XIV Review of "Sand Hills"

SAND HILLS, Mullen, Nebraska: By Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, this course will be a top 5 in the world. Not too shabby for the western Nebraska nowhere hills. Don't get me wrong, I love Mullen. "Gentle Ben", being a golf history buff, wanted to find the terrain in this country that most resembled what he loved about British Isles golf. He found it in the northwestern Nebraska sand hills of the Great Plains where there is nae water. But if there is nae wind it is nae golf. No course ratings are released due to variability of playing conditions. There sure is a course aura released, though, at this shrine. PRIVATE

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XIII Review of "Sentry World"

SENTRY WORLD, Stevens Point, Wisconsin: This course is designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. A golf course in a garden, when it's in bloom it's stunning. The course was originally commissioned by Sentry Insurance, hence the naming of the links. You might shoot your handicap if the flowers (which are a penalty hazard) on the #16 signature hole don't blind you. Well you'll only have to played 2 more holes. RATINGS: 74.4/142 COST: $45-$75 including cart

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Some "Instruction"

I certainly won't take Harvey Penick's place, but here are a few things I've learned which help my hacker self. Some of these I even remember to use once in a while. SAND SHOT STUFF: Long sand shots should be all arms with not much sand taken & it's otherwise the same auto swing as the fairway. Greenside sand shots should be hit with an open club with plenty of sand taken & the club should contact the sand a couple of inches behind the ball (hopefully the sand is loose enough) For "fried eggs" be sure to have an upright swing! PITCH SHOTS: A 30-40 yard shot requires the weight on the heels. TRAJECTORY KNOWLEDGE: For a low shot play the ball off of the back foot. For a high shot play the ball off of the front foot. This seems counterintuitive to me. PUNCH SHOT: Use a 3/4 swing instead of a full one. WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION: For most shots distribute weight evenly on heels and toes. FADES & DRAWS: For a fade add 1 club, move the front foot back (requires experimentation), & open the club 1/4". For a draw use 1 club less than normal, move the rear foot back, & close the club 1/4". This stuff is difficult for lousy golfers. SOME SWING MECHANICS: 1 piece takeaway, don't cock or twist wrists, puulll left side, right shoulder remains behind ball (& don't let it "sag" or "drop"), keep right elbow in check, knees slightly flexed, align chin toward the back foot, get the club UP, pull through with the left side and legs, & PINCH the ball. Nothing to it. And this all has to be automatic without thinking about it. The game is simply too easy.

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XII Review of "Pacific Dunes"

PACIFIC DUNES, Bandon, Oregon: Golf Magazine has now accorded this course the number 1 U.S. public course rating, recently replacing the famous Pebble Beach. If you are a player you should have heard of PD by now. This is Old World golf in the New World. It's BREEZY in the summer if you want to shoot a large score. The course that made Tom Doak into TOM DOAK (Jim Urbina is the other genius). It's a genuine links course in the British Isles tradition. I'm not sure if it's more Irish or Scottish but it is studiously achieved. The #4 signature hole runs atop a cliff alongside the ocean. The unusual configuration (back-to-back par 3's) of #10 & #11 make an equal impression. These two guys have a new course opening at the Bandon Dunes Resort in 2010. Will they take the number 1 ranking away from themselves? RATINGS: 71.9/129 COST: $100 (winter rainy season)-$265 WALKING ONLY, caddies additional cost, carts for physically challenged may be available

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