A 3rd Option to Consider

In order to play golf in America, you basically have two options to get out onto the course.

1.) Pay a lump sum of money and monthly dues to belong to a private club.

2.) Pay a daily fee to play public courses.

For the majority of my golfing career, I did not want to be tied down to just one course and If I spent my money on a private club, it would be difficult to justify the cost of paying a green fee elsewhere.  So I have always opted for the 2nd option.  The good news is that there is a 3rd way to go about things.  It may not make sense for everyone but it is a viable option for the passionate golfer who likes to travel.

• A national network, providing full access to each club, all under a single dues structure.

• Access to a network of Private clubs

  • ArborLinks - Nebraska

  • Ballyhack Golf Club - Virginia

  • Briggs Ranch - Texas

  • Dormie Club - North Carolina

  • Victoria National - Indiana

  • Hidden Creek - New Jersey

• Dormie Network members do not pay greens fees or cart fees

Imagine, every time you take a golf trip, being able to visit your own private golf club and not just any private club, but one of the state's best.  If you click on any of the links above, you will get a taste for the high quality of these clubs.

The Dormie Club in West End, NC is a Coore and Crenshaw favorite.

Ballyhack in Virginia

The Dormie Network is always looking for new members and people that are interested in getting in early. Since the network is constantly growing the dues are evolving and typically increasing as the portfolio grows larger. Deals and promotions are available but they come and go fast. Send me a message to inquire about the current special promotions for pjkoenig.com readers.

In addition to the tremendous golf, each course has on site lodging, food, and service that will blow you away. The steaks at Arbor Links were some of the best that I have ever eaten and the lodging at Ballyhack was one of my favorite breaks from life on The RGV Tour.

Briggs Ranch is a Fazio Texas gem.

Palmer's Arborlinks brings the beach and the trees.

The best part about the whole deal is that It's a fairly new organization that is adding clubs at an aggressive rate.  Now with 6 clubs, there is tremendous value here. There are ongoing negotiations with several other well known clubs as I type this.  The goal is to have 20-22 courses in the network by 2022 all scattered across the US.

Since my original post in 2017, The Dormie Network has already added another Top 100 course with Victoria National and another Coore Crenshaw design with Hidden Creek.

PJKoenig blog readers that sign up will have the initiation fee waived. There is also an option for corporations to consider.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get in early while these special discounts still exist.

All you need to do is fill out the form to get started.

Comments on the Cleveland VAS Irons

I recently came across an article that mentioned the Cleveland VAS golf clubs and it brought back memories of the 1990's when the clubs were popular.  For those not in the know, VAS stands for Vibration Absorption System.  Which, I am pretty sure was a load of marketing garbage, but people really bought into it back in the 90's.  I did a little research and here are some of the comments I found on the irons. These are real comments from real people.  Well... real internet people.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

• " I was so impressed with these irons that I have already purchased a back up set." - James
• "The looks only a mother could love." = David
• "Easily the best feeling irons I've ever hit. - Mike P.
• "Found the driver on Ebay for $1... Best investment I ever made." - Ty T.
• "I am not convinced that the VAS plate absorbs too much vibration. - Jay
• "Took my Rocket Blades out and put my VAS's in and shot my best round in 10 years." - Mark
• "An incredible damping effect." - Andy M.
• "I love the finish.  I love the matte pewter finish."  - JB
• "I don't think I could commit to the swing, I'd either be laughing or puking." Mikey D
• "I sold them in 1999 and I have regretted it ever since" - Tim
• "Those irons may be even uglier than Corey Pavin's mustache." - BG.
• "It may look unshankable, but trust me, you can still shank it."  Steve R. from Rhode Island

Personally, I never owned a set of the Cleveland VAS irons, but I remember a player in high school who did.  That kid's name is Travis Hampshire, so I decided to google Travis.  As it turns out, Travis is no longer a kid and actually went on to play an event on the PGA Tour, the 2011 Traveler's Championship.  Was it the VAS effect that trampolined him to the PGA Tour?   We may never know.

Alex Dunlop Golf

Over the course of my 25 year golfing career, I have had less than 5 lessons.  At most, I would pick a swing thought that made sense to me and just go with that.  I am a feel player and that works for me.  I always knew that my swing wasn't perfect, but I also knew that it was good enough to break 70.  

However, after playing a round with Golf Teacher Alex Dunlop, I decided to take in a long overdue lesson.  I was actually looking forward to getting some expert eyes on my swing and receiving some feedback on things that I could work on.  As an added bonus, Alex's office has a first class view of Newcastle Golf Club and the City of Seattle.

The view from above the clubhouse at Newcastle and the Rusty Putter; an 18 hole putting course.

Chances are, your office isn't as green.

One of the best parts about taking a lesson with Alex is that he is a straight up cool dude that likes to talk about golf.  We could have hung around and shot the shit for an hour, but we decided to hit some balls as well.  Alex is Trackman certified and immediately as we start the lesson, I am getting feedback in terms of numbers.  Now, these numbers didn't mean much to me at first, especially since I have always played by feel.  The good news is that Alex is an expert on explaining what these numbers mean and keying in on the numbers that actually matter.

For me, it was just one number that we started on with my driver.  That number was attack angle and according to Alex -2.5 was not good.  After a series of interpretations and suggestions that made sense to me, I was able to understand what it felt like to change that -2.5 to a +2.5.  After grooving that feeling over several months, my drives are much longer and there is less dispersion on my tee shots.

On the latest session, Alex and I worked on consistently compressing my iron shots.

Here I am compared to Brooks Koepka.  A model player for shaft lean.

One of the coolest aspects about Trackman is that you get full digital copies of your lessons afterwards.  The photos above are snap shots that I took from the videos on my phone.  If you wanted to, you could pull up a lesson while you are sitting in a staff meeting.  You can literally hear Alex and I discussing things as we review the video and crack jokes about how much better I am at golf than Brooks Koepka.  

My case is nothing special for Alex, it's just business as usual for him.  I had the opportunity to sit in on another lesson and the story was similar with even more measurable success over the past 2 years. 

“When I first started working with Alex 2 years ago, I carried a 24 handicap, now I am a 10.”

— Zander, Student of Alex Dunlop Golf

Alex is the youngest ever winner of the Western Washington Chapter’s PGA Teacher of the Year for 2015 and is generally regarded as one of the best teachers in the state of Washington.  You can find Alex at Newcastle throughout the week or head on over to his website to learn more.  

FedEx Cup Predictions

For years, the PGA Tour and players alike have conceded that the FedEx Cup and the season ending playoffs are not perfect.  However, it is an honest attempt to make the end of the season compelling and interesting.  Here are my projections for the 2017 version.

• Jason Dufner will not win the FedEx Cup.  With 50 billion to 1 odds, don't empty your bank account banking on Duf man going from #30 to #1.  If you decide to bet anyways, here are Dufner's 9 simple check marks to victory.
  • Jordan Spieth must finish 29th or worse
  • Justin Thomas must finish in a 3-way tie for 6th or worse
  • Dustin Johnson must finish T4 or worse and wear blue shoes
  • Marc Leishman must finish T3 or worse
  • No more than 32% of the field can birdie the 3rd hole
  • Jon Ram must finish in a 3-way tie for second or worse
  • Rickie Fowler must finish T2 or worse
  • Pat Perez must not have bacon for breakfast
  • Jason Dufner must win the Tour Championship
• "How does the FedEx Cup points thing work?"  will set a new record for number of times googled.
• The Golf Club at East Lake was an amusement park in the 1890's. Tony Finau will make East Lake his own personal amusement park in 2017 and cruise to a 4 shot Tour Championship victory.
• With 24th ranked Finau pulling out the Tour Championship victory, 176 individual alternate victory scenarios will emerge for the FedEx Cup.
• The top 5 (Spieth, DJ, JT, Leishman, and Rahm) will all finish outside of the top 5 for for the Tour Championship, putting their chances of FedEx Cup victory into question and plunging the tournament into chaos.
• Math difficulties and confusion will overtake the scoring booth.  

“Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... Mass hysteria!!”

— Bill Murray - Ghostbusters

• The following flowcharts will serve as the scoreboard during the entire back nine.

Brooks Koepka!?!?!

• World renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will be called in to provide live scoring projections and updates.
• Neil crushes the call and kills it in the scoring booth.

Neil Calls the live FedEx Cup action.

“In 5-billion yrs the Sun will expand & engulf our orbit as the charred ember that was once Earth vaporizes.”

— Neil deGrasse Tyson on Spieth's birdie attempt on the 17th hole

• With Rickie Fowler facing a 5 footer to finish in a 3 way tie for fourth place, Webb Simpson eagerly looks on.  Webb is not sure if a two way tie or 3 way tie from Rickie coupled with his 3rd place finish will be good enough for a first place finish.  If Fowler 3 putts and finishes in solo 5th, would he need a bogie from DJ on 18, or would the 3 way tie from Hoffman give him 2nd place??
• After holing his put for a fourth place finish, Rickie reluctantly fist pumps.  Did he just win $10M or did he just win $1.5M.  Nobody knows!! The excitement and tension is unbearable.
• On his way to the airport, Justin Rose receives a call from tournament organizers letting him know that he has indeed won the 2017 FedEx Cup!!
• The bad news for Justin Rose is that he will get stuck in traffic as he turns his car around and heads back for the trophy presentation.

The Canadian Rockies

When you think of the top 5 public golf destinations in North America, do the Canadian Rockies come to mind?  Probably not... but it should.  For most of the US, it's a relatively short flight to Calgary and an hour or so drive into the heart of the action.  Between Jasper, Banff, Kananaskis, and Canmore there are 6 courses on the trail.  Let's dig into the details of my recent adventure into the Canadian Rockies and sort out the details.

My partner in golf crime for the trip would be McKenzie O'Connell, most people call her Kenzie or Kenz, I decided to call her K Dawg.  Now, K Dawg is a 5 handicap and certainly a valuable addition to any golf trip.  She also jumped right in and showed off her impressive golf modeling chops.  Things were starting off nicely. 

The view looking back on the restaurant atop the Banff Gondola.

Golf hard, model hard.

After getting into Banff, we took the Gondola up for a view of the local scene and had a fantastic meal at the top, courtesy of Brewster Travel.  In terms of easy things to do in Banff, I would highly recommend the gondola ride.  With views of downtown Banff and the surrounding mountain ranges, it was an excellent preview of what was to come.  

Afterwards, we headed back to our first class accommodations at the Delta Hotels Kananaskis Lodge.  The hotel was centrally located in Alberta and has easy access to local hiking and biking trails with outstanding views of the Rocky Mountains.  A world class spa will be opening in 2018.

In the morning we were headed out to Kananaskis Country Golf Course for our first round of golf in the Canadian Rockies.  Designed by Robert Trent Jones and opening in 1983, the 36 hole layout is a favorite of local Albertan golfers.  In 2013, floods seriously damaged the course and it has been shut down for the past 4 years with funding and rebuilding underway.  In a sneak peak event, I was able to get some of the first photos of the new course, as 27 holes will officially open to the public for the 2018 season.  You can click on any of the images throughout the post to get the full course gallery.

Image courtesy of Robert Trent Drones.

The dual green on the Mt Lorette 18.  You can see the 9th hole on the Mt Kidd 18 still under construction below the mountains.

The Mt Kidd 18 will open with 9 holes available in the beginning of 2018

The best part about the event at Kananaskis was the emotion demonstrated by the participants and the staff as they returned to their course after a 4 year hiatus.  I watched as head professional, Bob Paley, high fived and hugged a couple of familiar faces, afterwards he would turn to our group with a huge satisfied smile on his face... "See, this is the stuff that I miss the most, the people, the camaraderie... it's just the best."  Bob was immediately one of our favorite people we would meet on the trip.  The only downside was that smoke from nearby wildfires would cloud the view of the normally spectacular mountains.  

Next up was paddle boarding courtesy of Rebound Cycle, we would change that to golf paddle boarding as K Dawg would pull off a pretty sweet trick shot effort! 

Be sure to pump up the volume for @kenzie.oconnell and this paddleboard #trickshot @canrockiesgolf @reboundcycle #golfthatinspires 🏄‍♀️⛳️

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Sep 9, 2017 at 11:47am PDT

When traveling with a golf model, it is necessary to note that just about every location is a modeling location.  Here are some of those shots from early on in the action.  As a published Golf Digest model, I would push Kenzie to be the best model she could be, while providing her with the experience and modeling guidance that she needed.

Golf stairway modeling

Model off standings: PJKoenig: 1.  K Dawg: 0

Next up on the Canadian Rockies agenda was Silvertip Golf Club.  With 600 feet of elevation change, Silvertip offers some outstanding views of the Three Sisters and nearby mountain ranges.  Unfortunately, the normally amazing views would be partially clouded by smoke.

“As a professional, I’ve played all over the world and I find the Silvertip Golf Course to be one of the most spectacular I’ve ever played. Between Les Furber’s incredible layout and the scenery, it is easy to see why.”

— Stephen Ames - 4 time PGA Tour winner & Member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.

I would come out of the gates firing with birdies on the 1st 2 holes,  The flames would fizzle.

With several rounds under our belt, we were ready to put the pedal down on the EZ-GO and turn up the golf action.  With an early start on the Stewart Creek Golf Course, we would find our golf groove for a day of 36.  

Stewart creek is one of the more unique locations for a golf course as it is actually built on top of an old coal mining operation.  The shafts and tunnels run beneath the golf course and several of the mine entrances are still visible on the course.  We were told it was safe, but I took it easy on the divots to avoid plummeting through the fairway and into any abandoned mine shafts.  A big thanks to our host Greg for helping us avoid the pitfalls!

This coal mining shaft would cease operation in 1978.  

With several mine shafts and several models on the property, this was naturally the perfect time to start production on our 3 part series: "An Introduction to Male and Female Amateur Mine Shaft Modeling"  As you can clearly see in the video, I have increased my lead in the model off competition with a score of 2-0.

A quick "how to" guide for male and female amateur mine shaft models.

The stunning downhill 9th hole:  I would get nasty and make a 2!

From time to time, I would find a slight gap in the smoke coverage and get a shot of the mountains.  These views are commonplace on all of the courses we would play in the Rockies.

Next up on the tour of the Canadian Rockies was the highly anticipated Fairmont Springs Banff Golf Course.  We were in for a treat as veteran Golf Broadcaster, Luke Elvy, would join us for the round.  Luke is one of the best dudes you can play golf with and he was happy to lend advice, share stories, and even call the action as we golfed our balls.  He also has an Australian accent.

Exhausted from the mine shaft modeling, I would take the day off from the competition.  Surprisingly, K Dawg would still only manage a narrow victory..  Update; PJKoenig 2  K Dawg: 1

Professional Golf Broadcaster @lukeelvy13 has little patience for amateurs like myself. Listen in! For those man enough to wear the shirt, free shipping!! code: pjkoenig at @badbirdiegolf #stringbeany @canrockiesgolf #golfthatinspires @fairmontbanff #stringbeany #inthepiss

A post shared by Patrick Koenig (@pjkoenig) on Sep 11, 2017 at 8:20am PDT

Kenzie would nearly make an all world 2 on the "Devil's Cauldron"  Check out the video here.

Even with a heavy dose of smoke covering the mountains, the Stanley Thompson course was a highlight of the trip.  The course is strategic, scenic, challenging, and fun to play.

A shot from behind what was originally the 18th hole.  The routing has been changed due to clubhouse and capacity demands.  

For the final round of the trip we headed out to Canmore Golf & Curling Club.  In 1926, the original course was only 9 holes with sand greens and coffee cans for holes.  In the 1960's a curling rink would be added, and today, Canmore offers a full test of golf with stunning views of the surrounding mountain ranges.  Thanks to our host Darren Cooke for showing us around.

Even during a historically dry season, The short par 3 11th at Canmore Golf & Curling Club is still a stunner.

Local golfing stud, Jack Stoliker would come out of the gates hot and birdie the 1st two holes.

The view from above the 10th hole at Canmore.  

One of the most compelling parts about the Canadian Rockies is that there is a lot more than golf in the area.  Even though our trip was compromised mostly of golf, the opportunities for hiking, helicoptering, kayaking, shopping, and of course, modeling, are endless.

With only one day left in the model-off competition, I decided to give Kenzie a chance to even the score on the downtown streets of Banff.  Naturally, K-Dawg rose to the challenge and pulled off some sort of movie shopping montage.  It is important to note that the original score called for Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself.  However, Billy Idol did not return our requests for copyright approval.  With the score even at 2-2, a return trip is in order.

Sunday Fund-'eh' 🇨🇦 When girls just wanna have fun 😜 & by girls I mean (P) @pjkoenig @tara.kabatoff & I ❤️. . . . #dance #goofs #love #live #laugh #bestimes #banff #canada #travel #travellife #traveling #salt #salty #spinmoves #model #modeling #golf #golfer #canadianrockies #blessed #boom #k🍀 #KO #keeponkeepinon @tara.kabatoff @pjkoenig @banff_lakelouise @fairmontbanff @canrockiesgolf 🎥

A post shared by McKenzie O'Connell 🍀 (@kenzie.oconnell) on Sep 10, 2017 at 4:06pm PDT

Thanks for tuning in to watch these two heavyweights golf hard and model hard. #GolfHardModelHard

Sand Valley

On May 2nd 1999, Mike Keiser opened a little golf resort called Bandon Dunes.  It was located in a remote coastal area of Oregon that was hard to get to.  Most golf experts told Mike that he was crazy for building a course in such a remote location.  But golfers came in droves to play the highly regarded David Mclay Kidd layout.  Two years later, Pacific Dunes joined the original course and then came Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald, and finally Bandon Preserve.  It is easily one of the greatest golf success stories of this generation.

After adding Cabot Cliffs to his portfolio of courses in 2016, Mike Keiser decided to open another golf resort in a remote location.  This time it's in the middle of Wisconsin, it's a little easier to get to, and its called Sand Valley.  With preview play already open on the resort's second course, Mammoth Dunes, and a par 3 course in the works, the Bandon Dunes formula that worked so well is looking to repeat itself.

The view from "Craig's Porch"  which is named after Craig Haltom, the landowner who originally brought the land to Mike Keiser's attention.

The view of the clubhouse as you drive into the property.

Sand Valley Facts

• The course opened to the public on May 2nd 2017, exactly 18 years to the day after Bandon Dunes opened.
• Sand Valley is 4 hours from Chicago, 3 hours from Milwaukee, 2.5 hours from Whistling Straits, and 2.5 hours from Erin Hills
• I drained a 40 footer on #5 for birdie and fell over attempting an overly unnecessary fist pump.
• The course is designed for walkers only. 
• The brisket tacos at "Craig's Porch" for $1.50 will knock your socks off
• Ashley Mayo hit the opening tee shot at Sand Valley.  She found the fairway... she always finds the fairway.
• Sand Valley has 53 rooms with 107 beds on property
• The team of Coore & Crenshaw built Sand Valley and David McLay Kidd is the course architect for Mammoth Dunes.
• Because of the name's negative connotation, the name for the par 3 course, "Quicksand" is up for review.
• I disagree with the up for review thing.  Quicksand is an awesome name.

Even the parking lot at Sand Valley is filled with sand.  You can see the resort's par 3 course in the top left and the 1st tee and 18th green on Mammoth Dunes on the right.

Sand Valley was built on top of a sand bed left behind from a glacier.

The green on the par 5 4th hole

It's tough to make an uphill par 3 look this good.  Coore & Crenshaw  have figured things out at Sand Valley

During my visit to Sand Valley Resort, I was able to play 6 holes at Mammoth Dunes and I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the other 12 while they were under construction.  For those of us outside the world of golf course construction, It's a unique experience to view a course in it's various stages of development.  I much prefer them with grass.

The sand dune I am standing on here partially obstructs the view of the green from the tee on the par 3 16th.  Given my experience with golfer's and their reactions to blind shots, this one should spark some debate.

Basketball soon to be replaced by golf ball.  Kidd uses these basketballs to get an idea of how the green will break when finished.

Fresh seed at Mammoth Dunes is coming in nicely.

While creating Mammoth Dunes, Kidd and his team uncovered an old housing foundation.  Instead of removing it, they made a bunker out of it.  It's gnarly and awesome.

With Sand Valley Resort off and running, Wisconsin is quickly turning into one of America's go to destinations for amazing public golf.  With Whistling Straits, Blackwolf Run, Sentry World, and Erin Hills all a reasonable drive away from one another, the area is poised to see a dramatic spike in buddy trips and birdies.  I know I added a couple to the tally.

To get an idea of the courses you would like to visit, you can view all of my course photos from Wisconsin here.