make golf your thing Archives - THE GOLF PARK

Bowen Island Golf Club

Scott McCartney — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 19:47:37 +0000

9 HOLES OF GOLF HEAVEN

We ferried into Snug Cove on Bowen Island, and it felt like something out of a storybook. A perfect little harbour, marina and shops, with treed mountains tumbling down on three sides. The Village near the harbour had infinite character and it was noticeably clean and well kept. The feeling was warm and inviting. As we meandered toward the golf course we quickly realized that the speed limit was about 10km per hour under the posted sign. My three buddies and I were chicken-necking back and forth trying to catch glimpses of all the unique houses and properties, each with their own wild terrain and landscape. I felt my shoulders relax and my heart rate mellow as my friend Paul announces passionately, “Bowen is Bitchin’!”. We laughed that maybe this should be the welcome slogan as you come onto the Island.

As we approached the course, we found ourselves driving through the trees on a gravel road with glimpses of the 1^st and 9^th hole adjacent. My honest thought was that Magnolia Lane at Augusta National couldn’t possibly measure up to this approach. I find my way into the small pro shop and there are two beautiful dogs on leashes just hanging out with their owners. One of the two dogs was about to head off onto the golf course with his owner for their 11:15 starting time. That’s right, dogs are allowed on the golf course! Brilliant!

As I exited the shop and stood admiring the beautiful terrain and the view of Howe Sound, Bowen Island was quickly becoming a special place in my mind. And, to add to the relaxed feel, tee times were 15 minutes apart. This really made me smile because I know that 15-minute spaces between times makes it feel like the course is all yours. Rarely will you catch the group ahead of you or be caught, especially over 9 holes.

Off we went. Gorgeous rolling terrain, grass that was lush and thriving, beautifully treed fairways, and inspiring nature walks through BC rainforest between holes. To quote my youngest daughter when she had one of those moments where you feel life can’t get any better, “I just feel like I’m….in place”.

Allow me to nerd out on two aspects of the design I found to be remarkable. One thing I noticed was that for a 9-hole course, I think I hit about every club in my bag. I had quite a few difficult long iron shots, a couple opportunities with wedges in my hand and everything in between. There were plenty of risk/reward opportunities off the tee and, if played well, the opportunity to get to the par fives in two. In golf design I believe this would mean that the course designer, Russ Olsen, created a course with outstanding “shot values”. The second major detail that I was wildly impressed by were the golf green complexes. As someone who studies, practices, and loves the art of golf green design, these greens were fun, fun, fun. There was steep mounding and slopes which helped highlight 2 to 4 distinct portions of the golf green to place the pin, each with its own level of difficulty. Knowing where not to miss these greens would be a distinct advantage. The greens wern’t very large but they were highly interesting and visually pleasing.

It is a course that could take many rounds to learn how to play it best. This, in my opinion, shows the strength of the course. The design, the challenge, the dogs, the tee time spacing, all of it adds up to an amazing experience. There are few courses that I could say I would want to hang my hat on and play every day, but this is one of them. I think too that the 9-hole layout is a big plus for me. For some reason, I find 9 holes to be more and more in line with the kind of golf I like to play. This was a somewhat challenging walk, but I felt strong after 9 holes, it left me in a good mood and wanting to come back again another day. 18 holes might have burned me out or it may have made my experience a little different. Perhaps I would have been less appreciative of the nature, the vistas, the shot values, etcetera. 9 holes of golf is perfectly in line with the pace and peacefulness of the Bowen Island experience.

As we finished a post round drink and appy we walked out onto the large practice green. It so happened that we would have to walk across the length of it to get to the car so of course we took the opportunity to have a long-putt contest. After I missed, our buddy Paul stepped up and made a 93 foot putt!!! If you don’t know what 93’ looks like go outside and take 31 big steps in one direction. What are the odds!? What a perfect send-off to a perfect day.

As we missed our ferry, we praised the golf gods as this gave us ample time to explore the Village and have what I think might have been the world’s finest fish n’ chips at Doc Morgan’s Pub. We explored the marina and the shops, and our friend Dennis recalled memories of weekends at the Marina growing up, as his dad moored a boat there for a time. Dennis has been many places, but he proudly states that Bowen Island is his “favorite place on Earth” to which I cannot argue as it is all too well known that at the deepest level of expression, we all would agree, unequivocally, Bowen is Bitchin!

Shout out to the three best golf buds a guy could have. Dennis, Paul, Cory and I have been on some beauty golf roadies together and I hope that health and circumstance allow us more opportunities to explore this amazing game together.

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Golf in the Park

Scott McCartney — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:06:21 +0000

How North Vancouver set the precedence for fitting golf into their community at Sam Walker Park

Mayor Darrell Mussatto and Parks Manager Dave Turner putt at Sam Walker Park

One resident had the idea to bring golf to this small park in North Vancouver. It was a space in the park that was seldom used because of the slope of the hill and the shade that it gets. But, with the advantages of synthetic turf in a situation like this, it would be all too possible to create a golf green that fills the space in a way that would look like the park was designed around it. The Mayor at the time, Darrell Mussatto, liked the idea. The “said resident” had a petition signed by neighbors and took it to a council meeting some weeks later. She made a harrowing case for golf in the community, the Council was all on board, they fast tracked the project, and away we go, we now have golf in a small park in North Vancouver.

Mr. Mussatto put his Section Parks Manager and student of golf course architecture, Dave Turner, on the job to lead the project. This project was Mr. Turner’s as much as anyone as he knows what it means to kids to be able to try golf for the first time. Golf can be a meaningful experience that has the capacity to change ones life, as it did his. Mr. Turner did an excellent job of negotiating the sloping terrain with a living retaining wall, utilizing the City’s own resources to do the brunt of the base preparations and finally searching out and hiring the most qualified firm to be able to create what he envisioned for the project : )

Me testing out the installation with rhododendrons in bloom

The golf green turned out to be a great success. As Mr. Turner, Mr. Mussatto and I have all witnessed, the golf green remains busy daily. There will be mother and child relaxing, workers having a contest on their lunch break and even husband and wife settling disputes on the putting green. That’s right, when I ran into one of the neighbors on a routine visit to the park, she told me that her whole family uses the golf green almost every day. She also mentioned that her and her husband settle their arguments in a good old-fashioned putt-off. Amazing!

People enjoying the new green

The community members who were opposed at first are now on board and see the delight that has come from this simple park addition, the coffee shop across the street has set out a bin of putters and balls to be used by anyone at any time, and over 5 years after the installation, the green is still doing well.

Putter bin at the neighbouring coffee shop – free to use.

A usable surface throughout drought season

And now, as we have seen the proof of concept first-hand, we can use this example as a spring board to inspire other communities to do the same. For relatively low cost, and a very manageable maintenance practice, a golf green in your local park is the perfect addition. If people, especially kids, can ride their bike to the park and try golf like they can with almost all other sports, well, I for one would think that is pretty special.

Golf is Canada’s most popular sport year over year. Imagine what we can do with this game if we just find ways to scale it down for everyone to enjoy!

Please read more about the Sam Walker Park project in this British Columbia Golf Article (exerpt below)

“young kids through to seniors living nearby all love coming out to the green. Mussatto believes these types of projects work really well in high-density areas of the city where most people do not have backyards. People can come out of their apartments, have their own little putter and ball and go. These are things that don’t take up a lot of space, they have a high utility, and not a lot of cost. They check all the boxes of what you want to see in the community.“

Blending colour, texture, and fibre height to complement natural grasses grown on the West Coast of British Columbia.

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The Putting Course

Scott McCartney — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 02:52:22 +0000

GOLF ON A SCALE THAT WE ALL CAN ENJOY

The first putting course was born adjacent to the first ever golf course in St. Andrews, Scotland. The Ladies Putting Club of St. Andrews was born in 1867 and I feel it will one day prove to be the greatest revolution in a sport that has come to outgrow its knickers, if you know what I mean. In a day and age where the hardest hitters in the game can hit the ball over a quarter mile (450 yards), when do we take a step back and suggest there are other ways to play this game – ways that can be accessed by any level of golfer, at any age or ability, and through ways which place an ownness on touch and finesse, strategy and judgement, rather than just power and athleticism. The putting course is one of those ways.

The Putting Course as one large golf green, random hole locations and infinite "course layouts"

There will always be a place for miniature golf – but a putting course is far from the same thing.

There are a couple of different variations of putting courses that are becoming popular today. One includes one large expanse of grass with rollie pollies and dips and doodles all over. Generally, a natural grass surface where the greens keeper can change the hole locations regularly. If the green is large enough, with reasonable elevation changes and those rollie pollies I spoke of, then the options for “course layouts” are almost limitless. Here are some examples of this type of putting course:

The obvious issue with these types of Putting Courses is that they are tied to places that arn’t very accessible. They are larger than life and more fun than you can imagine, but they take a lot of time and money to keep perfect, and for that reason rely on patrons with expendable money to be able to visit their facilities. That being said, if you can get to these places I would be surprised if anyone gave you any grief for utilizing the putting course. They are generally free to use.

Two examples of putting greens in our communitiues are Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC and Sam Walker Park in North Vancouver, BC. Stanley Park used to have one as well.

My friend Jeff grew up on the Island and recently brought his kids to putt at Beacon Hill Park. “Four generations of my family have now enjoyed using this golf green.”, he said, fondly remembering his Grandpa taking him there when he was younger.

Sam Walker Park in North Vancouver have trail blazed a path to bringing this fun amenity into their community.

This type of putting course is only beginning to see its day. Golf Course Managers, Municipalities and Developers are all beginning to see the brilliance in this fun, low-cost amenity – and those that get to use them will benefit the most.

The Putting Course as a defined 18 hole layout

The second kind of putting course is like a championship style, full-sized golf course but scaled way down in size to be played purely with a putter and a ball. There will be a natural look and include thoughtful strategy and risk-reward. You will see a beautiful, contoured hole with a short-mown putting surface, a second cut of fringe and a third cut of deep rough. There will be water hazards and sand traps to avoid all while admiring the course surroundings and its natural beauty. It is like playing golf on a smaller scale – a scale that all abilities can try for a fraction of the price of a round of golf. Here are some great examples of this style of putting course:

There are pro’s and con’s to natural grass depending on the size and setting of the putting course. In some instances it makes sense to use synthetic turf.

There is a culture growing around this aspect of the game of golf, for good reason. It is inclusive. It brings the game down in size so that almost anyone can try it, and have fun at it, while breaking down the obvious barriers of time, money, and accessibility.

I have personally designed and built a few smaller putting courses and miniature golf’s but I have been dreaming up a version of a putting course that will be a fun, beautiful and an inclusive place for the entire community go. I hope to one day show it to you.

Thanks for reading,

Scott

If you are interested in going down the rabbit hole of all things putting, The Major Series of Putting (MSOP) is a tell tale sign that putting is beginning to take on a life, and competitiveness, of its own.

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Zen and the Art of Golf Green Building

Scott McCartney — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 04:28:55 +0000

“Zen and the art of golf green building is based on the time I have spent with a rake in-hand, pushing gravel around until the point when the reality of the gravel, and how it is sloped, has met the best possible intention for how the golf green should play. It’s like playing for hours in a Zen Garden.”

I was super fortunate at a young age to find something I loved to do. I had a passion for golf and golf design and was able to package them up into a nice little business that brought artificial turf golf greens into people’s backyards. It may sound silly but, for me, the entire process of conceptualization right through to dropping pins into the finished product was a spiritual endeavour.

I disappeared into my work. Each step allowed me to slow down time and be within a process that I both loved and felt like I was good at.

Meeting the customer was the first step. It’s always interesting to meet new people. Itâ€™s not easy just to meet a new person so this was kind of a special privilege to be invited into someone’s home and learn about them and see in what way I might be able to help them.

As you inevitably stepped into their backyard, this was a cool moment of seeing where they had envisioned putting a golf green. Based on everything golf that perpetually rolls around in my subconscious mind, coupled with what the customer had envisioned for themselves, the vision for the golf green slowly starts to appear out of the fog; elements of what is to come will begin to present themselves. The design materializes a great deal through documenting site measurements and elevation changes; you are in your mind, visualizing, conceptualizing.

With a clean desk and no pending phone calls or engagements, the design begins by scaling out the perimeter of the project area on paper. The elements that began to materialize on site might begin to galvanize here. There is no choice but to live in my mind which allows me to disappear, to feel Zen-like; it is what makes this particular part of the overall process a meditation in and of itself. After finalizing the shape and design, I would always hand colour a final copy with marker. I could have certainly taken the time to learn a computer program that might have made this process look a little more professional perhaps but a direct connection from hand to pencil to paper is a little more natural for me and kept me more in tune with the feel of the project.

Original Design (not polished)

The next step is to begin to create. Breaking ground is fun because it signifies the moment where what previously existed in your head, and then on paper, is about to become a reality.

The part that defines this post the most is the shaping and contouring of the base material; the movement and placement of mixed fine and course stone. It begins with the sound and feel of a shovel going into what is generally a 15-ton pile of gravel. The beautiful feeling of good hard work. A time to think, or not think, depending. Shovel load after shovel load to fill the wheelbarrow full (usually about 20-25 scoops if I recall correctly). Then comes the run into the backyard with what is the simplest and most beautiful tool that man has ever made, the wheelbarrow. Hopefully there is no big incline. Next, you pick your spot to dump. Get enough piles going and that is where the fun begins. Where are the low points? Where are the high points? Where are the hole locations? Where will the fringe and the golf green meet? Does the customer want this easy? Hard? Somewhere in between? Do they play competitively or just for fun? Is it simply a statement piece, like artwork in the garden? What was your intention with the design? One thing is absolutely certain, a golf green cannot achieve its potential if the designer is not involved in the shaping process. Take it from arguably the greatest golf course architect of our time, Tom Doak who said, “There are not a lot of people who can draw a green in an office and get what they visualized, and get a really good green at the same time; Zero of the greatest golf greens were made from the office. It was being out in the field.”

My Happy Place

The design is fun, but Zen and the art of golf green building is based on the time I have spent with the rake in-hand pushing gravel around until the point when the reality of the gravel, and how it is sloped, has met the best possible intention for how the golf green should play. It’s like playing for hours in a Zen Garden.”

Not all golf greens call for it but the art of a perfect radius is something I value greatly, and much like a painter with a brush, I use landscape paint to outline the golf green on top of the compacted gravel. I will honour the original design, or I won’t; the shape is fluid and needs to be held with an open hand. It sounds silly but I really go inward during this process. It’s not calculated at all. It is a flow.

The hole location is something to pay very close attention to. There should be a balance visually between each hole location. You must consider the slope of the green and whether a hole location will interfere with any other putt you are trying to make. You must conceive of every possible putt and discern whether this is a good location. The amount of time I have spent moving a cup half an inch left or a half an inch right or in or out, away or towards is immeasurable to date. But it’s all part and parcel of the perfect golf green.

Balance… Natural grass to synthetic. Fringe to golf surface. Cups….Balance.

Now, between choosing the hole locations and the finishing touches comes a process that is not so Zen for me anymore. It is the installation of the artificial turf. It takes precision workmanship, absolute concentration, a very strong back and healthy knees. I did it for many years and this is the part where, although I liked the camaraderie, and working hard outdoors, I really did a number on my body. This is the part that today, aside from my golf green that I just finished in my own backyard, I would leave to professionals to handle for me. Let it be known that it takes more than a strong back and knees to surface a good golf green, however. A keen eye for every imaginable detail is paramount to a flawless finish.

Exhausted. Delirious. Happy. Missing having a Crew!

And now the finishing touches. I love this part. How does the installation look? Can I help clean up a little more? In the interest of a schedule and dinner with their families, it is easy sometimes for installers to miss something during clean up or a walk through. This is my chance to feel important and help brush the grass up in some place or pick up some loose grass blades and so on. But the part I like the most is making a few putts and seeing just how the ball rolls. Is it the way I intended it to be? Does it perform properly? If so, I love the idea of being the one to drop the pins into the cups. A cherry on top! Lastly, a fresh sleeve of premium golf balls. Titleist Pro V1’s perhaps. It was a huge expense for the customer to trust me with their project, and they paid a very high price for it, it would only be fitting to have a pack of beautiful new golf balls ready to play with once they step foot on it for the first time.

Finishing Touches

Now, I have my own golf green. As I write a post, or have a theory about my putting stroke, I can simply step away into the backyard and work on my game. This too is a very Zen-like process. The nuance of the putting stroke is something only a Zen master could comprehend fully but that might be a blog post for another day.

Below are some pics of my golf green through the process of installation. It was the culmination of 20 years of design and building golf greens and I couldn’t be happier with the final product. I would be remiss to say that not everyone is able to spend thousands of dollars on a golf green in their backyard, or even have the space for it. The reason that I write these blogs and am moving forward with a professional career that focuses solely on golf in public spaces is because of that reason. Kids deserve the opportunity to try the game and I feel strongly that it could and should be supported on the municipal level as best as possible. Ride your bike down the street and try golf. Why wouldn’t ya!

Bunker First

Base Build

Cup Placement

Surfacing

Go Play!

Night Golf

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Golf’s Many Municipal Benefits

Scott McCartney — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 19:07:00 +0000

In looking online at several goals of North American Parks and Recreation Departments, I have compiled a list of ways The Golf Park might help in achieving your municipalities own potential goals and objectives.

Sam Walker Park in North Vancouver (The Original Golf Park)

Improve and enhance natural resources, parkland, and recreational opportunities

Anticipate the needs of the changing community and structure programs and facilities accordingly

Enhance the cityâ€™s arts, cultural and historic assets
Serve an aging population with social, recreational, active, and healthy opportunities

Enrich the lives of residents

Build a healthier community

Provide efficient services to residents regardless of income, background, and ability

Leverage new partnerships that produce new parks and facilities that are forward thinking and world class

Enhance health and wellness of the patrons through innovative and diversified parks, art, recreation, leisure, and cultural opportunities

Provide opportunities for relaxation, learning and socializing to promote personal growth and well being

Plan and organize, and whenever possible, encourage family participation

Make the city a better place to live, work and play

Develop programs, tournaments and leagues for families, kids, ladies, men, seniors, and more

Teach, learn, and develop skills, abilities, and talents for residents of all ages

Meet recreational needs with maximum effectiveness and with minimum expense

Create positive childhood experiences

Bring children and families into our parks and give them great reasons to stay and play for a lifetime

Balance nature and man-made environments in town

If you can think of other benefits of The Golf Park that might help in achieving local municipality goals and objectives with regard to their use of parks and recreational space, please leave a comment or send me an email – i’de love to hear from you.

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Queen Elizabeth Park Pitch n’ Putt

Scott McCartney — Sat, 10 Sep 2022 17:34:01 +0000

A WALK IN THE PARK

I had an opportunity to play Queen Elizabeth Pitch n’ Putt today for the first time and it gave me that giddy, butterfly, excited feeling like when you’re a kid going somewhere fun. Basically, I was a kid again today. There is something about the modest little kiosks at these pitch n’ putts, the ones where you pay through the window and kink your neck to see what kind of chocolate bars and snacks they have on offer behind the counter, that brings up this feeling, for me.

That excitement seemed to sustain itself throughout the round today. One reason might be that I hadn’t played in a while and had a new “swing theory” to test out. The other was that I played as a single and this meant I could hit a couple balls off the tee and practice my chipping as I went along. Oh, and I was catching a Canadians baseball game afterward with an old friend. Oh, and I drove Norabel (my old convertible Chrysler LeBaron) to the course today. Oh, and it was a perfect 25° day. Happiness was tee’d up high today my friend.

I birdied the first hole with both balls. Nice start! I played the first round with a new used putter I bought off a friend (usually a mistake). It didn’t take long before I ran into a beginner foursome, which is totally great to see. I am a low handicap golfer playing as a single so I know to be as patient as I need to be and let time just do its thing out there. A nice couple caught me on the the 5^th tee. They were originally from Germany and mentioned “back home” they make you pass a test before they let you onto the course. You need to understand etiquette and take a lesson before trying the game. My initial thought was that this would be a huge barrier to entry for new golfers, but then I recalled an entirely amazing program posted on the window of the kiosk. Fraserview Academy has a “Get Golf Ready – Par 3 League” program they are running from August to mid-October that covers skill development in interested golfers, and it’s only $30!! Why wouldn’t ya?! What an offer!! Probably best that learning the ins and outs of the game be a voluntary endeavor.

There was a lot I admired about the course today. It was in the middle of a beautiful park setting surrounded by other activities like disc golf, tennis, walking and riding bikes. The course meandered brilliantly in every direction and utilized strategic interest from the effect of being on a significant hillside. The fairways were dried out so you could anticipate fun bounces or could try playing the “ground game” (with the ball hit low to run along the ground), and the fully grown trees were a brilliant place to plant your gaze or grab some shade.

I thought the course was fantastic. It had a good mix of yardages, the greens were in good condition and the teeing areas were level with mostly new mats. The thing I think I loved most about the course today though were the dry fairways. I love, love, love the philosophy of not watering when it’s not required. The days of Augusta National Golf Course being the benchmark for how a golf course should be kept are long gone. In the modern game we all know that water conservation is sexy and that golden brown fairways contrast spectacularly with the deep green of the trees, bushes, and the golf greens. I personally love the textural complement of taller fescue grasses grown into places that balls don’t often go. The tall wispy grass moves in the wind and adds a third grass height to the playing area. Fun.

I played over my head today, I think. I got on a run and had it under par but blew it coming home. I needed to birdie the 18^th hole but when I got there it was closed! I failed to read the sign or acknowledge the discount they gave me for this little inconvenience. But I still needed a birdie to finish even par and had only played 17 holes so I pleaded my case to Natalia in the kiosk. Instead of shutting me down, she surveyed the area, saw nobody was on the first hole and told me “If you’re quick you can play the first hole one more time”. Natalia, you are the greatest! The birdie roll took a peek inside the cup but in the end the golf Gods just teased me and the ball stayed out.

Some of you may ask, “how did you keep a score whilst playing two balls?” True, this is somewhat unofficial, but I always played and kept score with the first shot on each hole. I also missed 4 putts within 3 feet which makes me kind of wonder if my friend has a return policy on this putter…

Either way, it was a day of magic at Queen Elizabeth Park. I’m stoked to do an official tour of the pitch n putt courses through Metro Vancouver. There are a few beauties out there and a couple more that I haven’t played yet. I’ve been around golf most of my life and I see the game trending this way, toward the smaller game – less time, less money and much less intimidating than the larger, more recognized game. I want to understand it better. I want to make golf a game that everyone can enjoy. So thank you QE and Vancouver Parks for getting me started on my pitch n putt quest!

More to follow…

Lastly, I have to mention I am stoked to see The First Tee program running in Vancouver. Golf Canada and others are working hard to launch this program in Canada and I’m proud to say I took the NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) through Golf Canada and the PGA of BC to become a Certified Community Golf Coach. So, any local courses running The First Tee Program please let me know if you need a volunteer because I would love to help out!!

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Erik Anders Lang

Scott McCartney — Wed, 12 Jan 2022 23:53:32 +0000

GOLF'S REALLY IMPORTANT GUY

As a subheading I dabbled with “Golf’s Great Saviour”. Strong sentiments even though I feel there is real truth to the title. Erik Anders Lang is changing the entire paradigm of golf. For those who know golf is a fun loving, don’t-take-so-seriously, spiritually motivated, game for everyone, he provides validation – he is pointing the way. He is the truth and the light. Too strong again? I also played around with “Making Golf Relatable” but noticed his banner pic on Twitter is him jumping in a helicopter with his golf clubs. So, I landed on what you see above in “Golf’s Really Important Guy”. Here’s why…

Wait, before I dive deeper into what contributions Mr. Lang has made, and is currently making, in the game of golf I would like to preface that no matter how much digging I do to create this little blog post, it will pale in comparison to the work this man puts into each article, blog, podcast, tweet or video he produces. In other words, this little write up won’t really do him justice but, rather, point another much deserving light in his direction. He is a professional journalist and documentary film maker who has narrowed his focus in on the game of golf, its deeper meaning and how that relates to all of us as human beings. Our internal battles, questions, goals, joys, failures, successes and how this funny game delivers lessons and metaphors the whole way through. He’s doing it. He’s bringing this part of the game to light. Golf, in many places is the elitist sport that the nay-sayers claim it to be but golf in its fullest expression is a game for everyone and, at the same time, is our life’s great philosopher, and Mr. Lang continues to dust off the great and ancient text which may one day reveal the truth to our humanity, entirely.

I found him on Youtube a couple years ago with his series, Adventures in Golf where he travels the globe in search of unique golf experiences, people and places. I watched Slum Golf in Mumbai. What the…!! The people he met love golf and they are playing it through the streets and alleys, in the super down-trodden back streets of India. This episode was an inspiration for me. Then I watched World’s Northernmost Links Course about a golf course in Norway that lies inside the Arctic Circle. It is the most rugged, raw, and natural setting for a golf course that you might ever see. “It is golf in nature pushed to the extreme. There is nothing like it in the world.”, said the Superintendent in the 10 minute piece Lang completed two years ago. Depending on the season you can play 24 hours a day or you can bask under the northern lights, in which there may be no better spot in the world for viewing. And since seeing the northern lights is literally the only thing on my bucket list right now, this is definitely the place I would like to go to see them. The miracle of this golf course’s existence is that it lives on a Gulf Stream and gets a steady dose of warmer air than is usual for this part of the world. They are literally surrounded by permafrost but have the unique and good fortune of being able to grow grass. I find this entire story just incredible. He plays blind with two of the world’s best blind golfers suggesting proudly that if you have a disability you are encouraged to find your way into this game. He recently did a piece on a little known 9 hole course in California designed by someone very special. It is titled Jaw- Dropping Course of 10,000 Redwoods. This is one of the best pieces I have seen. Partly because of the work that went into it and partly because of the incredible history of the course. The redwoods are special as well but the part that speaks to me the most is the family-owned and operated part of the story. There is such love, respect and passion for each other, their customers, and the course itself, it is hard not to feel real emotion watching this episode. Another super inspiring episode was the work they are doing at Rivermont Golf Course in Georgia, USA to allow for natural grasses to grow in around bunkers, ponds and the peripheries to help create a sustainable landscape. This golf course is working hard to have the least possible environmental impact and are a sound example for the rest of the golf courses. It will only be a matter of time before everyone recognizes that this re-wilding is prettier than anything you see at Augusta. Wall to wall green grass looks amazing but come on; colour, texture, birds and bees, these are the things we are communing with as golfers. A perfect lie is nice but real nature is nice too. Golf Outta Compton, Urban Street Golf in Portland, The African American Golf Experience are all just slices of a pie that is too big to eat in one day, one week or one blog post. He’s making golf relatable; he is golf’s great saviour, and he is also just a guy doing his thing.

He’s kept his message clear that golf is for everyone, and it is meant to be enjoyable. One of his more recent endeavors is Random Golf Club. Random Golf Club is a community of creative golfers all over the world who want to make the game more inclusive and fun for everyone. Across the globe, our local chapters spread the ‘ALL ARE WELCOME’ message in their hometowns by getting together for rounds of golf and RGC Meetups: one-of-a-kind events where groups of 10 or 20 people (or even 100 people) all play the same hole at once.

As I write this blog, I just started following Random Golf Club Vancouver and look to participate in their upcoming events.

As I watch in awe at the depth of meaning Mr. Lang pulls from each location he visits I continue to piece together the path to my own life. I look to him for signs that might help point the way for me. Others will identify with it and use it to strengthen themselves also. They will use it to find their own purpose in this world and there will be precedence to act and to move that purpose forward. For me, I have had 3 or 4 meaningful encounters in my life that have helped point the way and the work Mr. Lang is doing counts as one of those encounters, albeit in the form of seemingly infinite content.

Finally, a personally directed shout out to Erik Anders Lang:

Thank you for inspiring people and for being inspired. Thank you for moving forward with your call to make golf relatable and to extract an Aha! moment from every golfer who knows deep in their soul that this game is played by the spirit that lives inside of us and not the bodies we were born with. I will give back to this game and my community in an important way and you will have had something to do with that. And in this life, I will manifest a hole in one that is so “point-your-shot-to-the-bleachers” that they will have to invent a new word for viral – and you’ll see it first, brother!

Continue your good work – you are making a huge difference.

Your Friend (whether you realize it or not),

Scott McCartney

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Wilderness Golf

Scott McCartney — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 02:10:16 +0000

My first introduction to wilderness golf was when my buddy Jono, living in Whistler, BC (shoutout to Jono at Squampton Snowskates) took me into the woods to play Wiffle Golf. This was a brand new concept and a brand new experience for me and it changed my whole mindset around how golf could be played. As we played through the woods, I was in awe of what I was seeing. Scrap turf on an old wood pallet for a tee box, wiffle balls stuffed with plastic bags for golf balls, large rocks to border a roughly 6-8’ diameter “green”, and a Maxwell House coffee tin that made the hole. A stick jammed into the hole with a little white flag marked your target.

It changed my life because it was a defining moment in realizing that golf doesn’t have to be expensive or built on a great expanse to be enjoyed. Here we were playing golf for free in one of the most beautiful “golf course settings” I had ever seen. Everyone could enjoy the game equally!

Recently I took my friend Dennis down to a creek where I used to play with friends as a kid when I first moved to BC. I had never thought to play golf in that forested creek when I was young but I thought it might be the perfect setting to try the game I learned about in Whistler with Jono. Dennis and I jammed a few PVC poles into the ground for targets, a few wiffle and foam golf balls, and we brought along a small portable hitting mat in case we drew a lye that warranted protecting the forest from unnecessary damage. Game on!

Improved Lie, protected creek. Win-Win!!

Dennis tee’s off from the 1st hole

Creativity was paramount in the woods that day. Draw, fade, high, low, around, through – you needed to hit every shot imaginable. Pars were hard to make that day but it was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Carry the log!!!

Maybe it’s time to learn from the Frisbee Golfers. Free is good. Casual is good. Putting a course wherever is also good. The next time you have a friend that says they don’t think they would like golf, or the cost is too prohibitive, swing by a garage sale and buy a 9 iron, grab some whiffle balls and find some trees. Good times will be had by all!

A little side note: I termed this Blog Wildreness Golf instead of Wiffle Golf for two reasons; One, I found that foam balls were just as fun, if not more, than wiffle balls to play through the woods with, and two, Mike Keiser used the term Wilderness Golf when he used to play through the woods, across from his house, in what would one day become his first major golf course creation, The Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Michigan. Mr. Keiser famously went on to create what is arguable the greatest golf complex in the World, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

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Artificial Turf Maintenance

Scott McCartney — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 02:55:35 +0000

Artificial Turf tee box area at private course in Mission, B.C. after a few seasons of neglect

After cutting ivy back and leaf blowing

After several minutes of aggressive power brooming

Perfection after a good pressure wash and hand pulling weeds

The most satisfying part of installing artificial turf is admiring how it looks the second you complete the project. Everything is perfect â€“ a fresh new look. You have transformed a yard into a golferâ€™s paradise and the ground crew at Augusta National Golf Club couldnâ€™t have made it look any sweeter.

The problem is that after a few seasons or a few years, depending on the setting, nature starts to take effect. Weeds can grow in the cracks and crevasses, natural grass can start to encroach around the edges, cups can look worn, flags can look faded and there may even be moss on the surface of the green. To a homeowner, it may look like your green is in disrepair. Iâ€™m here to tell you itâ€™s not.

One of my favorite things is making an old project look brand new again and Iâ€™m here to tell you just how to make that happen. Below is a list of tools you can use to make things look magnificent once more, and I will describe the best way to use them. Also, feel free to check out my Youtube videos on the same topic.

Leaf Blower. This magical wand of whispering air can help you see whatâ€™s ahead of you. Take a pass over the project area to take off any major debris so you know what is going to take a little more elbow grease to remove. *Be careful around the cups. If you get air under the edge of the golf cup you can push gravel around and it can be near impossible to fix without a full crew of people, a compactor and a bunch of money. Step on the cup when you get close or put a brick over it so that the air doesnâ€™t get under there.

Vacuum. As embarrassing as this is, this is one of the best tools for preventative weekly maintenance. I took an old vacuum and stored it in my shed beside my lawnmower. Every few weeks I run around the green with that bad boy and whammo!! Good as new! Iâ€™m embarrassed yet proud to say that a dirty golf green bugs me more than a dirty kitchen floor. Apologies to my beautiful wife for that one.

Pressure Washer. Here is the tool of all tools for a proper maintenance but Be Careful! You want to exhibit some touch and feel with this tool. If you get too aggressive on a short pile putting surface, you can negatively manipulate the fibers and their natural direction which can be hard to fix. So, keep the wand at a safe distance (8â€+/-). Enough to blow out any moss and clean the green of natural dirt build up but not enough to disturb the fibers.

Long pile putting surfaces that are meant for holding shots are where this tool comes in most handy. Basically, you can get aggressive on this product to make sure you get out all the organic debris but, you will have to go back when it dries out and top dress the project with more infill sand. It is quite a big job but for older infill greens it may be the way to go.

The pressure washer is also great for normal artificial turf grass installations (i.e. lawns). The turf can be matted and worn, have debris and weeds, and the best thing for it is a pressure wash. Total revitalization! When you are done you can manipulate the fibers of the turf with a stiff bristled push broom or leaf rake to get them resting in the best intended direction.

Carpet Kicker. With most backyard golf greens, and depending on the product you used, the putting surface can slightly move, causing the turf to shift around the cups and where it meets the fringe. I have found that careful use of a carpet kicker can manipulate the surface to get back into the desired position. But be careful! If you come â€œdownâ€ to hard instead of â€œtowardâ€ the direction you need to go with it, it can cause a pretty bad disturbance to the base which, again, is hard to fix. In extreme cases, the turf may need to be resecured using finishing nails or an adjustment to the seam work where the putting surface meets the fringe. This action may be best left to your installation company or a Professional.

Shop Vac. The handy-dandy shop vac! This puppy is great for cleaning out the cups and getting into other hard to clean areas like the transition from golf green to fringe.

Power Broom. Not everyone has one of these, and for good reason, they are expensive as all-get-out. They are a great tool for getting into the fibers and pulling debris to the surface. They can also manipulate the fiber direction to â€œpull them back upâ€ if they are matted over. These are usually the tools of the professionals but can be purchased by a homeowner.

The use of all these tools, in no particular order, can get things looking great again, if not brand new. An artificial turf golf green is a HUUUUGGGEEE investment so hopefully this helps you or your install company take the appropriate action to preserving that investment for years to come. Itâ€™s worth noting that my oldest installations are now 20 years old and with proper care and attention they are still functional and beautiful, but of course longevity depends a lot on the quality of the turf.

Other than that, you may want to lightly sand and carefully paint the insides of the cups or you can also spend a little money on new flags and poles which helps give the green a fresh look as well.

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Top Golf

Scott McCartney — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 18:42:18 +0000

GOLF DIFFERENTLY

As usual I’m late to the game as I attempt to write about Top Golf several years after it has hit the mainstream. I just happened to be in Ohio, doing my Ohio thing, and from my hotel parking lot I saw poles and nets that shot up high into the night sky, almost disappearing into the clouds from my perspective. Immediately I thought driving range but, as my mind calibrated the ridiculous height, I thought…Top Golf! For what else could it be!?

I checked in to my room, did a little bag toss onto the bed, and a quick Google search. Yup, Top Golf. I GPS’d it and it is a 3-minute drive. 3 minutes later I stood below the great and mighty poles. Telescoping poles one hundred feet high. I’m in awe as I stone-gaze 3 levels of hitting bays, 34 stalls to each level, and flood lights too many to count. It was busy! I had to park perpendicular to the 175 yard marker making it quite a walk from the truck. I figured it takes less time to walk my kids to school than it did for me to get to the counter but, I was buzzin’, floatin’, ready to lay eyes on it. I was a Top Golf virgin about to understand firsthand what everyone before already knew.

There were four employees at the counter. Who should I make eye contact with, I wondered? Someone speaks. “Hello”, they say. “Hi”, I reply. I stumbled through the chit chat until I understood everything. It’s half price Tuesday. That’s nice! There is a 2 hour wait for the top level, a 40-minute wait for the second level, but they can get me on the first level right away. The top deck certainly hosts’ the best views, making it easier to see all the targets, but I’m not fussy, down I’ll go.

Scott, the range attendant is there to greet me. Cool! He kindly shows me what is what with the machine and the screen, points out a couple of games I should try, shows me where the clubs are, then introduces me to my waitress. This is all too cool. I quiz Scott on a few things. He tells me that the clubs are made by Callaway and that they are a big investor in Top Golf. He tells me the facility is 4 years old and then hits me with a mega fact bomb that Top Golf employs almost 300 people at that one location! I couldn’t believe it but then I looked around and I notice it – food and beverage craziness. To my dismay I realized that golf was not everyone’s primary objective here. Aghast, I nervously tried to limber up a little while looking around. There were many people not even hitting balls, or they were at least taking their sweet time while they finish a fry or bury a beverage. Okay, okay, I get it. So, I order a beverage to try and blend in. Nobody knows I’m a golf junkie with a habit to feed! Stay cool, McCartney.

The golf was interesting and new. There were microchips in the balls and big, brightly coloured, lit up targets out on the range. Hit the target and earn the points. Extra points the closer to the middle of the target you are, and even more points when you get the targets farther out on the range. Okay, cool, I understand.

I had fun blasting balls and racking up points for an hour. I had nobody to play against so that was kind of lame as it didn’t register as just practice either. I understand it is more of a place to go for date night or the hot spot for a business lunch when your team is trying to get the creative juices flowing. It has a high energy atmosphere and allows the all too important release of energy that many other entertainment platforms can’t match.

I’m glad I took advantage of the opportunity and gave it a whirl. If there was one down the street from me, I’m not too sure how often I’d go but I’m cheap and have young kids and a wife, so my pleasure comes from 8 hours of sleep. But, if I were younger, wealthier, or in a business that thrived off a good old-fashioned meeting of the minds, then this might be more suited to me. I would however like to say thank you to Top Golf for breaking the mold, taking a chance, and bringing golf to more beginners than anyone likely ever has, all while making the game super fun and giving it that cool image that it so rightly deserves.

Thank you, Top Golf, for a fun experience and for growing the game I love.

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