bradley and as a major champ at the 2011 PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club, he will have run his highlighter through May 2026 on his calendar already.

“Aronimink has got an incredible history and we were thrilled to see it was on the schedule,” said Vermont native Bradley, 32, after his emotional return to the top step of the podium. “Everybody loved it. It’s a great golf course, good old-school course. I didn’t hear one negative thing about it [from players this week] and it was just a joy to play. The fans were great. It was a really, really fun week.”

“I love Merion and I don't even know her last name” — Lee Trevino

The 7th hole at Philadelphia Cricket Club

Three kings of Valley Forge

Aronimink may still have seven years until the PGA Championship rolls through its gates but it will become a major venue again much sooner, when the 2020 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship arrives at the Newton Square club.

“The PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA going there too, this is big news. It’s fantastic,” says Ed Harris, Chief Marketing Officer for the local Valley Forge Tourism department. “These will be great opportunities to showcase the beauty of Aronimink and these tournaments deliver a positive economic impact to the whole region.

Events like these attract visitors to stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, visit some of our historic attractions and hopefully play some golf at one of our 53 golf courses. We have lots of great golfing options.”

The three kings of golf in the Valley Forge area, covering Philadelphia’s western suburbs, are Aronimink, Merion and Philadelphia Cricket Club; all famous private clubs with long histories and majors heritage.

Merion Golf Club is less than eight miles from Aronimink, heading back towards Philly and past Villanova University, near the town of Ardmore. The East Course here was designed by Hugh Wilson and opened in 1912 and despite Wilson’s lack of design experience—he was an insurance broker by trade—he crafted what probably remains the world’s finest golf course of limited dimensions, as it occupies a 125-acre plot of what had been farmland.

The East Course has staged the U.S. Open five times. It was here where Bobby Jones completed the 1930 Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Amateur title and 41 years later, on winning the U.S Open, Lee Trevino uttered one of his countless great one-liners: “I love Merion and I don’t even know her last name.” England’s Rose, by the way, defied the weight of the region’s Revolutionary War history in 2013 and was the last golfer to lift the U.S. Open trophy at Merion.

From Merion to the Philadelphia Cricket Club is only another 10 miles, heading across the Schuylkill River and up to Chestnut Hill to the north of the city. This is the oldest country club in the United States, founded in 1854 by alumni from Penn State— some with English descent—and so cricket and tennis were the original members’ pursuits before

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the club’s first nine-hole golf course was built in 1895. Once the club had an 18-hole layout—opened in 1897—it came onto the radar of the USGA and subsequently became the 10th golf club to host the U.S. Open, in 1907 and again in 1910. In 2020 the Cricket Club will host a USGA tournament for the first time in 110 years when it stages the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

As for the tennis, Philadelphia Cricket Club boasts 30 outdoor courts, 21 of which are pristine grass, making it one of the finest tennis facilities in the country.

Completing an impressive majors record in these parts is Philadelphia Country Club, a 27-hole club in Gladwyne, just six miles north of Merion and not much further from Aronimink. Member-owned Philly CC dates back to 1890 and in 1939 Byron Nelson won his solitary U.S. Open title there.

It can be difficult for non-members and non-guests to get on the tee at these clubs but not impossible. Corporate groups can sometimes get lucky as long as they inquire far in advance but as with most of country club America, success is usually down to who you know.

About half of the 53 golf courses in Montgomery County are private and with limited visitor access, although Raven’s Claw Golf Club near Pottstown—25 miles north from Aronimink—is a fine public course with a fast-growing reputation thanks to hosting a tournament on the LPGA’s developmental Symetra Tour.

Raven’s Claw opened in 2005 and hosted the inaugural Valley Forge Invitational last May. Sweden’s Louise Ridderstrom set a new course record of 63 in the final round to win by four and pocket a first prize of $15,000, and in 2019 Ridderstrom is hoping to break through on the main LPGA Tour.

“The Valley Forge Invitational was a tremendous success, but wouldn’t have been possible without the strong

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Photo: USGA/John Mummert

Merion GC

Philly and Valley Forge will be decked out in red, white and blue come the summer of 2026 support and guidance from the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board,” says Mike Nichols, Chief Business Office for the LPGA Symetra Tour.

“Their involvement and leadership helped to create a solid sponsorship foundation and media presence. We are looking forward to many years of partnership as we prepare the next generation of LPGA stars.”

The second Valley Forge Invitational will unfold at Raven’s Claw from May 31 to June 2.

“The 2018 Valley Forge Invitational was great,” adds Harris. “It had a high-class international field and we are excited the tournament is returning this year. The event is very important for us and it is helping to build awareness globally for the breadth of quality golf we offer here. Some of our public courses are beginning to get a lot of attention.”

One of the country clubs attracting many of the area’s 26,000 annual golfing visitors is Blue Bell CC with its 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature course, located just to the north of Philadelphia Cricket Club. Stretching over a beautiful, rolling tract of wooded parkland, Blue Bell has been boosted by improvements to the tune of $2.5 million over the past year.

Philly—Old City and New—Aronimink and Valley Forge will be decked out in red, white and blue come the summer of 2026, just like the city’s basketball team which is named after that seminal year. It is good to know there will plenty of high-quality golf to be enjoyed then, and in the meantime too.

PLAY & STAY

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COURSES

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DESTINATION DESTINATION

MINUTES FROM PHILADELPHIA

TRAVEL Australia

SANDBELT BY THE BAY The Melbourne Sandbelt, a couple blocks in from the bay in the south-easterly reaches of Australia, might be home to the finest cluster of golf courses anywhere in the world. Former U.S. Open champ Geoff Ogilvy certainly thinks so, as he tells Adam Schupak

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eoff Ogilvy likes to say he was destined to be a golfer. His childhood home in Victoria, southeast of Melbourne, was just a par 5 from the boundary fence that lines the West Course at Royal Melbourne Golf Links, the crown jewel of Australian golf and the host of the 2019 Presidents Cup in December.

Ogilvy spent his formative years as a golfer playing at Sandringham Golf Club, a municipal course that locals call “Sandy,” before becoming a caddie at Royal Melbourne not so much for the money he earned, but rather for the playing privileges it bestowed at Royal Melbourne’s East Course in the late afternoon. Both the East and West are ranked in the world’s top 100, a claim that no other facility outside the U.S. can make. Yet Ogilvy, the winner of the 2006 U.S. Open among his eight PGA Tour titles, says he never appreciated how good he had it until he began circling the globe in pursuit of fame and fortune.

“I took it for granted that I was surrounded by great golf because that’s all I knew,” says Ogilvy, 41. “Right in my own backyard is 600 acres of golf courses within two square miles of my house. It’s crazy. It’s like somebody said where is the perfect place in the world to build great golf courses and all these clubs found it accidentally.”

And find it they did. Blessed with a 200-square-mile area of sandy soil that makes for some of the best terrain for golf on earth, the courses of the Australian Sandbelt seemingly only needed to be found rather than designed.

And the best of the bunch—the so-called Seven Sisters— served as Ogilvy’s training ground. Four of them; Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Metropolitan and Victoria, are considered among the top 10 of Australia’s more than 1,500 courses, while the other three—Commonwealth, Yarra Yarra and Huntingdale—typically rank in the top 40.

There are places in this world where the length of the journey is quickly overshadowed by the reward

St. Kilda harbour, Melbourne

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of the destination. Melbourne, a cosmopolitan city that rests on the northern banks of the Yarra River and about three miles from Port Phillip Bay, qualifies as such. The weather here cooperates for year-round golf, with the warmest temperatures in the U.S. winter season, and makes this rare collection of world-renowned layouts in a single concentrated location a pilgrimage destination for any serious golf fan.

While none of them are technically near the sea, a prerequisite to be considered a links course, they fully utilize the outstanding natural features of the area; the strong prevailing winds, sandy and rolling terrain and the bracken grasses that border the fairways, and evoke feelings of the British seaside links. Ogilvy compares it to how the Australian accent is often considered a happy middle ground between English and American accents.

“The Sandbelt is that mid-point between links and parkland golf. It’s links-style shots on parkland-looking places,” Ogilvy says. “It’s really unique.”

MacKenzie’s footprints

The 10th hole at Kingston Heath [top]; Melbourne city center; the 16th on the East Course, Royal Melbourne [above]

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What so many of these courses share in common besides its sandy soil are the fingerprints of Alister MacKenzie, the celebrated Scottish golf architect, who later designed Augusta National in Georgia. In his one and only visit Down Under in 1926, MacKenzie planned, routed, redesigned or consulted with a dozen or more courses. Among the clubs that contracted with him is Kingston Heath, which was originally laid out by Sydney professional Dan Soutar and which, before Mackenzie arrived, had no bunkers.

Mackenzie is thought to have liked Soutar’s routing, but he did recommend converting the short par-4 15th into a splendid uphill par-3 and built what might be the best set of bunkers on any course in the world.

Locals claim that while Royal Melbourne may be the finest course in the world, Kingston Heath is the best course in Melbourne. To single out a hole for praise seems unfair to the others, but Aaron Baddeley, who won the Australian Open at “The Heath” in 2000, is quick to anoint the short, par-4 third—with seven jagged-edged bunkers surrounding a small sloping green—as an example of what makes the Sandbelt courses so beguiling.

“One day, it is a drivable par 4 with a simple pin and the next it is a 6-iron and a wedge,” says Baddeley, 37, the PGA Tour golfer whose Aussie Open win in 2000 was in defence of the title he first claimed in 1999 at Royal Sydney.

“Both are the correct play on that given day but completely different the next, and that’s what makes Kingston Heath so great. It tests every club in the bag.”

Kingston Heath is hemmed in by the district’s tea tree, which allows no shortcuts forward. It’s easy to be unnerved by the bunkers sprinkled throughout the course as well as

The many sides of Melbourne

Blessed not only with the Sandbelt, the heart of Australian sports beats in Melbourne while the creative, artistic spirit of the city extends to it being Australia’s culinary center.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground—or simply the “G” as it is often known—is the largest stadium in the southern hemisphere, seating more than 100,000 spectators for cricket, Aussie Rules football, rugby and more besides, while Melbourne Park stages the Australian Open tennis champs every January and Formula One’s opening race each March blasts through the city streets.

Wild street art decorates the city’s Hosier Lane while the Aussie answer to Miami Beach is at Melbourne’s bayside St Kilda, where the vibe of Rose Street’s Artists’ Market cannot be missed.

To book a trip to Melbourne for the 2019 Presidents Cup—and more—get in touch with Down Under Endeavours, the licensed travel operator for the Presidents Cup. Down Under Endeavours has the local knowledge to book a table in the best Melbourne restaurants and to tour the finest vineyards of the stunning Yarra Valley.

Melbourne has been voted the best city in which to live worldwide by the Economist Intelligence Unit for three out of the last four years. We can see why. downunderendeavours.com

International team assistant captains Geoff Ogilivy [left] and Ernie Els at the 2017 Presidents Cup. The 16th hole at Metropolitan GC [top].

Only a single road separates Victoria GC from Royal Melbourne and Sandringham the speed and the slope of the undulating greens. Baddeley remembers them turning a shade of purple when he won his country’s national open. Miss them and an infinite variety of shots must be mastered to recover.

It is the green complexes that make Metropolitan Golf Club worth a visit. MacKenzie gave the course its distinctive style with cavernous bunkers that are strategically placed and a challenge to exit, especially given that the putting surfaces are hand-mowed to their edges. The first six holes are exquisite, but the club lost a chunk of land that was claimed to build a school in the 1960s and new holes were designed on an adjacent parcel. Yet Metropolitan still is beloved and considered Melbourne’s benchmark course for conditioning.

“Greg Norman once told me Metro had the best fairways he’d ever played, and I couldn’t agree more,” Baddeley says.

Only a single road separates Victoria Golf Club from Royal Melbourne and Sandringham. When MacKenzie toured the Victoria layout he delivered this loving assessment: “Little more is required to make this a magnificent golf course.” It certainly has a distinguished pedigree. The club has a statue of favorite son, five-time [British] Open champ Peter Thomson, who was a lifetime member. It’s also where Baddeley made his professional debut at age 15 and the home club of Ogilvy, who has played it more than 1,000 times and can wax poetic about the range of possibilities at the 289-yard 15th hole, which he ranks as one of his favorite short par 4s in golf.

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Precision over power

Just down the road from the largest continuous belt of golfing land is Commonwealth GC, which has hosted virtually every important tournament in Australia. Baddeley calls it “a sleeper,” with more indigenous vegetation if you stray offline than the typical Sandbelt courses, while still putting the emphasis on planning and precision of the golf shot rather than mere strength.

Another course, Peninsula Kingswood, is experiencing a resurgence. The recent merging of two Melbourne clubs brought a significant renovation by OCCM Golf Course Design to the 36-hole layout.

“Over time it should be mentioned in the same breath as the traditional Sandbelt clubs,” says Ogilvy, who is the “O” in OCCM. Yarra Yarra, Woodlands and Huntingdale are each exceptional in their own right and shouldn’t be overlooked.

“They are probably the best courses in most cities in the world,” Ogilvy says. “Unfortunately they are next to four of the very best.”

And that brings us to Royal Melbourne, considered the finest course south of the equator. Forget Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson or Jason Day. The real star of the Presidents Cup is likely to be the course with an assist from Mother Nature.

Royal Melbourne is a rollicking ride loaded with wild green complexes. Off the tee, its wide fairways appear welcoming but they are deceptively difficult. Placement is everything at this triumph of design over distance.

“This is not a golf course where you just get up and just smash it and say, I’m going to be fine,” Norman says.

As the International team captain in the 2011 Presidents Cup, Norman’s eyes light up when he talks about Royal Melbourne, a course he’s played more than 200 times since 1977 and touts as his favorite in the world. As if he was conducting one of those Bounty paper towel demonstrations, Norman poured water on Royal Melbourne’s 18th green and none of it absorbed into the green.

“There’s probably nowhere else in the world where that would happen,” Norman says.

The East, the Sandbelt sister to the more famous West, boasts six holes that will be utilized in the Composite course during the Presidents Cup, which the Internationals won here in 1998 and lost in 2011. The East may suffer from less dramatic terrain than its sibling, but its bunkering, green complexes and shot values are equally compelling.

Ogilvy sums up the charm of Royal Melbourne’s West Course: “It’s everything I ever wanted in a course. Big interesting greens, great bunkering and it calls for a variety of shots. You just never know, it can be cuddly as a koala and jump on your back like a kangaroo the next minute.”

His advice for playing the famed layout is simple and could just as easily be meant for any of the Sandbelt courses.

“Enjoy one of the great walks in golf,” Ogilvy says.

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Presidents Cup past results 1994

1996 1998 2000 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

Robert Trent Jones GC, Va., USA U.S. 20, International 12 Robert Trent Jones GC, Va., USA U.S. 16 1/2, International 15 1/2 Royal Melbourne GC, Australia International 20 1/2, U.S. 11 1/2 Robert Trent Jones GC, Va., USA U.S. 21 1/2, International 10 1/2 The Links at Fancourt, South Africa U.S. 17, International 17 Robert Trent Jones GC, Va., USA U.S. 18 1/2, International 15 1/2 The Royal Montreal GC, Quebec, Canada U.S. 19 1/2, International 14 1/2 TPC Harding Park, Ca., USA U.S. 19 1/2, International 14 1/2 Royal Melbourne GC, Australia U.S. 19, International 15 Muirfield Village GC, Oh., USA USA U.S. 18 1/2, International 15 1/2 Jack Nicklaus GC, Incheon City, S. Korea U.S. 15 1/2, International 14 1/2 Liberty National Golf Club, N.J., USA U.S. 19, International 11

Huntingdale [top] and Commonwealth [above]

2019 PRESIDENTS CUP OFFICIAL TRAVEL PACKAGES December 9-15, 2019 The Royal Melbourne Golf Club Melbourne, Australia

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DOWN UNDER ENDEAVOURS

TRAVEL Virginia

New age in the Old Country The history of the colonized United States does not date back further than Virginia and its early 17th century origins, yet this state of mountain ranges and vast swathes of untouched woodland is also home to some of the finest golf in modern America [Main pic & right] The Estate at Kingsmill Resort; [top] the 16th hole of the River Course, Kingsmill

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Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg

Just south of Colonial Williamsburg on the Virginia Peninsula, settled above the banks of the tranquil James River before it reaches Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic, the Kingsmill Resort is a holiday hideaway of rare vintage. It was here in 1607 where the earliest British colonists set foot on American soil for the very first time.

“In fact, you could say that the 17th hole of the River Course is the most historic 177 yards of golf in America,” starts Elizabeth Grimes, Vice President of Marketing at the Kingsmill Resort. “It is truly where the first settlers in the area landed in 1607, right there at the 17th hole. That is where the first settlement grew before Jamestown was established. On our resort you can still see the remnants of those first homes that were built around 1607. So this is the birthplace of America in many ways.”

The Kingsmill Resort is a beautiful family destination, much defined by 54 holes of golf, including the River Course— which will stage the Pure Silk Championship on the LPGA Tour in May—the Arnold Palmer-design Plantation Course and the members-only Woods Course. A spa, marina and 15 tennis courts ensure all visitors can find their preferred spot, active or not so much. Try the lazy river pool, book in advance for riverfront dining and choose between hotel accommodation and beautifully appointed condos.

New in the fall at Kingsmill, after a $3 million renovation, is its ultimate in exclusive accommodation, the Estate, a fourbedroom rental property like no other.

“It is a custom experience for our guests because the Estate is completely private, with a great location overlooking the James River,” explains Grimes. “Guests have a private chef and an Estate manager to take care of all their needs, whether that is organizing shopping, tee times and spa treatments or arranging excursions around Williamsburg, wine tours and trips to Busch Gardens.

“The Estate manager phones guests prior to their arrival to find out what they want to do while they are here and what they will need so it can be pre-arranged as much as possible.

If guests would like enchiladas at 3am then that is what they will get! It is unlimited in that respect.”

And when we say the Estate has four bedrooms, that’s four master suites, each with stunning bathrooms and great attention to the small details throughout the property.

The Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs

Inland and hidden among the thickly forested peaks and valleys of the Allegheny Mountains, the Old Course at the Homestead resort is not only one of the oldest 18-hole golf courses in the United States, dating back to 1892, but in fact its famous first tee is thought to be the oldest first tee in continuous use in America. For a more contemporary and longer championship challenge, The Cascades is nearly 800 yards longer from the back tees, reaching 6,873 yards, and is regularly ranked among the finest public courses in the country.

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Boar’s Head Resort, Charlottesville

Right in the heart of Virginia and in the Blue Ridge Mountains, just west from Charlottesville, the Boar’s Head Resort [pictured above] is an idyllic 573-acre woodland property where the new world meets the old with striking effect. Owned by the University of Virginia Foundation, Boar’s Head features miles of nature trails, a racquet and fitness club with 26 tennis courts, beautifully-appointed spa and the resort’s excellent Birdwood Golf Course, complete with frequent changes of elevation and far-reaching views.

Creighton Farms, Middleburg

At Creighton Farms it is hard to imagine that you are just 40 miles west from the heart of Washington DC, such is the sense of tranquillity in this scenic Piedmont region of northern Virginia. The crowning jewel of this residential estate is its Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course that opened in 2007. The caliber of this championship course has been endorsed by its selection to host the Senior PGA National champs and the Virginia State Amateur in recent years.

Visitors should stay at nearby, spacious Salamander Resort and Spa in historic Middleburg, which embraces the unspoilt nature all around with an equestrian centre, indoor and outdoor pools and even a forest zip-line course.

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Colonial Williamsburg Resort, Williamsburg

For full submersion in America’s colonial origins, but without replicating the colonists’ authentic cabin accommodations, the Williamsburg Inn brings a generous dose of luxury and elegance to the Colonial Williamsburg Resort. Enjoy the grandeur of its Regency style guestrooms and contrast this with the finest contemporary dining in the Rockefeller Room.

The resort incorporates the exceptional Golden Horseshoe Golf Club, with 45 walkable woodland holes.

The Gold Course has serious pedigree as it was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. and renovated by his son Rees Jones in 2017. It is a timeless classic and shorter and a bit tighter than the Green Course, designed by Rees Jones and opened in 1991. The portfolio is completed by the beautiful par-31, nine-hole Spotswood Course, which was laid out by Trent Jones Sr. to update the original Williamsburg Inn nine holes from 1947.

Primland, Meadows of Dan

The Primland Resort in southern Virginia has been created with every effort to minimize the impact of this luxury resort on its natural surroundings. Guests can stay in the Lodge, in contemporary and beautifullyappointed Pinnacle and Fairway Cottages, or even in three of the most stunning Tree Houses you have ever seen, which genuinely need to be seen to be believed.

Swiss Family Robinson would be spellbound. The highest of the one-bedroom getaways, Barn Owl Tree House, sits at an elevation of 2,700 feet and offers panoramic views across Roaring Creek Gorge and Pilot Mountain North Carolina in the distance.

Primland’s Highland Course was designed by Donald Steel and takes golfers on a stunning journey through the resort’s remote woodlands. The serenity of the setting is guaranteed but the question is whether the golf can match it.

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YOU R BUCK E T LIS T J US T GOT A BIT SHORTER

F o x H a r b’r : A w a r d - w i n n i n g g o l f , u n r i v a l e d a m e n i t i e s , a f i v e - s t a r g o l f a n d s p a r e s o r t l i k e n o o t h e r.

On Nova Scotia’s North Shore lies a hidden gem that has been shaped by the waters of the Northumberland Strait. Located on the East Coast of Canada, you’ll find fields of lavender, picturesque coastal villages, and rugged coastline. This idyllic retreat is sure to charm those with even the most discerning of taste.

As the “jewel in the necklace” of championship courses in Nova Scotia, Fox Harb’r will redefine your golf dreams with a bespoke blend of Scottish Links and Parkland Golf that come together for an unforgettable experience. Designed by Golf Hall of Fame member, Graham Cooke, Fox Harb’r masterfully combines the natural beauty of the Northumberland Strait with a challenging layout that was named one of Golf Digest’s 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America.

And, for an unsurpassed experience, join our award-winning culinary experts who showcase locally-sourced ingredients while enjoying a selection from our wine list, which has been recognized with the “Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator. Relax in one of Canada’s top-25 awarded Spas – the Dol~as Spa. Or, choose your own path with a myriad of activities such as rod fishing, sport shooting, and nature trails all set against the spectacular scenery.

Call our golf concierge to select from one of our carefully curated golf packages, or to craft a custom-tailored golfing experience today.

To make reservations, or to learn more:

call 1 866 257 1801 or visit foxharbr.com

The first 40 The Arnold Palmer Invitational—or the Bay Hill Citrus Classic as it was known at the time—first landed on Arnold Palmer’s famous golf club 40 years ago, in 1979. It hardly seems possible that four decades can have passed since then, but time flies when you’re enjoying one of the PGA Tour’s greatest annual traditions. We let the pictures tell the story

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The program from the inaugural Bay Hill Citrus Classic [left]. The tournament name has been through a few name changes since then but home has remained Bay Hill.

(Program cover courtesy of Alastair Johnston) Jack Nicklaus [above] just missed the putt that would have won the title in 1982. He lost to Tom Kite and victory at Bay Hill would always elude the Golden Bear Playing in 1981, Palmer [below] looks to be willing his tee shot over to the left, just a bit...

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In the second round in 1984 Greg Norman [above] matched the Bay Hill course record of 62. The first to score 62 was Andy Bean in 1981 and the next do to it would be Adam Scott, 30 years after Norman Always a haven for wildlife, Bay Hill welcomes a rare osprey [left] to the final round in 2004 Palmer congratulates Phil Mickelson and his wife Amy after Mickelson won what was called the Bay Hill Invitational, in 1997. At the time it was Mickelson’s 10th PGA Tour title

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Palmer with NBA legend Michael Jordan—a devoted golfer— in 1999 [left] Palmer enthusiastically demonstrates his swordmanship to Ernie Els with the tournament’s Trophy Sword after the South African won in 1998 [below]. The sword was replaced with a sterling silver trophy in 2007 (probably safer...)

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“This event means so much to me over the years. It is a very special place�

Tiger Woods on winning for the eighth time in 2013

Tiger Woods hits his approach to the 8th hole [left] during the final round in 2003. Woods would win his fourth consecutive title at Bay Hill by a record margin of 11 shots that year. Woods poses for the cameras at the end of the day [above], unaware that he was only halfway to his career record of eight Arnold Palmer Invitational titles

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A fan admires the fruits of autograph hunting at the 2007 Arnold Palmer Invitational [above].

(Palmer would regularly remind his fellow pros of the importance of making time for their fans) Palmer takes in the gallery at the 18th green in 2007 [left]

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The 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational was the first since the loss of Palmer in September 2016, when Rickie Fowler’s shoes [above] were decorated in tribute to his great friend. He would later auction the shoes for $25,000 in support of the Arnie’s Army Charities In 2017, Marc Leishman [left] became the first champ at Bay Hill to don the Arnie’s Army cardigan.

Tournament hosts Graeme McDowell and Sam Saunders helped Leishman into golf’s most famous knitwear

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Rory McIlroy will be the defending champ at Bay Hill for the 2019 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented

by MasterCard, March 7-10

“To win here means a lot. I’ve had quite a connection with Arnold Palmer over the years. I just wish he had been there to shake my hand when I came off the 18th green. I tried to take on shots when I needed to, just like he would have” Rory McIlroy, March 18, 2018

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CLUB Wimbledon

ALL ENGLISH Most of us can picture that moment of spellbinding tension when Roger Federer tosses the ball into the air to serve with impossible grace at match point in the Men’s Final on Centre Court at Wimbledon. And many can imagine the scene outside on Henman Hill, where the throng wash down strawberries and cream with a pint of Pimms while watching the action on a big screen. But what about the remaining 50 weeks of the year, what is Wimbledon like then? We sent in Neil Squires, sports writer on the Daily Express newspaper, to go behind the ivy at the All England Club All images courtesy of AELTC

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Wimbledon in early spring. No Roger, no Serena, no ball boys trained like Navy Seals—just another tennis club in south west London going about its business.

Check that. There is nothing ordinary about the All England Club. It is an organisation so steeped in history you half expect its rules—of which there are many—to be spelled out with quill and parchment.

Set up in the 19th century as a croquet club, it held its first lawn tennis championship in 1877.

The winner, Spencer Gore, predicted the whole thing would not catch on. He preferred cricket. He was wrong. The All England Club’s most recent championship drew an attendance of 473,169 and reached a cumulative television audience of 29.4m on ESPN in the States.

Wimbledon has spooled into a giant international sports event yet the core to its appeal centers on the tradition overseen hawkishly by the prestigious private members’ club which runs it.

Your average tennis club this is not.

On the sort of grey February day which makes you wonder how on earth the Brits came to invent—or at least codify—an outdoor sport like tennis, this priceless plot of London suburbia is in ghostly, acoustic mode.

Henman Hill, crammed with 3,000 lively yet orderly people during Championship fortnight in July, is an empty green space and the 18 grass courts, stripped of their white markings, are just lawns. The lawns are surrounded by electric fences to deter urban foxes who use them as an open-air bathroom.

Beside each grass quadrilateral the umpire’s chair has gone, to be replaced by a giant fan and heat lamps.

In May, the tramlines will be painted on and the grass trimmed to 8mm for the members to play but for the time being there are eight clay courts, two hard courts and the five courts inside Wimbledon’s indoor facility to make do with.

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CHAMPIONSHIP SCALE TOTAL CAPACITY CENTRE COURT SEATS COURT GRASS BALL BOYS & GIRLS TOTAL MATCHES

39,000 at any one time 14,979 100% rye 250 675

TOTAL SLAZENGER TENNIS BALLS

53,000 (stored at 68 degrees F) USED CHAMPIONSHIP BALLS sold for £2.50 for tins of 3, all proceeds to the Wimbledon Foundation FOR THE FIRST TIME in 2018, action from all 18 championship courts was televised.

(11 court cameras were manned and 7 were operated robotically)

So how does one become a member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, to give the institution its full title?

The easiest method, the joke goes, is to win Wimbledon. That confers honorary status. To become one of the 375 full members any other way is the devil’s own job.

The cost is, on the surface, a snip at $110 but there are some things that money alone cannot buy. Like access.

The waiting list is nine years long. And just to get on it takes some doing. It helps to live locally and to live locally in one of London’s most desirable postcodes you need plenty of money.

It also helps if you play tennis to a decent standard.

Clear those hurdles and you will need to assemble four letters of recommendation from current members.

If everything is in order and you are deemed the right sort you will be invited to join the waiting list but as no-one resigns their membership, you are effectively waiting for someone to die. Even when someone heads for the great tennis court in the sky, the replacement is not necessarily drawn from the top of the list. There was a story a while ago of someone who has been waiting patiently on the list for 64 years.

So say, miracle of miracles, you make it into the club and join the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge—the club’s patron—and Sir Cliff Richard, what does membership bring?

Well, besides an allocated Centre Court seat and the opportunity to buy extra tickets, it provides extraordinary tennis facilities. On top of the championship courts, there are 20 grass practice courts and with the recent purchase of the adjacent Wimbledon Park Golf Club, to bring the qualifying tournament in-house, there will be plenty more courts soon.

The grass courts are in use throughout the summer until the end of September although the show courts— Centre, 1, 2 and 3—always remain off limits to keep them in pristine condition. The exception comes just before the championships when members’ names are drawn out of a hat to test out Centre Court with a set of doubles.

That is Willy Wonker’s golden ticket.

Throughout the year, the members use the same locker rooms as the professionals. There are two sections to the ladies’ one—upstairs, reserved for the top 16 seeds and former champions during the Championships, is renowned as the most luxurious on the tennis circuit with marble baths, comfy sofas, silver trays and china crockery.

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The men’s is slightly less grand but more practical with its wood-panelled locker fronts that fold down to make tables. The showers, by all accounts, possess the power to cause concussion.

Members also have access to the clubhouse which is essentially a top-class restaurant which, yes, does serve strawberries and cream in season. The interior space is surprisingly sleek and modern—style and class can move with the times—with beautiful views, through its arched windows or from the veranda, of the manicured 13.5 acre site.

If you’ve played well enough to earn a post-game drink, or badly enough to need one, there is an equally airy bar where, sat on one of the Wimbledon green high stools, you will have Royalty for company. The portraits to the right are of the Queen and the Duke of Kent, the club’s president.

This is, after all, a club with impeccable connections.

With privilege comes responsibility. Appearances must be kept up. Members are required to uphold high sartorial standards in the clubhouse. Men are required to wear a lounge suit or tailored blazer and “trousers” with a shirt and tie plus dress shoes. Women must dress to a similar grade, although less strictly defined.

WHEN AT WIMBLEDON Average annual consumption rates during Wimbledon Championships: 21,917 bottles 17,170 portions ICE CREAMS 76,603 PIMMS 303,277 glasses STRAWBERRIES & CREAM 166,055 portions CHAMPAGNE

FISH & CHIPS

“New Yorkers love it when you spill your guts. At Wimbledon they make you stop and clean it up”

A few years ago, with concerns that the line may be slipping, guidelines were sent out to remind members of their responsibilities. Unacceptable dress included jeans, T-shirts, zipper jackets, hoodies, shorts and casual or scuffed shoes. Strapless tops, short skirts and exposed midriffs were also a no-no. The white kit rule on court must be adhered to by members as well as players.

Some can find this adherence to the rulebook stultifying.

Jimmy Connors once complained that: “New Yorkers love it when you spill your guts out there. Spill your guts out at Wimbledon and they make you stop and clean it up.”

But, for most, the customs and convention are part of the allure.

As Sloane Stephens once said: “I think my goal in life is to be a member of the All England Club.”

Walk through the gates and into the Millennium Building, which houses such essentials as the hairdressers and nail bar, and you are greeted by giant images of the respective defending champions, Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber, on the pillars inside the entrance. Each has a quote professing their love for this special venue.

Who can blame them? Wimbledon is the place where sport meets garden party. When the Boston Ivy is out and the hanging baskets are in full bloom then the Championships dance an elegant waltz for the cameras.

But when the doors close to the world and the members have their club back, the magic still remains.

The Championships, Wimbledon 2019: July 1 – July 14

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T H E U LT I M AT E L U X U R Y G O L F G E TAWAY Behind the gates of Kingsmill Resort, there is a 7,000-square-foot private estate with commanding views of the James River. This elite accommodation boasts extravagant appointments and brings you one-of-a-kind Moments of Service— including a private chef and estate manager, plus exclusive access to two luxury SUVs and two customized golf carts.

Stay at The Estate at Kingsmill—and play the resort’s championship courses—for the ultimate bragging rights.

Start planning your getaway at kingsmill.com/the-estate or 800.315.9989.

HOME OF THE PURE SILK CHAMPIONSHIP

CLUB

OCEAN VIEWS Blue and green go well together—there’s even an official (and pleasant) color, “blue-green,” that heralds their complementary relationship. Here, we celebrate the intersection, wistfully considering oceanside courses that hem neither the eye nor the imagination

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FOX HARB’R Nova Scotia

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ova Scotia’s dramatic natural character is no better served than by the pastoral environs of Fox Harb’r. The on-site Championship Course is a Graham Cooke design that applauds the old world landscape, while a thoroughly modern resort and spa serve more contemporary needs, no less soulful. Fine dining, plenty of opportunities to engage the environment and even real estate options await those emboldened by sublime settings and the kind of golf you want to play forever.

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PEBBLE BEACH California

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f it was to appear on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon’s line would be, “My next guest needs no introduction,” for Pebble Beach, like so few others in golf, is one of those courses, the ones that define the game we all love so much. A storied history, an impeccable layout, those incredible bluffs, that infernal wind, that gorgeous Pacific sun, and all of the wonder one can fit into 17 miles... It’s on every golfer’s “must” list for good reasons, not all of them to do with golf.

Press your pants and coat, rent a nice convertible and clean your clubs: you’ll want to look good in the photos.

Photo: Evan Schiller | golfshots.com

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EMERALD BAY Bahamas

J

ust an hour from Miami but a world away from everything, this 500-acre, five-star property has a mile of beach all its own and one of the world’s most visually stunning golf courses. Greg Norman’s design, jutting into the Caribbean, is so incredible you won’t even mind the tradewinds taking your ball to who knows where. And who even cares when the day is this beautiful? Bring your camera.

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the glorious lovechild of golf and cornhole Chippo is the viral new golf game for beach, backyard, tailgate, oďŹƒce and clubhouse - a patented, mind-blowing mash-up of golf and traditional backyard games! We’ve combined the old fashioned, beer-slugging, tailgate-dominating, sunshine-basking goodness of games like cornhole with the gentlemanly, giddiness-inducing, side-betting beauty of golf.

Chippo is the only backyard game where you can work over your buddies, while working on your short game - revolutionary!

2018 PGA Merchandise Show

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY. ©2019 DEWAR’S BLENDED SCOTCH WHISKIES.

GIFT GUIDE Spring

Spring In Your Step Whether you’re stepping out on the town or dancing around your kitchen, the following will see you moving onward and upward in fine style

Paolo Scafora

HANDMADE SHOES

Rolex

DAT E J U S T 41 – O Y S T E R S T E E L

With its distinctive white dial, furnished with 18kt white gold hour-markers, the Datejust 41 is a contemporary classic. The case is constructed in Oystersteel, a 904L steel superalloy that maintains its beauty even in the harshest of environments. The Oyster bracelet, with its Oysterclasp and Easylink comfort extension link, is also exclusive to Rolex and completes this Datejust’s visual identity, while the calibre 3235 new generation movement has been developed and manufactured by Rolex for a superlative level of performance.

As ideal for elegant affairs as it is for everyday wear, there’s nothing quite so fitting as a Rolex. rolex.com

From their Neapolitan workshops, Paolo Scafora shoes are created by highly skilled artisans through a combination of artistic expression and master craftsmanship. The shoes are heritage hand-stitched following traditional methods of shoe construction, using only precious leathers. Each creation is a quest for perfection, a study in detail and a timeless statement of international appeal. paoloscaforanapoli.it

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Kingsley Shavette

Benchmark Wine

It’s not called a cut-throat for nothing, so choosing a straight razor over a modern bladed tool can be an intimidating idea. However, with patience, the right technique and practice, you will soon find yourself shaving with professional, barber-like confidence.

More importantly: a single-blade razor provides a very close shave because it works directly against the skin.

Modern multi-blade razors are guarded, so while you can shave quickly, you will never cut as close without the risk of razor burn. Ergonomically the handle and blade design of a straight razor is also something that modern blade razors can’t match. Find out how.

One of only a handful of producers worldwide that can truly stand as a quintessential example of elegance and luxury, Chateau Margaux is celebrated as the most finessed and floral of the five “First Growths.” Understandably, Margaux is one of the most sought-after and widely collected wines on the planet. It has the ability to deliver an unparalleled drinking experience for decades after release.

If you want to obtain Chateau Margaux or access any number of the world’s finest wines, Benchmark Wine Group offer an impeccable service, and more importantly their wines are always backed by their Provenance Guarantee. Buyers as well as sellers: if you’re eager to build or to add prestige to your collection, visit...

WOODEN STRAIGHT RAZOR

murdocklondon.com

FINE WINE

benchmarkwine.com

Mi Terro CDS

CORK DUFFLE SUITCASE

Just about to go into production, and available from May, is this environmentally friendly travel bag. With simplicity and sustainability as their twin watch words and funded through Kickstarter, Mi Terro have designed a revolutionary duffle suitcase with 17 features out of cork and plastic that is recycled from the ocean.

Practical, in that cork is lighter than leather, stainand water-proof, the bag meets airline carry-on requirements and dimensions. Our only question is: does it float? miterro.com

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

Holderness & Bourne

Dewar’s Double Double

In amparo blue and white, this is a modern upgrade to the classic bengal stripe shirt. It is constructed with lightweight performance fabric for optimal feel in the spring and summer months and a pique knit for superior warmweather breathability. Fresh colorways along with Holderness & Bourne’s signature tailored fit and reinforced self-collar combine to make this style both a Kingdom and perennial favorite.

Inspired by A.J. Cameron, the creator of White Label, Dewar’s have created a super-premium blend that reaches new levels of smoothness. Resurrecting A.J.’s 4-stage ageing process from 1901, malt whiskies are double-aged as are single grain, the malt and grain whiskies are then aged together for a third time before a fourth, and “finishing” age, in sherry casks.

The four-step process uniquely marries the whiskies for exceptional smoothness and the finish adds an uplifting finesse.

Available as 21, 27 and 32 years old, Dewar’s for the connoisseur.

THE MAXWELL SHIRT

32 YEAR OLD SCOTCH

holdernessandbourne.com

dewars.com

Ice Ball Maker

C O C K TA I L K I N G D O M

We were naturally drawn to a company that combines two of the dictionary’s bestest words: Cocktail and Kingdom. Featured here is a nifty device made from aerospace-grade aluminum that uses gravity and the thermal conductivity of said aluminum to quickly shape a perfect sphere of ice. Instructions thereafter: place ice ball in rocks glass, add favorite spirit, drink, repeat. cocktailkingdom.co.uk

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Chippo Golf GAME

Don’t work too hard trying to figure it out, we’ll explain it to you: Chippo is cornhole with your wedge.

Got it? Good. Now get it. As far as we’re concerned this is exactly what the ubiquitous backyard pastime was missing—and it still pairs nicely with barbeques, beer and friends. Sometimes easy is best. chippogolf.com

St Andrews Links

Daphne’s Headcovers

It is the oldest and most famous course in golf, to where every player with a respect for the heritage of the game should make a pilgrimage at least once. Now you can also have a piece of the Home of Golf in your home with these Cast Tee Plaques, that are exact replicas of the official plaques from each of the 18 holes on the Old Course. Made to order, each Tee Plaque measures approximately 11 inches by 9, weighs just under 9lbs and delivery can take up to six weeks.

Daphne’s Headcovers still lead the market they created in 1979 with top-quality headcovers. Their attention to detail, quality and fit are second to none, and the company even back each headcover up with a lifetime guarantee. The Tiger is probably the most famous of the animal collection but it also reflects Daphne’s core value of “we must do good while doing well,” so part of the proceeds will benefit the “pet therapy for children” charity Gabriel’s Angels.

O L D C O U R S E T E E P L AQ U E S

standrews.com/shop

TIGER

daphnesheadcovers.com

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GIFT GUIDE Spring

XXIO

PRIME IRONS

Kane 11

GOLF SOCKS

Regular socks come in one-size-fits-all or, at best, in a shoe range, but with a revolutionary innovation KANE 11 now offer premium socks in your precise shoe size , from 7 thru 17. The very best apparel is all about fit and if your socks fit perfectly your shoes fit better. And as golfers we know how important it is to feel your feet connecting to the tee, fairway and green.

Kane 11 use fine-gauge Merino wool in their socks, the perfect fiber for golf as it possesses natural wicking and temperature control properties meaning they feel as fresh when you take them off as when you put them on. Highquality, attractive and incredibly purposeful, these are staff favorites.

XXIO Prime Irons feature a titanium face with new Speed Groove technology, designed to provide higher ball speeds, along with a higher launch for moderate swing speed golfers. This allows the golfer to experience unprecedented speed and lightweight feel. Offering a larger sweet spot to further ensure increased ball speed and more distance, XXIO Prime Irons allow golfers to launch it high, hit it long and land it soft. xxiousa.com

kane11.com

Shapland G O L F B AG

If you love golf course architecture and the heritage of the game, you’ll love this bag. Shapland has struck the perfect balance of modern yet traditional design in a bag that has everything you need and nothing you don’t. Made with top-grain leather accents and Cordura fabric, this lightweight yet durable golf bag will impress even the most discerning of golfers. Offering both custom monograms and embroidery, this bag will have you looking like the great steward of the game that you are. shaplandbags.com

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AfterShokz

TREKZ AIR HEADPHONES

The next generation of bone conduction technology is inside these super-lightweight and organically designed open ear headphones. With very little bulk, a secure fit and a great sound, Trekz Air are inspired by the demands of elite and aspiring runners but also lend themselves to use on the range as well. aftershokz.com

KitchenAid OVEN

High-end appliances for people who actually cook in their kitchens, KitchenAid products are unassailably capable, and their ovens are a testament to the company’s solid reputation and longevity. Offering such innovations as Even-Heat True Convection, which provides consistent heating and even cooking, a number of monitoring settings and perfectly controllable, stable heat, meats, poultry, casseroles and anything else you’d care to eat will emerge beautifully cooked. The “delicious” part is up to you. kitchenaid.com

Body Cardio

WI-FI SMART SCALE

“Get to the heart of your matter,” Withings offers, and if we’re being honest then we probably should. More than just shocking you with your weight, this scale provides body fat and water percentage, muscle and bone mass info and, as per the name, your heart rate. Being serious, if you’re looking to establish a fitness regimen or just to have a more complete picture of your body’s status over time, this is a supremely useful tool. withings.com

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4 daphnesheadcovers.com The only headcover with a lifetime guarantee

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Issue 45

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Experience Where It All Began

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ON THE MOVE Arkonik

PURE ORIGINAL

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For those in search of a bespoke icon, something universally admired, globally proven, impressively useful and immensely personal, UK firm Arkonik will build you the best Land Rover Defender on the road today—the best because it’s uniquely yours, whether you have the diary of an adventurer or just the soul of one

A

As the story goes, it began with a line in the sand. Just over three hours’ drive from where the last Land Rover Defender would be built in 2016, the first one was drawn out on a beach at Anglesey, Wales, nearly seven decades earlier by Englishman Maurice Wilks.

The engineer from Hampshire spent two years in the United States at General Motors before returning home in 1928 to work under his brother at the Rover Company, then a burgeoning car-maker. The brothers were impressed with a war-surplus Willys Jeep Maurice used on his Anglesey farm, they decided they could do better, and what would become the Land Rover Defender was born—spot welds, rough ride, pitted paint and all.

Fast forward to the 2000s and another Englishman, Andy Hayes, was drawing up plans for a Defender as well, although this one already existed. A gift from his wife, it was a project car at a time when Hayes needed a project. He stripped it down, built it up, it was seen and loved, he enjoyed the work and so he did it again, developing a talent and expertise in purchasing and restoring old Defenders. That expertise turned into Arkonik, a UK-based company that is today at the pinnacle of Defender renovation and customization. For discerning international clients, Arkonik will locate and then rebuild—reinvent, really—a Land Rover Defender 90 or 110 and then deliver it to the United States or Canada, handling all of the import logistics and details and working to the client’s specifications in terms of customization. More than simple refurbishments Arkonik’s Defenders are better-than-new manifestations, nearly every inch improved, unique to their owners, incredibly poised in terms of styling, and simply superb overall.

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A Better Defender

Whatever the rough-hewn early Land Rovers’ issues (and there were plenty, acknowledged or not by owners), the vehicles developed an almost mythical aura of adventurous capability, starting with the Series 1 in 1948 and later under the “Defender” badge, from 1983.

Marketed as the “go anywhere vehicle,” Land Rovers eventually began to straddle a rather wide track, becoming as appealing to posh urbanites as they were to bona fide rugged adventurers.

This complementary dual appeal became part of the company’s ethos, perhaps best epitomized in the “Beautifully Poised” marketing campaign with royal/equestrian Zara Phillips, who in one ad rests on a posh settee sporting an elegant gown gilded with a fair supply of mud. The message has been clear for decades: Among VIPs or in the back country, Land Rover is found at the top—and so an Arkonik Defender climbs even higher.

Arkonik transform Defenders into modern vehicles

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Once a customer has committed to purchasing an Arkonik Defender, the company uses its extensive network to locate a suitable “donor vehicle.”

“Twenty-five years old, original left-hand drive, the original engine type and original gear box type,” says Thomas Parry, sales manager, listing the criteria. “Our network of European scouts will scour and cherry pick the best vehicles, and at this point the most important thing is the authenticity and the condition of the chassis. All other components are replaced for new, and so we’re not concerned about a dent here or there.”

Arkonik take the donor vehicle to their in-house shop (it needs to be at least 25 years old due to U.S. import factors), removes basically every piece and blasts it back to bare metal. The chassis is cleaned up and treated with a urethane coating that protects it from the toughest conditions, and then it’s built into a rolling chassis with basically everything replaced. Steering, braking, all of it is new—and then a modern suspension as well, one that in Arkonik’s default plan is more tuned to how most people actually use Defenders.

“We appreciate that the majority of our customers aren’t buying this to abuse off-road,” says Parry. “We install something called a cellular dynamic suspension. It’s road-biased, so when you go around corners or over a pothole it’s much better than the standard OEM. And of course we can do off-road packages as well—we can build the Defender to suit whatever the customer wants.”

The entire underbody is replaced, the Defender heads to Arkonik’s body shop and receives brand new panels, and the smallest details are addressed as Arkonik transforms the vehicle from an original workhorse into a thoroughly modern, elegant machine—one that’s even more capable than the original.

“Land Rover never really designed Defender to be sold for £100,000,” says Parry. “They weren’t worried about spot welds being visible or even about having straight panels. The rear tubs, the back section of the Defender, used to come with spot welds down the side, completely visible and quite ugly. We replace these panels and ensure the spot welds aren’t visible beneath the paintwork, and there’s so much more.”

The combination of roughly fashioned panels and poor prep used to sometimes result in a kind of “orange peel” paint effect on Defenders over time, Parry says. No such issues with an Arkonik Defender as every inch of the new panels is prepared, primed and painted to customer specifications.

From front to back, items replaced for new on Arkonik Defenders include: grill; wings; hood; bulkhead; doors; wheel arches; door surrounds (A/B/C pillars); floors; seat boxes; rear tub; rear door; and more, all of it replaced for new every single time. In fact, the only two main parts that are reused are the roof—“they never had issues with corrosion or anything and so there’s no reason to charge our customers to replace that; but they do receive the same prep and paint process”— and the windscreen surrounds. “It’s an all-aluminum component,” says Parry.

“It didn’t come into contact with steel

Created in cooperation with Ruskin, interiors are jaw-dropping

fixings, and that would have been an issue as Defender used to suffer from Galvanic reactions: with an all-aluminum body coming into contact with steel fixings, in a humid climate you’d have issues with paint bubbling and corrosion.”

All electrics are sorted with completely bespoke wiring done in-house by an electrical team, all of the connectors upgraded and so on, with LED lamps used throughout and custom light options available as well.

Infotainment systems are to modern spec—Apple CarPlay or Android, reversing cameras and so on, with tiered standard packages and full customization available.

For power plants, Arkonik uses the original engine types but rebuilds them down to the blocks, and they do custom options as well. “Heritage” engines include the 3.5L V8 Buick engine used from 1983 to 1997 and the

200TDI, which was used in Defenders made from 1991 to 1994. Other options include a Cummins 2.8 turbo diesel and an LS3 Corvette engine, and there’s an optional 6-speed automatic transmission for those who want it.

Heritage engines “are fully reconditioned, stripped down to bare block, re-bored and pressure tested, all internals are replaced for new: pistons, rings, shells, liners, all of it. And it’s the same with the gear box. All we retain, really, is the main shell of the engine and gear box. The only thing we outsource is the interior upholstery.”

Arkonik work with the lauded Ruskin Design firm to ensure concepts are brought to life brilliantly, and the resulting interiors are jaw-dropping.

Arkonik have done Defenders customized for hunters, golfers,

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If you’re interested in purchasing an Arkonik Defender or in learning more about them, visit arkonik.com and prepare to be wowed.

adventurers and urban-dwellers alike, but the firm’s main appeal is their commitment to authentic builds that don’t pervert the unassailable original designs. That said, the entire process, from the first phone call through to delivery, is a collaborative process with the customer, says Andy Stacey, Arkonik’s Brand Manager, and that collaboration continues after the purchase is complete.

“From a customer service standpoint, we’ve got a 24-7 team here to assist our customers with servicing and maintenance,” he says. “We touch base with them to see what adventures they’ve been up to recently, and we’ve sponsored events that are a good opportunity for previous clients to meet other Defender owners, talk about their own vehicles and so on.”

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Authenticity

As Parry and Stacey point out, Arkonik isn’t the only firm working on Land Rovers or customizing them.

But they’re right when they say that Arkonik has expertise across the full spectrum, from purchase to the technical work, to the design work and then delivery. They’ve sent more than 200 of their Defenders to U.S. customers, in metro areas like Miami, as far afield as Hawaii, and to rugged areas of Washington State and Texas.

It takes four or five months to go from bare chassis to “signed off” vehicle, Parry says, and the firm has a lead time of 18 months—something Arkonik is willing to put up with rather than lessen their attention to quality and detail by expanding too rapidly. The quality is impeccable, certainly, but beyond that,

there’s the firm’s intangible quality of taste, which both men say is down to Arkonik’s commitment to authenticity.

“What our Defenders can present is uniqueness and an original timeless style that has never really been surpassed,” Parry says. “There are others working on Land Rovers, but maybe sometimes they don’t sit quite right or the ride height is off or there are massive wheels or something else. Taste is an interesting concept— different strokes for different folks.

But you look at our previous builds and there’s a commonality, you can tell an Arkonik Defender. There’s something about it, and I’d stand by our builds that you’ve just got to look at them and you’ll see what we get right: it’s authenticity.”

Without doubt Arnold Palmer’s finest links course in Europe

‘Voted among the World’s Top 10 Ocean courses’ the golf channel

‘I may have designed the first 9, but surely God designed the back’ arnold palmer

.

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West Barrow, Ardfert, Tralee, Co. Kerry +353 (0) 66 713 6379 facebook.com/traleegolfclub www.traleegolfclub.com

Tralee

GOLF LINKS

ON THE MOVE

Road Worthy In dancing the perfect partner can be the difference between grace and humiliation; in golf, the difference between the green or the water

When it comes to vehicles and destinations, it’s horses for courses as well because, given the choice, you would no sooner drive a luxury sedan around Silverstone than you would an F1 car on a desert getaway. Thankfully, with an incredible range of premium vehicles available for rental, our friends at Hertz have the perfect ride to complement any destination. Here, then, are three suggested spring golf trips and partners that should pair well anywhere—except, perhaps, on the dance floor.

Bay Hill’s doors are always open to those in search of a legendary experience

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l B reak a w y H il ay a B

Te xa s T wist

B AY H I L L C L U B & L O D G E Arrive: Orlando International Airport Vehicle: Porsche Cayenne

Arrive: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston Vehicle: Range Rover Evoque

Leave Disney to the tourists; your foursome is headed for the iconic Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge. Arnie discovered the property during an exhibition match in 1965 and it was love at first sight. Following his victory in the exhibition he told his wife, Winnie, that he wanted to own the property, and by 1970 he’d taken a lease on it and was on his way to doing just that. For the rest of his life he’d call it home in the winter, and the charm and high standards of service he brought to Bay Hill remain part of its culture today. The drive from the airport isn’t bad, and certainly not if you’re traveling in a Porsche Cayenne.

Part of Hertz’s Dream Cars collection, the sports SUV has enough room for your foursome, luggage and golf bags, and will nimbly navigate any construction on the FL-528 Expressway to Interstate 4. Exit at Sand Lake, head west to Apopka Vineland, turn right and then left at the first light and you’re all set. Get there early and sneak in a round on the 9-hole Charger course, or just sit outside at the recently updated Bay Window and enjoy its stellar new menu while you watch members or other guests work the practice green (keeping an eye out for the occasional PGA or LPGA Tour pro, who practice here). When it’s time to work on your own game, Bay Hill’s new short game facility will allow you to work nearly any shot in the game. The two-acre area features four greens of varying styles and sizes, with the largest measuring 12,000 square feet. Seven bunkers complement them and are as varied, including a formidable “road hole” style bunker. When you’re ready, the storied Champion Course awaits, site of the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and one of the most beloved courses on tour. If you need to break away and feel like giving the Porsche’s epic handling a workout, the twisty roads around Windermere offer some wonderful opportunities for lakeside exploring, and the Porsche has the added benefit of getting you back to Bay Hill quickly when you’re itching for more golf. Another satisfying dinner at Bay Window (we like the Dim Sum appetizer and highly recommend the Key Lime Grouper) and then it’s off to the most exclusive neighborhood bar in the world, the Bay Hill Members Lounge, to discuss rounds played and dreams satisfied. Cap off the night with a Bay Hill Hummer and a good night’s rest, and then delay your departure the next morning for as long as possible—the Porsche can get you back to the airport with time to spare.

T H E WO O D L A N DS R E SO RT

In a state better known for cowboys, BBQ and 10-gallon hats, Houston is something of an anomaly. It has all of those, but it also has one of the world’s longest surf-able waves (thanks to supertankers exiting Galveston Bay), great crawfish, and a city-wide obsession of sorts with the Czech pastry known as kolache. Diverse environments require adaptable vehicles, and so the Range Rover Evoque (part of Hertz’s Prestige Collection) makes sense. As capable off-road as its more truck-ish looking siblings, the Evoque also features fantastic on-road handling and more compact, urban styling. There’s also plenty of room for friends and golf clubs, and so it’s perfect for the 30-minute drive to The Woodlands Resort and for any day trips beyond that. Set at the edge of 28,000 acres of natural forest, The Woodlands’ accommodations are lovely and a perfect complement to the incredibly rich property, which offers 36 holes of golf, dining, a spa and one of the best waterparks we’ve found.

Panther Trail golf course is here, with its elevation changes and island finishing green. It won’t take long to confirm that its accolades are well-deserved, while it will take even less time to understand how the sister Oaks Course got its name. We’d spare some time for the resort’s upscale spa and fitness facilities—useful as we also suggest heading to the Kolache Shoppe, a 50-year-old bakery that offers 25 varieties of the baked edibles. And if the Evoque inspires you to enter your mind’s “Adventure mode” and you decide you want to surf an oil-tanker wave, call up Capt. James Fullbright at Tanker Surf Charters and prep your legs for a ride that can go up to five miles if conditions are right.

The Woodlands is best reached with the daptable Evoque

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E D e s e rt s c a p e L A Q U I N TA R E S O R T & C L U B Arrive: Los Angeles International Airport Vehicle: Mercedes C63 AMG Whatever the comfort of the flight into LAX, there’s little repose to be found in the traffic that greets you once you’re there. Between 2012 and 2017, LAX saw an increase of 10 million vehicles running round its slowest-racecourse-inthe-world layout, mostly due to the admittance of rideshare services in 2015. But you’re not concerned with that because you’re grabbing the Hertz bus, heading off site and picking up a Mercedes C63 AMG, a 503hp luxury escape pod. Who needs traffic? A capable vehicle like the C63, part of Hertz’s Prestige Collection, deserves room to run, and so getting out of the LA metro area makes sense. Palm Springs and the classic La Quinta Resort & Club provide the perfect endpoint and 141 miles of opportunity to enjoy just how wonderful the C63 can be. Built in 1926 to accommodate the burgeoning desert scene that was being spurred by getawayhungry Hollywood actors who weren’t allowed to travel more than a few hours’ drive from the studios (lest they be needed for a shoot), La Quinta has long been one of the Palm Springs area’s top spots for relaxation under the sun.

It’s also been one of the desert’s top golf destinations, with 90 holes of golf over five incredible courses: two at the resort proper and another three at nearby PGA West. If we think we might be too relaxed, we’ll head for The Mountain Course, a Pete Dye design known for its incredibly challenging pot bunkers, rocks and tough greens. Dye’s Dunes Course provides a challenge as well with its links-style rolling mounds and thick rough in the desert, and it’s easy to see why it’s hosted by the PGA Club Professional Championship and the Californian State Open. Off course there’s a wide

range of available accommodations, from straightforward rooms to large haciendas and suites, complete with private pools. We like the Starlight Casitas, which feature fireplaces inside the room and outside on the lounge-ready patio.

Befitting its location, La Quinta offers fantastic Mexican dining at Adobe Grill (with more than 100 tequilas on offer).

Games are best watched at Ernie’s, a pub of sorts, while Morgan’s offers some of the area’s finest dining, if you feel like dressing up. It’d be a shame to park the Mercedes for your entire trip, and so we recommend a spirited drive on the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway. Start at the Visitor Center in Palm Desert and head south on Highway 74, straight into a series of glorious switchbacks. Views along the way are tremendous, but you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road, which will change to rollercoaster-type ripples and rises as you head toward Ribbonwood. From there you can swing

by Lake Hemet, grab lunch in Idylwild, take a photo at the Indian Vista Viewpoint and then rush back to La Quinta for dinner. It’s a perfect complement to a great road trip.

Be sure to grab a date shake at King’s Highway restaurant as you pull out of town—just don’t pull out too fast unless you’d rather wear it than drink it. The trip back to LA should go relatively quickly, though we can’t speak for the trip to the airport. No mind; you’ll have plenty of desert memories to ponder on the flight home, from both the destination and the journey.

Speed, handling, and amigos at La Quinta

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Hertz celebrates over 30 years of partnership with Arnold Palmer.

We’re here to get you there. Š 2019 Hertz System, Inc. All rights reserved. CS 119126

DRINK Cocktails

SUBTLE BUT PROFOUND Similar parts, different constructions, wildly varying experiences

Ever order a Tom and get a Jerry? Want a fizz but get a Fresca? You say Rickey but somehow get Lucy?

Or maybe you once demanded “a Highball” without realizing you’d told the bartender almost nothing.

Collins, Fizz, Rickey, Highball. Although similar, these four have their differences. Let’s take a deep dive into some cocktail taxonomy and explore what makes each tipple tick.

T THE COLLINS

he tale of the Collins begins like a tale of two brothers, Tom and John— but which came first? Was it Tom Collins, originally made with Old Tom gin? Or was it John Collins, made with Genever (Holland gin)? Similarly, who mixed it? Was it John Collins, a bartender at the Limmer’s Hotel in 19th century London or was it a “Mr. Collins” who worked at the Whitehorse Tavern in New York around the same time?

Others have the Collins’ birthplace as San Francisco or as far afield as Australia, so the answer is that we just don’t know.

What we do know is that a Collins is a combination of a spirit, usually gin (however, we prefer ours with Arnie’s favorite vodka), a carbonated liquid, sugar and lemon. It is built over ice in the glass in which it will be served—a tall 14oz Collins glass, befitting its intended leisurely consumption, and it’s a classic choice for warm afternoons.

• • • • •

2oz Ketel One Vodka 1 oz simple syrup 1 oz fresh lemon juice Soda water – bottled Lemon slice and maraschino cherry for garnish

Fill a chilled Collins glass with ice. Add gin, syrup and lemon juice. Stir gently before topping with soda water. Garnish with lemon slice and maraschino cherry (if you like).

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THE HIGHBALL

A

spirit and a carbonated beverage poured over ice and served in an 8oz Highball glass. That’s it.

The variations are nearly endless, but enjoyment of America’s first-ever and original Scotch Highball was likely to have taken place in New York in 1892. Tommy Dewar, of Dewar’s Whisky fame, was out on Broadway with friends, when one suggested they pop into a saloon for a “ball.” Upon being served drinks in “beastly small glasses,” as one of the party described them, Dewar suggested the bartender make them again in taller glass so they could have a “high ball,” and thus it was that the first Scotch Highball was enjoyed. Evidence for this is provided by newspaper articles from the era and by the fact that, in 1902, “High Ball” was trademarked by Dewar’s. We certainly wouldn’t make one with anything else.

• 50ml Dewar’s White Label • 100ml Soda water • Lemon twist for garnish

Add Dewar’s White Label to a highball glass. Fill glass with ice and then add soda water. Stir to combine and garnish with the lemon twist.

G L A S S WA R E Both Highball and Collins glasses are tall, slim and mostly straightsided. The prominent differentiating feature here is size. While the Highball should hold no more than 8oz, the Collins glass can accommodate from 12-16oz of liquid. The Highball glass can also sometimes have a slightly flared top.

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echnically the fizz is a sour (an older class of drinks) with carbonated soda added. The first printed “fizz” reference is in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas’s Bartender Guide, which included six variations.

Immediately popular, the fizz’s emergence on the drinking scene could be tied to the 1872 invention of the Codd-neck bottle by British soft-drink maker Hiram Codd of London. Hiram’s bottle allowed carbonated beverages to be stored and transported, making them much more widely available.

Like the Collins, the basic foundation of a fizz is a spirit, lemon juice, sugar and soda water, but unlike the Collins they’re shaken or stirred with ice and then strained into a chilled 8oz Highball glass. Add an egg white, it’s a Silver Fizz. A yolk, a Golden Fizz. The whole egg? That’s a Royal Fizz. One of the most storied variations is the elaborate and wickedly delicious Ramos Gin Fizz, born in 19th century New Orleans and requiring at least five minutes of vigorous shaking. But for now, we’ll keep it simple and use The Clover whiskey, a perfect Tennessee spirit for warm Southern breezes:

Whiskey Fizz • 1oz fresh squeezed lemon juice • 1 teaspoon sugar – preferably superfine sugar

• 2oz The Clover 4-year • Soda water –

preferably siphon soda

• Lemon peel for garnish

Add the lemon juice, sugar and whisky to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake very vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled Highball glass with no ice. Garnish with lemon peel.

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THE FIZZ

THE RICKEY

C

ol. Joseph Rickey was a political fixture in Missouri and later Washington– successfully campaigning for Grover Cleveland in 1884 and again in 1892. He was also a regular at Shoomaker’s bar in Washington D.C. Legend has it that on a sweltering day in 1883 he walked in and told bartender George Williamson to make a drink with bourbon, lime, and soda water, and so the Rickey was born. Now more popular as a gin drink, any spirit works. At its core, the Rickey is made with a spirit, the juice of half a lime and soda water, with the entire squeezed half-lime added to the glass as garnish.

Johnny Rickey • 2oz dark rum • ½ of a lime • Soda water

Fill an 8oz Highball glass with ice. Pour in the rum and squeeze in the juice from the half lime, then drop the lime in the glass. Stir to combine and top with soda water.

Pro Tip

S O D A WA T E R

CLASSIC SYPHON

Bottled: Usually heavily carbonated, with tighter, more intense fizz that lasts quite a while. Best in drinks like a Collins, meant to be enjoyed over time.

Less carbonated, a gentler fizz, softer mouthfeel (easier to drink quickly).

The preferred choice in drinks like a Fizz, which aren’t meant to last.

Chill your glasses in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. Alternatively, fill a glass with crushed ice and water and let it chill while you prepare your drink, about five minutes

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FOOD Breakfast

— RICH S TA R T —

S

kim milk in light-roast coffee, low-calorie cereals that are light on sugar, no-fat yoghurt mango smoothies the color of sunbeams— and then there are the sunbeams themselves, of course. Mornings are often full of light, and that’s fine. But there’s something to be said for the occasional touch of the Victorian, beginning the day with no thought to the weight of the world or anything else. Sometimes it’s best to turn up the flavors, heap on the goodness, and clear the mid-day calendar; you’ll want time to savor the morning’s repast. Call it breakfast, call it brunch, or just call it indulgent. If you don’t start at least one day of your life with a meal like this, you’re doing something wrong. After all, “making light” of something used to be a bad thing, right? Right.

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Method:

— W H I S KY BREAD PUDDING — The English call this a dessert, and it is. But then so are Belgian waffles and French toast. And really, what is bread pudding but French toast chopped up and baked with the topping already on it? There are a million ways to make this, and there’s no going wrong at the savory/sweet fork in the road when you’re looking for recipes, but if you like your breakfasts on the sweeter side of the table—and you enjoy a nice Dewar’s Scotch whisky now and then—then we have the bread pudding for you:

• • •

•

• •

Ingredients: • • • • • • • • •

Bread Pudding 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/2 tsp vanilla 3 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup dried tart cherries or cranberries 2 cups diced brioche (roughly three slices, no crusts)

•

While the puddings are baking, make the whisky sauce: •

Whisky Sauce: • • • • •

1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup water 2 tbsp Dewar’s White Label

Preheat your oven to 325˚F Combine the milk and cream in heavy pot and bring the mix to a boil Once the mix is boiling, remove it from the heat, add the vanilla and set aside to cool; 10 minutes should do it Using the Wire Whip attachment for your KitchenAid Stand Mixer (the preferred method; use what you’ve got), beat the eggs and sugar on a high speed until the mix is thick and fluffy, then reduce the speed to slow and add the milk+cream, which should be cooled by now Butter four ramekins, roughly 3.5 inches across, then divide the chopped brioche among them Add the dried tart cherries to each, then pour-in the egg+milk mix, spooning it out among the ramekins until each is almost full. Note: This might require stirring-in to the brioche to allow it to soak up the mix, then re-pouring until the ramekins are almost full Place the four ramekins into a single large roasting pan, then fill the pan halfway with hot water (so the hot water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins) Bake for 30 minutes

•

•

•

Dice the butter and melt it in a saucepan, then stir-in the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved Bring the mix to a boil over high heat until the sauce begins to thicken. It should turn bronze-ish Remove the sauce from the heat before adding the Scotch—and add the Scotch slowly as it will bubble something fierce Put the pot back on the heat and stir it over low heat until it’s all combined; turn up the heat if you still need to lose some of the liquidity, but don’t let the sauce over-thicken Once the puddings have baked for 30 minutes, spoon the whisky sauce over each until you’re out of sauce or until there’s no room in the puddings, then bake them for another 15-20 minutes, until the tops are nicely set and browned

Enjoy

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PURVEYORS

PORK PRODUCTS

OF THE

TENDERBELLY.COM

— B EVE RAG E : R E D TA R TA N —

You could have orange juice—and you should; it goes nicely with the whisky bread pudding. So does milk or coffee, and we recommend those as well. But there’s nothing wrong with a little tipple on the side (this is an indulgent start to the day, remember?) and we like to keep the whisky theme going with this breakfast cocktail from New York’s Underdog bar, crafted by Conor Myers. We came across the recipe on TheManual.com and, as we rubbed the sleep out of our eyes, we were smitten. You can keep your Bellinis and Irish coffees, this is the perfect friend for our pudding: • • • • • • • •

1.5 oz Dewar’s White Label 1 oz orange juice 1/2 oz Cherry Heering 1/2 oz Punt E Mes 1/4 oz lime juice 1/4 oz sugar 2 dashes Angostura Bitters blood orange soda to top

Add everything but the soda to a shaker filled with ice; shake and strain into an ice-filled highball glass.

Top with the soda and sip in-between bites of whisky bread pudding.

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No lush morning meal is complete without bacon, and with all of the sweet we’ve piled into this menu a bit of savory goes quite nicely. Forget whatever’s in your standard grocer’s refrigerated section and instead do a bit of digging to find a bacon worth the bite. We like the offerings from Tender Belly, a company formed by brothers Shannon and Erik Duffy, a couple of guys from Iowa who are self-confessed bacon snobs.

Their top-quality heritage hogs are old world pigs, well cared for, vegetarian-fed, humanely treated (no crates) and fed no antibiotics. They take longer to grow and mature but the extra fattiness results in enhanced taste and more flavor. Their bacon is dry cured for 12 days and smoked for six hours, and the ingredients they use to make their various offerings are top-drawer. There’s a habanero bacon, a Java Signature Dry-Rub, a No-Sugar option and more, but we like the Cherrywood-smoked Signature, made with a mix of salt, brown sugar, celery powder, maple sugar, white sugar and various spices. They even offer a Bacon of the Month Club, and we think that’s a great idea. Check it out at tenderbelly.com.

— B AC O N —

Photos: TenderBelly.com

Cooking bacon: Cast iron skillet, medium-low heat, eight minutes per side, flip it only once. Few things this easy yield such fantastic returns.

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YO U R P ER F E C T L A K E & G O LF H O M E AWA I T S.

On Georgia’s Inland Coast.

800 800 5250 ReynoldsLakeOconee.com/Kingdom A short drive east of Atlanta is America’s premier lake and golf resort community, Reynolds Lake Oconee. Here we welcome residents and visitors from around the world.

Discover how we make finding your dream home easy, so you can relax and enjoy our yearround vacation lifestyle. Homesites from $100k to $2.5m. Residences from $400k to $5m+.

6 CHAMP I ONSH I P CO U RSES

SPORT I NG G RO U ND S

4 MA RI NA S

10 D I NI NG VENU ES

T H E RI TZ - CARLTO N®

Up to three nights at The Ritz-Carlton®, a Cottage or Condominium, two rounds of golf, two-hour boat rental, breakfast each day, $75 club credit for a two-night stay and preview of real estate opportunities. Priced at $279* per night for two people.

LIFESTYLE VACATION

*Excludes holidays and is subject to availability; club credit for promotional purposes only. Real estate and other amenities are owned by Oconee Land Development Company LLC and/or other subsidiaries and affiliates of MetLife, Inc. (collectively, “OLDC” or “Sponsor”) and by unrelated third parties. Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties, LLC (“RLOP”) is the exclusive listing agent for OLDC-owned properties in Reynolds Lake Oconee. RLOP also represents buyers and sellers of properties in Reynolds Lake Oconee which OLDC does not own (“Resale Properties”). OLDC is not involved in the marketing or sale of Resale Properties. This is not intended to be an offer to sell nor a solicitation of offers to buy OLDC-owned real estate in Reynolds Lake Oconee by residents of HI, ID, OR, or any other jurisdiction where prohibited by law. As to such states, any offer to sell or solicitation of offers to buy applies only to Resale Properties. Access and rights to recreational amenities may be subject to fees, membership dues, or other limitations. Information provided is believed accurate as of the date printed but may be subject to change from time to time. The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee is a private commercial enterprise and use of the facilities is subject to the applicable fees and policies of the operator. For OLDC properties, obtain the Property Report required by Federal law and read it before signing anything. No Federal agency has judged the merits or

value, if any, of this property. Void where prohibited by law. WARNING: THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE HAS NOT INSPECTED, EXAMINED, OR DISQUALIFIED THIS OFFERING. An offering statement has been filed with the Iowa Real Estate Commission and a copy of such statement is available from OLDC upon request. OLDC properties have been registered with the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Real Estate Brokers and Salesmen at 1000 Washington Street, Suite 710, Boston, Massachusetts 02118-6100 and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection at 1700 G Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20552.

Certain OLDC properties are registered with the Department of Law of the State of New York. THE COMPLETE OFFERING TERMS ARE IN AN OFFERING PLAN AVAILABLE FROM SPONSOR. FILE NO. H14-0001.

APDC Update

APDC UPDATE Last year’s hard work bears fruit while a Web.com Tour event puts an exclamation point on yet another great design from the talented architects at Arnold Palmer Design Company

Lakewood National

Not terribly long after Lakewood National Golf Club in Sarasota opened in 2017, golfadvisor.com Senior Writer Mike Bailey played it with APDC architects/vice presidents Thad Layton and Brandon Johnson, who designed the course.

“What I loved about the course is that no detail was overlooked, and no two holes are alike,” Bailey wrote. “A fun golf course with a capital ‘F.’” Bailey knows his way around a course, as do the players on the Web.com Tour who teed it up at Lakewood National this February for the inaugural LECOM Suncoast Classic. The tournament was distinguished by the participation of two former Masters champs: Mike Weir and Angel Cabrera, who also won the 2007 U.S. Open. Cabrera took his Masters in 2009, winning a playoff over Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell, who also played in the Suncoast (and who tied for 3rd in the 2006 Masters behind winner Phil Mickelson). Three-time PGA Tour winner Boo Weekley was out there as well, as was Ricky Barnes, who tied for second in the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black while setting the tournament’s 36-hole course record with an eight-under 132 through two rounds.

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All of this is pertinent because while the Web.com Tour finds Lakewood National an appropriate venue for former Masters champs and top-10 players—and for strong up-andcoming young talent as well—the course is no less suited to less-accomplished players, as evidenced by a review on golfadvisor.com that ended with, “I’m a 23 [handicap] and I loved it!”

“It is very playable for people of all skill levels— depending on how it’s set up and providing people use the right tees,” Johnson told Kingdom.

There are five sets of tees, and the foreword set allow players to avoid all of the forced carries. As both Johnson and Layton have said many times, “Arnold Palmer instilled in us that golf should be fun,” and indeed APDC courses tend to be designed with a wide range of players in mind.

In Lakewood National’s case, developer Lennar Homes had the foresight and vision to complement APDC’s strong efforts, and the result is a superlative and richly rewarding strategic experience and one of the Sarasota area’s best golf courses.

Saticoy Club

Saticoy club

“What I loved about the course at Lakewood is that no detail was overlooked, no two holes are alike” For Bailey’s part, he wrote that it was “remarkable that [course architect Johnson] took what was a flat piece of ranch land and created so much movement and even some elevation. To get the course to drain, golf course builder Ryangolf dug out several large lakes and Johnson used that earth to raise the fairways above the water, so it’s never hidden. Better yet, there’s movement in the fairways and plenty of slope on the greens, which if you study, you can use to your advantage. Of course, if you miss on the wrong side, par is almost impossible.”

One side note on missing here: Ben DeArmond, a South Florida PGA pro playing on a sponsor’s exemption, carded a 17 on the second hole during his opening round of the Suncoast Classic, finding the OB six times in a row. The rest of the front nine was no picnic, but he recovered on the back to finish with a 91 for the day and his positive attitude intact: “If you learn anything from me today, it’s don’t withdraw, don’t give up, have fun with it. It’s a game, everybody has a bad day,” he said after the round. Great stuff.

Last year on the other side of the country, in Ventura County near Oxnard, California, APDC did a substantial amount of work at The Saticoy Club, which has a serene but challenging 18 on bluffs that sit high over avocado fields in view of the Pacific Ocean (thesaticoyclub.com). Originally founded in 1921 on the valley floor as Ventura Country Club, it was the county’s first private club. The current course was designed in 1964 by William F. Bell (son of the club’s original course architect William P. Bell, who with George C Thomas also designed Riviera and LACC North Course). With a clubhouse by noted Mid-century architect Fred Hummel (California State Architect; Project Director for the Reagan Library) and various course renovations involving the likes of Roger Muir Graves, Tom Doak and John Harbottle, it’s no wonder that Saticoy has hosted numerous USGA Championship Qualifiers and SCGA Amateur Championships.

APDC’s Thad Layton opened up various fairways, removing trees that were squeezing certain areas, and he lightly tamed and restructured some of the bunkering— which previously had been referred to as “treacherous”—to improve sight lines and views while greatly improving the strategic layout and overall fun factor as well. Hole 14 is a great example of APDC’s improvements: a spectacular par-5 that doglegs left and wraps around a canyon, it now features a bunker at the bend where previously a ballswallowing runoff had been. Also, trees were removed to open up a landing area off the tee; before, shorter hitters were pushed treacherously close to the canyon edge. Now grown in and beautiful, the APDC improvements reinforce Saticoy Club as one of the area’s most beautiful (and most accessible) options—sun-kissed fairways, cool breezes and Pacific brilliance included at no extra charge.

Other

There’s more happening as well: APDC did some work at the Aomori Spring Resort in Japan, which features some of the country’s best snow sports in winter and some of its best golf in the warmer seasons. The APDC course here has been thrilling guests at the Rockwood Hotel for years, and with the new improvements and revitalizations it’s sure to continue to be a hit, especially with the 2020 Summer Olympic Games coming to the region. Back in the U.S.A., construction on a new short game area at Seattle Golf Club should be starting now, but as of press time, “It’s snowing in Seattle at the moment,” Layton told us. And so like many in the country, Seattle golfers will have to wait a bit longer to enjoy APDC’s work. For now it’s back to Florida or back to the hot cocoa—with plenty to look forward to as 2019 marches on.

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LAST PAGE

SAVING LIVES The Prostate Cancer Foundation

A

rnold Palmer is remembered by countless golf fans as the hard-charging champion who changed their sport forever, but for others—and for many non-golfers as well—he’s also remembered as a life-saver.

When Mr. Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, he didn’t hide the diagnosis. In fact, he was quite open about his radical prostatectomy surgery, which removed the entire gland, and about the importance of the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests he’d undergone regularly prior to the diagnosis. Just eight weeks after his surgery, Palmer returned to what was then called the Senior PGA Tour, and he went on to play competitively until 2006, when he retired from golf. Over that entire time, and for the rest of his life, Palmer was an ambassador for prostate cancer treatment, advocating regular PSA checks for men and openly discussing the importance of

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treatment. Part of his advocacy, certainly, was supporting the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which is dedicated to conducting cutting-edge research and to innovating and driving treatment options forward so that the millions of men who fight prostate cancer each year have choices and access to the best possible care. Efforts include The Blue Ribbon Golf Par-3 Challenge, formerly known as Arnie’s Army Battles Prostate Cancer, which is a closest-to-the-pin contest built around a day of play or a tournament. With prize collateral and awareness materials for contributing golfers, plus a great prize for the closest-to-the-pin winner, it’s a great way to raise money for prostate cancer research and a lot of fun as well.

As Palmer said, “you can have all the things in the world you want, but being healthy is the good life.”

Find out more about how you can help to fight prostate cancer at pcf.org.