Dear Johnny Miller

     A while back I wrote about how I wanted to be a golf course designer. As I was writing the piece I remembered playing a couple of courses that Johnny Miller has designed and I have a few thoughts on his skills as a course designer. The two courses I have played were very similar and built in some rocky and hilly terrain.  There is another course located near Oakland International Airport that I have yet to play that is built on land reclaimed from a landfill and I am wondering if he imported boulders to put on the course, even though it is a "links" style course. I truly respect what Johnny Miller has accomplished in the world of golf. For what it is worth, goes and I don't expect any Christmas cards from the Miller family.

Dear Mr. Miller
     Thank you for providing some of the best moments in golf history, both on the course and in the broadcast booth.  I admire you very much and even got to meet as well as chat with you. You are a man of many talents, including designing golf courses.
     I have had the pleasure of playing two of the golf courses that you have designed.  First, I have played your course at what used to be called Brighton Crest, now Eagle Springs, in Friant California.  I live in Fresno, which is close to Friant and get to play the course often. I have also played Eagle Ridge in Gilroy California. Both courses are very beautiful in their settings, but difficult to play for the average golfer.
     As I played the courses, many questions cropped up in my head.  First, what is the foundation for your love of boulders and where they are placed on the course?  Next, it has been said that your putting skills were not as good as they probably could be.  I don't fault you for this, and I join you in this maladay as my putting skills are not that good. However, in many cases the greens on the courses you design are undulating and almost impossible to putt.  Is this in retribution and meant as a slap in the face of the golf gods?
    I am going to cut to the bottom line here.  Keep in mind that I have met you a couple of times and have talked to you.  I very much enjoyed those brief talks, even though your end of the conversation most of the time was "I don't have time for you now." You are a multimillionaire with successes in the golf business, including the design of many courses.  I am just a poor, starving writer that plays golf. You have earned the right to design golf courses, even though my opinion is not that high of them. They are in beautiful settings, and it doesn't mean a thing that I never play them well. My opinion of them doesn't count much and is not going to contribute to the  outbreak of  the "Great Apocalypse", otherwise known as the end of the world. Peace in the world is not going to break out, given my opinions on how you design a golf course. I just don't play them well, and truth is I don't care for them much. I still play Eagle Springs occasionally.
     Mr. Miller, I truly admire you.  I still hate number nine at Eagle Springs.  What were you thinking when you designed that hole?

First hole and let the games begin.