New Dog in the House

Well we picked up a new dog and let me tell you she is a just pure energy. Maggie is her name and she is an English Pointer. We picked her up from a Pointer rescue group called Pointers from Oz. They are located in Williamston, Michigan and take Pointers from all over the country and find them homes.

I don't think Maggie had ever been an indoor dog though she has certainly adapted to the life style. However, she really enjoys being outdoors and lets you know that in a hurry if it has been too long since she has been out to walk or play.

We take her to the local bark park frequently and to a location that is a large piece of fenced in property where she can run to her hearts content. We are working with Maggie but do not feel confident yet in letting her run in unfenced areas where she might get away from us and get lost or hurt.

Here are a couple pictures of our new family member. Ain't she cute!!!??? When I get a chance to do a little editing, I will put up some videos.

Golf In Palm Springs

A friend of mine recently returned from a golf vacation in Palm Springs, CA. He was pretty excited about what he found out there and so I asked him to whop up a quick review of the courses he played on the trip. Following is his review:

Hey John,

I thought I would take a minute to review the courses I played in Palm Desert, CA. I've attached a couple of pics as well. Feel free to edit and adjust as needed :-).

If you are a die-hard golfer, then the Palm Springs area is a MUST given the number of outstanding courses in this valley. Cities such as Indian Wells, La Quinta, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage are all within a few miles of each other and home to some high-end and highly publicized golf courses. My wife, Paula, and I made a recent trip to Palm Springs over the Christmas holiday. During our time there, we played 4 outstanding golf courses that I would recommend to everyone. Below is a quick review of the course and a web link to check out some pictures.

ROUND #1
Classic Club (http://www.classicclubgolf.com/) You may or may not know, this is the host course for the next 3 years of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. In fact, they were setting up the grandstands during our visit. Cost for two: $330. (Championship tees: 7,305 yards, 75.3 / 142)

This was the first course that we played during our trip. The course is literally in the middle of the desert right off of I-10 and only about 3 miles from the heart of downtown Palm Desert. As you pull into the entrance, you immediately see the quality of the property and your anticipation of the golf course really begins to build. The clubhouse is absolutely spectacular. The pro shop has a wide selection of clothing and gifts for purchase. In addition, the clubhouse also has a 5 star restaraunt (Rattlesnake) that we did not have the chance to sample but will in the future. Finally - the staff at the course were incredibly gracious and bent over backwards to make sure our experience was the best it could be.

Quick summary of the driving range and practice facilities: New Callaway range balls and the tee area is pristine. Their are a number of targets and distances to help you get warmed up. The short game area is HUGE and the putting green is near the first tee box and rolls true.

Course overview: The course was in fantastic condition. The tee boxes, fairways and greens were in perfect condition. I played the course from the tips just to punish myself :-). The fairways were sufficiently wide but several holes required you to aim your tee shot to one side of the fairway in order to avoid a water hazard or waste bunker. The par 3's were extremely challenging and had ample length.

My score: 84

ROUND #2
PGA West Stadium Course (http://www.pgawest.com/) Former host of the Skins Game - (The pros asked to not have it here due to the course difficulty level.)
The drive into this property is amazing. It's nice to see how the "other half" live as you drive past the private Nicklaus, Palmer and Player courses. I believe there are 5 courses at PGA West with the Stadium course being the most difficult (rating 76.1/slope 150) from the tips and measures 7,300 yards.

The clubhouse is very nice, as expected. There is a great bar and restaraunt which look out over the courses where you can have lunch or a post-round drink. The pro shop is loaded with merchandise and equipment. The driving range and practice facilities were disappointing. I'm sure it's because of the amount of use but the tee area sod was "thin" and the putting green really isn't convenient. (Who cares - Where's the golf course :-). One note: The staff and service at this course was EASILY the most disappointing. Once they had the green fees collected, you basically were on your own. In fact, we handled our own clubs from our car and back into the car. I'm hoping it was just because of the holidays. However, at a cost of $470 for two people, I would have expected a little more effort.

Course overview: Easily the TOUGHEST golf course we played during our trip. Of course I punished myself by playing the tips but I wanted to see the whole course (and I did just that). Typical of a Pete Dye design, the course has a number of holes where you stand on the tee box and just think "NO WAY - There's no where to land the ball!" Visually, it is very intimidating but - it is a wonderful challenge. One example, the 6th hole is a par 3 with basically an island green and measures 255 yards! Pete Dye named this one AMEN on the scorecard. I'm proud to say that I did put it on the green (with a driver) however, I'm embarrassed to say that I couldn't stand the success and I three putted!! ($#%@#). Other holes are affectionately named: "Sand Pit", "Black Hole", "Eternity", "Moat", "Second Thoughts", and "Alcatraz" and provide enough bunkers, mounds, and rolling greens to keep you from sleeping well for a few days after you finish your round.

My score: 89

ROUND #3
Marriott Shadow Ridge - Nick Faldo (http://www.marriottsshadowridge.com/) (Black Tees: 7,006 yards, 73.9 / 134) Cost for two: $160 - owner rate.

This resort was the whole reason why we made the trip to Palm Springs. It was a time share package visit and we LOVED it. If your interested in details, drop me an email and I can share with you some insight on why we decided to purchase at this site.

The property is absolutely wonderful. The pro shop has a great selection of merchandise and the staff was extremely service oriented (like most Marriott's). The practice facilities are conveniently located close to the pro shop with unlimited range time. They also have a Jim McClean golf instruction school on property. Faldo's bar and grill look out over the first tee box and they have a wonderful veranda to watch from.

This course is a traditional links style layout (as expected from designer Nick Faldo). It measures 7,006 yards from the back tees but the fairways are pretty much right in front of you and generous in width. This allows you to really go after the tee shots :-). Their are ample bunkers and just enough water on the course to make you focus on each shot. The course was in great shape and a pleasure. The greens have a number of levels which requires you to "aim" for a particular quadrant of the green in order to have a chance at birdie. Faldo uses the apron areas throughout the course to allow for many bump and run shots. This course is a great test of golf and is very female friendly. It would be a great course for couples golf.

My score: 84

ROUND #4
Indian Wells - Celebrity Course (http://www.indianwellsgolfresort.com/sites/courses/layout9.asp?id=315&page=32442) (Cabernet - Championship tees: 7,050 yards, 74.2 / 138) Cost for two: $250

This course is the host of the current LG Skins Game which was just on TV prior to the holiday's. Since they had just played the Skins Game, the course was in AMAZING condition. One reason for this is they don't allow you to drive the carts in the fairway. In fact, the starter indicated they are seriously considering turning this course into a walking course in order to maintain the current conditions.

The clubhouse is currently under construction so the pro shop was in a temporary tent facility. Plenty of merchandise to choose from. The driving range was pretty disappointing. The sod was pretty thin and you really didn't have a viable target to aim at since the range seemed to be on the side of a hill that ran right to left. In fact, it was difficult to see your ball land.

The Indian Wells resort is very nice (not sure I would stay there though).

The Celebrity course was by far the MOST MANICURED course we played during our visit. In fact, I don't know that I have ever been on a course that was more pristine from tee box to green. Even the flower beds were perfect! The course is pretty tight so you really need to make sure you have control of your tee shots. There is only one par 5 and one par 3 on each of the 9's so you really have to make your scores count on these holes. The man-made waterfalls, streams and landscaping makes you feel as though you are in an oasis. Literally - you feel like you are in a desert oasis. At times, it almost feels as if it isn't real. Take a look at the web site, I think you will see what I mean.

There are plenty of bunkers and water hazards to choose from. In addition, the "water drain" comes into play on holes 9 and 10 and can be a real pain to hit your ball back onto the course (just ask my lovely bride) :-). Overall, I would play this course again just to soak in the beauty they have created. It's a very playable course if you can get your tee shot in play. The greens have plenty of break but roll true once you figure out the speed.

My score: 83


Bottom line - Golf in the Palm Springs area is fantastic. It's expensive but if you are going to make a "once in a lifetime" golf trip, this is a great place to do it.

So, if you have the urge it sounds to me like Palm Springs is maybe as much a golfers paradise as Michigan except you could play there this week!!!!!!!

The New Year and New Topics

Here's to the many wonderful things the new year will bring all of us.

Some of the items I plan to look at this year are reviews and critiques of some of the great golf courses I have played over the past few years and those I hope to play this year. I have even asked my wife to review some of the courses from the perspective of playing from the front tees. Not all courses are "women friendly" and with some luck we can get opinions on those that are and those that may require a extra length for the women.

I have also encouraged some of my friends who travel and play golf to participate in this process so we can get some diverse opinions and maybe cover more territory than I could cover based solely on my own travels.

Periodically I hope to introduce some additional topics including life after pets and will we see our pets in the hereafter. I am sure this could lead to some impassioned debates. It is also an election year so don't be surprised if some political "stuff" springs up periodically including links to other sites that might have some enlightened opinions - and not all of them conservative.

Enough for now, Happy New Year to all and I look forward to your visits.

By the way, anyone thinking about creating a nice little backyard retreat this summer may want to consider getting the designs rolling early this spring. A friend of mine is a true talent in that regards. Check out his website at www.carterlandscaping.net for some inspiration.