Tuesday, February 05, 2008

A golf celebrity visits the ranch!

Most golfers know what they want in a residential pitch and putt, and when I decided to move forward with my project, I needed someone that I could trust to manage the project, an honest PGA professional with unimpeachable credentials, industry contacts and the savvy to get the residential course done right, on-time and under budget.

We trusted Brad Clayton, a PGA Master professional to help us navigate the labyrinthine maze of complex tasks.


Brad Clayton

We were thrilled to have a celebrity at the ranch, none other than Rick Robbins, a designer of some of the world best golf courses.

Rick had a few days break from his work in China, and it was great fun to hear his tales of jetting around the globe in a Learjet G3 with his good friend Jack Nicklaus.


Rick Robbins takes charge!

Rick was Jack Nicklaus' Senior Design Associate and his latest course, the Mill Creek Golf Club in Mebane, North Carolina was named, "Best New Course" in North Carolina by the golf panel of North Carolina magazine.

Rick was able to advise landscapers on the best turf (419 Bermuda in our case), and the best artificial turf for the putting and chipping areas. Rick as also able to advise us on the best sand for our traps.

Right now, it’s all plowed ground, but taking shape quickly:


The first hole - A tabla rasa

Sadly, Rick was unable to advise us on how to keep the barn cats from using the sand trap as a litter box, and one of our ranch hands will have to scoop it out every day.


Cat's suck

Brad is an amazing golf instructor. He lost his own right arm, but he does not let his handicap prevent him from being one of the best golf teachers I've ever worked with. Brad also donates his time to teach veteran amputees, a charitable service that has brought the joy of golf to worthy wounded servicemen and women. We have decided to invest in a golf book by him:


Brad Clayton's golf book

Read more about our evolving pitch and putt course here:

http://dba-oracle.com/golf_travel/golf_residential_course.htm