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 to 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 my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as 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.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

“Thirty-five years ago when George Bush famously called for a “kinder, gentler nation” at the 1988 Republican Convention, he was referring to the overall state of American society, but he could just as well have been talking about golf courses.

“Back then, several factors had converged to spawn a parade of decidedly unkind and ungentle places to play.”

So began a column by one of my favorite golf writers, George Pepper, who serves as editor-at-large of Links Magazine.

He has a wealth of experience writing about, as well as playing, golf.  A couple years ago, he reported that he had played his 750^th course, an incredible feat…which, by the way, prompted me and a couple friends to compile our own lists.  I got to about 225, a few less than my friends.  But, it was fun to review my life in golf.

For a couple years, after retiring as editor of Golf Magazine, Pepper, his wife, and his dog moved to St. Andrews in Scotland in a home adjacent to the 18^th hole at the Old Course.  He played there often, writing about it very well in a book called “Two Years at St. Andrews:  At Home on the 18^th Hole.”

I loved reading the book and imagining being there, rain or shine, hard by the North Sea.

Now, in the most recent issue of Links Magazine, Pepper wrote about a current trend in golf architecture to design courses that are fun to play, not difficult to play.

The most difficult ones often were designed by the late architect, Pete Dye, who was known to say, “Golf isn’t fair, so why should a golf course be.”

When I hear about tough courses, my mind often goes to Tetherow in Bend, a course designed by acclaimed architect, David McClay Kidd, who emigrated to Bend from his home in Scotland.  Soon, after designing Tetherow, he realized he had made it too difficult for the average golfer.  Many played it once, but declined to return.  It was very tough.  So, on a couple occasions, Kidd softened it up a bit.

Borrowing ideas from another golf writer, Ran Morrissett, Pepper provided this list of architectural principals for better, more fun golf:

• A course that provides engaging puzzles to solve beats one that does not.

• A course where the ball is encouraged to run beats one where it is not.

• A course where you may carry your bag at any time beats one where you may not.

• A course where you can play quickly while walking beats one where you cannot.

• A course you can enjoy at any age beats one you cannot.

• A course with understated maintenance practices beats one with conspicuous greenkeeping.

• A club that emphasizes the simple game of golf beats one which pursues the trappings of status.

• A course you want to play again and again beats one you only wish to play annually.

So, as Pepper wrote:  “Elation beats frustration, inviting beats intimidation, natural beats manicured, modesty beats pretension, wide beats long, walking beats riding, a ground attack beats artillery practice, and a resourceful recovery shot beats ball hunting.”

I couldn’t agree more. 

However, perhaps, at my advanced age, I would give a nod to riding, not always walking. The moral here is to have fun playing golf and, as Pepper does, salute architects who follow the script.