The Getaway Golf Weekeend
Fat Guy Review: I don't know how high this flick ranks on most guys' movie radar, but something about The Getaway struck an old school chord with Fat Guy... something about the gritty locations, noir dialogue, Michael Madsen's best bad-guy performance ever, both James Woods and David Morse at their creepy-best, two Kim Basinger nude scenes, and all the shoot-'em-up sequences.
Maybe it was the chemistry between Basinger and Alec Baldwin, who were happily married when it was filmed. Maybe it was because Kim's turn as Carol McCoy was probably her last major role where she could still pull off 'hot' without the word 'cougar' being attached, and Alec's Doc McCoy was the last role where he could still pull off 'vaguely in-shape tough guy'. I even thought Jennifer Tilly looked hot in this movie, despite her annoying voice and hysterical screaming.
Most people under age 50 will probably only remember the 1994 version of The Getaway, but it was actually a remake of a 1972 film of the same name starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw. In 2008, GQ Magazine listed McGraw in their Sexiest 25 Women in Film Ever for her 1972 Getaway role with McQueen.
What To Read Before You Go: The original movie was based on a 1959 pulp fiction novel of the same name by Jim Thompson (www.amazon.com/Getaway-Jim-Thompson/dp/0679732500/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255773737&sr=1-1), and stayed a little truer to the novel's plot line.
When To Go: Normally I wouldn't recommend getting within four states of Arizona in the summer unless you're on a shoestring golf budget, but with the sweaty role the Southwestern heat plays in the movie, you almost have to go during high summer.
The Road Trip (1994 Version): A Getaway road trip will take you to the four corners of southern Arizona. Start in Tucson, and rent a 1990's convertible Mustang like the one in the movie.
In keeping with the gritty locales of the movie, let's stick to some grittier golf courses. In Tucson, that means Dell Ullrich.520-791-4161; www.tucsoncitygolf.com/urich; $41/$51 cart. This 6,633-yard par-seventy Ken Kavanaugh course sports undulating fairways and greens and a watery par-three seventeenth hole that can make or break a round. The modest greens fee is a huge bargain—with muni facilities—as Dell Urich and its sister course, Randolph North, are the pulse of Tucson golf. See also: Tucson AZ Golf Weekend.
Or, stick with the Hollywood theme 30 minutes south of Tucson at Tubac GR, site of the famed Roy McIvoy lake hole in Tin Cup (See: Tin Cup Golf Weekend). Grub at El Charro Café (Mexican, 520-622-1922), one of the region's most historic yet affordable Mexican spots. Don't miss the carne seca chimichanga.
Luckily some of the scenes from The Getaway were filmed in Phoenix, because no red-blooded golfer would be able to be this close without stopping into Golf Mecca Southwest for a round or three. Staying with the gritty theme, play the masterfully simple 1962 Red Lawrence layout at Estrella Mountain Golf Course (not to be confused with the nearby Estrella Mountain Ranch GC by Jack Nicklaus). $15 for a 4PM twilight round through rocky foothills, desert wasteland, and Bermuda fairways. Or Papago Muni ($38/$49, www.phoenix.gov/sports/papago.html), short on frills, long on value. Not quite Bethpage or Torrey Pines as munis go, but certainly in the next tier. The rolling, traditional layout features ancient stone Papago buttes as backdrops.
Then hit the dog track the McCoy gang knocked over, Phoenix Greyhound Park (www.phoenixgreyhoundpark.com), to place a few bets on the puppies. Booze at Greasewood Flats, the last real cowboy bar in AZ, and truly a locals hangout. Grub at Pinnacle Peak or The Unlilkely Cowboy, both scoot-and-boots steakhouse experiences. See also: Fat Guy's Phoenix/Scottsdale AZ Golf Weekend.
Basinger's Carol McCoy meets up with James Woods' Jack Benyon at the Arizona Biltmore (their done-for-the-love-of-her-husband sex scene being left off-camera was the biggest disappointment of the film--imagine the acting nuance required from close-up facial shots during that scene). Get a taste of Beyon's world amongst the Biltmore's Golden-Age-of-Hollywood-desert-getaway vibe (www.arizonabiltmore.com, $350 PN & up). The Arizona Biltmore Country Club (Phoenix, 1927) has two world-class courses: the Links (rolling fairways, desert ravines, 5 lakes) and the Adobe (1928 w/ a 2004 restoration, wide fairways, cross-bunkers).
Then it's a couple hour run north to Flagstaff. Hit the Amtrak train station where Carol gets duped out of the loot by a local con man.
Golf Digest says: In Flagstaff, play Continental Country Club. It's just about the only daily-fee game in town. Although it tips out at 6,029 yards, this 1960 layout serves as a great warm-up, and can play tough and tight for those unaccustomed to tiny Poa annua greens. Until 2003, Continental called itself Elden Hills Golf Club, in honor of Mount Elden, the 9,300-foot-tall monolith that's visible from nearly every hole. In nearby Williams AZ, hit Elephant Rocks, which took its name from the large volcanic boulders that loosely resemble the animal and stand sentry at the entrance to the course. It opened in 1922 with nine holes and sand greens, losing the latter only in 1990 and adding a second nine in 1999. The course is framed by Bill Williams Mountain and San Francisco Peaks and is cut from a pine forest and through a meadow—a postcard on which golf has been played along the mother road since Route 66 officially opened in 1927. Eat at the low-key, convivial Beaver Street Brewery & Whistle Stop Cafe. Downtown Flagstaff has been exquisitely preserved, as has its Museum Club, which opened on Route 66 in 1931 to house the owner's collection of stuffed and mounted animals, rifles and Indian artifacts. In 1936, it became a popular nightclub and remains so today, under the ownership of Martin Zanzucchi.
Then head south to Prescott, AZ (www.prescott.com), also used as a location in filming. Prescott's classically-designed town square and streets lined with preserved Victorian homes highlight its status as the original state capital. Great value and laid-back atmosphere. Stay at the Apache Lodge Motel (1130 E Gurley St, 928-445-1422), the 1940's drive-in motel where Doc and Carol holed up after killing Benyon.
Online reviews of the Apache run the gambit from "clean, friendly, and a great value" to "asked for a double, got a single, then found a syringe at the foot of the bed". If that sounds a little rough for you, go more upscale at the Hassayampa Inn 800-322-1927; www.hassayampainn.com; $129/night. A couple of short blocks from Prescott's historic Courthouse Square and Whiskey Row, the Hassayampa is the town's most historic, character-laden hotel, with a bustling, elegant lounge with jazz music, as well as a sports bar. Play golf at Antelope Hills, North Course 928-776-7888; www.antelopehillsgolf.com; $40/$55 cart. Celebrating its fiftieth anniversary in 2006, the North course toots its horn with multiple doglegs framed by AARP-worthy elms in its 6,844-yard high-country journey. Antelope Hills, South Course 928-776-7888; www.antelopehillsgolf.com; $40/$55 cart. The longer, more wide-open South course, set amid the scenic splendor of the Granite Dells, was crafted by Gary Panks, who also did Arizona favorites Grayhawk (Talon), Sedona Golf Resort, and Whirlwind. Watch for huge, fast greens and a bit more breeze than the North receives. Or Prescott Golf & Country Club 800-717-7274; www.prescottgolf.net; $45. Try this friendly, tree-lined, thirty-five-year-old layout in Dewey, part of the Prescott Valley.
Precott's Courthouse Square and Whiskey Row sound perfect for a Getaway road trip. Hit saloons such as the Bird Cage (proven haunted in a recent TAPS episode); or dinner theater at The Palace, Arizona's oldest bar and restaurant. See also: Prescott AZ Golf Weekend.
Finally, a longer trek southwest, to Yuma on the AZ/CA border. The awesome shotgun-riddled last scenes set at the fictional Border Hotel in El Paso were actually filmed at the Hotel Del Sol (formerly the Hotel Del Ming) here in Yuma (the hotel was also used for the same scenes in the Steve McQueen version). Built in 1923, it was closed down in the late 1980's, and is now dilapidated. I'm certain that if properly motivated by alcohol under the darkness of night, one could likely make their way over any fences and inside this joint, but I can't vouch for the safety of such things as rattlesnakes, junkie squatters, rotting floors, etc.
1940's Hotel Del Sol postcard
For an alternative in a kitschier vein, crash at the Yuma Cabana Motel (www.yumacabana.com).
Then head out for a grimy round at Desert Hills Municipal. Or hit Fortuna Del Ray GC & RV Resort, a surprisingly tough 9-holer that couldn't be more in keeping with a sweat-soaked Getaway round. For something a little more palatable, hit Mesa Del Sol GC, a good value Arnold Palmer design laid out among the foothills and desert.
[Fat Guy Note: I have not taken this trip or explored any of these courses/locations. As always, proper research and reservations are required. I'm just the idea guy on this one.]