Travel Golf

Coastal Georgia’s Jekyll Island, A Million Reasons to Visit!

August 4, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Merri & Andy enjoying dessert in the Grand Dining Room!

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter is joined by Merri Daniel, golf’s newest voice for women, as they share another intimate “stay & play” golfing experience. This exclusive “Play-Stay & Write” article encompasses a weekend visit to Jekyll Island, the State of Georgia’s “Landmark Experience.”

Much has been written about its aesthetic, cultural and historical significance. These were the homes for Millionaires starting back in 1886. But what sense of being is found today on the island? Why does it attract so many visitors? Join Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Daniel and Reistetter, yes Merri Daniel and Andy Reistetter, as they share their perspective of why Jekyll Island is today’s destination of choice.

The Jekyll Island Golf Complex boasts 72 holes of golf for competition and fun for every golfer!

Walter Hagen once said “I never wanted to be a millionaire. I just wanted to live like one.” The millionaires of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries lived on Jekyll Island to escape winter and rejuvenate themselves. Today there is no need to be a millionaire but there are a million reasons to come to visit Jekyll Island.

“It’s different, it’s just different,” was what the man said to us when I asked him to describe Jekyll Island. After only a few hours on the island we knew that what he said is true. Jekyll Island is different. After a fabulous dinner in the Grand Dining Room of the Jekyll Island Club Hotel Merri and I set out to stroll down the many sidewalks of the Historic District. We came upon the Sans Souci rumored to be the first condominium project in the world- a segue between the rooms of the hotel and the opulence of the “cottages” of the millionaires.

The man was sitting on the front porch rocking away with his 16-year old son. Rocking as in a rocking chair on the covered veranda, not as in musical gyrations though the beat of their father-son conversation was noteworthy. It was the peaceful tone of that conversation which attracted us to mosey over their way. As simple as being happy and fulfilled, we joined in with the rhapsodists. What we conversed about, whether it was the weather, the activities of the day or the splendor of experiencing Jekyll Island is forgotten. But the charm of Jekyll Island is not. Where else can you meet a stranger, share a moment and depart friends celebrating such a tranquil experience?

In the legendary office of the legend Johnny Paulk himself! What an experience to meet this man!

Well of course that can also happen on a golf course. Jack Lemmon, who told us the story of Bagger Vance, said “If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try playing the wrong golf ball.” Opportunities to play into other fairways are minimal due to the spatial world class design of the golf courses. Jekyll Island is “the World’s first golf course designed with suitable tee locations for the entire family to enjoy the game of golf together.” Perhaps a game of alternate shot is the course of design for fun and making more friends in the family?

Golf has been on Jekyll Island since 1898 and today boasts 63 holes and is the largest public golf resort in the state. That’s three 18-hole courses and one 9-hole keepsake from the 1926 Walter Travis creation of “American Ocean Links” called the Great Dunes course. Oleander is a 1917 Donald Ross masterpiece redesigned in 1964 by Dick Wilson. Indian Mound was designed by Joe Lee in 1975. Pine Lakes is a 1968 Dick Wilson/Joe Lee design renovated in 2002 by Clyde Johnston. So if one is into name dropping, the golf architects of Jekyll Island are right up there in the world of golf as Rockefeller, Vanderbilt and Morgan are in the world of finance.

Like the quiet conversations on the front porch you will find a great deal of humbleness and dedication behind the scenes on Jekyll Island. If you look into the concept of family tees on a golf course you will learn it was done under the direction of Johnny Paulk.

The World’s first golf course designed with suitable tee locations for the entire family to enjoy the game of golf together. Thank you Johnny Paulk!

A living legend of Georgia golf, Paulk started as an Assistant Professional at East Lake Golf Club, home club of the legend in golf, Bobby Jones. On the wall outside his office hangs the letter Bobby Jones wrote on his behalf recognizing Johnny as a personable, competent and industrious person and recommending him for a job. Of course Jones started the Masters Tournament a long time ago.

Paulk announces the golfers as they approach the 18^th green and is only the third person to do so. When you bring your family to golf on Jekyll Island, seek out Johnny Paulk for a story or two and learn something about the true essence of the game.

We said there were a million reasons to come to Jekyll Island. Here are Merri’s Marvelous Moments of Jekyll Island. Ten of those million reasons to visit Jekyll Island:

10. Staying at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. “The room was capacious, the bed extra comfortable and the bathroom even had a window that opened to the flowery courtyard below.”

9. Golfing, it was fantastic. “Sorry I know it was mentioned before but from a women’s perspective these golf courses are a lot of fun to play. Plus I love seeing up close the deer with their fawns.”

Merri enjoying the company of three deer off the 9th tee on the Pine Lakes Course!

8. Riding bicycles around the island. “At the Club Hotel you can literally valet your car, walk a few steps and rent a bicycle to tour the island and get some exercise. I liked when we rode out to Driftwood Beach, what an interesting and beautiful place with fantastic views.”

7. Visiting the Commissary on Pier Road which was the General Store back in the 1920s. “Juliana, the owner has a private label of Georgia based food products. Georgia
Peaches and Vidalia Onions and Pecans are used to make delicious barbecue sauces, salad dressing, preserves, hot sauces, relishes, salsas and much more, which is quite extraordinary”

6. Working on Jekyll Island. “Oops, we are not supposed to use that word but if you have to do that the new Jekyll Island Convention Center is the place to do it. It is oceanfront and there is an automatic positivity that comes to any event. A Beach Village retail center and three new hotels are planned.”

5. Visiting Faith Chapel. “Wow, the chapel is home to a treasured rarity- a signed stained glass windows by the famed artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. I am so excited that my daughter recently became engaged to be married to a wonderful guy. This would be a wonderful place for an intimate wedding celebration.”

The charming view from the bathroom window in our charming room in the

4. Walking down to the Café Solterra at the Club Hotel to get some coffee. “Andy knows I need my coffee early in the morning. I love to pop down to the café to get some Starbucks coffee and bring Andy back a treat from the bakery.”

3. Taking the Historical District Tour starting at the Island History Center. “Talk about going back in time, the only thing missing are the people. What gorgeous homes. It was as though we were joining the Rockefellers for the 1917 season. The antique Red Bug car they had was cool but I love driving the modern electric Red Bug around the island.”

2. Visiting the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. “Turtles are so cute in their hard shells. The ones in rehabilitation seem to have such personality. Not only are there sea turtles but diamondback terrapins too from the brackish water between the island and the main land. Since one of two turtles sited on the causeway are killed by motorists please drive slower and more carefully coming onto the island.”

1. Having dinner in the Grand Dining Room. “Especially on a Saturday night, date night! The food was extraordinary, the people nicely accommodating and the desserts richly chocolate the way I like them. My best tip is to have dinner early and take a leisurely romantic walk afterwards. Don’t miss Sunday brunch as it is to die for. But eat late as you can before it ends at 2 p.m.”

Faith Chapel on Jekyll Island…

In reality maybe the reasons folks come to Jekyll Island today are very similar to the reasons the millionaires started coming 125 years ago. Sure we are curious about how they lived and what the insides of their homes looked like. Exploring the island and connecting with its natural beauty is a big part of the experience. Probably a bigger part, like that father and son rocking on the porch is connecting with ourselves and the people important to us in our lives whether friends or family. You don’t have to be a millionaire. On Jekyll Island today it does not take long to decompress, relax and enjoy the ambiance of a special place. “It’s different, it’s just different.”

The tag line in the Bagger Vance movie was “Some Things Can’t Be Learned. They Must Be Remembered.” Remembering things and creating new memories is easy to do when you spend a few nights on Jekyll Island. At least a million good thoughts and feelings will come your way. Enjoy!

p.s. Jekyll Island is “Celebrating 125 Years of History with a Year to Remember at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel.” Dinner for two for $125 is available through the end of the year in the Grand Dining Room. In December any night in a Clubhouse or Traditional Room is $125 in the Club Hotel.

Merri Daniel is a Women’s Golf Advocate in addition to being a Spokes Model for Vivacity Sportswear .

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Research and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS Championship while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Residing within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, this golfing couple is focused on a number of entrepreneurial golf pursuits within the realm of “Outside the Ropes Entertainment.”

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook to enjoy daily updates or contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Northeast Florida, Travel Golf

Perdido Bay, Home of the new SECT

August 4, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive "Play-Write" series with a weekend visit to Perdido Bay Golf Resort in Pensacola, Florida. The likes of Curtis Strange, Jerry Pate and Calvin Peete have won at Perdido Bay when it hosted the PGA TOUR's Pensacola Open. Mark Naes, a former Nationwide Tournament Director for the PGA TOUR has returned home to create the Southeast Collegiate Golf Tour (SECT). The Hardee's Players Championship takes place at Perdido Bay beginning August 5^th. Join Reistetter and be introduced to Mark Naes, Perdido Bay and the SECT.

I first met Mark Naes over the Labor Day weekend during last year's American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) Junior PLAYERS Championship. Bill Hughes, the General Manager of TPC Sawgrass, also Home of THE professional PLAYERS Championship made the introduction. When W.W. Hughes makes an introduction, smart people follow up.

I was invited by Mark to come and experience Perdido Bay Golf Resort for myself. I did and connected with the people, the golf course and the simple golfing ambiance of Perdido Bay. With overnight accommodations at the Cottages On the Green, the visit reminded me of staying in the Jones Villa at Nicklaus' Muirfield Village. Having only a few steps to the practice tee and first tee and never having to leave the property makes a golfing weekend extraordinary.

Naes retired a few years ago and went back home to Pensacola after being gone for 30 years. He left the day after high school to play golf at Houston Baptist College. In addition to running tournaments for the tour he owned a lighted par-3 course and driving range in St. Louis.

Why promote junior and collegiate golf tournaments? Mark will tell you as he did me that "the adults that got involved in my life at a young age because of golf helped mold me to where I am today and I am very thankful for that process. Now it is important to me to give back to kids."

Surprisingly one of those adults was none other than Gary Player, the Black Knight who won 24 times on the PGA TOUR, including nine majors. How does a kid from Pensacola meet and get to know a professional golfer from South Africa? The Pensacola Open at Perdido Bay is how.

His dad was a big Player fan and organized the "Gary's Gang" cheering section. Player came over to thank him and in the ensuing conversation was invited to stay with the family which he accepted for the next five years. Mark was 10 years old at the times and likes to tell the story that "my very first golf lesson and my very first set of clubs all came from Gary Player."

Looking back Naes says with the confidence of knowing for sure that "golf changed my life." As a 10-year old boy he would watch the workout routine of his role model, see him do pushups, eat healthy and be in bed by 9 p.m."

Now looking forward in the lives of young golfers, he sees a void in golf and wants to fill the gap between junior golf and collegiate golf, especially for the golfers who don't qualify for the top tier amateur events like the U.S. Amateur. Simply put, so "there's a place for all kids in golf."

Naes found four founding sponsors- Hardee's, Gorilla Design, J. Lindeberg and Peak Nutrition. Perdido Bay is the perfect place to host a tournament with comfortable housing onsite, superb practice facilities and a timeless Bill Amick design that stretches out to over 7,000 yards. The friendly people supporting the tournament make it a memorable experience for the players with special touches like announcing players on the first tee and approaching the 18^th green.

The Cottages On the Green and Perdido Bay Golf Resort have a revered place in golf trivia. The scene in the movie Tin Cup with the golf shot that knocked the pelican off its perch was reportedly based on a real incident involving Gary McCord that happened during a rain delay in a Pensacola Open.

In 2012 the SECT will consist of two tournaments- the Hardee's Players in August and the Hardee's Holiday Classic in late December. But in 2013 it will grow to six tournaments including one at TPC Sawgrass on Dye's Valley Course and TPC Louisiana.

In addition to the collegiate competitions, Naes coordinates junior tournaments including the Hardee's National Junior Classic at Perdido Bay in early January. Always thinking of the progression of golfers from junior to college and beyond, Naes has the juniors caddie for the college golfers in late December and then play the same course setup a week later to test their skills and have some good comparative data for college coaches.

Perdido Bay, Mark Neas and the new Southeastern Collegiate Golf Tour promoting the game of golf and giving back in the truest sense. Play well this week!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Research and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours- the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook to enjoy daily updates on his GolfWriter59 page.

Contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Travel Golf

April 1, 2012 By admin Leave a Comment

Andy Reistetter’s foray into golf travel writing began in late 2009 at the Nationwide Tour Championship.

While on assignment for the Golf Channel, Andy wanted to experience “firm & fast” professional conditions and to measure his game against the pros. He played the Ralston Creek Course at the Daniel Island Club in Charleston, South Carolina the “Monday After” Matt Every won with a record-breaking 21-under par total. Needless to say he “kept his day job” and focused on being a golf writer and broadcast assistant.

Daniel Island was the start of his “Play-Write” series that now numbers over 25 articles.

Reistetter’s first official golf travel writing assignment came soon after in Puerto Rico at Royal Isabela, a private links style club on cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Additional assignments keep coming at wonderful places like Reynolds Plantation, Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Colonial Williamsburg, La Costa, CordeValle, PGA Village and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

An “Inspiration Seeker,” look for Reistetter to find more inspiring places to play golf and write about his experience in the years ahead.

Filed Under: Travel Golf

2012: Golfing and Finding your True South in Mississippi

March 19, 2012 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. On a recent golf travel assignment he was introduced to four golf courses- The Bridges, The Oaks, The Preserve and Fallen Oak where the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic is held in March. Join Reistetter as he not only plays golf in some very special places but enjoys true Southern hospitality in some unusual places. Friend Reistetter on Facebook for a look at more behind-the-scenes pictures and insights.

Signature 16th hole at The Preserve, a Jerry Pate design.

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…

I played four Mississippi golf courses in four days!

Well almost, the most anticipated fourth round playing with Nick Price in the pro-am at Fallen Oak was cancelled due to an overnight rain storm. Any other golf course, any other day we would have played but preserving the condition of the golf course is of paramount importance when you are scheduled to host a Champions tour event the next day. The Tom Fazio design looked spectacular on television as Fred Couples won yet another championship. I can’t wait to return to the Magnolia State to play Fallen Oak.

Sadly Mr. Hickory Golf did not get to play golf with Nick Price but I did get to hang with him for a little bit… the Hall of Famer is as nice as everyone says he is!

Mississippi “packs the punch” when it comes to a golf and coastal life style. Yes its 44 miles of coastline is far less than that of Florida (1350) and California (840). So too is the number of golf courses- Mississippi (124), Florida (1218) and California (906). If you look at the ratio of golf courses to coastline miles Mississippi (2.8) has three times the intensity of Florida (0.9) and California (1.1). The bottom line is once you arrive, don’t expect to drive far to play a variety of golf courses and enjoy the coast as well.

I explored the coastal region of Mississippi from west-to-east. I played The Bridges and stayed at the Hollywood Casino Resort in Bay St. Louis the first day. Where there are bridges there are water hazards. This Arnold Palmer signature design is a fair test of golf in a tranquil and scenic setting.

At The Bridges with Head Golf Professional Billy Baumgartner.

On the second day I headed over to The Oaks in Pass Christian where Golf Channel’s Trip Isenhour set the course record with a third round 64 on his way to victory in the 2000 Buy.com Mississippi Gulf Coast Open. This is where the eye of Katrina passed over yet many oak trees remain to challenge your course management skills. With Hooter Girls as beverage cart attendants this must be a favorite of John Daly as well.

Heading east my last stop was a few nights at the smoke-free Palace Casino Resort in Biloxi. The name of the Head Golf Professional at the resort’s Preserve Golf Club- Chris Champagne says it all when it comes to the quality of this golfing experience. Throw in Golf Superintendant Stephen Miles and his trusted Golden Retriever Tucker on the golf cart and you know the playing conditions are pristine and memorable. Jerry Pate the 1976 U.S. Open and inaugural PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass champion is the golf course designer. You won’t forget his par-3 16th hole with its scraggly-edge bunkers and sweeping green.

Hooters Girls are Beverage Cart Attendants at The Oaks in Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Hooters restaurant of Gulfport, MS.

I highly recommend lunch at The Preserve in the Sweet Bay restaurant. I had the seafood gumbo, hardwood smoked brisket drizzled with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and the sweet potato nuggets. The meal was so good that I would go back with only a table and no tee time reservation.

As good as lunch was, dinner at Mignon’s in the Palace Casino Resort was even better. After sampling a variety of appetizers including BBQ shrimp, fresh oysters and crab cakes I feasted on the namesake filet.

The dinner was hosted by Lisa Quirch who manages public relations for the resort. She’s been there 16 years, starting the day before it opened. Perfect for the job since she likes meeting people and people like meeting her. The three story barge casino that Katrina put out of business on August 29 is now located on the first two floors of the 236 room and suite 11-story hotel. Lisa help put 500 people back to work before the end of the year and it is those people, their hospitality that is hard to find elsewhere.

With singer & performer Diane Diaz.

Since the fourth round was a rainout I took a quick shuttle over to the Coast Nightclub at the Beau Rivage to catch Las Vegas regular Dianne Diaz’s show. Talk about an up close and personal experience. Great club, great show!

Though I was disappointed we did not get to play in the pro-am honestly the day off the golf course was more fun. I recommend adding another off-day to any golf trip visiting Mississippi. Lunch at The Phonecian and a walk around Ocean Springs was the perfect respite from golf.

Ocean Springs is the Cabot Cove of Mississippi. I met Laurel Luckey, the new editor of the Gazette, by chance. With a name like that I wanted to take her to the casino with me. She went to Ole Miss and came back via New York City and will likely add even a bit more zest to her hometown. Another nice young lady named Mabelle gave me a ride over to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art. I could have moseyed except for the brief rain shower. I was mesmerized by the biographical video of the mysterious, Rod Serling like artist. He ventured out to Horn Island to renew his youth and in the process created some artful renditions of birds and their habitat.

Biloxi tour operator Carla Beaugez… no hurricane will stop this lady from giving a tour of her hometown.

Then I met Carla Beaugez of the Biloxi Tour Train who took me on a private tour that I will never forget. For sure she is the Angela Lansbury of Biloxi. While there was no murder to solve she revealed the mystery of Biloxi by noting at the start that “it is the humblest of humanity, not a melting pot.” Hurricanes have a way of bringing the strengths of people to the forefront. Carla lost the original train engine in Katrina and now makes due using her jeep to pull the passenger cars for her tour.

Her tour wasn’t what I expected, it was so much more. “If you ride with Carla you are a celebrity,” sounds like a cliché but isn’t. Yes you get the basics such as “the original Biloxi Lighthouse was made in Baltimore, Maryland and shipped in pieces by barge.” But you also get the personal insider view when she pulls over in front of the Old Biloxi Schooner restaurant and Tabitha and Inga come out on the sidewalk to chat with you for a while and offer you a Barq’s Root Beer.

The Weather Witch of Biloxi has been there since1896. “Yes, Katrina aged our sails a bit,” Carla emphasizes, “but there is lots of love on my tour, both ways.”

The people of Mississippi are as nice, friendly and hospitable as ever… note the sign in the window… the Mississippi Gulf Coast in open for business!

Whichever way you go in Mississippi I think you will find the warmth of its people and understand why it is also known as The Hospitality State.

What is great about the state of Mississippi is that the Coastal Region is only one of five tourist sections. The four other regions are the Capital/River, the Pines, the Hills and the Delta. Did you know that the Mississippi River is the entire western border of the state? I did not realize that and look forward to returning to explore the rest of Mississippi someday very soon.

For more information on golfing in Mississippi go to the website Visit Mississippi where you will be able to access complete information about the golf courses throughout the state, including stay-and-play packages.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook or contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Travel Golf

Fore Mississippi: Mr. Hickory Golf Playing in Champions Tour Pro-Am This Week!

March 18, 2012 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter will be continuing his exclusive “Play-Write” series on the Mississippi Gulf Coast this week. Also known as “Mr. Hickory Golf,” this week’s trip will culminate by playing in the pro-am of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic. Wearing knickers provided by Vecci Fashions and playing hickory-shafted clubs, he is believed to be the first to do so in a PGA TOUR-sponsored pro-am event, at least in the modern age.

Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis

One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi…

Fore Mississippi…

Here comes Mr. Hickory Golf!

After a Monday morning flight into the Gulfport-Biloxi Airport he will head to the Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis and tee-time it up at the Bridges Golf Club, Mississippi’s only Arnold Palmer Signature golf course.

Ranked among the Top 40 casino golf courses in the country, The Bridges is the first resort golf course in the world to obtain Audubon International’s Certified Silver Signature status showcasing Palmer’s design strengths of working in harmony with nature.

“Staying like a star” at the 14-story waterfront Hollywood Casino Bay St. Louis, the Golf Collectors Society member will have dinner at 200 North Beach, reportedly the top restaurant in Bay St. Louis with “the best pulled pork sandwich on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”

Tuesday’s golf game will be at The Oaks in Pass Christian. Built by Landmark, The Oaks has played host to both NIKE and BUY.COM tour events as well as the first stage of Q-School.

Hooters Girls are Beverage Cart Attendants at The Oaks in Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Hooters restaurant of Gulfport, MS.

The Oaks Golf Club partners with a nearby Hooters restaurant to provide “Hooters Girls” on the beverage carts. Wearing traditional Hooters Girl uniforms, isn’t this welcomed distraction likely to slow down play? What were they thinking?

Hooters girls? Maybe John Daly will be playing the course as well?

Mr. Hickory Golf’s playing partners and golf professional for Thursday’s pro-am will be determined at the pairing party on Tuesday night in Biloxi at the Palace Casino Hotel.

Golf on Wednesday is at The Preserve designed by Jerry Pate, the 1976 U.S. Open Champion and the inaugural PLAYERS winner on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

Dinner Wednesday night is at Mignon’s Steaks & Seafood at the Palace Casino. The Hickory Guy, as his friends in Chicago call him, is thinking all land during the round of golf and later on “Surf & Turf.”

Mr. Hickory Golf with Nick Price!

Thursday’s round in the pro-am is at Fallen Oak Golf Club, the host venue for the 2012 Gulf Coast Resort Classic. Tom Fazio, the designer, is known as “America’s Greatest Living Architect.”

Mr. Hickory is likely to tee it up from the 6,000 yard range and not from the 7,468 yard back tees.

Between Hooters cart girls, four nights at casinos, and limited ‘pigeon prospects,’ Mr. Hickory Golf is likely to come home from the Mississippi Gulf Coast a penniless man—but better for it.

Fore Mississippi!

Andy Reistetter is a freelance golf writer as well as a Spotter, Research and Broadcast Assistant for The Golf Channel, NBC and CBS Sports. He spends time on all four major American golf tours—the PGA TOUR, Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Tours.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook or contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Mr. Hickory Golf REAL, Travel Golf

California’s CordeValle, the Perfect Weekend Getaway

February 4, 2012 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series with a weekend visit to CordeValle which is located in the Santa Cruz Mountains an hour from San Francisco and Pebble Beach. A place you may have heard of for Rocco’s hole-outs or Tiger’s play in the Frys.com Open on the PGA TOUR. This is definitely a place you want to experience, if only once. Join Reistetter as he gets away with a golfing buddy to “secluded luxury and unparallel championship golf.”

Spectacular morning view of the valley and Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s masterpiece.

Departing in the evening from the East Coast, I arrived at CordeValle in the dark. Although limited, my sight of the shadowed landscape gave me the sense of a cowboy heading up a canyon to a secure place to rest for the night.

This was a boys’ trip as my friend Rich picked me up at the nearby San Jose Airport and drove me to our weekend getaway. He was a longtime friend, a golfing buddy from when I lived in Southern California in the early 1980s.

I hadn’t seen Rich since the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach nearly two years ago. He’s one of those friends where you can pick up the phone every so often and you never miss anything of relevance in each other’s lives.

As the car came to the warm lights of the clubhouse area. I sensed what Adam, Hoss and Lil’ Joe must have felt when they rode home to the Ponderosa and were greeted by their father Ben Cartwright.

Clubhouse foyer leading to One Iron Bar.

At nearly midnight, we were greeted by name and our luggage, golf clubs and registration were handled so professionally it seemed like I was opening the door to my bungalow quicker than Rich drops another ball for a mulligan.

Each of the 45 guest beds is king-size at CordeValle whether in one of the 28 bungalows, three fairway homes or five villa suites. Good thing too since word from Rich’s wife is that he is a heavy snorer. I needed a good night sleep.

Golfers will say a golf course “fits their eye.” I think every guest will say a CordeValle room captures their total being with a warm, comfortable and beautiful place to call home. To say my bungalow was luxurious is an understatement. From the cozy fireplace, exquisite honeyed wood, and goose-down comforter, this is one of the nicest places I have stayed, if not the nicest ever.

After a night’s rest I was completely rejuvenated. My heart pumped a little faster as I opened the sliding wood shutters and saw the valley and golf course down. The morning light and long shadows accentuated the immense beauty of the landscape. I knew this was going to be a magical weekend.

Hearty breakfast, Cordevalle-style!

Rich and I met for a hearty breakfast in the One Iron Bar. We warmed up hitting a few balls and stroking a few putts. On the first tee, Mike the starter introduced us to our caddie. Here I was walking and playing golf, with a caddie, with the course to our selves, with my old buddy Rich. Life does not get better than this.

Golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr., who is based close by in Palo Alto, refers to CordeValle as “perhaps my finest golf course creation.”

I met Jones last year at a Masters party. He shared with me his Yale Story, an inviting essay about being the first to design and build an 18-hole golf course in Russia. As the creator of Moscow Country Club, the Links at Spanish Bay as well as 250 golf courses all over the world, for him to say “perhaps my finest” translates to CordeValle is a must-play for any serious minded golfer.

What I didn’t tell Rich is that Jones sent me his book Golf by Design, which educated me on how to read the features of a golf course and lower my score.

Mike’s view from the back tee on No. 9.

The hospitality and friendliness at CordeValle is unsurpassed. Mike came out to 7th green to let me know about the view from the hidden back tee on No. 9. “It’s worth the walk up the hill,” he said with friendly conviction, “you don’t want to miss it.” He was right, CordeValle means “the heart of the valley,” and it was a spectacular view with nature as far as the eye could see.

The match was memorable with us both playing well, recording five birdies, and I escaping with a 1-up win.

The Tuscany-style winery off to the left on the long uphill 6th hole was on my mind so we hopped in a shuttle to taste the wines of Clos La Chance. It was member “pick-up” night and we joined the fun. We left with a bottle of Santa Cruz Chardonnay to enjoy with a cheese plate in the room.

Afterward we enjoyed a casual dinner at the One Iron Bar. The dry aged NY steak with artichokes and truffle and garlic fries is to die for.

Happy to golf and drink wine… by the way CordeValle is a very woman-friendly environment.

The second day of golf had a little different feel. Rich and I decided to ride in a cart with a forecaddie because we were tired and older than we think. We were paired with a nice couple from San Francisco, Gayle and Eric who came to CordeValle to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

I knew this would play into my favor as Rich was a friendly and helping sort of guy. The type of guy anyone would want to meet and play with on a golf course. Unfortunately I was wrong, he was more relaxed and focused and he won the match 2&1.

In a little over 10 years, CordeValle has established a legacy of championship golf. In 2010, Rocco Mediate won the Frys.com Open on the PGA Tour with dramatic hole-outs each day. An ace, an eagle-2, an eagle-3 and the crescendo came on Sunday afternoon with a pitching wedge from 116 yards on the 17th for another eagle-2. The 2011 tournament won by Bryce Molder featured Tiger Woods in the field preparing for the Ryder Cup.

In 2011 CordeValle hosted the PGA Cup Matches- the PGA of America’s version of the Ryder Cup for club professionals. Next year they will host the U.S.G.A. Sr. Women’s Amateur.

A Sycamore tree large enough for Rich and I to stand inside.

Very few golf courses gain the PGA Tour, the PGA of America and the U.S.G.A.’s “stamp of approval,” especially at so young an age.

As we played along Rich and I learned Gayle and Eric were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. That got us thinking and we realized we first met as young chemical engineers working in an oil refinery in 1982.

So unexpectedly we celebrated 30 years of friendship in CordeValle style.

Perfect.

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook to enjoy daily updates or contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: Travel Golf, West Coast USA

The Ritz-Carlton, Golf and a Tour of Historic Amelia Island

January 23, 2012 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series with an extended stay at the Ritz-Carlton and a few rounds of golf at the Golf Club of Amelia Island. Perhaps to some vacation travelers, Amelia Island is a hidden piece of the coastal Northeast Florida treasure map. For those in the know, “putting” on the greens of the Golf Club of Amelia Island while staying at the Ritz-Carlton is the ultimate double eagle — the new generation “putting on the Ritz!” Join Reistetter as he experiences golf and luxury in one of the truly pristine areas of the Southeastern United States.

Hosted the Champions’ Tour 1999 Legends of Golf.

A gentleman named Ritz opened the first Ritz Hotel in London in 1905.

At the time he set the “swanky standard” for a hotel with a kitchen on each floor so room-service meals could be served course by course.

Another gentleman named Jim McManemon was part of the Ritz-Carlton team that opened up the Amelia Island property over twenty years ago.

Now having come back home as the General Manager, the Jim Valvano—like natural leader and his incredibly talented team will make an impact on you the moment you walk in the front door to this oceanfront resort.

Whether you come with friends, family or by yourself, your visit to the Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton will be memorable for all the right reasons.

SALT

Creativity is the hallmark of any dynamic venture and you will find it with the theme restaurant and lounge aptly named SALT.

Salt is the only rock people consume, yet we forget how precious it is in terms of the ocean, salt marshes, and cuisine.

A meal in SALT is extraordinary yet educational. Like a lot of our commercial food, common salt is stripped of everything good before it reaches our dining room tables but not at the Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island.

The AAA Five Diamond restaurant utilizes 52 different types of natural salts from all over the world: Croatian salt from the Adriatic Sea, ancient salt from the Himalayan Mountains, and BBQ infused salt derived in part from the wood of apple trees from the American Northwest.

Each signature dish is “simple elements from the earth and sea, properly seasoned and artfully prepared.”

That’s Andy in the Spa!

Near the end of a six year, 55 million dollar renovation, all of the Ritz Carlton facility, including the area’s largest conference facilities, are exquisite and unsurpassed in quality and functionality.

Open the door to your room and its new decor take you from a dark mahogany wood floor that simulates brown reeds, to a wind-swept sandy carpet, to the dramatic ocean view through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

You will want to spend more time in the elegant marble bathrooms and lounge around in your plush bathrobe.

Once you come out of your room, deciding which way to exit the lobby can be perplexing.

Does one head out to the sandy beach for relaxation or towards the sandy white bunkers of the “nearby” golf course for recreation?

Signature par-3 16th hole, right after memorable par-5 15th.

“Nearby” is an understatement. As Johnny Miller would say on television it’s a simple “slice” lag putt from the front door of the Ritz Carlton to the house of the Golf Club of Amelia Island.

As golfing experiences go, this one is world class, yet unique.

Jacksonville native and PLAYERS champion Mark McCumber, along with golfing great “Gene the Machine” Littler, designed two golfing experiences into one.

Though the fairways are wide throughout the course, the first nine feels tighter with lakes and majestic live oaks defining fairways and guarding the opening to greens.

The second nine is more open as it meanders out towards the ocean through marshes.

The brilliance of the McCumber-Littler design literally peaks and speaks for itself on the strategic par-5 15th hole.

Like classic holes of the Golden Era, there are important decisions to be made, risks to be analyzed, and rewards to be seized.

The inviting experience culminates at a perched green complex at the closest point to the ocean on the golf course.

So close in fact, you can hear the surf while you are putting. No need to hush the ocean as its rhythmic tones may improve your putting stroke.

Legends of Golf autographed portrait.

The Golf Club of Amelia Island is a very scenic and playable course yet has challenging competitive shot values. When the World Golf Hall of Fame’s Slammer & Squire course was not yet ready to go, the Champions Tour came here to stage their Legends of Golf tournament in 1999.

Golfing legends Charles Coody and Dale Douglas teamed up to win both the Legends (over 40 years of age) and Legendary (ages 50 to 69) while Joe Jimenez and Charlie Sifford won the Demaret Division (over 70).

Like the family atmosphere at the Ritz Carlton, it is likely that you will be greeted at the turn by Director of Golf John Price just to see how you are enjoying your day.

Ask John to show you his autographed poster from the Legends event — talk about capturing golf history!

Afterwards, if you choose to hit a bucket of balls like me, you may run into professional golfer Bubba Dickerson at the practice facility.

You really can’t beat this golfing experience!

The Clubhouse is a lag putt away from the front door of the Ritz-Carlton.

Or the Spa experience, where afterwards you can extend the treatment as warm water is cascading down on your shoulders in the signature whirlpool.

Or the romantic beach fire near the dunes for couples complete with s’mores, hot chocolate, and a warm blanket if needed.

Or the Ritz Kids programs with island adventure themes: ocean tides, native birds, sea turtles, scavenger hunts, and of course sharks and pirates!

There many options throughout the day for as many days as you like.

The Ritz-Carlton is synergistic with the Fernandina Beach community of Amelia Island.

Whether it’s a narrated trolley tour around town with guides David and Ellen Edwards or an Amelia River tour with Captain Kevin McCarthy, educational and recreational opportunities abound.

Here with Billy Burbank, an American business success icon.

Our trolley stopped by to visit with Billy Burbank at his manufacturing facility. Hear an inspiring American success story first hand from a “good young guy” who transformed a family business from fishing nets to state-of-the-art sports nets.

If you sat in really good seats behind home plate at a Major League baseball game, it was Billy’s nets that protected you.

Have a shrimp cocktail or fish sandwich during your visit to Amelia Island and it was Billy’s nets that captured your seafood with an innovative design that safely released any sea turtles that might have been caught.

Feel the wind and sudden temperature drop as Captain McCarthy swings you out a bit into the Atlantic Ocean to get an encompassing look at Fort Clinch.

On the way back, see the never touched wild horses roaming on the shores of Cumberland Island.

Amelia Island is tranquility. Photo courtesy of Hayworth Creative.

Saddle up and enjoy a horseback ride along pristine shores.

Paddle for pleasure with egrets, herons, a dolphin, manatee, or sea turtle, while exploring the tranquil salt marsh of the Talbot Islands State Park and Timucuan Preserve.

Back on land, Fort Clinch comes to life with period actors depicting military life in the 19th century. Hikers and bicyclists can enjoy a six-mile trail with remarkable views of some of the biggest sand dunes in the state of Florida.

Amelia Island is a special destination for families, and those who visit are sure to create memories that will last a lifetime.

While convenient to reach it remains a hidden piece of the coastal Northeast Florida treasure map.

Only fifteen minutes from Interstate 95 and thirty minutes from the Jacksonville International Airport, it is less than a six-hour drive from Miami and Charlotte and only five hours from Atlanta.

There are many special events to schedule your trip around including one within view of the Ritz-Carlton on the fairways of the Golf Club of Amelia Island.

Whether it’s the highly acclaimed Shrimp Festival in April (remember Fernandina Beach is the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry) or Blues Festival in September or Jazz in October, this is a place you want to come and visit to relax and to be entertained.

With “Jimmy Mc M” (Suit) and Stephen Deucker (left, Dir. of Sales & Marketing) and Joe Murphy (Right, Director of Public Relations).

The upcoming Concours d’Elegance car show on March 9th through the 11th rivals the one in Pebble Beach, California as the best in the world.

The gala gathering of prestigious cars dates back to 17th Century French aristocracy parading their horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris and literally takes place on the 10th and 18th fairways.

From sunrise beach activities to dancing the night away in the Lobby Lounge, the Ritz-Carlton and Golf Club of Amelia Island bring “Putting on the Ritz” back into style.

Enjoy your visit and be sure to say hello to “Jimmy Mc M” for me!

Reistetter resides within two miles of the PGA TOUR headquarters and the home of The PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

A lifetime golfer, Andy enjoys volunteering at the World Golf Hall of Fame and THE PLAYERS while pursuing his passion for the game of golf and everything associated with it.

Friend Andy Reistetter on Facebook to enjoy daily updates or contact Reistetter by e-mail at AndyReistetter@gmail.com

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Travel Golf

2011 Southern California Golf: The Next La Costa Is Here!

December 20, 2011 By admin

Golf writer Andy Reistetter continues his exclusive “Play-Write” series with an extended visit to the recently renovated La Costa Resort & Spa in Southern California. As part of a Special Media Preview, Reistetter met with architects Damian Pascuzzo, Jeff Brauer and Champions Tour Player Design Consultant Steve Pate, learned the history of La Costa and the inside story of the recent golf course renovations. Truly an exceptional visit to an exceptional place—the Next La Costa is here!

Golfing foursome on the 16th tee- Jeff Brauer, Andy Reistetter, Steve Pate and Damian Pascuzzo…

Some things never change, they are simply transformed in the next era.

That is exactly what has happened at La Costa where the final touches of a $50 million renovation by owner KSL Resorts are being completed.

That’s on top of an earlier $150 million upgrade.

Needless to say, La Costa has reinvented herself into the impressive, sophisticated, all-encompassing resort of the future.

Whether you are visiting as a single, a couple, a family or a corporation, everything is there for you at La Costa.

Not too far from Los Angeles or too close to San Diego, this is a special place.

Redesigned and well-appointed guest rooms, suites and villas are your new home.

The family friendly Bistro Legends and the signature Blue Fire Grill are two highly-acclaimed restaurants. The Diversions Sports Bar is another dining option, as well as outside pool and spa cafes.

The quaint village at La Costa…

The Coastal Events Center has 110,000 square feet of flexible meeting and banquet space, while the Coast Costa Del Sol Ballroom is the largest in North San Diego County.

With two championship golf courses, 17 clay and hard surface tennis courts and one of the best spas in the world, once you come on site you will never want to leave.

Plus, there is Splash Landing waterslides, Kidtopia children’s programs and the Vibz Game Lounge for kids of all ages. La Costa is a guaranteed better experience for your kids than any cruise ship that you have ever been on.

Shopping is abundant and unique with Coastal Dunes and Audrey’s Closet to explore. The golf and tennis shops carry all the top brands and are well stocked.

Palm trees greet your arrival at La Costa…

La Costa has a village atmosphere that is well accentuated with three large water fountains, majestic palm trees and an ambiance of restorative peace and tranquility.

Fire atop the water fountains once the sun sets brings additional warmth to a serene setting.

Her Las Vegas desert heritage and Hollywood flair seem to be present as the gentle breezes of the not too distant Pacific Ocean envelop you in a sense of well being.

Golf, namely professional golf, came to La Costa from the desert for the first time in 1969 and stayed for the next 30 years.

Inner sanctum of the Spa at La Costa…

Like the resort, known as “the best of the best,” the golf tournament’s mission was to determine “the champion of the champions.”

Gary Player won the first Tournament of Champions at La Costa, and Phil Mickelson in 1988 won the last, both for their second time.

In between, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson won it three times on the famed original 1965 Dick Wilson designed “tournament” course.

Lanny Wadkins, Steve Elkington and Tom Kite also won the prestigious event at La Costa.

Johnny Miller’s triumph there in 1974 was one of eight PGA TOUR victories that year, the year after a Sunday 63 won him the U.S. Open at Oakmont CC.

Tiger Woods at La Costa in 2006… Photo Credit: Harry How Getty Images

Tiger Woods won in 1998 when it was known as the Mercedes Championship.

As Player said in his inaugural win, “this is golf.”

Golf continued at La Costa in 1999 with the very first World Golf Championship.

Never before in the history of the game had the world’s best 64 golfers come together and compete in head-to-head single elimination match play to determine the best golfer in the world.

In the premier event, Jeff Maggert beat Andrew Magee and won $1 million in a 36-hole final that went two extra holes.

The next year, Darren Clarke showed early signs of his recent Open brilliance by defeating Tiger Woods in the final match 4&3.

The WGC Match Play continued at La Costa through 2006, with the exception of 2001 when it went down under to Australia.

La Costa is located near the childhood backyards of Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Like San Diego, Phil is closer, but Tiger enhanced his legacy at nearby Torrey Pines with a Monday playoff over Rocco Mediate in one leg in the 2008 U.S. Open.

Tiger also owns the modern golfing legacy at La Costa.

Woods won back-to-back WGC Match Play Championships in 2003 and 2004.

Who can forget the “9&8” drubbing Tiger put on Stephen Ames in a first round match in 2006? Mind you it was an 18-hole match. Mathematically, only “10&8” could have been worse for the outspoken Ames.

Remember the 6-iron to 10 inches in 1998 on the par-3 16th hole to beat Tom Lehman in the first hole of a sudden-death playoff?

In 2010, golf came back to La Costa with South Korea’s Hee Kyung Seo winning the season-opening LPGA event by six strokes.

The LPGA will be back in 2012 with the Kia Classic in mid-March.

Dramatic bunkering on the par-5 second hole…

With 45 years of tradition and a superb renovation of 18 holes of championship golf now called the Champions Course, who knows what the future of hosting professional golf tournaments will be for La Costa?

All that is known is that the Resort, Spa and Golf at la Costa have been transformed into the next era and are ready for your visit and the perpetuation of professional golf championships.

Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate formed 2P Pascuzzo & Pate Golf Course Design in 2006.

Pascuzzo worked for and became a partner with famed designer Robert Muir Graves right out of college.

The John Goodman look alike brought in Jeffrey Brauer out of Texas to assist with the La Costa project. Both architects, like Graves, are past Presidents of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCS).

Steve Pate, a veteran of 553 PGA TOUR events and a winner of six, finished in the Top Ten of two majors this year as a rookie on the Champions Tour.

A California native and UCLA graduate, Pate’s biggest career victory came in 1988 when he opened with a pair of 66s and won the MONY Tournament of Champions at La Costa.

To say La Costa is a special place for Pate is probably an understatement as it was also the place where he came as a child to see his first professional golf tournament.

Pate’s most recent win came last year on the Nationwide Tour in Columbia as he prepared for his May Champions Tour debut.

Needless to say, the design team to renovate La Costa was superb!

Interestingly, the scope of the project was not a renovation of the original Dick Wilson “tournament” 18.

Instead, the scope was to renovate the North Course- the original Dick Wilson tournament front nine and the back nine added by his design partner Joe Lee in 1984.

With new Bent grass greens, the upgraded holes can no longer be combined into a tournament course with the original Bermuda greens.

No longer the North Course, it is now known as the “Champions’ Course.”

Also renovated were four holes of the South Course where Lee added the front nine to Wilson’s tournament back nine in 1973.

The four South holes renovated were the first and last of each nine, all clearly visible from the elevated resort and clubhouse area.

The project significantly improved water flow and drainage of both golf courses by raising fairways and dredging lakes.

Playability under all weather conditions is a key criteria for hosting professional golf tournaments.

Even in Southern California where the song goes that it seems like it never rains but when it does it pours man it pours.

The exciting part of the golf course renovations were the changes to the routing and the bunkers.

The 16th is now a dramatic short par-4 with the green perched out into a lake. This is the ultimate risk-and-reward hole with sand and water hazards guarding the reachable green.

The par-3 17th was shortened from a middle/long iron to a relatively short iron, an 8-iron for this amateur golfer. With an elevated tee, a lake to carry and a shallow green, this hole like the 16th is simply fun to play.

Fairway bunkers that originally were opposite one another in the landing area are now strategically staggered and very appealing from mostly elevated teeing grounds.

The design team used historical deception techniques such as a hidden fairway between seemingly connected bunkers and oversized distant bunkers that appear to be in play but are not unless you are Tiger Woods. This makes for an engaged golfing experience at The Next La Costa that is here now for you to enjoy.

The upgraded green complexes are difficult yet fair to play and incorporate all the latest design techniques and course setup features such as run-off areas and tight and guarded hole locations to test your short game finesse.

Green complex on the uphill par-5 sixth hole…

The classical uphill par-5 6th hole is now a fairer hole to play with visible and built up landing and layup areas.

This is a golf course that fits your eye with dramatic, magnificent elevated tee shots on par-4 holes Nos. 1, 7, 10, and 13, the par-5 11th and the par-3 16th.

Pascuzzo and Pate, along with Brauer, took two nines built years apart and created a unique and special flow of a golf course as it meanders through canyons to the north and then comes gently back to the resort.

There is no higher acclaim for a golf course than for it to be in tune with the land it is built upon. This graceful feeling is there for all to experience on the Champions Course at La Costa.

My only recommendation is not addressed to the golf course or resort renovation but rather to the LPGA’s decision to play the March 2012 Kia Classic on the South Course rather than the newly christened Champions’ Course.

While it is understood that the South is more central to the resort and convenient for the patrons and contains the famous “Longest Mile” finish, the Champions Course is deserving of its first professional golfing event.

It’s a beautiful stroll to the far eighth green/ninth tee and an opportunity to view the 40 acres of new native grasses. The viewing areas for patrons are outstanding on the Champions layout.

Granted, there is little growing season even in southern California in the next three months, but the greens are rolling true and fast and the fairways seem free of any lingering sod lines.

Just cut the rough, give it a go and let the girls play!

These girls can play and deserve to play on the best tests of golf, including the newly-renovated Champions Course at La Costa!

Christmas tree with fairways of La Costa beyond…

Well okay, I do have a second recommendation…let’s get 2Ps & B (Pascuzzo, Pate & Brauer) started renovating the remaining 14 holes before Pate gets healthy and too successful on the Champions Tour.

Then we will have our course for professional golf at La Costa and be able to play it, too.

The new and dramatic Champions’ holes Nos. 16 & 17 as the tournament front nine with the “Longest Mile” finish determining future champions at la Costa.

One thing for sure is that they got the names right—”Champions” Course and The “Next” La Costa!

Some things never change, they are simply transformed in the next era.

Filed Under: Featured Golf Resorts & Courses, Travel Golf, West Coast USA

Historic Golf Discovery in Williamsburg, Virginia

July 21, 2011 By admin

Golf Writer Andy Reistetter takes his exclusive “Play-Write” series on the road north to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. While known for its historical role in the emergence of American democracy, more should be known about its present-day role as a 45-hole world-class golfing destination. Whereas George Washington and Thomas Jefferson walked down the main street on the way to American liberation, so too have many famous golfers walked the fairways of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. Enjoy this autumn golfing trip with Reistetter, then schedule a golfing trip of your own!

Escape from all of the hullabaloo outside R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse over a stamp tax and head to the links for a quick round of golf on the Spotswood, Green or Golf courses of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club.

“Are you people of the frontier?” cries Mr. Richard Lee, a historical re-enactor in the R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse when asked a silly question about life and politics in the year of 1765.

The same could be said for seasoned golfers who have yet to play the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Colonial Williamsburg.

“Are you golfers of the rough?”

Come to the fairways and greens of the championship Gold and Green Courses designed by the renowned father-son golf course architects Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Rees Jones.

Jones Sr. called the Gold Course which opened in 1963 his “finest design—a natural arboretum upon which a great golf course has been built.”

The following year the World Golf Hall of Fame member reconfigured the original 1947 Fred Finlay nine-hole course into the executive-length Spotswood Course.

This little family-favorite gem earned “the best nine-hole course in the country” distinction of Golf Magazine.

From where does the name “Golden Horseshoe” originate?

Spotswood, the course’s namesake, was the colonial governor in 1716 and led an expedition from the coastal plains to the far western portions of the Virginia colony.

Many horseshoes were consumed due to the newly encountered rocky soil of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The expedition was successful and when they returned to civilization the governor gave each pioneer a Golden Horseshoe.

Four years after the Gold Course opened, Jack Nicklaus set the professional course record of 67 in an exhibition match.

More recently in collegiate competition, Daniel Summerhays of Brigham Young University and Michael Schachner of Duke University have posted 10-under-par 60s.

Though relatively short at 6,817 total yards from the back tees, the tightly laid out design nestled amongst rolling hills and a hardwood forest requires precise golf shots from tee to green.

Aesthetically pleasing to the eye and the soul are the four par threes which are memorable.

The par-3 16th on the Gold Course is as finest a par-3 as you will find anywhere in the world of golf.

Three of the four, Nos. seven, 12 and the signature No. 16 cross water in a magnificent little valley near the center of the traditional layout which is free and clear of any adjacent development.

In fact you could be a million miles from civilization for all you know yet you are close by one of the earliest civilizations in our country.

The 16th is a true island hole. Having been constructed in 1963 it is one of the first holes with an island green anywhere.

The second shot on the reachable par-five second hole is a risk-reward all or nothing shot over the same stretch of water.

The par-three third hole has water of its own cutting across the front of a diagonally placed green. From the elevated tee a bunker short right appears as a beach even though Virginia Beach is 60 miles away.

Originally the Gold and Spotswood courses met the needs of the locals and golfing guests to Colonial Williamsburg.

The par-3 third hole on the Gold Course has water of its own.

Director of Golf Glen Byrnes has been a golf professional at Golden Horseshoe since 1986. He recalls the design challenge of the Green Course as being “a playable resort course that can host a major golf championship as well.”

Rees Jones, the younger son, answered the call and designed a green masterpiece literally next door to his father’s legacy.

Both the Gold and Green Courses are certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries.

The Gold and Green Courses are the only father-and-son, side-by-side designed courses in the world. One could literally play the first five holes on the Gold then check in at the Green clubhouse, play 18 and come back to finish the remaining holes on the Gold.

With up to five or six teeing grounds on each hole the yardage of the Green Course extends from the red tees at 5,348 to the green tees at 7,120.

For a touch of history one can look to the right and see the timeless boathouse of John D. Rockefeller Jr., the man who championed the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1920s.

The Rees Jones-designed Green Course opened in October 1991 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

With extreme flexibility of course setup particularly in tee and hole locations, narrowing of fairways and length of the rough this playable links style course can be transformed overnight into the most difficult test for the world’s best golfers.

That happened in the 2004 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

Yano Tseng got the best of Michele Wie in 2004 on the Green Course at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club. This picture is more recent.Victor Fraile/Getty Images

Defending champion Michelle Wie battled a young Yani Tseng down the stretch.

It all came down to the classic finishing hole a reachable par five with an elevated tee shot over water down into a valley with an upward slope—to the well-bunkered green.

All square in their 36-hole match both Wie and challenger Tseng bunkered their second shots greenside at the home hole. Tseng got it up and down and Wie did not.

Tseng, at age 15, became the second-youngest winner of the championship behind Wie, who captured the title as a 13-year-old. Wie is in the record books as the youngest titlist of a USGA “adult” championship.

Tseng, if by chance you have been out on the frontier, has gone on to become the youngest player ever, male or female, to win five major championships..

The Williamsburg Inn recently enlarged both guest rooms and bathrooms reducing the number from 100 to 62. Spectacularly appointed and luxurious.

Colonial Williamsburg’s motto is “The future may learn from the past.”

Whether you play the Spotswood, Green or Gold or hopefully all three what you will learn is that Colonial Williamsburg is a premier golfing destination.

I guarantee that you will remember your rounds of golf at the Golden Horseshoe in 20 years’ time.

My insider’s tip when golfing Williamsburg is to make it truly a “Jones family affair.” Prior to going, read older brother Robert Trent Jones Jr.’s Golf by Design book. This will give you the knowledge to lower your score by understanding how golf courses are designed.

Perhaps once you come in from the frontier, armed with knowledge and faced with the challenge of these 45 holes of golf, your golfing experience at the Golden Horseshoe will be your best ever!

Golf Williamsburg’s motto, in my opinion, is “Come play golf here and we will do whatever it takes to make it a memorable experience.”

The Spa at Colonial Williamsburg has perfected the golfers massage!

Besides the golf and American historical experience of Colonial Williamsburg, there are great restaurants, lodging and of course the full-service spa.

For an elegant dining experience may I recommend the Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn (coat required)?

I had the Crabmeat Randolph for a first course and Grilled Angus Filet and Veal Sweetbreads for my entrée. In addition the steward recommended a local Virginia wine, Octagon vintage 2006—a proprietary blend by from Barboursville Vineyards.

My desert selection was the Carrot-Coconut Cake with caramel cheesecake frosting and pineapple relish.

Truly a memorable culinary experience!

With nearly 700 guest rooms and suites available, whether you stay at the Williamsburg Inn, Lodge or the Woodlands you will be close to the golf courses and Colonial Williamsburg.

The Lodge is literally right across the street from the Gold (& Spotswood) clubhouse with the Green only a few drivers away.

Reistetter is all smiles golfing at Golden Horseshoe and enjoying the autumn season.

Also across the street is The Spa. I enjoyed the sports massage which is really the golfers’ massage. Even after 11 years of yoga I don’t think my shoulders or hips have ever been so free. I only wish I had taken the massage before I played the golf!

One final tip—there are five taverns nearby. Don’t miss an opportunity to taste one of the locally brewed AleWerks beers.

That’s all for now, reporting from a state of bliss…

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Featured Golf Resorts & Courses, Travel Golf

Play Royal Isabela in Puerto Rico… Be Inspired!

April 1, 2011 By admin

Royal Isabela is Pebble Beach and the Old Course at St. Andrews reincarnated in one! Photo courtesy of Joann Dost & Royal Isabela.

Puerto Rico is known as “the enchanted island.”

The Golf Links at Royal Isabela will become known as one of the most fascinating and inspirational charms of the golfing world.

Suffice it to say that if you want the experience of playing Pebble Beach Golf Links and the Old Course at St. Andrews in the same day go to Puerto Rico now and play Royal Isabela.

You won’t be disappointed and you will remember it for the rest of your life.

If not for playing golf on the cliffs with dramatic ocean vistas then for the variety of golfing habitats experienced and their magical blending into one awesome round .

It is written that wisdom is looking beyond what seems to be.

If you look beyond what seems to be at Royal Isabela the experience may be more than memorable, it may change your life.

Absolutely, positively, without a doubt brothers Stanley and Charlie Pasarell have discovered, nurtured, and are now presenting an inspirational place for the golfing world to enjoy and treasure as well.

Or perhaps a place of passage for you to venture into the next step in your life’s journey?

One sees the profile of the Taino Indian face in the cliffs off the tee on the 12th hole.

Beyond the beauty of Isabela is the inspirational story of Isabela.

This is the island Borinquen- “the Land of the Valiant Lord,” and the heritage of the indigenous Taino people.

One sees the profile of the Taino Indian face in the cliffs off the tee on the 12^th hole.

One feels the spirit that looks proudly out into the ocean proclaiming “this is our land, a special place that we protect so it will be here for all of eternity.”

The story of Isabela is the story of Stanley and Charlie’s great grandfather- Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía. That man born in 1855 published the first novel by a Puerto Rican author in 1894.

Gandia’s naturalist novel dealt with the difficult realities of life in the remote and mountainous regions of his beloved homeland. A land and heritage he so loved that he was an advocate for Puerto Rican independence after the Spanish- American War.

A love of the Puerto Rican land has passed down to the current generation.

The story of Isabela is the story of a son that answered a call from his father in 1978 to return home to Puerto Rico to help rescue the family business from bankruptcy. The company prospered and is now one of Puerto Rico’s most successful privately-held companies.

The family sold their majority interest a few years back to Edwin Perez who is Stanley and Charlie’s other partner in Royal Isabela.

A respect for family and doing what one needs to do to be successful.

The green of the par-3 17th hole is perched high above the ocean. You don’t want to know where the tee is! Photo courtesy of Joann Dost & Royal Isabela.

The story of Isabela is the story of the preservation of nature, heritage and the land. Everything on the property, with the exception of the exceptional Mini Verde putting surfaces on the greens is native to the 426 acres of Royal Isabela.

“Once an era, the land has its way. It speaks and we listen. It beckons and we follow. It commands and we obey. So it is- and so it always will be- we are not the creators of Royal Isabela, we are its caretakers.” -Stanley and Charlie Pasarell

The game of tennis may have never before impacted the game of golf in such a creative and awe inspiring manner.

Charlie, a friend and teammate of tennis great Arthur Ashe at UCLA, was the No. 1-ranked men’s singles tennis player in the United States in 1967.

Stanley played his collegiate tennis at Stanford University and represented Puerto Rico in the Summer Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.

While at Stanford Stanley shared the cover of the “Stanford Golf & Tennis” magazine with Tom Watson.

The Pasarell link to golf was much stronger than a magazine cover.

Golf became a part of the family when their father Charlie Sr., an accomplished tennis player that played in the 1953 U.S. Open (tennis), accepted a challenge to quiet the talk that “golf was so much tougher to play than tennis.”

The bet was simple- could he break 100 the first time he played a round of golf?

At age 40 he took lessons on his lunch hour and went to the driving range to practice at night.

The result?

Charlie Sr. made an 18 foot putt on the last hole to shoot 99.

Together, brothers Stanley and Charlie Jr. played, studied and analyzed Scottish and Irish golf courses similar to what insurance salesman Pete Dye did in the early 1960s as he transformed himself into a golf course architect.

With my host, Stanley Pasarell on the scenic 17th green at Royal isabela.

The Pasarell brothers teamed up with architect David Pfaff who started his career as the original and only associate of Peter Dye and Associates in 1965. With experience nearby at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic and the philosophy of hands-on, personalized course design, Pfaff was a natural to complete the Isabela design team.

The result was a “tropical Scotland” type golf course that was ready for play in 2009.

I was invited to play the day after the Puerto Rico Open. Mariel Prieto, the Director of Marketing and Real Estate received me warmly and Brother Stanley acted as host.

Brother Charlie was in Indian Wells, California fulfilling tournament director responsibilities at the BNP Paribas Open an ATP sanctioned tennis tournament that is part of the 2011 ATP World Tour.

Charlie is one of the founding members of the ATP (association of Tennis Professionals) and was elected and served in the ATP board for more than 25 years, the longest tenure of any board member to date.

The ATP headquarters is less than one mile from the PGA TOUR headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Perhaps there are more ties between tennis and golf than previously thought.

Miguel Suarez- one of the most respected golf professionals in Puerto Rico, both as a player and as a teacher. Director of Golf at Royal Isabella.

My playing partner was Miguel Suarez, the Director of Golf, at Isabela.

Suarez is an acclaimed international golfer that started playing golf at the nearby Punta Borinquen Golf Club- the first public golf course in Puerto Rico. Miguel was educated on the mainland and played on mini-tours once winning the Golden Bear Tour Championship.

Suarez is the story of a kid who played all sports including golf stating at age 9 at summer golf clinics, then chose golf and played golf every day starting at age 16.

One of the most respected golf professionals in Puerto Rico, Suarez oversees the national Junior Golf League, a program he created to give back to the game which has given him so much.

Having competed in all four of the PGA TOUR’s Puerto Rico Opens, his game was as hot as the blazing Puerto Rican sun.

Ever play with someone who hit every fairway, their approach shots seemingly covered every flagstick, hit nearly every green and putted like a demon?

Suarez recorded 5 birdies alone on the front side and shot a 5-under 68 from the blue tees playing a little social golf with mere amateurs.

The “blues” are 6,804 yards with a rating of 75.7 and a slope of 145.

Suarez holds the course record of 2-under 70 from the tips or so rightly labeled as the “naturals” at Isabela.

The “naturals” are 7,667 yards with a rating of 80.3 and a slope of 155.

That is not a typo- a rating of 80.3 and a slope of 155.

With Jose Perez in front of the logo windswept tree on the 18th fairway.

Our forecaddie was Jose Perez who caddied for Paraguay’s Carlos Franco the week prior in the Puerto Rico Open.

Does one’s golfing life get any better than this?

The front nine goes inland with an equatorial parkland sort of design.

The par-5 first hole is memorable with a peephole view of ocean in the V-shaped gap between two hillocks to the left of the green.

One encounters the first flavor of Scotland with a sod faced bunker to the left of the second green.

The uphill 155-yard par-3 fourth hole gave me a sense of Texas hill country golf with live oak trees and stone ruins behind the green.

The fifth green is dramatically placed in front of the earlier sneak preview of the ocean. The hole was on the upper level of a triple tiered green. My ball not only spun back to the lower levels but rolled another 30 yards down the hill in front of the green.

Tropical paradise- not!

The sixth hole makes its way back to the high point of the property where the clubhouse area is found.

Here is where you sense the buoyant brothers may have encountered a disagreement, a fork in the road with respect to hole design with designer Pfaff coming to the rescue.

Whereas it is said that Palmer and Nicklaus butted heads a bit designing the “King and the Bear” in northeast Florida and the resolution was that each took a nine to design. At Royal Isabela each brother won out by designing a sixth hole of their own with a common tee.

We choose to play to Charlie’s green to the right in front of the clubhouse.

We played the Charlie version, an uphill 622-yard par 5 hole with the green sitting below the clubhouse.

The other Stanley version, following the right fork in the road is a really uphill 493-yard par 4 hole that finishes on a high point with ocean vistas.

Please note again that we played Charlie’s par 5 and hence a par 73 golf course. Okay so it was a 544-yard par 5 birdie opportunity versus a difficult par-4.

The next three holes were the earliest holes to open and form the dreaded triangle- a designer tool to completely befuddle the golfer’s sense of trade wind direction.

After missing the meandering Scottish burn off the tee, the second shot on the par-4 seventh hole is the first true links feel of Royal Isabela- a prelude of what is to come on the ocean front back nine.

My round began to deteriorate with an unforced error into the water hazard short of the par-5 eighth green. In reality my thoughts of the Charca del Diablo or Devil’s Pond began when we made our way past the island 9th green on our way to the seventh tee.

Much like Dye’s Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, this threatening triangle of an otherwise beautiful non-intimidating Royal Isabela (at least up to this point) gives you many bad thoughts to think about much too soon.

Bridge walkway to the island green on the par-3 ninth hole.

I did tighten up my Bermuda britches and managed to land one safely on the devilish island green of the 174-yard par 3 ninth hole. In fact I would only lose that one ball for the entire round at Isabela.

Feeling safer now that the tormenting triangle was behind us we were warmly greeted by Stanley’s dog Dunas who knowing there was food to be had followed us up to the clubhouse for a lunch of flat iron streak at the turn in the open-air grill.

The transition from the lush parkland of the front nine to the more barren ocean facing links of the back nine is as evident as the vastness of the ocean from the 10^th tee.

One sees the links of the distant holes and can sense being on a high elevation that goes to the edge of the ascertainable golfing grounds. It is there that the cliffs drop straight down 350 feet to the level of the sea.

It is there in the distance near the double green of Isabela on the steep face of the rock that the Taino warrior protects these sacred grounds. The elevation protects golfers from the sea but not from the wind or other hazards of the Pasarell-Pfaff designed Royal Isabela.

Two sod face bunkers guard a second shot that cuts the corner on the 578-yard par-5 10^thhole. Another one short right of the green minimizes the bailout area. A golfer must be accurate even in the wind by the sea. This is true links golf.

View of 11th green looking north.

Instead of the scorecard par-3 11^th hole we play Brother Stanley’s future private home site par-3 whose green is perched on the cliffs. Miguel notes that this is admittedly a 100-yard par-5 hole.

Given the green complex namely the bunkers and the slope of the putting surface not to mention the distraction of the thunderous Atlantic Ocean below I agreed without question.

Walking away with my “par-5” I was completely overtaken with the beauty of Isabela.

Seeing the majestic view off the 12^th tee with the prominent profile of the Taino Indian face I went with driver and put one in play on the 435-yard hole along the cliffs.

After nearly making a 6-footer for birdie, Miguel cried out that there were whales to be seen off the coast. The rare and impressive Humpback whales visit this area every year on their migratory route to the North Atlantic where they mate during the summer months.

Now my golf game was completely lost. I was in the “feeling one with nature” zone no longer “in only the golf zone.”

Royal Isabela’s 13th hole, tall palm trees with a vista to the south.

The 13^th hole, Palm Grove traverses an old grove of coconut palms. Like the “W” at the finish line in the 1963 film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” I had my eye on those tall, thin palm trees for a couple of holes now.

It’s a Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful World.

One of the most spectacular views is from the perch of the 13^th green looking south. The cliffs end at the shoreline there and what you see down below is another mile of native dunes with the approaching white lined surf.

As if Royal Isabela’s 3.5 miles of shoreline is not enough, she is part of the larger Costa Isabela development which owns the land of dunes far below cliffs. The same is true on the north side of the property.

All told there are plans for four more golf courses and my guess is one each will be built at sea level on the dunes to the north and south and two more inland perhaps along the meandering Guajataca River.

After taking in the view and appreciating the vastness and diversity of the landforms on the property we played the 443-yard par-4 14^th hole that takes us back north along the cliffs to the elbow-shaped double green with the 12^th.

The 14th is a double green with the 12th. The perfect whale viewing spot looking west into the Caribbean Sea.

The name of the hole is Hidden Pearl, a tribute to great-grandfather Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía’s artistic creation. Though now that Royal Isabela is coming onto the world golfing scene in full bloom it is debatable whether or not it is still a hidden pearl.

The final cliff-hanging shot is where the Atlantic Ocean once again comes into play at the dramatic 200-yard par-3 17^th hole. For the first time on this strategic thinking course one must carry the ocean and a gorge for there is no bail out route.

This is perfectly fitting in golf and in life for there are times we must work through and not go around a difficulty.

I remember the inscription in the Ben Hogan instructional book my older brother gave me as a young boy: “Golf is a lot like life, the more you read, understand, and become educated about it the easier it is to meet its challenge.”

I took a hybrid 3 and pushed all thoughts out of my mind with the exception of feeling and making a solid, confident, and balanced swing. The well-struck ball flew out over the ocean and gorge, landed with friction and ended up on the back fringe of the green from where I two-putted for a heavenly par.

The 18^th is a difficult 491-yard uphill par-4 hole aptly named “Ruins” with the remnants of a house and rock wall on the inside of the sweeping dog-leg-left fairway that takes you back up to the gracefully but royally placed clubhouse.

Playing Royal Isabela is a spiritual golfing experience not to be missed!

On the right side of the fairway you will find the wind-swept native oak tree- the logo tree of Royal Isabela.

Royal Isabela’s logo reminds us that golf is all about the wind and its impact on the golfer.

Having played Royal Isabela it seems my life and my thoughts linger a bit more these days.

Making the acquaintance of Isabela has somehow impacted my soul.

For more information on Royal Isabela please visit the web site www.royalisabela.com.

Royal Isabela is shown by invitation and appointment only. Please contact Mariel Prieto, Marketing Director, at 787.565.7710 or mprieto@royalisabela.com for more information.

Filed Under: East Coast Golf Journey, Travel Golf