tequila4kapp said:

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Shocky1 said:

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golden beers said:

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Isn't that the 8th hole? Just bustin balls but think the 18th is the other side .. amazing photo and love that course minus holes 2-5

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beers, you are correct, that foto is of the poorly redesigned par 3 8th hole which necessitates a weird kinda long walk after the short par 4 7th hole but both the 8th & the 18th got amazing views of the palm trees & the iconic clubhouse

right now, the entire o-club lake course is being totally renovated by gil hanse...as arguably the most well traveled golf architecture rater/ranker in the world having played the last 17 world top 100 lists i communicate with both gil & tom doak on a regular basis re: their current projects...the best living architect & my #1 absolute idol in life bill coore don't do emails but luckily also lives in north scottsdale so i make a concerted effort to accidentally "bump" into bill as often as possible, his wife sue (a motivational speaker) just laughs when she sees me coming
https://top100golf.blogspot.com/2006/01/people-who-have-played-top-100-golf.html

gil just completed an exciting makeover of the previously mediocre & uninspiring lake merced & his los angeles country club north (max homa got the course record) renovation will be showcased at next year's 2023 us open...the best course built anywhere in the world the last couple of years is hanse's fun & architecturally brilliant o'hoopee match club which is a very uber private retreat in the middle of nowhere georgia (best reached flying in/out of savannah)

my bay area rankings (can't wait to see the new coore & crenshaw brambles when it opens next summer in middletown which will be close to my t-rex yoga studio in yountville) are as follows:

1) san francisco golf club-shocky caddied here during his cal summers for $$ & monday free golf
2) california golf club
3) olympic club lake
4) lake merced
5) mayacama
6) the meadow club

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Claremont CC doesn't make the cut?

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CCC will always have a special place in my heart but the course isn't quite in the same league as those listed by Shocky. I was a member until 2020 when I moved away from the bay area. The course is incredibly well maintained and the updates over the last 15 years are fantastic. That being said it's still a par 68 5,500 yard course that I wouldn't say is a huge challenge other than the greens being fast and small. Always will enjoy coming to visit buddys and play/drink there.

I haven't played the Lake Merced update, but I've heard that's sick.

Couple others I'd maybe put over CCC from purely a golf layout perspective (clubhouse/pool situation there is top notch):
- Green Hills
- Sharon Heights
- When I played Richmond CC back in like 2003 and seem to remember thinking it may have been a comparable golf course to CCC but I think CCC is much nicer these days
- El Macero and Del Paso if you want to count Davis/Sac
- Napa CC despite having a par 3 1st hole
- Pasatiempo (semi private)
- Never played Marin CC but I've heard good things

Golf is like wine though... different people prefer different styles.

tequila, a decade or so ago tom doak & his lead design associate jc urbina reached out to me & encouraged me to visit their recently renovated claremont country to check out their work of the alistair mackenzie original design...so i sent my credentials to the club & got an immediate reply back with a kind invitation (i play everywhere in the world on a complementary basis, no charges) which i accepted for the late morning of a cal football evening game

show up in cheerful montauk golf shorts & a friar's head polo, the very friendly head pro jay mcdaniel (his wife nancy is cal's women's golf coach) tells me that like cypress point & san francisco golf club that shorts are not allowed, the following conversation ensues in the pro shop:

jay: bill, would you like to go to your car (why does everybody wanna walk me to my car?) and maybe grab some pants to change into in the men's locker room?

shocky: my apologies jay but this is just a quick day trip for me in an out for the usc game tonite and i didn't bring any pants

jay (as he heads back into his office): ok, hold on a minute

shocky: sorry to be such a dumb azz

jay (grinning as he returns with his black rain pants); bill, you can borrow my rain gear for the day

shocky: jay, how tall all are you?

jay (really smiling): 6'2"

shocky: i'm 5'9" maybe if I don't slouch but let's do this with the bottoms rolled up, thank you jay!

claremont is a wonderful fun golf experience with fascinating angles of strategic play that require precision iron play to ensure uphill putts (downhill puts on the slick green are an invitation for a 3 jack) with a tight intimate walkable routing

beers, green hills, sharon heights & marin cc are all vapid housing development courses for cartballers, santa cruz & sacramento aren't in the bay area, there are zero courses in napa with any significant architectural merit and the #7 course on my list (#8 would be peninsula cc) would be the recent renovation by todd eckenrode at orinda cc (sarah montgomery kicks her sorry azz husband's broken down swing every round there)

Orinda CC “Dead Horse” 125 yards #williamwatson @FlagBagGolf @HochsteinDesign @OriginsGolf @the_fried_egg pic.twitter.com/bFQmFFOZBl

— Joshua C.F. Smith (@joshuacfsmith) October 12, 2022

Shocky1 said:

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tequila, a decade or so ago tom doak & his lead design associate jc urbina reached out to me & encouraged me to visit their recently renovated claremont country to check out their work of the alistair mackenzie original design...so i sent my credentials to the club & got an immediate reply back with a kind invitation (i play everywhere in the world on a complementary basis, no charges) which i accepted for the late morning of a cal football evening game

show up in cheerful montauk golf shorts & a friar's head polo, the very friendly head pro jay mcdaniel (his wife nancy is cal's women's golf coach) tells me that like cypress point & san francisco golf club that shorts are not allowed, the following conversation ensues in the pro shop:

jay: bill, would you like to go to your car (why does everybody wanna walk me to my car?) and maybe grab some pants to change into in the men's locker room?

shocky: my apologies jay but this is just a quick day trip for me in an out for the usc game tonite and i didn't bring any pants

jay (as he heads back into his office): ok, hold on a minute

shocky: sorry to be such a dumb azz

jay (grinning as he returns with his black rain pants); bill, you can borrow my rain gear for the day

shocky: jay, how tall all are you?

jay (really smiling): 6'2"

shocky: i'm 5'9" maybe if I don't slouch but let's do this with the bottoms rolled up, thank you jay!

claremont is a wonderful fun golf experience with fascinating angles of strategic play that require precision iron play to ensure uphill putts (downhill puts on the slick green are an invitation for a 3 jack) with a tight intimate walkable routing

beers, green hills, sharon heights & marin cc are all vapid housing development courses for cartballers, santa cruz & sacramento aren't in the bay area, there are zero courses in napa with any significant architectural merit and the #7 course on my list (#8 would be peninsula cc) would be the recent renovation by todd eckenrode at orinda cc (sarah montgomery kicks her sorry azz husband's broken down swing every round there)

Orinda CC “Dead Horse” 125 yards #williamwatson @FlagBagGolf @HochsteinDesign @OriginsGolf @the_fried_egg pic.twitter.com/bFQmFFOZBl

— Joshua C.F. Smith (@joshuacfsmith) October 12, 2022

---

agreed that ccc is a great golf experience (in addition to top notch tennis/swim) and jay is fantastic - has one of the most buttery and effortless swings.

i haven't played those courses in a while - one of the drawbacks of joining ccc was i stopped playing anywhere else other than olympic when working in the city. i agree with your list though - only got to play sfgc once on a monday but that was pretty surreal.

good note on orinda - i have a few buddys who are members there and will need to try and get out next time im in the area

the 2 very important special teams official visits will not happen this weekend, they will happen at a later date

the bears are currently at 13 new 2023 scholly commitments, 2 more special teams schollys will be awarded prior to next season's opening game vs north texas in denton

golden beers said:

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Shocky1 said:

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tequila, a decade or so ago tom doak & his lead design associate jc urbina reached out to me & encouraged me to visit their recently renovated claremont country to check out their work of the alistair mackenzie original design...so i sent my credentials to the club & got an immediate reply back with a kind invitation (i play everywhere in the world on a complementary basis, no charges) which i accepted for the late morning of a cal football evening game

show up in cheerful montauk golf shorts & a friar's head polo, the very friendly head pro jay mcdaniel (his wife nancy is cal's women's golf coach) tells me that like cypress point & san francisco golf club that shorts are not allowed, the following conversation ensues in the pro shop:

jay: bill, would you like to go to your car (why does everybody wanna walk me to my car?) and maybe grab some pants to change into in the men's locker room?

shocky: my apologies jay but this is just a quick day trip for me in an out for the usc game tonite and i didn't bring any pants

jay (as he heads back into his office): ok, hold on a minute

shocky: sorry to be such a dumb azz

jay (grinning as he returns with his black rain pants); bill, you can borrow my rain gear for the day

shocky: jay, how tall all are you?

jay (really smiling): 6'2"

shocky: i'm 5'9" maybe if I don't slouch but let's do this with the bottoms rolled up, thank you jay!

claremont is a wonderful fun golf experience with fascinating angles of strategic play that require precision iron play to ensure uphill putts (downhill puts on the slick green are an invitation for a 3 jack) with a tight intimate walkable routing

beers, green hills, sharon heights & marin cc are all vapid housing development courses for cartballers, santa cruz & sacramento aren't in the bay area, there are zero courses in napa with any significant architectural merit and the #7 course on my list (#8 would be peninsula cc) would be the recent renovation by todd eckenrode at orinda cc (sarah montgomery kicks her sorry azz husband's broken down swing every round there)

Orinda CC “Dead Horse” 125 yards #williamwatson @FlagBagGolf @HochsteinDesign @OriginsGolf @the_fried_egg pic.twitter.com/bFQmFFOZBl

— Joshua C.F. Smith (@joshuacfsmith) October 12, 2022

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agreed that ccc is a great golf experience (in addition to top notch tennis/swim) and jay is fantastic - has one of the most buttery and effortless swings.

i haven't played those courses in a while - one of the drawbacks of joining ccc was i stopped playing anywhere else other than olympic when working in the city. i agree with your list though - only got to play sfgc once on a monday but that was pretty surreal.

good note on orinda - i have a few buddys who are members there and will need to try and get out next time im in the area

---

Like any good Orinda teenager, I played a lot of night golf at OCC. Wasn't till years later that I started playing it in the daylight. The first hole is one of my favorite opening holes

Shocky1 said:

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the 2 very important special teams official visits will not happen this weekend, they will happen at a later date

the bears are currently at 13 new 2023 scholly commitments, 2 more special teams schollys will be awarded prior to next season's opening game vs north texas in denton

---

Maybe a clue that this weekends visits are going well???

ducky, ha ha love your felonious unlawful criminal trespassing/sneaking on at orinda cc

so back in the day when caddieing at san francisco golf club, me & fellow caddie jamaica joe head over to the olympic club & are a couple holes into our round on the lake course when the red security golf cart mall cop stops us & asks us what we think we're doing?...me & jamaica tell him we're o-club caddies & that the caddie master said it was ok for us to play on mondays...mall cop tells us to grab our **** & get in the cart, he's gonna escort us off the property

apparently the olympic club a decade prior changed their policy to only allow caddies on mondays to play the ocean course, never the lake course

ruh roh



gimme the goods, half the action, u get the chance to getaway (for me its too late)#

Shocky1 said:

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https://instagr.am/p/CBwwtE7D5mA
justin wilcox (3.43 gpa), defensive back
javian "jet" thomas (3.4 gpa), running back
nohl williams (3.61 gpa), corner back
kaylin moore (3.4 gpa), corner back
frederick williams iii (3.6 gpa), strongside defensive end
zurich ashford (3.62 gpa), defensive end
ben marshall (3.4 gpa), tight end
ryan mcculloch (4.1 gpa), edge defender
tiumalu afalava (4.1 gpa), defensive end
cade uluave (3.8 gpa), outside linebacker
sailasa vadrawale (3.46 gpa), corner back
nyziah hunter (3.0+ gpa), wide receiver
nick morrow (3.7 gpa), offensive tackle (grayshirt will arrive in january)
michael luckhurst (4.37 gpa), kicker (already on roster as a walk on, will be on scholly in january)

the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public university in the world (just ask roxy)

---

tequila, no change to the # of commitments at this moment

Shocky, LA area top courses?

89, my la rankings are as follows:

1) riviera-george thomas masterpiece would move up a couple spots in my world rankings ballot if the tom fazio ruinovation of the par 4 8th hole (which looks like something outta a palm spring housing development course with its weird sandy waste area in the middle of the fairway) is fixed

2) los angeles north-long overrated because of its location in the heart of beverly hills & the playboy mansion behind the 13th green, it's now fantastic after the gil hanse restoration which removed trees & opened up vistas that allow wind to circulate which has also improved the conditioning

3) bel air-the recent tom doak restoration of the thomas original design has made the course more playable, it's still the most fun club in town...last time on the veranda did the hang with batman's robin (chris o'donnell) & the actor who played the prez of the azzwipe fraternity in animal house

4) dinner on the patio at nobu malibu followed by drinks at either the flashy/loud as **** tao nightclub in hollywood or the more low key chill vibe in the polo room at the beverly hills hotel with the piano guy playing requests

5) rustic canyon-gil hanse's public masterpiece, it's 40 bucks to walk on weekdays...rather carry my clubs & walk 18 here in a pure golf experience than the rich guy's $400 cartball rounds at pelican hills or trump national...yeah shocky loves "the poor man's riviera"

6) wilshire-the holes that utilize the barrancas as a design feature such as the all world par 4 18th hole are exceptional, tight walkable routing

7) sherwood-one of the best jack nicklaus design group works, the 5 par 5s & 5 par 3s make it more sporty than most of his overly penal designs...played with charlie sheen's manager, private message me if you want some x rated stories

8) rolling hills-wonderful renovation with tight firm & fast conditioning, only major blemish is the non contiguous routing which makes it kinda a long walk but its still the best course in orange county over shady caynon & newport beach cc

9t) hillcrest-really good but just not as good as its uptight members wish it wuz
9t) lakeside-right next to the studios, the greens have shrunken at least 50% over time
9t) los angeles south-fun short course that requires some imaginative shotmaking

10) the tasty ramen place in west hollywood next to a seedy dive bar, a well fortified check cashing place & liquor store

nobody walks in la#

Interesting question for you shocky- any favorite golf movies?

only one, ec



weekend at shockys#

me to knowlton's fundraising for the 125M quidditch facility: "lets go while we're young"

offensive tackle tavaki tuikolovato (officially visited cal in september) commits to ucla

Shocky1 said:

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ben coleman on an official visit to asu & in tempe right now talking with beau baldwin, the sun devils roster is severely depleted & with ncca sanctions looming will be arguably the worst team in ncca football next season despite decarlos brooks & slater zellers returning home to the valley of the sun & starting...ben is from so cal, tempe is not home

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mr sun angel just texted me that ben coleman told the staff he's gonna commit to asu

Graduated from the #1 Public University in 3.5 years. Goal set, Goal completed. #GoBears pic.twitter.com/IOfgB9TSZ4

— Ben Coleman | #️⃣6️⃣2️⃣ (@benjiicoleman) December 16, 2022

Shocky1 said:

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pt, if maxwell does not commit while in tempe then he will be flying directly to berkeley for his 4th & final official visit (already tripped to byu & kansas) in a 10 day roadtrip

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6 official visits to berkeley this week (this could all change in 5 minutes from now):

1) maxwell iheananchor (offensive tackle from east los angeles community college) did not fall in love with a tempe 12 on his visit (and that's a good thing, rite?) so now he's on his way right now to berkeley for his last stop of his 10 day recruiting meet & greet
https://instagr.am/p/CmPWtL0v3mH

2) sergio allen, the clemson inside linebacker portal transfer, visited berkeley earlier this week & also tripped to georgia tech

Happy remain day @Sallen45_ 💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/bM6SS1u283

— Justin “Phew” Harris (@iamphew) December 13, 2022

3) ryan mcculloch, the 4.1 gpa edge defender bears commit, is on his way to berkeley & will sign with cal next week during the early signing period

COMMITTED!!🐻💙💛 https://t.co/9sWPLFcPwy @CalFootball @Coach_Sooto @coach_schrider pic.twitter.com/49DierBiS2

— Ryan McCulloch (@RyanMcCulloch42) August 6, 2022

4) tunmise adeleye, the former texas a&m defensive end is locked in for his weekend official visit after a vip coaching team turnout home visit earlier this week

I like this one 🦦 https://t.co/IDsADHc5Ac

— jmike🖤 (@jmike_04) December 13, 2022

5) chandler rogers, the crafty & highly efficient portal transfer quarterback from the university of louisiana monroe is gonna check out the left coast on his official visit

ULM QB, Chandler Rogers, has entered the transfer portal @_chandlerrogers pic.twitter.com/Qo6nJV6NiF

— College FB Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) November 29, 2022

6) bryron cardwell, the elite speedster/emerging singing sensation running back is an oregon transfer, his family loves justin & aristotle...cancelled a trip to washington, his trip to westwood last weekend is the competition
https://instagr.am/p/CmLihbnMXfx

Cal Basketball legends 💪 @Ashleybear44 and Devanei Hampton pic.twitter.com/sawnf0niUh

— Cal Basketball (@CalWBBall) December 10, 2022

my favorite cal basketball player (men or women) michelle ugonne onyiah with a remarkable 15 points & 11 boards in only 18 minutes with a couple of plays that only the bears greatest players of all time can make with their relentless grit & +1 athleticism

mr sun angel is telling me that the sales pitch to the Iheanachor family is that both maxwell & his young brother mark (senior at narbonne high school) can play together in tempe

Had a great time At ASU 🔱☝🏾 Thank you for having me 🙏🏾 #Asu #Forksup #AGTG pic.twitter.com/4PaSFRfPCU

— mark Iheanachor 🇳🇬💫 (@FcrgiveMark) December 16, 2022

tunmise adeleye flying from his official visit to miami (highlight was dinner at prime 112 with his moms, dad & girlfriend) to the bay area for his cal official visit

cal's recruiting for the 2023 class is getting wild right now & will extend into january, it's kinda like drake's wedding or something with all the angles & relationships in play

buckle up, baby

Choose wisely pic.twitter.com/4OcSq7Sosi

— Andre Carter (@mr_carter93) December 7, 2022

right now the bears got 18 publicly announced scholly departures:

daniel scott, safety...out of eligibility
odua isibor, edge defender...out of eligiblity
jamieson sheahan, punter...out of eligilbity
braxton croteau, outside linebacker...medical retirement
orin patu, edge defender...grad transfer to arizona
patrick histake, edge defender...portal to hawaii...no berkeley degree
femi oladejo, linebacker...portal to ucla...no berkeley degree
trey paster, linebacker...portal as grad transfer
ben coleman, guard...grad transfer to asu
nick alftin, tight end...portal as grad transfer
keleki latu, tight end...portal...no berkeley degree
chris street, running back...portal...no berkeley degree
damien moore, running back...portal...no berkeley degree
decarlos brooks, running back...grad transfer portal to asu
slater zellers, longsnapper...grad transfer portal to asu
dario longhetto, kicker...portal as grad transfer
jack plummer, quarterback...grad transfer portal to louisville
kai milner, quarterback...portal...no berkeley degree

5 of the student athletes are departing berkeley without degrees from the #1 ranked public university in the world

how is the portal working out for them?

femi olajedo: good landing spot in ucla, obvious tampering as he committed within 2 hours of entering the portal

keleki latu: worst blocking tight end in the pac 12 during 2022, tripping to washington

patrick histake: transfer to hawaii

damien moore: no p5 or g5 offers, lacks breakaway speed

chris street: no p5 or g5 offers, lacks breakaway speed

https://t.co/ve4ciWJlS7 pic.twitter.com/JxZO39Vhyl

— Avinash Kunnath (@avinashkunnath) December 8, 2022

50 year decisions with 50 year career/financial implications#

Shocky1 said:

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Shocky1 said:

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ULM QB Chandler Rogers has entered the Transfer Portal pic.twitter.com/xGH7w6ZkAd

— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) November 29, 2022

coach spav has made the decision to offer 6' 194 lbs university of louisiana monroe portal transfer quarterback chandler rogers who got 2 years of remaining eligibility

this season rogers had an impressive qb rating of 141.67 (against mediocre opponents) with an accurate 67.5% completion rate for 2403 yards with 15 touchdowns & 7 interceptions while also rushing for 607 yards, dude got wheels

will be interesting to see if chandler takes an official visit to berkeley this weekend...

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chandler, ur gonna luv the palm trees at the claremont this weekend, palms are my favorite trees & the looming palm tree by the iconic short par 4 18th hole & the olympic club's clubhouse always makes me smile

https://instagr.am/p/ClofoVEO_8R
what's ur favorite tree?#

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chandler, don't tell nobody but u were a 3 year honoree on the dean's list at mansfield high school back in the day, that's kinda important admissions information at the #1 ranked public university in the world

and ur really fast with quick bursts of acceleration which is kinda important given that cal's monster offensive line wuz not great last season in protecting the quarterback

not totally sure but kinda guessing they don't got palm tree breakfast burritos at the claremont this morning but who knows (never hurts to ask, rite)?

let's have an adventure, yeah it's sweater weather in cali

🌁CALI LIVIN🌴

PLAYMAKERS in town 🐻#GoBears #JUICECREW pic.twitter.com/QVAtkLHbR9

— Marshall Cherrington (@MWCherrington) December 16, 2022

palm trees r beautiful#

We should be spending Knowlton's salary on data analytics experts to maximize our yield from the portal. The game is changing and we've got Wilcox and his staff trying to find the best players out of a thousand?

Shocky1 said:

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89, my la rankings are as follows:

1) riviera-george thomas masterpiece would move up a couple spots in my world rankings ballot if the tom fazio ruinovation of the par 4 8th hole (which looks like something outta a palm spring housing development course with its weird sandy waste area in the middle of the fairway) is fixed

2) los angeles north-long overrated because of its location in the heart of beverly hills & the playboy mansion behind the 13th green, it's now fantastic after the gil hanse restoration which removed trees & opened up vistas that allow wind to circulate which has also improved the conditioning

3) bel air-the recent tom doak restoration of the thomas original design has made the course more playable, it's still the most fun club in town...last time on the veranda did the hang with batman's robin (chris o'donnell) & the actor who played the prez of the azzwipe fraternity in animal house

4) dinner on the patio at nobu malibu followed by drinks at either the flashy/loud as **** tao nightclub in hollywood or the more low key chill vibe in the polo room at the beverly hills hotel with the piano guy playing requests

5) rustic canyon-gil hanse's public masterpiece, it's 40 bucks to walk on weekdays...rather carry my clubs & walk 18 here in a pure golf experience than the rich guy's $400 cartball rounds at pelican hills or trump national...yeah shocky loves "the poor man's riviera"

6) wilshire-the holes that utilize the barrancas as a design feature such as the all world par 4 18th hole are exceptional, tight walkable routing

7) sherwood-one of the best jack nicklaus design group works, the 5 par 5s & 5 par 3s make it more sporty than most of his overly penal designs...played with charlie sheen's manager, private message me if you want some x rated stories

8) rolling hills-wonderful renovation with tight firm & fast conditioning, only major blemish is the non contiguous routing which makes it kinda a long walk but its still the best course in orange county over shady caynon & newport beach cc

9t) hillcrest-really good but just not as good as its uptight members wish it wuz
9t) lakeside-right next to the studios, the greens have shrunken at least 50% over time
9t) los angeles south-fun short course that requires some imaginative shotmaking

10) the tasty ramen place in west hollywood next to a seedy dive bar, a well fortified check cashing place & liquor store

nobody walks in la#

---

have to provide my two cents; Rolling Hills - which I'm a member- is on the Paios Verdes Peninsula (home of every freaking USC head football coach), and not in the OC. I agree with Shocky's summation of the course.

I'm glad LACC South made the list. Alway underrated due to the North course, and a lot more fun to play. North plays brutally long if you start playing the tips, but admittedly has some great individual holes, However, a 295 yard uphill par 3 for example, is fine for the pros, but not for us hackers. Hanse did a great job.

I would put the restored RTJ Sr. El Caballero in the top 8, Reese did the restoration .

Big Canyon usually is mentioned in the top OC courses, as is Dove Canyon. Shady is the best course, and clearly has the best facilities of any OC course.

Riviera was better with the barranca to date myself (I grew-up on the course), but the course has aged well over time. Number 10 is my favorite short Par 4 hole; although everyone alway talks about 6 for obvious reasons. I don't get a lot of what Fazio did.

Looking forward to playing these courses once the body allows.

b&g, the numbers that marshall, benji & ben are working with are manageable

of the 3,000+ that will be in the portal, 80% of them will clearly not be athletic enough to become recruitable by the staff

that leaves around 600 athletes in the portal that can ball out

80% of those 600 athletes will not have the academic transcripts/qualifications to gain berkeley admissions

that leaves 120 recruitable true student athlete that are prospective california golden bears

and that's a workable # for our relentless hard working football recruiting team

the monster would break down the numbers for you for the men's basketball team but mark fox got the oldest 4 person coaching staff in collegiate basketball at 200 years of age & there's no cal's monster class anymore so it's all kinda pointless rite now

but 100% agreed that paying jim kmowlton's $1,300,000+ salary is kinda like giving money to a drug addict that will just waste it by spending it on **** that nobody cares about other than him (and maybe his confidante califortunate who tole me james arthur knowlton considers me a "person non grata" too)



vote for andrew mcgraw for athletic director today (vote early, vote often, let's walk the con artist to his car)#

Since we're on golf, wanted to see what the Shockster thinks of these two courses on the big island of Hawaii that I played.

Huallai Golf Course

Ke'olu Course (only got to play the back nine due to renovations)

philbert, plz keep in mind that lifelong students of golf course architecture consider heavily the architect's routing as it affects the walkability of a course...most casual golfers don't really care about this but golf purists don't consider playing in a golf cart real golf & most hawaiian island courses are really just scenic vapid cartball venues...with that said, this is my rankings:

1) kapalua plantation: a stunning marriage of the ocean & a challenging mountainous pineapple field, the plantation is the only must play design in the islands...finishing on the dramatic wind swept downhill par 5 18th hole with lanai in the background is one of life's great joys

huge chasm in the rankings

2) nanea: charles schwab's uber private venue (his partner is george roberts of kk&r) for zillionaires is a spectacular david kidd design but it's a shame that with thousands of acres at his disposal that kidd didn't create a tighter more walkable design...the outdoor shower in the modern clubhouse is one of my favorite locker room amenities in the world

3) mauna kea: robert trent jones sr best design in his multiple decade design portfolio, it lacks the predictability that defines so much of his work...the collection of par 3 are outstanding as is the once a week buffet on the beach after swimming with the friendly but scary azz looking sea eels

4) mama's fish house: pro tip, get a reservation unless u wanna dine on the taco bell/pizza hut combo meal in town

5) kukio: one of tom fazio's best designs with more strategic options than most of his usual work, the over the top lavish refreshment stands are a great way to put another 10+ lbs on a long weekend

6) wailua: outstanding public course hardscrabbled along the coastline on kauai, 40 bucks to walk on weekdays, a morning round followed by an afternoon t-rex jurassic park hike is a perfect day...the rustic caynon of the islands

7) waialae cc: there's not much seth raynor left in the design but tom doak is taking steps to return some of it, love the tight walkable routing with views of diamond head

8) manele: dramatic nicklaus course on lanai but flawed by its cartball routing

9) kukul'ula: dramatic weiskopf course on kauai but flawed by its cartball routing

10) any ramen shop in honolulu or food truck on the epic north shore

philbert, if your talking about the brutally hard ko'oalu (highest slope rating in the islands) in the hills surrounding honolulu it's my understanding that it's been closed, the average golfer is gonna lose two dozen golf balls in a round & at least a sleeve on the insanely stupid 18th tropical jungle hole with no playable options

hualali on kona is an well conditioned overpriced nicklaus design with nothing original in its architecture, the adjacent four seasons is a way much better way to spend the day



aloha (yoga/meditation on the beach)#

Shocky1 said:

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lifelong students of golf course architecture consider heavily the architect's routing as it affects the walkability of a course...most casual golfers don't really care about this but golf purists don't consider playing in a golf cart real golf

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As a golf course architect nerd and devoted course walker I say this - you are all right Shocky. We need to tee it up together sometime.

tequila or anybody, always ready to tee it up, the rustic canyon of the bay area is the wonderful 50 bucks to walk corsica park (previously named alameda muni) just 15 minutes from memorial stadium on gamedays which plays firm & fast as homage to its australian melbourne sandbelt roots that is fun to play for all golfers (and not an exercise in architorture)

Ah yes, I have played Ko'olau on Oahu many eons ago. Loved it. Like playing in the jungle for half and then with spectacular mountain views for the other half. Lost a few balls there for sure. Sorry to hear it has closed.

I think there are two courses on Hualalai. The Nicklaus one at the four seasons was nicer than the other one. Sounds like you may not have played it before or don't remember it? I don't know how you can remember all of these courses in detail.

https://www.hualalairesort.com/club/keolu-golf-course/

philbert, so one of my buddies slim wadie's favorite lunchtime/quick drink at the clubhouse betting schemes is to bet a guest a 100 bucks that they can show me a picture of a golf hole somewhere in the world & cover up the caption with the name of the course & that i can't name the hole

almost all guys take that bet since they get to decide which foto of the golf hole to show the monster

one time this disbelieving bigshot make a mistake of raising the bet to 1000 bucks (slim wadie & i always share 50/50 on the winnings) when showing the monster a foto on his phone of a fairway with a small lake in front of the green & 2 bunker behind the green, there are a million holes on planet earth that look like that

it took shocks 5 seconds, "par 5 17th hole at the homestead resort cascades course designed by william flynn in hot springs, virginia"

pay up b****

whose ur favorite bear?#

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