I was flying high over New York City, and we were all about to die.

Obviously that's a version of the line used in one of my favorite movies, "Almost Famous," in reference to one of my favorite movie moments--the band's small charter plane is crashing somewhere near Tupelo, Mississippi when the passengers start revealing intimate secrets. In one of the more realistic turbulent plane scenes, one guy says he has been sleeping with another guy's wife; one guy confesses to a hit and run; another guy says, with a stutter: "I'm, I'm . . . I'm gay!"

Just as they're outing themselves and purging pockets of guilt, the plane straightens out and they all live. 

Last Saturday, after a few days in Santa Barbara, and then 24 hours in Las Vegas (where I caught a Black Eyed Peas and a U2 concert--Fergie's voice was impressive and she looked hot from a distance), I was ready to go home. I skipped an afternoon round of golf with friends and colleagues and I caught an afternoon flight back to JFK.

This trip, more than most, had presented a variety of travel troubles. My temporary tooth was falling out, I was running out of clean underwear and although my computer hard drive was shot, it sure seemed like I was the one taking the bullets.

To have no use of a computer felt like trying to do complex math with an Abacus. I was restricted to reading newspapers, magazines and watching TV. Can you imagine?

Regardless of how good my life is, something like a rude TSA agent, a beverage cart to the knee cap when you're sitting in an aisle seat (not even an I'm sorry?), a canceled flight, or a dead hard drive--that kind of stuff still gets under my skin. And it's not all travel related. I don't care how great the golf course is, I could be at Turnberry on a windless sunny day, but if I'm 15 strokes higher than my handicap, I'll go into a self-centered funk . . . bad golf always blows, even on windless days. It's times like those that I admit to losing a little perspective. Last week the dead hard drive had me feeling shut down.

It's a fickle thing, however. Perspective. It's funny how a pilot over an intercom at 30,000 feet, with the wings of the plane flapping like they belong on the body of a bird, can pull you from the depths of self-loathing like you just sat on a hot branding iron. It's funny how, when Mr. Calm Voice at the controls, can't hide his or her concern. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain from the flight deck. Well, it looks like we're going to have to pull out of our landing pattern and circle for a little while. There's some weather out there, but we'll get you down just as soon as we can. The good news is, we anticipated the weather and loaded up with more fuel before we left from Vegas. Flight attendants, please take your seats."

That's it. That's the kiss of death. When the pilot tells the flight attendants to take their seats, that's usually when I start kissing my own seat goodbye. On Saturday night, in the middle of high winds, an electric storm and surrounded by a plane full of panic, my lips were attached to my cheeks. I really did think I might die.

The couple sitting next to me was the kind of couple who held hands when we took off. Which was sweet. Upon hearing the news we'd be circling for over an hour, and looking out the window and seeing nothing but Mother Nature's rage, these two were interlocking digits and limbs. I've never seen such pale faces, and those were on the row of African Americans across the aisle from me. Barf bags were flying out of seat pockets. The plane started smelling like stomach lining. The poor woman next to me filled up her bag, her husband's bag, my bag and the plastic bag that was holding my new newspapers and magazines. People were trying to make it to the bathroom, and I could hear them come up short.

That's when I pulled out my noise-reduction headphones, turned on the Florida football game (gotta love JetBlue), closed my eyes and listened to it like it was a radio. I was able to achieve some sense of calm, and after I could no longer hear the gagging reflexes of my new best friends next to me, I was no longer feeling the need to ask for my bags back. I actually remember thinking: If this is it, then so be it. I was having an inner monologue that included some sense of OK with the concept of death. I started thinking about my family, closest friends, all the places I've been, courses I've played, people I've met, and I couldn't help but think of girls I've been with--both of them. I was beginning to convince myself I was cool with not having kids because I had such great relationships with my ten nieces and nephews. I had no regrets about not being married. I felt I had scored with career choices and if I had any deep dark secrets, they were so suppressed, not even near-death could bring them to the surface.

But you know what I didn't think about? My bad tooth, my dirty laundry and my dead hard drive.

Obviously we made it. The roar of the crowd the minute all wheels were down sounded like the crowd at the start of the Ole Miss/Alabama game I went to a few weeks ago. High fives all around. I've never seen so many passengers hug each other and then hug the pilots on their way off the plane. I went with a pair of knuckle bumps--those boys deserved it. As far as I'm concerned, they were our own Captain Sullys.

Were we really close to death? Probably not. But all is right again in my little world. My computer works (thanks to Mike Astolfi), my tooth is fixed (thanks to Dr. Neuschatz) my boxers are clean (thanks to the cleaners) and I have a brand new sack of perspective.

All that being said, one thing still doesn't make sense to me: What is Kate Hudson, star of "Almost Famous," doing with A-Rod? That's a thought, regardless of any fresh perspective, that will always make me nauseous.

--Matty G.

Have you been involved in a close call? Care to share?
Send it in, I'd love to hear about it.    

After reading my recent Away Game for Michigan, Kevin Whitmore, the director of golf at True North Golf Club in Harbor Springs, MI, wrote to alert me to a course I may have missed.



Matt,
 
Hello, my name is Kevin Whitmore, I am the PGA Director of Golf at True North Golf Club in Harbor Springs, MI. Due to my busy schedule and five kids, I unfortunately don't get a chance to pick up Golf Digest very often. However, I just saw the September issue and I noticed your well-written article regarding Northern Michigan golf.
 
I have been a PGA professional in Northern Michigan for 17 years, and the courses that you listed are all excellent. However, you missed out on a couple of other courses that certainly rival Forest Dunes or Arcadia Bluffs. One is my course; True North. I, of course, am biased, but I will tell you that my father is a starter at Arcadia Bluffs so between the two of us, we talk to a lot of golfers. I can say that it is fairly even as to whether they like Arcadia, True North or Forest Dunes better.
 
Most lump the three together. if you like views you pick Arcadia, if you like waste bunkers and big clubhouses, you pick Forest Dunes, and if you like pure northern Michigan hardwoods, perfect conditions, and dramatic elevation changes, then you pick True North. True North is a Jim Engh design and it is a masterpiece. Mr. Engh also designed Tullymore, which also gets thrown into the "who's best conversation," but I think that most consider it No. 4 as far as resort and public golf in Michigan is concerned. Of course the best course in Michigan is Crystal Downs, but it is exclusively private. Kingsley Club south of Traverse City is also very good and there are a couple of great courses in the UP, Greywalls in Marquette and Timberstone in Iron Mountain (I think). Hopefully, you can make it back someday, you are always welcome to stop in here at True North!
 
Kind Regards,

Kevin Whitmore

Thanks for the thoughtful input, Kevin. Anyone else out there want to weigh in? Does True North rank with Arcadia Bluffs or Forest Dunes?

-- Matty G.

From Scott Ray of Highlands Ranch, Colo.: I'm heading to Scottsdale mid-October and I'm running into overseeding season. Within a week of overseeding, is the course going to be playable?  Will the greens be decent?

I asked our resident expert on all things related to golf courses, Ron Whitten, to answer this one. Here's Ron's response:

Matt, It will depend upon the manner of overseeding and the maintenance program. A few clubs broadcast seed, others punch tiny holes into the ground and deposit the seed while others use seeders that carve tiny rows down fairways. The latter, of course, is a bit more disruptive to the turf, but in any case, players could treat bad lies as ground under repair. The bigger problem is with watering schedules. You try to get your seed in the ground and germinating within 10 days. Usually the normal irrigation schedule can suffice, but some clubs may tend to lightly water several times a day to ensure that new seed will actually sprout. Which means wetter conditions, sometimes, or waiting for short irrigation cycles to shut off.

Overseeding shouldn't be a deterrent, but golfers should expect slight inconveniences in some cases. I wouldn't tell anyone to stay away a week after overseeding. A day after overseeding, maybe . . . but a week? No. Play on. Whitten

Scott, I'd be curious to hear about any problems you run into in Arizona, and whether or not any of the courses give you a break on the green fee for an overseeding inconvenience. It's one of my pet peeves--a golf course that gives you an inferior experience (overseeding, punched greens, damaged fairways of some sort) and doesn't give a break on how much they charge when conditions are perfect. That's like a middle seat on any plane, it should cost less than an aisle or a window.

Do you have a question or a dilemma relating to golf and/or travel? Send it to me.

--Matty G.

⿿ More

Last year, about this time, I went to Mississippi to play in the Viking Classic Pro-Am. I was paired with the Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, two-time Grammy award winner Paul Overstreet, and our pro was Billy Andrade. We finished middle of the pack, but the company, conversation and camaraderie exceeded all lofty expectations. About Governor Barbour, I wrote: For a guy who's so far right, he sure hits it left a lot.

Last weekend I was back in Mississippi to tour Tunica’s nine casinos and three golf courses. I also got a ticket to an Ole Miss/Alabama game--my first experience of SEC football, and my first look at a place they call, “The Grove."

All of my scheduled golf was rained out, but I did hit balls at the 360-degree driving range at the Mark McCumber designed, Tunica National (pictured above: $50 during the week, $60 on weekends). McCumber should get credit for turning an old flat cotton field into a slightly undulating golf course. He dug out several small lakes to use the dirt for the countour. There's water on 14 of the 18 holes.

After a brief practice session, I jumped a bus bound for Oxford to see the big game--two ranked teams (Alabama, ranked No. 3 in the country, versus Ole Miss, ranked No. 20) would crack helmets in the trenches of the Southeastern Conference. Poor Jevan Snead (pictured below), the quarterback for Ole Miss, he looked like he was a year away from being ready for Pop Warner. And this is a guy who they say is a pro prospect. I didn’t see it. (Snead’s line for the game: 11-34, 140 yards, 0 TDs and 4 INTs.) The Tide's defense rolled over the Rebels, 22-3, in front of 62, 657 fans--the largest crowd to ever watch a football game in the state of Mississippi.

I sat in a catered box at the top of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium where I feasted on spicy chicken, ribs and sliders. I was pulling for Ole Miss, not only because they were the underdogs, but because I read the Michael Lewis book The Blind Side, which is a story about two things: The evolution and the importance of the left tackle, and Michael Oher (pictured below), an Ole Miss alum.

No summary I can give will do the book justice. It’s one of my favorites. If you haven’t done so already, go read it. Oher graduated from Ole Miss last year and is currently starting for the Baltimore Ravens. Last week, because of injuries to the offensive line, Oher played left tackle. By the end of the book you’ll also be an Oher fan and you’ll be looking forward to when the Ravens square off against the Colts on Nov. 22, week 11 of the NFL season--you’ll look forward to Oher trying to block Colts three-time all-pro pass rusher, Dwight Freeney.

But what’s so special about The Grove? I was also anxious to find out. The famous saying at Ole Miss: “We might lose the game, but we never lost the party.” Ole Miss lost the game last Saturday, but I can attest, they did not lose this party.

I took my little camera on this trip and cut a short video of my day in Oxford.
Now this is your tour of The Grove (click below to play the video):

In the past two years, I've also posted video tours of:

-Cypress Point's 16th hole.

-John Smoltz's backyard golf course.

-Ziplining at Kapalua Resort.

-Larry Bird's high school gym in French Lick, Ind.

and,

-Old Macdonald, the fourth course at Bandon Dunes.

Have a great weekend. Go Ole Miss.

--Matty G.

(Snead and Oher photographs by Getty Images.)

Another bad day in my paradise. I recently spoke to Eliza Dushku about golf, travel and acting. Dushku, 28, is the star of "Dollhouse," a hit TV series on Fox. She also dates Rick Fox, former NBA player. And, of course, she's a fox. Maxim ranked her sixth on their list of "Hot 100 Women of 2009."

I'm guessing Dushku isn't in the GHIN system, and based on her work and social schedule, I'm assuming she isn't getting in 100 rounds per year, but she did grow up near a golf course in Boston and remembers getting her first set of clubs when she was 7.

What’s your first memory of golf?
As far back as I can remember, because I grew up across the street from a beautiful golf course in Boston--the Oakley Country Club. We had golf balls coming through our windows and into our yard--beaning people in the head on our back porch. I have three older brothers and we would climb fences and trees and watch golfers; we’d run out and steal golf balls and then run up to the green and try to sell them back to them.

Dushku gave some thoughtful answers throughout the interview, and it was clear she is well-traveled.

Give me your best travel advice.
My advice is always to relax. If you’re thinking of going somewhere, just do it. We were raised to land in any country in the world and navigate around as if we were going to live there for a month. We never went to resorts or by way of super planning. My mother sent my brother and me to China for 40 days with $1,000 each and a Lonely Planet guide book. I was 14 and he was 18, and we found our way. We didn’t have hotels booked or our trains booked and we went up to inner Mongolia. It’s the exploration and the unknown.

Here's a video and a voice-clip of a portion of my conversation with Dushku (click on the picture below):

And here's a link to Dushku's Twitter page.

When I asked her about Twitter she said, "My Twitter followers are my homies." The last time I checked, Dushku has almost 200,000 homies.

I have a little over 200.

--Matty G.

For my most recent Away Game on Central Oregon, which appeared in the October Issue of Golf Digest, I called Jack Nicklaus. He designed one of two courses at Pronghorn and I know he appreciates a good river for fishing, so I asked him if he had ever fished the Deschutes. He told me the following story about "the fish that Jack lost." Here's Nicklaus in his own words, and voice. (Not having pictures of Nicklaus fishing in the 60's, I used a few images from Dom Furore's take in 2004, when Furore was invited to tag along on a fishing trip to Russia with Jack and his sons.) Click the picture to play the video.

Here's a link to the story about my trip to Central Oregon.

And here's a link to the Nicklaus Q&A. We discussed design, travel and fishing.

--Matty G.

I'm starting to find a Twitter niche. I'll be tweeting whenever I'm on the road or when I have some inside scoop about the world of golf and travel. I'm finding it makes most sense when I'm getting tours of top courses, blog updates or observations and anecdotes from buddies trips. I've been in Myrtle Beach this week. Tomorrow morning I fly to Mississippi for golf in the afternoon and on Saturday I'll be attending my first SEC football game. I'll be tweeting from "The Grove" where I'll be watching Ole Miss take on Alabama. I can't say or think Alabama football without breaking into a bad impersonation of Keith Jackson. But I'll keep that to myself. I will, however, share a few recent tweets from this week in Myrtle Beach:

Do you want to "follow" me? Here's the link.

Next week look for a blog about Jack Nicklaus fishing in Central Oregon. It's Jack in his own words (an audio clip) talking about the one that got away. Or, did it?

I'll also give you a profile of my Dad's friend in San Diego--Clarence "Clitz" Busch, 90, has 43 hole-in-ones. I have video of his swing. In addition to having a cool name, he's one of the coolest cats alive. He plays five rounds per week.

Finally, another audio clip of the current Q&A with Eliza Dushku. She's hot. And she loves to talk golf. And she's hot.

Have a great weekend.

--Matty G.
 

Some recent e-mails courtesy of the golfdigest.com "Travel Trouble" in-box:

From Gary McCray in Patterson, NJ: Dear Matty G., I’m trying to attend three golf tournaments next year. Do you have any advice on the FBR Open, Doral and the dream trip--THE OPEN at St. Andrews? Your help would be appreciated.

Gary, I’ve done recent travel stories about Scottsdale (FBR Open), Miami (Doral) and I’ve been to St. Andrews (THE OPEN) a few times. Loosely, one might say those three specific destinations represent beer, babes and golf-porn, respectively, if you will. I see how you're rollin'. And I like it.

Here's a link to my Away Game in Arizona.

I suggest the two courses at Talking Stick or the two at We-Ko-Pa (the theme here is no houses along narrow fairways). In terms of scenery, you wont have to go any further than just outside the ropes of the FBR. I’m told this is the second best golf party every year--the best is the one in Texas the week of the Byron Nelson, hosted by Tommy Armour III.

And here's the link to my Away Game in Miami.

I suggest Key Biscayne if you want to play a course in the Miami area. Either that, or take a walk along the out-skirts of South Beach. You’ll need a neck brace for several scantily clad scene-arios by the time you’re done.

As for Scotland and St. Andrews, yes, I'd agree, that's a dreamy trip--different from the dreams induced by Scottsdale and Miami. Picking a good course to play in or around St. Andrews is like picking a ripe avocado--it’s hard not to squeeze ‘em all before you know what’s right for you and your basket.

I found this website, which might help. I suggest Kingsbarns, the Dukes and Jubilee. One of our Executive Editors at Golf Digest, Mike O’Malley, often refers to Kingbarns as his favorite. And he has played Augusta, the Old Course and Pine Valley.

The Castle course got ripped as “ruining a perfectly good potato farm” when it first came out (greens were pretty crazy), but I hear there have been adjustments made by designer, David McLay Kidd, so it might be worth another look. McLay Kidd told me that tweaks to the Castle Course can’t be considered “changes” if he’s the one making them--which is why I went with the word, “adjustments.”


From Ken Kneis of Wayne, NJ: Matty G., We need your help. We have a trip next week that was supposed to be 12 players. One guy bailed out on us, so we are left with 11. We were going to have four-man teams, but don't know what to do down one player without having someone play two balls.

Ken, if it’s not too late, and without knowing the specifics (so I apologize if this is insensitive), but maybe the sleeve of two balls is best played by the guy who suddenly can’t make it.

That being said, a man-down is a frequent dilemma for a lot of buddies trips (and I encourage people to chime in). But I’ve always thought the blind draw is the best way to fill in for a busy buddy. In your case, with 11 guys and four-man teams, play two foursomes and one threesome (put the threesome out first for pace-of-play issues). I assume the four-man teams have some sort of A-player, B-Player, C-player and D-player structure. If that’s the case, depending on the level of the missing party, say he’s a C-player, at the end of the round do a random selection of the other three C-players. Then insert his scores into the scorecard of the threesome and he becomes the random fourth man. And I say the random fourth man does not cash in on his borrowed teams winnings, if that's the case.

If you’re in a scramble situation, I’d adjust the teams so the three-player team has two B-players and a D-player (load ‘em up with a little so-called talent) and then I say they still get four putts. The fourth putt is rotated amongst the three players throughout the round. Larry gets two putts on the first hole (if necessary), Curly gets two putts on the second hole (if necessary) and Mo gets two putts on the third hole (if necessary), and so on. I hope this makes sense, and I hope it helps your cause.


And then there are just a few recent e-mails worth posting, if for no other reason, as a way to let a reader vent a little:

From Jim Cesarz of Braintree, MA: Matt, I know that you are not personally responsible for the list of Top 75 Golf Resorts in North America, but I think Golf Digest made a big mistake by not including the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina. The "property" is without peer in my opinion and the May River Golf Course (Nicklaus Design) was in pristine condition and a very challenging test of golf.


From Jeff Hamilton of Orlando, FL: Why no news on the website about the closing of Troon Golf Vacations and their affiliate, Hospitality Tee Times? Get a story out on the importance of reliable tour operators, not a "name" claiming to be in the industry. They outsourced the operation to Desert Golf Vacations.

Do you have a question, a rant or a dilemma? If so, send 'em to this link. By way of this blog or in the magazine, I try to answer as many as I can.

--Matty G.

A reader (thank you, Jody B.) passed on a "Non Sequitur" cartoon by artist Wiley Miller--the subject was golf and an ambush.

Here's the kicker:

And here's a link to the strip. It also relates to the recent discussion about sacred rules and dress codes--our featured golfer is in the buff, but there's no sign of a cell phone. 

--Matty G.