365, who would have thought?
Certainly not me, as golf was by no means my sport. I played basketball as a teenager and adult and was never exposed to golf. Saw glimpses of it on the BBC when the Open was on and my dad put on sports, any sports. It was only in my late twenties when life and work got in the way of basketball I got introduced to golf. Our insurance broker booked 10 group lessons as it would be a 'bit of a laugh' and we would be able to play golf after that. Little did we know ... but I was hooked.
My journey to 365 played golf courses took me almost 30 years from when I started at the Antwerp Golf School. A little driving range slash 3 compact holes that me and some friends played over and over. They organised competitions on full 18 hole courses where we then could get our handicap. As I was still playing basketball, I was fit and flexible so dropped down to 18 in a very short time. I then went on to join Cleydael Golf Club where my handicap dropped to single figures and the lowest I ever got to was 4, briefly. Played of single figures for 24 years and then had a bad run of form and lost the single handicap. I now mix the sublime with the terrible, sometimes on the same hole.
I often get asked what the best golf course is I played and to name one is impossible. So I thought to give a few courses out of the 365 I’ve played a mention as the ones I have very fond memories of.
The first one on my list is Royal Zoute Golf, at that time, the scene of the Belgian Opens. It was/is one of Belgium’s finest and you needed to be below a certain handicap to play the championship course. So it gave you an incentive to do well. Stepping onto the first tee of Royal Zoute, a gentle dogleg left to right with OB on the left hand side and bunkers protecting the corner, you realised you were stepping onto the same tee as the likes of Faldo, Seve, Monty, Clarke, Olazabal and many more. It gave me such a thrill and a taste of what a championship course is all about..
The second one is Whisper Rock in North Scottsdale. I worked for a US company for many years and was fortunate enough to get to Scottsdale a couple of times a year. Whisper Rock has two courses, the Upper and the Lower but it’s not really about the courses, fabulous as they are. Whisper Rock is the ultimate modern country club where the who’s who of the local business and sports scene are members. It boasts the lowest average handicap in the USA and it’s the hardest club championship to win. Some of the PGA tour’s best use the facilities to practice and play. As a guest, you can not pay, you can not tip, you can only use money in the shop. There is a fore-caddy who finds your ball and writes down yardages to the pin on a little flag. It’s how the other half play.
My third course is a Links course up in Northern Donegal on the Malin peninsula. It’s the Glashedy at Ballyliffin Golf. It’s a magnificent links overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and in my opinion a classic in the making. What is extra special is how you are welcomed and treated upon arrival. It’s one of the courses I like to play over and over and never disappoints.
Number four is Pedrena Golf. Due to my work, I am fortunate enough to have golfing friends everywhere. It is thanks to one of them I was able to tee it up at Seve’s home course in Northern Spain. It’s a fabulous and historic golf course opened in 1928 designed by Harry Colt, who also designed Royal Zoute) and where the memory of Seve is omni-present. Thoroughly enjoyed my round there and would go back in a heartbeat.
A quick shout out to my 365th course which I played recently. Torremirona Golf in Girona, Northern Spain. It’s a lovely track, very playable with a tight front 9 and a more open back 9. The quality of the greens was amongst the best I have played this year and I have the flag to decorate my office.
My fifth course is hard to pick. Is it Royal County Down, the world’s Nr. 1 or the Old Course in St Andrews. Valderrama or TPC Sawgrass, TPC Scottsdale or Royal Portrush, Monte Rei, San Lorenzo or La Moraleja … there are just too many to chose from when you’ve played 365. I will continue to look at playing different courses and I still have a few on my wish list and who knows, get to 400 or even 500. Not bad for someone who had no clue what golf was until his late twenties.
I will be heading out on the links to Donegal Golf Club end of December for our annual end of year get away and am as looking forward to it as I have to any golf club I've played. Play great, play bad, I've very rarely not enjoyed a round of golf.