I love Bobby Jones, A real classy. Apparels are so hot! Wish I could have those. I wonder how much does it cost? It's so good for gift present for dad's.

Wow! The place is stunningly beautiful! Place is so classy and I love it! This will be one of my must see place.

It's wonderful! Agree that slowplay is so irritating! I can't afford to play in long hours because of work. And thanks to GolfNow.com. Theres no more reasons for golfers not to play.

Roger Chapman is my dad's idol. Didn't realized how good he is,well.he really is! looking forward to see more on his games. :)

Gullane Golf Club looks good. I think it will be the next golf course destination in my list. :)

Played last month for the first time. Now will boycott the place. Double teeing guarantees 4.5+ hour round of golf. Had to wait over half hour at the turn. Not gonna happen again. If the "go big" in the title of the blog refers to the length of time it takes to play here, I wholeheartedly agree.

MIdwest golf season is finally open for business,that's a great news. I should tell my dad to have our trip scheduled.

Great resort, $ golf courses and home of the Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy

New Zealand is really such a beautiful place to visit. All you wish to do is there. A nice place to bond with the family. A long hours of air travel is still worth it.

golfnow and golflogix really help those golfers to find interesting course they want to play. Aside that they can book more easily, it also provides opportunity for the golfers to enjoy within their budget.

woow,the place is very wide and beautiful. No wonder,this is perfect place for celebrities to enjoy.

Jason, thank you very much for writing about Daphne's Headcovers and some of my journey! Best wishes, Jane

Bridgestone have always been a great ball.

Just back from Chambers Bay and The Home Course. Both are wonderful. CB is a links course with no pseudo. Sure Pacific waves instead of Puget Sound's placid waters would be great, but it's Bandonesque in every other way. HC is my personal favorite because it's somewhat linksy (but no water and it has more conventional fairways+greens) and you can putt and score on it. CB is hard to putt - almost everyone has 3 and 4 putts there until they get the feel (and that is tough to do). HC's fairways are almost as springy and a low, Scottish-style game is definitely in order. HC will just get better every year and deserves mention with CB, Gold Mountain, Washington National, Newcastle and other stars in the NW sky. You can't go wrong.

Jason,

Your columns confirm that New Zealand will be on my bucket list of golf travel destinations. I have thoroughly enjoyed previous trips to Ireland and Scotland but your reviews of New Zealand confirm it is a remarkable place for golf.

Alister. I hardly ran out of balls. I only had time to play the back nine and I drove the entire front nine, taking pictures and watching players tackle the course. I've seen enough courses around the world -- 600 - to form an educated opinion. Plus, I spent time at length interviewing the head professional Tom Long. I think my point is valid: Kinloch is too difficult to leave visitors with a strong first impression. It is a members course ... and as such ... those who play it multiple times will get more enjoyment out of it.

And I don't get the sensitive nature of those defending Kinloch. I gave it much praise. Its layout is strong and beautiful. You are nitpicking my every word. It's a great course, one of the top five in New Zealand, and I'd love to return for a second look.

Jason

I struggle with the title of your piece, and also the finish of it. You are clearly a Tom Doak fan, as I am, yet I get the feeling that you are implying that you are in fact a Nicklaus fan also, by steering people to your "good" Nicklaus articles....yet you've had a pretty good left-field swipe at Kinloch here (which incidentally many see as one of Jack Nicklaus' finest designs to date).

I do love the fact that golf offers and opens up so much debate about golf course architecture, however it does interest me when I see it come from someone who only played 9 holes of a golf course. Clearly you did not have the time to enjoy the full Kinloch experience...? Had you run out of ammunition? That happens...!

Now, you say that Doak "gets it". That implies that Nicklaus doesn't. You need to understand the context of what the brief was for both architects. Nicklaus was asked to design a members "Championship" layout which would be enjoyed by members for years to come. Kinloch definitely does not benefit from a single round there, and does often defeat people, but I would disagree with you saying that happens endlessly. Once you are familiar with the layout and the variety it offers, it is one of the finest challenges in world golf. That is why there is a great emphasis on visitors to have at least 2 rounds to fully benefit from playing there (discounted green fees for subsequent rounds).

Tom Doak on the other hand had a brief to design a stunningly spectacular, playable course as part of a complex to be enjoyed by all visiting golfers in particular for guests staying at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. And that he did.

I personally love both courses - they offer a completely different set of challenges and are incomparable on the same piece of paper.

So, please, if you are going to bag a designer or his design without having fully experienced it or grasped it, then it really should be saved for your private journals.

However, saying that, there is not a lot wrong with creating "polarity", since debate in the clubhouse after a round is what we love to look forward to...!

Finally, I will say that your statement of : "This is not Nicklaus v Doak" - in my view has made it such... I too, respect your opinion - you said you weren't playing very well, and it has always been recognised that to enjoy Kinloch, you are advised to bring your "A" game!

I hope that next time you visit New Zealand, you find the time to return to Kinloch to be able to experience it for all its glory, as part of a fantastic piece of the New Zealand golfing jigsaw that offers some of the worlds greatest golf courses.

Incidentally - if you could make a few "minor" tweaks to Kinloch as you call them, what would the two at the top of your list be...?

I lived in NZ for two years and only played Cape Kidnappers because of the good job Doak did at Pacific Dunes. In all honesty, I wasn't overly impressed with the course. Yes, there are some great views to be had but where in NZ don't you have spectacular views. Give me a round at any of the following, Wairakei, Int'l, Poverty Bay GC, Formosa CC or Ngamotu Links.

Dave, I respect your opinion. This story has nothing to do with my interview with Doak. And I would agree that Kauri Cliffs and Jacks Point are possibly (maybe even probably) better than Cape. Six handicappers like you will love Kinloch. For the 90 percent of the rest of us, however, it will defeat us endlessly. For the record, I still believe Kinloch is magic and with a few minor tweaks would be a course among the best in the world.

As a 6 handicapper having played both Kinloch and Cape Kidnappers last year whilst visiting from the US , I couldn't disagree with you more. Kinloch is a fantastic golf course with no weak holes whereas I would almost place a wager that Cape Kidnappers is not one of Tom Doak's proudest layouts ! Kidnappers has several unmemorable golf holes and a number of green complexes that are like camels backs. Kauri Cliffs and Jacks Point along with Kinloch in my opinion trump Cape Kidnappers. It's great that opinions on golf courses can be so vastly different but I wonder if your interview with Tom Doak played a part in your review ?? I doubt my comments will be posted but NZ top 3 would be... 1. Kauri Cliffs
2. Kinloch and 3. Jacks point. The layout and scenery of 'The Hills' in Queenstown would make it number 4 but personally I would even rank Paraparaumu and Wairakei above Cape Kidnappers and the both of those you can play for a fraction of the price of Kidnappers.

Ocean Club Resorts in Turks is an eye catching place for travelers as for golfers.

I hope you are correct. I'm rooting for a couple more majors for Phil.

What Phil has accomplished in the Tiger era has been incredible. He's had plenty of near misses but that's just golf. I could still see him winning two or three more majors especially given his astounding record at Augusta. He still has at least five more years of great golf ahead of him.

There are a lot of angry people and this mammoth development is falling apart.
The elite of the DR use this as their party ground while the rest of us see our money defrauded and stolen from us. No one should go to CapCana until they return our money or finish our paid in full villas. See golf capcana blog

The images really look great. So beautiful! Thanks for sharing these photos. I wish I could visit this place someday too.

I saw this amazing club that can be adjusted. It really looks amazing and the functions are promising too. I think I want to try it out. It would be the best thing to ask even for a delayed Christmas present. :)

another great article that shows the true flavor of the course you are writing about. So happy you got a chance to experience our TPC!

see you on the course

TK

Jason,
I sure enjoyed he day, glad you had a good trip.
Ken

Great article, made me feel like I was there with you! TK

nice stuff with nice updates.

If you want less angst — less roll off into the wetlands from what looked like a pretty good fairway shot when the ball left the tee— play Raptor Bay located near Old Corkscrew. It has the same kind of wildlife, same natural beauty but does not beat you up.

Jason. Kevin Dern and I told you how much you would enjoy Shawnee. We enjoyed being your playing partners at Great Gorge as well. I'll continue to look for your future articles. Call me anytime you return to New Jersey.

The easiest way to get a copy on the Confidential Guide, besides paying big bucks on Ebay for it, is to find it at Pinehurst's Tufts Archives:

http://www.worldgolf.com/blogs/brandon.tucker/2010/03/01/an-afternoon-with-tom-doak-s-controversial-confidential-guide-to-golf-courses

I've been a customer of both stores for many a year and I know for a fact that Casey Baker never actually fit golf clubs post 2003. Cheers.

I have not played Chambers Bay. I have wonderful things about it, however, and it's on my bucket list. But I have played Salish Cliffs and The Home Course, and I have stayed at Little Creek Casino Resort, and I couldn't agree more with your assessment of those very fine places. Cheers, Jason!

I, too, was rooting for Padraig. As a whole, our weather for the week was grand, spotted with a shower or two here or there. Actually, the tournament site at Portrush got the worst of it.

Cormac, thanks for the kind words. Chuck, pro-ams are for good golfers like you, not golfers who are a danger to the crowd like me. Still, it was a great experience.

Jason,

It must have been great fun to play in the Pro-am! Portrush is a terrific test and great job parring Calamity; it is a very difficult par 3.

I hope you had some strong Irish winds blowing when you played; it is the true way to experience links golf at its finest.

Jason,

I am glad and jealous that you had such great weather at Rosses Point and Donegal! I played Rosses Point with my brother the first time we toured with John and Justin and I thought it was terrific. We also had great weather that day. I have watched the Irish Open this week and the weather has not been as good. Saturday's weather looked terrible and similar to the weather we experienced when we played Portrush. Hopefully, Sunday's weather will be better and Padraig can win the trophy.

Best Regards,
Chuck McDonough

Jason - once again your article is right on the money , out of the sweet spot or which ever cliché you wish to use.......

The course looked super; love the greens. Can't wait to play it. 24. Handicap at 72 yrs

This is a great news. Blackwolf is an amazing golf course. Good thing they develop it more.

Nostalgic course for me as well. I played it in a junior tour event when I barely had enough distance to cover the carry off the tee on that damn 16th. Took me four times in the tournament - scored a 13. But I always liked getting out to that place - felt a little like a resort course.

you should mention how fantastic the greens are at that couse as well...nice track Cumberland is..

the man can definitely carve a pumpkin...has not done one of me yet though...

Awesome post thanks for the info!

The only thing worse than having to use your umbrella and rain suit, is not having them on hand when the need arises.

http://hittingthegolfball.com

Yes Caledonia is stunning. We've been there with my friends. it is so great to play golf there.

Although the new fitting center is not completed we are doing performance fittings at our Bloomfield store on our heated and covered driving range. We have dedicated fitters and feature Trackman Pro III launch and swing analyzers. Call 248-335-8095 for more info or to schedule a fitting.

My husband and i spent a few days at Turcker's Point in October, and it was wonderful.

Do the chickens still run around the golf course in February?