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We recently took the long way around the Bluegrass State in search of our bread and butter combination, golf and bourbon! The Kentucky Bourbon Trail has become big tourism all across the state, yet outside of a heavenly championship venue, it's not really know for its golf pedigree. We set out to discover if the two could be combined. Why? Good question... Five plus years ago, my brother and I (Dooner) signed up for a program called Maker's Mark Ambassadors. A bourbon we had long sipped on socially (ok, maybe more than sipped on from time to time) and a brand I admired professionally, we took advantage of the cool perks of the program, like the fact they put your name on a barrel (i.e. 'your barrel') and receive updates to learn what's going on inside the barrel during the maturation process. Aging takes anywhere between four to seven years, but they do a great job of keeping you invested in the journey. Fun fact: we signed up so long ago that The Golf Crusade hadn't even been born yet! Along the way, you'll periodically receive some small, thoughtful and on-brand gifts to remind you that their craft is one you don't rush. Then one day, like little Charlie opening that one magical Wonka Bar, your Golden Ticket finally arrives in the mail! Inside the packet lies an invitation to visit the Maker's Mark Distillery in Loretto to tour the grounds, peek behind the curtain, and of course, be able to purchase personalized bottles from your barrel - hand-dipping and stamping your own wax-capped seals in the process! And, since you're a big-time ambassador, your experience is FREE. All you pay for is the bounty you choose to bring home afterward. Enjoy a few inside looks, also free of charge! From the time we signed up and our barrel went in the rickhouse, we've been scouring and searching for the optimum route to squeeze a golf trip out of this and maybe even throw in a couple other visits to distilleries when we made our eventual pilgrimage to Loretto. One thing we discovered very quickly, however; Loretto isn't near anything. The closest town (Lebanon) is at least 15-20 minutes away. The closest town you'd likely want to stay in (Bardstown), is 30-35 minutes away. The closest thing resembling a top state-level public course (Heritage Hill) is a shade under an hour. The two big cities where you might be able to string together a few decent courses - Louisville & Lexington - are a 90 minute drive. We were either going to have to get creative to play some good golf or accept that we won't be wouldn't be writing much home about the courses. Naturally, we got creative! Initially, we wanted to take a southern route in order to hit The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green and the brand spanking new Park Mammoth in Park City. Olde Stone is the second ranked course in the state (and quite private, but an invitation had come along that we are still super excited to accept in the near future). You may have seen it hosting the US Girls Junior Amateur on GolfChannel this summer. Park Mammoth was a complete redo of an old local course. One of the principal architects and Instagolf pals, Brian Ross, hails from a neighboring town near us, so naturally we were (and STILL ARE) super excited to get over there to see it first hand. It looks AMAZING! If you beat us there, you better share the love! Unfortunately for us, a member-member at Olde Stone the weekend we'd planned to go took the route off the table (the two tracks are only 30 min apart. At 5 hours from home, we're saving them for a doubleheader when we have the time). We then considered a Lexington run, then a Louisville one, but with too much time to obsess, tinker and retool the trip, both were eventually ruled out. When we plan a trip, we always try to add a theme to it. If you're a frequent viewer of the Kentucky Derby, you may recall the state song, "My Old Kentucky Home". Other than the obvious bourbon, we may have the beginnings of a theme... "Old Kentucky". [Courses appear in the order in which they were planned] First, we found that My Old Kentucky Home is also a state park in Bardstown - which is nicknamed the 'Bourbon Capital of the World'. Our decision on where to stay was made and since the state park had a golf course of the same name, things started lining up. Based on the other KY State Park courses we'd played, it was probably going to be a reliable option for a convenient morning round before the short drive to Loretto. We booked a room and a round and we were on our way! (This turned into Day Three on our trip) My Old Kentucky Home State Park Golf Course | Bardstown, KY Fun fact about MYOKHSPGC, Heaven Hill Distillery (Evan Williams, Elijah Craig among others) sits adjacent to the 5th hole. It provides a neat backdrop for a few holes at the high point of the property (see below). After our AM round and early PM Maker's Mark tour (which took us in the direction of home), we moved our base of operations for the final night to Danville, KY to shorten the drive on getaway day. It wasn't accident we picked this lonely Central KY burgh however, as five miles up the road is - according to our findings - the only par three course in the state WITH LIGHTS! Bright Leaf Golf Resort feels more like a truck stop motel combined with the vibe of a fraternity reunion retreat that, oh by the way, has 27 holes of regulation golf and the par 3 loop to boot. We mean all of those things as compliments of course! If you have lights on your golf course, we appreciate more than you know! Bright Leaf Golf Resort (Par 3 Course) | Harrodsburg, KY Next, we looked to plan out the travel days (Days One and Four). We usually use these opportunities to play a 9-hole or a short course along the route - something that doesn't have to be great, just a place to get out and stretch the legs and swings (and collect a couple quick courses for the Crusade Course Counter in the upper right hand corner of this page). Going with the 'Old Kentucky' theme, we found that the two oldest nine-hole courses in the state fell along two different routes that we could reasonably take to/from our destination. We settled on Middlesboro Country Club (Middlesboro, KY) for our opening round of the trip. Not only is this the oldest course in Kentucky, it's the oldest nine hole course in the United States that is still operating in its original spot! Holy crap! Founded in 1889 by English immigrants, this course and town also lay unique claim to calling the center of an asteroid crater home! Can't make this stuff up. The course and region had been inundated with heavy rain all summer. Just a few miles north and a couple weeks prior, massive flooding resulting in over 30 deaths, damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Clouds threatened us the entire round, but fortune shined on us and kept us dry (buckets of sweat notwithstanding!). Middlesboro Country Club | Middlesboro, KY Bookending the trip was going to be the second-oldest nine in the state, Stearns Heritage Golf Course. Stearns is an old coal company town off US Highway 27 down near the state's southern border, about ninety minutes north of Knoxville, TN. Founded in 1936, it's website boasted that the course had gone virtually unchanged that entire time. What few photos they had compared to Google Earth view seemed to back that up. By the time we arrived, it appeared they had begun some renovations (a couple new greens and a few new bunkers were evident), but that didn't change the charm one bit. In time, those updates will only enhance this 49-acre tract that plays much bigger (wider) down the chute of the main layout. To get a full nine into the small parcel, they not only capped it with a par three, but starts with back-to-back one-shotters too! Some good par fours and a pretty good par five rounds out this locally appreciated course. If you ever find yourself driving by, stop in for a go at it. It's not going to show up in major publications or Turf Aficionado Quarterly, but you won't regret it. Stearns Heritage Golf Course | Stearns, KY If you're keeping score at home, we've covered Days One, Three and Four so far. That leaves Day Two (our Sunday). We were planning a minimum of thirty-six holes and wanted to play the most premium places we could find and still be able to make it back to Bardstown for a late supper at the only restaurant in town open past 8:00pm on a Sunday (thank you La Herradura)!!! Thankfully, we remembered the glowing recommendation of Chariot Run Golf Club by our friends @GolfOnAllTees. They played it on their way down from Chicago to our Iron Maverick II shindig last fall and raved about it for the couple of days we feasted on South Carolina Strantz courses! We remembered it being in the Louisville area - which we were at least in the ballpark of, being in Bardstown. Only problem was, it was on the Indiana side of the Ohio River and sadly we could not travel as the crows do. But, when in Rome... (go on)… We did as the Romans do? We rose with the sun, grabbed a biscuit from our free continental breakfast and made the hour and fifteen minute drive over to the Hoosier State. As you crest the final hill and the course comes into view, your first impression is a lasting one. White horse fencing surrounds the entire course, save for a gap for ingress/egress. Immediately, you know you've made the right choice to come here. With old silos on the range, the farmhouse clubhouse/horse barn @golfbarns combo in the center of the property and the CR logo-branded water tower ever present in the southeast corner, your eyes can easily be drawn away from the task at hand, but why would you want to? Again, this course has it all. While it uses dynamic pricing for its tee times (SMART!!!), you can play here for under a C-note and feel like you should be paying a lot more! Bill Bergin laid down a great routing to the property circa 2002. Just a few years later however, Randy Hoffacker's Lee-J Studio firm came into rework the bunkers to the course its signature rugged look. Hoffacker and Better Billy Bunker relined all the bunkers again in Fall '21 and this place looks brand new still to this day. Chariot Run Golf Club | Laconia, Indiana For our first course ever played in Indiana, Chariot Run set a very high bar for all other Hoosier courses that may follow on The Golf Crusade! We mentioned Heritage Hill earlier being the closest 'ranked' course close to Makers. It also happens to be an exit or two up I-65 from Clermont (Jim Beam people know what we're talking about!). It's also a consensus top five public course in the state, though you'll find it top-2 in a lot of lists. We felt that for $45 in the late afternoon, we'd give it a go. Again, it was a good call. Doug Beach - a former Jack Nicklaus design associate - laid out this SPRAWLING course on pretty exciting topography. Outside of a small three or four hole stretch on the back nine, the rest of the course is void of housing (and always will be), adding to the isolationist experience. Lots of hero tee shots, drop shot par threes and one hell of a finisher left us thinking this course is way underpriced. We did deal with a few beginners unaware of some playing through etiquette, which you'd probably weed out if they charged a little more (they could easily tack on $20 a round and people should pay it). We're not advocating for that of course, just reiterating the value you get here. If we ever update our 'Best 50 under $150' list, you can bet Heritage Hill is going to be on it. Heritage Hill Golf Club | Shepherdsville, KY Oh but wait, THERE'S MORE! For good measure, we found a little par three course on the route from Chariot Run to Heritage Hill that - at minimum - qualified for a drive-by to see how long the wait was to tee off. Lucky for us, it was 92 degrees (Reel Feel about 103) and the parking lot at Cherry Valley was pretty empty (lucky for 92?)! Cherry Valley is a vibey little par 29 tract in New Albany, Indiana. It's tucked right beneath/beside the Sherman Minton Bridge that connects to downtown Louisville. Likely, it's not a Monday mid-day course. After work though, we're sure the place is packed! Our new friend Joe who runs the place is a trained GCA by trade, so he knows what the hell he's doing out there. The greens are great. The Routing is a half-mile out and a half-mile back over very gentle land, so walking is a breeze (again, when its not 103 in the sun). We pushed our tee time at Heritage Hill back 30 minutes and carted around in about twenty-four minutes (again, 103 degree heat index people on a 45-hole day!!!). We asked Joe what the course speed record was, to which there was none. We hope that he starts a competition and you come give it a try! Cherry Valley Golf Course | New Albany, Indiana So, if this was an experiment to see if you could combine the Kentucky Bourbon Trail with a golf trip, what did we learn... CONCLUSIONS Take your time. We planned 50 pounds of crap in a 10 pound bag. We needed at least one other day, but when the wives' grant you three and you end up taking four, you don't press your luck. You can make a golf trip out of the Bourbon Trial, but most would prefer to stay along the I-64 corridor between Louisville and Lexington. Most of the best golf is probably found along that route, as are plenty of great distilleries. Maker's Mark more than lived up to the anticipation and expectations. It was a one-of-one experience and we'd do again in a heartbeat! Yes, there's a pretty lengthy waitlist we understand now for the Ambassador program, but that's because it's freaking awesome! Anything worth waiting seven years for probably is! If you plan a trip that covers a Sunday and Monday night in a small town, pretty much all restaurants close early (Sunday) or don't open at all (Monday, maybe Tuesday too). We had eyes on fat steaks and bourbon samplers on Monday night at this cool looking pub in Danville. Closed. Not cool. Plan better next time Dooner! That was a whirlwind few days! Here's some stats on our Old Kentucky Bourbon Banger golf trip (we never really settled on a name if you couldn't tell). Chronological Order of trip Saturday PM - depart/Middlesboro CC/travel to Bardstown Sunday - Chariot Run/Cherry Valley/Heritage Hill Monday - My Old Kentucky Home/Maker's Mark/Bright Leaf Tuesday - Stearns/arrive back home Trip Stats Courses played: 7 Holes played: 90 Miles Driven: ~735 Hours on Road: ~14 Total Hours on Trip: 96 We're sure this was a 1-of-1 type trip. That's the point of it though! Define your priorities for your crew and get it done. We sacrificed some bourbon spots for golf, but that's what we wanted to do. If we had a bigger group - or when we go back with a bigger group - bourbon will be a greater focus on the menu we're sure. Hope you enjoy learning about our experiences and the courses we find! Until next time... Sincerely Fores, Dooner

First off, we love short courses. If you're trying to reach a goal of playing 1000 courses, they're your best friend. However, there just aren't that many of them around - let alone good ones! Thankfully, that trend is changing. High-end resorts like Pinehurst, Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley, and others capitalized BIG TIME on this trend within the last five years or so. It's such a smart play for those guys! Short courses add so much fun to a trip, a day, or just the end of a round. Well, when people return home after a trip to one of those places, they have golf withdrawal. We had such a high level of it after playing The Cradle (Pinehurst) and Bottlebrush (6-hole short course at Longleaf Golf & Family Club in neighboring Southern Pines, NC), that we set out to add a short course to an empty patch of grass at Dooner's local Muni. While COVID-19 and some unimaginative and unnamed politicians ultimately decided a 220-yard driving range with 5 portable targets would be a better use for the area (really??? still not over that one obviously), we learned of another short course project being built in East Tennessee, yet for an entirely different purpose than a high-end golf playground or a youth golf cornerstone. If you haven't had the pleasure, please allow us to introduce you to The Patch. This 12-hole short course designed by Bill Bergin at The Preserve, a growing, 1400-acre community about four miles off I-40 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Preserve has a 'town center' that grabs your eye as you drive in. It houses the welcome and fitness centers, a resort style pool and likely much more in the future. However, The Patch is the true centerpiece of this development. If you're a World War II history buff, you might know Oak Ridge as one of the most secretive places in the world. Due to it's role in the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge is basically the birthplace of the Atomic Age. Stands to reason why everything in 'The Secret City' was guarded so closely. No more secrets! Time to let the cat out of the bag about Oak Ridge's latest one... The Patch is freaking awesome and it's open to the public! In addition to the course, The Patch has it's own little clubhouse with a pro shop and indoor hitting bay, firepit, balcony, short-game practice area, putting green and a 300 yard driving range. Ok, enough of the other stuff. What about the course? Any good golf course - much like a good book or movie - must tell a great story. There are ups and downs, chapters and characters, pit falls and glory. The Patch contains them all. Since this story only has twelve holes to tell it's tale, it must build a little quicker than a traditional course. That said, we feel The Patch is a story of four chapters, each containing three holes and a theme. Since the course didn't name the holes, we'll claim naming rights on the chapters at least! And since we're in Tennessee, which of course provides America's Soundtrack, we'll provide a song recommendation for you to play on your Bluetooth speaker while playing/reading each Chapter! Chapter I - Head & Shoulders Soundtrack: Dirt Off Your Shoulder by Jay-Z (Linkin Park remix) "You never get a second chance to make a good first impression." -Will Rogers To our grandfathers, it was a phrase coined by the vaudeville star & early Hollywood icon. To us, it was the marketing campaign for Head & Shoulders in the 80s. Either way, the first impression (Chapter I) at The Patch is a memorable one. While only the initial green is visible uphill from the first tee, the rest of the opening trio of holes is unveiled once the green is summitted. Escape the tricky perched green on the first with a par and you're in business! Bunkers are a rare sight here (they're mostly just to keep your ball from careening off a cliff), but the second hole is home to one of the four thanks to its short length and flat grade. The third hole stares at you the entire time you play the second hole - much in the same way a slice of cheesecake does during a plated business luncheon. You eye it with anticipation while your salivary glands work overtime to breakdown your meal just a little bit faster than normal. Why? Because you want that cheesecake! On most short/par 3 courses, #3 at The Patch would be a signature hole. If you're adrenaline isn't pumping yet, it will be after the short walk up the hill to the opening shot of Chapter II. Chapter II - Rock Bottom Soundtrack: Rock Bottom by Dickey Betts Band The walk out to the 4th tee is such a great reveal. It might not be the highest point on the course, it just feels that way thanks to the 20-mile mountain vista in the distance. It's also from here that Watts Bar Lake makes an appearance beyond Chapter II's trinity of downward tee shots & greens. The 4th and 5th holes don't play all that different. Similar sized greens and lengths deal with likely the strongest wind conditions on the property thanks to the exposed western hillside. Together, they make a great visual team. No matter their collective might, they're no match for the main character in this story. How you play the 6th will determine if your story turns out to be a harrowing one of triumph or a tragedy of lost opportunity (and balls). Chapter II takes it's name from this hole of course - the lowest part of the course playing across a quarry to a narrow ridge that has death all around. It is nearly green or bust here, but only if you care about your score. Holes like this are so rare enough that playing them are reward enough. Score be damned the first time around. It's ok to be in awe and take pictures! The signature sixth - to us at least - raises the most interesting question of all about short courses, this one in particularly though... How far would you drive (or go out of your way) to play this course (or 'fill in the blank' short course)? We ask because The Patch sits right at two hours for us (Dooner). You will likely want to pair it with another course when coming that far, since four hours is a big round trip to play twelve par three holes. But, does the chance to tee it up on this hole change that equation? We knew something like this existed here from construction photos that Bill shared on his Instagram, just not to this level of awesomeness. We don't know what it does for you, but if you're ever travelling between Nashville and Knoxville and have 60-90 minutes to kill, kill them here! [SIDE NOTE: @bergingolf is a great follow for fans of GCA and the construction/renovation process. Bill gives thoughtful insight to his process on the ever expanding roster of courses he works with and responds to just about every inquiry that's posted. Bill is also the author of other such short courses like Bottlebrush at Longleaf, The Cairn at McLemore & even came to review our site/project at Pine Oaks for us while in town working on another project.] If you chose to ride, you'll have to ditch the cart (paved path all the way around), and hoof it out along the quarry rim to the 6th green, then back up to the 7th tee where Chapter III begins. Chapter III - Climb to Safety Soundtrack: Climb to Safety by Widespread Panic Holes 7 through 9 bring you up out of the depths of the quarry in a contrasting way to your first six holes. The 7th begins your journey out of the depths with your steepest uphill shot of the day. Playing parallel to the cliff edge to your left, there is ample room to find the semi punchbowl-esque greenscape and escape with par (or better). The 8th is the shortest on the course at just over half a hundy, but you're still far from safety. The entire hole is surrounded by rock outcroppings and boulders. Putter would be in play from the tee for uber-creative players, if not for some deftly placed boulders fronting the teebox. Still, a little wedge chip over them on the right line will feed right down into the green setting up another birdie chance. Nerves required on Chapter III's show-stealer, as these views fore & aft dictate. The 9th is less treacherous and yields another good scoring chance. A pretty forgiving Reverse Redan (with a only a slightly longer rough cut versus a typically menacing right front bunker) from about 100 yards allows you to build towards a strong finish. Chapter IV - Out of the Woods Soundtrack: Lost in the Woods by Jonathan Groff, aka Kristoff from Frozen For the severity of the property, the transitions from green to tee are very smooth and very old school. This is a walker friendly course all the way around. Fans of Golden Age architecture will dig this place. A short walk across the short grass from 9 green to 10 tee is bisected by the cart path without a rough cut. A very unappreciated detail in our eyes. The final chapter opens quietly with an eighty yard shot to a long but narrow green. A hillside looms ominously to the right of the green, foreshadowing what might lie ahead ever so slightly. After you make your par, you've got this to contend with just to reach the penultimate hole: If the boulders are too much for you that day, there's an alternate tee box at the bottom of the hill. From there you've got a level 70 yard shot while the elevated tee offers one from 92. Make hay here. You're about to be faced with a lot of it. The final battle take places on a short, downhill 69 yard hole with trouble everywhere coming out of the forest. Tall native grasses line both sides of what 'fairway' exists. While you can see the stick, you can't see the path to it for running shots. You can also see trouble right in a bunker, with long and left killing all shots in their directions thanks to the steep embankment running off the putting surface. To add to the challenge, the lower shelf of the two-tiered is in the back to defend against the ground game if you're too bold in your approach speed. And since it's truly a loop, 12 green walks off right back on to 1 tee. Take what you've learned and go do it better! CLIFF NOTES Soundtrack: Orion by Metallica - featuring bass solo by the late Cliff Burton In short, PLAY IT! It's so damn fun! This is not your typical par 3 or short course. And yes, we differentiate between the two. We say that now because The Patch is honestly the most difficult course to classify that we've ever played. It's a short course in the sense you can walk it with 3 clubs, no bag and a few balls in your pocket. Only two holes even have a tee that extends to more than 100 yards, yet one still provides a shorter option for those that want/need it and the other plays far shorter due to elevation drop. It's also a par 3 course in the way its built. Short courses don't have paved cart paths and top of the line carts available. You also don't see 'stand-alone' short courses very often. Usually a short course is attached to a club/resort with a regular course as the main attraction. The course uses "alternative" golf facility as its descriptor. In our year-end 'best of lists', we always choose a winner for Best Alternative Golf Facility. It'll certainly be a contender - if not the front runner - for that fake award. Regardless of how you choose to describe it, The Patch is a course you want to play. If it is too far away for you to make it there, then its the type of course you want to see built in your town! This kind of course is how you grow the game. It will allow new players the chance to experience an amazing course in a relaxed environment and certainly allow senior players the chance to keep on playing the game they love well into their later years. For us, we're keeping this one on the list to do again! Here's hoping we continue seeing more of these places pop up around the country! Golf will be better for it. Sincerely Fores, Your Golf Crusade

A few miles down the left side of a back country road, cut between four thousand foot peaks, stands a dark green sign supported by two whitewashed fence posts. The sign exclaims, “Welcome to CRUSO” in big, bold gold and script white lettering. The subtext, a little more difficult to make out even at a modest 45 mph clip, reads: “9 Miles of Friendly People Plus One Old Crab”. While the sign shares a color scheme with a certain course down in Georgia, you're heading someplace that could not be more different than Magnolia Lane. As your eyes work overtime to take in the scenery around you, your pulse starts to pick up with excitement. The picturesque Pigeon River basically rides shotgun with you as you head deeper into the wilderness. Then you begin to notice you’re not heading towards normal. After a few more twists and turns in the road, you can’t help but notice something unnatural has happened here. Go around a few more bends and what you see comes into focus. You see heartbreak. You see houses ripped off foundations, the equivalent of small forests torn from the ground, littered throughout the river itself. There are massive amounts of debris strewn everywhere it shouldn’t be. On August 17, 2021, a microburst in the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred dumped over 20 inches of rain in a matter of minutes. The resulting flood destroyed those aforementioned homes, trees and, unfortunately, human lives. Over 100 people had to be rescued from the raging torrents and mudslides. Tragically, six lives were lost. In order for a heartbreak to occur, logic would imply that there must be a heart in order to be broken. Along the nine miles of Cruso, North Carolina, Springdale Resort is metaphorically and geographically its heart. For more than fifty years, golfers have been coming to one of the least obvious golf destinations you can imagine. You can tell the golfers that come here believe what the sign says, that Springdale and its surrounding community are home to ‘friendly people’. They come to Springdale because they’re treated like an old friend happy to see you when you return home – even if its to your home away from it. So when in 2018, under the new ownership of the West Family, plans were set in motion to revitalize a golf course in need of some TLC, add new amenities and inject capital in an area that just doesn’t get much of it. Spring hoped eternal at Springdale. If hope served as the foundation, it was a strong one. Atop that hope was built a reimagined resort hub, including a welcome center, pro shop, fitness center, pool area, bar and restaurant (Rocky Face Tavern) flush with outdoor spaces to enjoy the ever present views and enhance the sense of community among its guests. There is also a square courtyard, plush with artificial turf for large outdoor gatherings such as weddings, reunions and concerts. A smartly placed ‘turn window’ allows for food and beverages to be served from a fixed location next to the restaurant kitchen, while also providing golfers passing through on their way to the 10th tee the equivalent of a drive-thru window for your cart! The most recent addition is the ‘Baby Spasm’. The ‘Springdale Spasm’ is the incredibly frustrating and infamous hole that, according to the sign that precedes it, 'may be harmful to your mental health'. After three attempts at it, we can confirm it is not recommended for the enjoyment of your stay. The Baby Spasm is a nine-hole putting course designed by Springdale General Manager Buddy Lawrence and Jim Sparks of Southeastern Golf. It is sandwiched between the fitness center/pro shop building and Rocky Face Tavern that includes a hilltop view of both nine and eighteen greens. It's the perfect place to settle some bets or make some new ones after your rounds (plural usage of round for beers and golf, of course). And, as is customary with putting courses these days, a drink holder is provided on each hole for your convenience! After switching the nines, the 18th now finishes in the arena just below the clubhouse/Rocky Face Tavern. We doubt it was an accident (it was a good one if it was!), but one can't help but notice the roofline of the building mimics the ascending slopes of the 6000’ Cold Mountain in the background. As for the golf course, architect Ron Garl was contracted to come in and give the course a mild facelift. There aren’t a million bunkers, but the twenty-nine that exist here are well placed, classical in their design and were filled with pure white sand mined from The Carolinas (Columbia). As you can see, things were at a fever pitch and pace. Projects were wrapping up and the course was poised for a metaphorical celebration towards the end of summer. Until August 17, 2021. The front nine of the course plays in the valley adjacent to the Pigeon River. Wildlife is plentiful everywhere you look. The second morning we played, just after teeing off on the second hole, a bald eagle flew over our heads. A few holes later, a pileated woodpecker came out to greet us. We didn’t see any deer, but wouldn’t be surprised if a herd came strolling through each morning or a bear wandered down from the unspoiled forests above. Of all of those surprises, one could not possibly fathom the scene last summer when a wall of water induced the unbridled destruction previously described. Not mentioned in the aforementioned devastation was the golf course. Every bunker – freshly renovated mind you – had to be redone. Every bridge on the course – not only vital to the player for transit, but essential to golf course superintendent Jeremy Boone and his staff for maintenance and recovery – was gone. Flood Photos courtesy of Jeremy Boone/Springdale Resort Some of the greens in the low-lying areas were ripped up and carried away or covered in mud and silt. Creek banks that were once gently sloped and grass-faced, now eaten away, eroded and filled with stone, boulder and debris from the fury. Two before and after shots of the flood-induced creek erosion Driving through Cruso, you see that if life wasn’t easy before the waters came, it isn’t any easier now. That said, what you also see is that spirit and perseverance are abundant. Same can be said for the crew at Springdale. The West Family committed to donate half the course’s take (until Christmas!) once the course reopened to the recovery effort. A tournament raised another $10K+ for the effort, then the West's added a matching gift on top to boot. That generosity for superintendent Boone - a Cruso native who grew up playing the course and whose family has worked at Springdale for four generations - needed not to look beyond his workplace for inspiration. “You don’t need much more motivation than that to do your part.” - Jeremy Boone Sparks, who has seemingly worked on as many courses as we've played, worked on the renovation before and after the waters came and went. He echoes Boone's sentiment. "One of the best groups of people that I have worked with in the golf industry," he explains. "I've been (in the golf business) for forty plus years. Haywood County is blessed to have these folks in their community." In just eight weeks’ time, the course had re-opened. All the bunkers were filled, bridges rebuilt and greens cleaned. All that effort. All that passion. Worth it! To date, an estimated fifteen million dollars has been invested into Springdale’s course, clubhouse, restaurant, signage, infrastructure, amenities and lodging options. Additionally, the course hosted a STEM class field trip (the local school's first field trip since the start of COVID) to learn about the different aspects of taking care of a biologically diverse ecosystem such as the golf course! The heart of Cruso is beating. Strongly. Vibrantly. Friendly. The best days of Springdale appear to be ahead of it. For that, the thanks go to its people – many of whom you’ll call your friend if you make your way down that nine mile stretch of back country road. Just keep a watchful eye out for the Old Crab! The Golf Crusade had the great pleasure of participating in the 10th edition of "The Battle of The Smokies" Media Golf Challenge, held May 1-3 at Springdale Resort. The Ryder Cup-style match play event pairs golf media types from Tennessee against their peers from North Carolina. The Great State of Tennessee won this year's back-and-forth battle 32 1/2 to 27 1/2 - due in large part to a dominant final round of singles matches. We would like to thank Craig Distl of Distl Public Relations for the opportunity to participate in such a great event. A very special thank you to all of our fellow participants for making a couple new guys feel welcome, even if someone did steal our golf cart from the range the first day, forcing us to walk up the mountain back to the clubhouse :) Lastly, a sincere thanks to General Manager Buddy Lawrence, Director of Golf Rodney Russell, GCS Jeremy Boone, the kitchen and service team at the Rocky Face Tavern and the rest of the Springdale staff. We wish you all the best in the coming years! We hope to check up on you again soon. Please take a few minutes to enjoy some of the sights and scenes at Springdale from our 3-day, 2-night stay on property at the base of Cold Mountain below. Sincerely Fores, Dooner & BMAC Your Golf Crusade THE COURSE (click on images for larger view) LODGING (Treehouses, Villas & Private Residences) 'THE HUB' (Clubhouse Area)

Welcome Back! If you haven't read our first episode of STRANTZLATES: Template Holes of the Next Golden Age of Golf Course Architecture, then we suggest clicking that link and getting caught up! We'll let that story serve as our primer and pick right up where we left off. To recap, we covered four Strantzlates in our previous story: #1 | THE GLOVE SLAP| The Anti-Ross, an overly intimidating opening hole #2 | ISLAND | par threes playing to an island green, just not always around water #3 | AUTOBAHN | Strantz's take on the classic Road Hole template #4 | AUDACITY | Cape and Reverse Cape Hole's that are as brutal as they are beautiful Now that you're all caught up, "You wanna ring the bell?" We'll tee things off this time with an original Strantzlate! STRANTZLATE #5 - INFINITY Theory: Any type of hole (though typically a par-3) that features a green in the shape of the universal sign for 'Infinity'. Green sites are often chosen - or created - on the edge of a hazard, such as a creek, lake or massive bunker. Strategy: Most of these Infinity Greens are placed in perilous locations requiring a full carry of whatever distance or your ball may not quite make it beyond this hole (Buzz Lightyear pun intended). If the green aligns with the tee box in a "north/south" manner, distances can change by 2-3 clubs when playing consecutive days, making the local knowledge gained obsolete. Examples: The 12th at Tobacco Road is easily the most widely photographed specimen of the Infinity Strantzlate in the wild. The 7th at True Blue, initially featured in our fake example at the beginning of the story, belongs to this family as well as the 12th at Royal New Kent and 9th at Caledonia. Courses are shown below in order in which they were just listed. While the above examples highlight the traditional par three usage, Tot Hill Farm's Infinity Strantzlate is the par five 16th. The original 16th green at Tot Hill - arguably one of Strantz's most majestic creations - was one of the three greens destroyed in the 2005 flood of Betty McGee Creek. When rebuilt, it was moved left and thus lost much of its intended character (and challenge). Below you'll see a 2010 Google Earth image of the current green with overlays in black and blue showing where there original green once sat. Look closely and you'll see a red line that shows where the cart path and bridge once crossed Betty McGee Creek. Sadly, the 11th green suffered a similar fate as the bridges/cart paths were rebuilt for some reason over pre-existing greenpad. Next, you'll see the clearly defined Infinity green shape - and how dangerously close to trouble it sits - from Tot Hill's original Pro Caddy Book. Finally, a rare early photo - one of the few surviving photos of the original 16th green at Tot Hill that we've ever seen - shows how far right the flag could once be placed (photo credit to golfholes.com). Sadly, the rock wall ledge in the photo that formed the creek bank now lies mostly in the creek bed; a casualty of flooding and neglect. Click on any of the photos to view them full-screen (mobile viewing note: mobile browsers typically bring you to the first image in the story when you tap an image. We know it sucks, so you might want to revisit on a desktop when you have time). Perhaps the inspiration for the Infinity Strantzlate comes from the 17th at Pebble Beach. The 'greatest meeting of land and sea' provides advantages nearly every other course in the world cannot afford, but the utter beauty and challenge of said hole is impossible to ignore. STRANTZLATE #6 - WESTMINSTER Theory: Seth Raynor had his own signature take on the dogleg, perhaps unimaginatively calling it 'The Prized Dogleg' template. Raynor chose this idea as his most difficult par four on the course, calling it a, "Par 4, Bogey 6". In a similar vein, the WESTMINSTER Strantzlate awards its blue ribbons to some of the most brilliant (and difficult) doglegs ever created! Strategy: The bark might be worse than the bite from this big dog. Contrary to the Autobahn Strantzlate, length is of no concern here. Often, the tee shot LOOKS daunting, but options are often plentiful to secure a less painful route for those not challenging the boundary. These holes are easy pars disguised as hard double bogeys - just how Raynor laid out the original theory. The drive is the easy part however, as the greens are typically surrounded by deathly sand tombs or massive greens that deflect shots to places where 3-putts are the norm. Examples: True Blue #2 (first two pics), Royal New Kent #16 (pics 3-5), Stonehouse #7 (not pictured), Tobacco Road #16 (pics 6-7), Tot Hill Farm #14 (pics 8-9 from approach and green with tee shot shown above), and finally the monumental Monterey Peninsula CC #15 (final three pics). Every good dog show has to include a 'LARGE BREED' category. Well, may we introduce you to the 600+ yard par five 13th at Bulls Bay. Most of the 'doglegs' at Bulls are just slope induced or feature the bending of fairways around hazards. Most hazards would not obstruct the flight of even a poorly struck shot since they typically don't involve trees. Instead, the 13th is a massively long par five that requires two bombs to reach an angle where you can attack the green, which sits behind a creek, in front of and beside pot bunkers, while at a 90 degree angle from the fairway. Here are the three progressions from the ground as seen by John Stevens & Ryan Henesey during Iron Maverick II. Bulls Bay's 13th mimics the 17th at Royal New Kent so much so that they're practically sister holes. Yet Bulls version is more pronounced in its dogleg(s), especially in the third shot. Even Bryson might be 'blocked' from a go at the green by the protruding peninsula of forest, reminiscent of the western coastline of Africa from above. It's 602/585 from the back two tees by the way. Evolution & fit, my friends! Evolution and fit! For comparison's sake, here are a few looks at the 17th at Royal New Kent... One could imagine if his career was not so abruptly and sadly shortened, we would have seen the par five version develop into its own Strantzlate? STRANTZLATE #7 - CROSSCUTTER Theory: A par three playing to a diagonal green like a Redan, but instead of a bunker on the short side, a creek or pond cuts across the front of the green, creating memorable birdies for the brave or double bogies for the unwisely bold. An undeniable Strantz template that appeared to be one of his favorites. We'll look at the first two attempts that Strantz made at the Crosscutter, which he must have liked a lot since he used it at each of his first three designs in a very similar way. Caledonia's eleventh (1994) and the seventh at Royal New Kent (1996) will be our prime examples here. The aerials point out the same snaking creek with trouble deep left (water vs swell), as well as a tadpole tail of a fairway short and right for bailouts. Another interesting fact about these two holes is that they point due north. No rotation was necessary when pulling these from Google Earth. The same can't be said for the others, so perhaps this was just blind coincidence. Or maybe not... Strategy: Middle of the green usually works... We say 'usually' only because Strantz's greens are anything but usual. You can attack pins, but you better be good to do it. As with Redans, the farther back the pin goes, the higher too goes the risk. With water replacing sand, you're adding a number to every shot that finds the hazard, making double bogey a greater probability than a sand save for par on a traditional Redan. As Strantz evolved his vision, he even added a hint of Biarritz at RNK's version as this photo clearly depicts... Other Examples: Chronologically, we see four more examples: Stonehouse 3, True Blue 16, Tot Hill 15, Bulls Bay 7 (in order L to R desktop or Top to bottom mobile). At Stonehouse, the same Strantzlate crosscut creek held true, but the green ballooned away from the hazard, perhaps to allow for more forgiving pin placements. True Blue kept the green size from Stonehouse, but flipped to a reverse Crosscutter and big open water. The tadpole tail is pronounced with the dormant grass surrounding the over-seeded fairway portion. At Tot Hill, Strantz brought the creek back into play and went back to the greenshape previously used at Caledonia and RNK. The creek is teased, but it "S's" back around the green to the right rear, while bringing the giant mounding found at the rear of Royal New Kent's 7th to the front. This creates one of the most intimidating pin placements you'll ever see back left. Finally at Bulls Bay, Strantz returned to the open water, creating a railroad tie bulkhead that elevates the green and taunts the player while the ball is airborne. It provides drama and second guessing throughout the shot's duration. All of the examples are shown clockwise (top to bottom mobile) in order of listing. Stonehouse and Tot Hill had the advantages of being played from the elevated tee down to a punchbowl on hilly terrain, while Strantz brought the Earth up to create the visually imposing shots at sea level - perhaps explaining the use of big water versus the creeks found on the others. The 14th at Tobacco Road would also fit this mold, but with the absence of the pronounced tadpole tail, it clearly belongs in the Infinity Strantzlate. STRANTZLATE #8 - APOLLO Theory: If man makes it beyond Earth and golf is still being played, these are the types of holes you'd likely find on the surface of the Moon! They're just flat out artistic, outrageous and uber-creative. You'd also forgive the Apollo 11 team of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin if the Eagle landed in one of these locations. They'd probably have had a similar reaction when stepping off the ladder! No restrictions in the design, but non-artists need not apply. The Apollo Strantzlate is unequalled in artistic skill and overall aesthetic. Strategy: Sit back, enjoy the view, take some pics, then go for broke because there are only a few of these holes on Planet Earth. They're all par threes and all feature massive greens with even larger features. Make a memory, then frame the picture along with the scorecard! Examples: You could argue that ALL of Tobacco Road could easily be confused for the Sea of Tranquility, there are two standout holes that come to mind first when considering sites for the next Moon landing. The second of three one-shotters on the front nine, the sixth, is a personal favorite from just about every angle! With virtually unlimited options on the teeing grounds and angles, you can attack the wide green with confidence with a trusted distance. And... since the front nine also features the El Camino par-3 routing, we're throwing in the 6th as the Strantzlate from that course as to not double up. The 17th at TR on the other hand, plays off a high dune down into an impact crater containing perhaps the most unique and widest green in the solar system (Google Earth puts it around 85 yards wide!). It's also probably the narrowest, pinching to just over 10 FEET in one spot and 'ballooning' to no more than about 20 yards in its widest. If you've played it, you believe it. If you haven't and you don't believe it? Ok, here... Only about two-thirds of the green are even visible from the top of the Ripper tees (tips). Best of luck if the flag is tucked behind the grassy dune on the right! Other prime examples of this Strantzlate include True Blue's 14th, "Strantz's Back Yard" 13th at Tot Hill Farm and the daunting 14th at Bulls Bay. Here are a front and back look at each - remembering that Strantz designed his holes with a 360 degree view in mind. "Our Last Hole" THE best-in-class (or out of this world since we're talking about the Heavens) example of the Apollo Strantzlate is poetically the last hole Mike Strantz ever built. His magnum opus if you will. We're setting our gaze on the 11th hole on the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. If you are unaware of the story behind this hole, then you MUST read Jay Revell's moving piece, The Maverick Lives On. Fair warning though... you may want to make sure you have a tissue close by if you haven't read Part II of that story - or are unaware of the significance of it - especially as you reach the section entitled "Our Last Hole". [NOTE: We saved this one for last so you could quickly click over to Jay's story after you finish this one!] Teeing off from the highest point of the lower portion of the Shore course - not to mention waves crashing off the Pacific to your right and the views of Cypress Point in the distance - the player must feel like they are standing shoulder-to-shoulder on Mt. Olympus with the Sun God himself. Set amongst the rocky outcrop, the tee boxes give way to equal parts sand and turf below, framed by wind-bent Cypress trees. Maybe one day we'll be fortunate enough to get out there and see it for ourselves. The PGA Tour's best - along with the celebrity contingent playing the in the 'Bob Hope Classic' - get to see this beauty every year. The Shore Course is firmly entrenched in every 'Top 100 Courses' ranking on the planet and Mike's work will (hopefully) forever be preserved along 17-Mile Drive. The photo of the 11th is one every photographer hopes to have the best light of the year for and is undeniably the image that comes to mind when thinking of MPCC. The beauty, strategy and artistic value of this hole hold up against anything else out there, but looking at the above photo knowing it was the last hole Mike and Forrest ever built together... well, if that doesn't make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, what will? We're two-thirds of the way through! We've got four more to unveil in the next chapter, which will be sure to push the conversation (or debate) forward. You can be sure to keep the conversation going in the meantime on social media! Be sure to hit our Instagram channels @GolfCrusade and @StrantzFantzClub or give us a share on Facebook if you like what you've read so far! As a reminder, all of the artwork displayed on this page is available for purchase through Mike Strantz Design's Art Gallery. Until the next round... Sincerely Fores, BMAC & Dooner The Golf Crusade

Charles Blair MacDonald - widely considered the Father of American Golf Course Architecture - created the concept of the Template Hole; a collection of the 'ideal holes' he studied and brought over from some of the finest tests on the British Isles. While these holes are not to be confused with replicas, they carry the same strategy or look from course to course, while fitting into the landscape found on each property. Other architects - namely MacDonald's protégé Seth Raynor and his understudy Charles Banks - used these philosophies throughout their careers. Others, including A.W. Tillinghast and Donald Ross, occasionally put their own spins on MacDonald's Templates, in addition to creating a few of their own (Ross's Volcano and Tilly's Great Hazards are two best-in-class examples of this). In other words, courses built back in the Golden Age of golf course architecture are held in such high regard for a reason. However, that high regard usually comes with some high price tags or golden gates, keeping most of the golfing world praying for an invitation or a Powerball win to secure a tee time. While you may not consider Templates a widely-used concept in most modern courses, their principles are evident nearly everywhere - if you know what you're looking for that is... Or... you might be asking yourself, "What the hell is a Template to begin with?" Don't worry. You're not alone. Aside from the rudimentary definition above, the guys over at The Fried Egg have created an encyclopedia of must-read Template history that will give you a better idea of the styles, strategies and examples for many of MacDonald's Template holes. Regardless of your level of interest in templates - if you've found your way here, chances are better than good that you have an interest in the design work of Mike Strantz. It only took us 300 words to setup the entire point of this post... if you've played multiple Mike Strantz courses, you know two truths: No one ever created art in the dirt the way Mike did He used (maybe a better word is 'evolved') many of the same wild design philosophies for which he is best known at each of his courses, yet all were grounded in Golden Age architecture concepts. It's a widely known fact at this point that Strantz held Dr. Alister MacKenzie in the highest regard (who wouldn't, right?). It's also safe to conclude that many of Dr. MacKenzie's contemporaries would also carry a great sphere of influence. After all, Mike's big break came at Inverness Club, the venerable Donald Ross championship design in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Strantz met Tom Fazio while interning at IC prior to the 1979 US Open. The rest is, as they say, history! Where are we going with all this? You're about to find out... VIEWING NOTE - The rest of this article is very photo intensive. We'd recommend viewing from a desktop or tablet for the best experience. You may tap or click a photo to expand it in your browser from any device/computer. Let's look at two examples of a classic template hole - the Redan, or in this case - the Reverse Redan. A Redan is a template hole that features a diagonal green, moving from 4:00 to 10:00 on a clock face, fronted by a long, left front bunker that increases the difficulty as the pin moves farther back on the green. A Reverse Redan is its mirror image with the bunker on the front right. Typically, a second hazard, usually but not always a bunker, guards the rear on the opposite corner of the green. The 'kicker' is often a large false front that repels the safe shot short of the hazards. One of the most famous examples of this is found at the Seth Raynor designed, Country Club of Charleston. Simple. Daunting. Beautiful. Now let's look at three Strantz takes of the hole, starting with 'yeah I can see that' to 'are you kidding me?' First, we view the par-3 8th at Tobacco Road (Sanford, NC | Opened 1999). You'll immediately spot the similarities to Raynor's work at CC of Charleston above. It lacks the fine edges and endless sea of short Bermuda grass, but it wouldn't be Strantz if it had it. Pretty simple to recognize right? Well now we enter the temple! Next, take the par-3 7th at True Blue (Pawleys Island, SC | opened 1998). It's a visually stunning hole with a giant waste bunker to the right. The green climbs and follows its edging to create a myriad of playing options. Difficulty would be largely dependent on the mood of the course superintendent the morning you played. However, if you strip away all the visual intimidation and intricate bunkering, you're left with what? An albeit a very difficult, Reverse Redan. Finally, we give you the coup de grace, the par-3 third hole at Tot Hill Farm (Asheboro, NC | opened 2000). Looking past the issues of glum weather and course conditions for a moment, you'll find a similar - perhaps more intimidating - bunker on the right, a green that winds around it's edge and all sorts of trouble deep (a creek instead of a bunker as in the photo above from True Blue). Just as interesting is the transition from green to tee for the following hole. Both tee boxes are found back up the hill to the right, even requiring a shot over the previous green at Tot Hill Farm to reach the next fairway. Both are connected by a fringe cut, essentially adjoining the two elements together with another very old school - and very cool - design element. When you add in the downhill tee shot, boulders and forested landscape of Tot Hill's mountainous site, you get a golf hole that fits the wildly different terrain from that of the South Carolina coast, yet one that shares so much of the same DNA that you could call this a Mike Strantz Template, or as we've coined them, "STRANTZLATES". Place a Google Earth overhead side-by-side-by-side of the three holes and you can really see the similar principles, yet the evolution of the concept explode over just a two year gap in the opening days' of the three courses (most noticeably the size and shape of the green that better fits the space provided by the land). The boomerang green around the bunker has called upon many that hit the wrong quadrant to have to putt around - or attempt a flop shot over without destroying the green (yes, we have experience in this department!). So, now that we've created yet another new word, let's dive into what different kinds of Strantzlates are out there, what defines each and where you'll find them! The nice thing about inventing a word is defining what it means. It is liberating to many degrees to not be bound by borders - which is fitting because that's the way Mike designed his courses. We sifted through every hole in the entire Strantz catalog and came up with the following criteria for the canonization of a Strantzlate Hole... LOCATION: Must be from Strantz's 'Original 7' East Coast courses and two California remodels (courses he shaped for others pre-Caledonia are not considered at this time). FREQUENCY: Each style of Strantzlate must have been deployed in at least 50% of those nine courses (that means it must have been built at at least five courses). Funny note: the example we used above with the par threes at True Blue and Tot Hill are unique enough to those two holes - thus not qualifying for their own Strantzlate. Fear not however, they have homes other places. EVOLUTION: Earlier we wrote that 'evolved' would be a better descriptor than 'used' in respect to Strantz's 'reuse' of design concepts. There isn't much room for error when he only had nine trials, so it is important to have room for improving your own ideas - especially for those that sketch their holes on notepads while riding on horseback. STRANTZNESS: Again, using the above Reverse Redan example as a guide, the holes may have hints of classical template design philosophy, but are unmistakably Strantz. As such, they are given a new name as a formal Strantzlate. With those criteria laid down, we identified a DOZEN Strantzlates that we feel deserve canonization and should be considered mandatory reading for those looking to be inspired by the man nicknamed 'The Maverick'. We will break down each Strantzlate over a three-part series. For each, you will learn each's definition, strategies that must be considered when playing and be able to see examples of each in their natural habit at Strantz courses (and perhaps the rare instance they've been spotted at other courses). We kick things off with an appropriate look at one of Mike Strantz's favorite things to do: get inside your head from the moment you step on the first tee... STRANTZLATE #1 - THE GLOVE SLAP Theory: Donald Ross famously noted that the opening hole of a course should not be overly difficult. "Give the player a chance to warm up a bit," was the exact quote we believe. Well, Strantz took that theory and threw it out of the bulldozer. If Ross's courses extend a handshake to players in the spirit of sportsmanship, Strantz's courses slap you across the face with the glove and challenge you to a duel! The Glove Slap is the most unrestrictive Strantzlate in terms of look, because it's only requirement is that it 'looks' fierce! Strategy: Survive and advance to the next hole by any means necessary. Most Glove Slaps are not as difficult as they appear, so use Ross's design philosophy of warming up on the first hole as a player. If you do, you've got a good shot at a great start on a bucket list course. In other words, hit the 'fat part of the road' and you should be on your way to par (shown in great context here by the bows and pinches throughout the famous first at Tobacco Road). TOBACCO ROAD Examples: Par four openers at Royal New Kent, Bulls Bay, Tot Hill Farm & Monterey Peninsula CC each provide a well placed (length & aim) to set up the best second shot possible, while the par five kick starters at True Blue and the aforementioned Tobacco Road triple the need for precision and accuracy. Regardless of what par each hole plays to, all of them twist and turn around exquisite, mind-bending hazardry (another one of our favorite made up words) previewing the potential carnage in the battle to come! ROYAL NEW KENT BULLS BAY TOT HILL FARM Thanks to golfcoursegurus.com and golfbytourmiss.com for photos of Tot Hill Farm MONTEREY PENINSULA MPCC photos by golfcoursegurus.com TRUE BLUE STRANTZLATE #2 - ISLAND Theory: The 17th at Sawgrass these are not. There's not much theory needed to describe an island green, yet the importance of fitting each course's version of the Strantzlate within the 'natural environment' needs to be reiterated since - at Maverick School of Golf Design at least - not all islands are surrounded by water. As with most island greens outside of Coeur d'Alene, many are peninsulas. However, if it looks like an island and plays like an island... it's an island! Strategy: Hit the green or make double bogey (or worse). Since they're islands, the greens are generously large, though finding the right section might mean the difference in birdie or bogey. This is the only Strantzlate that appears at every one of his courses, so you better pick this hole to hit your best shot of the day. Examples: Put on some Dolly & Kenny singing 'Islands in the Stream' and enjoy some Island Strantzlates amidst... BIG WATER - TRUE BLUE #3 & BULLS BAY #12 CREEK - TOT HILL FARM #11 NOTE: The green site in the caddy book is the original pad, which nearly takes up the entire island. The photo above was from the first year after the flood and was decreased in size and reshaped to include the spur on in the front left. FESCUE - ROYAL NEW KENT #3 PLATEAUS - STONEHOUSE #17 & MONTEREY PENINSULA #7 MPCC photo credits: golfcoursegurus.com | SGC: @ryan.parsons.photography SAND - TOBACCO ROAD #3, SILVER CREEK VALLEY #4 & CALEDONIA #17 Silver Creek Valley first photo credits to the club STRANTZLATE #3 - AUTOBAHN Theory: A classic Road Hole template, yet without limits to pain and suffering that off-road shots may create. A road hole is one of the most demanding types of holes one can create. Strategy: Negotiate the tee shot into a typically blind landing area (see: optimal tee ball flight path courtesy golferlogic.com), making trust in distance control paramount. Like the 17th at St. Andrews - the original Road Hole - players must avoid the Autobahn Abyss (AKA 'Road Hole Bunker'; i.e. the greenside pot bunker) at all costs. There is a reason many consider this hole to be the toughest hole on the planet. Examples: Unquestionably, The most famous Autobahn template hole is the par five 13th at Tobacco Road. Remarkably, its the only 3-shotter on the lot. The double dogleg rises each shot after the tee ball and features multiple blind shots in this green... That par five not withstanding, the standard Autobahn Strantzlate is a more traditional 'road hole' (dogleg par four with greenside pot bunker) like the ones found at Royal New Kent (#8), Stonehouse (#1) and Bulls Bay (#9). ROYAL NEW KENT STONEHOUSE Middle two Stonehouse images taken from drone video filmed by Virginia State Golf Assoc. BULLS BAY Occasionally, a road is just too dangerous. In such cases, guiderails and safety measures must be considered. Take a look at this 'softening' of the 8th at True Blue. What started in concept as an island green approach on the sketchpad (mikestrantzdesign.com), 'softened' to a hole with super tight pinches at the the dogleg and green (not to mention the creek in the B&W Google Earth image from 1999 after the initial opening). Finally, the current product shows the widened midsection and the creek long since buried underground. Still a brute, but much less hazardous to your health. You could argue that the lack of a wide-ish green might disqualify this hole from being a road hole - but remember, this is a Strantzlate - it's hard enough already! You could also argue that had the changes not have been made, this hole would have easily been included in a different Strantzlate category instead (PART II SPOILER ALERT)!! Here are the present day looks at your approach and Abyss Bunker up close! Finally, we come to the 17th at Tot Hill Farm - which is actually named 'THE ROAD HOLE'. Even though it's Autobahn Abyss bunker has been lost to neglect, Tot Hill Farm Road (that's the name of the actual road that leads to the clubhouse) runs behind and parallel to the green. In between the road and green sits a beautiful stacked stone rock wall (a la St. Andrews famed 17th), providing an undeniably Euro-feel to Tot Hill's penultimate hole. STRANTZLATE #4 - AUDACITY Theory: Strantz's take on the traditional Cape template, yet given it more of a 'Cape on Crack' feel. These are mostly big par fives that boomerang around a massive hazard, tempting the thrill-seeking player to cut off as much as they can off the tee, then again with thoughts of eagle dancing in their heads. Strategy: While the aggressive (and often first-time visiting) player will try to make the necessary shots that ensure their ball makes it to the trophy case, the safe player will find ample room not testing the boundaries (and ensuring their ball stays in play). Examples: Three-shotters at True Blue (#4) and Bulls Bay (#2) curl around a massive lake, Royal New Kent (#2) and Tobacco Road (#4 & #11) boomerang around a gorge and sandy waste area, respectively. Stonehouse's finishing hole is a little more forgiving off the tee, but perhaps baits you into a riskier/rewardless shot for your second. ROYAL NEW KENT TRUE BLUE BULLS BAY TOBACCO ROAD #4 TOBACCO ROAD #11 STONEHOUSE Photo by @ryan.parsons.photography | Google Earth images of SH circa 2009 That brings us back again to Tot Hill Farm. The 5th at Tot Hill (aka 'Gorge') isn't a boomerang, but the decision made from the tee is perhaps the most difficult of all, being that the entire hole plays out in front of you from the start. All the others feature a tee shot down a blind corridor, then the 'cape' reveal occurs only when you reach your ball. The unimpeded view and ever-present challenge you face from the lip of this gorge can scare the living shit out of you. The photo quality of these are horrendous, but you can see what the original design looked like - completely audacious! The best example of Audacity in a par four is undoubtedly Tot Hill Farm's signature 12th hole. The drive from the very elevated tee floats down to a generous fairway. However, the further you are from 'The Old Dam' boundary, the more likely your approach will be blind. And trust us, this is not the green you want to attack blind! You will likely find both the gorge and the lakeshore overgrown with brush today, but the intimidation remains. Fun Fact: This Strantzlate gets its moniker from the name given to the 8th hole at Pikewood National. Designed by two business men on land earmarked for mining in the future, the course was named Golf Digest's Best New Private Course in 2009 (four years after Strantz's death). In the article, GD's staff wrote that creating back-to-back par fives is, 'the sort of audacity one would expect from amateur architects.’ Pikewood promptly renamed the eighth hole "Audacity" in honor of this - something about which we think Mike would have smiled through his mustache! That'll wrap up PART I - but don't worry, we've got two more of these coming your way! Join us next week when we roll our PART II. If this were a post-credit scene in a Marvel movie, you'd see black and white file footage featuring take's on Raynor's "Prized Dogleg" template and perhaps a flashback to the first moon landing! As always, we welcome the discussion on social media! Strantz was a polarizing figure - we'd imagine some of these ideas would like trigger some reactions one way or the other. You should know where to find us, but if not, click the links below the sign-off... See you next week! Sincerely Fores, BMAC & Dooner @GolfCrusade & @StrantzFantzClub on Instagram

It's that most wonderful time of year again! It's a time for memories to be made - just likely not on golf course unless you're really, really lucky. Thankfully, The Golf Crusade never sleeps (though it isn't afraid to hibernate!). Regardless of the state of consciousness you find yourself in at present, it's time to unwrap the presents and reveal the best fake awards column around - the Golf Crusade's annual Best of 2021 Lists! As compulsive list makers, we are compelled by constantly creating spreadsheets of courses we want to play, ones we've already played, future event ideas, storyboards, movie scripts, etc. Ok maybe not the last one, but you get the idea. While we're not playing 100 courses a year or anything crazy like that, we probably get to play more than most folks in respective stages of life. While we each count our lucky stars for our wives in that A) we outkicked the coverage and B) they understand the obsession and support the ridiculous dream we possess! That all said, we had a wildly successful year on and off the course. Here are a few of the milestones and highlights we clicked off in 2021... First, we reached our annual goal of playing one new course per month per man (24 minimum annual goal for you non-calculus majors). At press time, we've played 26 new courses in '21. It may not sound like much, but now that we've each played out our respective backyards, we've got some lengthy drives to get to new places! Iron Maverick II - From the minute we announced it, then sold out in less than a minute, before partaking on a nine-month journey to it and shared the experience with 88 golf-obsessed maniacs, our half golf marathon/half Mike Strantz tribute/100% great time at the Strantz-designed trio of True Blue, Caledonia and Bulls Bay in South Carolina was as amazing as it was exhausting. The entire ride was a privilege which introduced us to so many new friends, connected us with old ones and flat out wore us out! We continue to be humbled by the experience, the response and desire by others for us to do it again. We are so thankful to all who supported us and continue to support our host courses and event partners! Dooner bagged his 300th course played (fittingly at Caledonia @ Iron Maverick II)! It took until November, but The Golf Crusade reached the turn on the road to 1000 courses! We checked the box on our 500th course played! The Country Club in Morristown, Tenn. got the honors and wowed us with a very original William B. Langford design (only our second ever). Thanks to a couple late season pickups by BMAC, will (presumably) end the year at 503 courses played! As a reminder, the Crusade Course Counter in the upper right corner of your screen keeps the running tally of our live count. Savvy travelers will recognize where that last course was played by the respective state highway sign the number adorns. (NOTE: the interactive map on the home page and the 'Tracker' tab contains every course we've ever played and is flush with info for all and photos for most course. Many have found it a great resource when scouting where you might seek to play next!) Alright, let's get into this! Here are the categories... Best New Public Best New Private Best Alternative Golf Facility Best Replay Rapid Fire Round - Random Best in Show Categories Best Of What's To Come The two 'Best New' & the 'Best Alternative Golf Facility' (catch-all for executive, range, mini, indoor, par 3, short, etc) categories are only open to the courses we played in 2021 that were 'New to Us'. Best Replay should be simple enough to comprehend. When it comes to the Rapid Fire Round, we open that up to any course we played this year, not just new courses. Some of those superlatives get one winner, some we each pick one, some we list a bunch. Sorry, Dooner is notorious for making up rules as he goes. One slight difference this year is that we aren't conforming 100% to the 'we each pick one' methodology. That means you might get one winner per category, sometimes we each pick one, sometimes we throw a bunch at you because they're all worthy. After all, the whole point of this is to share the best - even if there was a lot of it to go around! So, in the words of the great Miles Lane... "Let's get it on!" [Photo Viewing Note: Click on any image to expand. Mobile photo viewing experience can vary based on phone, so tablet/laptop/desktop recommended for optimum pleasure] BEST NEW PUBLIC BMAC - Aiken Golf Club | Dooner - Old Toccoa Farm Our two top picks could not be further apart in age - over 100 years apart - yet perhaps share some similar DNA when it comes to design philosophy. That may be up for debate if you've played both, but what's undeniable is they feature some fascinating quirks and severity in the architecture of the greens seldom seen in the U.S. You can take a deeper dive into Old Toccoa Farm on our story from the summer visit. Aiken is a blast from the past and perhaps one of the best bargains on Planet Earth. We won't dive too deep in the descriptions, as they are better left to the photos to do the talking! Regardless, you need to play either or both if you haven't already. Put them on your to do list! BEST NEW PRIVATE (3-Way Tie) Inverness Club | Barton Hills | Bright's Creek The former two were played a day apart on the "MI-OH-My" trip. The latter was the first course played after that trip. Talk about a dream you don't want to wake up from!? With Inverness Club, you know what you're going to get - an incredible walk at a historic, major tournament tested Donald Ross design, irrigated with water flowing straight from the fountain of youth thanks to Andrew Green's restoration work. The Solheim Cup showcased exactly what we mean. The USGA capped the year off for Inverness by awarding the venerable course the 2029 U.S. Amateur Championship. Barton Hills was a late add to the MI-OH-My trip, but yet served as the perfect capstone to the trip. Aside from USGA Championship length at Inverness, it would be difficult to set IC and BHCC apart in a photo lineup. The attention to detail here was on another level (even the trash cans at the tee boxes were sunk into the ground, eliminating the visual messiness they can sometimes create). The whole course is great, but the home hole is a masterclass in strategy, deception and ambiance. Check out a few more we snapped up in Ann Arbor... Bright's Creek, on the other hand, hasn't been around 100 years like the Ross classics. It's troubled decade-plus past has been cast aside with a new vision for the future of the course Tom Fazio himself calls his best North Carolina design. Look at the gallery below and just imagine this place in a couple years (and ablaze in fall color)!!! All three were an incredible treat in the week we played them in the Spring. For that reason, we're mentioning the trio in the same sentence today. BEST ALTERNATIVE GOLF FACILITY The Schoolhouse Nine There were some (really) good ones in this category that could have won Best In Class in another year. Ann Arbor Golf & Outing's private 9-hole loop, Lake Hickory CC's Town Course, Jefferson Landing's 4-hole short course or even Palmetto Traverse - a 35,000 square foot, 18-hole natural grass putting course in Santee, SC were all strong contenders. Hell, we even played a mini-golf course that hosted the US Open of mini-golf (and yes, it was long and hard - that's what she said). However, Schoolhouse Nine is just a cut above the field - and not just in par 3 course speak either. #IYKNY (those that do: you can skip down to the pics and next category. If you don't know, SH9 is a 9-hole par 3 course in a nothing crossroads in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley (no offense Sperryville - you're a destination in our book!). We played it with snow still on the distant peaks and in the shadowy recesses of the bunker lips and would have walked endless loops given more daylight and less time committed elsewhere (which you can do just that for only $25/day mind you)! It's high on our list to revisit with better weather and daylight savings time. Then there's the Headmaster's Pub (more on that later), which just makes the whole experience something every golfer should aspire to connect with. BEST REPLAY Bulls Bay Golf Club Even with a return trip to Holston Hills and Blowing Rock CC's on the menu, Bulls Bay was just beyond compare in 2021. Perhaps it was the 9-month build to get there after we announced the Mike Strantz design celebrating it's 20th anniversary would open their bull-skull guarded gates to the field of the Iron Maverick II? Perhaps it was the recent improvements curated by Superintendent Alan Black and The Jones Brothers - two of the main ingredients in Strantz's original designs that have, with the help of the Bulls Bay ownership & leadership teams, reconstituted Maverick Golf Construction? Perhaps it was the company of all 88 Iron Mavericks themselves and the joy of experiencing all of this together? Whatever the reason, it was a day of days! (Note: Last year, Best New Public & Best Replay went to True Blue & Caledonia respectively. Due to those wins, they were not considered for a 'Best Replay' this year, though were every bit as good as they've ever been!) RAPID FIRE SUPERLATIVES BEST OPENING HOLE Inverness Club | Bulls Bay BEST PAR 3 Bright's Creek #3 | Maggie Valley #11 BEST PAR 4 University of Michigan #6 | Heathland at Legends Resort #15 (Heathland photo courtesy legendsgolf.com) BEST PAR 5 Old Toccoa Farm #13 | #10 Caledonia BEST TEE SHOT Old Toccoa Farm #5 | True Blue #10 (TB photo @ryan.parsons.photography) BEST @GOLFBARNS, Farms & Silos pictured top to bottom: Taste Woodfired at The Virginian, Aiken, Waynesville Inn, Tazewell County, SH9 (2), Quarry Ridge (3), Ottawa Park, Old Union, Holston Hills (TN), Graysburg Hills (8), Clinchview (3), Camelot (2), Leslie Park (2), OTF (2) BEST BUNKERING (MODERN) Bright's Creek | True Blue BEST BUNKERING (CLASSIC) Inverness | Muni BEST GREENS (ARCHITECTURE) Old Toccoa Farm | Aiken BEST GREENS (CONDITIONING) Jefferson Landing | Bulls Bay BIGGEST SURPRISE Old Union | Muni BEST @GOLFBRIDGES (COLLECTIVELY) Inverness | Bulls Bay BEST GOLF BRIDGE (SINGULAR) Bright's Creek trestle | Caledonia floating BEST OVERALL COURSE CONDITIONS Jefferson Landing | Bulls Bay BEST TEE MARKERS Iron Maverick II: True Blue | Caledonia | Bulls Bay BEST @GOLFCLUBHOUSES (view of the clubhouse) - Barton Hills | Bulls Bay (view from the clubhouse) - Bulls Bay | Caledonia (amenities in the clubhouse) - Inverness BEST CLUBHOUSE BAR Schoolhouse Nine | Caledonia (not pictured) BEST STAY & PLAY (on-site) Bright's Creek BEST STAY & PLAY (off-site) Georgia Mountain Cabin Rentals at Old Toccoa Farm MOST UNIQUE STAY & PLAY OPTION Nicewonder Farm's Luxury Yurts at The Virginian RENOVATION WE'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT The Waynesville Inn BEST GOLF TRIP HOUSE Georgetown, SC BEST HAZARD The entire course at OTF | Marshes at Charleston National BEST FOOD Renegade Food Truck at Bulls Bay BEST MASCOT Maggie Valley BEST FLAGS Schoolhouse Nine | Iron Maverick II BEST LOGO ON COURSE Bright's Creek MOST DIFFICULT COURSE OTF | Plantation Course at Edisto BEST VALUES - Schoolhouse Nine | Muni | Old Union BEST GOLF PURCHASE LOMA Bag by Sunday Golf | FootJoy Traditions BEST PRACTICE GREEN Old Toccoa Farm | Muni (not pictured) BEST RANGE "The Ranch" at Bulls Bay BEST SIGN Hinkle Tree at Inverness | Block M at Ann Arbor Golf & Outing BEST SOUP Seafood Bisque at Blowing Rock CC (not pictured) Chowder at Caledonia (photo by Steve Herr) BEST WILDLIFE Hawk at Inverness | Gators at Bulls Bay/True Blue/Caledonia BEST GOLF GIFT Custom Golf Crusade Headcover by Elliot Bag Co. | Door Prizes at IM2 BEST CLOCKS BEST FINISHING HOLE Inverness | Bulls Bay | Caledonia Final Caledonia photo credit to @ryan.parson.photography Thanks to all who we welcomed into the Crusade this year! Can't wait to see what 2022 holds for us and others! We will see you on the course!

Golf.com recently (August 2021) put out their list of their ‘Best Value’ courses. The criteria they set was that the course had to be accessible to the public (full-time) and the max green fee had to be under $150. Many a previous list by a number of publications would have included their best/favorite 100 under $100 or 50 under $50. Pick your favorite price range and run with it! As we approach our 500th course played, we decided we would rank our favorite 50 under $150. While the large majority of the list is under $100, we liked the flexibility to throw in a few courses in that might be over a C-note if you don't mind splurging while on vacation. After all, sometimes you just have to treat yourself! Three things to note about our list - keeping in mind before we get too far along that these are only from the courses we have played first-hand, as in ourselves. 500 courses covers a lot of ground, but if you're new here, we aren't professional golfers and don't get paid to do this. If we haven't played it, or it doesn't meet the below criteria, it doesn't make the list! That said, here we go... First, it is totally our opinion. Restating it again just for good measure. If you value it – you’ll find some great golf values. If not, we’re not going to ban you from the site. It’s just for fun! If you get angry about it, you should probably go play golf right now, because you need to relax! Second, whether you have followed our site for a while or it is your first visit, you can take a look at our interactive courses played map and easily see that most of the damage we’ve done is east of the Mississippi River. Therefore, we’ve kept this list within the same regional footprint. We'll hope to cover more of the rest of the country over the next 500 courses! Lastly, here are the guidelines we used when selecting the courses and ranking the list… The word "value" as a noun is defined as: the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something. We stuck to the same max green fee of $150 that Golf.com used. That was the primary factor in selecting our list of 50 courses. However, you will often find a way on these courses for less (sometimes far less). We absolutely took that into consideration when it came time to create an order for the ‘ranking’. We also feel like these lists are nearly impossible to ‘rank’ top to bottom. While we tried our best to rank them from 50 down to 1, we really saw three defined groupings if courses emerge: (Really) Good (courses ‘ranked’ 50 down to 31) (Even) Better (courses 30-11) (Best of the) Best (Top 10) Since most of these lists start with the top-ranked course and spoil all the fun, we are going to make you earn it and read all the way through to find our Best of the Best Values. Without further ado, FORE PLEASE… (REALLY) GOOD VALUE 50. Hickory Knob State Park | McCormick, SC | Tom Jackson | $40 Never paid more than $25 to play it. Never felt more like we were stealing. Lake brings in memorable shot values and conditions play way above the price tag. (BMAC) 49. Crispin Course at Oglebay Resort | Wheeling, WV | Robert Biery | $33 A surprise to some that may know that Oglebay possesses Arnold Palmer & RTJ designed courses, but the Crispin is the best value on the lot, usually for just $25. (Dooner) 48. Mount Mitchell | Burnsville, NC | Fred Hawtree | $65 Course sits at the foot of its namesake - the highest point east of Mississippi River. Play early enough in the year and you might capture snow on the summit in the backdrops. (Dooner) 47. College Course at Delhi | Delhi, NY | $49 Very hidden gem nestled in Catskills somewhere between Binghamton and Cooperstown. Surprisingly excellent design for such a remote area with tremendous long views. (Dooner) 46. Maggie Valley Resort | Maggie Valley, NC | William Prevost, Sr. | $89 Resort course with player friendly front nine featuring massive greens eases you in before the mountainous backside playing up the slopes. Great conditions! (Both) 45. Farmstead | Calabash, NC | Willard Byrd/David Johnson | $74 Linksy and architecturally pleasing! Possess two things rarely accomplished or seen on a golf course: Play in two states at once and experience a 747-yard par-6 finisher. (BMAC) 44. Mountain Glen | Newland, NC | George Cobb | $60 George Cobb charmer at 3600', usually for less than $50. If you didn't know it was Cobb, you'd swear it was Ross. Best full-length public course in golf rich Linville, NC area. (Dooner) 43. Island Pointe (FKA River Islands) | Kodak, TN | Arthur Hills | $53 Unique Arthur Hills design plays on both sides (and on the islands in between) the French Broad River. (Dooner) 42. Great Oaks | Floyd, VA | Gene Hamm | $45 Semi-private diamond in the Blue Ridge that (rumor has it) must limit the number of members from nearby Roanoke due to its popularity. (Dooner) 41. The Rock | Pickens, SC | $45 Remote but therapeutic setting in Upstate SC. Uber value here for the rate with super cool waterfall adjacent the 17th tee box! (Dooner) 40. Cleghorn | Rutherfordton, NC | George Cobb | $52 Cobb delivered another exciting routing filled with memorable shots over lakes, creeks, boulders and bridges. (Dooner) 39. Lonesome Pine | Big Stone Gap, VA | John LaFoy | $35 Set in one of the most beautiful valleys of Appalachia, this place is best enjoyed at dawn as the sun burns off the morning fog layer. Land movement lover’s dream course. (Dooner) 38. Tega Cay | Tega Cay, SC | W.B. Lewis & Clifton, Ezell & Clifton | $68 Mountain golf in metro Charlotte! Carolina Pines & Grande View 9s worth the short drive to the SC side of town. (Dooner) 37. Gatlinburg | Pigeon Forge, TN | William Langford (& Bob Cupp) | $65 William Langford designed this misnamed muni course at the base of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. $65 gets you on the best roller coaster ride in town (Dollywood theme park is next door too!) 36. Charleston National | Mt. Pleasant, SC | Rees Jones | $78 Bring some courage and some balls (literally and figuratively) to handle the forced carries. Hit a good one and you’ll come back for more! (BMAC) 35. Old Union | Blairsville, GA | Dennis Griffiths | $45 A poor man’s Dormie Club that only charges $45. Punches way above its price tag in fun and intrigue. (Dooner) 34. Jefferson Landing | West Jefferson, NC | Larry Nelson/Kris Spence | $130 They don't advertise the public price a lot, but only because they don't want (or need) a lot of play on it. The $130 non-accompanied/non-guest rate includes the 4-hole short course, stacked sod bunkers and 5-star conditions! (Dooner) 33. Rock Harbor (Boulder Course) | Winchester, VA | $73 If 'The Predator' fantasy course from the old Tiger Woods PlayStation games was real, this would be it! Blasted out of an active granite quarry & loads of fun at this non-traditional northern VA gem. Some list the older ‘Rock’ Course as the better destination – but if you only have time for one, play this one! (Dooner) 32. Rutgers Golf Course | Piscataway, NJ | Hal Purdy | $69 Charming parkland layout at 'The Birthplace of College Football' designed by Hal Purdy. Hard to find better conditions for the price in Jersey. Play on a fall Saturday & you'll likely hear the visiting team’s fans cheering as they score on the Scarlet Knights. (Dooner) 31. Preston Country Club | Kingwood, WV | Ed Ault | $45 George Washington once owned the land along the Cheat River this course is built upon. Flat by WV standards, but full of fun & diverse hazardry. Yep, just made up a new golf word. Love it! (Dooner) (EVEN) BETTER VALUE 30. Patriot’s Point | Mt. Pleasant, SC | Willard Byrd/Annika Sorenstam | $85 A recent tree removal program really opened up the views of EVERYTHING on this accessible and versatile Lowcountry gem. (BMAC) 29. Lake Presidential | Upper Marlboro, MD | Landmark Land Co. | $105 LP was the hardest course to rank on our list. Based on what it was when we played it, it's Top 5. Based on some pics over past few years, it's not on the list. Since Troon recently took over, we'll throw it in the middle and trust it comes back to life. (Dooner) 28. The Shawnee Inn | Shawnee-on-Delaware, PA | A.W. Tillinghast | $50 Site of A.W. Tillinghast's first design and host of the 1938 PGA Championship. 24 of 27 holes play on an island in middle of Delaware River just north of the Water Gap. (Dooner) 27. Lake Jovita (North Course) | Dade City, FL | Kurt Sandness | $60 A property so nice they built on it twice! North a great course if still just a notch below its older sibling (spoiler alert!). (BMAC) 26. Heritage Club | Pawley’s Island, SC | Dan Maples/Larry Young | $95 Maples may have top billing, but the guy who built the two courses next door had a pretty big hand in reshaping this classy lower Grand Strand beauty (yes, we are talking about Mike Strantz). (BMAC) 25. Links at Hiawatha Landing | Apalachin, NY | Brian Silva/Mark Mungeam | $68 Just go visit their website and view all the ‘award lists’ it’s been named to. If traversing the Southern Tier Expressway in Upstate NY (I-86), find a way to exit and hang out for a few hours. (BMAC) 24. RiverTowne | Mt. Pleasant, SC | Arnold Palmer | $99 It’s Good to be The King! Palmer thrills with this design, winding in, around and over marshes with spectacular bunkering to accent a dramatic property. (BMAC) 23. Charleston Municipal | James Island, SC | Troy Miller | $80 Step back into the Golden Age of golf architecture! Troy Miller completely reworked every inch of this old beater and now sits as the new must-play attraction in the Charleston area. If we rework this list in a few years, ‘Muni’ will be Top 10. (BMAC) 22. Sky Valley | Sky Valley, GA | Bill Bergin | $94 Highest course above sea level in Georgia tucked just below the NC state line. Short drive from Cashiers-Highlands (NC) to find a great public course under $100. (Dooner) 21. Knight’s Play Golf Center | Apex, NC | David Postlewaite | $27 A LEGIT 27-hole par 3 course w concrete cart paths and lights? When in Raleigh, get here!! (Both) 20. (Eagle Ridge at) Yatesville Lake State Park | Louisa, KY | Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest | $40 Kentucky State Park course at Yatesville Lake in eastern coal country. Hard to get to, hard to play, easy to love! And how often do you get to hit tee shots like this... (Dooner) 19. Olde Beau | Roaring Gap, NC | Billy Satterfield | $62 Some of best views on a public golf course east of the Rockies. Play it and name one better? (Dooner) 18. Tanglewood Park (Championship) | Clemmons, NC | Robert Trent Jones | $59 Freshly updated PGA Championship venue designed by RTJ, conquered by Lee Trevino, yours for under $60. Also check out the Reynolds Course (and par 3) on-site. (Dooner) 17. Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech | Radford, VA | Pete Dye | $59 Replace the Atlantic Ocean with the New River and you have perhaps the closest relative of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Pete Dye ever designed - only for about an eighth the price. Great walk for only $45! (Both) 16. The Schoolhouse Nine | Sperryville, VA | Michael McCartin | $25 9 hole par 3 loop, wildly contoured greens, real architectural value you can play all day for $25 and still enjoy a beer in the pub and games in arcade between rounds? Every city over 50K people should have one of these. (Dooner) 15. Neshanic Valley | Neshanic Station, NJ | Dr. Michael Hurdzan/Dana Fry | $85 Wide open Hurdzan/Fry county course voted near the top of nearly all public best-in-state lists for Jersey. Not to mention the amazing @golfbarns! (Dooner) 14. Berkshire Valley | Oak Ridge, NJ | Roger Rulewich | $77 Neshanic gets more press, but this North Jersey hill country marvel is where the real value lies. First 4-5 holes play in straight line cut into hill side high above the rest of the linksy layout, typically available for much less than the rack rate. (Dooner) 13. Mill Creek | Churchville, NY | Paul Albanese & Ray Hearn | $50 Options galore and Pete Dye DNA (Paul Albanese) abound at this frolicking links gem in sneaky good golf town of Rochester NY. Split fairways, double greens, massive bunkers & options await! (Both) 12. Rolling Oaks at World Woods Resort | Brookville, FL | Tom Fazio | $145 Much like its sibling in excellence yet far from it in design style. Same discounts apply that get you on Pine Barrens for half a Hundy in summer (spoiler alert). (BMAC) 11. Graysburg Hills | Chuckey, TN | Rees Jones & Larry Packard | $48 for 27 holes Rees Jones first signature design is also the @golfbarns capital of Appalachia! Unlimited weekend (daily) play for just $55 in peak season, only $35 in the off-season. (Dooner) (BEST OF THE) BEST VALUE 10. Lake Jovita (South Course) | Dade City, FL | Kurt Sandness/Tom Lehman | $60 Not your typical Florida course...elevation creates beauty and trouble. Twenty minutes from Tampa and sixty from Orlando make price tag so digestible! (BMAC) 9. Olde Mill Resort | Laurel Fork, VA | Ellis Maples | $79 Budget friendly stay & play alternative to nearby Primland Resort. Blue Ridge Parkway takes you there too, bring your camera for the 10th tee - arguably most feared hole in a state known for lovers. (Dooner) 8. Old Toccoa Farm | Mineral Bluff, GA | Bunker Hill Golf | $95 A course not for the faint-hearted, but those brave enough to tangle with OTF come away with a mountain of memories. (Dooner) 7. The Arnold Palmer Course at Stonewall Resort | Roanoke, WV | $125 Arnold Palmer's wild & wonderful mountain masterpiece. Each hole has a special reveal, typically unseen before you step on each tee. One of pricier courses on the list but worth every penny! (Dooner) 6. Tot Hill Farm | Asheboro, NC | Mike Strantz | $54 May not be the marvel it once was, but another Strantz thrill ride for under $55 that was once among 10 hardest courses in America according to Golf Digest. (Both) 5. The Links at Greystone | Walworth, NY | Craig Schreiner | $68 The first course that left me in awe. Big elevation change for Upstate NY and the huge stonework leaves a mark...hopefully in your mind and not on your golf ball. (BMAC) 4. Plantation Preserve | Plantation, FL | Michael Smelek | $115 It's like Sawgrass with a hint of pot bunker, at about a fifth of the price. (BMAC) 3. The Cradle at Pinehurst Resort | Pinehurst, NC | Gil Hanse | $50 The most fun you can have on a golf course, from a legal standpoint. Beautiful layout, perfect conditions, music and possibly some booze make this a must play. $50 for a 9-hole par-3 might seem steep on the surface for ‘value’, but its good for all day play and comes away as a steal afterward. (Both) 2. Pine Barrens at World Woods Resort | Tom Fazio | $145 Still my favorite course after 20+yrs. Waste areas, forced carries and sweeping Florida hills make this a special place. Right now they’re only charging $50 to play it. If you can stand the heat, get in the kitchen! (BMAC) And the best value under $150 we feel we've ever played is... 1. Royal New Kent | Providence Forge, VA | Mike Strantz | $95 If you told us that you had $100 to spend on golf and needed a place to play, this is where we’d send you! For your Benjamin, you get 7500 yards of Mike Strantz designed Irish Links madness and still have enough left for a Guinness in Strantz Pub after your round. RNK allows you to ‘Golf Ireland in Virginia’ and might just be Strantz’s most complete championship test. List of accolades are only going to continue to grow. (Both) Well, there you have it! There are some gems out there we desperately want to get to (Sweetens Cove comes to mind), as well as others we’ve played that have received the kind of facelift for which this list was built (Southern Pines in NC and Belmont in VA qualify here!). If there are others out there we (or others) should hit, leave a note in the comments or drop us a note using the form on the bottom of the page. We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting it together! Sincerely Fores, Dooner & BMAC The Golf Crusade

What's the difference between a golf trip and a buddy trip? You may ask yourself, 'is there a difference between the two?' The answer to the latter is DEFINITELY! To differentiate the former, we do it like such: The Golf Trip: A group of people, usually smaller in size (i.e. twosome, foursome, sometimes larger), that set out for a journey to play as much golf as possible. This trip more than likely includes a minimum of thirty-six holes a day. A number of courses are played, typically at least one different course per day. The accommodations are a secondary concern in most cases, since the only time spent at said lodging quarters are pretty much just for sleep & shower. Some tomfoolery will exist, but usually just through the organic nature of being around your golf buddies. The Buddy Trip: A group of people, usually larger in size (i.e. two to four foursomes, sometimes larger), that set for a journey to engage in not good times, but great times, in which golf is a primary focus. This trip more than likely includes a minimum of eighteen holes a day. Often, some of the group will return to HQ after a round or during inclement weather, while some of the more 'hardcore' golfers squeak in some extra holes. While it's nice to play multiple courses, it is not a necessity. Accommodations are a primary concern for the larger groups, since fellowship, food and golf are likely viewed as equal parts of the trip. Tomfoolery will likely be omnipresent. What happens on a buddy trip, stays on a buddy trip. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's dive into what make Blue Ridge, Georgia one of the absolute best Buddy Trip destinations on the east coast. REASON #1 - THE GOLF Any good trip - golf or buddy - is built around a centerpiece. If it were a meal, you need a main course. The Filet Mignon. You need a beacon around which to build the excitement of your group. In this case, the main course is Old Toccoa Farm. Old Toccoa Farm (OTF) is one of those courses that draws golfers into remote places like a magnet. Sweetens Cove (TN) and Bandon Resort (OR) are likely the most two widely occurring golf pilgrimages in the United States. OTF's advantage? It is only 90 minutes from Atlanta (and Chattanooga for that matter). However, as the golf community has shown... "No distance is too great to travel to play great golf." - Us The course has a short history that just might turn into legend for golf architecture aficionados. For more on that, you can take a deeper dive into this Bunker Hill Golf design by reading this piece on The Fried Egg by our IG friend Ryan Book (@bethpageblackmetal). One thing to be certain to do when scheduling a buddy trip is to know your group's golfing abilities. Every buddy trip has a buddy or four that might only play once a year. They will struggle to find their game at OTF, so find creative formats to relieve the pressure from their games and add fun in ways their game does not. Again, the reason for the trip is not solely about golf, so let them plan the tomfoolery later on! That said, OTF will beat down even the lowest of handicaps the first time around. We recommend two things: bring a lot of balls play it on back-to-back days Also, play a scramble on the first day, regardless of how good you think you are. It is best to experience the course and all its humps and bumps in a low pressure situation first, then come back with a fresh mind on day two and get serious! While the course plays difficult the first time around, it is a marvel at which to gaze upon! We'll throw some more photos at the end of the story. Make sure you stay in your seats all the way through the credits to view the Easter eggs! Right now, a construction trailer serves as the pro shop and there is no restaurant. All that should change by the end of 2021, taking this property from a great golf course to full 360 experience. The Clubhouse foundation has been set directly above the 9th green - hopefully they'll flip the nines so you can finish your round in front of many soon to be friends! Keeping with the trip = meal analogy, no 5-star restaurant starts you out with a steak, do they? Of course not. You need to warm up your pallet first - sort of ease into it and literally set the table for what comes later. An appetizer to kicks things off perhaps? Well, allow us to suggest your golf appetizer in the form of Old Union Golf Course in nearby Blairsville, GA. For a mere $35 weekday/$45 weekend, you'll get a course that follows the "(Fun / Challenge) + Price = Value" recipe. In short, it punches way above its price tag. It's a relatively flat property with some nice long views of the mountains, but it's the views along the ground we found most interesting from this linksy Dennis Griffiths design. Griffiths, in our opinion, did a masterful job of making flat land interesting by adding the roughed-out mounding, which also created alternate routes to greens and increased its strategic playing value tremendously. As with any course, not everything is going to be perfect, but the greens were great and the place was just flat out fun to play. In all honesty, we almost overlooked this course because of the price tag. It looked cool from the little we could find on it, but decided to give it a go. Boy are we glad we did. It's almost like an everyman's Dormie Club. Hopefully, our experience there will lead you to try it. Enjoy a few more pics from Old Union! We thoroughly enjoyed our appetizer and highly recommend you add it to your trip. At just 30-35 minutes from Blue Ridge, it is close enough to shoot over for a morning round and still head back to HQ to change clothes, nap or eat between rounds. While there are some other courses in the area, they're all going to be a little further drive, which is another reason this trip is more 'buddy' than 'golf'. We plan to be back, so let us know where we should go next if you play other places. REASON #2 - ACCOMODATIONS Of all the things we enjoy about planning trips, this has got to be one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding when you get it right. Every group is different in size and preferences, so the person that tackles this has a big job that can make or break a trip. Let's take some of the guess work out of that for you and introduce you to... The Cabin Rental. If you haven't met the cabin rental yet, you need to. Blue Ridge is littered with them, but we found a place that met our needs - and on short notice - at Georgia Mountain Cabin Rentals. Their property search tool was great, as is their staff. We found a cabin that checked all the boxes (close to course, closer to town, bedrooms, hot tub (a must to soak tired bodies), and more. Throw in stuff like the game room with dart board and pool table, fire pit, indoor and outdoor dining tables to seat a small army and we were already planning the trip back after the first hour. Why? Because the place across the street was a mirror image of the cabin we stayed in and is rented by Georgia Mountain Cabin Rentals (GMCR) as well! Take a peak inside and outside our rental for the weekend... Both are just five minutes from Old Toccoa Farm and less than ten minutes from downtown Blue Ridge and all its cool breweries, wine tasting rooms and restaurants. More on that in a minute. If you've got a larger group and need more beds, they have a third cabin in the same footprint that has a cool factor cranked up to eleven! Here are the cabins they have within five minutes of the course: The Way Back (the one we picked) Wood Haven (across the street from The Way Back) The Sugar Shack and additional bunkhouse that goes with it, The Sugar Shack Too Pick, mix and match to fit your group's needs! REASON #3 - INTANGIBLES If your group isn't the type to just golf and hang at the crib (cook your own food), then Blue Ridge is a pretty cool spot to explore. Sadly, we didn't get to experience much of it on this trip - sad only because it does look so nice. It's a growing mountain hotspot that has a lot of things going for it as mentioned above. We did drive through a couple times and it looks like so much fun! BONUS GROUP ALERT!!! Another 'trip grouping' we didn't focus on for this story - but one we could totally see fitting this area - is the good ol' fashioned family vacation. Between the lakes, rivers, fishing, dining, hiking, rafting and more, there is SO MUCH to do for families in the greater Blue Ridge area. They even have a passenger train that takes people on a scenic rail line up to the border towns of McCaysville, GA and Copperhill, TN. Check out the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway for more on that! The point of this is, Blue Ridge would be a great destination for the family vacation. Just make sure you save room for the clubs in the car and to sneak out one morning to play OTF! It's worth getting in trouble for! Like Col. Hannibal Smith always said, "I love it when a plan comes together!" We didn't have much time to plan or stay in Blue Ridge on this run, but look how much we came away with?!? We certainly look forward to coming back - a rarity of the Golf Crusade - and exploring the courses and area again! Sincerely Fores, Dooner OLD TOCCOA FARM GALLERY Combination of the two rounds we played. Pics appear in mostly random order. As you can tell, we like it! We hope you do to! [Navigation tip - click on a photo to expand it and use the arrows to scroll]

As a question, it's impossible to answer. How could you? If you've never heard of it, how could you determine it to be the best? As a statement, it's a little easier. You could just say "Bright's Creek". That's a bold statement for sure. But now that you've heard of it and (hopefully we've) piqued your interest, let's learn about Bright's Creek, it's history, adversity, uniqueness and potential that lies in a remote - yet closer that you might think - section of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. HISTORY This could really start back in the day if we wanted it to. Rich Albright, the club's Director of Golf Operations, says that the expansive 1300+ property includes at least six cemeteries and a Native American burial ground. Even the exposed cliffs around 3000', Albrights says, contain caves used by Confederate soldiers to escape capture. We'll leave that for another day however and begin with the course's grand opening in mid- to late-2000s. Bright's Creek celebrated its inception with a bang - named as one of GolfWeek's Top 5 New Courses in America back in 2007. However, as the course enters it's adolescence in human years, it's emotional struggle began much earlier than a moody teenager. Upon opening, all was good in this quiet corner of Mill Spring, North Carolina. Lots were flying off the map at a ridiculous pace - some selling in the mid-six figures (just for the lot!). I mean, what wasn't to like about a Tom Fazio designed retreat, flush with planned amenities and the kind of views that would make any course on the East Coast jealous? We all know what happened a year later... The economy collapsed. The real estate bubble burst. Golf courses started struggling. Bright's Creek felt all of it. The club changed owners at least twice, lots sat homeless, memberships plateaued and the foreclosures (at least two for the club) began. Dreams were fleeting. While the club ebbed and flowed for the next decade, the golf course itself remained a star. Golf Digest labeled it the 18th best course in North Carolina in it's 2017-18 rankings. Then in 2018, in what seemed like an inevitable truth, the club closed after being in bankruptcy since 2017. However, that's right about the time the story gets REALLY interesting! REBIRTH In recent years, some residential courses that were struggling along were actually saved by its residents. A course like Brickshire in the Williamsburg, VA area comes to mind. In Brickshire's case, the nearly 1100 homeowners surrounding the course pooled together to form an association that would purchase the club outright from its former owner. Of course this move allowed the residents to keep the main amenity of their neighborhood and prevent a decline in their home values. That's all well and good, but as we mentioned previously, while lots sold, many of the homes were never built. More than a handful of them exist now, but certainly not 1100 homes like Brickshire's community in Virginia. Thankfully for Bright's Creek, the right residents were there. Enter Bright’s Creek Partners LLC. The new owners of the club, Frank Blythe, Mark Lampert and Ed Garcia, are all homeowners in Bright’s Creek. The process wasn't as simple as they'd likely hoped. You know what they say, 'if at first you don't succeed, try 3 more times, then its a lock!' As the hopeful partners tried and tried again to obtain the club, perhaps the most important aspect of the club's future was occurring every day, just like always. The prospective owners kept Paul Beam, the course's superintendent, onboard to keep the golf course itself from getting too far gone in the event that it could be secured through foreclosure and reopened quickly. The savvy move paid off! Bright's Creek Partners purchased the course on May 29, 2020. On June 21st - smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic - golf was played at Bright's Creek. Incredible vision, persistence and execution! BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD Golf won the pandemic. We're not talking about the guys and girls on the pro tours, either. Golf on the local level - your local courses and clubs - for the most part, excelled (depending on your state perhaps). Courses have seen more play in the last year than they have since before Bright's Creek initially opened its doors. Courses on all levels are reinvesting in themselves in an effort not only keep their new clientele, but better maintain their courses with the increased foot and cart traffic. If investment can be viewed as the mercury in a thermometer for the health of the game, then golf has a fever. The only prescription, is more golf options. Bright's Creek is expanding their options beyond the traditional 'private course' label. An robust stay and play program is on the horizon as soon as the condos adjacent to the clubhouse are completed. Ten guest rooms already exist in the clubhouse itself, housing national and/or prospective members. The clubhouse also houses a few small meeting rooms, great for a poker game or a private dinner. The restaurant just got an incredible new deck overlooking the 19th hole. Yes, it has a gambler's hole. And, just in case you didn't break your ties on the actual tee, there's a turf tee located just steps off the back deck! (pictured) The indoor dining space appears next in line for a facelift as well. A fully-equipped, 11-stall Equestrian Center with 30 acres of paddocks More planned amenities include a swimming pool, tennis courts and pickle ball courts (under construction now). As for the golf course... Tom Fazio visited Bright's Creek this spring for a charity event. It had been so long since his last visit, Albright says Fazio couldn't remember the last time he was there. Regardless, it is what Mr. Fazio told Albright while he was there that has our attention, "This is the best course I've done in North Carolina." -Tom Fazio Insert wide-eyed emoji here! Hi praise? Oh yeah! Fazio designed pretty much the Holy Trinity of NC Mountain Courses - Wade Hampton (GD NC #1), Diamond Creek (#3) and Mountaintop (#7). In fact, Tom Fazio built five of the top eleven courses in the Old North State (add Eagle Point in Wilmington at #5 and Forest Creek in Pinehurst coming in at #11) and worked on a sixth that hosts an annual PGA Tour stop, hosted a PGA Championship and is on deck to host the next President's Cup (Quail Hollow #6). Shew!!! Does Bright's Creek belong in that same group? Time will tell, but we can tell you that it's pretty incredible RIGHT NOW... and it'll only continue to get better as more resources come back online. GOLF COURSE Let's take a quick tour of the best course you've probably never heard of! If you're a golf archi-nerd like us, pay close attention to the photos where ridgeline mountain views are visible and how the bunker shaping matches those contours! NAV TIP: Click on any photo to turn it into a slideshow/view larger image. At it's core, Bright’s Creek is a private club located in the western North Carolina mountains, at the end of a country road. The community is a haven where members, their families, and friends can gather in a safe, friendly, and inviting environment surrounded by the majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. But... remember we said that while Bright's Creek is designed as a private club, it doesn't mean you don't have the chance to experience all they have to offer? For more information on accommodations, event planning (i.e. group golf trips, corporate retreats, weddings, etc.) and customizable packages, please click here to check out their one-stop contact page on their website! You won't regret it! In case you haven't gathered our opinions of this place by now, we like it. We like it a lot! Sincerely Fores, Dooner The Golf Crusade

Sounds simple, right? What is the "Most Breathtaking Par 3 in The Carolinas"? As we found out, it's not so simple. Thankfully, we have a platform to help us decide - maybe not once and for all and probably with a high degree of subjectivity - which hole deserves that title! First, let's give credit to how this debate came about... No doubt a great hole! Hard to beat, even in winter! Not a bad cut there too, Charles! The Cliffs at Glassy have long been on our wish list of courses to play. We've never been ones to grovel, but probably would if it meant playing that course & that specific hole! Any course that gets named '4th most scenic course in America' has to be near the top of anyone's bucket list right? After all, the only ones ranked higher go by a single name... Cypress, Pebble, Augusta. 'Glassy' will most certainly have a strong case to state in the debate to follow. So how do we determine exactly which hole is the most breathtaking par 3 in the Carolinas? Glad we asked! But, we didn't develop the list on our own. After all, golf is waaaay too subjective for one website, magazine or person to declare, "this is the best, go play there" (though we know many try to do just that). We asked some of our most trusted and well-traveled NC/SC golfing compatriots to give us their top picks too. We couldn't pick them all, but we feel the selection is as diverse as it will be challenging to choose a winner! Also, you'll noticed we pretty much ignored (most of) the central regions of the states. That isn't to say there aren't great par threes there - because there are a ton of them! You may have heard of some of them (Pinehurst anyone?). Again, this isn't a poll to determine the best one-shot hole - but instead the most heart-stopping, break out your camera, don't give a darn if you lose three balls because its so breathtaking...hole. For those types of holes, we look to the "extremes" across the Carolinas!!! Since we're in March, why not settle it March Madness style??? We've put together a bracket - consisting of sixteen holes, broken down into four 'regions' - to create the hopefully non-trademarked infringing 'Sweetest 16' one-shotters from the Palmetto and Tar Heel states. HOW THE VOTING WORKS Voting for each matchup will take place in the Instagram 'Stories' on our @GolfCrusade account. We will update this page as the voting determines the winners and advance teams to the next round, then profile each subsequent matchup. The Rounds will mirror the NCAA Men's Tournament Rounds. Saturday, 3/27 - Sweetest 16 Monday, 3/29 - Elitist 8 Saturday, 4/3 - Finalish 4 Monday, 4/5 - Championship Flight We'll post the polls on the first day of and they'll run for 24 hours. Share it with your friends. No one wins anything for this, but it's nice to have the larger sample size and let's face it - Instagram and the internet were made for looking at golf courses all day. Are we right? THE BRACKET & CRITERIA We came up with four 'regions' to pod our nominees in such a way it would determine the most breathtaking hole from amongst their peers, before contrasting the styles in the Finalish Four and Championship Flight. In scouring the respective landscapes, we settled on four types of holes from which to pod and battle it out: Mountaintop - Not a much cooler feeling that flushing an iron at elevation and watching it fall... forever. Postcard - You'll literally find these holes on post cards or in picture frames Coastal - The Carolina Shores are littered with quantity and quality Strantz - we said we went to the extremes to pick the nominees! And besides, of course we would do something like this! As for the criteria for selection, each hole had to be big on views (long views and/or wow factor), high on memorability and have the ability to make you/your... heart skip a beat gasp audibly break out the camera and take an excessive amount of photos jaw drop just stand there and take it all in for a couple minutes While architecture and strategy are somewhat important, they are vastly less vital than the eye test. The brackets balance nicely, with eight holes hailing from each side of the state line. One thing we are big on is, "what is the view YOU see when YOU play?" In other words, no drone photography can be considered since the breathtaking part has to be YOUR REACTION when you see it yourself. Zoom lenses are fine, but the shot has be from the ground to be evidence! As for voting criteria??? Now it's up to YOU! Head over to our Instagram Stories to vote for each round! SWEETEST 16 Live voting begins evening of 3/26 Mountaintop Region Linville Ridge Hole 16 | Bobby Weed | Linville, NC vs. Wolf Laurel Hole 6 | W.S. Lewis | Mars Hill, NC SCOUTING REPORT: Jumping right in from the top of their respective mountains, Linville Ridge and Wolf Laurel are the two highest courses not only in the state, but in the United States east of the Mississippi River (in terms of elevation above sea level). Each of these holes tees off around 5000 feet and drops 11 and 20 stories, respectively. If you like the 'fall off the world' shot, then this matchup is for you! Mountain Air Hole 10 | Scott Pool | Burnsville, NC vs. The Cliffs at Glassy Hole 13 | Tom Jackson | Landrum, SC (click to expand panoramic images - credit: The Cliffs) SCOUTING REPORT: While both feature the massive long views around which this contest was built, that's where the similarities end. Mountain Air is the elevator shot, dropping 220 feet from tee to green, with Blue Ridge vistas for days from its perch 4900 feet above sea level. The Cliffs brand was built on this hole from Glassy, but is more of a traditional hole you'd see in the plains - just stuck on a mountaintop 3000 feet up. Postcard Region (Credit: Links Magazine) Wade Hampton Hole 17 | Tom Fazio | Cashiers, NC vs. Diamond Creek Hole 17 | Tom Fazio | Banner Elk, NC (Credit: Elitegolfcourses.com) SCOUTING REPORT: The Postcard Region might as well be the Fazio Region. Two of his most elite mountain frame jobs battle in the Sweetest 16 in what could have been a Championship Flight matchup! We don't know if a rivalry exists between the elite of the elite Wade Hampton and Diamond Creek clubs, but this matchup might start one! (Credit sagevalleygolf.com / Thom Abbott) Sage Valley Hole 2 | Tom Fazio | Graniteville, SC vs. The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards Hole 17 | Tom Fazio | Sunset, SC (Credit: The Cliffs) SCOUTING REPORT: Two similar shots, two massively different settings! Sage Valley, aka Augusta Northeast, wastes no time getting to the knee knocker on its second hole. Conversely, The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards builds anticipation to its penultimate hole and makes you carry 250 from the tips out to the (virtually) island green. Coastal Region Harbour Town | Hole 17 Pete Dye & Jack Nicklaus | Hilton Head Island, SC vs Atlantic Dunes | Hole 15 Davis Love III | Hilton Head Island, SC (photo credit on both to Sea Pines and/or golfdaily.com) SCOUTING REPORT: What views do you prefer: marshes, Intracoastal Waterway and sunsets or beaches, Atlantic Ocean and sunrises? The Battle of Hilton Head (or of Sea Pines Resort for that matter) pits it's two best par 3s against each other. Carolina National Ibis #5 | Fred Couples | Bolivar, NC vs Cassique at Kiawah Island Club Hole 5 | Tom Watson | Kiawah Island, SC (photo credits to Evan Schiller, Kiawah Island Real Estate, Golftripper.com click for pano) SCOUTING REPORT: The island green at Carolina National is perhaps the biggest surprise in the field. We like the underdog and picked one of our personal favorites to join the fray! Cassique on the other hand needs almost no introduction. It's the best course on Kiawah you can't play, but it might be the best course on Kiawah, period. This hole might be too! Strantz Region All holes from courses designed by the master of the par 3: The Maverick, Mike Strantz (Tot Hill Farm photo credit: EliteGolfCourses.com) Tot Hill Farm Hole 3 | Mike Strantz | Asheboro, NC vs Tobacco Road Hole 14 | Mike Strantz | Sanford, NC SCOUTING REPORT: One photo from each course is all you get here. Tot Hill Farm's 3rd hole was recently named one of Golf Digest's 'Best 18 Holes Built Since 2000'. High praise! From this pre-2005 view, you'll see why. Tobacco Road's 14th was probably the most nominated hole from our expert panel. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. (Tot Hill Farm photo credit: EliteGolfCourses.com) True Blue Hole 3 | Mike Strantz | Pawleys Island, SC vs Bulls Bay Hole 14 | Mike Strantz | Awendaw, SC SCOUTING REPORT: True Blue's island green, complete with beach, is something out of a fairy tale, especially at dawn with the mist popping off the gators' backs! Bulls Bay's 14th plays up to its famed Shinnecockian Clubhouse - and it's amazing covered porch where people will watch you either dunk balls in the drink or land in one of the Normandy-esque dune bunkers. Good luck either way! MORE THAN 2700 VOTES WERE CAST!! AND THE SWEETEST 16 WINNERS ARE.... MOUNTAINTOP REGION RECAP: In the opening matchup, Wolf Laurel held the lead at the first TV Timeout, but after that it was all Linville Ridge. 'The Ridge' took home two thirds of the nearly 300 votes and advances to face The Cliffs at Glassy in the Regional Finals. Mountain Air Country Club's 200-foot drop shot came in as one of the experts favorites to win it all. Mountain Air made a late charge, but bows out after a matchup with the hole that is widely considered THE signature hole amongst all The Cliffs courses. The 'Glassy/Ridge' matchup is going to be a barnburner! POSTCARD REGION RECAP: "The Fazio Four" was loaded with prestige. This wasn't about the course as a whole, this was about the singular, and in most cases, signature hole! In the 'Battle of Backdrops', Diamond Creek's waterfall and cliff face took down Wade Hampton's signature exposed mountainside. On the aquatic side of the ledger, The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards squeaked by Sage Valley by the slimmest of margins amongst all of the Sweetest 16 matchups! Looking ahead, we can't wait to see how the votes allign given the contrasting settings of the two surviving Fazio gems! COASTAL REGION RECAP: In his final Bracketology release, Carolina National was Joe Lunardi's 'Last Hole IN' the field. Unfortunately for them, they drew a buzzsaw in Kiawah Island Club's Cassique Course. It was expectedly the widest margin of victory in the Sweeter 16, yet it was great to see Boom Boom's marshland marvel make an appearance! Did name recognition help Harbour Town eek past its youngest sibling across the island? Maybe? We'll see how the voting lines are drawn in the Elitest 8 when Harbour Town and Cassique colide! STRANTZ REGION RECAP: Did brand names play a roll again in the Tot Hill-Tobacco Road matchup or was it short-term memory instead? Those that have played Tot Hill only in the last 15 years have never seen the 3rd hole the way it looks in the matchup photo. The voting margin was a bit surprising - but maybe that's just our love for THF talking. That's what we vote, right?!? Tobacco Road's Stewart Cabin marches on to face True Blue's island delight, which edged out Bulls Bay in another tightly contested vote. ELITIST 8 MOUNTAINTOP: Linville Ridge #16 vs The Cliffs at Glassy #13 POSTCARD: Diamond Creek #17 vs The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards #17 COASTAL: Harbour Town #17 vs Cassique #5 STRANTZ: True Blue #3 vs Tobacco Road #14 Regional titles are on the line!!! An award for being the Most Breathtaking Par 3 from a region is still something you hang on the fridge! Instagram Stories will go live sometime Monday. Polls will be open for 24 hours. Vote. Share. Enjoy! SO WHO MARCHES ON??? MOUNTAINTOP: Glassy breezed to a relative easy victory over Linville Ridge, somewhat of a surprise given the sheer beauty between the two. Regardless, the hole that started the whole debate marches on to the Finalish 4 and has to be considered a favorite to take it all! POSTCARD: In the closest of the 12 matchups in the first two rounds, Diamond Creek's waterfall and rocky backdrop edged Keowee Vineyard's peninsula par 3 by JUST FOUR VOTES! Considering over 3700 votes have been cast to date, that's pretty darn close! COASTAL: Another tight matchup - this one by just TEN VOTES - Hilton Head defeats Kiawah. Is this another case of more people having seen Harbour Town on TV and playing it on video games (or in person of course)? Impossible to tell, but we'll find out when two of the most recognized brand name courses in The Carolinas do battle in the Finalish 4, because... STRANTZ: It's all chalk in The Maverick's Bracket as Tobacco Road stomps its way to another easy win over True Blue's island oasis. If drones were allowed, perhaps this vote is closer, but we are where we are for a reason. FINALISH 4 VOTING STARTS 4/3 FINALISH 4 VOTING The Cliffs at Glassy #13 cruised to a very easy win on the left side of the bracket, while Tobacco Road #14 faced it's stiffest test yet and squeaked out the 'dub' on the right side. Harbour Town & Diamond Creek went through a pair of Murderer's Rows just to get this far and leave with the titles of Coastal and Postcard Region Champions, respectively! CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT The Cliffs at Glassy #13 vs. Tobacco Road #14 This is for all the golf ball-sized marbles! We have the hole that inspired the bracket challenge versus the most nominated hole from our crack panel of golf addicts and degenerates. Over 4750 votes were cast over the breadth of the challenge. Huge thanks to all that participated and made your thoughts known! Now, without further a do, The Golf Crusade proclaims that THE MOST BREATHTAKING PAR 3 IN THE CAROLINAS IS... FINAL BRACKET Post-game Insights From Your Golf Crusaders Before you click 'unsubscribe' or tear us apart for putting on such a subjective contest, let's remember two things. It was for fun. Did it teach us something? Sure, it's that golf is awesome! It is the most beautiful concoction of nature, artistry, bulldozers and turf on Earth, yet it is completely in the Eye of the Clubholder which style is more appealing. It is important to look at the place we conducted this poll. It's where the majority of our following interacts with us of course, Instagram. You know who is really good at Instagram? Tobacco Road. It would not be hard to argue that they are as good as any course in the world at marketing their course through their owned channels. Show us another golf course that has the following they do AND the interaction they have. You probably can't. The only one we can think of is Sweetens Cove. And guess what? Tobacco Road was Sweetens Cove before Sweetens Cove was cool. None of this takes anything away from the champ! We love Tobacco Road. It might also be the most played hole on this list from the voters. How many of the votes came from people who have actually stood on the 17th tee box and at Wade Hampton or gazed off into the vast 50-mile views from the tips at the 10th at Mountain Air? Our guess is not very many. BTW - Did you see what we did there with the Eye of the Clubholder thing? Pretty proud of that one we must say! Trademark pending. We also think with any tournament, the first question usually asked is, "did the best team win?" We think you have to stand back and ask that here too... Did the most breathtaking hole win? All we know is that the fans vote says YES! We certainly do not dispute the results of our own poll, but of course we have our own opinions and bias. We do know that if we just posted our picks without asking you, it would have looked much, much differently! In fact, here are the brackets we filled out: Want to fill out your own? We're going to add this template to our IG Stories as well. Let everyone know who you picked by sharing it and tagging @golfcrusade in your post! There are certainly some holes that were left out of the bracket, either by the fact we forgot about them and no one spoke up until after we started or that there is just too much damn good golf in The Carolinas! That's a problem we wouldn't mind tackling over the next 40 years! Sincerely Fores, BMAC & Dooner Your Golf Crusaders

UPDATE 2/10/21: The event has reached its capacity & the waitlist has been closed. We appreciate the incredible interest The Iron Maverick II continues to generate! Any spots that open due to attrition from the current roster will be filled via waitlist lottery selection. Teams will be notified individually. In September 2019, fifty golfers from nine states descended upon the freshly restored Royal New Kent Golf Club in Southeastern Virginia, not really knowing what to truly expect. Twelve hours later, they couldn't wait to do it again! Just like that, something was born in the spirit of a "Half Golf Ironman, Half Mike Strantz Tribute, 100% Fun" event and had grown up right before our eyes! However, like many things planned in 2020, COVID popped up and cancelled our plans to make our event an annual one. We figured we'd better make up for the lost time. At long last, we are EXTREMELY excited to announce the details for the second iteration of our signature event, THE IRON MAVERICK! If you've been closely following our social channels, you've seen some teases. The widely recognized South Carolina State flag with our bull skull logo (an obvious nod to Mike Strantz) replacing the famous Palmetto tree below the crescent moon to be exact. If you're a fan of Strantz - a.k.a. 'The Maverick' of golf course design - and you saw that, it wouldn't be difficult to ascertain that we'd be heading down to the Hammock Coast to presumably play Strantz's Pawleys Island pair of Top 100 Courses, Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club. If you guessed this (which is correct by the way), congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back. But WAIT...There's MORE! If you thought that was everything we were cooking up, you're in for a big surprise! As the great Lee Corso likes to say... "Not so fast, my friend!" Since we weren't able to host a single event in 2020, we not only doubled down in '21, we wanted to triple your fun. Due to posting a lot of photos from Bulls Bay Golf Club, not a week goes by that someone asks us if we can help them get on it. For the uninitiated, "Bulls" is the last of Strantz' seven original designs and the only private course of the lot. Thanks to the planets aligning to form the Christmas Star for the first time in 800 years and enough people wishing upon that star to play Bulls Bay AND the club celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2021, we can finally answer that oft asked question as, "YES WE CAN!!!" That's right friends... we are humbled to be able to finally let you know that The Iron Maverick II will be held at Caledonia, True Blue AND Bulls Bay! We said we were excited! We hope you are to! Since the reveal is out of the way, here's how the event will shape up and how to sign up: FORMAT & FLOW As with the first Iron Maverick, this will be a team event (foursomes). We will spend Monday, September 27th on Pawley's Island where we will enjoy thirty-six holes - first with dew sweeping the fairways at True Blue followed by a little twilight delight at Caledonia. Lunch is included between rounds, as are four drink tickets per person to use throughout the day. Format for both Monday rounds will be 4-player scrambles (in an effort to make sure we complete both rounds) before retreating to The Tavern at Caledonia, one of the best settings in the game to enjoy a cold one with 88 other golf nuts. On Tuesday, September 28th, we'll travel about an hour south to the longhorn skull guarded gates of Bulls Bay for a day no one will likely forget anytime soon. A morning 4-player shamble will kick off a full day of golf and fun in the Lowcountry. Lunch will be provided by the Renegade Chef - the club's very own food truck - on the back half of the morning round! Beer will be provided throughout the day, and we of course encourage responsible consumption of said adult beverages. Your day isn't over just yet! After all, as the the event name suggests, it's an Ironman-esque contest meant to test the wills of the best weekend hacks and plus two handicaps. We will setup the course in the afternoon for a Par 3 Challenge, moving tees to unique, challenging and perhaps "off-road" locations! Everyone will play their individual ball through the green, allowing everyone to test their skills and provide some unique angles at The Maverick's home course! A scoring system will be used to award points for each round to determine our Iron Maverick Team champion. All rounds will feature additional contests and games, all of which will be added as bonus points to your overall team score. The scoring details will be announced closer to the event. After the dust (and sand) settles, the legendary hilltop clubhouse at Bulls Bay, the literal high point in the Lowcountry, will serve as the backdrop for our awards ceremony to close the books on what (we hope) will be one of those golf experiences we all tell stories about for decades to come. PRICING & REGISTRATION We've selected dates later in the year to allow the best chance for the event to take place in a less socially distanced world. If best practices to stop the spread of COVID-19 are still the norm, we will work with the courses to ensure a safe environment for all participants and staff. That said... Each player will receive: - 18 holes at Caledonia (29th best public course in US - GOLF Magazine '20) - 18 holes at True Blue (77th best public course in US - GOLF Magazine '20) - 18 holes at the private Bulls Bay (Long-time host of 'The Hootie' Intercollegiate Tourney) - 18 holes - Par 3 Challenge - Bulls Bay - Lunch provided both days - 4 Drink Tickets for use at Caledonia/True Blue - Beer at Bulls Bay - Games & Prizes - Tee Gift - Two days with 88 like-minded golf crazies - Not good times... GREAT TIMES!!! We don't know what the total of everything would be if you tried to add it up at retail price, but thanks to all three courses working together to provide this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we are humbled to be able to provide this experience for just $350 per person! To put that in perspective, if you were going to book two rounds the same week at Caledonia and True Blue, you'd be looking at $300 for golf and carts alone (which is still very reasonable for two of the Best Courses You Can Play, not to menti on being one of the Top 100 Golf Resorts in the World according to GOLF Magazine). The field will be limited to ensure a quality experience and ensure we complete the full schedule in the daylight in which we have to work. Initially, registration will only be accepted for full teams of four. If you are an individual interested in playing but don't think you can get an entire foursome, please let us know and we will connect you with others so you can fill out a team from amongst the golf community at large. If the event sells out, we'll start a waiting list should the need arise to replace a team. GolfStatus is our registration and live scoring partner. If you are ever in need of either, we highly recommend giving them a look. They are great folks and make your event setup much easier than going it alone! LODGING & TRANSPORTATION Both are on your own. If you need help with a place to stay, Inlet Sports Lodge in Murrells Inlet is a great place to start your search. The Lodge is a part of the Caledonia/True Blue family and is located about 10 miles north of the the two sister courses and a shade over an hour from Bulls Bay. If you're flying in - you've got two options: - Myrtle Beach International is 37 minutes from CAL/TB and 95 minutes to BB. - Charleston International is 32 minutes from BB & 87 minutes from CAL/TB. PARTNERS & SPONSORS There is no way we could pull all this off on our own. We have had a lot of help to this point! Without question, the leadership of each course has gone above and beyond normal duties, but we also thank Empire Sport Management and GolfStatus for their expertise and guidance in their respective spaces. If you own/produce/possess interesting products that you'd like to donate as prizes, or would be interested in partnering and/or sponsoring the event, please let us know via one of the channels listed immediately below. Any contribution goes directly into the event and we'll make a big deal out of your kindness & participation! WRAP UP & QUESTIONS We hope you're already mulling over who you want on your team! If you have any questions about the event, you can send us a direct message on either @golfcrusade or @strantzfantzclub or email us at thegolfcrusade@gmail.com. Put in for that vacation time now & we'll see you in September!!! Sincerely Fores, BMAC & Dooner Your Golf Crusaders Enjoy a little photo sampler of the golf feast that awaits...

Right out of the gate, we acknowledge that 2020 sucked, right? No need to dive deeper on that! While it was a draining year on any number of levels, golf as a game thrived. Rounds were up at your local public course and country clubs had full tee sheets despite not many being able to welcome guest play for some (or all of) the year too. Whether you're new to the game, picked it back up after some time away or set records for the amount of golf courses you played this year, we would like to say thanks for finding your way to us. We hope any of the content we produced helped you think, laugh, admire a course on your golf journey or maybe helped you escape a difficult time, if even for a fleeting moment of Zen. Since we're just a couple of golf bums and do this for fun, we can't afford 'awards' to hand out, so we just recap the year with a series of lists highlighting the best of a number of categories. Additionally, since we were not really able to travel very far from home, we had the opportunity to replay a few extra courses than we maybe otherwise would not have done given the choice to play new courses. Keep in mind our goal is to play one new course per month, per man. That said, we were still able to add twenty-five new courses to the map and replay eleven others, giving us thirty-six courses to choose from this year. We each face significant drives to play new courses these days, so to pull off what we did this year, we consider a notable achievement. Whether you're a course collector on a quest like us or just picking the game up, goals always help guide your journey. Set some! GET SOME! Lesson over. Commence fun! Let's get into our 'Best of Lists' for the worst year ever! Here is the format. Only change this year is that for the Rapid Fire Round, we are opening that up to any course we played this year, not just new courses. We each picked a winner for each category so you get twice the bang for your free read. Best Replay Best Alternative Golf Facility Best New Public Course Best New Private Course Rapid Fire Round - Random Best in Show Categories Best Of What's To Come In the words of the great Miles Lane... "Let's get it on!" [Photo Viewing Note: Click on any image to expand. Mobile photo viewing experience can vary based on phone, so tablet/laptop/desktop recommended for optimum pleasure] Best Replay We kick things off with a really competitive category! We probably replayed more than usual due to the lack of travel, so there was a lot of inventory from which to choose. The Virginian was awesome to see again and will be a prime candidate when we go back in 2021 (after the bunker renovation is complete and hotel is open!). Graysburg Hills really shined after we went back for the first time in five years. The Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech got a run after many years away as well. Mountain Glen in the NC High Country, Dunes West down in the SC Lowcountry and Hickory Knob State Park Resort outside of Augusta would all be contenders in any other year too. But just like Christopher Lambert used to say, "There can be only One." If you've never watched the movie Highlander, we realize you have no idea what we're talking about. Guess we can't use that since we pick two anyway. We digress... our Best Replays of 2020 are: Dooner | Blowing Rock Country Club | Blowing Rock, NC BMAC | Caledonia Golf & Fish Club | Pawley's Island, SC You can't get any different than these two. Blowing Rock CC (1915) sits high atop the Appalachian escarpment in the town of the same name. Three giants of Golden Age golf course architecture put their mark on this course. Donald Ross, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks all have their fingerprints on it. The club has embraced the Raynor-style after it was relatively recently discovered that Raynor worked on-site. Kris Spence has renovated some of the 'modern' holes back in the template style and it has paid huge dividends in our eyes. I'd join this course in half a minute if I lived in town! We also have a series of videos pinned to our Instagram profile of four of the Raynor ghost holes that were closed due to highway construction years ago. It's narrated (poorly) to give you the tour of what once were the first four holes of the original nine hole course at BRCC. In stark contrast, Mike Strantz built Caledonia in 1994. It was his first design (which you probably know if you read this site and know our affinity for his portfolio). In short, it's magic. Well inside the Top 100 of whatever kind of list it qualifies for, it was only our second spin on the course and first with a real camera. It was the dormant season, but it doesn't matter. Anytime you can play here, you should. Best Alternative Golf Facility We added this category last year to catch all the different kinds of golf activities outside of the traditional 18 hole golf course. This encompasses your standard par-3 courses, creative short courses, executive and 9-holers, TopGolf, indoor simulator facilities and anything else we come across we deem worthy enough to take some pics and share our experiences. We had quite a few nominees this year - all from Dooner's end. With all apologies to English teachers, I'm switching to the first person for this one. Between weather, work, family and the Corona outbreak in the Spring, it was a late start to the 'new course' golf season this year. I had come up with the idea to make the 100-mile drive each way to Knoxville to play all four of their par-3 courses in one day. Turns out, it was pretty awesome to pull off and still be home for dinner and not have the locks changed on me for playing 4 courses in one day! Williams Creek was first - an 18-hole, Tom Fazio designed par-3 course. The Loop, a 3-green, 2-flag, 3-tee, 18-hole combo course at Fairways & Greens Golf Center was next. The day finished up at the city-owned Concord Park and Beverly Park courses, both 9-hole par-3 tracks focused on youth golf. A couple weeks later I followed that up with the 18-hole executive course at Sugar Mountain (NC) Resort which was recently voted the 2nd best short course in the country in a GolfAdvisor release. The shorts finished up with a double dip in the Roanoke area, playing the 9-hole Brookside Par3 (has lights!) and Salem Golf Couse, a 9-hole muni pasture complete with old-school sand greens! This time, we'll take Christopher Lambert's advice. Our Best Alt Golf Facility for 2020 is: THE LOOP at Fairways & Greens Golf Center | Knoxville, TN Fairways & Greens would have been a contender on its own as it belongs to an elite club of the Top 50 stand-alone driving ranges and practice facilities in the country. It's also private, but they do offer out of towners a day pass for $20. I thought it was going to be a bit of an overpay to play "3 holes", but I couldn't have been more wrong. It was awesome, creative and incredibly imaginative. To read more about it, check out the recap of the day we played all the Knoxville Par-3s here. Check out some of the cool views below (sorry for the crappy iPhone photos). Best New Public Course While I, Dooner, played the majority of new public courses this year, nothing stood out given that they were just the closest to me. BMAC, however, hit the jackpot with his haul and as a result, I cede the entire category to him. TRUE BLUE GOLF CLUB | Pawley's Island, SC Scrubby...scrappy...sandy...all words to consider a compliment when applied to a golf course. True Blue was really a gift this year. Stunning par 3s, double greens and hazards galore make this Pawleys Island gem worth the visit. Mike Strantz's fourth design, it is miles away in form compared to its sibling across the street, Caledonia. Best New Private Course This category brings the thunder this year baby! The contender list is full of heavyweights and a couple of courses that punch above their profile. This one wasn't decided until these words were typed! The heavyweights included in this category include - The Country Club of Charleston, fresh off their hosting duties for the '19 US Women's Open - Musgrove Mill, a challenging brute in the South Carolina Midlands that once hosted the ACC Men's Championship - Currahee Club, a mountaintop marvel with 50-mile views of the North Georgia Mountains - Champion Hills, home course of the man who built it, Tom Fazio. Throw in Blacksburg Country Club (the underdog in the bunch, that packs that punch so well above its weight that it's members may not want us talking about the gem that they have in the hills of Hokie Country) and you have a pretty fearsome fivesome from which to choose! It was hardly as easy as A-B-C, but we'll take 'C': BMAC | Country Club of Charleston | James Island, SC Dooner | Currahee Club | Toccoa, GA CC of Charleston lays out all the classic templates in impeccable condition butting up to Charleston Harbor and its marshy edges. Although not long off the tee, finding yourself on the wrong part of the green will make your day a long one. Pro tip: hit it close on the Redan Par 3 11th because long, short, left and right are dead. BMAC knocked it to about 25' and still managed to walk off with bogey. Well played BMAC! Currahee took Dooner's top spot, but man it was hard not to pick Blacksburg. The similarities between the two are many. While the front nine at Blacksburg makes an incredible first impression, the back nine at Currahee leaves a lasting one. Our Best New Public winner last year (for each of us) was Royal New Kent - Mike Strantz's ode to Irish links golf. The back side at Currahee - designed by Jim Fazio - might as well be a third nine at RNK. Given Strantz's extensive time spent with Tom Fazio, there stands good reason that a common bond exists between the three architects. Rapid Fire Round [Category | Dooner's Pick | BMAC's Pick (appears as top/bottom on mobile devices)] Best Opening Hole | Currahee Club | Musgrove Mill Best Par 3 | Currahee Club #17 | True Blue #3 Best Par 4 | Blacksburg CC #8 (VA) | Hanging Rock #14 (VA) Best Par 5 | Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech #3 | Musgrove Mill #3 Best Tee Shot | Lakeview Resort (WV) #7 | Champion Hills (NC) #13 Best Approach | Blacksburg #8 | Caledonia #13 Best Greens (Architecture) | Blowing Rock CC (NC) | CC of Charleston (SC) not pictured Best Tee Markers | Williams Creek (TN) | Caledonia (SC) Best Clubhouse (View Of) | Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech | Caledonia Best Clubhouse (View From) | Musgrove Mill (SC) both picked this one! Best Locker Room | Champion Hills (NC) Best Risk/Reward Shot | Every Par 4 tee shot at Sugar Mountain (NC) (both photos) | 4th at Hickory Knob State Park (SC) (not pictured) Weirdest Thing on Course | Sand Greens at Salem (VA) | Holes crossing state line at Farmstead Golf Links (SC/NC) Coolest Thing on Course | Waterfall next to #8 Tee at The Rock (SC) Best Hazard | Cemeteries at Blowing Rock #15 & Smoky Mountain CC (TN) #4 | Fog at Williston CC (SC) Best Halfway House | Blowing Rock Best Practice Green | Johnson City CC (TN) | Champion Hills (NC) Best Stairs (follow our buddy @golf_stairs) Best Bridges (follow our buddy @golfbridges) Best Walk from Cart to Green | Champion Hills #15 Best Signs | Johnson City CC | Williston CC Best Clock Game Best Flags | Currahee | Musgrove Mill Best Mascot | Champion Hills' Blackbear | Farmstead's Rooster Best Action Shots of People with whom we Played | Thanks to our Instagram Fam! In no particular order: @hsctigr @traveling_golfer @andrewdyer423 @kmrnkelly @thepersimmonprince @palmetto_golfer @warrend09 @a.k.barker @codynelson81 @strantzfantzclub @chriskrugergolf @wes_buckles @ndsiler @statsick @erichorvath1 @haganrhensley @bertgore Best @GolfBarns | Graysburg Hills (TN) Best Finishing Hole Pete Dye River Course at Virginia Tech Farmstead (767 yard Par-6 going from SC to NC in the process) Best of What's to Come Back in 2019 - man that seems like a long time ago - we put out a call on a whim to come play with us on a trip out to Royal New Kent. We called it "The Iron Maverick" and wound up making about about 50 new friends from nine states in a one day, 36 hole Mike Strantz themed golf event in Virginia! We had designs on an event in 2020, but we know that song and dance by now. Since we missed it, we figure we have to make up for the loss by doubling down in 2021. Well, let this serve as the official teaser of what's coming... SAVE. THE. DATES. September 27th AND 28th. Go ahead and take off the 29th too if you have to travel home the following day, because you want want to miss a minute of daylight for what we've got planned. Speculate all you want, we won't make you wait long... Until that time comes, be safe, be healthy and get that time off in September! We'll see you in 2021. Sincerely Fores, Dooner & BMAC