Hey, Don't Pass This Up!

    I travel a lot, as I have shared.  How many times have you, like I have, been on a trip with a definite purpose and driven by a beautiful golf course next to the road and said, "That looks like a great course and going to play it someday."? I do that all the time.  The course doesn't have to be by the roadside.  It can be in a city I pass through, but can't stop. It happens all the time and I have prepared a list of those courses I have thought about playing but haven't.  At some point in my life, I will make a special trip if I have to.

Here's the list and they are not in any particular order:

1.  Coyote Creek, San Jose, Ca.: There are two courses here, The Tournament and The Valley Courses and I want to play them both. Every time I drive to San Jose or somewhere south of San Francisco I pass this venue and vow to play them.

2.  Edgewood Tahoe, South Late Tahoe, Nevada:  Of all the "Drive By" courses this is probably the one I most want to play.  I don't get up to Lake Tahoe much anymore, but I have to play this course at some time in my life.

3.  Metropolitan, Oakland, Ca.:  This course has an interesting history.  It started out as a golf course and then it closed because the Port of Oakland needed somewhere to dump the toxic dredging when they deepened the Port.  After a while golfers became angry and wanted their golf course back, and finally they did.  The course was completely redone and is now Metropolitan.  I understand that you want to play this one in the morning, because it tend to get very windy in the afternoon.

4.  Tulare Golf Course, Tulare, Ca.:  I have a lot of friends who have played this course.  They say it is nothing special, but I would like to judge for myself.  I was hesitant to play Rancho Del Rey, but I am glad that I found that course.

5.  Mace Meadows, Pioneer, Ca.:  This course is located on Hiway 88 on the way to Carson Pass and Reno beyond. I have passed by it many times and have heard some great things about the course.  It is there just waiting for me.

6. Lockeford Springs, Lodi, Ca.:  Before you get to Mace Meadows, a long way before, you have to pass Lockeford Springs just out of Lodi. I have heard a lot about this course and it has been featured on the "hooked On Golf" golf program.  It looks very inviting and I can't wait to make a special trip up there.

7.  Shoreline, Mountain View, Ca.:  This one is not really right on the road, but I want to play it. My daughter played the course a couple of times in junior tournaments and I had to walk along lusting at the course wanting to play it.  She got all the fun, I got the sore muscles.

8.  Poplar Creek, San Mateo, Ca.:  Growing up and in later years I have fond memories of driving to Candlestick Park and freezing at a San Francisco Giants game.  In order to get to "The Stick" you have to pass Poplar Creek just off of US 101. I wanna play this course!

9.  Crystal Springs, Burlingame, Ca.:  This is another course my daughter has played and I haven't. It lise just over the hills of the San Francisco Penninsula in a small valley between the Pacific Ocean and The San Francisco Bay. Once again, she played it and I walked it watching her play.  This was true torture. I plan to go back there and vindicate this injustice some day. It will probably take a special trip and time set aside to play it, but it is well worth it.

The First Tee At Catalina.  I'm Coming Soon!

10.  All The Los Angeles Courses, Los Angeles, Ca.:  I don't travel south very often, and when I do it is normally to board a ship for a cruise out of Long Beach.  We don't stay.  There are several great courses down there, and someday I will get down there to play golf.

     There is one course that I did not mention which is probably my eleventh course.  You can't drive by this one, you have to take a boat because it is on Catalina Island.  Yes, they do have a golf course on Catalina Island and I'm dying to play it.  I plan to in September as I am going to be on a cruise. I always stop by the course whenever I am on a cruise and the ship stops there.  Mark, the pro, is a great guy to talk to and has been wanting me to play the course. This next trip is the trip and I will feature the course on my website.  More about this later.
     If you have a course that you drive by and want to play, let me know. In the meantime I have to run.  Don't forget to check out our website, http://golfisforeveryonemd.com.  Remember, hit 'em long and straight and by all means don't leave that birdie putt short.

Hope you get a big bang out of this post.