Fat Guy Golf Monthly

This is just a spot to highlight a few pages on the site every month, based on such whims as where I've been playing lately, good seasonal destinations, where the Tour's playing, and other favorites.

October 2011

Pine Valley Wanna-Be Golf Trail- I had heard some vague details about George Crump, the visionary behind Pine Valley, but I recently got curious about learning more about the man and how the course came to be. I found a great article on Crump and how he designed what is generally regarded as the best course in the world on GolfAtlas.com. Here's a brief history lesson on both, along with a list of Pine Valley inspired and replica courses you can play.

Rory McIlroy's Norther Ireland Golf Tour- I stumbled on this article on Rory's favorite Northern Ireland haunts on Forbes.com, so if you want to head across the pond and follow in his footsteps, here's where to play.

Guy Movie Golf Weekend- Happy Gilmore. Happy Gilmore really isn't so much of a golf movie as it is the usual Adam Sandler underdog vehicle that happens to center around golf. And hockey. And a cliche' villain. And Bob Barker. And a girl who's way too cute for him to land in real life without a script (as usual). If you're a Sandler fan, it's probably a favorite, but as a "golf comedy", it doesn't really hold up all that well. Let's face it, the only scene you really remember a year later is the fight with Bob Barker, and the only line you ever pull out during a round is, "Don't you want to go to your home?!" Anyway, if you're a fan, here's how to pull off a full Happy Gilmore weekend.

Happy's happy place

Fat Guy's Latest Round- New Jersey National, Basking Ridge NJ (about an hour west of NYC). Normally I don't go out of my way to profile private clubs, but I got an invite to a business outing here and thought I'd pass along my thoughts on courses with "National" in the name, plus some details about this Roy Case design.

Top 20 Cities For Golf- Golf Digest just put out their list of the Top 20 Cities for golf, based on criteria like climate, average greens fees, and number of courses. Dallas/Fort Worth was named #1, and some of the other cities listed may surprise you as well.

Organizing a big time, guy-centric charity tournament? To give your outing a unique, memorable edge, hire the girls from www.PinupGolf.com.