A Premier Day

West Ham United vs. Swansea City

It was beautiful spring afternoon in London Stadium for my first Premier League game. I’ve been to many soccer games from the MLS’s Sounders and Real Salt Lake to college and high school games, but this was a bucket list item. Though the two teams weren’t close to being at the top of the table, the points they earned during the match would be valuable to avoid relegation. Though, still not my favorite sport to watch, I can appreciate the great game, especially the history. West Ham just moved into London Stadium this year from their long term home of Boleyn Ground. Fortunately, the team brought most of their traditions to their new home though the supports say the atmosphere at the 60,000+ person stadium, host of the 2012 Olympics, isn’t quite the same. Originally est. in 1895 as the Thames Iron Workers, the club affectionately goes by the nicknames the Irons or Hammers. The popular hashtag for the team’s social media posts is #COYI, which means, “Come On You Irons.” The shouts of the saying can be heard often during the game. It must be said that the game was one the most vulgar experiences that I’ve been to and I wouldn’t recommend for those with sensitive ears. The crowds for the matches can be so raucous that it is standard for the Premier League to not allow alcohol in the seats, though you can have a pint or two in the concourse before the match, and the visiting fans face a separate entrance. There were some pretty awesome moments including a goal in the 44’ minute that ignited the crowd in the team song “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles” which has a long history dating back to late 1920’s. Watch this video below to get the full-effect and see the teams old stadium. The score remained 1-0 for the remainder of the game and all the Hammers went home content for the day.

 

Princes Golf Club

Prince's Golf Club

Sandwich Bay, Kent, England

There are good days and then there are unforgettable days. Thursday, April 6 was the latter. I awoke early and caught the tube from my London Hotel to Kings Cross/St. Pancras station where I boarded the 8:20 Southeastern Line train to Ramsgate via Sandwich. Why? To golf, of course. On the train, I met a few great people. One of my new mates, Will, explained to that he was headed out to the English Coast as well to watch the Halford Hewitt (click the link to lead more about this awesome tradition) taking place at Royal St. Georges and Royal Ports Golf Club. My goal for the day, however, was to conquer the most northern of the three Sandwich courses, Princes Golf Club.

I have played courses that are links style but never a true links course. Links is a term used to denote the “linking” of sea to suitable farmland. It should be known that links are generally a sandy, duney, wasteland, or golfer’s paradise. Princes is full of history, most prestigious hosting the 1932 Open Championship won by American Gene Sarazen. The course is on tap to host half of this year’s British Amateur as well. There are 27 holes at Prince's, I played the better two of the three nines in the Shore and Dunes. Most enjoyable about the layout was that there was an equal number of holes headed in each direction, including par 3’s and par 5’s. This is a crucial design feature as it can get very windy in these parts. I, however, enjoyed temperatures of 65 degrees F, nearly cloudless skies, and only a 10 MPH breeze (see the “unforgettable days” statement at the first of the post). Though it took me a few holes to get warmed up using the rental clubs, I was able to make back-to-back birdies on the 5^th and 6^th. I hit marvelous bunker shot, if I do say so myself, on 5 from about 95 yards that impressed my English playing partners greatly (more about these new mates in my next post about the Halford Hewitt). We played from the white tees and the yardage was about 6800 yards and even at sea level played short because of the immense amount of run you could get. A suggestion on two golf clubs that one might want to invest in for this style of play would include a 2-Iron and a good hybrid/rescue. Though I only lost one ball, the rescue will be necessary for all the fescue that surrounds ever whole. I was able to shoot in the 70’s on this new style of course for e and can’t wait to play something similar soon. Chambers Bay, anyone? 

If you ever have a free day in England this is a journey worth taking. Even if you have travel companions that aren’t interested in golf, they easily could get off the train in Dover and explore the castle and white cliff vistas while you play your round. The total price tag for the day was £165, around $200 with the current exchange rate, including golf (a £50 green fee), rental clubs, train ticket, lunch, and Sandwich Car (Uber is not yet a thing in this part of the world). Pro-tip: Renting clubs is not a bad option, it was a nearly new Titleist set, but bring your own golf glove and a few balls so you don’t have to pay club shop prices. Fortunately, I packed my own shoes.

Princes Dune #2

Princes Shore #1

Sandwich Train Station

Princes Dunes #4

Princes Dunes #5, First Bunker on the links

North Sea

Sand Hollow

Sand Hollow Resort
Hurricane, UT

Sand Hollow is ranked the top course to play in Utah according to my friends over at the Golf Course Gurus and it did not disappoint. I would need a few more rounds to give it fully my top spot for the state but I can comfortably put it in a 1A/1B situation with the Gold Course at Solider Hollow.   We played from the black tees, which can stretch the course to over 7300 yards, but the course was playing closer to 7000 for second 18 of our 36 hole day (we played Coral Canyon first). Distance isn't the toughest part of the course, rather it's the big undulating greens and well placed bunkers. It seemed like the real grit of the course was found between holes 3-7 (a 200 yard par 3, two par 4's that are close to 500 yards and a par 5 that is near 600 yards) and how you played there could make or break the rest of your round. The back nine is along the edge of the canyon and provides some of the best views I've seen on the golf course. The in-cart GPS that gives you an accurate reading to the flag is always a nice bonus and should improve your scoring, if you trust it. We took advantage the twilight rate ($80/person) and teed off around 2:30 pm. The course was fairly empty for the great conditions and we finished with plenty of daylight. This is definitely a course I'm looking forward to playing again.

Coral Canyon

Coral Canyon Golf Course
Washington, UT

Coral Canyon was the first course to be played during our guys weekend this March. It was the second time I've played Coral and it was as good as I remember. As far as the layout goes, this course has a little bit of everything from par fives that lend themselves to birdies to short par threes where if you miss the green it's certain doom, as is the case with my favorite hole #6. My second favorite hole is the drive-able par 4, #8, which from the tips is only 312 yards. It forces a decision and you are just as likely to birdie as you are to bogey (as I did last week). There are a total of five par five's on the course including three in the last five holes, allowing you to make up (or lose) some serious ground in stroke or match play events. The course has great red-rock and desert views. Though you aren't that far out of the metro area, there is definitely a resort feel. The fairways were in good shape but the tees (not-level) and greens (cut short and nearly bald) weren't as good as they could have been.We were able to play the a course for about $50/person including cart thanks to Dixie Direct Card.

Golf Club of Estrella

A year has past since I wrote any reviews but after just returning from my annual trip to Arizona with my father, I'm dedicated once again. I have also given some thought to ranking courses after reviewing them by using the CIPA metric. (Don't worry if you don't know the acronym, I made it up. It stands for: Courses I'd Play Again.) Similar to last year, we played two new courses for us and enjoyed three Spring Training games. More on the the baseball later!

Golf Club of Estrella, Goodyear, AZ

After looking for courses on the west side of the Phoenix Valley, Estrella popped up as one of the Top 20 Courses You Can Play in Arizona according to GolfWeek. The pictures on the website lead you to believe that this course a Nicklaus designed desert golf paradise. That was far from the truth. For the most part, the course was generic, nestled between a planned community, and worn down thus making the $115/person rate seem very over-priced. You could see where the last 30 cups had been cut on each green and there were plenty of un-replaced divots. This was much different than what we had experienced at the last Troon managed course, Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, we played which was in great condition. The worst hole on the course in my opinion was #5, ironically named "Oasis", with a large fake pond guarding the left side of the green and lined by homes. The first 16 holes of Estrella could have been dropped in any locale (Nevada, California, the flat parts of Idaho) almost as a "strip-mall" of desert golf. Jack Nicklaus II did save the best for last, the 17th (pictured) and 18th holes had impressive elevation changes and views, but that was about all worth remembering from the course.

Papago Golf Course

Papago Golf Course

I didn't quite know what to expect from Papago but we needed a course close the airport and I had viewed plenty of interesting pictures and videos from the The CartBarnguys. I was pleasantly surprised! But not by the looks of the place... The clubhouse is a modular and has been for the last eight years according to one of real Cart Barn guys. The staff looked cozy in there, baking cookies and telling jokes. Cart Barn guy went on to explain that the Arizona State University golf teams will soon use Papago as their home facility and when they do, they will build a new clubhouse. At this time though, no visible clubhouse construction. Anyways, once you get past the modular clubhouse and the unkempt desert areas, the red rock views and immaculate condition of the tees, fairways, bunkers, and greens made Papago a memorable experience. The course was a classic competition course with a great mixture of long and short holes according to their par. There were plenty of scoring opportunities on a few short par 4's and plenty of opportunities to make mistakes with properly placed bunkers. Overall, though far from a resort, Papago was a great track and a place that I would be happy to call home if I lived in the area. The round cost roughly $85/person with cart.

Fifteen years strong: Father and son share bond over golf

This story was published about my dad and I in the Idaho State Journal. I can't explain how much I love this tradition.

http://idahostatejournal.com/members/fifteen-years-strong-father-and-son-share-bond-over-golf/article_c9ef258a-5049-5f19-a384-4bc35b63e388.html

For 15 years, Tim and Marcus Morrison have stepped onto the same golf course to play in the same two-day tournament on the same weekend in June.

While the father-and-son duo has enjoyed various levels of success over the years, one thing has always remained the same: their bond over golf.

“There’s just something special about it,” said son Marcus. “My dad taught me how to play golf. My dad means a lot to me, and it’s just eight to 12 hours — depending on how fast or slow the rounds go — of father-and-son time.”

Marcus graduated from Highland High School in 2007 before getting his degree in accounting from Utah State University in 2011. He lived in Salt Lake City for four years before moving to Seattle last summer to work for Amazon. Through it all, he’s always made it a point to return to his home golf course to partake in the tournament with his dad. Marcus won’t let 700 miles stand between him and keeping a storied family tradition alive.

“I pretty much had it marked on my calendar the whole time,” he said. “...I haven’t lived in Pocatello for a long time, but it’s always been circled on the calendar to come home.”

It all started when Marcus was 12. Highland Golf Course was right outside the Morrisons’ backyard, and Marcus was starting to take the sport seriously. That was when Tim had the idea to enter himself and his son into Highland Golf Course’s two-man scramble-best ball tournament.

Before long, the Morrisons cemented it as an established yearly practice. And as Marcus began developing his golf talent and playing on Highland’s varsity golf squad, the pair became a formidable twosome.

The Morrisons reached their peak right after Marcus graduated from Highland. It was the sixth year he and Tim had played in the tournament, and they were tied for the lead of the first flight after the scramble on day one.

Tim and Marcus watched the groups ahead of them posting solid scores in best-ball play on day two, and they knew they’d have to be on their game to have a shot at winning the tournament.

With one hole left and the tournament crown on the line, Marcus sank the clinching 10-foot putt.

“Just seeing the look on (my dad’s) face and seeing how proud he was,” Marcus said. “It was right after I graduated high school. I just felt like, ‘OK this is kind of the pinnacle.’ ... When I think about golf and the memories and stuff like that, that’s the first one that comes to mind. ... It was a top golf moment for me.”

Over the years, Marcus and Tim’s golfing ability has waned. With other things on their plates, both are spending less time on the links.

But the yearly custom was never based on par scores. It was always based on the bond between father and son. They’ll notch their 15th tournament together Saturday and Sunday.

“I’m committed to it as long as I can keep playing with him until he drops me as a partner,” Tim said.

Marcus shares that sentiment.

“I love it,” he said. “I just hope we don’t stop, and when we do, I hope I have kids big enough to play with. ... It’s really at this point not about the result. It’s about getting out there together.”

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes

Ak-Chin Southern Dunes, Maricopa, AZ

First of all this course is way outside of town. You really feel like you are going on an adventure but based on where you stay at in the metro area (we stayed in Mesa) and the time of day you go, it may take you actually less time to get there than courses in the metro area. (Side note, the horses you see in the desert when going across Wild Horse Pass, really are wild horses.) Southern Dunes has a unique charm that starts with a tree lined drive as you pull up the club house. The clubhouse itself is immaculate and would be perfect for setting for just about anything golf or non-golf related. The course itself has a great practice facility and when we played it was nearly empty. There was hardly a flaw on the course; very few un-repaired divots, smooth greens, and perfectly manicured bunkers. The layout of the course as a whole was very good though I couldn’t say there was any one extremely memorable hole. There are many desert-type trees ( I dropped out of "Woody Shrubs and Trees" in college) but you don’t quite get the “cactusy” desert feel as you may expect out of a course in Arizona. The greens are deceptive and do not have as much break as you’d expect, there is no need to play anything within 15 feet outside the hole. Being outside the city allows a unique serenity as well, besides an occasional train passing by all you really hear is nature. The extras that the course provides really put it at the top of my list for replay- free bottled water every four holes, GPS, and an in-cart USB port. We were the first group out for the day and played in less than four hours and paid less than $100/person.

Longbow Golf Club

Longbow Golf Club, Mesa, AZ

This course is located on the east side of the Phoenix metro and was also fairly accessible.  Though it is somewhat in the city it provides a unique desert setting with giant cacti and rumors of rattlesnakes. The course provides an interesting mix of long and short par fours along with probably the best group of par 3’s I’ve played in a while. Of the two courses we played, Longbow was the more compelling layout that provided more opportunities to make a mistake as well as score. Being closer to the population base, you could see the use that the course was getting: noticeable pitch marks in the green and the receiving areas of the course that had plenty of un-repaired divots. This could have been because a recent Women’s NCAA tournament was held at the site (again a nod to the strong layout). There were some things that showed sometimes of neglect as it was clear that none of the bunkers had been raked for at least a day. Longbow also didn’t provide the resort type of feel that Ak-Chin did i.e. there was no cook to prepare breakfast (so we had toast), the range wasn’t open before we teed off, there was little to no drinking water throughout the course and no in cart GPS. Again, we were the first group out for the day and paid $100/person.

Preview: Spring Training Trip 2016

In just a week my dad and I will be back in Arizona for golf and Spring Training baseball! On the docket this year are two courses on Golfweek'sBest: State-by-State Courses You Can Play, 2016: Ak-Chin Southern Dunes and Longbow.

We are also looking forward to attending 3-4 baseball games; visiting a couple of new parks we weren’t able to make it to last year. I’ll blog more about the trip as it happens!

2015 Tournament Schedule and Goals

2015 State Am Qualifier- Wingpointe

Tournament Schedule and Recap
May
Southeast Idaho Amateur- Riverside Golf Course, Pocatello, ID May 2-3
79-83=162
I hit the ball well both days of the tournament but chipping and putting seemed to be a challenge on Riverside's mound greens. Only one birdie was carded over the 36 holes. My driver got away from me a little bit on the back nine on Sunday and led to a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par 5, 18th with two O.B.'s. I was tied for third in the first flight after Saturday's round and was in the last group on Sunday, matched with eventual flight winner Marty Ferhinger who shot 74-70 for an even par 144.

Salt Lake City Amateur- Wingpointe Golf Course, Salt Lake City, UT May 30-31
76-73=149 2nd Place in the 1st Flight, Blue tees

June
State Amateur Qualifying- Wingpointe Golf Course, June 3
80- MC. After starting the round four over after two holes, I was able to birdie 11 and 12 to get back to three over for the round. Unfortunately, I bogeyed five of the six holes coming in and missed the cut by two strokes.

Pepsi / Mama Inez Bestball/Scramble- Highland Golf Course, Pocatello, ID June 6-7
We started the round off fairly average in the scramble portion on Saturday, never getting anything going and ended up with a 2-under 70. On Sunday, I birdied the first three holes(10-12) and we were rolling. We then took team double bogeys on 13 and 14 and are chances were reduced. In the end I finished with five birdies and carded an individual 74 for the day.

Goals
1. Qualify for the State Am
2. Win my flight in a tournament
3. Shoot under par in competitive round