Well thats kind of the thing, we play and then watch the game but I don't think that is written in stone. I will let you all fight it out. My kid will be really upset if I don't watch the gump game with him but it will not be the biggest disappointment he will ever encounter if it has to be that way. If we have to play the same goat trail as last year thats fine too. Maybe they have decided if they want bunkers or not by now?
Idea is to play and then watch the game together, or the other way around in reverse. No one wants to miss a game.
If everyone would be willing to travel to south Alabama (Greenville) about 2 hours north of Mobile our course would be perfect. It's right next to an RV park it has 3 championship 9's and a par 3 course and a nice club house with a restaurant that can be partitioned off to allow us our own private area. Have numerous motels at the interstate exit about 5 miles from the course on I-65. The course Is one of the best you'll ever play and I can probably get us a good rate @ $50.00. Lots of LSU fans play here the weekends we play at Auburn. Added: we play Auburn on October 31st @2:30 at Auburn.
They were supposed to start repairing the bunkers a couple of months ago, but COVID and then storm season got in the way. This week is the third time this season we've been on hurricane alert. Last time I was over there, about 3 weeks ago, I was told they were "getting ready to start." I played about 5 weeks ago and fairways and greens were in great shape.
With the weather you guys have down there those bunkers should have been done a long time ago. Its a great course but one of two things are the case, maybe both. Little to no traffic or they just don't give a shit about the course. Its fine for what we have going on though, if that is the track then that is the track.
If those dates are out this starts to get tough, just because we don't know enough kickoff times for options. I don't think we want to try for a 2:30 kickoff date, and that takes out the Florida and Auburn games. South Carolina on Oct. 24 might be possible, but they haven't set that time yet. Maybe Arkansas on Nov. 21 but I'd rather not set anything too close the Thanksgiving. Only other possible is Missouri on Oct. 10, kickoff is still unknown.
The "little traffic" is the problem. Not enough income to really keep it maintained. Its parish-owned and the parish doesn't want to use public money to fix it. I think they came up with some FEMA money from some "disaster" or other. The course was named best new course in the state by Golf Digest the year it opened. They really went all-out on construction (built by the same firm that designed and built Doral) but its just too far off the beaten path to generate the play needed to keep it first class.
What's wrong with a @2:30 game? If we tee off NLT 9:30 we should be done playing golf in plenty of time.
If I was in charge of that course I'd fill in a lot of those bunkers. Bunkers are high maintenance cost items and if you're not getting a lot of revenue that would save a lot of money and reducing the number of bunkers would probably help speed up play. Additionally, that course is a good layout and would still be fun to play and a lot less penal if most of the fairway bunkers were removed.
If I remember right last year, we played for more than 3 hours and only finished 12 holes, and that was on an empty course. If we're going to jump onto a high traffic course like Carter, we're going to have to split into smaller groups and play like we mean business. Which I'm good with.
