... (CONT'D FROM ARCHIVE 2) ...  For those of you at home taking notes, here is what is planned.  To date, 12 avid golfers from six different states are paid up for the Pebble Beach trifecta that includes rounds at Pebble Beach, Spyglass, and Spanish Bay on February 26-28th, 2009.  That represents the top, ninth and 62nd top rated courses in the United States.  Our group will be rolling in the week after the famous Pebble Beach Pro-AM (February 9-15), so the course should be in great condition.  Watch it on the tube one weekend and go play it the next.

     Pebble Beach was the site of the inaugural annual Golfest trip in 2004 and is one of those "can't be beat" experiences -- both from a playability and memorability standpoint.  While that was more of a leisurely event, this trip is truly a FLY-BY.  The plan is to arrive before noon on the 26th and play Spyglass that afternoon.  The next day will feature a caddy-assisted walk on Pebble.  The trip will conclude the next day with an early morning round at Spanish Bay and a run to the airport. Accommodations are at the five-star Inn at Spanish Bay.  Somewhere in the mix will be at least one dinner at Roy's, a massage, a two-hour courtesy test drive in a Lexus, and at least one quality power-nap.  Let the countdown begin.

     By the way, we can still accommodate four more golfers ... for any stragglers that still may be interested. The current group includes Californian's Jim Allen, Steve Adams, Jeffrey Adkins and Mark Suzda; Indiana Hoosier Jim Dee, Bob Potts from Utah, Nevada residents Craig Decker and J.P. Duck, Mike Werner from Oregon, and the Hayes clan from Arizona (Spanky, Charles and Clyde). ...
   
     ... 10/1/08 - 6:08 p.m. PST By Jim Allen ... Golfest member Mark Pickering had his golf game sidelined for an extended period of time.  Over the Labor Day weekend, Mark got tripped up while doing some yard work,... and landed elbow first on his driveway.  Damage reports included a broken arm that required surgery, a metal plate and a kitchen drawer worth of screws and pins to repair.  He has to undergo a few months of physical therapy before he even considers swinging a golf club. ... 

     ... My review on Wolf Creek apparently struck a chord with a few other golfers who fired off e-mails regarding their cart accidents.  The most interesting came from John Meyers, a resident of Auburn, CA (near Sacramento).  He said he crashed at a place called Cougar Canyon Golf Course in Colorado while on vacation a few years ago.  John and his girlfriend slid on some wet grass while looking for a lost ball on a hill.  Seconds later, he had a broken foot, a torn Achilles Tendon, and a shattered wrist that required three surgeries to repair.  Apparently they spun, skidded and flipped up against a tree.  His girlfriend (now wife) dislocated her shoulder. Yiks!  ... Golfest member Mike Rittner also has a story about a flip at Shadow Ridge in Palm Springs. ... Moral of the story: Don't flip a golf cart!  ... And when you get a chance, take part in our new Golfest Polls.  We want your golf opinion! 

       (8/15/08) ... Guess what happens when you get bored one weekend; get a major caffeine blast from drinking three Red Bulls; find out that there is nothing good on HBO, and can't possibly play video games any longer?  You give your web site a major facelift! ... and ... WAA-LAH!  It's a work in progress that will allow us to showcase our sponsors, stories and photographs in a better format.  In fact, we have several works in progress, including course reviews from the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course in Indy, Crosswater and Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon, and Wolf Creek in Nevada.  We have also add a new section featuring Top 100 course photos from our groups fly-bys to ranked venues. .  Need more Red Bull! ...   

     ... With summer in full swing, the urge to pull off impulse golf outings is topping the charts.  After enjoying a trip to Crosswater Golf Course (#28) in Oregon a couple of weeks ago, it was time to cash in some Southwest flight coupons for a return trip to the Portland area. ...The plan was for Mark Suzda and I to impose on Mike Werner's hospitality and have him host us for an impromptu Golfest fly-by.  On tap were events at the Williamette Valley Country Club, the Reserve, and #48th ranked Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course.  We were treated to three distinctly different golf courses in three distinctly different weather conditions.

     Williamette Valley was a tight and pretty flat tree-lined number played in hot humid 90-degree weather.  Let me mention "tree-lined" again.  Any hole played at the WV where your ball didn't get an extreme case of bark-rash was considered a good hole.

     Pumpkin Ridge was a more open scenic track, designed through rolling hills played on an absolutely perfect day.  One of the side shows of this event was a regional REMAX long-drive competition taking place on their practice range.  As we played, we could hear the PA announcer reading off the lengths of the drives ... 352 ... 347 ... 366 ... 372.  That last number turned out to the winning yardage.  Just in case we needed to be humbled out any more, the woman topped out at 266 yards.  Heck, I need a 30 mile per hour tail wind to do that.

     We concluded the trip with a round at the Reserve Vineyard and Golf Club, which reminded me of the Lakewood Shores-Gailes Scottish-Links course played in Michigan during Golfest 2008.  Coincidentally, it was cool and drizzly so we could fully enjoy that Scottish experience.  Just in case you are wondering, that experience is overrated, even though all of us scored well.  By the way, this place has an absolutely massive clubhouse to support its two courses.   Golfest 2005 Bandon Dunes attendee Dan Hecht, Mike's father-in-law, joined us at WV and served up a killer steak dinner at his riverfront home afterwords.  We ate so much that we almost slipped into a coma.  Mike's brother-in-law Dave Glad, a new but avid golfer, hooked up with us for the other two.  Mike and Dave are partners in four PLAY N TRADE video game stores in the Portland area.  That came in handy because we used some of our down time to hang out in their stores and play video games -- including some Tiger Woods 2009 on PS3.  Mark quickly got hooked on the Nintendo Wii golf game.  It also has become very apparent that Mike spends a lot of time playing Guitar Hero.
     And of course, we can't possibly have a golf trip without the obligatory trip to P.F. Changs.  One more bite there and all of us would have had to be resuscitated with the paddles ... CLEAR!!! ... ZAP!!!!

     Special thanks to Dan & Laura Hecht, and Mike and Julia Werner for their great hospitality.  Now it's time to get back on the treadmill. ... Speaking of paddles -- how about that segway(?) -- Golfest charter member Rickey Berger had a heart scare this past week.  He was admitted into the hospital because his the top part of his ticker was racing at 150 bpm, causing his body to fill with fluids.  Once they got his heart to beat normally, they eventually diagnosed the Bergermeister with some diabetic issues.  Rickey told me that it provides him with ample incentive to get healthy again -- which will ultimately return his golf game to its previous form.

     ...  Speaking of improving ones golf game -- yet another great segway -- Jim Dee managed to finally play at the Brickyard Golf Course in Indy.  This course is literally integrated into the layout of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  The day he played, GP motorcycles were roaring around the track at 210 mph.  How's that for different? ...
Just in case you missed it, we added four pages -- that's right -- FOUR pages of new golf jokes.  Check them out HERE. More are on the way. ...

     ... (7/26/08) ... We are proud to announce that Golfest member Mark Suzda has officially added his first course review to GolfestOnline.com.  Read on about his adventures at the exclusive Cascata Golf Club in Boulder City, NV. ... By the way, Crosswater Golf Course proved to be a very enjoyable experience.  The 28th rated course in the United States lived up to its reputation, playing strong in all attributes from playability to memorability.  Like its title suggests, water criss-crosses the course and comes into play on at least seven holes.  Special thanks to members Jack and Connie Fox for their company, course knowledge and tips, which came in extremely helpful in navigating this course.  Crosswater is unique in that it is designated as a certified Audubon Sanctuary, one of only 150 golf courses in the U.S. to fall into that category.  Throw in a white water rafting trip, and about 50-miles on the bike paths at the Sunriver Resort, and it makes for a nice long weekend.  A course review is in the works.

     ...  Golfestians Tony Fernandes, Mark Suzda, Joe Arellanes, and I played at the Doral Desert Princess in Palm Springs, CA in a scrambles tournament.  It was a pretty nice course. ...  Here is a Golf Oxymoron: An easy par-3. (MORE)
     (Written by Jim Allen - 7/3/08) ... No ..., that isn't a painting.  That would be the awesome view of the 28th ranked course in the United States -- Crosswater Golf Club - located at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon.  Officially, it's a family vacation, but I'm doubling-down by considering it a Golfest "fly-by" opportunity.  The plan is to play Crosswater on July 12th.  According to the on-line scorecard, water comes into play on at least seven holes, so I'm packing some extra balls.  A course review will be coming in the near future, along with more photographs. ... Just in case you missed it, we have added a course review on Arcadia Bluffs.  We didn't like the course, but we sure do like Katherine Zeta Jones.  Read more   ... 2008 is already half over, but there has already been a years worth of activity on our GolfestOnline.com website and for our members.  What started out as a year where getting out to a golf course has hampered by mediocre weather or work, has shaped up very nicely.  For those of you at home keeping notes, here are some of the things that Golfest members have been able to pull off so far in 2008:

   ... Bob Potts started off the year strong by scoring his second career hole-in-one.  It took place at the Talon Course at the Grayhawk in Scottsdale. ...  Mark Suzda and Jim Allen traveled to Augusta, Georgia to watch the Masters Golf Championship.  If you ever get a change to go, our advice is "GO!" ... Golfest 2008 roared through Michigan and tackled the Great Lakes Tour on another great trip.  Seven more rated courses were played as we toured the entire state.  Even though the weather was a little on the cold side, it was a great trip. ... Jim Allen managed to work in a trip to Kauai in March to play the rated Kauai Lagoons course and another round at Turtle Bay.  At this point, he has played all of the ranked courses in Hawaii. ... Mark Suzda won a $42,000 Buick Enclave with a hole-in-one at "Tiger Jam" at Cascata Golf Course in Boulder City, NV ... An assortment of charter members loaded up to attend the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in San Diego.  Among them were Jeffrey Adkins, Jim Allen, Jim Dee, Joe Arellanes, Tony Fernandes, Mark Suzda, and Mark Pickering.  We had first class hook-ups with VIP Sports Marketing which made it an over-the-top experience. ... Kasey Scheidenlein is a changed man.  Not just in appearance, sporting a new beard, but on his scorecard.  Kasey has shaved about 10-strokes from his scores in less than a year. ... Art Taylor's game has been coming around also.  On June 30th, he shot a career best 92 at Woodcreek Oaks in Roseville, CA ...  Spanky Hayes is going to be a dad. ... Mark Suzda shot a career best 74 at Oak Quarry on June 20th.  And that included a pair of double bogeys on the back nine. ... We have added two new Golfest members to the mix -- Mike Rittner of Chatsworth, CA, and Mark Pickering of Yorba Linda, CA ... Our GolfestOnline.com website has scored an amazing 22,000+ hits in only one year. ... Mike Werner is still alive after nearly choking to death on his food in Michigan. ... Tony Fernandes and Joe Arellanes played the awesome Luana Hills Country Club on Oahu.  Although it isn't a rated venue, it should be. ...

     Whats on the horizon?  Word has it that their are Top 100 excursions scheduled by Jim Dee at the Brickyard Golf Course in Indianapolis and Jim Allen is headed to Crosswater Golf Course in Oregon. Mark Suzda is trying to work his way into Shadow Creek in Las Vegas.  There is also a rumor of a Golfest FLY-BY taking place in August.  Stay tuned for details. ... A planned trip to Florida in October has been sidelined, because the meeting that we were originally going to attend got cancelled.

     ... (Written by Jim Allen - 06/16/08) ... There is only one thing better than watching the U.S. Open on television;

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