North Ridge Country Club Senior Mens Golf Association Raleigh NC USA NRCC News And Mailings

Senior Mens Golf Association - North Ridge Country Club
Raleigh NC USA

Questions Off Of The Home Page

This is simply a "historical saving's place" for Questions Off Of The Home Page.

August, 2011
I had a vote come in for the best 18th hole of our Interclubs. The voter picked #18 at Brier Creek. A good choice! See, below, for more information. Reminder: If you DO vote, please include your eMail address and name on your input (that will NOT be published; it, just, lets me know you are not a "spammer"). Thanks!
1. What is your favorite (NRCC SGA) 18th Hole on the Interclub "Circuit"? - and: Why is that your favorite?
  Answer/comment so far:
  1. Votes so far are:
    Macgregor's 18th. Visually beautiful and allows for all handicappers to have a chance to contribute. I also could have chosen: Prestonwood Highlands #18, Brier Creek's #18, Bentwinds #18, Raleigh's #18 or, for that matter: North Ridge Oaks #18. We get to play a lot of great finishing holes! ds
    Brier Creek's 18th (No reason given) anonymous
If you wish to vote, please go to: Vote for Interclub's Favorite/Best 18th Hole
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
May, 2011
1. What is your favorite (NRCC SGA) Interclub site - and: Why is that your favorite?
  Answer/comment so far:
  1. The first "votes" are in. One vote, each for:
    Croasdaile (No reason given) kr
    Hope Valley No reason given) je
    Treyburn (No reason given) bo
    I was surprised that the lunch, apparently, does not enter the equation!
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
March, 2011
1. What is the BEST "thing" about North Ridge Country Club for you - as a member.
  Answer/comment so far:
  1. No question, for me: The fact that the club allows walking (golf players) anytime and does not restrict tee times for me to play with my spouse. This makes North Ridge special in today's day-and-age.
  (If, after you come up with the BEST comment, above, you want to mention what item(s) you are concerned about as a North Ridge Country Club and/or SGA member - OK - do so. Remember, any comments-back are kept absolutely anonymous).
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
February, 2011
1. Why, if an SGA member is in Raleigh, has time to play a golf game in the morning - and is GOING TO PLAY on a Tuesday morning - would a player NOT play with the SGA Tuesday group?
  Answer/comment so far:
  1. I don't want to play a four+ hour round of golf.
  2. I want to play with players that I know; I have a regular foursome/group.
  3. I want to know ahead of time with whom I am playing.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
October, 2010
1. What is the best GOLF hole at North Ridge CC? It need not be your favorite... Just, in your view: The best.
  Let's try to come up with the best GOLF hole at North Ridge. Just one choice. Make it! I am curious which one will get the most votes.
  Answer/comment so far: I am surprised - but, I settled on the par-3 Oaks #13. I would have bet that, as I went through the golf holes, that I would pick a hole from the list of: Oaks 11, Oaks 18, Lakes 12, Lakes 13, or Lakes 14.... however, as I weighed the factors including: Playability from every tee, positon of the hole on the course (in match play, Oaks #13 can be a big match-deciding factor due to its handicap number if nothing else) and visual attractiveness -- I settled on Oaks #13 as the best GOLF hole at NRCC.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org

September, 2010

Naming of Golf Holes

Do you have any comment about naming of golf holes? Some courses have done so - and when playing such a course I sometimes wonder "What criteria was used in coming up with a golf hole name - and, who decides what the name should be"?

Is another part of this matter: Does a golf course "deserve" to have a "right" to name its holes? Is the course worthy of doing that? Or, for that matter: Is there any purpose of having names for a golf hole?

Well, to me, it is purely a matter of "fun".

So, now that North Ridge Country Club is more than 40-years old... perhaps, if age is deemed part of any golf-hole-naming criteria, what are some names of golf holes at North Ridge you might recommend?

Answer/comment so far:
In 1997 I came up with the following names. Perhaps these names can get such a discussion started?

From Dean DeMasi: Oaks #13 could be called "Desperation". Thank you, Dean! A nice idea.

Note: Clicking on the hole name will present you with a Web page for voting, for that particular golf hole.
Use your Web browser's "Back" button to return to here.
Hole Number Oaks
Hole Name Lakes
Hole Name
1 Oak Range
2 Straight Power Line
3 Chute Silvery Willows
4 Long Left Creek
5 Gully Trap
6 Left Geese
7 Don't Go Right Up the Hill
8 Creek and Pond White House
9 Watery Grave Halfway
10 Left Hill Windy
11 Long and Straight Illusion
12 Tree Gone Gene Hamm
13 Desperation Lake
14 Tough Birdie Perfection
15 Dogwood Peninsula
16 Take Four Big Bertha
17 Fran Second Chance
18 Left to Home Straight Home

If you have any recommendations for golf hole names at North Ridge CC: Thank you, in advance for a comeback.

Reminder: This is for our interest only - this QandA is not formally connected to the official North Ridge CC functions or to their Website.

If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org

early-August, 2010
1. Great Shot!
  When you read the above - What shot (if any...) came to your mind? The shot may be yours or anyone else's. Just, what is the "most memorable" shot that comes to your mind when you hear the words "Great Shot!"?
  Answer/comment so far:
  Answer #1: I think of a playing-partner's RECOVERY shot.
  Answer #2: I think of a playing-partner's APPROACH shot.
  Note from the Webmaster: I was surprised that the first two responses talked about the type of shot and, not, a particular memorable shot. Interesting. I would have thought players would bring up certain "great shots" they have witnessed.
  Perhaps we, simply, cannot remember "great shots" - as they are so rare - however, we know that particular types of shots often result in the comment: "Great shot!".
  Let me know if you have a memory of a particular "great shot".
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
end-July, 2010
1. Who is the most "accomplished" player that you have ever seen play "live" (not on TV or in a movie or something) - and, do you have a favorite story (true or imagined/exaggerated) that involves that player? The player need not be a professional - and, you can use an "alias" to keep the player anonymous if you wish to.
  Answer/comment so far: The greatest player I've seen in person? I would say Nicklaus.... However, to be different - I'll take Jim Archer, because he beat me at Hazeltine National in the MN State Amateur match play 10 and 8. That means he won every hole!!! By the way, he went on to win every match and the MN State Amateur championship. Memorable story about Archer? He drove it so far on every hole, that none of the bunkers or other problems came into play. Hazeltine had severe doglegs at the time, most of which have since been "straightened" somewhat. However, on the tenth hole, Archer aimed left out over the trees and lake, and drove it on the fringe of the green -- two putted to win the hole and end our match. JB, July 2010
  A Second Answer/comment: I would say Ben Hogan. I was lucky enough to see him play one time. I would like to say that I remember his swing/etc. - but, I was not accomplished enough as a golfer to know the nuances of a golf swing. I did know, however, that he was over 50 years old and he was TERRIFIC. Now, of course, a LOT of Seniors are great players. Ben Hogan, though, was special to watch - even for a novice player such as me. My favorite Ben Hogan story (even if it was not exactly true... I am sure it has been modified as a story over the years) was when he was playing with someone at Augusta and the playing partner had a hole in one. Ben never said a word about that - but, after Ben had a birdie he turned to the player as they walked to the next tee (the player reportedly said to himself: "Finally, I will get Ben Hogan to acknowledge me") and Ben said: "It has been a long time since I birdied that hole" (or something to that effect). Apparently Ben had been so concentrated on his own game that he had not noticed the hole in one by the playing partner. I am sure, now, Ben says: "Great Shot"!
2. Who is the most "relaxed" player that you have ever seen play "live" (not on TV or in a movie or something) - and, do you have a favorite story (true or imagined/exaggerated) that involves that player? The player need not be a professional - and, you can use an "alias" to keep the player anonymous if you wish to.
  Answer/comment so far: For me: Julius Boros, without a doubt. The first time I saw him (if I remember correctly!) was at the US Open that was won by Ken Venturi at Congressional. I followed Julius Boros in the practice round and some in the championship. He was amazing to watch: Fluid, calm, near-perfect in my opinion - except for his smoking... but, most players smoked in that time period.
  One time, I saw him swing - and, the shaft broke during his backswing. Did it bother him? Not as I could tell. He stepped back, asked for another club - and stroked the ball perfectly onto the green.
  If you have never heard of Julius Boros - just "Google" his name and read some of the articles.
  Another response: Most relaxed? Again I'll say Julius Boros, and certainly the broken shaft moment was a classic ....... but, I'll take his finishing hole of the US Open to win the 18-hole playoff against Arnold Palmer and Jackie Cupit. Boros never took a practice swing that I saw, and on the finishing hole, a long par 4, he came up about fifteen feet short of the green on his second shot. Most players would have walked up on the green and pretended to learn a lot in lining up the chip from every angle. Boros took the club from his caddie -- and because he lined up the chip during the last few paces on the fairway -- he hardly broke stride as he chipped it up to about 5 feet. Then when it was his turn to putt, he didn't bend down to line up the putt -- he never did -- and walked up from behind, looking over the line as he walked, and without a practice stroke, he tapped in a knee-knocker to win the US Open. JB, July 2010
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
mid-July, 2010
1. If you have played St. Andrews - or, watched a golf tournament being held there, you may have heard stories of "why there are 18 holes on most golf courses". What was one such story?
  In the "old days" (1400s -to-1700s or so...) play started on the Old Course and golf holes evolved as time went on. Eventually, the room for new holes ran out (running into the water of the Eden Estuary). At the beginning, the players would often be picked up (after play was completed) by horse-drawn wagons. At that time there were nine holes completed. "One day" a player said: Let's just play in, playing the same greens, just have the hole in a separate location. I would love to know that person!
  That's why many of the greens at the Old Course are "double greens". Eighteen holes ended up being a played-round at the Old Course and later-developed - or, developing courses of the same time - just settled on 18 holes as a "standard".
2. You asked about a favorite St. Andrews' golf story: One time, in 1978, I was staying at the then-owned-by-British-TT Old Course hotel. It was much smaller in size than it is now - but, very special overlooking the 17th hole, etc. of the Old Course. It was just after sunset and I was dozing - and down the fairway from the R&A leading / coming-onto the 17th green area were four musicians including drummer and bagpipe player. What a nice wakeup from my nap! Mystical.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
late-June, 2010
1. Between two individual players or two teams, which is the "fairest" test of golf: Low-net winner over 18 holes or match play using net-handicap per hole? Or, do you think they are equal tests?
  And, next: Which is the more enjoyable of the two (above-mentioned) formats for YOU?
  Answer so far: As a poor short-distance putter, I would vote for low-net over 18 holes as being fairest (this limits short putts as part of the equation). However, certainly, low-net by hole is more traditional in match play.
  With the above said, though: I love / enjoy the traditional hole-by-hole match play and would do that any day. Low-net winner over 18-holes is, for me, not very exciting.
  Of course: The "net" aspect only works if players have a "valid" handicap resulting from registering their scores after play of each round.
  Lastly: It does not make any difference what tee my opponent plays from. Handicaps work, together with the USGA recommended stroke adjustment if the tees are mixed for the match, in my experience. As long as the opponent has registered his / her scores over the past year or so: The match will be fun. Guaranteed.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
June, 2010
1. How many doglegs are at Pebble Beach CC (where the USGA Open will be in mid-June 2010)?
  Answer so far (probably, could be modified depending upon the player): For the Augusta question in April, we settled on nine. For this month's question about Pebble Beach, we also ended up with nine doglegs (Pebble Beach #1, #3, #6, #8, #9, #12, #14, #16, #18). Question-marks include #2 and #10. I have played Pebble a few times (in 1972 and, later in 1974) - but, I cannot say the doglegs would be the same today as then! And... my memory is not as it should be.
2. If you have ever played Pebble Beach - or, otherwise paid attention to the holes - did you find one particular hole "special" - and, if so: Why was it special!?
  Answer so far: Well.... certainly, the holes starting at the par-5 6th and ending with the par-4 9th are, in my mind, the most memorable. I still remember the first time I stood on the 8th "cliff" and wondered how I would play it after the 1972 Open was completed. How did I play it? Stayed left and I don't remember if I had a double bogie or what. I did not care! The four holes starting with #6 are all terrific.
  Pebble Beach #8 - 1972
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
mid-May, 2010
1. If you can remember.... What was/were your most/more enjoyable and memorable after-golf lunch or dinner experience(s) - and, where were did this/they occur ... or, are they still occurring! (and any other particulars that you are willing to share with us)?
  Answer #1 (So far, the only response...):
  Although I do enjoy the North Ridge Tuna Fish sandwich following a shower/cool down after a round of golf at North Ridge: I have to say that three places in Scotland share the top spot for me: a) The Visitor Clubhouse at St. Andrews' main course area overlooking the Old Course, New Course and Jubilee Course - with their cheese platter and a glass of wine. b) The new clubhouse at the Castle Course in St. Andrews overlooking the 9th-and-18th greens and St. Andrews Bay - with first Fish and Chips followed by their terrific sticky toffee pudding. c) Fish and Chips at ANY other Scotland clubhouse after a round. Especially: Cruden Bay, Dornoch, North Berwick West Course, ...
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org
End-March to mid-May, 2010
1. How many dogleg holes are on the Oaks - and, then: How many dogleg holes are on the Lakes? (Depending upon your definition of a "true" dogleg...) -
  and: What holes ARE they?
  Answer: Oaks has eleven doglegs (Oaks #4, #5, #6, #7, #9, #10, #12, #14, #16, #17, #18)
  Lakes has six doglegs (Lakes #1, #5, #7, #8, #10, #15)
2. When did they plant the bushes (I assume they are azaleas...) behind the Lakes 14th green?
  Answer: Nobody knows!
3. Now that we have settled the above: How many doglegs are at Augusta National Golf Club as the course is set up for the 2010 Masters?
  Answer so far (probably, could be modified depending upon the player): nine doglegs (Augusta National #1, #2, #5, #8, #9, #10, #11, #13, #18). Question-marks include #10 and #11. I guess that the odds of my ever really knowing the answer from a personal-play point of view are (near) zero.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org

Middle April, 2010

What is the best GOLF Hole at Raleigh CC? I emphasize "golf" to imply the game of golf... not necessarily the toughest/most-scenic, although if you want to use those factors in your justification: Fine.

Answer: 13th Hole - Par 4, 375 Yds Senior Tee; 419 Yds Back Tee

I had only one other comeback regarding this question: That person voted for the long/difficult 18th hole. I could have selected a number of holes from Raleigh CC as "best" and justified that selection. However, I stick with the 13th.
What makes it great? It is a wonderful/challenging driving hole from any tee. After that, the false-fronted green sits up well to accept a well-struck shot; yet. the green is well protected by bunkers and long is "jail". The green, once you reach it, is fair. A relatively high handicap (Men's Hcp 14) makes it a challenging net birdie. A terrific golf hole on a terrific golf course.

If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org

What is the best golf book that you have read in the last couple of years - or, for that matter (if you can remember...) - ever read? The book may be of any topic (fiction, instruction, history, architecture, biography, travel, etc.). If you answer, please give a comment-or-two about the book and what you especially liked. Thanks.
Answer so far (This may change, depending upon comebacks): "Dream On" by John Richardson. This book became available in USA in April, 2010 after being quite-well-received in Europe over the past year or so. The book is a summary of the attempt of a 37-year-old male golfer who has on-and-off hoped for an even par round. Not a "scratch" handicap - just, one par round. The book chronicles his attempt to do so within one year; starting with a "what am I shooting now?" round of over 100. The book is very honestly-written and I appreciated his writing style - and, the personal-points made as the year progressed. Reading it was worth reading! For me, that is sufficient recommendation as a "book review". In my opinion, "Dream On" would be enjoyed by any golfer - and, any golf teaching professional. I am chalking the book "Dream On" as the best golf book that I have EVER read..... not that I have read a lot.... although I rank "Blasted Heaths and Blessed Greens" by James W. Finegan as the best golf-travel-in-Scotland book of all time. If you are traveling to Scotland, although Finegan's book was written in 1996, it is very worthwhile.
I am sure you may have a different opinion on books; if so, give me a comeback at your convenience.
..........
From Mike: I have read many �how to improve� golf books. I usually like the one best that I have read last! That is, until I realized that my improvement lasts about two weeks�. Then, I was back searching for the next miracle answer to my problem. So, I have never found a golf-improvement book that is one of my favorites.
However, in the �The Spirit of St. Andrews� by Alister MacKenzie, published in 1995 I find my all-time favorite golf book. MacKenzie shares his insight to the game as a whole. He talks about how far we have come � and, how this has not always been for the better (for the game of golf). He reminds us that there is nothing better than an early walk on the golf course and playing the game. Perhaps the book will inspire the reader to look to the past and, for example: Leave the golf cart at home for a round or two.
If you have any answers/comments:
send mail to: Webmaster@NRCCSeniorMensGolf.org

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Senior Mens Golf Association - North Ridge Country Club Raleigh NC USA

Questions Off Of The Home Page

Senior Mens Golf Association - North Ridge Country Club
Raleigh NC USA