The Homeless Guide to the Northern Trust Open- Redux...

Ok. Well, it’s been two years now since I last blogged about the Northern Trust Open (NTO). So, while I sit here staring out my living room window at snow of all things in Charlotte, NC (I travel a lot for work for months at a time) kicking myself for not catching a flight back to LA this weekend I thought I’d update my blog with a revisit to all things NTO.

All right. Where to start? Well, for starters, the weather is going to be beautiful all 4 days of the tournament for the 1^st time in years. This means crowds. Crowds mean traffic. If the temperature reaches 75° tomorrow in the Valley, the rest of the Inland Empire is going to deposit itself at the beach meaning the 10 Freeway is going to be clogged. If the 10 is clogged, that means the 405 is going to be worse… AVOID THE FREEWAYS AT ALL COSTS!!!!!

Getting there (revised):

Use the same directions as I stated last time. I don’t think they have closed off any of the back routes so they should still be ok. There is a spectator shuttle running from the VA Hospital, located in Westwood at the intersection of Wilshire and the 405. It is really the only place to park, so it makes it easy. Get there early. When you leave from the VA and if you have to head South, try taking Barrington, Sepulveda, or Westwood Blvd. Though they are surface streets, they should flow a whole lot better and you can hop on the 405 heading South once you clear the intersection with the 10, which is always a major problem.

If you are leaving from Riviera, you are going to get dumped on Sunset (sorry). If you need to head North, then hang a right on Sunset and take it to the 405. If you are heading South… well, take a right on Allenford, which turns into 26^th St in Santa Monica. Stay on 26^th until you hit Olympic. Then turn right on Olympic, and take another right on Bundy. Bundy will turn into Centinela, which will intersect the 405 at the Howard Hughes Village. The mess that is the 405 should be cleared up by then. If not, then it will be a mess pretty much to San Diego….

If you are heading to Santa Monica or points on the Westside/South Bay, there are two basic ways- Left on Sunset to Chautauqua Blvd to West Channel/PCH and on down. Or, hang a right on Sunset (and right on Allenford) to 26^th St. I’d usually take 26^th to Wilshire and stop off at Sonny McLean’s for a beer or three and chat with my friend Chef Joe or Steve who should be behind the bar. But, if you have to get somewhere, take a right from 26^th on San Vincente Blvd and take it to Ocean Ave. Hang a left on Ocean and you can take it all the way to the Venice Beach Pier in Marina Del Ray. If you need to get to the South Bay, I’d recommend taking a left on Brooks, which turns into Abbott Kinney and taking it to Washington. A left on Washington give you a short trip to Lincoln which once you turn right, the mind numbing backup that is Lincoln should be over. Then you can take a right on Jefferson to Playa Del Ray and head over to Manhattan Beach the back way…

Once You Are There:

There are some nice “upscale” (it is LA after all) options for tickets including the Clubhouse (over rated), which doesn’t get you any decent food options, but you get to act like you are a member for a day, the Palisades Club on the 10^th hole this year, which for $65 it gives you the privilege to purchase $12 beers and $10 burgers. At least you will get a complimentary parings sheet.  If you really want to roll, you can put down $250 (per day) for the United Fairway Club, which is on the 17^th fairway. I’m not sure if they will charge you a baggage fee if you bring an oversized purse, murse, or backpack into the club, but you do get free food and drinks, which might or might not be leftover airline food…

The spots to stake out are the Par 4 10^th hole which will probably be set up as a high risk/reward driving hole, and the hill overlooking the 18^th green. There are some decent viewing sites at other holes, but those are the best two.

Where to eat:

Ok, since I last wrote about this, the dining landscape has shifted drastically. In fact, the 1^st two restaurants listed are no longer. Which sucks because I really liked them a lot. But, life goes on and here is a list in addition to the ones listed before:

The Misfit- This used to be Anisette Brasserie. Same bar, same fixtures, but more upscale drink offerings. Eh.

Thai Dishes- This is a Santa Monica staple with multiple locations. The newest location is next to where the Yard used to be on Broadway between Ocean and 2^nd St. Food price is very reasonable for Santa Monica and the kitchen is open later than most.

Wokano- 5^th and Santa Monica Blvd. Another Asian restaurant this one is a block from my Apt. It has a really cool outdoor area on its 2^nd floor. I once saw Tara Reid having dinner here with a Kardashian (don’t know which one nor do I care). Yeah, the surgeries are much worse in real life…

Santa Monica Place- Ok. They finally completed the Mall. A year and a half ago. It is an open air mall in the vein of The Grove. There is a 3^rd floor “food deck” with a food court and some higher end restaurants: A pizza place, a wine bar, and a Mexican restaurant. They are all decent, if overpriced. There is also a “Market Place” where there are some specialty food vendors. The best thing to be about the food deck are the lounge style seating options which give you a view of the ocean.

NY&C Pizza- 11^th and Wilshire. This is a new(er) offering by the same friends of mine who run South Santa Monica. From the name, you can get NY style big slices or Chicago style deep dish. No frills, standard beer selection.

Jiraffe- I can’t believe I omitted this place last time. Located at the corner of 5^th and Santa Monica, this is my favorite upscale restaurant in LA. Yes, it is pricy. Yes, it is small. Yes, you should call ahead for a reservation. The Pork Chops are worth it.

Bay Cities- Again, another glaring omission. Located on Lincoln between Broadway and Colorado this is mostly a lunch staple. The Godmother is one helluva sandwich. It is best to have a clue on what you want to order ahead of time as the regulars will be angry if you take your time. Don’t park at the VONS, because they will tow you.

Swingers- Right next to Bay Cities at Lincoln and Broadway this is a totally ‘LA’ diner. Open 24 hours, you will never know who or what you will see there. In B-school, I ate breakfast here every morning during finals week. Good, cheap, and great milkshakes. Or jack and cokes if you desire.

Gjelina- This is down in Venice on Abbot Kinney Blvd. It is one of those trendy totally ‘LA’ kind of places. That being said, I do like it. Its going to be packed, but what isn’t on Abbot Kinney.

Main Street Sunday Farmers’ Market- If you want a great and cheap meal before Sunday’s final round, go here. Numerous restaurants and food vendors set up shop and offer everything from omelets to Steak Frites. This is usually the 1^st stop on my weekly Sunday am long walks.

Where to Drink:

Well, since all of the above mentioned places offer adult beverages I’ll keep this to newer places where you should drink only.

The Other Room- You may have heard of ‘The Room’ in NYC. Well, this is the “other” Room. It is my favorite bar in Venice. It is on Abbot Kinney at the Western end, or “the beginning” of the strip. Great craft beer selection, equally as good craft wine selection too.

Library Ale House- My favorite choice among the numerous offerings along Main Street Santa Monica.  Excellent craft beer selection, some wines, and a cool California Craftsmen décor.

Basement Tavern- This is the newest en vogue place to go in Santa Monica. Located right on Main Street in ‘The Victorian’ which is a historical Victorian (duh) home that has been renovated to an event (read: weddings) space they have now opened it to the public on weekend nights. Has a cool outdoor space a crowded main level bar, and a cramped basement (I mean it is a basement) bar. Nothing really special in terms of beverage offerings, but it is cool.

Hinano’s- This Venice staple is on Westchester on the Pier Block. It is a total dive bar, that you will recognize from its appearance in numerous movies, commercials, and TV shows. I would recommend drinking beer from the bottle here.

Nikki’s- This is a stylish place on Market street in Venice a block off the beach. Expect to see beautiful people who dress like they know it.

Well, I guess this is enough for now. I’d offer up a “Where to Stay Section”, but it is kinda late in the game for that. Maybe next year….

My Favorite 9's.....

A recent question proposed on twitter by Golf Digest Associate Editor (isn’t everyone some kind of Editor at a magazine?) Ashley Mayo asked whether people would rather play only 9 holes vs 18 holes. As someone who has probably played about half of his golf in 9 hole chunks, the answer for me was “of course”. Now, besides the benefit of sneaking off the back on a crowded weekend, or playing the better “half” of a course (yes, there are plenty of courses where the two 9’s are radically different), there is also the benefit of time- being able to go later in the day when it isn’t as hot or crowded, or just being able to do other things rather than spend 5-6 hours out at a crowded course. But, I got to thinking, what about 9-hole courses? They obviously don’t get as much love as their big 18 hole (or more) brethren but, as someone who has played my fair share of 9 holers, why not give a sampling of my favorite 9-hole courses? Not my favorite 9 from an 18 hole course, or favorite 9 from a 27 or more hole complex, these courses are solo 9’s. As it should be. This isn’t the complete list, just the ones I think are unique and worth playing if you have a chance. So, here we go…

1.        Golf Club Klosters- Klosters, Switzerland (http://www.golf-klosters.ch/)

This is a fun little course located in the Grabunden area of Switzerland in the South Eastern quarter a couple miles (ok, kilometers) from the Austrian Border. Just about a 20min ride from better known ski resort (and economic conference host) neighbor Davos. This is a hilly course, as evidenced by the presence of golf carts… yes, they are a very rare sight in Europe. Walking is a bit of a workout, but still fun. The views are panoramic as you are surrounded on all sides by the Alps including the peaks Piz Buin and Piz Linard. Lots of elevation changes from tee to green (duh) and if you are it bit offline with your shots, plenty of extreme side hill and uneven lies. It isn’t as manicured as some, but for 60CHF midweek (yes, that’s a steal in the most expensive country on earth) it’s as good as it gets.  

2.       Golf Club Schinznach Bad- Schinznach-Bad, Switzerland

Ok, the 12 year old in me smirks every time I say the name of this club. In addition to its name (and its really cool logo), this course is a fun one to play. Located about 30min outside of Zurich, it is also pretty easy to get to with a car. If, you are like me and rely on taking public transportation, it is still pretty painless, though it takes twice as long. With three, yes, three (3) par-5’s, this course is definitely not an executive length or a pitch-n-putt. It is a legit course with undulating greens which gives this relatively flat course some teeth if you aren’t careful. The fees ranging from 60CHF to 80CHF for 9-holes aren’t too bad either.

3.       Haines Point (White)- Washington, DC (USA) (www.golfdc.com))

Now that the European portion of this list is done with, let’s bring things back to the US of A, and start with the Nation’s Capital. As part of a National Park on an island, formed from the excavation for the Pentagon across the river, there are 3 courses (bet you can’t guess what they’re named….. Red, White, Blue) that take up most of the real estate. The Red and White are stand alone 9 hole courses, where as the championship length Blue is an 18. The White course is really where I learned how to play golf, as when I was a young pup starting to take up the game after college, some 10 years ago (wait, did I just age myself?), getting out for a round late on a Sunday afternoon on this hardscrabble little course was the best way to learn. It isn’t appreciably long (about 2500 yards to a par of 34), in fact after a few months, I exclusively used irons when playing there in order to improve my ball striking with my longer irons. I can still remember my normal club selection for tee shots: 9-3-4-4-5-PW-2-4-2. Last time I played there this past summer, I was surprised as the level of conditioning improvements. It is actually a decent course now. They also took away many of the excess areas in-between fairways (meaning you could play from anywhere) by not mowing them and letting them become “natural areas”. They took out the toughest Par-4 and made it a Par-3, but besides that, it’s a fun little test. And the views of the Capital Dome and Washington Monument aren’t bad either….

4.       The Links at Terranea, Palos Verdes, CA (http://www.terranea.com/california-golf-resorts.php)

(Sidebar) When I lived in LA (going to B-school), I got to play many cool courses, thanks to year around golf. This one opened the spring semester of my 2^nd year. In fact I got to play it for the 1^st time on its 2^nd day of operation. Pretty Cool.

Located just down the Palos Verdes Peninsula from Trump National, LA the Terranea Resort is positioned at the edge of the Pacific Ocean overlooking Santa Catalina and the other Channel Islands. The links are a straight up par 27 with the best conditioning I have ever seen on a 9 hole course. The greens are undulating and slick, and the wind off the ocean is ever present, and the rough is thick and narly. If you were looking for the perfect test before trying the monster that is Trump Nat’l, a couple of Par-5’s away, this is it. While it does have some drastic elevation change, it is an enjoyable walk and at $40-$48 for a round, it isn’t too bad on your wallet for the quality of the course either.  If I was a serious player in SoCal who needs to work on their mid-short irons and short game, I’d be playing this course religiously.

5.       Penmar Golf Course, Venice, CA (http://www.golf.lacity.org/cdp_penmar.htm)

This nice little course located on the Santa Monica/Venice border was the closest course to my apt in Santa Monica. It wasn’t (or isn’t) the best maintained course, though for a muni, it is excellent. The fairways are relatively straight and open (except for #2, I still have never hit a good tee shot there) and there are some driver holes (#’s 6 and 7 come to mind). Depending on the prevailing wind coming off of the beach, the holes going into the wind can be very tough. There is always a diverse crowd- from the guy with the Mercedes SLS AMG parked in the lot to the retired screen writer who looks like Bill Murray at Pebble (that was a disgrace BTW, I mean in the hunt Sunday at Pebble and you looked like that?!). Never really too crowded and a nice place to get a quick round in.

6.       Catalina Island Golf Course, Avalon, CA (http://www.scico.com/avalon/acti_golf.php)

Just like the Jazz Standard proclaims, this course is located in Avalon, by the bay (and no, it’s not talking about Avalon, NJ either). Noted as the oldest course in operation West of the Mississippi (opened 1892) this 9 hole course is a hidden gem to most of the LA populace, located, yes, on an island. I originally went to play this course because of the “cool” factor playing a hidden away course on an island in plain view, kind of how Fishers Island is to where I grew up. That, and well, I could at least get a tee time on Catalina… You definitely need to hit it straight as it is narrow and undulating, with small quick greens. If you don’t mind playing with seniors (and older couples) it can be an enjoyable day trip getaway. I’d recommend a pre/post stop at the Avalon Grille too.

7.       Fenwick Golf Course- Old Saybrook, CT

Getting back on the mainland, and to the East Coast, Fenwick Golf Course holds the honor of being the 2^nd oldest course in Connecticut (and oldest public course) after being established in 1894. It is perhaps better known by being the course of choice for Old Saybrook’s favorite daughter, Katherine Hepburn- who lived just off the 2^nd fairway.  As legend had it, she hit the most famous shot in course history- a hole in one on the morning of Sept 21, 1938- mere hours before the Hurricane of 1938 washed away her cottage. It is a pretty straightforward turn-of-the-century (as in last century) course. Flat and open, with small radically undulating greens that are borderline unfair when kept at a modern length and speed. The course meanders through the Borough of Fenwick with lovely vistas of Long Island Sound from the 2^nd and 3^rd holes. You do have to play shots around some obstacles… like the church on #1, and the pre-Revolutionary War stone wall that guards the 6^th green, which only add to its Victorian Era charm.

8.       Goose Creek Golf Course- Groton, CT

Staying in my home state (damn, I’ve given out too much information already) this is a course that isn’t well known. Actually most of the people able to play it probably don’t know about it. It is because this course is located on the US Submarine Base in Groton, CT. Most golfers don’t even know its real name. They just call it the “Subase Course”. It is a straight, unspectacular string of out-and-back holes, not particularly well kept either. It does offer some…er…opportunities for the wayward driver of the golf ball, as with barbed wire and nuclear powered submarines guarded by Marines with machine guns on one side, and the quarters for the Admirals on the other. It can be a bit nerve-racking, as I can remember playing the course as a Midshipman (before I really took up the game) slicing my persimmon 3-wood (it was from the replay sports store…I’m not that old) and watching it rattle around the sub quay. Which, of course, was promptly followed by a shot several holes later that was played off of the Submarine Squadron Commander’s (Admiral) front lawn across Military Highway…. The Admiral’s wife was at least kind about it. (Probably because I was a MIDN, and she didn’t have to take care of the lawn…. ). It’s a typical working military course (but that’s another blog altogether), and nothing special, except maybe to me…

Well, that’s it. Only eight. I could drag this list out to 10 with the additions of Golf Course Heidiland in Switzerland, or Hilltop Golf Club in Alexandria, VA, or even the Links at El Segundo, in (duh) El Segundo, CA, but why. None of those courses are special, unless being built on a landfill counts for something (in this case, it does not). Nine hole courses are vastly underrated in my view- which is fine because while you are getting PO’ed waiting for a slooooow group of hackers at your local 18 hole muni, I’m breezing through my relaxing round of nine holes debating what to do with the rest of my afternoon….

Until next time….