Additional courses that I have played.....

I grew up playing Durand Eastman Golf Course in Rochester, NY. It is part of the local municipal chain of four courses and by far and away the best of the four. While it is unfortunately pretty wet most of the summer, it is truly a great layout. No sand, an annoying creek and relatively small greens. It is nestled in a county park and sits very close to Lake Ontario. You can actually see the lake from the 8th tee. The nines were switched two seasons ago to accommodate the gorgeous new club house. The new 18th green is directly below the clubhouse patio and from that perch you can see players finish on a very tough par 4 with a creek that runs all the way down the right side until it dumps into a pond short and right of the green.

Many people don't like to play here due to the length of time it can take to play a round. When we were kids it could take 6 + hours to get around the course. It is much better now that they require tee times for the weekends. That aside, the course is a true test of golf. It is only a par 70 as there are only two par fives.

I challenge anyone to get home in two on the very short par five 9th hole. You must hook your teeshot down what appears to be a vee-shaped, serpentine bowling alley of a fairway, then hit a second shot (as little as a 5 iron) to an shallow, elevated green that will probably not hold that long of a shot. The better way to play it is with a 4 iron off the tee, then about a 7 iron to the 100 yard area and hit wedge home. The 11th hole is one of the finest par 4's that I have ever played. Again, a creek guards the left side all the way down from the the elevated tee to about the 300 yard mark, then it ducks under the fairway only to re-appear on the right side for the rest of the hole. A good tee shot will leave about 180 home and it has to be a slight hook unless you leave your drive to the right center of the fairway.

The other course that I grew up playing was called Craig Hill CC way back when and is now called Deerfield CC. This is the course that Jeff Sluman grew up playing. It is too bad that it has been poorly managed over the years as it is one of the longest, most difficult courses in the area. Huge undulating greens will render many a three putt if you cannot read the breaks and apply a deft touch with the flat stick. I wish that someone would invest the money it would take to make this course the track that it could be. I was surprised when Sluman and Dudley Hart bought Lake Shore CC a few miles away and not this mismanaged facility. It sure could use some TLC and the money it needs to fix what is broke. There are a some of the most difficult par 4's around on this course, they play well over 400 yards from the regular tees. The course can be stretched to nearly 7200 yards from the tips and it is very scary from back there.

Deerfield is the course that I was playing when I was lucky enough to card my hole-in-one. Back then it was the third hole on the south course, which was re-assigned as the 12th hole when they reversed the nines. That shot is the source of my screen name "myace188" as the hole was measuring 188 yards that day. I have come close to holing another one many times since that day over nine years ago. Maybe one day another one will fall in.