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PrintGuys' Weekend Away to Whistling Straights
Left to Right Back Row Matt Wood, Steve Belton, Paul Leahy, Josh Crowell, Kevin Dunn Left to Right Front Row Danny Strother, Bryan Martinez, Ryan Manselle
Photo provided
I have played a lot of golf courses, but I had never traveled to a destination with friends to do nothing but play golf. Until August, that is, when I took my first real golf trip. It was a wonderful experience and one that I am anxious to do again. If you’re an avid golfer, I would recommend you and your buddies plan one as well.
Eight of us traveled to Kohler, Wisconsin and the golf courses that make up the Kohler Experience. Along the way we dropped into Wrigley Field for a game between the Cubs and Braves, an excellent side trip.
Next morning on the two-hour ride to the River Course at Blackwolf Run, host site of the 2012 Women’s US Open Championship, we watched Caddy Shack in the van. Our friend Jim Richerson, the director of golf, who had arranged our tee times, welcomed us when we arrived. As we checked in and prepared for our first round, the staff knew our itinerary and informed us that at the end of our first round they would transport our clubs to our next destination. Teams had been chosen, the game established, the side bets made, the team shirts were on — let the golfing begin!
The highlight of the trip was 36 holes at Whistling Straits. When we pulled in, we were greeted by an army of caddies in their traditional white. Impressive to say the least. We felt blessed to able to play such a facility. In the morning we played the Irish Course, the sister course of the Straits. It was a perfect 70-degree day punctuated by some great shots and my best round. After lunch in the clubhouse it was off to locate our caddy for the afternoon loop on the Straits, host site of the 2004 and 2010 PGA Championships.
As we approached the first tee with our caddy, Ryan, everyone was anxious to tee it up. I attended the Championship in 2010 but I did not think I would ever have a chance to find out how I might stack up against some of the greatest players in the world. Now, here I was on the first tee. A perfect first drive left me 180 yards to the green and an easy par to start the day. Our caddy has spent eight years at the Straights and goes west each winter to continue his trade. This was the second time I had played with a professional caddy and it is always a great experience. They are so knowledgeable about where to place your shots, places you want to avoid and how to read the subtle breaks in the greens. This was evident on 10 when my approach ended up 20 feet from the pin. I read the putt going left, the caddy said right. I took his advice and nailed my only birdie of the afternoon.
As we turned toward home, every hole seemed to lie along Lake Michigan. We saw the signature Irish Sheep roaming the fairway on 14. Each has a bell around its neck and a number on their belly for identification. Quite a sight on such a magnificent golf course.
The closing hole, where Dustin Johnson famously grounded his club in a bunker on seventy-second hole of the 2010 Championship, is a 500-yard, par 4. Daylight was fading as I stood in the fairway some 255 yards from the green with the clubhouse as the backdrop. My 3 wood went left and found a watery grave short of the green and an unimpressive 3 putt ended my round with a triple. Not the way I wanted to end such a great day of golf.
On our final day we were back at Black Wolf Run playing the Meadows Valley Course. The final day’s pairings had the seasoned veterans of Leahy, Belton, Crowell and Dunn facing the youngsters of Manselle, Wood, Martinez and Strother. Some of the holes will be part of the rotation used for the 2012 Women’s U.S. Open, others had large, fast greens and some spectacular views. My day ended with an 8-iron approach to eighteen that grazed the hole and I tapped in for an easy birdie three. What a way to finish a glorious buddies golf trip.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to be part of a golf trip, it should be on your short list of things to do. It doesn’t matter the destination but make sure you are organized with a detailed itinerary, rooming assignments, detailed cost estimates and transportation. We had these planned well in advance and it went off without a hitch. Besides the great golf, friendships were renewed and strengthened and others were begun. Everyone had specific moments that will stand out and we are all in agreement that this needs to be an annual event. Plan one today and see how much fun you can have.
