| West | Central | East |
Ah, the college years, spent in the Central portion of the country. Attending school in the late 60’s and early 70’s, if I played golf then, I don’t recall the details. Everything is kind of fuzzy. I’m starting fresh here. Let’s explore this great area of the country together. The Central include: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Mississippi, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Ohio.
Missouri and Kansas: The Golf Squad: One Good, One Bad, One Blonde.
This should more accurately read One Bad, One “Badderer”, One Blonde. If you are a Baby Boomer, you know where I stole this phrase. If not, google The Mod Squad. We were traveling across country from Colorado to Illinois (and back). We were frugal travelers on this trip, so the two men and one woman (without their spouses) will be sharing a room. My question is, “who sleeps with Sally?” Since we are siblings, I hope the answer is NOBODY!
Three of the Springfield “kids”, Scott, Sally, and Steve are headed to a College Homecoming. Back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s we somehow all ended up at Aurora College in Aurora, IL.
The last time we traveled this far and this close together was in 1960 in our 1956 Ford station wagon, which also included Mom, Dad, and our older sister Sue. Mom and Dad would have been proud as we completed this 2,000 mile journey still talking to one another.
The two states between Colorado and Illinois along I-70 are Missouri and Kansas. So now we had to find the perfect spots for me to stop and pee; Sally to get something to eat; and Steve to embarrass us with the locals. And yes, find a couple of 9-hole golf courses.
In Ballwin, MO we found a fun course and played with a couple of super guys. In Monroe City, MO, they must have heard we were coming because nobody was home…we played anyway. In Russell, KS, we just stopped because we were so close to the geographical center of the United States (and I had to pee, Sally had to eat, & Steve had to be a jokester).
Ballwin Golf Club – Ballwin, MO
Mosswood Meadows Golf Course – Monroe City, MO
Russell Golf Course – Russell, KS
P.S. I want to make it perfectly clear, the answer is NOBODY!
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Michigan: Michigan, Motown, Motor City…Memories
Four men, who have know each other since the late ‘50’s gathered in Michigan to share a longtime bond in a time of sorrow, as one of these men had just lost a loved one.
One day was filled with eating, drinking, and watching classic cars parade during the Woodward Dream Cruise. It was also a day of remembrance and sharing tales of our youth.
Another day continued to take us back to the ‘60’s as we visited Detroit and the songs of our teenage years – Motown.
We ended our trip by visiting two local 9-hole courses and a venture across the border to play a 9-holer in Canada.
Copper Creek Golf Course – Farmington Hills, MI
Water’s Edge Golf Course – Grosse Ile, MI
Talbot Trail Golf Club – Wheatley, ON, Canada
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GA, TN, MO, KS, CO: 75 to 24 to 64 to 70 to 25 or 6 to 4
This could have easily been named the Crappy Rental Club Tour; the Airport Golf Course Tour; or just the Bad Golfers, Old Men Working/Golfing Tour.
Let’s break this down. One of my Always Time for 9 golf staffers, DC Dave, was selling his products at a gift show in Atlanta and I was helping him with my “professional” sales skills. We decided to drive from Colorado to Georgia and play some golf along the way. The distance from Denver to Atlanta is about 1400 miles and 20 hours drive time. Multiply that by two (2800 miles/40 hours – I can do this math because I was an elementary school teacher) plus five days standing on our feet for nine hours, that is our excuse for being tired, old, bad golfers. Our senior bodies were just worn out.
Excuse number two for our bad rounds…crappy rental clubs. Because DC Dave had to selfishly make room for all his product, there was no room for golf clubs. I thinks he needs to get his priorities in order! Was this a golf or work trip? Most of the clubs we rented were pretty bad but that was to be expected from our experiences at smaller golf courses. You know the usual bag…no matched clubs, missing a few irons, two 5-woods, no putter, one left-handed iron, etc. To our astonishment, McCabe GC in Nashville did have a decent set!
Lastly, two of the courses were right next to major airports in Atlanta and St. Louis. We felt as if a few of the fairways were alternate runways used for emergency landings.
The above title of this golf adventure references the Interstate Highways we traveled between our destinations. The last part of the title is well known to people of my age group…yes we are now senior citizens.
The following are courses we played on this trip along with a few others along this route that I played on prior trips.
College Park Golf Course – College Park, GA
Heart of America Golf Course – Kansas City, MO
Berry Hill Golf Course – Bridgeton, MO
Russell Municipal Golf Course – Russell, KS
McCabe Golf Course – Nashville, TN
Prairie Pines Golf Club – Burlington, CO
Mountain Vista Golf Course – Fort Collins, CO
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WI, MI, IL: The Great Lakes Circle Golf Tour
We start this tour in Illinois with something that is inconceivable to me. I am in town for my 50th college reunion at Aurora University in Aurora, IL. This also the place where I started my golf journey. During my final semester at Aurora, I took Golf 101: An Introduction to Golf. I know, final semester – Golf 101? Being a 5th year senior, I had graduated during the winter, so instead of going to work, I decided to use my last year of baseball eligibility to play. My teacher was my baseball and soccer coach and one of the people who started me on this golf adventure. Thanks coach Bornkamp and Rest in Peace.
As usual I am joined by Mr. 5-Wood (alias DC Dave); Woody; and the one and only Armchair Piper. We are just a bunch of old men trying to fill Lake Michigan with our wayward tee shots.
The journey began minus the late arriving Armchair Piper, but his substitute was my old AU soccer and baseball teammate Ray Phillips.
Belmont Golf Course – Downers Grove, IL
The meat of the trip starts with our first Wisconsin course and the 2022 Course of the Year. None of us could find the green at the signature Hole #2 Volcano Hole.
Eagle Springs Golf Resort – Eagle, WI
Welcome to the official golf course of the Green Bay Packers. It was a green and gold kind of day. Golf in the morning and a visit to Lambeau Field in the afternoon.
Thornberry Creek at Oneida (Iroquois Course) – Oneida, WI
We have made our way up the west coast of Lake Michigan and are now at the farthest north point. Not expecting much at this point, but found one of our hidden gems.
Stony Point Golf Course – Manistique, MI
A history lesson, ferry ride, horse-drawn taxi, chocolate drops, and circus ring were just a few of the unique features of the course on Mackinac Island.
Wawashkamo Golf Club – Mackinac Island, MI
We continue on the Circle Golf Tour as we make our way down the eastern shore of Grand Traverse Bay and then up the western shore until we find the northern point of the peninsula at Grand Traverse Lighthouse and…
Northport Creek Golf Course – Northport, MI
After a quick stop at Holland Brewing Company in Holland, MI, our journey has come full circle and we are back in the Chicagoland area.
Silver Lake Country Club (Rolling Hills Course) – Orland Park, IL
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Route 66 – Part 1: Grabbing my Sticks and Golfing Route 66
I begin Part 1 of the journey west on the “Mother Road” from Chicago, IL. This is a good starting point for me because it takes me back to my college years in the Chicagoland area. I was joined by a classmate I had not seen since 1972! The eastern section of Route 66 took me through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico.
In the 1960’s, two restless young men, Tod Stiles and Buz Murdock, packed up a shiny, cool Corvette, hit the open road, and chased adventure across the Mother Road in the classic TV show Route 66. They had youth, hard bodies, great hair, and a flawless suspension system as they traveled the country seeking the meaning of life.
Fast forward a few decades. Now, there is a new traveler trying to duplicate their legendary itinerary with a twist – Me, on a golfing adventure. An old man with a flabby body, bad back, failing vision (but still a decent head of hair), trying to lift his clubs in the back of his Subaru while attacking a mission that Tod and Buz never had the courage to face: Finding and conquering every quirky, small-town, nine-hole course between Chicago and Albuquerque.
Tod and Buz cruised the country looking for existential meaning and odd jobs. I was just looking for a fairway that didn’t double as a drainage ditch and a hot dog at the turn that hadn’t been rotating since the Eisenhower administration. The Route 66 duo experienced adventure, crime, and drama in their travels. I found adventure (many “fairways less traveled” 9-hole courses); crime (Oldham County CC?); and drama (trying to break 45 on each course) while I golfed in the small towns along what was left of old Route 66 as I entered my twilight years in the early 2020’s.
The Route 66 Local Rule: If your ball bounces off a historic landmark, a giant fiberglass astronaut, or a vintage diner sign – it’s a free drop.
I can’t remember if Tod and Buz ever found the meaning of life (or if the series was canceled before they could), but with the help of a few outstanding people, I found the meaning of life many years ago!
South Shore Golf Course – Chicago, IL
Boughton Ridge Golf Course – Bolingbrook, IL
Bergen Golf Course – Springfield, IL
Tower Tee Golf & Recreation – St. Louis, MO
Betty Allison Junior Golf Course at Oscar Blom – Springfield, MO
Baxter Springs Golf Course – Baxter Springs, KS
The Greens Golf Course in Burns Flat – Foss, OK
Oldham County Country Club – Vega, TX
12 Shores at Ute Lake – Tucumcari, NM
Trea Lagunas Golf Course – Santa Rosa, NM
Puerto Del Sol Golf Course – Albuquerque, NM
Stay tuned for Part 2 of this Route 66 adventure…
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MN, SD, ND, +4: The Final Frontier – 50 in 75!
Space may be the official Final Frontier, but Captain Kirk clearly never tried to find the second-cut rough at a nine-hole muni in North Dakota during a June bug hatch. The first part of this journey has shown me grand vistas, neon cityscapes, and the coastal wonders of America. With the addition of North Dakota (where I arrived on my 75th birthday), I have finally visited all 50 states.
This is the Heartland, where the tee boxes are sometimes plastic, the clubhouses are often converted double-wides, and “course management” means avoiding a collision with a John Deere combine.
Ohio: The Land of the “Industrial” Dogleg
Our journey into the unknown began in Ohio, where the golf courses coexist beautifully with heavy manufacturing. Soybean fields and ball-bearing factories may surround the local nines. We also took the time to visit the Football Hall of Fame.
Parto’s Big on Golf – Youngstown, OH
Sunny Hill Golf & Recreation – Kent, OH
Illinois: A Return to 1972
As we crossed in to the Chicagoland area and headed west toward Rockford, the memories of hard-fought soccer and baseball games between the Aurora College Spartans and Rockford College Regents resurfaced in the mind of this 75-year-old. Home, sweet, home!
Sinnissippi Golf Course -Rockford, IL
Minnesota: The 10,000 Water Hazards
They call Minnesota the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but that is a gross understatement. It is actually a land of 10,000 lakes plus about 40,000 golf course ponds. Some of the courses felt like swamps with a flagstick in the middle. You can spend more time “fishing” for your balls than actually swinging a club.
Mayflower Golf Club – Fairfax, MN
Springfield Golf Course -Springfield, MN
Bunker Hills Golf Club – Coon Rapids, MN
Fort Snelling Golf Course – Fort Snelling, MN
Stalker Lake Golf Course – Dalton, MN
Brookview Golf & Lawn Bowling – Golden Valley, MN
South Dakota: The Badlands Bad Lie
Since we left most of our golf balls in the lakes and ponds of Minnesota, the first stop was the local sporting goods store as we crossed the border into South Dakota. We are now entering the West and this frontier can truly be wild. The fairways are beautiful, but the moment your ball trickles into the rough, you enter a wasteland of tumbleweeds and prairie dog villages. They actually bolt at the sight of golfers, but I would not stick my hand down their hole looking for your lost ball.
Kuehn Park Golf Course – Sioux Falls, SD
Springfield Golf Club – Springfield, SD
North Dakota: The Infinite Horizon
Finally I made it after 75 years! Playing a nine-hole track is a surreal experience because there are no trees on these courses. NONE. You stand on the 1st tee and you can see the 9th green, the next town over. You can watch your drive sail majestically into the endless blue sky, and watch it roll into Canada.
Ozgood Public Golf Course – Fargo, ND
El Zagal Public Golf Course – Fargo, ND
Mission Accomplished
It took me 75 years to visit all 50 states, and I can confidently say that the nine-hole courses of the Midwest are the glue holding this golfing nation together. They don’t have valets, they don’t have dress codes, and the “beverage cart” is usually a cooler on the cart for your “birdie juice”. However, as we sat in the 19th hole of our final stop, I realized something: space may be the final frontier, but it doesn’t have a Friday night Fish Fry and cold beer waiting after your round.
During this trip (which started in eastern PA) we also had a sub-adventure – America: Golfing Springfield! The Namesake Journey across the U.S.A. We had the pleasure of playing in Springfield, MN and Springfield, SD. Coming soon…
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