15 of 70 : West Palm Beach Municipal Golf Course, Florida

The original West Palm Beach Golf Club was built in 1921, as a private club,on the North West border of the air force field. The club went through many ups and downs until the Second World War when it was taken over to enlarge the airport. The course was then rebuilt in its present location in 1947. West Palm Beach Municipal Golf Course was designed by Dick Wilson, one of America's foremost golf architects, the same guy who designed The Royal Montreal Golf Club, and the Blue Monster at Doral (Miami). The course was strong enough to host PGA tournaments during the 50's and 60's. Arnold Palmer, whose first professional victory was the 1955 Canadian Open (in his rookie year) also won the West Palm Beach Open Invitational on this course in 1959.

This course is different from all other courses we have played in Florida. It is waterless. That's right, not a single water feature on the West Palm Beach Municipal. But let's not get too excited as there are seas of sand. Yes, waste bunkers as far as the eye can see, and fairway bunkers, and, of course, green side bunkers. This day was all about sand. And rolling hills. And elevated greens which always required one or two clubs more than you would normally play. The course was both fun to play and yet demanding enough. My game was almost on and I managed an 89 in spite of two balls lost in the waste bunkers (therefore  a 4 stroke cost) and a penalizing greenside bunker out of  which I needed 3 strokes before I made it to the dance floor. Brenda found some challenges on the par 3's, for no apparent reason, which didn't do much for her score. Perhaps she was just too busy chasing the wild life found in the waste bunkers. This being the last game of 2011, we will meet again in 2012. Happy New Year to all and may all your dreams come true.

Racoon in waste bunker

Further distraction

14 of 70 : The Wanamaker, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Florida

On Wednesday, we played the first of the three courses at the PGA Golf Club. The Wanamaker was named in honour of Rodman Wanamaker who led to the creation of the American PGA around 1916. The course was designed by Tom Fazio and is considered one of the most beautiful courses in Florida. With five different sets of tees it is truly playable by golfers of all skills. As most courses built in wetlands, it offers a lot of water and marshes. The greens are often well bunkered, and at times, one has the impression of playing out of a sand pit (see the picture at the bottom of this installment).

Arriving at the 9th green, the Clubhouse in the background

Brenda and I had a great day on the Wanamaker Course. The early part of the round was played in the wind and a chilly 62 degrees fahrenheit. In time, however, the wind subsided and the sun warmed up the air to a balmy 70. Brenda and I ended up even again at the end of our round when we factor in the handicap. I was none the less lucky enough to win the Match 2 up with one hole to play. We often have the impression of being on a seesaw. Even if we did find a few sand traps, I managed to keep out of the water until the very last hole. Brenda sacrificed one ball to a bad sand shot and another on the final hole while I, on the other hand, did my best to replicate Tin Cup on 18 by sinking two balls in the pond and finally landing the third one on the green. That is the price I had to pay for wanting all or nothing.

There is a green and a flagstick behind this monster!!! Just glad we weren't in it.

13 of 70 : Martin County Golf & Country Club, Stuart FL, Red & White Course

The Martin County Golf & Country Club has two courses, the Gold and Blue course built in 2005 and the Red & White course dating back to 1925, architect unknown. Because the men's league was playing the newer course, we ended up on the Red & White. The course is poorly maintained, the fairways looked like they had suffered heavy wintering which would be unprecedented in Florida. Even the rough is patchy. The greens, however, were in good shape and, as we have come to expect, fairly fast.

This being said, Brenda and I still had a good day out there. The front nine went by fast and the conditions were ideal. No wind at all  for the first hour and a half. For a while I imagined a really good game. My brother-in-law, Jean,  had forwarned me that 13 would be difficult. I am not superstitious but the wheels still came off the wagon on the back nine. The wind showed up as did my bad habits. Brenda was also having an off-day. After 18 holes we ended up All Square, not only in Match Play but also in stroke play where we were perfectly even after deducting the handicap differential. Quite amazing in fact. We enjoyed the day and the wildlife and we both were happy we did not have to go fishing for our balls. We did not see any alligators but did take the sign at face value. So far we have not seen a single Canada goose which is surprising. We always saw them in California. Maybe they don't like Florida. Today, however, we saw some Egyptian geese, at least this is what we were told. You can judge for yourself.

12 of 70 : St. James Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida

Today, when we woke up, there was no wind whatsoever and the river looked like a mirror We had not experienced such calm in the full month we have been here. It was just a teaser, however, the wind is back although fairly mild compared to the past. Things were not this calm when we played St. James Golf Club yesterday. The conditions, as usual, were rather fierce.

Fun in the fescue.

At St. James, the fairways are quite wide but, as you can see in the first picture above, quite undulated as well. Considering the undulation and the wind conditions, it still proves to be hard to pick a safe target. The course is well bunkered and water comes into play on 15 of the 18 holes. A less than perfect shot might easily find either sand or water (and I have found both). I suppose that one would become more proficient at choosing the right target by playing the course over and over again. By playing 70 rounds on 70 different courses I will never find that comfort zone. That being said, I find my experience most exhilarating and I am always looking forward to my next round.

Playing good cart golf! Glad those balls stopped short of the trap.

The greens at St. James are the fastest we have played to date. I might have said that about other greens before, but trust me, none were as fast and as undulated as these. The course was designed by Warren Henderson and Rick Smith. They have collaborated on many other design before, such as Arcadia Bluffs  and Signature, both in Michigan. Some consider their courses as too hard to play.  From the forward tees, however, St. James is very playable. I was really pleased with my game at St. James. I shot an 87 in spite of finding water and sand on many many holes. My short game really saved me and I scored very well on the back after I slowed down my swing. Another lesson learned. I also won the match which probably makes Brenda and I pretty even so far.

St. James is also part of a residential complex but not as high end as some of the others we have seen. Brenda was amused by some of the scenery along the course, hence this last picture.

11 of 70 : Hammock Creek Golf Course

 

Hammock Creek Golf Course is a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II co-design.  It is another beautiful public golf course designed to accommodate golfers of all skill levels. From the forward tees the course is fair and very pleasant to play. Once again we had to play in gale force winds on many holes, most notably at the beginning and at the end of the round. Some of the holes must have been protected from the elements. As usual, we had good moments and bad ones. Again Brenda and I had a little match going and thanks to the coaching she had from Michael and Dick, she once more defeated me 3 holes up with 2 to play. Having lost the match I ended up winning the last two holes. Perhaps I still need to learn how to play competitive golf. To Brenda'a credit, this was her best round ever at 96. I should have broken 90 but a water ball, amongst other mistakes, landed me at 91. All in all, we had a great day.

You will have noticed the lack of golf pictures on this post. We didn't realized until we got to the course that we had left the cameras at home. Perhaps we were having a senior moment. However, golf isn't the only thing we do around here so it is with great pleasure that we are sharing some of our other adventures:

Feedng the Sting Rays at the Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center

Christmas Parade, Florida style.

And last, but not least, our encounter with a flock of Sandpiper chicks on our evening walk on the beach, a very short video:

10 of 70 : The Florida Club, Stuart, Florida

We really enjoyed The Florida Club as it is quite different from all the other courses we have played so far. Designed by Dick Gray, it opened to the public in 1996. According to the Internet, The Florida Club is the only course listed under his name but the assistant pro told me that Gray had signed a couple more courses in the region. If this was his first course, it is a  brillant piece of golf architecture. As can be expected by now, there is a lot of water on this course, and a few marshes to be negotiated, but what distinguishes this course from many others is the sheer number of waste bunkers. They are well named and did cost me an excessive number of wasted shots. Like water hazards, they at times border the whole length of the fairway as on the par 3 third hole, the par 4 ninth, and the par 4 fifteenth. A waste bunker, unlike lateral water, is not a hazard but it is hazardhous to your score. It plays mind games with you, giving the impression of very narrow fairways. And trust me, like water, it is a ball magnet.

Michael, Dick and I

On this day, Brenda and I had the privilege to be paired with fellow Canadian golfers from the Toronto area. These young lads (Michael is 81 and Dick 87) were the best partners we could have wished for. They truly enjoy the game and Dick in particular still has an exceptional game for his age. I think that they have instantly become heroes for me and I am looking forward to many more years of golf. They were absolutely delighted and admiring of Brenda's textbook swing and encouraged her to practice her chipping and putting for I would have no chance against her if she did. My answer was that I certainly didn't need them to coach her. I was in enough trouble as it was. After 17 holes, Brenda was 1 up on me and I needed to win the 18th to finish All Sqare. The 18th is a sharp dogsleg left with a long second shot over the water to the last green. I hit a perfect 5 wood drive to the edge of the pond and set up over the ball for my second shot, hoping to lay up short of the green and left of the water. But an ugly slice and a big splash later I lost the hole and the round. Brenda won again, 2 and 0, in spite of her foray into the woods on that last hole. She was happy to buy the beer and I was happy looking at that great smile of hers.

9 0f 70 : Meadowood Golf & Tennis Club, Fort Pierce, Florida

View of Meadowood's clubhouse and practice green from #1 teebox

Meadowood Golf & Tennis Club, designed by Charles Ankrom, opened in 1983. It was originally named The Panther Woods Golf Club and in the early days it was a private club. It seems that in today's economy, many clubs have changed hands, identity, and playing policies. We are fortunate that it has been made public and affordable as it is one of the best courses we have played to date. It also proved to be one of the most difficult. More on that later. It is said that golf legend Sam (Jackson) Snead played there from 1988 till his death in 2002. Being the Resident Golf Pro Emeritus, he could also be found giving tips on the practice tees. How nice was that?

Groundhog Day

 On this gorgeous sunny day my new friend «la marmotte» came out to play and, on the front nine particularly, we had a jolly good time. Which brought me back to the mid-nineties when I first retired to the Okanagan valley. I joined the Ponderosa Golf Club where on the back nine there was a sign that said we should be nice to the resident marmots as they might very well be re-incarnated golfers roaming their holy grounds. Anyway, on this day in Meadowood my friend la marmotte helped me out big time. I only had one bad hole on the front with my first water ball of the day. The water hazards at Meadowood are not forgiving at all.

Bridge over trouble

Water is literally everywhere and this picture is only one of many I could have used. Makes us wonder if Simon or Garfunkel were golfers, a new perspective on the song..On the back nine, with what felt like gale winds (I know, I know!), I lost another 2 or 3 balls to the water gods. That didn't bother me much. Thanks to my good friend Daryl's recommendation, I have persevered. My drives have improved considerably and many were long and straight. The wind killed a few of them and it felt like the proverbial two steps forward, one back, losing 50 or more yards to the wind. Makes for a very steep learning curve.

Water wasn't the only trouble. We also had to deal with grabbing oak trees that too often came into play. Brenda experienced it first ha and this time, it wasn't her day. I finally won the match 6 up with 5 holes to play. She called it the revenge of the marmot. Golf being golf, there is always another day and we are looking forward to our next round.

For a change of scenery we will go from Fort Pierce to Stuart were we will play The Florida Club.Until our next post then.