I'm back from Rochester, NY. Canandaigua to be completely accurate. On a hill above a big beautiful lake, 132 guys came from (mostly) Toronto to scratch the winter golf itch. They were swinging clubs, fist-bumping, passing petting-zoo fumes, and hugging chesty and slender beverage-cart girls as though they were saying goodbye to a loved one before shoving off for a year at sea.

Watson's Springfest celebrated their 20th Anniversary this year. Their complete story will appear in the July issue of the magazine. But some of the people I met last weekend deserve some pre-story props.

Thank you Dave Walker. "Walk" has organized this group every year. He is the undeniable leader. What Walk says, goes. Walker, 57, pictured below with his father, Sam, 83, his brother, Pete, 44, and his son, Scott, 27. (From left to right: Pete, Sam, Dave and Scott.) The three generations of the Walker clan always play in the Saturday round together.
A sweet tradition, if you're into family.

Thank you Glen Wilson. Referred to as simply "Wilson," he submitted their itinerary. He wrote: "We play in all kinds of weather." He was right. How about this three day stretch: On Thursday the group played in temperatures in the 30's, sleet and a stiff wind; On Friday it was 60 degrees and sunny and barely a breeze; On Saturday it was 70 degrees, but there was a four-club wind blowing at the top of the property. Scores collapsed on Saturday, but the fun never buckled. Sam Walker said it best as he walked off the 3rd green. "Today I need lead in my shoes." Which wouldn't have helped when he needed to chase his hat down the fairway.

Thank you Reid Ferguson. On every Ambush I lean on someone to lead me to the good stories, to flush out some fun facts of past trips and to make sure I feel welcome into the group. Reid was my fullback and I followed him to this story about a great group of guys.

Wilson (L), Ferguson (R) and I are pictured below having a cup of coffee at Bristol Harbour's 14th hole (designed by Robert Trent Jones and Rees Jones).

Thank you Rick Bishop. "Bish" is one of the most decent people I've met on the road so far. And that's an ocean full of competition, not a pool. He let me borrow some of his clubs as I took on Ferguson for $5 in a six hole match. I lost $5, but it had nothing to do with Bishop's clubs. Ferguson can golf his ball.

Thank you Greg Mulhern. He's the pro at Bristol Harbour Resort and he and his hospitable staff put me up in the empty conference room for three hours while I waited for the perfect time to Ambush. They fed me, watered me and kept the Ambush a secret from an inquisitive Wilson, who was sure I was picking his group.

And finally, thank you to Dale and Brenda Stoker. Bristol Harbour was at capacity and I needed a place to stay. I had a room reserved at a hotel down the road, but it was too far down the road to get to late Friday night, and not close enough to get back in time early Saturday morning. The Stokers gave me a bed in their "barn." Ten times the size of my New York apartment, three times the TVs and one hundred times as nice, this barn would be worth millions of dollars where I live. Being able to crash there for a night was priceless.

Sorry. One more. Congratulations to Emma Taylor on her recent engagement. It was as recent as Saturday night to one of the guys playing in the Springfest. He's a local and they've been going out for a few years. I'm blanking on his name, but he was a cool guy and they make a great couple. Taylor, 26, is the latest entry in my search for the most beautiful cart girl in golf. She's pictured below. "Emma" is a legend at Springfest. If for nothing else, she's been serving them White Russians and Bloody Caesars since she was 18.

I will also share a recent e-mail exchange I just had with Walk. (I hope he doesn't mind.)

He wrote: Hi Matt. It was a pleasure meeting you and on behalf of all the guys at Springfest, thanks for choosing us. I am positive there will be 132 framed copies of your article on us hanging on everyone's wall. If you ever make it up to Toronto you'll have places to stay and great courses to play. Cheers, Dave Walker.

I wrote: Dave, Thank you for the note. You have a great thing going. That group of guys, the deal you secured at the location that works with you, and for you. Congratulations on two decades of buddies trips and happy anniversary for that matter. And congratulations on not only surrounding yourself with good help, which is key, but also with a great family. The three generations of Walkers was an honor to be a part of. And that Friday night of listening to stories, and watching all of you guys laugh yourselves to tears, was fantastic. And thank you to "Wilson," because without his entry into the Ambush contest, I would never have met you guys, and never had the chance to share your story with our six million readers. We'll be in touch I'm sure. I've kept in touch with all past Ambush winners. That's just what happens after sharing a few days on the golf course with a great group of guys. A real tribute to the spirit of the game and the people who play it, I suppose.

Any interest in being Ambushed?

If so, send in your itinerary. Here's the link.

You never know, you and your group might be next.

--Matty G.

In search of inexpensive golf at big league ball parks? I took a few seconds to rip off link to Golf Vacation Insider's list of resorts offering "unlimited golf" vacations. Some of which I've already featured in this blog (RTJ Trail and Pinehurst):

"Unlimited golf" vacations are nothing new, but thanks in part to the weak economy, even some of America's best courses and classiest resorts are offering golf's version of the all-you-can-eat buffet.

Yes, even resort icons like Pebble Beach, Pinehurst, Kiawah Island, Sea Island, and the Greenbrier are offering unlimited golf vacation packages. In fact, I've wanted to publish a tip about this for several weeks now, but the list of deals kept getting bigger and the quality of the venues kept getting better. Some have expiration dates approaching, so I couldn't hold off any longer.

Although their list includes a place like Pebble Beach, the course being offered is Spanish Bay. At Pinehurst and Kiawah you'll pay a premium to play No. 2 and the Ocean Course respectively--but it still involves some savings.

Here's the entire article:

--Matty G.

Last week I called Gary Player. He had left Augusta National and he was visiting a new course he's building in La Paz, Mexico. I've now discussed course design and travel with golf's Big Three: Player, Nicklaus and Palmer.

Player told me he felt he may have retired too early from competitive play at the Masters. Nicklaus told me he hasn't discussed design with Tiger because, at this point, what would Tiger know about design. I was more nervous in speaking to the King and I interviewed Palmer first. As a result I don't think I got as much out of him as I should have. I loved the fact that, to this day, he still considers Nickalus a rival.

My complete conversation with Player is on the home page of this website right now. Here's the link and here are a few highlights:

You're coming off an amazing week at the Masters. Does part of you take a little pride in the fact that you were able to play competitively at Augusta longer than Jack and Arnie?
Well, I do. But that was going to happen automatically because I've watched what I ate more than they did. And I exercised extremely hard. It was really an automatic, wasn't it? If you look at the time I put into exercise, and watching my diet, compared to what they did, it's not even close. You also have to be lucky to be healthy. And quite honestly, I retired too early from the Masters, because I broke 80 again. Yes, quite honestly, I think I retired too early. But be that as it may, that's my decision, and that's it.

Didn't you go through Amen Corner one day at one under?
Yes. And the first day I went out in one over. The last day, quite honestly, I would've broken 80 if it were a normal day [Player shot 83], but I was getting a standing ovation on every single tee, and every single fairway, and every single green. The love that I was given -- and here's a great emphasis on love -- the love I was given is something I will never forget until the day I die. And I say, thank you, America, and thank you to the international galleries who were there. I say thank you for their love. Obviously it was hard to concentrate. It was impossible.

But is there part of you to be relieved to be done with that monstrosity of that golf course that it's become now?
[Laughs.] No. Not really. It was always a privilege and an honor to be there. One thing that gives me great pleasure is that I've always tried to be a great ambassador for Augusta National. When I won in '61 and '74, we never had television in South Africa. We got television in South Africa in 1975. I used to take the Masters film, and I'd hire somebody, and he'd go around the country to all the golf clubs, and show the Masters film. Not many people know that.

A couple of us questioned the fact that Player said they didn't have television in South Africa in 1975. Mike O'Malley, an Executive Editor at Digest, took it upon himself to run a quick check. Player was right. O'Malley found a very cool graphic that shows the timeline of TV, courtesy of Wikipedia. Here's a link to the graphic, but I've also posted it below.

I love the question that starts with: "If money's no object . . .." It opens a flood of fantastic thoughts, just like: "If you won the lottery . . ." or "If you had three wishes . . .." Those can make for great leads into stimulating and revealing conversations in otherwise stagnant social settings. You pull those out at parties and bars when all else is failing.

When people ask me, "If money's no object, where would you stay and play?" I say my favorite golf resort in the U.S. is Sea Island. I say Bandon Dunes is my favorite resort if all I want to do is play golf. Pebble Beach is the most spectacular setting and it's impossible to beat the Pebble, Spyglass and Pasatiempo trifecta. Pinehurst is the ideal buddies trip destination because it has a little of everything: A spectacular setting, a spa, hospitality, history, golf, food, style and shuttle service. Your best bang for your buck would be Myrtle Beach, San Diego or somewhere in Northern Michigan. My favorite U.S. based public course is Bethpage Black and my favorite course across the pond is Turnberry. But nobody does the true southern experience like Sea Island. If you've been there, you know what I mean. You would also know it's a far cry from cheap. I wrote about it in one of my first Away Games. Here's the link to that story.

Of course, Sea Island was also the flair of financial troubles for high-priced golf resorts as they were the first to get big press when they started restructuring their business model, but they assured me it would have no affect to their commitment to the service aspect of the Sea Island experience, and as far as I know, prices have stayed the same.

Last week I was told they would be making an additional adjustment. One of their three resort courses is going private. The Retreat Course, redesigned in 2001 by Davis Love and his brother Mark, will now only be open to Sea Island's membership. A spokesperson for the resort told me there will continue to be "a few tee times open to resort guests," but that Seaside, redesigned by Tom Fazio in 1999, and Plantation, redesigned by Rees Jones in 1998, will now be the primary resort courses.

Honestly, I don't believe you'll miss much. As much as I liked the Retreat course (pictured above), which is flat, cut among trees and houses and is located just down the street from the Lodge, it's very clear Seaside is the star of the Sea Island show and Plantation is a nice complement to the Seaside experience. Seaside is still in my top 10 favorite public courses I've played so far as the travel editor for Golf Digest. The Seaside course ($325 peak, $250 off-peak) and the Plantation course ($230 peak, $200 off-peak), as well as one of the best driving ranges in golf with a state-of-the-art learning center, are all on the same property as the Lodge.

I was told this move made sense because club membership already made up over 80 percent of the play on the Retreat Course. The other two courses affiliated with Sea Island, the Frederica and Ocean Forest, both offer private memberships as well.

Peak season for Sea Island is March 1 to May 31 and Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. The room rates during these times are $650 to $2,000 a night. Off-peak rates are $450 to $2,000. Of course they offer seasonal package deals, which include golf, food, spa and shopping gift cards. For more information go to seaisland.com, or call 888.732.4752.


-My favorite golf resort in the U.S.: Sea Island.

-Favorite for hard-core golf trip (at least 36 a day): Bandon Dunes (about to have four fantastic courses within three minutes of each other).

-Favorite destination if I was on a couples trip: Pebble Beach (play Pebble, Spyglass and Pasatiempo).

-Favorite Buddies Trip Destination: Pinehurst (play No. 2, No. 4 and No. 8).

-Favorite U.S. Public Course: Bethpage Black ($104 if your from out of state).

-Favorite Course Across The Pond: Turnberry's Ailsa Course.

--Matty G.

(Caption for photo above: The 6th hole at the Retreat Course, courtesy of Sea Island.)

I spoke to Gary Player yesterday. Our complete conversation will appear in the travel section of this website next Tuesday. We talked about a new course he's building in Mexico, his travel habits and the emotional week he had at the Masters. When I asked him how to help control the effects of jet lag. He told me to not eat animal fat, eat more fruits and vegetables and to drink water, not alcohol.

In the New York Times today there's a "guest column" about jet lag written by Leon Kreitzman, who co-authored a book about biological clocks called, "Rhythms of Life."

Here's the start of the column:

The Japanese call it Jisaboke and in French it is les effets du decalage horaire. Whatever the language, the symptoms of jet lag are the same the world over--fatigue, insomnia, disorientation, swelling limbs, loss of appetite, headaches, mood disturbances, bowel irregularity and light-headedness. Jet lag has also been implicated in loss of libido, nausea, sore throat, fall in cognitive performance and even an increased susceptibility to malaria.

It is not just unpleasant. Jet lag can start wars. In 1956, United States Secretary of State John Foster Dulles arrived back in Washington after a long flight to learn that the Egyptians had just bought a substantial amount of Russian arms. Dulles immediately canceled the agreement he had made with Colonel Nasser to bankroll the Aswan Dam project. The Suez Crisis that followed ended Britain’s imperial pretensions, and at the height of the Cold War the Russians had their first foothold in Africa. Years later Dulles admitted that he had made a mistake in acting so hastily. He blamed it on the effects of jet lag.

Here's a link to the entire story.

I'm on the road this week reporting the next Away Game. Last night I had a chunk of animal fat and a little alcohol. If I don't play well today, I'll use a new excuse. I'll blame my lame game on jet lag (even though my travels haven't taken me out of the eastern time zone).

--Matty G.

I'm doing exactly what you're doing. I'm one with my sofa, my flat screen, my fridge, a few friends and of course--the Masters. Quiet please.

My top 5 Masters moments:

No. 5: Nicklaus wins in '86. It was my first distinct realization that this tournament was the Super Bowl of golf.

No. 4: In '98 I was working for Sports Illustrated. We used to fly the film home and I was the golf photo editor. I would leave with the film on Saturday and edit in the office on Sunday and Monday. When I left on this Saturday, I also left my Dad to watch the weekend on his own. In '98, after Nicklaus made a run on Sunday, he had his fans believing, if for only a second, that he could win another. My Dad was one of those fans. He had followed Jack all day and after Jack putted out on 18, my dad found a pay phone and left me a message. Unless you've been there you don't know what kind of hike it is getting to the top of the property from the bottom of Amen Corner. I remember my Dad was out of breath, but he got through it: "Hey Matt'o . . . it's Dad . . . I just followed Jack . . . what a round . . .what a competitor . . . what a day . . . love ya . . ."

No. 3: The working media can get through the gates an hour before the fans. On the Tuesday before the '97 Masters, my first day on my first trip to Augusta, I walked through the gates and directly to the first fairway with one of my uncles (who had a working media credential). The sun was just breaching the tops of the trees, not a blade of grass out of place, not a single white smudge in the sky, and as I took in the expanse, and the scent of an old nursery--I got tears in my eyes. It's that impressive. And then my uncle and I walked up to the veranda and ate a delicious southern breakfast in an empty dining room at the table next to Tida Woods, who was eating all by herself. Her son would go on to make history five days later.

No. 2: One of the greatest true back-nine Sunday duels at Augusta for members of my generation was the birdie (and eagle) birage put on my Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els in '04. It was one of the first times I could stay through the weekend because we had gone all-digital (as opposed to film) and I was editing all the images on site and trasmitting back to the office. I was the Director of Photography, the four photographers were all on a radio and I was acting as air-traffic-control. After weaving my way through Amen Corner, I went to the top of the grandstand at the 15th green and then up the left side of the 18th fairway. After Mickelson made his putt, and his little leap of joy, I remember being behind the green and watching as Ernie Els left the practice putting green, flanked by his wife, as he was free to leave--there would be no playoff. He'd go on that year to lose a playoff in the British Open to Todd Hamilton. The Big Easy, who's one of my favorites, has never been same since.

No. 1: Anytime I've found myself at a dinner table mid-tournament eating slabs of ham, opening a fresh beer in a swanky dining room of a southern stranger's over-decorated house with some of the best scribes to ever cover the game, the historians of the Masters going back as far as fifty years (Dan Jenkins, Dave Anderson, Jerry Tarde, Bob Verdi, Jaime Diaz, Tim Rosaforte, John Hawkins, Geoff Russell just to name a few...the rest know who they are...) and recapping what's still visible in the rearview mirror--predicting the contents of what's still to come.

--Matty G.


(Caption: Tiger's chip-in at the 16th hole en route to beating Chris DiMarco in 2005 is my favorite Masters picture--shot by Stephen Szurlej.)

My friends are always saying I'm the Santa Claus of golf. That all I do is go around the country giving groups of golfers gifts and space in their favorite golf magazine. I can't disagree, but of course it's not really me. Santa Claus is (ear muffs for the little ones) a mythical creature with a hearty appetite for millions of cookies and half glasses of milk, who squeezes his way down thin chimneys, fulfills wish-lists and escapes without a smudge on his bright red coat. I'm just a travel editor with a company credit card, a camera and a keyboard. There's nothing mythical about me but I will say, the more I meet real golfers, the more I want to write about 'em. 

Just a quick update on the Pinehurst Trip Planner Contest. We've received a few hundred entries so far. I'm back and forth between Ambush itineraries and the entries for this contest, picking six winners to go to Pinehurst will be a tough task. Here are a few I thought you might enjoy:
 
Pete Wilson of Phoenix, Ariz. nominated Jack Goode Sr.--the Trip planner for the Bitner Boys Annual Golf Outing. It started in 1981, when Pinehurst was a three-day golf outing for less than $300. The original three have been at it for almost 31 years. Wilson says, "The guy deserves a rest. I can attest as my first trip to Pinehurst this year--that is a fitting place to relax."

Steve Ponciroli of St. Louis, Mo. is nominating Raj Bhuyan, who Ponciroli refers to as a "planner extraordinaire." You have to like Raj's style. In the five years he has been coordinating their buddies trip, the venues have been: Ireland, Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes, Whistling Straits and Pinehurst. Ponciroli says his trip includes "A website, draft events prior to the trip, calcutta auctions, nightly evaluation of results, next-day pairings, detailed brackets displayed at the club highlighting the players, matches and total points." He says Raj's "gold standard" is the awards banquet chronicling the trip and recognizing individual and team winners, "all pulled together in a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation set to music."

Frank Olive of West Palm Beach, Fla. nominates Captain Nick. For 18 years Captain Nick has put on a "write-your-check-and-show-up" tournament for as many as 30 golfers. He organizes courses, tee times, nightly cocktails, daily meals, a stat sheet, trophy, banquet dinner, free housing and airport shuttle service for all. Several weeks prior to the '08 tournament, Olive says, "Hurricane Ike decided to use Houston as its United States bulls-eye. With weeks of power outages, no a/c in Houston, limited communications, major city cleanup, and course closures, Captain Nick took charge, found us 18 open holes, and the trip was on. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, the 18th Annual was a huge success."

Patrick Sheposh of Rochester, Mich. says  Ken Regalado has been, "The Julie McCoy" of his trip. "Minus the looks and narcotics issues." Sheposh sent in a link to their website: http://fallgolfouting.wordpress.com/. Sheposh ends with, "Ken Regalado deserves this trip."

From Larry Fletcher of Ellisville, Mo. nominates himself. "I am THE planner and have been for years," he says. "I say to all, I drew the short straw but, on some level, I do enjoy the challenge. Your description of me; type-A, controlling, etc. is right on. I'm anal and like everything to be well orchestrated. Mainly so the group thoroughly enjoys the trip." After some details of his trip Fletcher says, "I really do look forward to the 'work' of many more before my 'final hole.' What a game!"

Michael Lauricella of Way, N.J. has sent in one of my favorites so far: "No one deserves a trip to Pinehurst more than our Dad. The man is a machine--he works a ton, yet still always has time for his family. When we were young it was basketball, now it's golf. For the last 10 years he has been planning trips. He started playing golf more because we (his two sons) fell in love with the game. Kiawah, Puerto Rico, Scottsdale, Cape Cod, Williamsburg! Airfare--his dime. Dinner--his dime. Hotel--his dime. Green fees--his dime. Activities for non-golfing mom and sister--his dime. Pinehurst--his devotion to us.

Keep 'em coming. The contest closes at 11:59 p.m. on May 15th.

The ironic thing is I used to live on 34th Street, but I can't remember any miracles. Now my North Pole is in Brooklyn.

--Matty G.

It's that time again. Thirteen down and many more to come. One of the groups below will be the 14th Golf Digest Ambush and will be featured in an upcoming issue of the magazine (and on this website).

What is the Ambush?

Here's a short video summary I did on the Golf Channel after the first few Ambushes last year:

I've now received over 4,000 entries and the concept continues to gain momentum. As I've said before, to Ambush is the most enjoyable part of a ridiculously fun job. Thanks again for sharing your trips with Golf Digest and our six million readers every month.

THE FOUR FINALISTS:

Group A) Mark Johnson of Grinnell, IA started his trip almost 15 years ago, "As a way to reconnect with my Dad," he says. Johnson's parents divorced when he was young and so the game of golf would be the vehicle for catching up on some lost time with his dad for both Johnson and eventually his little brother as well. At the time of the first trip Johnson lived in Denver and his father lived in Idaho Falls. They each brought a friend and met in the middle--Wyoming. Unfortunately Johnson's father passed away two years ago, but over the years the trip served its purpose and continues to do so as the group has grown to as many as 20 players now. This year they're going to Omaha, NE. It's being called the "F&*$@ing Pilgrim Open," in honor of Johnson's father because "That's the moniker he'd place on just about anybody," Johnson says.

TRIP DETAILS:

Location: Omaha, NE

No. of rounds: 6 (18 on Thursday, 36 on Friday, 36 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday).
No. of days: 4
Format: Modified Ryder Cup
No. of players: 20
Courses: Quarry Oaks, Iron Horse

Group B) Glen Wilson of Milton, ON submitted an itinerary for the 20th annual "Watson's Springfest." He says 120 to 140 guys get together every year at Bristol Harbour, located just outside of Canadaigua, NY. "We play in all kinds of weather," says Wilson. "Yes, even snow!" Wilson says he went on his first Springfest nine years ago with five friends. "Now I have 120 friends," he says. Ages range from 20's to 80's. The trip coordinator is Dave Walker (and his crew). Their website gives a better look into who they are: www.watsonsspringfest.com. I liked this quote from Walker in a news item on the website: "An economy that's in the crapper and a Canuck buck that has just barely climbed over 80 U.S. cents and I'm about four entries away from being full. That’s right my Springfest friends, we're a couple of guys short of 135."

More evidence that an annual buddies trip is recession-proof. We refuse to lose those four to seven days we squirrel away each year for friends, golf and debauchery.

TRIP DETAILS:

Location: Canadaigua, NY (90 minutes east of Buffalo)

No. of rounds: Hard to tell.
No. of days: "Some stay for a week, some only stay for three days."
Format: "Big Bopper, Little Bopper, scrambles, cleaners, and shootouts"
No. of players: "A couple guys short of 135."
Courses: Bristol Harbour (18 holes)

Group C) Dave Carothers of Buffalo, MN says that for the past 10 to 12 years 16 guys have been coming from all over the country to meet in Kansas City. The group is made up of guys who've played high school and college golf against each other--some are now related, others simply remain good friends. "We've had hats and sweatshirts made," says Carothers. "We have a traveling trophy that goes to the individual who gets voted as to doing the dumbest/ funniest things and they need to wear the sweatshirt teeing off the next round." Carothers also says they have a computer guru in the group who has created a program that helps keep track of all the various games within a single round and also keeps an overall total. Carothers says the program is so good it might be worth marketing at some point. "I don't want to tell you everything or there would be nothing left for you to know," says Carothers. "But it's a great group of guys for a great long weekend of golf with many laughs. I'm sure you would not be disappointed."

TRIP DETAILS:

Location: Kansas City

No. of rounds: 5
No. of days: 3
Format: N/A
No. of players: 16
Courses: N/A

Group D) Alan Buckley of Victoria, BC is the Entertainment Chairman of the 15th Annual Plaid Jacket. In his submission to us, Buckley listed some reasons why he and his crew are worthy of an Ambush: "No. 1) We are polite, hockey-loving Canadians who drink real beer. No 2) If the ambush goes bad, we are doctors so we have you covered--19 doctors and one lawyer (just in case). No. 3) Gary "Stats" Nielsen has us scrambling, shambling and Las Vegas Peppering all week until someone wears the Plaid Jacket home and either the White Hats or Black Hats are crowned Ryder Cup champions. No. 4) Entertainment on the team bus--every player has an original song that is sung by Two Tone Deafs and a Tenor. No. 5) An open invitation to join us (win or lose) at one of  Canada's most beautiful courses for eighteen before or after the trip."

TRIP DETAILS:

Location: Scottsdale

No. of rounds: N/A
No. of days: 7
Format: Scrambles, schambles and Las Vegas Peppering (whatever that means).
No. of players: 20
Courses: N/A

So that's what I'm picking from this month. Readers thoughts and suggestions are always welcome. Or, if you're a member of one of the groups above, feel free to fill in some details or anecdotes that I may be missing. (See comments box below.) It will have an impact on who I pick. And if I don't see you this year--there's always next year.

If you haven't submitted an itinerary yet, here's the link to the Ambush entry form.

--Matty G.

I saw this story awhile ago about Padraig Harrington making the first par on a ridiculously long par 3 in Africa.

How long?

The world’s longest and highest par three (394 yards), the signature hole at Legends Golf and Safari Resort, has its tee box poised at a dizzying height atop of Hanglip Mountain, 1,410 feet above the green and is only accessible by helicopter!

What I hadn't seen was the video, which is worth watching if you have a few minutes.

More from the story and about the hole...

Balls hit off the tee are estimated to have a 'hang time' of 26 seconds, so a little help is needed in keeping an eye on the white dimpled orb. With technology in the form of four separate cameras and tracking equipment, Harrington and Raphael Jacquelin (the designer of the hole) were able to track their tee shots and the flight of their balls, while ball watchers stood ready to point out where the balls had landed on the ‘map of Africa’ green.

Your average thrill-seeking golfer can play this bizarre hole in addition to a round of 18 holes, or as an experience on its own, and a hole-in-one will earn you one million US dollars!

My top 10 par 3s (Limiting it to one par 3 per course):

1) 16th at Cypress (The Secretariat of Par 3s--wins by 18 lengths)

2) 5th at Pine Valley (For me it's a par 5)

3) 7th at Pebble (I made a 2 the last time I was there)

4) 3rd at Spyglass (A 2-rescue or a wedge depending on the wind)

5) 17th at Bethpage Black (It has ruined many bad rounds at Bethpage Black)

6) 17th at Sawgrass (It's something you have to try before you die)

7) 11th at Pacific Dunes (One of the best holes on a great golf course)

8) 3rd at Pasatiempo (I'm always in between clubs--3-wood or driver)

9) 17th at Secession (It would be easier to land it on top of an open umbrella)  

10) 17th at Colleton River--Dye Course (A swing stopper--I hit, hold and hope)

--Matty G.