Sunday morning we woke up with the excitement and anticipation of a 36-hole day. Sheep Ranch followed by Bandon Dunes. The weather was perfect. It was cool in the morning, and there wasn’t too much wind.
We drove to the Sheep Ranch clubhouse, which is a good ways away from Lily Pond. On the way, you pass the main Bandon Lodge, Pacific Dunes, the Practice Center, and Old Macdonald.
There is a lot of commentary online about the order in which Bandon’s courses should be played. I’m not sure we had much of a choice, but Sheep Ranch was a wonderful start to the trip. It is wide open and very playable–you can get away with some loose shots here and there and still not make blowup-type numbers. I loved Sheep Ranch. The drone footage of Sheep Ranch on the Bandon website is incredible. It is the newest course at Bandon, and it has a mythological origin story. Mike Keiser and Phil Friedmann originally built it seemingly almost as a hobby or side project, then Coore and Crenshaw refined it, and it opened in 2020. One of the caddies said that it was called Sheep Ranch because someone told Mike Keiser that if he built a golf course on this property, it would become nothing but a sheep ranch. I haven’t read that anywhere else, but it sounds good.
I feel like I have returned from a religious pilgrimage for serious U.S. golfers. Bandon Dunes. Remote Southwest Oregon. Only golfers seem to know about it–I’ve mentioned the name to friends and family and get somewhat blank stares in return. Mentioning Bandon around other golfers, however, evokes hushed, slightly jealous responses like, “Ohhh, okay” [head nodding] and “Hmmm, cool.” If they have been, they know, and they are calculating several things all at once, like how does he get to do this, who is he going with. And if they haven’t been, they’re probably thinking, just what is Bandon, again? Well, Bandon is fantastic and fun and overwhelming all at once. Return trips are definitely a necessity.
Going into the trip, I feel like I did more than your average amount of research. I heard and read a lot about the difficulty in getting there, the size of the property, the purity of golf (no carts!), and, of course, the golf course architecture. After returning home, I feel like I just barely scratched the surface. This will be the first of a few posts on Bandon. I have a lot of thoughts on the subject now.
This is one of my favorite books. I think about it often and am proud to have read it. Published in 1982, Robert Caro’s The Path to Power is the first volume of the now legendary four-volume set The Years of Lyndon Johnson. (Caro is currently working on the fifth and final volume.) Caro is also legendary, primarily because of his biographical work on LBJ. I am part-way through the third volume, but I come back to this book most often in my mind. These books are entertaining in their own right, giving the reader a minute recounting of the life of an interesting and powerful person. The books are also great in that they serve as general histories of the United States. Following LBJ’s life in such detail, particularly after he is elected to the U.S. Congress, allows you to understand the big issues and players of the day. And they allow you to understand power–Caro’s main goal in writing the books is not just to detail the life of an important person in history, but to examine how one attains and uses power.
Earlier, I wrote how I went about deciding to purchase Precision Pro’s R1 Smart Rangefinder. I played six rounds with the R1. The laser shots are great–quick, accurate reads, with a vibrating buzz confirmation. The smart features–giving front-of-the-green and back-of-the-green numbers in the viewfinder–are just okay.
Ultimately, I sent the R1 back under Precision Pro’s 90-day return policy because the R1 runs the risk of not complying with the Rules of Golf even when the slope switch is off. This is detailed below.
I’ve spent a lot of time watching golf today. Both Shane Bacon and Scott Van Pelt said that the first round of the Masters is the best day of the year for golf. I agree. I’ve been thinking about the Masters for a few weeks, and I was excited this morning. It’s the best day of the golfing year because it’s the first day of the first major of the year; because the golf course looks perfect; because the holes of Augusta National’s back nine are familiar and comforting; because watching the Masters causes many of us to think about our fathers; because the sounds of those birds in those trees evoke a particular feeling; and because it’s the coolest golf tournament that has ever been imagined and the one nearly every pro wants to win more than any other. Plus there’s the LIV storyline and that lady behind the tee at 16 is back (see below).
I set out to watch the Woods/Hovland/Schauffele grouping. It was an ESPN featured group and also appeared on Masters.com. My goal was to see what I could learn after watching every shot of one group for 18 holes. After a couple of holes, ESPN also followed the Rahm/Thomas/Young group. So I ended up watching essentially every shot that six players hit in the first round of the 2023 Masters. Here’s how it went.
Why read a biography of Phil Mickelson? I have read a lot of golf books over the years, but maybe no golf biographies. I was drawn to this one because Phil is interesting–partly because of his outspokenness, partly his flamboyance and gutsiness, and, of course, partly because he is the highest-profile player to sign with LIV Golf. And after reading this book, I came to the conclusion that Phil’s decision to sign with LIV was primarily about money.
Most golf fans already know a lot about Phil Mickelson. Many, many victories, six of which are majors; risk-taking player; never won the U.S. Open; values his wife Amy and family. Alan Shipnuck’s biography Phil is fun to read, mainly through reliving Phil’s extraordinary golf accomplishments. His win at the U.S. Amateur; his first PGA Tour victory while a junior at ASU; his first Masters win in 2004, where he went five under on the last seven and canned the putt on 18, jumping up with fists and putter raised; his duel with Henrik Stenson in 2016 at Troon; his many second place U.S. Open finishes; his incredible history with the Ryder Cup (including the 2014 press conference in which he blasted captain Tom Watson and which probably led to many positive changes for the U.S. Ryder Cup team); and his amazing 2021 PGA Championship victory at 50. (I highly recommend looking up some of the older telecasts online, particularly the Pinehurst U.S. Open (Payne Stewart putt) and the Winged Foot U.S. Open (“I’m such an idiot.”).) There are also some junior, high school, and college golf stories that most probably don’t know, including his concession of a 40-foot putt at the U.S. Amateur.
Beyond the golf facts, though, this book gives you some insight into the inner workings of Phil’s mind. As Shipnuck describes Phil, he always has to be the smartest person in the room; he is never shy about expressing an opinion; he can be very calculating in choosing when and to which reporters he speaks; and he loves to gamble, at golf, on sports games, seemingly anything.
My current rangefinder is from the Obama years. It is the Bushnell Tour V2 and has served me well until recently when it started not finding pins and giving me readings from around the green of hundreds of yards out. I would get numbers from the SkyCaddie app on my phone when this happened, but there are many times on the range and on the course where a rangefinder and an exact number are crucial. It is time for a new one.
Thoughts I had going in were these: my old rangefinder had a strange CR2 3V battery. It would be nice to have a AA or AAA situation or rechargeable finder.
I play in a handful of stroke-play events or qualifiers each year, plus I play by the Rules of Golf even when not in a tournament. I wanted to double-check the rules on rangefinders that measure slope so that I didn’t accidentally buy an illegal rangefinder.
I usually walk when I play. I want a rangefinder that has a good case that hangs on the bag and that is secure so that the rangefinder won’t fall out.
Finally, I want to spend around $300. I’ll spend more, but that’s the goal. Spending $300ish seems appropriate for some reason, but $600 and you’re thinking, I could have a new driver for this. And the new driver will be a lot more fun.
The tacos from Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ are highly rated. See here, here, and here. We were in Austin recently and stopped by. Here’s how it went.
I ordered a pulled pollo taco and a barbacoa taco. I’ve read in other places that barbacoa is only available on Sundays, so I had to try it. The meat in each taco was excellent, especially the chicken. It was juicy and succulent. Garnished with guacamole and a habanero salsa, each bite was top notch. The barbacoa was also great; it was smoky, but–somewhat shocking to me–I rank Valentina’s barbacoa slightly behind Taconazo. The purist in me assumes that coming off a smoker, the barbacoa at Valentina’s would automatically be better. And it did have an excellent smoky flavor, but Valentina’s barbacoa was less fatty and tender.
But the smokiness and quality of the meat was evident. Inside the truck, I saw a rack of shelves with a variety of foil-wrapped meats. A new brisket was unwrapped while I ordered, and I nearly changed my order. It had a thick, beautiful dark bark, and there’s almost no way the brisket I saw wasn’t delicious. I’d love to try Valentina’s other meat preparations.
My lovely wife gave me a Yeti Tundra Haul a few years ago for Christmas. It’s the Yeti with wheels. It’s a beautiful cooler. But it’s also big and heavy, and I was unsure I wanted it. I went back and forth, thinking about the amount of room it takes up in our house (we won’t be keeping a super-expensive cooler in the garage with all the spiders and heat and whatever else, will we?) versus hearing stories about how long it will keep ice (“and three days later . . . !”). I was also concerned that it wouldn’t fit in my tiny Chevy Bolt.
The Yeti Tundra Haul
Well, I kept it, and I have been very happy with it. It holds a lot of stuff. This makes it ridiculously heavy when full, but it really does seem to keep ice for a long time. And it fits (barely) in my tiny Chevy Bolt.
One of the other reasons I kept it was that I had seen friends with Yeti coolers, and they all had a wire dry goods basket in the inside of the cooler. Yeah, it comes with the cooler, they would say proudly. Awesome. When we go camping, I’m usually worried on day two about seeing a half-used bacon package bobbing up and down in the mix of water and semi-melted ice, contaminating the beer. I looked at these friends with their dry goods baskets, and I was envious.
Hence, I was excited about having a metal rack in my new Yeti cooler. Yet, the Tundra Haul not only doesn’t come with a wire basket, Yeti doesn’t even make a wire dry goods basket for the Haul.
A couple of weeks before heading to Louisville, I was not familiar with Edward Lee. After returning home, I realize Edward Lee basically planned my trip, and to good effect.
Lee is a well-known chef from Louisville. 610 Magnolia is his primary restaurant, though he has other interests in the area. When I started researching Louisville, I read about 610 Magnolia, went to its website, and found out that it’s open Wednesday-Sunday and serves only from a tasting menu. I immediately e-mailed for a reservation. No luck. I was asking about a Wednesday, so I had some hope. But I went about my trip planning, thinking a visit to 610 Magnolia might not pan out.
Later online, I found an interview Edward Lee did with Andrew Zimmern. The subject was what to do in Louisville. Lee recommended staying at Gralehaus, part of the Grales family. I looked into that, it seemed cool, so I booked it. Gralehaus was cool. I added the Beer Lover’s package to my room, and four unique beers awaited me in the mini-fridge when I checked in. The room was dark and smartly decorated. It looked down into the biergarten, but the biergarten wasn’t open on Tuesday night. The room had an old school tape deck with a drawer of tapes I had never heard of. The set up looked too inviting, so after checking in, I put one of the tapes on and listened with headphones to some cool music. Next, I needed to get out and walk around.
I headed toward the Big Four Bridge; this is a pedestrian bridge over the Ohio River that crosses into Indiana and is recommended by any what-to-do-in-Louisville feature. On the way, I passed Cave Hill Cemetery, where Muhammad Ali is buried. It looked inviting, and I wish I had a gone inside to take a look. It’s huge, and you could see all the paths and plentiful green space through the entrance. I kept walking toward the bridge. The walk was too long, probably two miles, but I think I just wanted to get out in the city and explore. It was at times pleasant and at times ill-advised. Pleasant: walking through tree-lined streets near North Campbell Street, looking at lovely old houses. Not pleasant: walking past a desolate rock-crushing plant near the soccer stadium; there were sprinklers running here to tamp down the dust. Nonetheless, I made it to the bridge and walked across.
bar Vetti pizza; the Big Four Bridge; Gralehaus
The bridge was cool, definitely worth doing. There are great views into Louisville and into Indiana. The University of Louisville women’s crew team was practicing below when I walked across. There were a lot of people on the bridge, but it didn’t feel crowded. My plan was to eat at bar Vetti after the bridge, but I was now tired of walking and sitting on the Indiana side.
I’ve lived within five minutes of the Taconazo taco truck on Fulton for about 13 years before I visited, which is sad. Because after going for the first time in July 2021, I have probably been back ten times in the last year. It is great.
The tacos are delicious and made while you wait. Every time I have been, there have been other customers waiting. On weekend nights, I have stood in a line maybe twenty deep; it doesn’t take too long, but the line’s presence guarantees you aren’t getting food that has been sitting around. The line also contributes to a collective anticipation of the food and maybe the evening. People are in good moods in this line.
The official name is Taqueria Taco Nazo Veracruz. Importantly, it’s cash only. I’ve seen another truck with the same logo of a sunglasses-wearing jalapeño lounging beside a palm tree while driving north on S. Sgt. Macario Garcia Drive after returning from golf at Gus Wortham. I haven’t been to the East End one yet.
We were in need of an outdoor table on which to eat. It seems like outdoor furniture is expensive and rarely gets used. Ugh. Then we found the Joola Berkshire Indoor/Outdoor Table Tennis Table. Also expensive, but with a table tennis option. Yes.
We decided to make it the big family Christmas gift this year. It has been a hit. We’ve played a lot of games; everyone has improved, and now we frequently watch YouTube videos by Adam Bobrow to see amazing table tennis play.
For some reason, when we ordered it, I halfway thought it would be assembled by the delivery people or that it might be mostly assembled upon arrival. The day the delivery truck arrived, and there was one person in the truck, I immediately knew this was going to be a project. And in retrospect, I have no idea why I thought it would be assembled or someone would assemble it for us.
The woman driving the truck used a mechanical lift to bring the massive two-box combination into our garage. The bill of lading described the shipment as being 500 pounds. I don’t think it was quite that much, but this thing is heavy.
The gargantuan two boxes after just being opened.
What follows are photos of the assembly and final product. It took five or six hours to put together. I took my time to ensure I didn’t screw anything up and to make sure things were nice and level. My wife helped me carry the heavy halves of the tabletop, but most of the assembly can be performed by one person. If you have two adults working together, you could probably assemble it in two hours or less.
I first saw The Golfer’s Journal behind a glass case in Golf Galaxy; there was a stack of about six issues with an intriguing cover photograph showing at the top. I had never heard of it. It seemed confidential; my interest was piqued.
I didn’t buy it then, but months later, I thought of it, went online, and found a video they produced around the time of the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. The video is about Mission Bay Golf Course, a par-58 short course in San Diego. The video contains a lot of the elements of golf courses that I love. These are features we all know, and features that still draw me in–the low-slung wooden clubhouse, the well-kept municipal course that draws quality players, and one of my favorites–the unassuming guy who doesn’t look the part, but who is really good.
I also saw that Tom Coyne was involved with TGJ, as the magazine refers to itself. I read one of Coyne’s books, Paper Tiger, about his attempt to drop everything and become a professional golfer. I enjoyed it. On the merits of the video and the memory of the glass case and Coyne’s involvement, I became a subscriber of the magazine. I have received two issues so far (I just received issue No. 18 in the mail the other day).
There is a certain mystique to TGJ. The issues aren’t sent out bare or in a simple plastic sleeve as some magazines are–they arrive in their own protective paperboard envelope. To call it a magazine is underselling it, it has more of the feel of an academic journal or trade publication. I get excited when I see it in the mail. The issues have an elegant feel with thick paper and quality binding. When I first get an issue, I flip through and am interested in reading nearly every article.
A subscription is fairly expensive–$75 for four issues a year. The high price is likely due to the limited number of ads that are in the magazine. But the photography alone is worth the price; it is stunning. Each issue has many full-page and double-page spreads of golf scenes from around the world. And as with the Mission Bay video, they incorporate a lot of panoramic drone photographs that are incredible.
