PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. 

As a golfer, if you think about what might be the hardest tee times in golf, Augusta National Golf Course, the annual site of the Masters’ Golf Tournament, could come to mind.

Or, you might think of Pebble Beach in California where, if you could get a time, the green fees would be in the range of $500, enough for many golfers to say they’d rather watch TV golf at Pebble than to pay the high fee.

Well, from my perch here in the California desert, one of the toughest tee times is at The Palms where I play my winter golf.

A tough tee time, you might ask, when I play at The Palms all the time. There is a catch.

The Palms does not schedule tee times. Those who play – members like me, as well as guests – don’t get tee times. The pros at the course work you in off the first tee when you show up at the course.

It’s part of what the course calls, without much modesty, the place where “golf purists play.”

Pure golf, as defined at The Palms, says there are not tee times and that you play your 18-hole round in less than three hours and 50 minutes. That’s usually tough to do in the desert where golf rounds at resort courses often stretch to about five hours.

But do these “pure” expectations give The Palms a feel as only place for the elite? No.

It’s easy, without tee times, to play and I have found the membership, to a person, to be friendly and welcoming.

All of this about tough tee times came to mind this morning as I read a story in my on-line edition of Links Magazine, which appeared under this headline:

5 OF THE HARDEST TEE TIMES IN GOLF

The writer, Graylin Loomis, started his piece with these two paragraphs:

“Some of the most exclusive courses in the world are also the most famous. Think Augusta National, Cypress Point, Shinnecock Hills, and others. Thanks to ‘best lists’ and hosting major championships, those courses are well known even if extremely difficult to get on.

“But then there’s another level of exclusive courses—those so restrictive you likely don’t even know they exist. They may be on private estates or open only to the owner’s family and friends. Or they have deliberately small memberships and no plans to open the doors.”

Loomis cited five such clubs.

Ardfin:  The rocky terrain and expanses of peat bogs of Scotland’s inner Hebridean islands make them perfect for whisky but a tough place for a golf course. That didn’t deter Australian hedge fund manager Greg Coffey, who purchased 12,000 acres on the isle of Jura and had Bob Harrison build a course along the picturesque coastline. Since its completion in 2018, rumors have flown regarding outside access and whether Coffey will ever bring on members. For now, he seems happy to have the place to himself, tough news indeed since by all accounts Harrison built a stellar course on a very difficult and beautiful site.

Cherokee Plantation:  Cherokee Plantation, located in Yemassee, S.C., dates back to the late 1600s when it was established via royal grant. In the late 1990s the property was purchased by British entrepreneur Peter de Savary and he established a private club on the site. The club was initially limited to 50 shareholders, but word is there are only around two dozen members and no plans to grow. The first U.S. design by Brit Donald Steel, it has no out-of-bounds, but live oaks and Lowcountry wetlands border many of the holes. The very few members also can enjoy hunting, fishing, hiking, and other activities befitting a Southern-style estate.

Congaree Golf Club:  Our business is to know when new courses are being built, so it was a shock when a course opened near LINKS HQ that few in the industry knew of. When I visited the Ridgeland, S.C., property, I asked the director of golf how they’d kept it under wraps: “We worked very hard to keep it that way.” Billionaires Dan Friedkin and the late Bob McNair hired Tom Fazio to build a links-y sand-based course on a 2,000-acre southern plantation. Instead of members the club has “ambassadors,” all of whom are powerful figures that support the philanthropic efforts of Congaree (centering around young people and education).

Ellerston Golf Club:  A photographer I know visited Ellerston and was asked prior to teeing off to sign a non-disclosure agreement, agreeing not to take any photos or share any details from the day. It’s that private. Located on the estate of the late Australian media mogul Kerry Packer north of Sydney, the course was designed by Greg Norman and Bob Harrison. The designers were able to build anywhere on the 70,000-acre site and they chose an undulating area with a fast-moving stream that’s incorporated into many of the holes. Very difficult, it’s often ranked among the top 10 in Australia.

Golf de Morfontaine:  Should Morfontaine be on this list? Located in northern France, the club has a membership numbering in the hundreds (although when it opened in 1913 it was the private playground of the 12th duc de Gramont). Yet it’s still one of the hardest tee times in the world, particularly for Americans, who don’t often mingle with France’s golf illuminati. Also, Morfontaine is the highest ranked course on this list, often appearing among the world’s top 100. If you’re one of the lucky souls who gets to visit, you’ll find a charming heathland course, Grand Parcours, designed by Tom Simpson and renovated recently by Kyle Phillips. There’s also a Simpson-designed nine, the Valieres, that many visitors say is the most enjoyable nine of the day.

For my part, I’d like to find a way to play all of those hard-to-get-a-tee-time courses, though, frankly, I have not heard of them until this Links Magazine article – which may be exactly like the courses want it.

Probably won’t get to travel far and wide to these courses, but still find it fun to contemplate doing so.

I’ll just have to settle – very willingly, I add – to play The Palms here in La Quinta, as well as my home track in Salem, Oregon, Illahe Hills Golf and Country Club.   At the latter, there are tee times.

Great venues, both.